Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for September 4, 2020

DB Schenker invests record-breaking €101 million into new automated warehouse

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DB Schenker has successfully started operation of its “globally leading regional hub” for automated high-speed logistics.

Worth €101 million, the Red Lion warehouse in Singapore is the single largest investment in any site globally in Schenker’s corporate history.

Strategically located in the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore at Changi Airport, the site sets a new standard in combining the world’s most advanced technological developments with the highest levels of sustainable warehouse management for its customers. [Read more…] about DB Schenker invests record-breaking €101 million into new automated warehouse

Electronic assemblies without PCBs through laser direct structuring

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Laser direct structuring (LDS) is a special success story. For almost 20 years, it has been possible to apply electronic conductor paths directly onto plastic parts during series production. 

LDS enables electronic assemblies to be made in flexible geometric shapes. Smart phones, hearing aids and smart watches are becoming smaller and more powerful thanks to this process.

LDS enables the production of electronic assemblies with flexible geometric shapes. This process enables electronic products (such as smart phones, sensors or medical devices) to become even smaller and more powerful. Automated manufacturing processes also make this process more economically attractive. [Read more…] about Electronic assemblies without PCBs through laser direct structuring

Geek+ implements first large scale robotic warehouse sorting system for e-commerce company BangGood

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Geek+, the leading manufacturer of warehouse robots, has implemented a large scale autonomous mobile robot sorting system with BangGood, a well-known e-commerce company. (See video below.) 

The Geek+ system will support the company’s growing cross-border e-commerce business of 37 international warehouses with deliveries bound for over 200 countries.

In light of the accelerated shift towards e-commerce, BangGood has faced challenges of rapid growth in online sales, unpredictable demand, labor shortages, and higher requirements for safer operations. [Read more…] about Geek+ implements first large scale robotic warehouse sorting system for e-commerce company BangGood

Solving the talent component of the automation equation

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Automation is key to the US competing on a global manufacturing stage, but we have work to do to train our workforce to be fluent in advanced manufacturing skills such as robot programming.

To enable more broad deployment of the automation that will power the future of manufacturing, it is imperative that we make automation easier to deploy. However, user-friendly automation technology isn’t enough on its own because we need a way to rapidly train more workers in the skills necessary to implement automation.

The future of US manufacturing requires that we democratize automation with a combination of technology and worker training/upskilling. One example of where success is being had is in Paintsville, Kentucky. [Read more…] about Solving the talent component of the automation equation

Ant Group prepares for ‘biggest IPO in history’

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Ant Group, the online payments provider that could be described as the Asian equivalent of PayPal, is preparing for what some are predicting will be the biggest initial public offering in history.

Parent company Alibaba Group is set to float the company on the Hong Kong Stock exchange early next month, according to Reuters.

Ant’s Alipay app has more than 700 million users across Asia and processed $17 trillion in transactions in the 12 months to June this year, reports Bloomberg. [Read more…] about Ant Group prepares for ‘biggest IPO in history’

Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

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September 2020 marks one year of Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics partnering as a team after the US-based automated driving technology company became part of Daimler Trucks’ Autonomous Technology Group.

One year together, collaboratively pursuing a common goal of bringing series-produced highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) to the roads within the decade; including on-road deployment of a Level 4 test fleet, initiation of redesign of truck chassis, adoption of a hub-to-hub model, formalized rigorous testing protocols, formal truck safety driver certification process, and extended software capabilities.

Now, the Autonomous Technology Group will extend its testing to New Mexico by building up a new testing center in Albuquerque. Expanding to a new location will support testing and provide data for more use cases of next generation vehicles on public roads starting this fall. [Read more…] about Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

Sudden increase in air pollution threatens economic recovery, says report

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There has been a sudden increase in air pollution which is threatening economic recovery in many countries, according to a new report by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The environmental research organization estimates that “health damage from air pollution” has cost between 0.4 percent and 6 percent of annual GDP in the world’s leading cities in the first half of 2020.

By “health damage” CREA means such things as absence from work as a result of respiratory problems such as asthma, a particularly pertinent point at a time when a respiratory disease called coronavirus has ravaged the entire world’s population and caused untold economic damage. [Read more…] about Sudden increase in air pollution threatens economic recovery, says report

Mercedes showcases new manufacturing tech at Factory 56

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Flexible, digital, efficient and sustainable: Factory 56 embodies the future of production at Mercedes-Benz and sets new standards for the automotive industry.

With an investment of approximately 730 million Euros, the factory at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen is a clear commitment to Germany as a business location. In total, Mercedes-Benz is investing about 2.1 billion euros at the Sindelfingen site.

At the same time, the company is increasing efficiency in Factory 56 by 25 percent compared to the previous S-Class assembly. Production in Factory 56 is characterized by maximum flexibility; this applies to the number of models produced and the production volume as well as to material flows. [Read more…] about Mercedes showcases new manufacturing tech at Factory 56

New electronic skin developed to make robots ‘feel pain’

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Scientists at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have developed a new type of “electronic skin” that could make robots and other machines more sensitive to touch and contact.

The researchers say their “pain-sensing” prototype mimics the human body’s near-instant feedback response and reacts to painful sensations with the same lighting speed that nerve signals travel to the brain.

Lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran says the prototype e-skin is a “significant advance” towards next-generation biomedical technologies and intelligent robotics. [Read more…] about New electronic skin developed to make robots ‘feel pain’

IBM launches new industrial chemistry robot to enable lab automation

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IBM has launched a new industrial chemistry lab robot called RoboRXN, describing it as “the first remotely accessible, autonomous chemical laboratory”. (See video below.)

The computing giant says the RXN machine is “revolutionizing industrial chemistry, by transforming it into a high tech business”.

RXN uses a combination of artificial intelligence, automation and cloud computing to relieve the chemist from tedious repetitive tasks, allowing more time and space for design and innovation. [Read more…] about IBM launches new industrial chemistry robot to enable lab automation