Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for July 27, 2018

Gideon Brothers raises $765,000 to further develop its warehouse robot

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A Croatian company called Gideon Brothers has raised $765,000 to further develop its warehouse robot, according to a story on TechCrunch.com.

The company’s technologies are said to be already in use at some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world.

Tesco, Henkel, Target, Walmart, DHL, DB Schenker, Kuehne & Nagel, and FedEx are among the names Gideon Brothers mentions on its website as customers.

The new money will be used to further develop Gideon Brothers’ autonomous mobile platform, as seen in the main picture, which is from the company’s video (see below).  [Read more…] about Gideon Brothers raises $765,000 to further develop its warehouse robot

Brain-computer interfaces: Devices to enable you to control robots with your thoughts

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OpenBCI has launched a new version of its brain-computer interface as well as new electrodes which connect to the device.

The device itself resembles a cycling helmet and measure brainwaves, or electroencephalogram data, to use the technical term.

The company also provides software and a biosensing board, all of which enable users to monitor the electrical activity of their brains.  [Read more…] about Brain-computer interfaces: Devices to enable you to control robots with your thoughts

You too can become a robot and live forever

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According to a futurologist, by 2050, humans will be able to integrate their brain or mind data into computers which can be encased in a humanoid robot and, thereby, live forever. 

Writing about “immortality” on his website, Dr ID Pearson talks about adding external computing capability to human brains.

This additional capability will keep increasing so that, “by around 2050, 99 per cent of your mind is running on external IT rather than in the meat-ware in your head”.  [Read more…] about You too can become a robot and live forever

Smart manufacturing platforms: Industrial giants face diverse competition

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Whether you call them IIoT platforms or smart manufacturing platforms, large industrial companies are finding themselves competing with each other but also new companies from different markets, specifically the computer tech world

Every factory is different. It’s in a different location, makes different things, and uses different methods and systems. 

However, every factory shares some aspects of its operation with every other factory.

At the base level, it obviously requires a building. That building needs to have power and other utilities supplied to it. The machinery – whether it includes robotics and automation equipment or not – these days, are more than likely connected to computing devices and the internet.  [Read more…] about Smart manufacturing platforms: Industrial giants face diverse competition

Opinion: Do customers really want to talk to robots?

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By Anne de Kerckhove, CEO, Freespee

No matter which sector you are currently operating in, it’s more than likely that artificial intelligence will soon completely change the way you do business.

Consumer-facing organisations in the retail, energy, finance, insurance and automotive sectors are embracing automation – not just to keep up with competitors, but also to keep pace with increasing expectations.

However, with so much hype around AI in today’s media landscape, knowing the true value of what it can offer organisations – and how it can truly improve the customer experience – is increasingly difficult.  [Read more…] about Opinion: Do customers really want to talk to robots?

Timken to acquire precision drive company Cone Drive

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The Timken Company, an engineered bearings and power transmission products firm, has reached an agreement to acquire Cone Drive, a specialist in precision drives used in diverse markets including solar, automation, aerial platforms and food and beverages.

Cone Drive sales are expected to be slightly above $100 million for the full year 2018. It is headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, U.S., and has manufacturing operations in the United States and China. The company employs approximately 500 people.

The business produces a broad range of highly customisable precision drive products that include Cone Drive and H-Fang branded high-torque worm gears, harmonic solutions and precision slew drives.

[Read more…] about Timken to acquire precision drive company Cone Drive

Rethink Robotics signs up new distribution partners

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Rethink Robotics has signed deals with seven new distribution partners throughout the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific to increase the availability of its smart, collaborative robots.

The company’s Sawyer robot is a smart automation solution to address challenges such as labour shortages and improve efficiencies across industries such as plastics, packaging and co-packing, metal fabrication, electronics and the automotive supply chain.

The new partners will join Rethink’s existing suite of partners to help meet the growing demand for Sawyer in North America, Europe and Asia. Rethink Robotics’ cobot solution includes industry-leading Intera software and the Clicksmart gripper technology, which make it easy to train and deploy.

[Read more…] about Rethink Robotics signs up new distribution partners