robot

Yaskawa Motoman adds new model to high-speed GP industrial robot series

Yaskawa Motoman has added a new robot model to its GP series of industrial robots.

Yaskawa says the “efficient, high-speed” Motoman GP25 robot is a new, compact robot that is ideal for assembly, dispensing, handling, material removal and packaging applications.

All axis speeds have been increased, says the company, some by more than 40 per cent, surpassing other robots in its class and delivering increased productivity. Continue reading Yaskawa Motoman adds new model to high-speed GP industrial robot series

Asus prepares global launch of its Zenbo home assistance robot

Asus is a company that came to prominence is a many people’s minds through its success in what was at the time a new category of computers: the netbook.

Asus did rather well selling netbook computers, which are basically just really small laptops, barely larger than a large smartphone.

But that was back when smartphones didn’t exist in large numbers. When the iPhone came along, and other smartphones, the idea of owning a tiny computer took on a new meaning. Continue reading Asus prepares global launch of its Zenbo home assistance robot

JPMorgan to employ trading robot because it’s more efficient than humans

One of the world’s largest investment banks, JPMorgan, is preparing to employ a robot to work in its global equities business because it’s shown itself to be more efficient than traditional methods of buying and selling, according to a report on the Financial Times website.

The artificial intelligence-based algorithm, which is called LOXM, has been tested in the US and Asia over the first quarter of this year, adds the FT.

The newspaper quotes David Fellah, of JPMorgan’s European Equity Quant Research team, as saying the work LOXM will do was previously done by humans, “but now the AI machine is able to do it on a much larger and more efficient scale”.

Schnucks grocery stores give Tally the robot some work to do checking the shelves

A mobile robot called Tally has got a job at Schnucks grocery stores, where it will wander round the aisles and make mental notes of what products are running low on stock and checking prices.

Developed by Simbe Robotics, Tally is said to perform the tasks humans might find boring and time-consuming. It can do this while customers are shopping or after the stores close.

Simbe claims Tally is the “world’s first fully autonomous robotic shelf auditing and analytics solution for the retail industry”, and suggests the technology could save some of the $450 billion retailers lose annually through inefficiencies which Tally can help resolve. Continue reading Schnucks grocery stores give Tally the robot some work to do checking the shelves

Kiva Systems developers launch new company and their own logistics robot

Kiva Systems was a company that built a mobile robot for logistics operations, mainly for use in warehouses. It was a basically a small platform on wheels, and proved popular throughout the industry.

But then it got bought out by Amazon, which initially said it would still sell it to the rest of the logistics industry but actually didn’t. Instead it rebranded Kiva as Amazon Robotics and turned it into a business unit of its own.

The online retail giant now has one of the largest number of robots in operation of any company in the world.

But two former executives at Kiva Systems – Jerome Dubois and Rylan Hamilton – have now launched a new company and a range of new logistics automation solutions. Continue reading Kiva Systems developers launch new company and their own logistics robot

Smartphones have created a whole new world of opportunities, says Hillcrest Labs boss

Even for Apple, selling 60 million units of anything would be a big deal. For most small and medium sized companies, just six units might be the start of a wonderful voyage in the world of enterprise.

For Hillcrest Labs, the journey started more than a decade ago, and over that time, the company has reached the milestone of having sold 60 million units.

Having started out selling software, the company moved into bundling that software into chips, which have become more elaborate over time and found an increasing number of applications.

In an exclusive interview with Robotics and Automation News, Chad Lucien, senior vice president of business development at Hillcrest Labs, tells the company’s story. Continue reading Smartphones have created a whole new world of opportunities, says Hillcrest Labs boss

Software developer and integrator Universal Logic receives order for 60 Yaskawa Neocortex AI robotic work cells

An industrial technology integrator called Universal Logic says it has receieved a large order for 60 of its specially designed robotic work cells.

The company has developed a software-intense work cell which it calls Neocortex, aimed at supply chains and logistics operations which require automated material handling systems for high-mix, high volume applications.

Universal Logic’s Neocortex Goods to Robot Cells for automated order fulfillment of consumer goods have now been ordered by an undisclosed customer, who wants 60 complete cells for their order fulfillment of consumer goods. Continue reading Software developer and integrator Universal Logic receives order for 60 Yaskawa Neocortex AI robotic work cells

Toshiba launches three new industrial robots aimed at automated picking applications

Toshiba Machine has launched three new industrial robots.

The three new models are part of the company’s TVM series of vertically articulated robots, and all have “high cost performance and reliability”, says Toshiba.

