Integrated manufacturing automation system architecture

A method of managing and controlling a plurality of robotic devices from different manufacturers, wherein each of the manufacturers has a different fleet manager to control the robotic devices that are associated with that manufacturer, and further wherein the different fleet managers are not compatible with each other, the method comprising:

• accessing, at an automation server, a first task for a first robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices;
• selecting, at the automation server, which robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices from different manufacturers is best suited to complete the first task and thereby be the first robotic device;
• generating, at the automation server, first motor control commands for the selected first robotic device to complete the first task;
• transmitting, via a network and in a format defined by a first Application Program Interface (API), the first motor control commands from the automation server to the fleet manager associated with the selected first robotic device, the first motor control commands for forwarding from the fleet manager to the selected first robotic device;
• accessing, at the automation server, a second task for a second robotic device;
• selecting, at the automation server, which robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices from different manufacturers is best suited to complete the second task and thereby be the second robotic device, wherein the selected second robotic device is a robotic device from a different manufacturer than the selected first robotic device;
• generating, at the automation server, second motor control commands for the selected second robotic device based on the second task;
• and
• transmitting, via the network and in a second format defined by a second API, the second motor control commands from the automation server to the fleet manager associated with the second robotic device, the second motor control commands for forwarding from the second fleet manager to the second robotic device;
• receiving, at the automation server and from one or more sensors attached to the selected first robotic device and the selected second robotic device and via the network, robotic device sensor data, wherein the robot device sensor data from the selected first robotic device and the selected second robotic device is received by the automation server simultaneously and without being communicated through the fleet manager that is associated with the selected first robotic device or the selected second robotic device;
• receiving, at the automation server, from multiple remote sensors, and via the network, remote sensor data, wherein the remote sensor data is received at the automation server simultaneously with the robot device sensor data;
• adjusting, at the automation server, the generated motor control commands to complete the first task or the second task based on the robotic device sensor data and the remote sensor data.