TAIPEI – Executives from THK Group and Techman Robot appeared at the Taiwan International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS) Keynote to discuss the human resources required for manufacturing’s artificial intelligence era and the future of AI-powered robots.
THK Chairman and CEO Akihiro Teramachi explained that his company wants its operations to evolve from simple automation, where machines move independently, to full-scale automation, where machines work on their own and operate unattended.
However, Teramachi stressed that humans remain the most important factor during this development.
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“As AI becomes more widespread, the goal is to further develop the ability to think for ourselves and to become independent thinkers who can creatively manage AI,” Teramachi said. “As new technologies appear and people’s values change, I believe that we need to take a good look at these new developments and become the ones who initiate change.”
Teramachi added that the continual development of digital talent relies on a broad mindset he calls “talent of the heart,” a philosophy he described as embracing challenges with a positive, honest attitude while avoiding blame on external factors.
While Teramachi emphasized the need for human involvement, Techman Robot CEO Haw Chen took a cautious stance regarding AI’s capabilities.
Chen highlighted his company’s AI-powered cobots, which assist in various applications, from automotive configuration checks to toy manufacturing. The former features four cobots that use more than 30 cameras to inspect 120 items in 80 seconds and verify that the configuration matches its work order. During toy manufacturing, a cobot loads plastic heads onto a hair implantation machine, unloads the finished products and checks for proper hair implantation.
Chen said he expects the next step for AI-powered robots to involve a real-time closed-loop system, with more sensors acting as the eyes, AI as the brain and robots as the executors of tasks based on AI-driven decisions.
However, he noted that manufacturers cannot treat AI as a flawless solution for industrial automation.
“The problem is AI is very powerful, but it is not precise enough,” Chen said. “So when you want to implement the robot for industrial automation, we’re talking about centimeters and micrometers. What AI can do is improve the process, but it cannot change the fundamentals of a machine tool.”
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