Retrocausal
Last Updated
Overview
Retrocausal software helps manufacturers catch missed assembly steps before products move forward. Although monitoring small components might depend on camera placement and fixed part-pick locations, its object detection distinguishes similar actions and verifies each completed assembly step.
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Starting Price
Custom
Retrocausal Specifications
- Quality Control
- Shop Floor Control
- Real-time Monitoring
- Alerts/Notifications
What Is Retrocausal?
Retrocausal is AI-powered manufacturing software for manual and semi-automated production environments. Its suite comprises Assembly Copilot, Kaizen Copilot, and Ergo Copilot. Capabilities include automation assessment, worker guidance, video traceability, time studies, line balancing, digital instructions, ergonomics, floor analysis, P-FMEA, and PMTS. Its computer vision analyzes recorded production cycles, separates value-added from non-value-added activity, and generates process-design recommendations and documentation. Moreover, its ‘Demand Planner’ forecasts staffing and capacity requirements up to 12 months ahead.
What Is Retrocausal Best For?
‘Video Traceability’ is Retrocausal’s best feature: manufacturers use it to investigate production defects. It lets engineers remotely replay every step of each assembly cycle and compare work across shifts or operators. When paired with product identifiers from an MES, the feature links individual units to their assembly records. This searchable, step-level visual evidence differentiates the platform from conventional manufacturing analytics tools by accelerating root-cause analysis and narrowing potential recalls.
How Much Does Retrocausal Cost?
The estimated Retrocausal price starts at $2,000–$3,000/month for deployment on a single assembly line. The vendor offers custom quotes.
Businesses might incur further charges for:
- One-Time Setup And Camera Installation: Estimated $5,000–$15,000/line, including camera setup and installation
- Process Configuration And Initial Model Training: Approximately $3,000–$10,000/process, covering process capture, labeling, model training, and deployment
- MES Integration: Potentially $10,000–$50,000+/deployment, depending on integration complexity and customization requirements
- Additional Camera Stations Or Lines: Typically $200–$600/month/station, based on the number of additional production lines monitored
- Additional Copilot Modules: Likely $500–$2,500/month/module, depending on whether Kaizen Copilot or Ergo Copilot is added
Disclaimer: Pricing references are based on publicly available third-party information and industry benchmarks. Actual costs may vary
Retrocausal Integrations
The platform connects with various third-party systems, including:
- Azure Active Directory
- Okta
How Does Retrocausal Work?
Here's a step-by-step guide to use Retrocausal features:
- Log in to the Assembly Copilot web portal using authorized credentials
- Define the standard operating procedure manually or import it from an integrated MES
- Configure required, optional, sequential, and flexible steps alongside guidance content and IoT signals
- Capture several process cycles through a workstation camera or upload prerecorded videos
- Label the assembly steps within one representative cycle to prepare the training data
- Train the machine-learning model to recognize each step and identify process deviations
- Deploy the trained model to provide live guidance, alerts, analytics, and video traceability
Who Is Retrocausal For?
Retrocausal serves manufacturers across several industries and industrial sectors, including:
- Automotive manufacturing
- Medical device manufacturing
- Aerospace and defense
- Appliances and hardware
- Electronics manufacturing
Retrocausal Use Cases
After evaluating the platform features, we have found several situations in which it could perform particularly well, including:
Quality Engineers Investigating Recurring Assembly Defects
A quality engineer investigates defects that repeatedly emerge after products leave the assembly line. This is where Retrocausal comes in. It links product identifiers with cycle-level recordings, letting the engineer review each completed step. Through this visual record, the engineer can also compare shifts and operator methods to locate where the process deviated from the SOP.
Production Supervisors Training New Assembly Operators
A production supervisor has to prepare new operators for complex manual assembly work. For this specific time-intensive task, they use Retrocausal to monitor each production step and present instructions through displays, projectors, audible alerts, or signal towers. Users note that real-time guidance helps operators correct imminent errors without slowing down the overall production cycle.
