Forge Lab helps you make sure.
Forge Lab is a web-based AI simulation and training environment that helps you de-risk vision-guided robot projects. You can build and simulate automation projects in hours.
What does Forge Lab promise?
Forge Lab drastically reduces the time and risks involved with developing vision-guided robotic cells for bin picking and material handling.
Without any cameras, computers, robots or hardware, you can develop cells and send them for AI vision training. Within 24 hours, the vision program can be deployed into real production cells using Apera Vue software.
Why use Forge Lab?
Achieve in hours what used to take days.
Forge Lab guides you step-by-step through all the components in building a vision-guided robotic cell. When your cell is built, being able to run hundreds of simulations quickly enables you to check and improve your design.
Know it works before you build.
Fine tune your choices to reach an optimal design: pick points, end-of-arm tools, robot choice and positioning, and cameras. Then find and solve the challenging edge problems through full random and structured simulations.
Real-world performance, less downtime.
You have already done the work ahead of cell deployment and the choices translate directly into Apera's Vue vision software. Vue delivers the speed, reliability and lighting resiliency that production environments demand.
How Forge Lab works
How Forge Lab works
1. Construct and improve
You'll build out the cell, making a series of choices. These include cameras to cover the area, robot models, gripping strategies and pick points. This step will take 1 hour.
How Forge Lab works
2. Simulate your design
Here, you'll test and refine your robotic cell setup in a virtual environment that mimics real-world conditions. Assess robot selection and reach, re-define the bin or working area, compare gripping strategies and then observe how well it performs. This step will take 1-1.5 hours.
How Forge Lab works
3. Submit your vision program for AI training.
Upload a CAD model of your part or assembly into the Forge engine. The part will be trained using simulated data until it reaches >99.99% reliability. This step takes approximately 24 hours. The training considers the part's appearance and features. The AI training also considers different lighting conditions.
The resulting program can then be deployed to your Apera Vue vision software in the plant environment via the cloud.
Forge Lab: AI Training + Simulation for Vision-Guided Robotics
Who can use Forge Lab?
You do not need to be an expert in vision-guided robots to use Forge Lab. Forge Lab’s purpose is to make it easier and faster to deploy vision-guided cells.
Starting in Summer 2024, Forge Lab is available to users of Apera Vue vision software. Manufacturing engineering teams can collaborate across sites using the tool’s web interface.
Training AI
The role of synthetic data
In training its neural networks, Apera AI uses synthetic data. This allows us to bypass the need for reference images or relying purely on CAD models. Synthetic data allows us to improve the AI process and introduce variables such as lighting, finish, texture, and labels or markings.
Continue your journey
Explore more about Vue robotic vision software and Apera's 4D Vision technology.
Vue Robotic Vision Software
Complete robotic guidance using AI makes manufacturing more reliable and productive.
4D Vision Technology
4D Vision is AI-powered technology that gives robots new abilities.