Novarc Technologies used Automate 2026 (June 22–25, Chicago) to unveil NovAI™ Autonomy, a Physical AI platform that adds machine vision, real-time seam recognition and adaptive process control to existing robotic welding cells. The launch is the company's largest technology showcase to date and spans ABB and Yaskawa robots, plus a co-developed Miller welding system.

Rather than replacing a fabricator's installed robots, NovAI is designed as a retrofit layer: it equips ABB IRC5 and Yaskawa YRC1000 cells with computer vision that sees root openings, gaps, misalignments and tack welds before the arc strikes, then adjusts current, voltage, travel speed and weave on the fly. Novarc claims this cuts manual rework, over-welding, grinding and scrap while raising first-pass yield on high-variation parts.

The platform is paired with NovHub™, Novarc's Enterprise Welding Intelligence software, which centralizes weld video, process parameters, part traceability and production timing so quality teams can investigate defects and monitor trends across cells.

• ABB — NovAI Adaptive Welding runs on ABB's joining and positioning portfolio for automotive, structural and heavy fabrication. ABB's Global Product Manager for Joining Technologies, Joshua Williamson, said the system "autonomously adjust weld parameters in real time."
• Yaskawa — The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate vision-enabled cells for structural steel, heavy equipment, data centers, agriculture, mining and modular construction. The YRC1000 demo shows how NovAI evaluates gaps before arc-on and optimizes starting parameters.
• Miller (ITW) — The Copilot Builder with Blue iQ, powered by NovAI, is a new collaborative welding system targeting parts with fit-up variation that traditional automation cannot handle. Miller says the platform "simplifies programming" and adapts to real-world fit-up rather than ideal conditions.

Novarc also demonstrated NovPlan™, offline programming software that detects weld joints and generates robot programs directly from 3D CAD models. The company says NovPlan can cut programming time by up to 90 percent, reducing the need for dedicated robot programmers.

CEO Soroush Karimzadeh framed NovAI as a response to reindustrialization: shipbuilding, data centers, energy infrastructure and heavy equipment face simultaneous shortages of skilled welders and robot programmers, while part variability defeats conventional fixed-program automation. By bolting perception and cognition onto robots that shops already own, Novarc is pushing welding automation from "repeatable part in a fixture" toward "adapt to what's actually in front of the torch."

Live demonstrations ran every 30 minutes in booth #1475 at Automate, alternating between ABB and Yaskawa cells.