TOKYO -- Fanuc and Cisco Systems are set to commercialize a technology this summer that promises glitch- and disruption-free factory operations. The Internet of Things-based system monitors machinery and spots signs of possible abnormalities so that parts can be replaced more smoothly and without affecting operations.
Fanuc controls about 20% of the global industrial robot market.
The technology is a marriage of Japan's advanced robot technology and America's information technology. Fanuc, an industrial robot maker, and Cisco, the communications network developer, hope their unconventional system attracts global demand from automakers and other manufacturers wishing to increase factory efficiency.