Market trends and business perspectives
A Chinese company called Huachangda Intelligent Equipment Group has agreed a deal to become the majority shareholder in Robot System Products.
RSP is a Scandinavian company which specialises in manufacturing robotic tool changers.
The current owners of RSP will remain in the company to continue the development of industrial automation and robotics solutions. RSP will also keep the existed brands and operate independently. [Read more…] about HCD buys majority stake in Robot System Products
South Korean industrial giant Doosan is expanding into the collaborative robot market, which it expects to grow “at a rapid rate on the back of the fourth industrial revolution”, and has revealed a new cobot which it has dubbed the M1013 (main picture).
The company established Doosan Robotics in 2015, and recruited what it says are the industry’s top researchers and developers to lead its research efforts.
In that time, Doosan Robotics has developed four collaborative robot models with its own in-house technology and exhibited them for the first time at Robot World 2017. [Read more…] about Doosan confirms entry into collaborative robotics market, shows off new cobot
ABB has opened a new robotics facility in Thailand.
Officially called ABB Robotics Machine-Tending Limited, or RMT for short, the business unit is set to produce machine-tending robotics, in Rayong Province, Thailand.
The opening ceremony was attended by Staffan Herrström, Sweden’s ambassador to Thailand, and Sirichote Singsa, who oversees ABB’s robotics and motion division in Thailand. [Read more…] about ABB opens new robotics plant in Thailand
Rockwell Automation has invested in The Hive, a Silicon Valley innovation fund and co-creation studio, although the company did not say exactly how much it has invested.
The company says the investment is design to provide access to an ecosystem of innovators and technology start-ups with a focus on applications of artificial intelligence to industrial automation.
As industrial companies use more software in their operations, there are many new opportunities to introduce AI into the sector. [Read more…] about Rockwell Automation invests in artificial intelligence for industrial automation
ST Engineering, the Singaporean company which bought Aethon recently, says it is looking to grow its robotics division.
The company’s chief executive, Vincent Chong, says ST Engineering is hoping Aethon can help it pass through the 100-million-dollar barrier – Singaporean dollars that is, which equates to about $73 million in US currency.
As quoted on Nikkei, Chong says: “We want it [Aethon] to be a material business [with a revenue of] over 100 million Singapore dollars. How fast we get there, we don’t know yet.” [Read more…] about ST Engineering looks to Aethon robots to lead it to bigger markets
The market for humanoid robots is forecast to grow to $4 billion in about five years, according to a new report by ReportsnReports.
The researcher values the current market at approximately $320 million in 2017. So that would mean annual growth of more than 50 per cent.
Humanoids include such robots as Pepper and Nao, which are owned by SoftBank Robotics, as well as Emiew, produced by Hitachi, and Honda’s famous Asimo, although that one is more of an exhibition robot.
The others, like Nao and Pepper, for example, are already finding many buyers. SoftBank says it has sold 10,000 units of Nao, and it releases batches of 1,000 at a time of the Pepper robot, and it sells out online within minutes. [Read more…] about Humanoid robot market to grow to $4 billion in five years
Overactive Chinese manufacturers of smartphones and computers have driven Yaskawa to the point of increasing production capacity by 25 per cent.
Yaskawa says it will increase its monthly output from its current 1,200 units per month to 1,500 units per month to meet frenetically increasing demand from Chinese electronics manufacturers, according to a report on Nikkei.
The increase in capacity will be achieved at Yaskawa’s plant in Jiangsu Province, which is set for expansion towards the end of next year. [Read more…] about Yaskawa to increase production capacity by 25 per cent in China
Company says Sawyer will now be able to produce real-time robot performance and manufacturing data
Rethink Robotics has released Intera 5.2, an expansion of its “first-of-its-kind” Intera software platform which provides critical data insights about its Sawyer industrial robot to manufacturers in real time.
Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer gives operators and line managers valuable data at a glance, including metrics such as cycle time, part count, speed and force – data that has never before been available through a single collaborative robot vendor.
The new feature, Intera Insights, displays key performance indicators via a customizable dashboard on the robot’s on-board display, making it accessible directly on the factory floor. [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics launches new software for Sawyer industrial robot
Prime Healthcare has expanded its existing partnership with Omnicell to serve what the companies claims is “a majority of facilities within the health system” in the US.
Prime Healthcare, a 45-hospital network serving 14 states, is implementing Omnicell’s new XT Series automated medication dispensing systems in seven hospitals, expanding Omnicell’s presence to over half of the facilities within its health system.
Prime Healthcare is also adding anesthesia and supply offerings to the suite of Omnicell solutions used in select sites. [Read more…] about Prime Healthcare expands partnership with Omnicell to serve ‘majority of facilities within health system’
Ridecell, which provides a platform for carsharing and ridesharing operators, has acquired Auro Robotics, a California-based developer of autonomous vehicle technology, in an all-stock transaction.
Ridecell also announced the public availability of its autonomous operations platform which has successfully been used in autonomous pilot programs.
With these two initiatives, Ridecell says it now offers “the industry’s first complete autonomous new mobility solution that enables on-demand autonomous shuttle mobility service in low-speed, private-road settings”. [Read more…] about Ridecell buys Auro Robotics and launches ‘first complete’ autonomous mobility platform
