Mitsubishi Electric Unveils OT Security and Humanoid CNC System

Mitsubishi Electric is developing two technologies to address challenges in modern manufacturing: growing cybersecurity risks in operational technology environments and persistent labor shortages. Its new OT cybersecurity solution integrates Nozomi Networks’ Nozomi Arc technology into industrial controllers to support USB monitoring, malware detection, and quarantining malicious files. The company is also developing a physical AI-powered system that coordinates a humanoid robot and CNC machine tools using natural-language instructions. Both developments are set to be exhibited at JIMTOF 2026, with the cybersecurity solution targeted for commercial release in 2028.

As industrial systems leverage legacy and newly upgraded devices and systems in their OT environments, manufacturers are seeking ways to increase visibility and improve cyber threat detection. Image used courtesy of Pixabay

Amping up OT Security

According to a review of Dragos’s 2026 OT Cybersecurity Report, cyber adversaries are actively targeting OT environments within industrial facilities, undertaking reconnaissance, testing, and developing strategies to disrupt operations. One key area for improvement across the manufacturing sector is visibility. As of 2025, Dragos’s report highlights poor visibility (across 30% of networks), an inability to see below the IT/OT boundary (56%), and difficulty detecting and responding to cyber threats (88%).

OT environments can include a wide variety of devices and interconnected systems, from legacy to newer technologies. Different communication protocols, a lack of standardization, and ineffective mapping of a multitude of devices and equipment can make them hard to monitor, with some (that might be targeted for a cyber attack) falling under the radar.

To address gaps in asset visibility and cyber threat detection, Mitsubishi Electric has introduced a new cybersecurity solution for OT environments, leveraging the innovative technologies of its wholly owned subsidiary, Nozomi Networks.

Mitsubishi Electric’s OT cybersecurity solution integrates Nozomi Arc (a network sensor and security monitoring solution) into Mitsubishi Electric’s industrial equipment, enabling USB monitoring and malware detection. The solution is also expected to help customers quarantine malicious files, store them safely for analysis, and remove them. Nozomi Arc’s threat intelligence employs threat feeds from Nozomi Networks and the Mandiant Threat Intelligence Expansion Pack (combining YARA, STIX, and SIGMA rules).

Maintaining visibility of OT system devices is crucial for detecting and targeting cyber threats for quarantine and removal. Video used courtesy of Nozomi Networks

The OT cybersecurity solution is set for commercial release as an extension of Nozomi Arc in 2028. Mitsubishi Electric intends to make the solution widely available across its OT product offerings and to a broad customer base of industrial manufacturers to strengthen cybersecurity and maintain more secure operations. Attendees of the 33rd Japan International Machine Tool Fair at Tokyo Big Sight will see the solution exhibited as a reference exhibit.

CNC Machining with Humanoid Robot Collaboration

The International Machine Tool Fair in Japan will also host another pioneering development by Mitsubishi Electric: the CNC machining industry’s first collaborative solution combining CNC machine tools and humanoid robots.

The robot and machine work together through a physical AI intermediary, or AI machine task planner. The physical AI receives verbal (natural language) instructions from a human operator, then independently generates tasks and assigns them between the robots and CNC machine tools for coordinated work. The CNC machine tool is equipped with its own physical AI agent to generate and execute commands and help work collaboratively with the humanoid robot. Mitsubishi Electric developed the physical AI integrated into the CNC-humanoid collaborative solution using its proprietary AI technology, Maisart. The intention is to reduce reliance on human workers amid manufacturing labor shortages, leveraging AI and humanoids to free up time and resources for other high-value tasks.