The first capability available inside Nulogy Intelligence is Nora, a manufacturing AI assistant embedded in Nulogy’s Smart Factory and Maintenance solutions. Nora gives plant floor teams instant answers on production performance, downtime, and maintenance, without leaving their workflow.

Manufacturing teams spend hours each week hunting for answers. Dashboards, spreadsheets, and reports rarely line up. Nora changes that. Plant operators, shift supervisors, maintenance leads, and plant managers can ask Nora questions in plain English and use the solution to automate tasks, such as creating maintenance orders. “What was OEE on Line 3 yesterday?” or “Show me overdue maintenance orders” return clear answers from live production data in seconds. Nora is also available inside Nulogy’s new user-to-user chat experience, putting answers in the same workflow teams use to communicate.

Nora connects production performance, downtime events, maintenance orders, and CMMS schedules. Users can ask Nora to visually display data in charts and graphs, making it even easier for teams to interpret information and act quickly. When a supervisor asks why a line keeps going down, Nora pulls the downtime data, and checks for open maintenance orders on the same assets. The solution flags whether the issue is being addressed. A 45-minute investigation becomes a 90-second conversation.

“Plant teams shouldn’t have to be data analysts to do their jobs well,” said Bryan Sapot, executive vice president at Nulogy. “Nora gives them a direct line to the answers they need, in the language they already use. The goal isn’t to replace expertise on the plant floor. It’s to make that expertise faster and easier to apply.”

Nora is built for the realities of manufacturing operations. The solution never fabricates data, adapts to customer-specific terminology like line names and part numbers, and is scoped to read production data and create or update tasks and maintenance orders.

“Nulogy Intelligence is one of several ways we’re bringing AI to manufacturing in a way that’s practical, trustworthy, and built for the people behind every product,” said Bill Ryan, CEO of Nulogy. “Our customers can expect Nulogy Intelligence to continue expanding as we find new ways to help manufacturers improve operational performance and win more business.”

Nulogy.com

Yet while the results reveal a sector that sees robotics and autonomous production as the key priorities, the survey also uncovered that for the greatest commercial edge, these technologies must interconnect rather than be deployed in isolation.

The findings come following a recent poll of more than 100 engineering and manufacturing professionals who were asked where they believe industrial automation investment will deliver the greatest competitive advantage for their business over the next five years.

Robotics and autonomous production topped the poll at 41%, followed by smart/connected factories at 33%. Meanwhile, AI-driven predictive maintenance was selected by 14%, and sustainability-focused investment completed the picture with 12%.

Respondents also highlighted that these four investment areas are deeply interconnected. Several pointed to the role of data and AI as an essential layer that underpins the value of every other investment, from enabling predictive maintenance that tackles unplanned downtime to making connected factories genuinely intelligent rather than simply networked. Others framed the four areas as a value chain, with each contributing to an overall reduction in total cost of ownership and linked the trajectory to the broader shift from Industry 4.0 into Industry 5.0 production environments.

The results highlight the continued pressure on manufacturers to increase output, improve efficiency and maintain flexibility while operating with leaner teams and tighter cost controls.

Daniel Coetzee, vice president: growth, industrial automation for IMI, comments: "What stands out from these results isn't just that robotics leads the poll, it's that several technologies need to work together to truly drive commercial benefits. Our customers are telling us that the competitive advantage won't come from any single investment, but from the intelligence and connectivity built around it.

"That aligns with what we see across our customer base. The businesses making the most progress aren't necessarily those making the largest capital commitments; they're the ones taking a more targeted approach, using smarter components, better data and more connected systems to unlock meaningful, measurable gains from their existing operations. A good example is the impact of linking the performance insight produced by technologies such as sensors and actuators as part of an engineered system to the potential of AI to derive increased value from plant devices.

"For many industrial businesses, the opportunity isn't a wholesale transformation, it's about making incremental, well-judged improvements that compound over time. That's where we see the greatest competitive advantage being built right now."

