The technical basis is the 'Nova' operating system from Wandelbots, which is now connected to the Nvidia Omniverse platform. In this environment, companies can fully simulate and optimize robot processes and transfer them to real systems without reprogramming. "This is what the future of automation looks like," says Christian Piechnick, co-founder and CEO of Wandelbots. "It is programmable, scalable and intelligent - and it starts with simulation. We are proud to be defining the next industry standard together with Schaeffler and Nvidia."

Schaeffler is already using the solution to automate complex processes, such as handling flexible materials. These were previously considered difficult to automate. The approach reduces integration times, improves process quality and lowers costs.

The system enables real-time control of virtual robot workflows with physical execution without media discontinuity. It follows the "Digital Twin First" principle and is to be used in other Schaeffler plants in the future.

The solution at Schaeffler

The focus is on the "Digital Twin First Engineering" approach. Robot processes are first fully simulated in 'Nvidia Omniverse'. Wandelbot's 'Nova' then takes over real-time control so that these processes can be executed in physical production without additional programming. This overcomes the gap that has often existed between virtual planning and real implementation.

From an economic point of view, the solution enables significantly faster commissioning of robot processes, according to the companies. At the same time, development and integration costs are reduced as redundant work steps are eliminated. More precise simulations increase success rates right from the first execution ("first-time-right"), which reduces trial-and-error cycles.

The approach also has great strategic relevance, according to the companies. The model developed allows automation solutions that have been programmed once to be used across different sites in different plants - a decisive step towards scalable, standardized production. The solution is also compatible with the 'Nvidia Mega Omniverse Blueprint' and the industrial cloud strategies of Microsoft Azure.