ABB Robotics has launched a version of its Fashion Inductor module with AI Robot Trainer, which the company calls its first complete physical AI system based on vision. The module sorts clothing and other fashion goods in logistics centres, where products and packaging keep changing.
ABB says the module sorts up to 1,300 items per hour per cell, with picking accuracy targets above 99.5%. AI Robot Trainer adds pre-trained vision models for fashion goods and quick retraining, and according to ABB cuts engineering and commissioning work by up to 75%.
The upgraded module also has a digital twin that links ABB's path planning software, AI Robot Trainer and RobotStudio. ABB plans to bring the same approach to more of its vision-based applications through the first quarter of 2027.
Craig McDonnell, managing director of the industries business line at ABB Robotics, said physical AI changes what robots can do in industry, and that some of the best openings for it are in tasks that were hard to automate because they vary so much.
Background
ABB
Industrial technology company
Swiss industrial group that agreed in October 2025 to sell its robotics division to SoftBank.
More stories about ABB
Fashion Inductor
Robotic sorting module
ABB Robotics module that sorts fashion and apparel goods in logistics centres.
AI Robot Trainer
Robot vision software
ABB Robotics software for training, deploying and improving AI vision applications for robots.
