Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for February 23, 2017

MiR reports 500 per cent growth in sales of logistics robots

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Mobile Industrial Robots, a developer and manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, claims it has seen “an astounding 500 percent growth in sales” in 2016, with over 200 MiR100 robots and accessories installed in more than 30 countries.

The company says it has an “ambitious” plan, and has recently expanded its global presence, establishing regional offices in New York and Shanghai.

With substantial increases in hiring in 2016, MiR also tripled the size of its Denmark headquarters, relocating to a new location that will support its ongoing expansion.

In 2017, the front-runner expects to further consolidate its leadership position with a new product that will be launched in Chicago on April 3, 2017 at Automate, North America’s largest automation trade show. [Read more…] about MiR reports 500 per cent growth in sales of logistics robots

Fanuc leads rising tide of industrial automation in the US

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The ongoing global trend towards greater industrial automation is being reflected in an increase in the number of industrial robots into the US. 

According to a report by Panjiva, a global trade platform, the upswing is likely to continue.

Chris Rogers, Panjiva research analyst, says industrial robot manufacturer has been one of the leading beneficiaries.  [Read more…] about Fanuc leads rising tide of industrial automation in the US

NarrativeWave claims first of its kind IIoT platform

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industrial-internet-plm

Today, large industrial assets, such as airplane engines and gas turbines, generate data through sensors.

In fact, there are around 6 billion connected sensors in the world today and by 2020, more than 20 billion sensors will be connected worldwide, according to Gartner.

During a commercial airline flight, data such as the engine’s health and status is sent to diagnostic engineers to be closely analyzed.

Approximately 1,000 gigabytes of data are generated per flight and with over 100,000 flights per day, this equates to over 100,000,000 gigabytes of commercial flight data every day.

That is what you call BIG data.

While big data can be a curse to manage, it is becoming the most critical asset. [Read more…] about NarrativeWave claims first of its kind IIoT platform

ST Robotics launches new ‘super-fast’ industrial robot arm for $18,000

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ST R17HS

ST Robotics has launched what it says is a high speed version of their five-axis vertically articulated R17 robot arm.

The company says its new machine compares favourably to the Universal Robots UR5 model.

ST claims its new ST R17HS is one of the industry’s fastest robots. Standard tool speed is “over four times as fast as the nearest competitor”, yet it’s less than half the price, says the company.  [Read more…] about ST Robotics launches new ‘super-fast’ industrial robot arm for $18,000

Genetic ‘switch’ in animals offers clues to evolutionary origins of fine motor skills

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gene

Switch drives supply of nerve cells to hands and feet – findings highlight complexity and diversity of cells in the central nervous system that are required for movement

Researchers have identified a genetic signature found exclusively in the nerve cells that supply, or innervate, the muscles of an organism’s outermost extremities: the hands and feet.

This signature, observed in both mice and chicks, involves the coordinated activity of multiple genes, and is fundamentally distinct from cells innervating nearby anatomical regions, such as more proximal muscles in the limb.

The findings suggest that the evolution of the extremities may be related to the emergence of fine motor control, such as grasping – one of biology’s most essential adaptations.

The study, led by neuroscientists at Columbia University’s Mortimer Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and New York University, was published today in the journal Neuron. [Read more…] about Genetic ‘switch’ in animals offers clues to evolutionary origins of fine motor skills

SCADA systems: Security – industry’s second nature

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Martyn Williams, Managing Director of industrial software provider Copa-Data UK, discusses the latest developments in industrial cyber security

When hackers hijacked the electrical systems of three major Ukrainian power distributors back in December 2015, over 230,000 people were left without power for several hours.

The uncertainty caused by the attack lasted much longer, especially since employees in both engineering and IT teams alike were initially unclear about how the hackers managed to infiltrate the system.

The scale and severity of this incident illustrated, yet again, how important it is for companies to secure their cyber systems at all levels. [Read more…] about SCADA systems: Security – industry’s second nature