Robotics & Automation News

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Archives for February 1, 2022

BYD to mass manufacture Nuro’s electric autonomous delivery vehicle

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BYD, one of China’s largest automotive and technology companies, has agreed a partnership with autonomous vehicle company Nuro to begin producing the company’s third-generation electric autonomous delivery vehicle.

The partnership is expected to scale Nuro’s more affordable, eco-friendly, and convenient services to millions of people across the country.

Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD and president of BYD North America, says: “BYD will leverage the manufacturing capacity of our Lancaster plant by finishing assembly of globally sourced hardware components to support Nuro and bring more jobs to the community. [Read more…] about BYD to mass manufacture Nuro’s electric autonomous delivery vehicle

Nuro launches new autonomous grocery delivery vehicle

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The hugely well-funded autonomous vehicle company Nuro has unveiled its third-generation autonomous delivery vehicle, and says it is ready to mass manufacture the vehicle.

Describing it as “the most advanced zero-occupant vehicle designed by the company to date”, the new flagship model, simply called “Nuro”, is expected to scale its safe, eco-friendly, and convenient services to millions of people across the US.

Nuro’s third-generation vehicle is designed to carry more goods and enable more deliveries, with twice the cargo volume of the company’s second generation vehicle. [Read more…] about Nuro launches new autonomous grocery delivery vehicle

Facebook files patent for robotic eyeball

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Social media giant Facebook has filed a patent for a robotic eyeball, according to a report on Gizmodo.com.

The “mechanical eyeball” is said to feature human-like abilities and can be integrated to humanoid or other types of robots.

Why Facebook, which recently rebranded itself as Meta, is developing a robot eyeball is subject to considerable speculation. [Read more…] about Facebook files patent for robotic eyeball

ExcelsiusGPS robotic system used for brain surgery

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Christus Health has become the first health provider to use a robotic system for brain surgery, describing the ExcelsiusGPS as “a world-class robotic guidance and navigation system”.

The ExcelsiusGPS system, built by Globus Medical, was used in the first Christus Ochsner Health case this week, setting a new standard for robotic neurosurgery procedures in Southwest Louisiana.

Bringing the ExcelsiusGPS to the region was made possible with the help of the Christus Ochsner Health Southwestern Louisiana Foundation and its generous donors who gifted more than $1.1 million to make the purchase possible. [Read more…] about ExcelsiusGPS robotic system used for brain surgery

Robot designed by WHOI to explore underwater glacial walls to monitor climate change

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It’s the front line of climate change and could hold the key to predicting global sea level rise, but what goes on at the underwater face of Greenland’s glaciers is a mystery to science.

That could change in 2023 with a bold new mission led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin that will explore three of Greenland’s glaciers with a submersible robot.

The voyage will be the first time Greenland’s glaciers – which make up the world’s second-largest ice sheet – will be seen up close underwater. [Read more…] about Robot designed by WHOI to explore underwater glacial walls to monitor climate change

Nike ‘transforming its supply chain’ with 1,000 collaborative robots

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The world’s biggest sportswear brand, Nike, says it is “transforming its supply” to meet the needs of its customers globally.

The company says that, in the wake of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the past two years, Nike has “risen to the challenges and is seizing the opportunity to accelerate a transformation in its operations”.

To that end, Nike has been accelerating the opening of several regional distribution centers across the United States and Europe, largely because “consumers across all segments immediately shifted to digital engagement” because of lockdowns and other problems in visiting brick-and-mortar shops. [Read more…] about Nike ‘transforming its supply chain’ with 1,000 collaborative robots

Winter Olympics provide China opportunity to showcase its robots

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The Winter Olympics – or Beijing 2022 – are under way in China, and the country’s roboticists are using it as an opportunity to show off their technologies. 

This is not unexpected, of course. Japan used the Summer Olympics to showcase its engineering prowess in the area of vehicle technologies as well as robots.

In fact, there’s probably less robotic showing off going on in Beijing than one might have expected, given that China is now the world’s largest buyer of robots. It’s also now the world’s largest car market, much of which is slowly becoming autonomous. [Read more…] about Winter Olympics provide China opportunity to showcase its robots

Scientists unveil robotic grippers ‘delicate enough to lift egg yolks and precise enough to lift a human hair’

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Engineering researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new type of flexible, robotic grippers that they say “are able to lift delicate egg yolks without breaking them, and that are precise enough to lift a human hair”. (See video below.)

The work has applications for both soft robotics and biomedical technologies.

The work draws on the art of kirigami, which involves both cutting and folding two-dimensional (2D) sheets of material to form three-dimensional (3D) shapes. [Read more…] about Scientists unveil robotic grippers ‘delicate enough to lift egg yolks and precise enough to lift a human hair’