First Voice Assistant for Manufacturing Is Here
Athena, launched by iTSpeeX, LLC, interacts with machine tool operators and responds to over 500 human commands to help make them more independent and productive. A driving purpose behind building the technology: To help solve the skilled labor problem.
Posted: January 19, 2021
Voice-enabled technology has transformed the way humans communicate. It’s here to stay, and now the manufacturing industry has an assistant of its own. “Her” name is Athena, and she was created to help machine tool builders provide more productive and efficient equipment to manufacturing companies that are always looking for ways to increase productivity.
Athena was initially launched by iTSpeeX, LLC (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the spring of 2018. Since then, the voice assistant—which interacts with machine tool operators via a machine’s existing control screen or a separate display—has expanded to include over 500 commands designed to make machine operators more independent and more productive. She is able to listen to voice commands, provide instructional content, perform complex machine functions quickly and walk through vital checklists.
“For years, the manufacturing industry has had to deal with a lack of skilled workers,” said Stephen Kappers, principal at iTSpeeX. “That shortage is only exacerbated as you get into machine tools, where machine and control complexity continues to increase. We built Athena to help solve that skilled labor problem.”
Machine tool OEMs have lost sales simply because the shop owner has no one capable of operating the machine. Athena immediately solves that problem, helping builders sell more machines—even in situations where skilled labor is a need.
“Athena is an ideal solution for both machine tool OEMs and machine shop owners,” said Jerry Rex, chief revenue officer at iTSpeeX. “OEMs simplify machine operation and reduce training costs, and end-users get a friendly assistant that makes them more efficient and productive.”
