Universal Robots Partners with Viam to Transform Automation Solutions for Marine Sectors and Beyond

Universal Robots (UR) is accelerating the next wave of automation in marine manufacturing through its partnership with Viam, a modern robotics software engineering platform. Central to this collaboration is a robotic block-sanding system that streamlines fiberglass sanding for yacht builders — a task historically known for being highly labor-intensive and physically demanding.

This solution integrates UR’s reliable UR Series cobots with Viam’s adaptive software, enabling greater precision, consistency, and operational efficiency. By automating sanding and other surface preparation tasks, manufacturers can reduce production delays, enhance quality, and better manage persistent labor shortages.

“We’re excited to partner with Viam. Their AI-powered software opens new applications for our collaborative robots and sets the stage for rapid innovation in the marine sector and across industries in the years ahead.”

- JP Hathout, President of the Teradyne Robotics Group.

Viam’s platform adds an AI powered intelligent software layer that makes automation highly adaptable: it can run on a wide range of hardware and dynamically switch between different UR cobot arm sizes to suit varying component dimensions - from small parts to large hulls.

This flexibility allows manufacturers to deploy solutions quickly without redesigning workflows, while Viam’s real-time control and monitoring capabilities ensure precision and consistency across processes, enabling manufacturers to deploy automation quickly and confidently.

While fiberglass sanding is the first marine application, Viam’s technology also supports gelcoat and paint application, wood sanding, and polishing - extending automation benefits to furniture, construction, and industrial manufacturing.

“Viam’s intelligent software layer combined with Universal Robots’ cobots can enable rapid adoption of automation,” said Viam Founder and CEO Eliot Horowitz. “They are a true industry leader in robotic hardware and will help us to scale our solutions globally, both in the marine sector and in manufacturing broadly.”

The system will make its European debut at Metstrade 2025 in Amsterdam, November 18–20. The solution, which features Universal Robots UR Series, was recently on view at IBEX 2025, The International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference, in Tampa, Florida.