On June 5, ABB Robotics officially launched OmniCore™, a smarter automation platform that is faster, more precise, and more sustainable, aimed at empowering enterprises to enhance their future development capabilities.
OmniCore™ represents the result of over $170 million investment in next-generation robot technology, marking a significant shift towards modular and future-proof control architecture. This architecture integrates artificial intelligence, sensors, cloud computing, and edge computing systems to create advanced and autonomous robot applications.
According to Andrew B. Lee, President of ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation, “Automation is a strategic imperative for our customers as they seek greater flexibility, ease of operation, and efficiency to address global trends such as labor shortages, market volatility, and sustainable operations. By developing advanced electromechanical integration, AI, and vision systems, our robots are easier to use than ever before, with improved performance, greater flexibility, and agility. They must collaborate seamlessly with each other and with us to ensure smooth operation and take on more tasks in more places. This is why we are launching OmniCore™, a new milestone in our 50-year history in robotics—a unique single control architecture that integrates our leading hardware and software through one platform and one language.”
OmniCore™ boasts top-tier motion performance, achieving path accuracy within 0.6 millimeters, and enabling high-speed operation of multiple robots at speeds of up to 1600 millimeters per second. This opens up new automation opportunities in precision fields such as arc welding, assembly of smartphone displays, adhesive application, and laser cutting. Overall, OmniCore™ increases robot operating speeds by 25% and reduces energy consumption by 20% compared to previous ABB controllers.
Built on a scalable modular control architecture, OmniCore™ offers rich functionality to create almost any imaginable application, meeting the needs of enterprises introducing automation technology in existing and new niche markets, such as biotechnology and construction. With over 1,000 hardware and software features, customers can easily design, operate, maintain, and optimize operations, including ABB’s Absolute Accuracy and PickMaster® Twin software, as well as external axes, vision systems, and fieldbuses.
Mike Koller, President of ABB Robotics, remarks, “What sets OmniCore™ apart is its ability to manage motion, sensors, and application devices within a unified system. OmniCore™ opens doors for ABB Robotics’ comprehensive portfolio of hardware and software products, enabling arbitrary combinations under one control platform to create value and more conditions. For example, OmniCore™ allows automotive manufacturers to increase production speed, gain significant competitive advantages, and boost stamping production yields. Coupled with dedicated functional application modules for stamping automation, robots can increase output on stamping production lines from 12 to 15 strokes per minute, producing 900 parts per hour. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of robotics, we believe OmniCore™ will drive breakthroughs across more industries, helping customers in various sectors tackle future challenges.”
Since introducing the world’s first microprocessor-controlled robot in 1974 and launching RobotStudio® software in 1998, ABB Robotics acquired Sevensense in 2024, bringing industry-leading AI-based navigation technology to mobile robots. OmniCore™ represents the latest advancement in ABB Robotics’ 50-year journey of innovation.
