🤖 Platform Architectures for AI and Mobile Robotics: Innovations from Bosch Rexroth! 🚀

[Hasan S. Cemkan]

Bosch Rexroth Takes Revolutionary Steps in Industrial Production​

Bosch Rexroth aims to integrate artificial intelligence and mobile robotics technologies into modern industrial production environments with its ctrlX AUTOMATION platform, introduced at the SPS 2026 fair. These innovations offer a wide range of applications, from factory automation to the packaging industry and intralogistics.

Technological Architecture and Core Components​

At the heart of the platform is the ctrlX AUTOMATION toolkit, based on the ctrlX OS operating system. This architecture includes Agent iXi, an AI agent that translates natural language task descriptions into PLC programs and automates engineering. The Solution Set developed for mobile robotics combines the main controller, I/O modules, laser-assisted positioning software, and Kassow Robots' seven-axis cobots, simplifying complex transport tasks.

On the security front, ctrlX SAFETY offers software-based safety functions that require no additional hardware, while ctrlX OS version 4.6 brings IT security in line with the IEC 62443-4-2 standard with integrated Git version control and advanced OPC UA security functions.

Ease of Application and Integration​

The integration of these technologies into existing automation environments is achieved through open interfaces. At the fair, Bosch Rexroth demonstrated the AI agent's direct access to engineering tools and automation data using the humanoid robot RoXi and a three-axis transport system. OEMs and technology partners such as Grossenbacher Automation and evopro systems engineering are expanding the ecosystem by integrating the operating system into their own hardware, such as smart panels or software-defined cameras.

Industrial Applications and Benefits​

The presented automation solutions cater to many areas, including discrete manufacturing, packaging machines, intralogistics, building automation, and energy technology. The AI-based topology selection of Agent iXi and the use of mobile robots for tasks such as transporting workpieces, providing materials, or loading machines increase process stability, simplify end-to-end system monitoring, and ensure compliance with cyber resilience requirements.

Operational Impacts and Performance Metrics​

Pre-configured Solution Sets significantly reduce development and integration efforts for machine manufacturers. With the implementation of ctrlX SAFETYlink, the response time for safe plant communication is reduced by up to 70% compared to standard protocols. Shifting safety functions directly to software applications saves physical space in the control cabinet and lowers hardware costs.

Steffen Winkler, Vice President Sales for Bosch Rexroth's Automation and Electrification Solutions Business Unit, emphasized the strategic importance of these integrations, stating, "In the future, systems will increasingly take on tasks independently and react to changing situations. Agent-based artificial intelligence and mobile robotics are driving this development forward.