The TVM series is designed primarily for use in transfer and assembly processes in the automobile components industry and enables high productivity in assembly and transfer by combining with a wide array of system installation support tools. Continue reading Toshiba launches three new industrial robots aimed at automated picking applications

Earth-digging robot could make laying underground cables much easier and cheaper

A robot developed by the MIT university could help bring down the enormous costs of laying underground and undersea cables.

The machine is being called RoboClam – because it was based on how clams behave – is a relatively small device and it’s been called “the Ferrari of underwater diggers” because it’s particularly good at digging through soft, watery soil, or sand.

It was developed by MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, along with Bluefin Robotics, and the team was led by Anete Hosoi. Continue reading Earth-digging robot could make laying underground cables much easier and cheaper

Google grants almost $1 million to press agency developing robot journalists

The writer of this article is human, but soon you may be reading articles on this website which are written by robots or automation software.

And who knows, some of the articles you read online may already be written by robots. Over the course of a longer period of time, you’ve almost certainly read something written by automation software.

Companies such as Automated Insights have been supplying thousands of articles a month to a variety of clients for a couple of years. Continue reading Google grants almost $1 million to press agency developing robot journalists

MIT reveals robot to inspect pipes, while Stanford shows ‘vine-like growing robot’

Universities are doing a lot of interesting work in the area of robotics, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford are two of the most active in the field.

Both universities showed similar robots this week, MIT’s being a bottle-shaped device which checks pipes and Stanford’s one a machine which is said to grow like a vine.

According to DigitalTrends.com, MIT’s PipeGuard team recently won $10,000 in the university’s competition and swims through pipes to detect any problems.

The YouTube video for the device (above) describes as a “leak detection robot for city water distribution systems”.

Stanford, which also made a video (below) of its strange plant- or worm-like organic robot, if it can be called that, said its invention “could be useful in search and rescue and medical applications”.

Commercial customers for the robots are probably already lined up and perhaps the two teams could spin out into startup companies.

Fanuc launches ‘extremely compact’ new arc welding robot

Fanuc says its new arc welding robot Arc Mate 100iD is “extremely compact” and is the next generation of the Arc Mate Robot Series

The new Arc Mate 100iD welding robot is the first model of the new Arc Mate series, succeeding its predecessor Arc Mate 100iC/12.

As of September 2017, the Arc Mate 100iD can be ordered and will be publicly displayed at these two trade shows in Germany: EMO in Hannover and Schweissen & Schneiden in Düsseldorf.

Matteo Ferrari, arc welding and laser robot product manager at Fanuc Europe, says: “The new Arc Mate 100iD welding robot reaches remarkable productivity improvements for clients thanks to its superior motion performance, decreased installation efforts and ownership costs due to its seamless integration with weld process equipment. Continue reading Fanuc launches ‘extremely compact’ new arc welding robot

Interview: Robotic Vision Technologies boss eyes growth of global collaborative robotics market

Interview with Rick Weidinger, CEO of Robotic Vision Technologies

A human eye transmits data to the brain at a rate of approximately 10 million bits a second, which is about the equivalent of the capacity of some Ethernet connections.

This was the finding of a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and while that may be debatable, and perhaps doesn’t tell the whole story of the complexity of the human eye, it’s probably a widely accepted idea that our eyes collect and transmit more data than do our other “sensors”, if they can be called that – the ones for sound, touch, smell and taste – which, with sight, make up our five human senses.

Robots, of course, only have senses because their makers want to integrate sensors into them. Continue reading Interview: Robotic Vision Technologies boss eyes growth of global collaborative robotics market

Octopuz releases new version of industrial robot programming software

Octopuz has released the latest version of its industrial robot programming and simulation software.

The company says Octopuz 1.7 is packed with new features and enhancements, including robot code importing, NC code importing, an all-new tool manager, and URP program generation for UR robots.

Octopuz has also added something called SmartPath, which provides automated methods of orientating the robot and making changes to solve conflicts. Continue reading Octopuz releases new version of industrial robot programming software

Bharati Robotics shows off autonomous industrial cleaning robot

bharati agv crop — The Bharati autonomous guided vehicle for materials transport

Bharati Robotics Systems has been showing off its new autonomous industrial floor cleaning robots.

The company says the small vehicle saves labour costs and increases productivity by up to 200 per cent, and cleans the floor better than humans, or the “highest quality of cleaning”.

The robot’s battery lasts up to four hours on one charge and it has a smartphone interface through which it can be monitored and controlled. Continue reading Bharati Robotics shows off autonomous industrial cleaning robot