IMI’s Industrial Automation sector works with customers globally to develop application-specific automation solutions that help improve productivity, efficiency and responsiveness, helping businesses realise the benefits of smarter automation without unnecessary complexity or disruption.

www.norgren.com/en

Situated in Cheadle Royal Business Park, Greater Manchester, the office officially opened in May to meet growing demand from UK customers. It is part of global automation giant Inovance’s commitment to providing local support in each of its markets.

As the new general manager for Inovance UK, Bowker brings with him more than 30 years of experience in drives, motion control and industrial automation, including Siemens, Control Techniques and GEC. During his career, he has held a variety of leadership, product management, engineering and technical support roles, giving him a broad understanding of both automation technology and customer applications. As Inovance UK General Manager, Dominic is responsible for developing the business and supporting customers across the UK and Ireland.

Commenting, he says: “What attracted me to Inovance is the combination of innovative technology, strong engineering capability and a genuine commitment to supporting customers locally. The company continues to invest heavily in its product portfolio, helping customers improve productivity, efficiency and competitiveness. The establishment of a UK operation demonstrates that long-term commitment to the market.”

From its Manchester office, Inovance will provide technical sales, support, training and guidance to companies across a wide range of industry sectors, including food and beverage, packaging, HVAC and compressor systems, automotive test equipment, specialist machinery and general industrial automation.

Inovance offers a complete portfolio of automation products and solutions, incorporating AC drives, servos, motion control, CNCs, PLCs, HMIs, controllers and industrial robots. As part of a $6.4bn global industrial automation group, the company continues to invest heavily in product development, engineering resources and customer support. Inovance has a network of offices and support centres in Europe, including facilities in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Turkey. It is committed to providing expert, local engineering expertise and support across Europe as it expands its operations.

Bowker adds: “I am excited by the opportunity to grow the business in the UK & Ireland and introduce more customers to the breadth of the Inovance portfolio. This includes standout products that are ideal for the UK market, such as the MD660 and MD800 AC drives, and the QS900 and SV660 servo solutions, as well as our range of controllers, HMIs and articulated robots. Working alongside our distributors and partners, we will provide the local support and engineering expertise needed to help customers select, implement and get the most from our automation technology.”

www.inovance.eu/home

The nine participating partnerships demonstrated how digital twin solutions could be practically applied to industry, validating new capabilities for the aerospace, maritime and defence sectors, to equip the UK to be future ready.  

Delivered by the UK Digital Twin Centre in Belfast, the accelerator convened technology vendors and industry leaders to address real-world commercial challenges, considering how digital twin capabilities could pave the way towards broader UK-wide industrial transformation. With the support of Digital Catapult’s team of technologists and innovation experts, challenges were identified to explore how digital twin solutions could drive UK industrial supply chain resilience, improve operational efficiencies, and achieve cost-savings. 

The Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator was designed to demystify digital twins, showcasing how digital twins can be integrated into real-world industrial environments and helping boost understanding from conceptual towards practical implementation of digital twins. By providing access to facilities as well as compute and connectivity, the programme has also supported deep tech startups to scale, paving the way towards long-term commercialisation for participants by proving market value to industry leaders and investors.  

Combining industry expertise with cutting-edge digital technologies highlighted how digital twins empower business leaders to make more informed decisions, reduce costs, save time and unlock new opportunities across commercial operations. For example, Voxshell, a startup that participated in the programme partnering with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, trialled a new solution to connect design, simulation, testing, and manufacturing environments into a unified ecosystem to benefit the aerospace industry. The company achieved this through an AI-enabled digital twin platform that showcased how aerospace engineers could visualise real-time system behaviour, optimise performance, and reduce prototyping costs using the new solution.  

Another company, Helix8 Ltd, working with Port of Larne, trialled a solution to support national ports on net-zero pathways through the application of an AI-enabled geospatial digital twin that could analyse real-time IoT data from port infrastructure to provide greater visibility on energy use. Helix8 Ltd’s solution enabled more effective management of electrification, EV charging, and renewable energy generation, and by modelling future energy demand and simulating decarbonisation scenarios, it showed how digital twins could help ports to reduce emissions, optimise energy resources, and establish more sustainable operating models. 

