AI-driven, cost-saving machine design optimisation app makes work fun

By harnessing AI, the new igusGO app developed by igus shows how to optimise the design of over 450 applications in just a few seconds.

Wouldn’t it be nice if time-poor engineers, faced with huge component choices, could easily and quickly improve their designs by seeing the full range of components and their properties instantly? Step forward the new igusGO app with artificial intelligence (AI).

Plastics specialist igus has developed the app for product searching with the help of AI. Simply take a photo of the application and its surroundings and igusGO will search 10,000s of options online to show the user which products can help to design lubrication-free machines. The clever app also shows where there is further potential to improve machine technology, and to simultaneously save money.

The app is very simple to use. The app user takes a photo of their application. With the help of AI, igusGO identifies the object and shows the possibilities of different igus products in the machine or system. To do this, the AI harvests data from igus customer projects that have already been implemented on comparable machines and components. With one click, the user is taken to the online shop and can order their new chain without a time-consuming search for the last order, simplifying the shopping process and potentially saving money.

“Many of our customers are not familiar with the wide range of possible applications for all our products, which is why we have developed the igusGO app. It expands our range of services and is available 24/7,” explains Matthew Aldridge, managing director of igus UK.

Over 450 different applications are already in the app’s ‘brain’ and the number is growing daily; from coffee machines to the bottling plants to aircraft seats to bucket wheel excavators.

“The igusGO app is intended to serve as a source of inspiration,” says Aldridge. “And we want to reach a wider audience, we want to open up the app to a community where everyone can participate and share their projects with others.

“If the app does not recognise an application, the user can report it directly to igus. We’ll respond within 24 hours and point out any opportunities for improvement.”

Over recent months, the first beta testers have been satisfied with igusGO’s capabilities and are now suggesting improvements. igusGO is available for both Android and iOS and also as a web browser version. In the next version of the app, igus is planning to integrate an AI chatbot that can answer users’ questions directly.

AI for product recognition

igus is now also using AI for the spare parts business of its energy chains. “With our product recognition technology, we want to enable any employees at any company to order a spare part fast,” says Justin Leonard, e-chain director at igus UK. The principle here is also very simple: take a photo of the chain with the help of the product recognition app, found at https://www.igus.co.uk/info/product-recognition. The AI, trained by igus, recognises the corresponding model from almost 50 different e-chain series. With a click, the user is taken to the online shop and can order his new chain according to the desired length, without a time-consuming search for the last order, simplifying the shopping process and potentially saving money.

“igus is always looking to use technology to simplify and speed up our customers’ procurement process, so they can focus on their value-add work,” says Aldridge.