News & Updates

For our customers, checking the correct wheel/tyre combinations before delivery to the vehicle manufacturer is a major challenge. Due to the increasing diversification and individualization of tires, rims and valve caps, the requirements for precision and accuracy in tire assembly have risen sharply in recent years.

Thanks to the IUNA AI scanner, it is now possible to automate this inspection process. The IUNA AI scanner compares the color and shape of the valve cap and the valve on the image and compares this information with the target value from the database. This use of industrial computer vision and AI technology avoids errors and returns even before delivery.

The current article of the Heilbronner Stimme describes how Audi wants to drive the change in production in the future and also how we at IUNA AI are helping to shape this change. Our goal has always been to bring AI technology as easily and quickly as possible into today's manufacturing. That is exactly what we have already been able to do for Audi. Further projects with Audi are in the planning stage.

IUNA AI is one of the "100 Places for Industry 4.0" in Baden-Würtemberg and was awarded as one of eight lighthouse projects by the Allianz Industrie 4.0. The award was presented online by a video message of the State Secretary Dr. Patrick Rapp.

In order to further accelerate product development, we made the decision to close a first funding round at the beginning of 2022. After careful evaluation of all offers, the final decision was made in favor of two local and experienced VC companies from the Heilbronn area: The Campus Founders Venture Studios and the experienced Business Angel Prof. Wolf Nietzer with the VC Corporation Wolfman.One.

The third version of our Auto Scanner has been extended by the functionality of "Anomaly Detection". Here, the system not only detects predefined defects, but is also able to check the entire vehicle surface for anomalies. Anomalies are defects for which little to no past image data is available. This means that even rare defects, which would otherwise only be detected by humans, can be detected fully automatically. As a result, full automation of the inspection process has been achieved in Audi's body shop, replacing manual visual inspection.

Based on the know-how of the Auto Scanner, the IUNA AI Scanner was developed in September 2021. With the AI Scanner we have developed a modular and easy to use AI Vision System, which can be integrated in-line. Combined with the right software application, we are flexible to solve a wide range of tasks in industrial manufacturing.

In March, the second version of the IUNA Auto Scanner was finalized. The system checks standard points on the body of the car for surface geometry defects. This includes waviness, indentation points, sheet metal unbalances and other defects that occur primarily in the body shop department. In addition, the data helps the respective specialist department to detect process-related errors or errors caused by suppliers.

In September 2020, iuna.ai became an official development partner of VW. The aim of the development cooperation was the further development of the IUNA Auto Scanner v1 in the body shop of the Audi R8 for the fully autonomous identification of surface geometry defects on the body.

In May 2020, IUNA AI Systems GmbH was founded with the aim of revolutionizing automation in industrial manufacturing in the field of visual inspection and quality assurance. The shareholders of the GmbH are Jan Nabatian (Managing Director), Tong Chen (Head of Product Development) and Samira Nabatian (Head of Business Development).

In March 2020, the first version of the Auto Scanner was completed as part of the research project of the University of Stuttgart's Machine Learning group and Audi. This provided the proof of concept of an AI-based detection of surface damage on vehicles on the assembly line.