The programme concluded with a showcase event for investors, innovators, policymakers and industry to assess the outcomes of the accelerator, reflecting the value of Belfast’s digital economy and the UK-wide spillover effects of innovation from Northern Ireland’s deep tech ecosystem. The success of the use-cases and industrial applications reflect strong alignment with the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, spotlighting the UK’s sovereign strengths in deep tech innovation and laying the groundwork for subsequent interventions in high-growth sectors.  

The UK Digital Twin Centre has also launched the Digital Twin Community Platform, a new online hub convening industry, academia and technology providers across the UK’s digital twin ecosystem. This new community will allow peers to connect, share knowledge, access learning resources, discover events, and collaborate on future innovation opportunities, helping to accelerate the adoption and scaling of digital twin technologies across the UK. 

digitaltwin.digicatapult.org.uk/

By bringing robotics into a live sporting environment, Hyundai Motor is advancing its 'Progress for Humanity' vision while demonstrating how robotics innovation can create meaningful experiences for people around the world.

“As part of Hyundai's 'Next Starts Now' campaign, we wanted Atlas's performance on the world's biggest stage to demonstrate that the future isn't something we imagine – it starts now. At Hyundai, we are committed to developing human-centered innovation that integrates seamlessly into everyday life, and to presenting a new vision of future mobility expanded through robotics, showing that robotics can be a trusted partner in humanity's progress through diverse and creative brand experiences,"  commented Sungwon Jee, executive cice president and global chief marketing officer, Hyundai Motor Company

At halftime, Atlas emerged from the player tunnel, capturing the crowd’s attention with a sequence of iconic goal celebrations inspired by some of the world’s most celebrated footballers, including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Matheus Cunha, and Son Heung-min. The performance heightened the stadium atmosphere while underscoring Atlas’ advanced mobility and expressive capabilities. 

Following the performance, Atlas delivered the ceremonial match ball to the referee with its signature precision and control, marking the start of the second half. The activation unfolded live before a global audience, showcasing Atlas’ ability to execute highly coordinated movements and operate reliably within the dynamic, real-world environment of a major international sporting event.

Atlas' halftime performance was powered by several core robotics capabilities that enable advanced movement and real-world interaction:

• Retargeting Technology – Allows Atlas to translate and adapt human movements, including football celebrations and gestures, to its own robotic form.
• Reinforcement Learning – Uses thousands of simulations to train and refine movements before deployment.
• Whole-Body Control – Coordinates movement across the robot's entire body, enabling fluid, balanced and dynamic motion.

Together, these capabilities allow Atlas to perform increasingly sophisticated tasks while adapting to changing conditions and environments.

“At Boston Dynamics we have always taken inspiration from human athletic feats like gymnastics, dancing, parkour and now football to push forward the frontier of what robots can do in a way that connects with people. Working with Hyundai Motor group and FIFA to create such a unique moment for fans was an exciting challenge for our team. The way we trained Atlas to perform these fun movements at the match is similar to how we teach the robot to take on real-world industrial applications. It’s a great way to introduce people everywhere to the incredible potential of today's AI-enabled robots," said Alberto Rodriguez, director of robotics behaviour at Boston Dynamics.

www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en

Questions about the updated robot safety standard ISO 10218 are becoming increasingly common in the robotics industry. Central to the discussion are CE certification requirements in Europe, as ISO 10218 is the key safety standard for industrial robots under the CE marking framework. In this insight, we discuss the regulatory direction of the new standard, differences in manufacturer readiness, and potential implications for the European and US robotics markets.
 
ISO 10218:2025 is the updated industrial robot safety standard and will become mandatory for CE-marked products under the new European Machinery Regulation. The legal transition is expected around 2027, although weakness in European manufacturing demand and potential cost pressures on SMEs may push full implementation beyond this timeline. Unlike Europe’s binding CE framework, the equivalent US standard update is voluntary, though effective compliance remains commercially necessary.

