ManufacturingHardwareAI

Ep. 94 | Sensing at the Control Level: Leveraging Data for Both Safety and Analytics

All About Circuits
All About Circuits•May 19, 2026

Why It Matters

Smart, low‑cost sensors that combine safety data with analytics let manufacturers cut downtime and adopt AI-driven insights without prohibitive expense or complexity.

Key Takeaways

  • •Olink protocol now standard on most Rockwell sensors, no extra cost
  • •Embedded NFC enables sensor configuration directly from a smartphone
  • •Low-cost vision cameras bring AI inspection within reach of factories
  • •Dual-purpose sensors deliver real-time control data and health analytics
  • •Proper metadata is essential for effective AI-driven sensor analytics

Summary

The episode wraps a three‑part Control Automation Day series, focusing on how modern sensors are evolving from simple on/off devices into smart, networked components that serve both safety and analytics functions. Host David Peterson and Rockwell Automation’s Kate Sokniki discuss recent breakthroughs such as Olink integration, NFC configuration, and affordable vision systems.

Sokniki explains that Rockwell has been embedding the open‑source Olink serial protocol in virtually all its sensors, allowing real‑time process data and device health information to travel over the same field bus without an upcharge. She also highlights the rise of NFC and other wireless links that let technicians program sensors from a nearby smartphone, and the commoditization of low‑cost cameras that can feed AI‑driven inspection to edge or cloud platforms.

A key theme is the dual‑purpose nature of these devices: they provide immediate control‑loop feedback—such as diverting a product on a conveyor—while simultaneously reporting diagnostics like remaining useful life. Sokniki notes that without proper metadata, AI models can produce meaningless results, so Rockwell standardizes data models across devices to simplify analytics for both data‑science teams and plant operators.

For manufacturers, the convergence of safety, connectivity, and analytics means reduced downtime, lower capital expense for vision systems, and a clearer path to leveraging AI without extensive custom integration. The move toward standardized, cost‑free smart sensors accelerates digital transformation across the factory floor.

Original Description

Kate Sokolnicki, Global Business Director for Sensing & Safety at @RockwellautomationInc, discusses the evolution of industrial sensing and the shift toward data-driven manufacturing.
In the engineering world, we rely on sensors to acquire data from real-world processes and machines. Deciding how to use that data is very important. The right decisions impact process efficiency, system reliability, and even worker safety.
Join Control.com’s David Peterson as he chats with Kate Sokolnicki of Rockwell Automation in this episode of the Moore’s Lobby podcast. Sokolnicki explains the evolution of industrial sensing and the shift toward data-driven manufacturing.
They discuss many key technological advancements, including:
- IO-Link as a standard: Simple sensors are transitioning into "smart" devices that provide dual-channel feedback—process data and health analytics—without typical price premiums.
- Commoditized vision AI: High-end vision systems are being replaced by affordable cameras capable of quality checks and AI-driven processing at the edge or in the cloud.
- Smart safety protocols: Learn how operators can now pinpoint specific faults in a daisy-chained system (e.g., identifying exactly which door is ajar), significantly reducing troubleshooting time.
Sokolnicki notes that while AI is powerful, it requires robust metadata (machine, shift, and location context) to be actionable. She highlights how condition monitoring—such as tracking "heartbeats," sensor margins, or cable tension—allows plants to move from reactive repairs to proactive maintenance.
She concludes by encouraging young engineers to prioritize back-of-the-napkin math and the common-sense test. Instead of relying solely on theoretical calculations, she advocates for interrogating results to ensure they align with physical reality.
Rockwell Automation is committed to enabling the next generation of smart manufacturing. Under their Allen-Bradley brand, Rockwell has a broad portfolio of high-performance sensors and switches. This includes proximity and photoelectric sensors, limit switches, safety switches, and RFID and operator safety devices.
For more information, as well as all the latest All About Circuits projects and articles, visit the official website at https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/

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