42 Technology (42T) has developed a natural-language Edge AI agent designed to let production engineers and technicians control industrial equipment using spoken or typed commands.

The Cambridge, UK-based product development and manufacturing consultancy has also demonstrated the technology on local Edge AI hardware.

The system combines natural-language understanding with real-time equipment control and machine-state awareness. Users can issue commands, ask questions and receive context-aware support without navigating complex interfaces.

The agent can also retrieve information from pre-configured operator manuals, technical documentation and fault-finding guides. This allows users to access equipment information without leaving their workflow.

Unlike cloud-based consumer voice assistants, 42T’s system processes and stores data locally on Edge AI hardware at the company’s premises. The approach is designed to support offline operation and keep operational data under the user’s control.

The system is designed for industrial environments and can use foot-pedal activation and wireless headsets. It can interpret commands in noisy conditions or when instructions are incomplete.

42T has also incorporated predefined guardrails into the system. Operators can configure the technology to require human confirmation before executing commands in safety-critical applications.

Mike Sales, head of AI at 42 Technology, said production engineers and technicians often need immediate guidance while working on live equipment. He said natural-language AI can provide context-aware answers without requiring users to search through multiple manuals or interfaces.

42T demonstrated the technology earlier this year at the CW International Conference in Cambridge. The demonstrator uses a small language model running locally on a single-board computer to control a signal generator through spoken commands.

The single-board computer handles the Edge AI workload, including speech detection, speech-to-text conversion and agent orchestration.

42T is also working with an industrial equipment manufacturer to integrate a natural-language AI agent into selected products. The project is examining how the technology can be deployed across industrial systems with multiple sensors and subsystems.

The company said future versions could extend beyond individual equipment control. A potential “digital foreman” system could monitor multiple production assets, identify issues and highlight those requiring operator attention.