Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for March 22, 2019

Alta Equipment acquires Nitco

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Alta Equipment has entered into an agreement to purchase Northland Industrial Truck Company, or Nitco.

The acquisition will expand Alta’s business into the New England market, adding full-service materials handling sales operations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine.

Nitco and its construction equipment group, Northland JCB, will continue to operate as wholly owned subsidiaries of Alta, with no changes to leadership or business operations.  [Read more…] about Alta Equipment acquires Nitco

From collaborative robots to colleague robots: Harting to showcase ‘industrial intelligence with instinct’ at Hannover Messe

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Previously responsible for the rough, collaborative robots – or “cobots” – will take on more and more activities in the future, side by side with humans, says Harting, one of the leading industrial automation companies in the world.

In cooperation with customers and partners, Harting will showcase various scenarios and technologies “with a fine hand” at the Hannover Messe event.

As part of one demonstration, a robotic cell in which a Kuka collaborative robot writes “For Luke from Papa” on a little yellow box.  [Read more…] about From collaborative robots to colleague robots: Harting to showcase ‘industrial intelligence with instinct’ at Hannover Messe

Mitsubishi Electric to launch new servo and motion control unit

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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation plans to launch a new series of servo systems – the General Purpose AC Servo MELServo J5 series (65 models) and the iQ-R Series Motion Control Unit (7 models) – starting from May 7.

These will be the world’s-first1 servo system products on the market to support the CC-Link IE TSN2 next-generation industrial open network.

Offering industry-leading performance (servo amplifier frequency response and so on) and compatibility with CC-Link IE TSN, these new products will contribute to enhanced machine performance and accelerate the advancement of smart factory solutions.  [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric to launch new servo and motion control unit

Optimus Ride to launch self-driving vehicle service in New York and California

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Optimus Ride, a self-driving vehicle technology company, plans to launch its self-driving systems in New York.

The initial rollout will be at two sites:

  1. the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre modern industrial park with over 400 manufacturing businesses and 9,000 people working on site; and
  2. Paradise Valley Estates, a private 80-acre, nonprofit Life Plan Community located in Fairfield, California.

Optimus Ride says it will provide residents and workers at both sites with access to efficient and convenient self-driving mobility within defined, geofenced areas.  [Read more…] about Optimus Ride to launch self-driving vehicle service in New York and California

North American semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales for February down 23 percent

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North American semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales have decreased slightly, according to the industry association SEMI.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.86 billion in billings worldwide in February 2019.

The figures are in the February Equipment Market Data Subscription Billings Report published by SEMI.  [Read more…] about North American semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales for February down 23 percent

Standards set in industrial cloud communication

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Cloud computing has gained acceptance across the board in the last few years with an increasing variety of solutions from different providers.

The problem: Different specifications and incompatible interfaces increase the effort and make the connection across cloud limits very complex.

Harting is therefore taking part in an initiative for a uniform standard for cross-cloud communication. The results will be presented at the Hannover Messe 2019.

[Read more…] about Standards set in industrial cloud communication

Could an IoT security domino effect derail robotics before it ever goes mainstream?

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By Eric Jensen, head of IoT product management at Canonical

2019 will be a big year for robotics, as we begin to see the expansion of automation technologies into new markets.

But with IoT security still a weak spot, one major attack within robotics could have a domino effect on the entire industry.

Add to this the verticals that robots are beginning to infiltrate – healthcare and agriculture for example – and the threat becomes immediate and very real.  [Read more…] about Could an IoT security domino effect derail robotics before it ever goes mainstream?

Avidbots raises $23.6 million in new funding for its floor cleaning robot

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Avidbots, a maker of commercial floor-cleaning robots, has raised $23.6 million in new funding.

The company says it will use the funds to accelerate global expansion, and wants to bring robots to everyday life to “expand human potential”.

The Series B funding round was led by returning investor True Ventures. Other returning investors include GGV Capital, SOSV, Real Ventures, and 500 Startups Canada.  [Read more…] about Avidbots raises $23.6 million in new funding for its floor cleaning robot

Volvo Cars to impose 180 kph speed limit on all cars

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Volvo Cars is sending a strong signal about the dangers of speeding and will limit the top speed on all its cars to 180 kph from 2020.

The company’s Vision 2020, which aims for no one to be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020, is one of the most ambitious safety visions in the automotive industry.

But realising that technology alone will not get it all the way to zero, Volvo Cars is now broadening its scope to include a focus on driver behaviour.

[Read more…] about Volvo Cars to impose 180 kph speed limit on all cars

Kawasaki adds new high-speed, low-payload robots to line-up

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In response to the rising demand for fast, flexible and compact industrial robots in food and other industries, Kawasaki has developed two 6-axis vertically articulated robots with a maximum payload capacity of 7 kg and different reach.

The RS007N and RS007L models are the latest additions to the company’s general-purpose R series line of small-to-medium payload (3-80 kg) robots, suited to a wide range of applications including packing, material handling and machine tending.

The Kawasaki RS007N and RS007L robots offer the operational features of the R series robots while incorporating a newly redesigned arm structure and main-unit weight reductions.

[Read more…] about Kawasaki adds new high-speed, low-payload robots to line-up