Physical AI

What is Motoman NEXT?

Motoman NEXT is an autonomous, adaptive robotics platform designed to move beyond traditional, fixed programming toward AI-driven judgment and execution. It is built to handle “semi-structured” to “unstructured" environments—meaning it can adapt to changes in part positioning, lighting, or task requirements in real-time without needing a human to rewrite code.

From Automation to Autonomy

While traditional controllers remain the standard for high-speed industrial applications, Motoman NEXT is intended for applications that require high levels of intelligence and flexibility, particularly in fields that were previously difficult to automate due to variable environments. Physical AI is enabling robots to perceive, reason, and adapt like a human operator.

Industries We Serve

Logistics

Handling thousands of SKUs with varied shapes, weights, and packaging. Using 3D vision and autonomous path planning to pick randomly oriented parts from deep bins without collisions.

Life Sciences

Managing specimen transport, de-capping, and sorting of thousands of unique patient tubes.

Bio-Medical

High-precision liquid handling and automated testing where robots must adapt to different labware configurations without extensive re-programming.

Agriculture

Vertical farming tasks such as autonomous seedling planting, crop pruning, and harvesting where the environment changes as plants grow.

Food & Beverage

Robotic automated kitchens that can perform frying, plating, and assembly tasks alongside humans.

eCommerce Fulfillment

Automatically identifying and placing packages onto sorter trays in high-speed warehouse environments.

Explore What's NEXT

Robots

Controller

Services

Not Just Advanced. Exactly What Your Operation Needs.

System Integrators:

Safe and smart entry into the fascinating world of adaptive Robots and AI.

Software Developers:

Standard Linux Docker Compose on professional NVIDIA^® hardware for maximum freedom of code.

Pre-installed Services to cover all robot-related motion/ vision/ sensor/ AI functionality.

Professional Digital Twin Engineering Tools are included in the package without reoccuring license cost.

End Customers:

Can realize new robotic automation use cases solving their labour shortage trouble and cutting their costs.

Professional Robotic AI Application Development

The backbone of Yaskawa - a worldwide leading supplier of robot, drive, automation and software technology.

iREX Review - Inside look at Motoman NEXT

Explore Yaskawa’s iREX legacy, the move toward Physical AI, and MOTOMAN NEXT demos featuring autonomous assembly, palletizing, sorting, and stacking.

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Motoman NEXT Robots

NEX Series

Path Planning

Dynamic, Collision-Free Motion for Autonomous Environments
The Path Planning Service is a cornerstone of the Motoman NEXT platform, enabling robots to navigate complex work cells autonomously. Whether called via a user application Docker or a simple MOVAUTO skill within a block-language interface, this service bridges the gap between high-level intent and precise physical execution.
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Force Control

High-Precision Tactile Intelligence for Sensitive Automations
The Force Control Service empowers Motoman NEXT robots with the "sense of touch," enabling them to handle delicate materials and perform high-precision tasks. Accessible via user applications in any Docker container or through intuitive Force Control skills (TOUCH, FIT, INSERT), this service allows for seamless integration of tactile feedback into your automation workflow.

Machine Vision

Integrated Perception for Intelligent Automation and Adaptive Execution
The Machine Vision Service provides a comprehensive suite of tools and routines designed to simplify the integration of visual intelligence. From initial setup and calibration to real-time image capture and processing, this service supports 2D and 3D camera systems. By bridging the gap between raw visual data and robotic action, it enables Motoman NEXT robots to interact with their environment with human-like precision.

AI Service

Cognitive Autonomy for Unstructured and High-Mix Environments
The AI Service is the cognitive engine of the Motoman NEXT platform, transforming the robot from a repetitive machine into an intelligent agent capable of human-like decision-making. By leveraging the Alliom AI engine (developed by Yaskawa's AI Cube) and an open ecosystem, this service allows the robot to "think on its feet." Whether running proprietary neural networks or third-party models, the AI Service processes data directly at the edge within the Autonomous Control Unit (ACU) to eliminate latency and dependency on external PCs.

Robot Control

The Bridge Between IT Logic and High-Performance Motion Execution
The Robot Control Service is the real-time engine that translates high-level data from the Autonomous Control Unit (ACU) into precise, signal-based physical movements. By providing direct code integration for I/Os, variables, and motion commands, this service allows IT developers to execute complex maneuvers with the same reliability and precision as expert robot programmers.

Feature	Description
Perception-Driven	Recognition of the environment via 3D vision sensors to update the environment model.
MOVAUTO Skills	High-level statements that allow a robot arm to exit machines safely or pick items from various positions without manual waypoints.
Dynamic Pathing	Real-time generation of paths that adjust to avoid new obstacles as they appear.
Tool Posture Control	Choose between FREE (robot optimizes orientation) or FIX (fixed tool orientation) to define how the robot moves between points.

Sim-to-Real

Sim-to-Real Programming is the bridge that makes adaptive, AI-driven automation commercially viable. By combining high-precision hardware with identical digital twin software, we eliminate the 'guesswork' of AI deployment, ensuring your robot is productive from the first second it's powered on.

Sim-to-Real

YNX Robot Simulator

The YNX Robot Simulator is a professional simulation and engineering tool designed specifically for the Motoman NEXT platform. It serves as a digital twin environment that bridges the gap between AI development and physical robot execution.

Digital Twin & Virtual Cell Creation

3D Environment: It allows you to build complete virtual work cells, replicating the physical layout of your production floor.
High Fidelity: The simulator is optimized for the NEX-series robots, which use high-inertia servomotors to ensure that the digital model's behavior matches the real-world operation exactly.

AI & Scenario Validation

Edge Integration: Because Motoman NEXT uses an Autonomous Control Unit, the YNX simulator is built to validate AI-driven scenarios, such as vision-based picking or adaptive motion planning.
Path Testing: You can test complex trajectories and "on-the-fly" motion generation in the safety of a virtual space before deploying code to the physical controller.

Advanced Integration

Ecosystem Compatibility: It works alongside modern tools like NVIDIA Isaac Sim and CuMotion, allowing for highly sophisticated physics-based simulations and GPU-accelerated path planning.
Offline Programming (OLP): Like MotoSim, it enables users to program and optimize robotic tasks without stopping production on the actual hardware.