Established global vendors are largely prepared, while mid-sized and emerging suppliers show notable gaps in their readiness. Once adopted, the new standard is expected to strengthen established vendors’ competitive position and increase market access risks for those suppliers that are less well prepared.

Regulatory transition already underway

The regulatory picture is shifting in a clear direction. In Europe, the current legislative instrument, Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, will be superseded by Machinery Regulation EU 2023/1230 on 20 January 2027. However, the timing of one critical supporting step remains uncertain: the formal listing of ISO 10218:2025 in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This is a prerequisite for the standard to obtain full legal effect under the new regulation. Once this process is complete, ISO 10218:2025 will become a mandatory requirement for market access in Europe.

Historically, when the 2011 edition of ISO 10218 was introduced, the harmonisation process and OJEU listing took more than a year to complete. If a similar timeline is followed, the 2025 revision sits close to the 2027 regulatory transition deadline, with the process still ongoing as of mid-2026.

In the US, the A3 Association and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) jointly released the updated safety standard R15.06-2025 in September 2025, aligning it with the international ISO standards. However, unlike the European framework, ANSI standards are voluntary consensus standards and do not represent legally binding market access requirements.

Market under pressure

The European robotics market is currently operating in a relatively subdued demand environment. The market experienced contraction from 2023 to 2025, constrained by a slowdown in the overall manufacturing industry, particularly the automotive sector. Industrial end-users have adopted a cautious investment approach and face ongoing cost pressures, particularly among small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In the near-term, the safety standard update requires additional investment from robot vendors to achieve compliance. However, suppliers that absorb this transition effectively will be better positioned to serve an increasingly safety-conscious European customer base, particularly as demand recovers.

In the US market, the new safety standard is comparatively more flexible as a voluntary industry framework. However, major customers and system integrators often require ANSI/RIA compliance in procurement specifications, and regulatory bodies such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) may use it as a reference benchmark in enforcement. In practice, failure to follow these standards can still result in heavy penalties if an accident occurs, and, as a result, compliance is realistically necessary for vendors targeting the US market.

Although the US robotics market has shown signs of recovery since the second half of 2025, external pressures, particularly geopolitical tensions and high oil prices, continue to weigh on the pace of improvement. Within this environment, regulatory alignment and compliance efforts represent one of several operational considerations for market participants.

Preparedness varies sharply across suppliers

Our interviews with robot manufacturers reveal a clear divergence in readiness for the new safety standard:

• Established global vendors, including the major international players and leading collaborative robot brands, are well aware of the upcoming changes and broadly claim to be prepared for the new standard.
• Mid-sized and emerging suppliers show significant awareness gaps. Even some manufacturers based in Europe appear less prepared, with limited visibility into the specific requirements of ISO 10218:2025.
• Emerging Asian suppliers, particularly those from China entering or looking to expand in the European market, are notably less prepared. For many of these, compliance requirements and associated R&D costs represent a significant and underestimated barrier.

If ISO 10218:2025 is formally adopted in Europe ahead of the 2027 deadline, the compliance dynamic is likely to reinforce the market position of established global players, which have the resources and institutional knowledge to manage the transition. For newer Asian entrants, it creates a meaningful headwind at a time when many are investing heavily in European market expansion.

That said, broader weakness in European manufacturing demand and potential cost pressures on SMEs may push full legal transition beyond 2027.

In the US, the robotics market remains dominated by established suppliers such as Fanuc. The new safety standard is likely to add incremental pressure for emerging players, alongside existing challenges such as tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty, but it is not the sole determining factor. Overall, the standard update is expected to favour better-prepared, established vendors and further strengthen their market positions.

