AI-Enhanced Mobile and Collaborative Robotics for Autonomous Inspection and Predictive Maintenance in Smart Manufacturing

Abstract

The implementation of new Industry 4.0 technologies in robotics (mobile and collaborative robotics) with artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping maintenance planning in advanced manufacturing. This paper analyzes the application of robotic systems combining collaborative robots (cobots) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) as support for predictive maintenance. Predictive maintenance is based on continuous real-time visual monitoring with the goal of managing faults. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative metrics such as downtime reduction, mean time to repair, and return on investment with qualitative staff assessments. The results of implementing robotic systems to support predictive maintenance indicate a significant reduction in production downtime, increased operational efficiency, and faster resolution of faults in the manufacturing process. In addition to technical efficiency, the study analyzes the economic feasibility, stability, and challenges of implementing AI vision systems within Industry 4.0. Compared to previously published studies in this field, this work is distinguished by the implementation of a cobot and an AMR in a unified system for visual inspection and control, with real-time data used for predictive maintenance. The system is connected to Computerized Maintenance Management Systems software for maintenance planning and monitoring and Enterprise Resource Planning software for real-time business activity planning. The results demonstrate that the integration of advanced robotics, computer vision, and machine learning algorithms enables the transformation of the traditional reactive approach into a proactive asset management model, thereby ensuring a long-term sustainable increase in reliability, safety, and competitiveness of the manufacturing processes.

Received: 26 August 2025 | Revised: 21 October 2025 | Accepted: 27 October 2025

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest to this work.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Author Contribution Statement

Isak Karabegovic: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administration.