Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for March 24, 2016

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

Nasa to send robots to Moon, Mars and comets to fetch water

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honeybee robotic spacecraft
Honeybee robotic spacecraft could land on a comet and extract water and bring it back to Earth

Honeybee robotic spacecraft to fly around space and extract water from anything it lands on  

Nasa has decided to pour money into a project by Honeybee Robotics to build robots that fly around space, collecting water from different planets and celestial objects.

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Neither Nasa nor Honeybee has made public the exact amount of money to be placed in the pot, but a source close to the story said it was a “sweet deal” and that it would be spread over many years.  [Read more…] about Nasa to send robots to Moon, Mars and comets to fetch water

Robotics and IoT to play central role at Taiwan technology exhibitions

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Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, viewing the ABB YuMi collaborative robot at a previous event
Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, viewing the ABB YuMi collaborative robot at a previous event

More than 1,600 companies have booked stands and are preparing to market their products at the Innovex and Smartex events in Taiwan. Robotics and the internet of things will be among the key attractions.

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The exhibitions are organised by Computex Taipei, a government-linked organisation started in 1981 to promote trade with the outside world.

China has been buying large numbers of industrial robots in recent years, and ABB is one of the companies which is looking to establish itself in the region.

The company is developing partnerships on Mainland China, and has decided to book a place at the Computex in Taiwan, which is something of a global hub for electronics manufacturing.  [Read more…] about Robotics and IoT to play central role at Taiwan technology exhibitions

Robo-advisor platform aimed at small investors launched

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robo advisor

A financial services company called Ladenburg Thalmann has launched a robo-adviser called $ymbil, apparently aimed at small investors. 

The company describes it as a self-service investment platform that matches clients of Ladenburg affiliated advisors to a diversified portfolio consistent with their personal risk tolerance. Requiring a minimum investment of $500, $ymbil allows clients to fund their accounts and start investing in minutes.

“With $ymbil, we are helping advisors address the growing demand for wealth management services that harness the combined benefits of automation and human insight,” said Adam Malamed, Ladenburg’s chief operating officer. “$ymbil appeals to financial advisors and investors looking to maximize the benefits of technology with automated client registration, account administration, reporting and operational efficiencies.”  [Read more…] about Robo-advisor platform aimed at small investors launched