Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for May 7, 2018

Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

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Hyundai Heavy Industries has reached an agreement to supply Kuka industrial robots and other products to manufacturers and other industrial companies. 

This is according to a report on the website of the Korea Herald, which says the agreement is for HHI to market Kuka products to “large Korean manufacturing firms”.

South Korean industry is dominated by what are referred to chaebols, which means very large conglomerates, and gaining access to them is probably quite difficult.  [Read more…] about Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

Alibaba business unit Cainiao shows off autonomous delivery vehicle

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Alibaba’s logistics business unit Cainiao has been demonstrating a small, autonomous vehicle designed for goods deliveries. 

Alibaba bought a controlling stake in Cainiao last year and said it would invest $15 billion into developing its logistics network and technologies.

This new vehicle may indicate the direction in which the companies are looking to go.

Cainiao is said to deliver more than 80 per cent of goods ordered through Alibaba websites, according to TechNode.com.

Alibaba is said to be the largest e-commerce company in the world.

 

Japanese company unveils construction robot

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A Japanese company called Daiwa House Industry has been demonstrating a robotic system which can help in the construction of houses and buildings.

The robot appears to work by spraying layers of plaster on metallic structures, which themselves could be constructed by a robot – as can be seen in the image on Mainichi.jp.

It seems to work along similar lines to a robotic construction system developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland.

Daiwa House executives say the company’s system can labour costs of 30 per cent compared with human workers.

The main task it is designed to perform is to spray fireproof coating on a building – something which is said to be one of the most difficult parts of construction.

Daiwa House, which has so far invested almost $1 million into developing the system, plans to put it into operation sometime next year.

Head of technology Kazuto Tsuchida says: “It is expected the construction industry will face a shortage of 1.12 million workers in 2025.

“There are major expectations for robots, and we hope this will lead to high quantity production.”

This is not the only area of robotics Daiwa House been researching. The partners with Cyberdyne, which builds robotic exoskeletons, to supply the latter’s “HAL” exoskeletons.

The exoskeletons are designed to provide assistance to caregivers to the elderly (see picture below).

daiwa house cyberdyne

Daiwa House is Japan’s largest homebuilder, and also has interests in many other design and construction sectors, including in the building of care homes for the elderly.

The company’s annual revenue is more than $20 billion and it employs approximately 30,000 people.

Singapore university develops robotic system to build Ikea furniture

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A group of scientists at a university in Singapore has developed a robotic system which can autonomously assemble Ikea furniture. (See video below.)

Ikea is a globally famous furniture retailer which supplies furniture flat-packed, which the customer usually assembles after taking home.

The scientists at Nanyang Technological University say the robotic arms can put together a chair “without interruption”.  [Read more…] about Singapore university develops robotic system to build Ikea furniture