Our view

The direction of travel is clear. ISO 10218:2025 reflects improved safety requirements that are in the long-term interest of the industry and robot end-users. In Europe, it remains uncertain whether full legal transition will be completed by 2027, given subdued market conditions. However, once implementation occurs, suppliers that are well prepared will be positioned to benefit, while underprepared companies may face market access disruption. As a result, robot manufacturers and system integrators of all sizes should treat preparation as a strategic priority rather than a compliance afterthought.

interact-analysis.prezly.com

The agreement will see the two parties combine controls, automation and machine safety expertise with decades of robotic systems’ experience to deliver robotic cell solutions for applications, including automated destrapping and coil handling, blade coating, dross removal, and integrated marking and labelling systems. Available solutions also feature intelligent end-of-arm tooling, machine vision and sensing technologies – all fully engineered with safety systems firmly in mind.

“We recognised very quickly that there was a strong alignment between our two businesses,” explained Andy Bunce, technical sales director at iconsys. “Tebulo Robotics brings extensive expertise in advanced robotic applications for heavy industry, whilst we provide the systems integration and machine safety capabilities needed to successfully deploy those technologies into complex manufacturing environments.”

UK industry has historically been slower to adopt robotics than many European competitors, but manufacturers are now facing increasing pressure around productivity, labour availability, safety and operational resilience.

What makes this partnership particularly powerful is that every solution is engineered around the customer’s operational challenges. We are designing fully integrated robotic solutions that fit within existing production environments whilst improving safety, consistency and performance in the process.”

As a technology-independent systems integrator, iconsys will support the integration of Tebulo Robotics’ technologies into both existing and new manufacturing environments, covering software, electrical systems, functional safety, mechanical guarding, installation and commissioning.

The two companies believe there is significant potential for this partnership and have already started to collaborate on a major automation project for a leading UK steel manufacturer.

Jeroen Baas, account manager at Tebulo Robotics, concluded: “The UK represents a major growth market for advanced industrial robotics, particularly within heavy industry where manufacturers are increasingly looking to modernise operations and improve competitiveness.

“We have already seen how effectively our technologies and engineering capabilities complement the integration expertise of iconsys. This partnership gives UK manufacturers greater access to proven robotic technologies that are already delivering results across demanding industrial applications throughout Europe.”

Founded in 1974, Tebulo Robotics has been involved in industrial robotics since the 1990s and now has more than 500 robotic systems installed across Europe.

www.iconsys.co.uk/

Advanced manufacturing uses innovative techniques and technologies, including automation, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing, to improve productivity, precision and sustainability in production. Additive manufacturing builds components layer by layer from a digital file. Unlike traditional manufacturing, which cuts or shapes material, additive processes can produce complex parts quickly, with less waste. In the submarine context, subject to appropriate legal, safety and quality considerations, this includes using handheld scanners to create precise digital replicas of existing components and printing those components using stainless steel, as well as other techniques and materials.

Sourcing replacement components for submarines can involve lengthy supply chains and extended lead times. This can increase the time required alongside for a vessel waiting for parts that are obsolete, or no longer commercially available within operational timescales.

The AdM team was established as part of the SDG’s Platform Equipment Delivery Team (PEDT) in February 2024 to address this challenge directly. Championed by Sir Chris Gardner KBE, Director General SDG, the team’s role is to harness advanced and additive manufacturing to improve submarine availability, capability, and delivery across all programmes — predominantly in in-service submarines but also including the submarine build programmes.

The Market Access Cell

A central part of the team’s work is the Market Access Cell, which manages demand signals from ship’s staff and joint planning teams when components are unavailable, or lead times are too long. When a demand signal is received, the team works with QinetiQ, the SDG Design Authority, and other in-service teams to identify the best manufacturing solution and get the component to the submarine as quickly as possible.

One method of creating the digital design files for components uses handheld scanners, operated by QinetiQ engineers, to capture precise measurements of components on board. They are converted into digital files that can be used to manufacture bespoke replacements. This is particularly valuable for one-off or legacy parts where no existing design file exists.

Shipping containers have now arrived at HM Naval Base Clyde, providing an on-site additive manufacturing capability that includes metal printing, scanning equipment, and dedicated engineering workspace. Two of the containers are custom-designed by QinetiQ, based on the requirements of the PEDT.

