Rockwell Automation stakes its claim in the future of robotics

Rockwell Automation may not be the first name that springs to mind when one thinks about robotics.

“People might think of Tesla or NVIDIA, in terms of the new companies, and they might think of a FANUC or ABB as some of the old incumbents,” said Ryan Gariepy, vice president, robotics, Rockwell Automation.

But the industrial automation provider is quietly building strength in that space.

“If you look across the organization, we have a global development team that does extensive work related to robotics,” said Gariepy, adding that some of that focuses on autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, but much of the work supports other foundational technologies that are critical to advancing robotics overall.

When Rockwell Automation acquired Clearpath Robotics in 2023, the deal included Clearpath’s OTTO Motors, which specializes in AMRs. At the time, Clearpath was already collaborating with more than 500 brands across 40 countries, serving clients in the mining, military, agriculture, aerospace and academic domains.

While Rockwell Automation was already involved in providing the hardware, software and support needed to deploy AMRs into factory operations, the acquisition extended these capabilities. By adding both AMRs and fleet-management software to its portfolio, Rockwell strengthened its position by constructing an end-to-end pathway for digitally transforming production environments.

Rockwell now has the facility to build AMRs in-house. On Oct. 30, 2025, the company announced the first AMRs—the OTTO 600 and OTTO 1200 AMRs—to roll off the production line at its 25,000 sq ft OTTO production space in Milwaukee.

At a media briefing at Automation Fair 2025, Gariepy outlined the broader robotics strategy behind these milestones. He highlighted key areas of focus: components, software platforms, AI-enabled niche applications and software-defined automation.

Reliable safety and control systems remain essential

Rockwell Automation is well known for its components offerings and can leverage this longstanding industrial expertise for the evolving demands of robotics, said Gariepy. The company, widely recognized for its control systems and safety technology, recognizes the opportunities for these solutions as AI advances enable robots to operate alongside humans. “You can have the best AI possible, but you still need something safe; you still need control systems you can trust,” said Gariepy. “We’ve made components for decades and we’re actively looking at [all of the product lines and capabilities] and what changes should be made to capture new markets.”

Software platforms feature prominently across applications and were appropriately spotlighted in keynotes. Gariepy noted that tools like Logix SDA (for software-defined automation) and related software suites accelerate the development and deployment of robotics solutions.

He pointed out that with the rise of “vibe coding” (the practice of using AI to generate code from natural language prompts) and other emerging approaches, building new robotic functionality is easier than ever. But without a reliable safety and real-time system as a foundation, deploying, running and versioning the software becomes risky. “Everyone is under pressure to ship faster and develop faster,” Gariepy said. That’s why developers need trusted platforms, such as Rockwell Automation’s SDA approach, to turn rapid innovation into safe, scalable robotics systems.

Software platforms like Unified Robot Control are carving inroads to niche applications that traditional robot makers overlook, said Gariepy. By combining motion control, open-source tools such as Robot Operating System (ROS) and its software-defined approach, Rockwell Automation helps machine builders and OEMs accelerate development without compromising reliability.

Vertical integration and mobile robots

Mobile robots are growing in significance at Rockwell Automation; development platforms are used across sectors, ranging from mining and energy to power generation. Beyond expanding Rockwell Automation’s commercial footprint, Gariepy explained that this growth provides deeper insights into data, operations and customer needs and opens doors to new markets and use cases across the industrial landscape.

Gariepy pointed out that a unique capability of being a major mixed industrial company of Rockwell Automation’s size is its ability to sell products directly. “It also means that we understand this very well,” he said. And the opportunities to explore concepts and prospects with such companies as Boston Dynamics supports learning about customer needs in ways that no one else is doing.

“Something that is little known is that Clearpath Robotics was the first company to sell Boston Dynamics robots to researchers,” added Gariepy. “We have a long history working with legged robots of various sorts, including quadrupeds. We know where they're good. We know where they're not good. And that’s something that’s allowing us to enter into these spaces in a very focused way informed by prior experience.”

That expertise was showcased at Automation Fair 2025, where Rockwell showcased its production logistics middleware, a solution that integrates everything from basic digital I/O and traditional robot arms to mobile robots and mobile manipulators into one coordinated system.

“It's not just a fleet manager or a distributed control system,” Gariepy explained. “Rockwell Automation is one of the few companies that can deliver this level of integration and connectivity.”

Integration ecosystem and data collection

This integration extends beyond hardware. Rockwell Automation has accumulated tens of thousands of hours of robot data and is using it in compelling ways. As an example, Gariepy demonstrated how he could run natural language queries, such as “Why does the robot stop so long in aisle one?” The application instantly provides answers, showing context, visuals and insights that draw from multiple AI techniques, ranging from neural networks to large language models, or LLMs. Answers displayed include two-dimensional images and three-dimensional views of the factory. “The goal is to unlock insights at the factory and robot levels that were previously inaccessible,” said Gariepy.

Deep technical knowledge leads to new frontiers

For Gariepy, the rise of mobile robotics is much more than a trend. It carries personal significance. The Canadian engineer and roboticist co-founded Clearpath Robotics along with Matt Rendall, Bryan Webb and Patrick Martinson in 2009 and later launched OTTO Motors in 2015.

Gariepy’s pedigree informs his perspective on where mobile robots are headed and what it takes to build them. “I started as the first intern at Kiva Systems, worked on early drone projects, and later co-founded one of the first companies to adopt the ROS,” he said. “Today, I continue to serve on the board of Open Robotics, reflecting my long-standing involvement in advancing this field.”