Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for October 2019

How does automation within the UK compare to the German industry?

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In a world where everything we do and the majority of the processes for the products we produce are automated, is the UK lagging behind when compared to its German counterpart?

With other countries advancing far quicker than the UK, and robotics and automation swiftly being rolled out within many businesses, it’s time Britain changed its mindset and got involved in what is being known as, the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”.

Studies found that in 2015 the UK had 10 robots for every million hours worked, compared with 133 in Germany, and by 2017 the UK represented a mere 0.6 per cent of industrial robotics shipments. [Read more…] about How does automation within the UK compare to the German industry?

Renesas joins Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium

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Renesas Electronics, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, has joined the Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium (AVCC) as a core member.

Renesas joins leaders from across the automotive ecosystem, including vehicle original equipment manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, and other semiconductor suppliers to help solve some of the most significant challenges of introducing self-driving vehicles at scale.

As the automotive industry pushes forward to meet the needs of an increasingly connected environment, vehicles are evolving to become more intelligent, more ecologically friendly, and more affordable. [Read more…] about Renesas joins Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium

RBF Morph speeds real-time design-data feedback

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As engineers in industry and research look to develop digital twins of their physical products – with the longer-term goal of integration with the industrial internet of things – the pivotal importance of up-front, accurate, real-time modeling and simulation to optimize both manufacturing and product performance is becoming very clear.

Enabling the development of this critical functionality is RBF Morph, a technology deeply embedded within Ansys’ newly released R3 version of its advanced engineering software suite, in particular the Ansys Twin Builder systems-design tool.

Also available as a standalone product, RBF Morph provides advanced mesh-morphing capabilities that enable rapid prediction of the outcomes of design changes. [Read more…] about RBF Morph speeds real-time design-data feedback

Finger Lakes college partners with New Scale Robotics to develop collaborative robot tools

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Finger Lakes Community College has been awarded a $50,000 manufacturing grant from the FuzeHub Innovation Fund to support its work with New Scale Robotics, accelerating development of New Scale’s precision measurement and gripping tools for a wide range of collaborative robots.

New Scale has a line of precision grippers, calipers and other tools that install in minutes on cobots from Universal Robots.

New Scale will collaborate with Dr Sam Samanta, head of the Instrumentation and Controls program at FLCC, and his students to develop a Smart Platform that expands plug-and-play compatibility of New Scale Robotics tools to multiple additional cobot brands. [Read more…] about Finger Lakes college partners with New Scale Robotics to develop collaborative robot tools

Madison College students win industrial robotics competition

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Madison College students Schuyler Bostedt, Garrett Butler and Jonathan Stowell took first place in the Industrial Robotics Competition held during the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Technology Show October 8-10 in Milwaukee.

Bostedt, Butler and Stowell are enrolled in the Electromechanical Technology associate degree program.

The contest tested robotic programming knowledge by challenging students to complete a set of tasks on a Fanuc education robot in three hours. [Read more…] about Madison College students win industrial robotics competition

Gideon Brothers raises €2.65 million in new funding and partners with DB Schenker

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Leading global logistics provider DB Schenker has introduced Gideon Brothers autonomous logistics robots into service at its Leipzig facility.  

Gideon Brothers, an AI and robotics company, developed breakthrough autonomy technology that combines deep learning and advanced vision-based perception.

The technology offers a flexible solution for automating logistics operations in existing facilities, allowing productivity gains without the need to modify facilities. [Read more…] about Gideon Brothers raises €2.65 million in new funding and partners with DB Schenker

Walgreens chooses Postmates for grocery deliveries

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Walgreens and Postmates are partnering to provide quick, convenient, on-demand delivery for customers looking for over-the-counter medications, health and wellness, beauty and grocery products.

Postmates will deliver hundreds of Walgreens’ most popular items from 174 Walgreens and Duane Reade locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Whether it will use its delivery robots remains to be seen, but it’s certainly an option in the long term.

Craig Whitmer, VP, merchant business development, Postmates, says: “In the last year, orders from convenience and drugstores have increased by 68 percent. [Read more…] about Walgreens chooses Postmates for grocery deliveries

Acme Manufacturing opens R&D center in Singapore

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Acme Manufacturing, a specialist provider of robotic finishing systems has officially launched its Singapore office.

Acme Singapore includes a standalone research and development centre focused on creating new solutions and customised robotics systems for the company’s extensive customers in Southeast Asia.

“The establishment of Acme Singapore reflects our commitment to bring our state-of-the-art innovations closer to customers in Southeast Asia,” said Fritz Carlson, president and CEO of Acme Manufacturing, who was present at the grand opening of the company’s Singapore facility. [Read more…] about Acme Manufacturing opens R&D center in Singapore

Hyundai unveils autonomous electric car for free ride-sharing in California

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Hyundai, in collaboration with Pony.ai and Via, has unveiled BotRide, a shared, on-demand, autonomous vehicle service operating on public roads.

Starting on November 4, a fleet of self-driving Hyundai Kona Electric SUVs will provide a free ride-sharing service to the local community of Irvine, California.

Christopher Chang, head of business development, strategy and technology division, Hyundai, says: “The pilot introduces BotRide to several hundred Irvine residents, including college students. The goal is to study consumer behavior in an autonomous ride-sharing environment. [Read more…] about Hyundai unveils autonomous electric car for free ride-sharing in California

Factories can save up to 90 per cent in valve monitoring costs with wireless IoT sensors

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Factories and plants in industries – such as chemical processing, pulp and paper, water and waste-water treatment, have seen the benefits of remote valve monitoring.

Traditional retrofitted monitoring solutions, however, are costly and slow to deploy for factories with thousands of manual valves of different types.

There is a more cost-effective alternative – factories have evidenced a 90 percent reduction in retrofitting investment, by using industry-grade wireless sensors and Industrial IoT technologies. [Read more…] about Factories can save up to 90 per cent in valve monitoring costs with wireless IoT sensors