QinetiQ staff will operate the facility alongside ship’s staff and the Submarine Flotilla (SUBFLOT) Engineering Support Group for the first twelve months. Ship’s staff are also receiving training to use the capability directly.

Max, a Commander in the Royal Navy and SDG additive manufacturing lead said: “This capability enhances our capacity to return submarines to service faster, directly supporting operational readiness.

“These deployable additive manufacturing workshops represent a significant advancement in how the Royal Navy supports submarine maintenance. By enabling engineers to produce components on-site, we are reducing dependence on complex supply chains and accelerating repair timelines, ultimately improving the submarine’s material state and availability.”

Supporting the Submarine Maintenance Recovery Plan

The deployable workshops and the broader additive manufacturing programme will support the Submarine Maintenance Recovery Plan (SMRP), which was launched by the First Sea Lord in January 2026. By bringing manufacturing capability to the front line, the programme supports a more agile and responsive maintenance model.

First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said: “The arrival of these deployable workshops marks a step forward in delivering the Submarine Maintenance Recovery Plan. This new technology has the potential to change how we maintain our submarines – cutting time alongside and increasing availability.  It represents the real, tangible, progress the Royal Navy is making to strengthen the underwater fleet.”

AUKUS and international collaboration

Additive manufacturing is also a key enabler of the AUKUS submarine partnership. The SDG is working with US and Australian submarine industrial bases to develop common material standards and requirements, enabling allied nations to share advanced manufacturing equipment and recognise each other’s qualified components.

This was demonstrated successfully at the UK Submarine Maintenance Period at HMAS Stirling in Australia in early 2026, where QinetiQ UK and QinetiQ Australia, working with Australian supply chain partners, produced additively manufactured parts that were approved for use on HMS Anson.

A trilateral advanced manufacturing landscape review is under way to map existing capabilities across the UK, US, and Australia to identify gaps, and determine how they can be exploited across all three nations’ submarine programmes. The review will inform the development of shared Defence Standards covering material requirements, which will eventually enable the qualification of higher-risk components such as valves.

The long-term ambition is for additive and advanced manufacturing to become business as usual across the submarine build, in-service, and disposal programmes. Future developments include:

• Qualifying higher-risk components, such as hull valves, through trilateral Defence Standards
• Optimising component designs digitally – not simply reproducing legacy parts, but improving performance, fatigue life, and other characteristics such as reducing weight
• Recycling additive materials recovered from decommissioned submarines
• Embedding additive manufacturing skills into training at the newly opened Royal Navy Submarine Training Centre at HMNB Clyde.

Max said: “Additive manufacturing is not a silver bullet, and it does not replace traditional supply chain methods. But it is absolutely about supplementing and augmenting current manufacturing to support submarine maintenance. It’s just another option that Chief Engineers and Duty Holders have when considering solutions – and one that will only become more capable over time.”

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence

For years, passwords have been treated as the first line of defence in cybersecurity. Yet despite increasingly complex password policies and multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements, password-related breaches continue to dominate the threat landscape, with phishing and stolen credentials remaining common attack methods. For manufacturing and engineering businesses operating across complex digital environments that span production systems and distributed supply chains, the authentication challenge is particularly acute.

According to IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, manufacturing accounted for 27.7 per cent of all cybersecurity incidents globally in 2025, retaining its position as the world’s most targeted industry for the fifth consecutive year. The figures highlight how cybercriminals continue to exploit weak, stolen and reused credentials as one of the easiest ways to gain access to corporate systems.

As organisations look for more phishing-resistant alternatives to traditional passwords, passkeys are increasingly emerging as a practical solution. As the NCSC explains, passkeys “only require user approval rather than needing to input a password”, making them “quicker and easier to use and harder for cyber attackers to compromise”. As a result, passkeys are increasingly being viewed as an important step towards strengthening identity protection and reducing password-related risk.

