Smart Industry and Robotics Knowledge Library
Welcome to our Smart Industry and Robotics Knowledge Library, a dedicated resource for engineers, system architects and innovators shaping the future of industrial automation. From intelligent machines on the factory floor to autonomous systems at the edge, this curated collection of articles, webinars, podcasts and expert insights is designed to support every stage of your robotics journey.
Explore how artificial intelligence is transforming industrial systems, from machine learning models that optimise processes and predict failures, to deep learning technologies enabling advanced perception, control and decision-making. Discover how edge AI brings intelligence closer to machines, reducing latency and unlocking new levels of autonomy in robots, production cells and connected equipment.
Dive into the world of computer vision, sensor fusion and image recognition, where robots can see, interpret and react to their environment with increasing accuracy. From quality inspection and safety monitoring to mobile robotics and collaborative automation, these technologies are redefining what is possible in smart factories, warehouses and industrial environments.
Our library is built to support a broad range of expertise, whether you are exploring the fundamentals of robotics and AI or looking for practical guidance on deploying intelligent systems at scale. With a mix of in-depth articles, on-demand webinars and expert-led discussions, you can engage with the content in a way that suits your role and learning style.
Join us as we explore how intelligent software, advanced hardware and secure, scalable platforms come together to power the next generation of smart industry and robotics. This is where ideas turn into real-world automation.
- Articles
- Webinars
- Podcasts
Smart Industry & Robotics articles
A 'Match Made in Automation'
Our five-part 'Match Made in Automation' series explores how new and future technologies are revolutionising factory automation.
- Part 1: Factory automation realizes boost from new technologies
- Part 2: How are magnetic rotary encoders used in industrial automation?
- Part 3: Explore options for choosing an optical rotary encoder for motion control and position sensing
- Part 4: AI takes on growing role in HVAC system efficiencies
- Part 5: Extending operational lifetime for battery-powered devices is crucial
Motor Control for Intelligent Machines: Why Precision Now Defines Performance
The evolution of motor control reflects a broader transformation in machine design. Motor systems are increasingly designed as integral parts of networked machine architectures. Accurate sensing provides visibility into system behaviour. Deterministic real-time control maintains stability and performance. Integrated diagnostics allow designers to understand how machines operate over time. As machines become more autonomous and interconnected, motor-control architectures will increasingly need to combine these capabilities within tightly integrated platforms.
Enabling Efficient Edge AI with DEEPX NPUs and the Avnet Silica Ecosystem
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from the cloud to the edge. From autonomous robots navigating complex environments to smart cameras inspecting production lines, many applications now require AI to run directly on embedded devices, where power, latency, and thermal constraints are critical. However, deploying high-performance AI at-the-edge has traditionally required large Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) or power-hungry processors, making it difficult to build compact, energy-efficient systems. DEEPX is rewriting the rule book.
SQL Server IoT 2025: Bringing AI and Enhanced Analytics to Edge Data
As embedded and IoT devices continue to produce larger volumes of structured and unstructured data, organisations are feeling increasing pressure to process information directly at the edge. Doing this locally helps keep response time fast, improves resilience when connectivity is unreliable and gives teams better control over day-to-day operations. But as edge architectures become more sophisticated, developers need data management platforms that can handle and analyse data locally and securely support everything from classic transactional workloads to modern, AI-driven insights. Microsoft SQL Server IoT 2025 is designed with exactly these requirements in mind.
FPGA vs GPU vs CPU vs MCU – hardware options for AI applications
Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) offer numerous advantages for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. How do graphics processing units (GPUs) and traditional central processing units (CPUs) compare?
Smart Industry & Robotics webinars
Next-Gen Technologies for Factory Automation
Factory automation is evolving at a very rapid pace. Industry 4.0 and IIoT, along with technologies, such as AI, TSN, and 5G communication, collaborative robots, cloud computing, digital twin, or high-performance edge computing, are enabling machine manufacturers to fully merge physical and digital processes, improving productivity and reducing downtime. Join Avnet Silica and our world-class supplier partners for this webinar series, where industry pioneers and leading experts will present next-gen technologies for factory automation.
Smart Industry & Robotics podcasts
Episode 83: 100 TOPS, Zero Production: Why Edge AI Projects Die Between Demo and Deployment
Edge AI promised intelligence everywhere. The reality? Most projects die between proof of concept and production. In this episode, Amir Sherman from DEEPX and Michaël Uyttersprot from Avnet Silica reveal why moving AI from comfortable development kits to demanding industrial environments isn't just difficult. It's a maze of incompatible metrics, hidden power costs, and integration nightmares that catch companies off guard.
We discuss why TOPS ratings mislead engineers, how ChatGPT triggered a wave of failed internal deployments, and what it takes to run vision AI in factories, delivery robots, and smart cities where five-watt power budgets matter more than marketing specifications.
Episode 82: Don’t digitise the waste: How signal towers became IoT devices
Industry 4.0 promises data-driven manufacturing. Reality delivers machines from the 1990s, mixed protocols, and no budget to replace everything. The gap between digital ambition and brownfield constraints, the challenge of retrofitting IoT into existing facilities with legacy equipment, stops most factories before they start.
In this episode, Armin Vogelsang from WERMA explains how WeAssist bridges that gap by turning signal towers – those coloured status lights that factories already have – into wireless IIoT data collection points. No rewiring, no downtime, no requirement to understand machine protocols.
Episode 79: Free as in Freedom: How OEMs Can Navigate EU Cybersecurity Rules Whilst Using Open Source
The EU Cybersecurity Resilience Act is keeping OEMs awake at night. How do you use free and open-source software whilst complying with new obligations around vulnerability management, supply chain transparency, and continuous support?
In this episode, Pierre Gal (Head of Product) from Witekio and Michael Röder (Senior Manager, Software and Services EMEA) from Avnet Silica tackle the urgent questions facing manufacturers: Who counts as a manufacturer under the CRA? What documentation must you maintain? And how do you manage vulnerabilities in components you didn't create?
Pierre explains how Witekio's Embedded Kit provides off-the-shelf solutions based on open-source software like Yocto Linux, helping customers navigate composition, integration, and compliance. Michael shares what he's hearing from customers struggling to interpret regulatory requirements and implement risk-based approaches.
Episode 78: From Hollywood to highways: How zero-latency video compression powers autonomous cars
In this episode, we explore how an Emmy Award-winning video codec is transforming industries far beyond the silver screen.
Dr. Siegfried Fößel from Fraunhofer IIS explains how JPEG XS – a compression standard designed for broadcast production – now enables breakthrough applications in autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, and remote healthcare.
Episode 77: Five Eyes, Zero Cloud: Vision AI - From Crop Fields to Factory Floors
Artificial intelligence is moving to the edge - and it's changing how factories operate, farms grow crops, and robots navigate the world.
In this episode, Monica Houston from Tria Technologies walks us through Tria's Vision AI Kit 6490, an industrial-grade edge computing board that processes five camera feeds simultaneously, runs inference locally, and handles demanding tasks like image segmentation - all without needing cloud connectivity or even a cooling fan.
Robotics
Robotics: Enabling Intelligent, Connected and Collaborative Systems
Avnet Silica helps customers with their robotics challenges by combining leading semiconductor technologies, embedded architectures, engineering expertise and supply-chain support to accelerate the development of next-generation robotics solutions.
