🚀 Next-Generation HMI Ecosystem in Industrial Automation: Groundbreaking Solutions from B&R! 🚀

[Mucitler Elektrik]

Modern machine engineering demands human-machine interface (HMI) architectures that integrate localized control, edge computing, and real-time visualization into a single engineering chain. To meet the increasing software complexity and cybersecurity demands, B&R Industrial Automation is introducing a new portfolio of hardware and software that creates an integrated digital supply chain, ranging from industrial computing to embedded operator panels and local artificial intelligence.

🧠 AI and Hardware-Level Cybersecurity: Meet the APC 40A!​

Intensive processing loads at the machine level, especially when using machine vision or real-time diagnostic algorithms, can exceed the capacity of traditional industrial controllers. The newly introduced Automation PC 40A eliminates this bottleneck thanks to its AMD processor architecture equipped with an integrated neural processing unit (NPU). The integrated NPU delivers up to 50 TOPS of computing performance, executing localized AI-powered workloads and automated control routines in parallel without disrupting standard operating tasks.

Beyond raw processing bandwidth, the APC 40A incorporates hardware architectures designed with security from the ground up. As industrial networks face stringent regulatory and manufacturing cybersecurity frameworks, embedded hardware security features allow machine builders to protect operational software, authenticate communications, and meet modern industrial cybersecurity fundamentals directly at the machine edge.

🖥️ Unified Visualization and Embedded System Integration: Power Panel C650​

In space-constrained machine cells, the integration of separate display units, programmable logic controllers, and runtime computers creates cabinet space limitations and system integration overhead. The Power Panel C650, a core unit of the Power Panel 600 family, combines runtime control, operator visualization, and software engineering into a single compact terminal.

This hardware convergence is complemented by the release of mapp View EMB, which brings B&R's web-based visualization framework directly to embedded hardware. By enabling mapp View natively on the Power Panel platform, automation engineers can maintain a single, reusable software codebase across both high-end industrial PCs and compact embedded terminals. This cross-platform consistency reduces development overhead while delivering complex HTML5-based operator interfaces on hardware with lower resource consumption.

🔒 Direct Operator Authentication and Modular Panel Customization: Automation Panel 1500​

Operator workflows in modern production lines require rapid identification, clear status signaling, and mechanical adaptation to specific OEM requirements. The Automation Panel 1500 addresses these interaction needs by integrating physical peripheral elements directly into the front of the unit.

The panel includes an integrated optical camera, an RFID reader for contactless user access control, and an LED status bar for clear machine status indication. These integrated elements streamline user access management, eliminate external peripheral cabling, and support machine builders in offering custom configurations down to a single unit through configurable function keys, custom labels, and personalized front panel graphics.

💡 Local AI Assistant for Operational Assistance​

As machine complexity continues to grow, machine operators require immediate access to operational diagnostics without relying on external cloud connectivity or disclosing proprietary manufacturing parameters. B&R has developed a local AI Assistant designed to operate directly within the local HMI environment.

The system processes queries by indexing only the machine technical manual and real-time controller status data. Because reasoning and inference operate strictly on local hardware, sensitive machine performance metrics, batch recipes, and operational logs remain entirely within the plant network. The application allows line technicians to troubleshoot machine faults, verify operating procedures, and receive diagnostic guidance directly at the workstation.

🗓️ B&R at SPS 2026​

B&R will showcase its complete portfolio of automation PCs, embedded panels, and industrial software at SPS 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany, from November 24-26, in Hall 7, Stand 206.