Dresden, November 6Thursday2024 – Last night at its exclusive launch event in Dresden, Wandelbots unveiled the world’s first agnostic operating system specifically developed for industrial robotic automation. With NOVA, a new era of automation begins, setting new standards in efficiency, accessibility and innovation.
“With NOVA, we are witnessing a new dawn in industrial automation,” said Christian Piechnick, CEO of Wandelbots. “Just as Android revolutionized smartphones and Windows transformed the computing world, NOVA will make industrial robotics accessible to everyone and create new ways of commercialization for software developers.”
Carl Doeksen, Global Director of Robotics/Automation for Abrasive Systems at 3M, states: “At 3M, we work with startups to increase our innovation model. We are proud to be part of Wandelbots journey to democratize robotics. Today, the vast majority of abrasive applications are still done by hand. Wandelbots NOVA will lower the barrier for companies to automate these types of processes. With NOVA, users have the process know-how they need to select the right abrasive materials; they can easily enter the parameters for their workpiece and enter the desired final state using a simple user interface. For 3M, NOVA provides an opportunity – not only to equip end users with the tools they need, but also to make available our extensive process technology expertise.”
Modern programming languages and vendor independence
Wandelbots NOVA is the world’s first agnostic operating system for robots, designed to make robotics accessible to everyone. By supporting modern development tools like Python and JavaScript, NOVA enables millions of developers to easily build and scale robotic applications, reducing the complexity of automation. In line with the Plan, Build, and Operate approach, NOVA simplifies the entire automation lifecycle with AI technologies at its core – from planning and simulation to deployment and scaling – ensuring continuous support at every stage. Its seamless integration with existing hardware enables businesses to leverage past investments to scale across different robots and brands, without costly retooling – accelerating projects, reducing costs and increasing flexibility. Wandelbots’ close collaboration with Microsoft and OpenAI ensures scalability and that the latest and greatest AI capabilities augment NOVA’s feature set.
As a vendor-independent operating system, NOVA simplifies and optimizes the complex world of industrial robotics by integrating hardware components from different manufacturers and making them available to all users through a modern interface. Complex programming and inflexible automation environments are now a thing of the past. NOVA’s open API concept, unique user experience, and seamless integration of externally developed applications make it a versatile platform for both bot users and millions of software developers.
Proprietary and outdated programming languages, high operating costs, lack of skilled labor and closed ecosystems have so far prevented the full realization of the huge potential of robotics – especially in small and medium-sized enterprises, where robotics is still a fringe topic. As a unified operating system, NOVA will significantly advance robotics by enabling easy programming and control of robots from different manufacturers without the need for specialized expertise. This reduces operating costs, accelerates innovation processes and eliminates dependence on hard-to-find qualified employees. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, where the current level of automation is still in the single digits, NOVA opens up completely new perspectives.
An open ecosystem for software developers
Wandelbots NOVA is much more than just an operating system. It offers a unified user interface for all robot manufacturers and models. Software developers have access to development tools, user interface elements, standardized libraries, and sample applications through a dedicated developer portal. Using the Python-based programming language “Wandelscript”, they can create innovative solutions for interacting with robots and share their experiences within a community specially created for this purpose.
A new era of automation
The launch of NOVA marks a turning point. This opens up new opportunities for companies to use automation. Additionally, software developers who currently build apps or websites can now unleash their creativity in a whole new industry.
How NOVA supports companies
Wandelbots NOVA was developed with four key goals to support companies:
- Supporting revenue growth: Automate processes faster and more reliably.
- Optimize operations: Manage the entire robotics automation process through a single platform and reduce the complexity of shop floor IT.
- Reduce costs and risks: Virtual planning, commissioning and support of automation systems reduce the barrier to entry and the risk of unnecessary investment.
- Improved Usability: Automation projects with user-friendly front-end applications enable easy interaction between employees and robots.
Addressing labor shortages and simplifying robotics
One of NOVA’s main advantages is its ability to address the growing shortage of skilled robot programmers and manufacturing workers. Through intuitive application frontends and a unified user interface, NOVA makes it easy for employees to interact with robots without requiring technical knowledge. A modern and unified programming language also opens up a whole new field of activity for millions of software developers, strengthening the innovation capacity of the industry.
Investment protection thanks to realistic simulation with digital twins
Future automation systems can be tested for functionality before expensive hardware equipment is purchased. Wandelbots NOVA’s integration with the NVIDIA Omniverse platform enables developers and operators to create physically accurate digital twins of robots, factories and moving workpieces for simulation before real-world deployment. This seamless integration ensures consistency between the digital twin and the physical automation cell throughout their lifecycle, which can increase efficiency and reduce potential errors.
Wandelbots NOVA – Beta phase starts now
Since June, the first approximately 50 customers have been able to try out the benefits of Wandelbots NOVA in the closed beta phase. Now, Wandelbots is making its operating system available to more users in an open beta phase. Interested parties can register at https://www.wandelbots.com/developers-beta
You will learn more at the SPS fair
We cordially invite you to see and test NOVA yourself at SPS from November 12Thursday until 14Thursday: https://www.wandelbots.com/sps You can find us in hall 6, stand 248. Do not hesitate to contact us at (email protected) schedule a meeting. We are also happy to be available for on-site interviews.
in short:
- NOVA enables programming and control of robots independent of the vendor
- NOVA is taking robotics out of the niche and making it accessible to the masses
- Software developers can easily create their own robotic applications
- NOVA combined with NVIDIA Omniverse enables simulation and planning with digital twins
- Strong collaboration with Microsoft ensures scalability and cutting-edge AI capabilities
- Interested companies and developers can apply for the beta phase