Automation engineers are under growing pressure to keep
production running while managing increasingly complex systems. Every minute of
downtime matters, yet critical technical information is often spread across
multiple tools, manuals and data sources, delaying troubleshooting and
affecting productivity.
Festo has introduced its new AI-powered Virtual Assistant to
give engineers and maintenance teams immediate access to reliable technical
answers, helping them resolve issues faster and keep operations moving.
The Festo Virtual Assistant is an AI-powered online tool
developed specifically for industrial automation applications. It delivers
context-related answers to technical queries in seconds, enabling users to move
quickly from problem identification to resolution without manually searching
multiple data sources.
Unlike general-purpose AI systems, the Virtual Assistant
operates exclusively on verified Festo data sources, including datasheets,
manuals, technical documentation and engineering tools. This ensures that all
outputs are based on reliable, application-relevant information. The tool is
designed to interpret technical context and respond to engineering queries with
a high degree of accuracy.
By consolidating information typically spread across
multiple systems into a single interface, the Virtual Assistant simplifies
access to engineering knowledge for users in automation, electrical,
maintenance and industrial IT roles. It supports applications including fault
diagnosis, component selection, access to technical standards and retrieval of
product data. It also offers best-practice solutions, provides direct links to
Festo engineering tools for sizing or simulation, and supports machine
troubleshooting.
Available 24/7, the Virtual Assistant is suited to
continuous production environments, offering support across shifts, including
nights and weekends. This enables engineers to access technical guidance at the
point of need without delay.
Users can describe technical issues in their own words, as though
speaking to a colleague. The more precise the question, the more specific the
answer. No additional training is required, making the AI tool simple to adopt
within existing workflows.
User queries remain within Festo’s secure infrastructure.
The Virtual Assistant complies with data privacy legislation and relevant
regulatory requirements, including the EU AI Act.
Javier Güell, Festo Sales AI Solutions, said, “Engineers’
time is best used to solve problems, not to spend hours searching for
information. However, increasing system complexity and fragmented data sources
often make that unavoidable. The Festo Virtual Assistant helps redress that
balance by searching multiple sources in seconds, enabling engineers to focus
on their core role of designing new solutions, keeping systems running and
optimising performance.”
The Festo Virtual Assistant is available via the Festo
website. It is free to use and can be accessed using an existing Festo login or
through a simple registration process.