No password, no problem

A passkey is a cryptographic credential tied to a specific device and verified through something the user already does naturally: a fingerprint scan, a face recognition check or a device PIN. When a user authenticates with a passkey, a private key stored securely on their device signs a challenge from the server, without that key ever leaving the device. There is no shared secret to steal or phish.

The NCSC's new technical report confirms that passkeys are “at least as secure as, and generally more secure than, pairing the strongest password with two-step verification (2SV)”. Critically, the NCSC found that passkeys are highly resistant to phishing attacks and cannot be intercepted, reused or guessed in the way that passwords can. 

They also dramatically improve the user experience. Passkey logins can be completed significantly faster than the traditional username, password and verification code workflow. This removes the traditional trade-off between security and convenience.

Raising the Cyber Essentials baseline

The growing adoption of passkeys also aligns closely with frameworks like Cyber Essentials, which place increasing emphasis on access control, authentication integrity and protection against common attack techniques. While passkeys are not currently mandated within the certification itself, they directly support many of its underlying security principles by reducing organisational exposure to credential theft, and account compromise.

Manufacturing and engineering businesses contend with particularly wide authentication landscapes, where digital access spans everything from ERP and supply chain platforms to increasingly connected operational technology networks, creating multiple entry points for credential-based attacks.

For organisations pursuing Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus, identity security is becoming increasingly crucial as threat actors continue to target authentication layers rather than attempting to breach infrastructure directly. Traditional password policies and MFA remain important controls, but they still rely heavily on user behaviour and can be undermined through phishing or credential reuse. 

Many organisations still treat MFA as the end goal for identity security, when in reality attackers have already adapted their tactics around it. Security teams are therefore placing greater emphasis on limiting exposure to authentication methods vulnerable to credential compromise and social engineering.

This becomes particularly significant within hybrid and cloud-centric environments, where identities increasingly act as the gateway to critical systems and applications. In these environments, passkeys offer a more phishing-resistant authentication model that strengthens cyber resilience while supporting a more mature and forward-looking approach to governance and identity assurance.

The end of the password era

Passwords are unlikely to disappear entirely overnight, particularly as many manufacturing and engineering organisations continue to operate legacy systems and mixed authentication environments. However, the direction of travel is becoming increasingly clear. As identity-based attacks continue to rise and phishing techniques become more sophisticated, organisations are being forced to reconsider whether traditional passwords remain fit for purpose as a primary security control.

Passkeys reflect a wider shift towards phishing-resistant authentication and a more resilient security posture built around today's threat landscape. For manufacturing and engineering organisations serious about cyber resilience, moving beyond passwords is rapidly becoming a strategic priority, one that compliance pressures and the growing frequency of credential-based attacks are only accelerating.

Martin Wegrostek is cyber security portfolio manager at OryxAlign

www.oryxalign.com

Agility, a leading humanoid robotics and physical AI company, is the first to use NVIDIA Halos for Robotics to build safety into its humanoids working in factories, warehouses and logistics operations for customers including Amazon, GXO, Schaeffler and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.

The next generation of autonomous robots will operate in dynamic environments alongside humans, using AI foundation models, accelerated compute and distributed sensors. Scaling these systems requires a full-stack safety architecture.

NVIDIA Halos enables companies to rely on a standardized, unified safety architecture that connects AI compute, system software, sensor data, safety applications and inspection for robotic systems.

“Physical AI is transforming how factories, warehouses and logistics operations work, and robotics teams need a unified safety architecture to scale autonomous systems into these environments,” said Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge AI at NVIDIA. “With NVIDIA Halos for Robotics, developers and system builders can harness NVIDIA’s proven autonomous vehicle safety foundation to develop safer robots faster and bring them into industrial operations alongside workers with greater confidence.”

Drawing on 18,600+ engineering years of autonomous vehicle safety development, NVIDIA Halos for Robotics provides developers with a common safety architecture for building, validating and deploying physical AI systems.

