Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for March 2016

Clearpath Robotics adds small self-driving vehicle to its logistics product line

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Clearpath’s new Otto 100 self-driving robot
Clearpath’s new Otto 100 self-driving robot

Company says new Otto 100 provides light-load material transport for today’s modern factories and warehouses 

Clearpath Robotics has expanded its Otto line of self-driving vehicles with Otto 100. The vehicle is designed for autonomous light-load material transport in factories and warehouses.

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“The Otto 100 takes the high quality and reliability of the Otto 1500 and puts those advanced capabilities into a smaller form factor,” said Matt Rendall, chief executive officer at Clearpath. “This enables new self-driving services in distribution, e-commerce, and manufacturing.”

The Otto 100 system delivers dynamic and efficient light-load transport in increasingly congested industrial operations. Traditional material handling systems require costly and rigid changes to infrastructure, often cannot adapt to a changing environment, and are not always safe for collaboration with warehouse personnel.  [Read more…] about Clearpath Robotics adds small self-driving vehicle to its logistics product line

Yaskawa launches new robot featuring PC architecture

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The Yaskawa MH280 II, which can be operated through Windows CE
The Yaskawa MH280 II, which can be operated through Windows CE

One of the world’s largest robot manufacturers, Yaskawa, is moving to make its machines more PC-compatible

Yaskawa Motoman has launched a new robot for machine tending applications, and it’s fully compatible with PC operating systems.

The company says the robot’s heavy-payload of the new MH280 II robot makes it “ideal” for machine tending, which is one of the most common robotics applications today.

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With its increased payload, moment and inertia ratings, the new model can also be used in material handling and press tending applications, from boring to milling to grinding.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa launches new robot featuring PC architecture

The potential of predictive analytics for machine builders

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Martyn Williams, managing director of Copa-Data UK
Martyn Williams, managing director of Copa-Data UK

Martyn Williams, managing director of industrial automation software expert Copa-Data UK, discusses how machine builders can use predictive analytics to minimise the maintenance and downtime costs of their products

The cost of production downtime varies significantly from one industry sector to another, but without a doubt, when it occurs, downtime is a troublesome and expensive inconvenience for all manufacturers.

More often than not, halts in production could be avoided, so imagine just how much manufacturers could save if machine data was available to anticipate breakdowns.

The good news for industry is that the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) is allowing machine builders to design and manufacture intelligent machines with predictive analytics capabilities. [Read more…] about The potential of predictive analytics for machine builders

EchoStar launches new smart home system

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echostar sage

EchoStar Technologies has launched its new Sage by Hughes security and smart home system.

EchoStar describes Sage as “a secure, affordable, flexible and easy-to-use security and smart home solution” that can be controlled from the TV and an app on iOS or Android mobile devices.

The Sage Hub, which connects through any video source via HDMI to the TV, creates a video-centric smart home control system at the center of the home.

To support the product launch, EchoStar is rolling out Sage’s Easy Is Awesome marketing campaign across the US in various print, digital and out-of-home media outlets.

[Read more…] about EchoStar launches new smart home system

Taylor Morrison and Legrand ‘revolutionize’ home automation

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taylor morrison interactive home 2

Taylor Morrison, a US homebuilder and developer, and Legrand, a high-performance network infrastructure hardware company, have partnered to “revolutionize household automation” through the launch of Taylor Morrison’s newest high-tech product, the Interactive Home 2.0.

The new Interactive Home 2.0 features Intuity Home Intelligence, an intuitive home automation system by Legrand. With its in-wall interface and applications for tablets and mobile devices, users can effortlessly control their comfort, security, lighting and entertainment within their homes.

The Intuity Home Intelligence system takes in-home automation to the next level with innovative features that enhance the homeowner’s ability to connect and customize their living experience. [Read more…] about Taylor Morrison and Legrand ‘revolutionize’ home automation

ABB integrates building automation into Microsoft’s Danish offices

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abb knx
The Microsoft offices in Denmark where ABB has installed its KNX building automation system

Company claims to have sold its KNX intelligent building products to thousands of others already 

ABB has supplied a number of its building automation solutions, including daylight harvesting, to “increase the energy efficiency and comfort” for new Microsoft offices near Copenhagen, Denmark.

