Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

Tau invents wire that doubles the power of electric motors and raises €10.25 million

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A startup company called Tau, which specializes in materials science and automotive electrification, says it has delivered a prototype wire that enables electric motors to double their power output without changing their size. 

The technology could mean that electric vehicles and machines of all kinds can keep going for longer on a single charge, and go faster.

Coinciding with the milestone of delivering prototype winding wire to the automotive industry, Tau also concluded its Series A financing round with additional funding from Finindus, a Belgium-based investment company financed by ArcelorMittal and the Flemish Region, and a top-up by German specialty chemicals company Altana. The total raised is said to be €10.25 million. [Read more…] about Tau invents wire that doubles the power of electric motors and raises €10.25 million

Pandemic drives smart appliance and consumer robotics market revenues to $80 billion in 2021

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Consumer robotics and smart appliance vendors will continue to benefit from the boost in consumer spending on home technology in 2021, building on the uplift that started in the second half of 2020.

Global tech market advisory firm ABI Research calculates that the consumer robotics and smart appliance market will generate $80 billion in revenues in 2021, up 40 percent on 2020 revenues.

Growth comes as two dynamics combine, says the analyst. [Read more…] about Pandemic drives smart appliance and consumer robotics market revenues to $80 billion in 2021

Outrider opens ‘industry’s first’ test site dedicated to distribution yard automation

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Outrider, the startup company pioneering autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has opened the Outrider Advanced Testing Facility, which it says is “the first-ever test site dedicated to distribution yard automation technologies”.

Located in Brighton, Colorado, this 200,000-square-foot distribution yard with 49 dock doors operates 16 hours per day, five days per week and will expand to 24-hour operation in 2022.

This test facility is being used to validate Outrider’s autonomous capabilities, supporting the scaling of deployments at customer sites. [Read more…] about Outrider opens ‘industry’s first’ test site dedicated to distribution yard automation

The idea of flying bikes is no longer limited to motion pictures

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The splendid idea of flying bikes have enthused our imaginations for ages. And, in the last few years, it has become a reality too.

With the increasing congestion on the highways across the world, getting their car to take off and fly has become an attractive possible alternative for drivers. With such technology on board, the users won’t have to waste too much time in peak hours on roads. In fact, they wouldn’t be on the roads at all, of course.

Hover bikes, also known as flying bikes, are scramblers that can use wings and fly. Such bikes can float by containing at least two driving motors – one at the forepart and the other one at the hind sight. [Read more…] about The idea of flying bikes is no longer limited to motion pictures

Air taxi winners: Watch orders not investment, says IDTechEx

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Air taxi operators are unfazed by the 200 or so organizations designing vertical take-off electric aircraft. The IDTechEx report with the big picture is, Manned Electric Aircraft: Smart City and Regional 2021-2041.

Air taxi operators have placed large orders with a company that models itself on Tesla, entirely making born-electric, conventional take-off, fixed-wing aircraft.

Using extreme lightweighting, efficiency, and aerodynamics, Bye Aerospace has over $250 million of orders for two and four-seaters from air taxi operators and flying schools. It spent only $24 million to have certifiable demonstrators aloft.

Bye is so inundated with orders it has just doubled its prices because the aircraft still cost far less per mile than the polluting traditional equivalents. In the US, 11,000 of those are approaching 50 years old and illegality. Bye deliveries start from 2022. [Read more…] about Air taxi winners: Watch orders not investment, says IDTechEx

Urban air taxi solutions will revolutionize mobility industry, says GlobalData

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The race to develop urban air mobility (UAM) solutions has gathered momentum over the past few years even though the concept has been around for decades.

UAM, in particular electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), has potential benefits such as easing traffic congestion and enables efficient passenger and cargo transportation, says GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

In a global survey (over 500 respondents) conducted by GlobalData between 6 May and 10 May 2021, 35 percent of the respondents stated that they are aware of UAM/flying vehicles, and 34 percent felt that safety and reliability will be the primary drivers for using UAM solutions. [Read more…] about Urban air taxi solutions will revolutionize mobility industry, says GlobalData

Mecademic releases new firmware for its tiny robot

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Mecademic has released the latest version of the firmware – 8.4 – for its tiny Meca500 industrial robotic arm.

The company says this update “prioritizes the features most requested by our user community and is provided free of charge”.

The update enables the robot with multi-rotation with cartesian moves. [Read more…] about Mecademic releases new firmware for its tiny robot

Global ‘Robot-as-a-Service’ market set to reach $41.3 billion by 2028

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The global Robot as a Service market was valued at $12.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to surpass $41.3 billion by 2028, registering a compound annual growth rate of 15.9 percent during the forecast period (2021-2028), as highlighted in a report published by Coherent Market Insights.

The ongoing advancement in technologies is propelling the market growth during the forecast period.

The growing adoption of advanced technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Robot as a Service (RaaS), and many other technologies are expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. [Read more…] about Global ‘Robot-as-a-Service’ market set to reach $41.3 billion by 2028

Scientists research ‘matter waves’ to shine light on post electronics future

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Most modern technologies owe their success to advances in electronics. These devices harness the flow of electrons in different ways to create computers, charge batteries, light-up displays, and move motors.

Now researchers are starting to explore ways to harness the flow of waves of whole atoms, called matter waves, to enable new kinds of sensors, computers, and scientific research.

This new field has been named atomtronics, owing to the focus on finding ways to move whole atoms rather than electrons in traditional electronics devices. [Read more…] about Scientists research ‘matter waves’ to shine light on post electronics future

Made4CNC launches ‘world’s first’ completely automatic CNC door opening solution for robots

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A new Danish company says it has solved a well-known and previously “unsolvable challenge” in the metal industry.

Made4CNC has developed what is claimed to be the world’s first completely automatic door opening solution for robotic machine tending, fitted to any robot and CNC machine in under an hour.

Currently only a small percentage of the industry’s CNC machines are automatically fed components. [Read more…] about Made4CNC launches ‘world’s first’ completely automatic CNC door opening solution for robots