FANUC America will use Automate 2026 in Chicago to present two connected areas of its robotics portfolio: AI-enabled industrial automation in its main booth and standardized cobot solutions in a separate Cobot and Go booth. The company’s message focuses on two trends shaping robotics adoption: robots that can respond to variation in production environments, and easier-to-deploy systems for manufacturers that want to automate faster.
Automate 2026 takes place from June 22 to 26 at McCormick Place in Chicago. FANUC will present its AI and robotics demonstrations in booth 1401. It will also open a separate Cobot and Go booth, number 1001, featuring pre-engineered collaborative robot systems developed with system integrators and distributors. This second booth is aimed at rapid deployment and shows how manufacturers can use standardized and movable robot cells instead of fully custom-built systems.
According to FANUC, this is relevant for companies that want to automate but are hesitant because of the complexity of fixed robot systems. Simon Kenworthy, General Manager Authorized System Integrator Sales at FANUC America, said: “Many manufacturers want to automate but are hesitant to take on complex, fixed systems.” The Cobot and Go approach is intended to show how out-of-the-box cobot solutions can make automation more accessible, scalable and practical on the factory floor.
From pilot projects to repeatable deployment
The Cobot and Go booth includes several application-focused cells built around FANUC’s CRX cobots. Mission Design and Automation will show a mobile dispensing and assembly cell with a CRX-10iA for simulated printed circuit board assembly and adhesive dispensing. Premier Tech will demonstrate a compact palletizing and depalletizing solution with a CRX-30iA. Robotic Technical Support Services will show an EZPainter cell for automated coating of automotive parts.
AI vision is also part of the cobot booth. Genuine Cable Group will demonstrate ATLIS AI Track and Inspect with a CRX-5iA, using Inbolt AI to identify and track randomly oriented parts. CMES Robotics will show an AI-driven pick-and-bag system for e-commerce fulfillment. AMT will demonstrate a mixed-case depalletizing cell that uses AI vision to identify and pick randomly placed boxes in real time.
The common element in these applications is that they are presented not as separate engineering projects, but as repeatable configurations. Many systems are mounted on mobile carts or compact bases and are designed to be deployed without permanent changes to infrastructure. FANUC points to standard power, integrated air systems and intuitive software interfaces as factors intended to simplify installation and training.
Physical AI in the main booth
In the main booth, FANUC will focus on Physical AI and AI-enabled robotics. Mike Cicco, President and CEO of FANUC America, said Physical AI is changing what is possible in industrial automation. “At Automate 2026, we’re demonstrating how robots can perceive their environment, make decisions and act in real time,” he said.
The demonstrations combine technologies including 3D dynamic proximity monitoring, vision, human tracking, NVIDIA Jetson-based processing, NVIDIA Isaac Sim simulation and ROS 2 integration. With this, FANUC is positioning AI not only as a programming aid, but as part of robot control, perception and interaction with dynamic production environments.
One demonstration is vertical-up welding with the new CRX-3iA. The collaborative robot performs welding on a steel I-beam, an application that FANUC describes as difficult to automate because of limited access, complex weld seam orientation and weld puddle control. The robot weighs 11 kilograms and can be manually placed on the workpiece. In the demonstration, it is carried in a boom lift basket, attached to the I-beam with a magnetic base and uses touch sensing to locate the weld seam.
A second demonstration focuses on bolt tightening with a CRX-20iA/L cobot, Inbolt Physical AI and NVIDIA-based processing. The robot tracks a moving engine block on a bidirectional conveyor and performs the task without stopping production. The example shows how vision, tracking and robot motion can be combined for assembly processes involving moving parts.
Simulation, generative AI and established industrial applications
Alongside the AI demonstrations, FANUC will show applications that are closer to established industrial automation, but with a larger role for digital tools and new interfaces. An M-710/50-26D Food Option robot will perform palletizing and depalletizing with PalletTool software. The cell is linked to NVIDIA Isaac Sim, showing how a digital twin can be used for cell design, optimization and commissioning.
Human-aware collaboration is also part of the main booth. A CRX-10iA/L will perform vision-guided box handling and barcode scanning while responding to people in the work area. Using RGB-D cameras, tablet control and AI-based tracking algorithms, the cell detects nearby operators and adjusts robot movement without fully stopping production.
FANUC will also show the next-generation R-2000/E Series robots in an automotive material handling and servo-gun spot welding demonstration. The range includes eight model configurations and is designed with higher axis speeds, higher wrist load capacity and a smaller installation footprint. In addition, the company will demonstrate an SR-9iA/R SCARA robot for high-speed circular conveyor tracking with FANUC iRVision 3DV, aimed at applications such as medical manufacturing, packaging and high-throughput assembly.
One notable demonstration is CRX Vibe Coding, in which a CRX cobot is programmed through natural language. Spoken instructions are converted into executable robot motion through AI-generated Python code. This reflects a broader trend in which generative AI is being used to make robot programming more accessible, although practical value will depend on safety, validation and integration into existing production workflows.
