T-Labs: The R&D Powerhouse Behind Acteris

“At T-Labs, we aren't just writing code; we are teaching machines the fundamental laws of physical interaction. Our goal is to close the gap between digital intelligence and physical reality.” — Dr. Lars Tingelstad

In industrial automation, we have spent decades perfecting repetition. We have robots that can move to the same millimeter for years without fail. But the moment the environment changes, such as a part being slightly out of place or a new task being introduced, the system breaks.

This is where T-Labs comes in. As our dedicated R&D engine, T-Labs builds the core intelligence that Acteris delivers into production. This connection is intentional because T-Labs advances the research and Acteris transforms it into deployable skills grounded in real shop-floor requirements and measurable performance outcomes.

Advancing Embodied Intelligence and Robotic Skill Development

While much of the robotics world focuses on domestic or generalist applications, T-Labs is dedicated to the underlying technologies that enable robot skills to perform reliably in high-variability environments.

To ensure these skills are production-ready, we focus on five critical pillars of development:

The Multidisciplinary Approach 

To achieve these goals, T-Labs operates at the intersection of several key domains. We have built a team that combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence with a fundamental understanding of physical motion control and industrial environments.

Our approach is built on three interconnected areas of focus:

• Intelligence and Architecture: Developing the foundational models that allow for complex reasoning and perception.

• Simulation and Data Strategy: Building the infrastructure to generate high-quality data and bridge the gap between virtual environments and the physical world.

• Hardware and Edge Deployment: Ensuring that sophisticated intelligence can run reliably on local industrial hardware across a variety of robot platforms.

By bringing these perspectives together, we ensure that every breakthrough we make in the lab is technically viable and ready for the demands of the factory floor.

Q&A with Dr. Lars Tingelstad

Q: What was the strategic decision behind making this organizational shift to establish T-Labs as a dedicated research entity?

"The primary reason for establishing T-Labs is that the product has reached a mature point where it is ready for deployment today. A longer-term strategic research initiative is needed for Trener to stay ahead of the curve, be a thought and execution leader in the field, and set the direction for Physical AI globally. Without a long-term strategic initiative, Trener will be blindsided and obsolete when other players redefine robotics. Instead, Trener will redefine the field."

Q: How does the research at T-Labs specifically help manufacturers dealing with high-variability production?

"At Trener, we employ the best of the last 60 years of robotics and redefine what Physical AI and robotics will be for the next 60+ years. There has been more innovation in robotics in the last 3 years than in the previous 30. Trener and T-Labs create Physical AI models that are able to produce at 99%+ accuracy while enabling recovery and auxiliary tasks that would have been nearly impossible to do profitably with traditional robot programming. Standard industrial robot technologies are hard to use, and we redefine the way in which system integrators and end users deploy and interact with industrial systems. We lower the barrier to entry and reduce the programming effort, while enabling users to interact with the physical system in a natural way through language and vision."

Q: What is the primary focus for T-Labs over the next 18 months?

"Focusing on the previously mentioned 5 pillars of T-Labs, our primary focus over the next 18 months is to create value for our customers by building the models and control systems that power Acteris. We will enable automation tasks that were previously thought of as impossible or economically infeasible. By focusing on these pillars, we are setting a new standard for what industrial robots can achieve."

The Road Ahead: Turning Research into Production

The innovations happening within T-Labs are the foundation of everything we build. We are not just advancing research; we are developing the underlying technologies that enable smarter, more adaptable automation. By focusing on embodied intelligence today, we are expanding what Acteris can achieve and making the factories of tomorrow more flexible and more productive.