Archives for June 3, 2019

Webinar: Safety Standards Update – Collaborative and Autonomous Mobile Robots

Robotics and Automation News is hosting a webinar about collaborative robot safety presented by SICK, on June 24th, at 11 am EST.

SICK is one of the leading providers of sensors for robots. The company’s sensors are in the majority of the new generation of robots in the market today.

In this webinar, Mark Nehrkorn, SICK’s director of safety, will present an update in the safety standards in the field of collaborative and autonomous mobile robots. [Read more…] about Webinar: Safety Standards Update – Collaborative and Autonomous Mobile Robots

John Deere adds more automation to combine harvester range

John Deere has announced updates for Model Year 2020 S700 Series Combines, which include upgrades to improve automation, data management and residue placement.

Combine Advisor and HarvestSmart have been updated to further automate these machines.

Combine Advisor uses ActiveVision cameras and sensors to identify changes in crop conditions and automatically adjust the combine to maintain the operator’s settings for optimal performance in varying conditions.

European robotics organisation looking for external evaluators

ESMERA, short for European SME Robotics Application, an EU-funded robotics organisation, is looking for external evaluators.

Within the robotics project ESMERA, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, a number of proposals are submitted by potential applicants.

To guarantee a neutral evaluation of these proposals, they are evaluated by a team of independent, external experts. [Read more…] about European robotics organisation looking for external evaluators

Hyundai walking car concept for the ‘first responder’ industry

Any first responder will tell you that the first 72 hours following a natural disaster are the most crucial to saving lives.

However, often times due to the nature of the disaster (forest fire, earthquake, hurricane, or flood), it can be difficult for search-and-rescue and humanitarian aid missions to reach and get immediate help to those in need.

The need for efficient, rapid, resilient transportation for disaster assistance is what led Hyundai to develop the first-ever vehicle with moveable legs.

AI driving actionable sales intelligence in manufacturing

By Barrett Thompson, Zilliant Business Solutions

The manufacturing plant floor has been automated and optimized for years; yet revenue and profit growth remain stagnant.

Seemingly everything has been process-improved with lean manufacturing principles; however, the cost of doing business remains high and the C-Suite continues its demands for an increase in revenue per transaction and gross margins.

Two functions at manufacturing organizations are prime for process improvement:

selling; and
pricing.

A closer look at the selling function reveals that despite reducing labor costs via transformational automation solutions, sales teams still manage large, antiquated portfolios. They are expected to increase their book of business while retaining current customers. [Read more…] about AI driving actionable sales intelligence in manufacturing

ABB to supply high power charging for new era of e-mobility in Scandinavia

ABB is to equip new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Denmark, Norway and Swede, starting with a first station now open in Fredericia, Denmark.

The station, a joint venture with E.ON Drive & Clever, and is part of ABB’s plan to roll out 48 high-power charging stations across the motorways of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The pilot station, which will be one of eight stations to launch in Denmark by the end of 2020, features ABB Ability-enabled high-power chargers, which are capable of adding up to 200 km of range in just eight minutes.

Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation

By Nicola Olivetti, Lean and Industry 4.0 Program Director, iObeya

Recently, a leading industrial journalist asked for an explanation about the pragmatic integration of human-centricity and automation. Below are my responses.

Question: How can you preserve a human-centric approach to collegial work in a highly automated environment?

Answer: Companies with an authentic Lean culture leverage automation to expand the scope of teams by granting real-time access to valuable information. This allows for important activity and relevant people (experts, partners, suppliers, customers) to co-operate in a horizontal and agile manner. [Read more…] about Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation