NTT Corporation outlined the potential benefits for manufacturers of using cloud server infrastructure to control industrial robots rather than assets located on-site, following a demonstration of the underlying technology.

Reporting the results of work with Japanese educational institution Chitose Institute of Science and Technology, NTT positioned the technology as paving the way to rapid factory system deployment and greater choice of factory floor hardware.

The demonstration is the latest in the partners’ work on softwarisation of industrial Ethernet functions.

NTT said the pair had “conducted a demonstration experiment to control an industrial robot on a server via a network” with the robot able to be “remotely controlled without any trouble,” meaning “resources in the cloud can be leveraged without needing dedicated equipment in a factory”.

Other benefits from a new architecture, it argued, include decreasing initial investment for manufacturing facilities and increasing the choice of robot able to be deployed.  

It claims as a result of technologies like this it will open the way to simplified systems and improved automation of production lines, which is expected to resolve current industrial labour shortages.