ABB’s KNX building control platform is used in several thousand installations worldwide, claims the company.

It utilizes what it calls “the Internet of Things, Services and People (IoTSP)” to adapt control functions in line with the natural rhythm of the day.  [Read more…] about ABB integrates building automation into Microsoft’s Danish offices

RobotShop chooses Robot Lab to develop MyRobots.com into ‘Facebook For Robots’

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robot shop

RobotShop is creating a spin-off for MyRobots, or “Facebook for robots” as some people have dubbed it, which will be integrated into the Robot Lab network, the first robotic incubator.

RobotShop, the world’s leading source for domestic and professional robots, has been developing, since 2009, a unique technology to allow robot owners and robot manufacturers to connect their hardware to the Internet via a universal API.

The advantage of such a system is a centralized service which monitors, manages and controls robots and smart objects, and ultimately facilitates the coexistence and communication between machines as well as between machines and humans.

MyRobots aims to promote the development and implementation of a variety of cloud applications for many types of existing and future robots (domestic, professional, hobbyist, educational and recreational). Since its launch, MyRobots has attracted thousands of users and robot builders who have connected their devices to the cloud with the help of the “MyRobots Connect”, or other hardware.  [Read more…] about RobotShop chooses Robot Lab to develop MyRobots.com into ‘Facebook For Robots’

NanoRacks to deploy QB50 Satellites from International Space Station

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nanoracks

NanoRacks has been selected as a launch integration and deployment partner for the QB50 CubeSat Constellation Mission. The QB50 Mission is a European Union project, supported and funded by the European Commission, to demonstrate the research benefits of deploying a low-cost constellation of small satellites.

The QB50 Mission consists of dozens of universities located around the world, from Europe to Asia, from North America to Africa. Coordinated by the von Karmen Institute, QB50 is the second-ever cubesat constellation. The CubeSats will orbit in the lower thermosphere (200-380 kilometers) collecting scientific data, in what is considered by experts a relatively unexplored part of Earth’s atmosphere.

NanoRacks will be deploying a majority of the QB50 satellites from the International Space Station (ISS) utilizing the Company’s NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer. The selection of the ISS as the deployment platform for this program leverages the unique capabilities of the ISS to serve as a test-bed for numerous in-space technologies and research development. [Read more…] about NanoRacks to deploy QB50 Satellites from International Space Station

Toyota to take personal mobility robot onto Tokyo streets

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toyota winglet personal mobility robot
Toyota to take its Winglet mobility robot to Tokyo streets

Automaker plans to begin testing its Winglet personal mobility robot currently banned from public sidewalks

Tokyo Waterfront City will be the new location for the public sidewalk trials of the Winglet, a personal mobility robot developed by Toyota.

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Similar trials of the Winglet and other personal mobility assistance robots have previously been conducted in Tsukuba City and Toyota City, both of which are subject to special regulatory exemptions for testing new technologies.  [Read more…] about Toyota to take personal mobility robot onto Tokyo streets

Panasonic to turn industrial workers and elderly into robots

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Company launches exoskeletons and personal care robots, and calls for ‘smiling faces and laughter’ from old people

Panasonic has shown off a range of newly developed exoskeletons and personal care robots. Some are designed to be worn by industrial workers to help them lift objects with less effort. Others are programmed to make old people laugh, says the company.

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The “power assist suits”, as the company calls them, were developed by Activelink, one of Panasonic’s in-house venture companies, and are aimed at industrial workers.

Hiromichi Fujimoto, president of Activelink, suggests the suits could help people become more like robots, which, he implies, would make the world a better place. [Read more…] about Panasonic to turn industrial workers and elderly into robots