Japanese-Israeli partnership launches 'job agency for robots'
The joint venture of the companies, MusashiAI, will enable businesses to hire fully-autonomous AI robots to work alongside humans in industrial workplaces, according to their needs.
By EYTAN HALONMusashiAI's artificial intelligence-controlled visual inspection robot.(photo credit: MUSASHIAI)
Israeli robotics start-up SixAI has partnered with Japanese Honda affiliate Musashi Seimitsu to launch the world’s “first employment agency” for autonomous robots, the companies said on Monday.The joint venture of the companies, MusashiAI, will enable businesses to hire fully-autonomous artificial intelligence robots designed by the venture partners to work alongside humans in industrial workplaces, according to their needs.SixAI’s industrial forklift and visual inspection robots, which are designed to execute rigorous and repetitive tasks previously carried out by humans, have been tested by automotive parts maker Musashi Seimitsu, which operates 33 manufacturing plants worldwide.Rather than investing significant sums in purchasing robots, MusashiAI’s “employment agency” model, which has already commenced operations, enables companies to hire robots by the hour or according to tasks completed.“We want people and companies to be able to allocate repetitive but essential work to robot workers, while humans focus on the more complex and engaging tasks, where they have a competitive advantage over machines,” said SixAI founder and chairman Ran Poliakine.“Our robot employment agency is a game-changer. It will provide capacity in markets that struggle with labor availability, either through the difficulty of the work itself or the cost pressures they face. By offering hourly or task-related salary rates, our autonomous robotic AI employees are easy to plan for and integrate in any factory work flow.”The visual quality control robots currently being tested by Toyohashi-headquartered Musashi Seimitsu use artificial intelligence and cutting-edge optics to identify defects in manufacturing lines. Autonomous forklift driver robots navigate independently, offering greater efficiency than human forklift drivers while promising improved safety standards.“Our new partnership with SixAI allows us to step into the future,” said Musashi Seimitsu president and CEO Hiroshi Otsuka. “Our challenge is to change the world by combining AI tech with our Japanese manufacturing technology. Bringing the best new AI tech together with our 80 years of manufacturing experience will make this happen. This is a great step towards the future.”
