omlox: Physical AI Meets the Real World

When SPS—Smart Production Solutions—opens its doors in Nuremberg from November 24 to 26, 2026, Industrial AI will be one of the defining topics. What is often overlooked is that artificial intelligence is increasingly moving beyond the realm of data alone and finding its way into robots, machines, and autonomous transport systems. This brings a fundamental question to the forefront: How does a machine know where it is, or where other machines, people, or materials are at any given moment?

Physical AI Needs a Sense of Place

Physical AI describes systems that perceive and understand their physical environment and act independently within it. To do so, in addition to AI and sensor technology, they require a continuously available spatial reality: Where is each object located? How is it moving? And what is its spatial relationship to other assets? “Physical AI can only act reliably in the real world if it also understands that world spatially. Location data thus becomes a fundamental infrastructure for the next generation of industrial AI systems,” explains Dr. Matthias Jöst, Head of the omlox Committee at PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI). This is exactly where omlox comes in.

omlox Creates an Open Spatial Foundation

omlox is the open location standard for industry. Different technologies such as UWB, RFID, BLE, GNSS, Wi-Fi, or 5G can be integrated via a common, standardized layer.
With the omlox Core Zone for interoperable UWB infrastructures and the omlox Hub API as a cross-technology software layer, a common language for spatial data is created—independent of manufacturer and positioning technology. This allows position information to be used across system boundaries by fleet management, MES, digital twins, analytics platforms, and, increasingly, AI agents.

From Location Tracking to Spatial Intelligence

Physical AI is no longer just about displaying assets on a map. AI systems must understand spatial relationships: Where is material located? Which route is clear? Where do bottlenecks occur? How do people and autonomous systems move through the same space? This position data thus gives rise to spatial intelligence. Only with this spatial intelligence can machines perceive, understand, and interact with three-dimensional physical spaces. PI (PROFIBUS & PROFINET International) is working consistently on the standardization required for this.

SPS 2026: The Infrastructure Behind Physical AI

At SPS 2026, the omlox community will demonstrate how this interoperability works in practice. While robots, AMRs, and industrial AI applications are in the spotlight, it’s worth taking a closer look at the infrastructure required to support them. “In recent years, location tracking has been primarily about transparency. Now, with Physical AI, location tracking is becoming part of machine intelligence. If robots, vehicles, and AI agents are to act autonomously, they need a shared spatial reality. With omlox, we’re building the open infrastructure needed to make this possible,” Jöst concluded.