CEO Roland Busch: Leading Siemens Into Humanoid Automation

When Roland Busch watched a humanoid robot navigate past him on the Erlangen factory floor, the Siemens CEO recognised a strategic inflection point in manufacturing automation.

The company is deploying its SIMOVE ANS+ navigation software on humanoid robots within active production environments, marking a transition in how industrial leaders approach material handling infrastructure.

The strategic imperative centres on competitive differentiation through navigation intelligence. As manufacturing executives pursue automation strategies, the software guiding autonomous vehicles represents a potential advantage in operational flexibility and capital efficiency.

Siemens has moved away from tape-guided movement systems towards LiDAR-enabled navigation utilising simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) technology.

This approach functions as the control system for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots, enabling environmental navigation without requiring infrastructure modifications.

Discussing this, Roland says on LinkedIn: "You know it's going to be an interesting day when a humanoid walks past you on the shop floor.

"That software allows the robot to move autonomously through the factory, navigating alongside more than 30 other autonomous mobile robots without issue.

"This is what real integration looks like: humanoid robots working in sync with existing systems and hand and hand with people to create real value."

Strategic advantages of LiDAR navigation

The SIMOVE ANS+ system utilises LiDAR-based SLAM technology for facility mapping and navigation. Vehicles identify natural environmental features including walls, pillars and existing infrastructure rather than following magnetic tape embedded in factory floors.

For production environments demanding millimetre-level precision, the platform supports hybrid deployment. Artificial reflectors can be integrated to achieve ±10 mm accuracy in dynamic production zones where natural features may shift.

The software operates on standard Siemens industrial PCs running Linux. This architecture could simplify maintenance considerations for facilities operating Siemens programmable logic controllers (PLCs), potentially reducing specialised technical expertise requirements.

The elimination of physical guidance infrastructure reduces initial installation costs and ongoing maintenance burdens. Facilities avoid the expense of installing and maintaining magnetic tape systems that degrade over time, whilst gaining the ability to deploy autonomous vehicles in areas where physical markers would be impractical or impossible to install.

Operational flexibility through digital control

The navigation platform provides two operational modes addressing different strategic requirements. Virtual Line Tracking establishes strict digital pathways that vehicles follow with precision. Free Navigation enables autonomous pathfinding, allowing vehicles to calculate optimal routes around obstructions.

Dynamic obstacle avoidance continuously adjusts vehicle behaviour. When sensors detect obstructions, the system slows, stops or reroutes vehicles automatically without human intervention.

Zone Engineering enables operations managers to digitally define movement parameters:

• Speed zones regulate vehicle velocity in designated areas
• Keep-out zones protect sensitive equipment or work zones
• One-way zones manage traffic flow in congested corridors

Map updates deploy to vehicles digitally, eliminating requirements to physically alter floor markings when production layouts change. This scalability could prove valuable for manufacturers operating multiple shifts or managing seasonal production variations.

Manufacturing deployments demonstrate value

Tofaş, a joint venture between Koç Holding and Stellantis, deployed AGVs equipped with SIMOVE ANS+ for battery transport operations. The vehicles achieved precise stopping positions at robotic assembly stations whilst navigating omnidirectionally through constrained production cells.

FFT Produktions developed mobile workstations supporting quality inspection processes. Intelligent guided vehicles transport components directly to inspectors rather than requiring fixed inspection stations. The system operates in mixed environments where humans and autonomous vehicles share floor space.

Porsche replaced rigid conveyor systems with AGV fleets at a multi-level urban production facility. The navigation software enabled the manufacturer to reclaim floor space whilst maintaining flexibility to redraw movement paths digitally as production requirements evolved.

These implementations demonstrate how navigation software transforms material handling from fixed infrastructure into programmable systems. Manufacturers gain the ability to respond to changing production demands without the capital expenditure and downtime traditionally associated with facility reconfiguration.

Infrastructure efficiency and operational agility

Urban manufacturing facilities face constraints on physical expansion, making spatial efficiency and layout flexibility critical operational considerations.

Traditional AGV systems can require extensive physical infrastructure including magnetic strips, reflective markers or guide wires embedded throughout facilities. SIMOVE ANS+ eliminates most of these requirements.

When production demands shift, manufacturers can reconfigure vehicle routes through software rather than scheduling downtime for floor modifications. This capability could reduce total cost of ownership whilst increasing operational agility.

The system's integration with existing Siemens automation hardware creates unified control architecture. Facilities running Siemens PLCs can manage material handling vehicles through familiar interfaces, potentially reducing training requirements and simplifying troubleshooting protocols.