TOKYO—Engineers at Yazaki Corp. and NEC Corp. have tapped artificial intelligence technology to automatically generate motion plans for multiple robots. The application is being developed to automatically assemble automotive wiring harnesses. The companies plan to commercialize the process by the middle of next year to “support the manufacture of multiple types of wire harnesses.”

In the initial demonstration, the need for a teaching process that used to take engineers 40 days was eliminated, and motion plans were automatically generated by AI in just one day. In addition, the AI reduced the time required for the manufacturing process by approximately 10 percent, using trial and error to create motion plans that increased production speed.

Engineers used the NEC Digital Robot Planning Solution to input specifications, such as product design and work content, into the AI. After this, the AI and a simulator are linked. This automatically generates a motion plan that minimizes manufacturing time, while at the same time ensuring that multiple robots and surrounding equipment do not interfere with each other.

If there is interference after operation, the AI system is notified and recalculates a motion plan to avoid interference. When new products are introduced or product specifications are changed, motion plans can be quickly calculated by inputting product data, eliminating the need for complex teaching processes.