The system spans the key layers needed for robot safety:

• NVIDIA IGX Thor and NVIDIA Holoscan Sensor Bridge provide industrial-grade AI compute, built-in safety and sensor connectivity for real-time robotics and safety workloads.
• NVIDIA Halos OS provides the software stack for robotics safety, including Halos Core to support safety-related operating functions and safety applications built with the NVIDIA Halos Outside-In Safety Blueprint, which extends robot perception using external cameras and AI agents to dynamically control robot behavior in industrial settings.
• The NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab is the world’s first ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB)-accredited program for functional and AI safety for physical AI, helping partners prepare Halos integrations for third-party certification by leading certification bodies including TÜV Rheinland, UL Solutions, TÜV SÜD, exida, SGS and CertX.

“As AI-enabled robotics moves into industrial environments, the industry needs standardized, internationally recognized frameworks to assess safety across increasingly complex systems,” said Laurie E. Locascio, president and CEO of ANSI. “ANAB’s accreditation of the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab confirms the program has the competence and impartiality to evaluate robotic AI systems against recognized safety requirements, giving companies a rigorous and internationally recognized foundation for their path to certification.”

Agility incorporates Halos for industrial humanoids

Humanoid robots are designed to operate in dynamic environments alongside workers, equipment and other robots that are constantly in motion. That requires safety engineered for every layer of the stack.

Agility is extending its leadership in humanoid safety by teaming with NVIDIA to integrate NVIDIA IGX Thor and Halos Core into its proprietary safe human detection system for its humanoid robot Digit, which is designed for industrial work in logistics, manufacturing and warehouse operations. For Digit, NVIDIA IGX Thor delivers industrial-grade AI compute with built-in safety capabilities, while Halos Core supports the software layer for safety-related operating functions.

Agility will also participate in the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab. Together, Agility and NVIDIA will use the lab to ensure Digit’s safety-related software, AI components and cybersecurity protections meet rigorous standards such as IEC 61508, ISO 13849 and ISO/IEC TR 5469 before final third-party certification.

“For humanoids to deliver value at scale, safety has to be built into the robot and validated across the entire system,” said Peggy Johnson, CEO of Agility. “Partnering with NVIDIA to implement and optimize the Halos for Robotics system extends our leadership in responsible automation, which is a nonnegotiable requirement for bringing humanoids safely into industrial workflows. This collaboration unlocks true human-robot teamwork, driving the long-term returns that will power next-generation manufacturing and logistics operations.”

A robotics safety ecosystem built for scale

The NVIDIA Halos for Robotics ecosystem brings together partners across software, systems, sensors and silicon, industrial applications and certification bodies to support safety from development through deployment:

• Software: Acontis, FreeRTOS and QNX support the real-time operating environment, safety communications and embedded software layers needed for functional safety development.
• Embedded systems: Advantech and NexCobot deliver safety-designed NVIDIA IGX-based systems for robotics deployments.
• Sensors and silicon: Infineon, NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments contribute sensor, safety microcontroller and other semiconductor technologies.
• Industrial applications: FORT Robotics, Inventec, KION Group, Lyte AI and Neurealm are developing functional safety agents using the NVIDIA Halos Outside-In Safety Blueprint.
• Assessment Agencies: TÜV Rheinland is inspecting NVIDIA IGX Thor, Halos OS and Holoscan Sensor Bridge for functional safety certification readiness, building on TÜV SÜD’s inspection of Thor SoC and Halos Core for ISO 26262.

The NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab includes more than 40 companies across manufacturers, certification bodies and safety vendors working to move safe physical AI systems from design to real-world deployment. TÜV Rheinland, TÜV SÜD, UL Solutions, exida, SGS and CertX all recognize the NVIDIA Halos AI Systems Inspection Lab as part of their certification process.

NVIDIA Halos Core for NVIDIA IGX is available in early access for registered developers in Linux and Linux plus QNX OS for Safety 8.0 configurations. The open source NVIDIA Halos Outside-In Safety Blueprint, part of the Halos Applications layer of Halos OS, is now available in early access on GitHub.

www.nvidia.com/en-gb/