Inbolt says its robot vision cut interruptions at a Stellantis Detroit line

In short: Inbolt, a Paris startup, says its 3D camera system and software helped Stellantis improve robot work on production lines, including in Detroit.

What happened

Inbolt sells a robot guidance system that combines a 3D camera mounted on a robot with AI software. The idea is similar to giving a factory robot “eyes” and quick reflexes so it can adjust its movement as parts shift or vary.

Inbolt says the system can locate parts and update the robot’s motion in real time, usually in under 80 milliseconds. That is less than a tenth of a second, about as fast as a quick blink.

Inbolt has worked with Stellantis on multiple production lines, including at the Detroit Assembly Complex–Jefferson, according to the company’s published customer stories and reporting on Stellantis rollouts. In one Detroit project, Inbolt says a glue-dispensing process saw 70% fewer line interruptions, meaning the line stopped less often. In another Detroit deployment for a “de-racking” station (where parts are picked from racks), Inbolt reports 100% picking accuracy after the system was installed.

The company also points to results at other Stellantis sites, including a case study that reported 90.5% fewer “tightening rejects” at the Trenton plant, meaning fewer assemblies were flagged because a bolt was not tightened correctly.

Why it matters

Factories lose time and money when lines stop, or when robots pick the wrong part and workers need to redo the work. Tools that help robots handle real world variation can reduce those slowdowns, even if the robots themselves do not change.

One thing to note is that public sources do not show an independent Stellantis ranking proving a Detroit plant became a company-wide “top performer.” The public evidence does, however, show specific reported improvements like fewer interruptions and higher picking accuracy.

Source: NYTimes