Industrial Engineers Rebalancing Bottlenecked Production Lines
An industrial engineer addresses uneven workloads across production stations. To address this issue, the platform analyzes recorded cycles, separates value-added work from waste, and transfers timing data into its line-balancing environment. The engineer then adjusts takt time, production volume, and operator allocation while reviewing precedence diagrams and Yamazumi charts.
Ergonomists Evaluating Physically Demanding Tasks
An ergonomist evaluates a workstation where repetitive lifting or awkward movements create ergonomic concerns. Ergo Copilot analyzes smartphone videos and identifies high-risk intervals using REBA, RULA, NIOSH, Snook, and Hand Strain assessments. The ergonomist then reviews joint angles and recommended controls before redesigning the task or workstation.
Is Retrocausal Right For You?
Retrocausal may suit large, multi-site manufacturers seeking to standardize assembly improvement across facilities. Its work with 3M across 15 plants demonstrates its potential for enterprise-scale adoption.
When it comes to security, the platform is ISO 27001 certified and uses AWS infrastructure, encryption, isolated data storage, and regular audits. It also provides facial blurring and fixed-region pixelation to protect workers recorded in production videos.
The platform serves companies such as Stellantis, Stryker, Forvia, and Schneider Electric. It also appeared on the 2024 AI 100 list. Compared with manufacturing software that solely focuses on visual inspection, Retrocausal combines live operator guidance, industrial engineering analysis, and ergonomic assessment. This broader scope may reduce the need for separate factory-floor analysis tools.
Not sure if Retrocausal suits your requirements? Get in touch at (661) 384-7070, and we will help you assess it more clearly.
Retrocausal Features
Time Studies
It applies vision-based motion analysis to a smartphone video of a workstation. The system divides the recorded process into individual steps, measures each step’s duration, and classifies value-added and non-value-added activities. It also examines movement patterns, physical layout, tool placement, and part positioning before compiling its findings into shareable reports.
Floor Analysis
The functionality maps operator movement from a single production-cycle video. It calculates walking distance and separates walking, working, and idle time for each operator. Spaghetti diagrams, string diagrams, and from-to charts display movement between stations, while the underlying AI generates alternative floor-layout arrangements based on recorded operator paths.
Quality Planning With P-FMEA
This module applies computer vision and AI to a task video to identify potential failure modes, causes, effects, and controls for each process step. It proposes severity, occurrence, and detection ratings, then uses high-risk priority number items to generate corresponding control-plan entries. Its LeanGPT model also references existing P-FMEAs and quality records when producing future analyses.
Digital Work Instructions
Using computer vision, the solution segments a recorded task into distinct steps and transitions. It converts the video into structured instructions containing annotated images, video clips, descriptions, and editable text. The software also captures spoken details from the recording, applies standardized formatting, and allows each instruction set to include text and supporting video for individual steps.
Pros And Cons of Retrocausal
Pros
Prevents imminent assembly errors in real time
Speeds root-cause analysis with indexed video
Converts task videos into editable instructions
Reveals wasted motion across workstation layouts
Automates detailed time and motion studies
Cons
Occluded steps might reduce recognition accuracy
Process changes may trigger model retraining
Single-cycle analysis could miss workflow variation
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Retrocausal offer an API?
Yes, the vendor offers an API.
What types of Retrocausal price plans are available?
The estimated Retrocausal pricing starts at $2,000–$3,000/month for deployment on a single assembly line. The vendor offers custom quotes. Get a flexible Retrocausal cost based on your organization’s requirements and size.
What other apps does Retrocausal integrate with?
It integrates with Azure Active Directory and Okta.
Does Retrocausal offer a mobile app?
No, Retrocausal does not offer a mobile app.
Who are the typical users of Retrocausal?
Typical users include manufacturers across the automotive, medical device manufacturing, aerospace, defense, appliances, hardware, and electronics manufacturing sectors.
What level of support does Retrocausal offer?
Support options include email and phone assistance, along with an online contact form.
What language does Retrocausal support?
The software supports English only.