Aptiv, Comau collaborate on industrial automation safety

Aptiv PLC and Comau last week announced a collaboration to explore the co-development of next-generation intelligent automation systems designed to help industrial customers operate more safely, efficiently, and autonomously.

A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishes a framework for the two companies to evaluate joint development in key areas of focus including advanced robotics, autonomous systems, and automated warehouse and logistics systems.

“Robotics and industrial automation are evolving quickly, with systems that sense, think, and act in real time at the edge,” said Jay Bellissimo, Aptiv SVP and president, Intelligent Systems, Software, and Services. “Through our work with Comau, we aim to combine Aptiv’s advanced perception, compute, and software solutions with Comau’s deep expertise in robotics and large-scale industrial deployment to help customers build smarter, safer automation without the cost and complexity that has historically slowed adoption.”

AI, cobot, and edge machine learning tech to be developed

The proposed collaboration combines Aptiv’s portfolio, including Wind River edge platforms along with Aptiv PULSE sensor and high-performance interconnect systems, with Comau’s technology portfolio and expertise in robotics, automation, and large-scale deployment across complex production environments all over the world.

This initial phase of the cooperation is expected to explore several high-value use cases across the industrial automation landscape:

• Radar & vision-based industrial safety: Alternative safety architecture integrating deterministic compute and multizone monitoring to improve worker protection while reducing cost and system complexity.
• Advanced robotics: Next-generation perception systems and compute reference architectures for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), collaborative robots (cobots) and other autonomous platforms, validated with real-world Comau use cases.
• AI-enabled warehouse & logistics automation: Enhancement of Comau’s Automha logistics software, drawing on Wind River cloud and edge technologies to support AI/ML at the edge, improve system intelligence, real-time responsiveness, and lifecycle management across logistics operations.
• High-performance interconnect for industrial environments: Ruggedized cabling, micro and modular connectors, and cable assemblies engineered for performance, durability, and weight efficiency in demanding robotic applications.

Aptiv said this collaboration seeks to build on Comau’s longstanding use of Wind River’s VxWorks in its industrial controllers as well as the use of Comau robots in Aptiv manufacturing facilities, with the goal of extending the relationship across Aptiv’s broader portfolio of perception, compute, sensing, and interconnect systems.

Shared vision to build safer systems

As industrial automation grows more complex, Aptiv and Comau share a vision for making it more accessible, aiming to deliver systems that are smarter, safer, and built for our customers’ operational needs.

“Comau’s planned partnership with Aptiv creates a powerful combination of complementary strengths,” said Giovanni Volpes, Comau chief extended Europe officer. “Together, we can deliver advanced robotic and digital solutions that help customers in many different sectors modernize operations, accelerate AI adoption, and prepare for a future where autonomy is foundational to industrial productivity.”