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G 环球瞭望

LOBAL OUTLOOK

移到其他控制系统。相比之下，适应了 Athena how difficult or time consuming it is to access
的操作人员可以处理各种 CNC 机床，完全不用 and employ that information. Commanding the
担心设备配备的是哪款控制模型。随着设备用 machine verbally, along with obtaining accurate
户效率提高，整体设备效率 (OEE) 也提高了。 information about the machine, tool or job as
“我们能够发掘出加工人员的更多价值。” Mark needed, essentially just by asking into the air,
Waymouth 先生说道，“我们所要学习的不再是 promises to allow skilled operators to work far
按键的位置。” more accurately and effectively than is practical
for them to do today.
【英文如下】
We also do not fully appreciate how much
Imagine if the control interface for a CNC inefficiency comes from operators possessing
machine tool was not a panel full of buttons, different levels of proficiency with different
but instead a headset addressing a digital control models in the same shop. Athena takes
assistant able to understand a machinist’s verbal that difficulty away because its developers have
commands. Imagine if that assistant could operate engineered it to work the same way with a variety
all the different CNC machine tools in the shop, of brands and models of machine tool controls.
with various controls, in precisely this same way. The system consists of a headset with shop-
And imagine if that digital assistant had ready noise-cancelling features and software running on
access not only to status data at the machine, a shop-hardened notebook PC. The operator uses
but all the information around the machine the headset’s microphone to give commands and
related to using it effectively, including operation ask questions—virtually any command it might be
and maintenance instructions as well as setup reasonable to issue to the CNC and virtually any
instructions for the current job, making any of this question relevant to the machine or job.
information available at the user’s verbal request.
Those are the promises of a new human-machine Commands might include, “Athena, run
interface (HMI) system—called Athena—being part-program number 408,” “Athena, stop
introduced by a startup company, iT SpeeX, that the coolant” or “Athena, tool change to T15.”
Stating the device’s name activates it, like
brings speech-recognition technology to machine
tools. Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. For any command
driving a machine motion, the system checks its
The product will be publicly debuted at the
International Manufacturing Technology Show understanding of the human operator by restating
(IMTS). I got to see an early demonstration and the command as a question and listening for
to experiment with the system myself. What I “Athena, yes.”
discovered is that, much like the smartphone Meanwhile, queries might include, “Athena,
in my pocket, the potential transformational show the alarm history,” “Athena, show me
power of the device is hard to appreciate except how to set up for part-program number 408”
by direct experience. My phone does nothing or “Athena, how do I change the air filter?”
I couldn’t already do in some other way. Yet it As these queries indicate, the development of
changed my life because of all the tasks it has this technology has involved more than speech
made much easier. Athena offers much the same recognition. It has also involved algorithms
promise. We do not fully appreciate how much of for searching machine manuals and shop
the information a machine tool operator might documentation accurately to serve up the
need is located in different places, and therefore expected answers to human questions.

·88· 第10期 数控机床市场