Swedish-Swiss multinational automation specialist ABB has announced the acquisition of Swiss start-up Sevensense, a leader in AI-based navigation.

The company, which specialises in robotics, machine automation and digital services, said that the acquisition would boost the mobility of industrial robots.

Sevensense’s navigation technology combines AI and 3D vision, enabling Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) to make intelligent decisions, differentiating between fixed and mobile objects in dynamic environments. Once manually guided, mobile robots with Visual Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (Visual SLAM) technology create a map that is used to operate independently.

ABB said that the tech would reduce commissioning time from weeks to days and enable the AMRs to navigate in highly complex, dynamic environments alongside people.

Automaker Ford has already signed up to purchase 300 Visual SLAM enabled ABB AMR’s at its production sites in the US, with others set to roll out the tech in the UK, Finland and Germany.

ABB said that the market for mobile robots is expected to grow at 20 per cent CAGR through 2026, from $5.5 billion to $9.5 billion.

Sami Atiya, president of ABB Robotics and Discrete Automation, said: “This marks a significant step towards our vision of a workplace where AI-enabled robots assist people, addressing our customers' needs for greater flexibility and intelligence amidst critical skilled labour shortages.

“Each mobile robot, equipped with vision and AI, scans a unique part of the building; collectively these robots complement each other’s view to form a complete map, enabling them to work autonomously in a rapidly changing environment.”

The acquisition follows ABB’s minority investment in Sevensense after it joined the company’s innovation ecosystem in 2021.

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