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Universal Robots and Scale AI Launch Imitation Learning System to Accelerate AI Model Training, Bridging the ‘Lab-to-Factory’ Gap
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Universal Robots (UR) today unveiled the UR AI Trainer at GTC 2026 in Silicon Valley. Developed in collaboration with
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[{"type":"text","content":" SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nUniversal Robots (UR) today unveiled the UR AI Trainer at GTC 2026 in Silicon Valley. Developed in collaboration with Scale AI, the AI Trainer marks a tectonic shift as robots move from pre-programmed applications to fully AI-driven tasks. These systems are powered by robust data generated in AI training cells where robots imitate humans.\n\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260316660072/en/The new UR AI Trainer, developed by Universal Robots and Scale AI, is the first direct lab-to-factory solution for AI model training. \n“Our customers, ranging from large enterprises to AI research labs, are no longer just asking for AI features,” said Anders Beck, VP of AI Robotics Products at Universal Robots. “They need a way to collect high-fidelity, synchronized robot and vision data to train AI models on the same robots they intend to deploy. Our AI Trainer is the industry's first direct lab-to-factory solution for AI model training.”\n\n\nAlongside the new AI Trainer, Universal Robots’ GTC booth will showcase a state-of-the-art robotic foundation model from Generalist AI, a UR preferred model partner. Leveraging this model, two UR robots will complete a complex smartphone packaging task, previously impossible without recent advances in the field of Physical AI.\n\n\nEnabling AI-ready data capture with force feedback and direct torque control\nAI robotics training is often hindered by fragmented hardware and low-fidelity data capture. Much of today’s training data is collected on research robots not suited for production environments, and many systems rely only on visual feedback, making delicate or contact-rich tasks difficult. “The AI Trainer directly addresses these barriers,” said Beck. “By utilizing our unique Direct Torque Control and force feedback features, we give developers direct influence over how the robot physically interacts with the world, training on the same robust hardware used in over 100,000 industrial deployments.”\n\n\nScale AI partnership enables a flywheel of integrated robotics data\nThe AI Trainer allows human operators to guide UR robots through tasks in a leader-follower setup while automatically capturing high-quality multimodal data for robotics AI development. Operators physically guide a “lead...