Manufacturing

To automate the routine of staff walking the plant to read and record analogue meters by eye, reducing headcount needs and improving efficiency on the factory floor.

Without replacing any existing meters or equipment, an app simply pointed at a meter by an AI camera reads the value automatically — offered as an app on Actcast. Because the analysis completes on a device costing a few thousand yen, the cost stays manageable even across a large number of meters. Running the analysis on the edge also means factory footage never leaves the site.

To manage IoT devices on production lines securely and turn the data gathered on the floor into improvement activity — reducing operational burden and improving how work gets done.

When device management is split across departments and plants, security settings drift apart and software updates get missed. Managing general-purpose devices such as Raspberry Pi centrally on Actcast — with remote configuration changes and software updates — removes that fragmentation. Combined with CTC’s data-enablement service “D-Native,” the collected data is carried through to visualization and analysis.

To give signalling equipment — devices that announce a situation with light and sound — the ability to perceive the situation itself, so the equipment can decide when there is something worth announcing.

Detection results from the “ai cast” edge AI camera are wired directly into network-controlled signal towers. The first application handles detection of white canes and wheelchairs, announcing the arrival of someone who may need assistance immediately through light, sound and voice. Because the judgement completes on the edge, the notification happens locally without footage leaving the site.