Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

Boston Dynamics unveils new robot for warehouse automation

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Boston Dynamics, a developer of mobile robotics, has revealed Stretch, its new box-moving robot designed to support the growing demand for flexible automation solutions in the logistics industry.

This debut marks the company’s official entrance into warehouse automation, a fast-growing market fueled by increased demand in e-commerce.

Stretch is Boston Dynamics’ first commercial robot specifically designed for warehouse facilities and distribution centers, of which there are more than 150,000 globally, according to analysts. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics unveils new robot for warehouse automation

Sherpa Mobile Robotics installs fleet of AMRs for line-side automation at FPT Industrial

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Sherpa Mobile Robotics is providing further details of their first installation with fleet management.

For a several weeks now, six Sherpa-B autonomous mobile robots have been co-working in total safety in the midst of humans, automated guided vehicles, forklifts and other industrial machines at FPT Industrial.

The FPT Industrial plant in Bourbon-Lancy, in the Saône-et-Loire region, assembles 35,000 high-powered gas and diesel engines per year, destined for agricultural machinery, buses and trucks. [Read more…] about Sherpa Mobile Robotics installs fleet of AMRs for line-side automation at FPT Industrial

IAM Robotics partners with Tompkins Robotics to develop order fulfillment solution

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IAM Robotics has joined forces with Tompkins Robotics to create a new robotic application to automate the exit process of order fulfillment.

Developed by Tompkins, the new application enhances the current t-Sort system with the addition of xChange to autonomously remove completed order containers from sortation and replace them with empty order containers at one time. xChange is based on IAM Robotics’ latest robot, Atlas.

Thanks to the industry-leading features of xChange, companies are even closer to experiencing human-free automated sortation. [Read more…] about IAM Robotics partners with Tompkins Robotics to develop order fulfillment solution

BlueBotics to give digital demonstration of path to mobile robot development

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BlueBotics, a provider of autonomous navigation technology, is attending this year’s ProMat Digital Experience (DX) event to highlight how it can help smooth the path to successful automated guided vehicle and mobile robot development, installation and operation.

During the digital event, which runs from April 12 to 16, BlueBotics will explain and fully demonstrate the benefits of its ANT natural feature navigation – ranging from quick and simple vehicle installation to robust, accurate ongoing operations and cross-platform fleet scale-up, whereby a growing range of diverse ANT driven vehicles can adapt to a business’ evolving needs.

BlueBotics’ team of autonomous navigation experts will be on hand via the company’s showcase page to answer visitor questions and to arrange any meetings required to dive deeper into any company’s specific AGV development or investment needs. [Read more…] about BlueBotics to give digital demonstration of path to mobile robot development

IDS unveils camera-based cap control with AI for beverage and bottle industry

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Strong price pressure combined with high quality requirements – the beverage and bottle industry faces the classic dilemma of many industries. This is also the case in the quality control department of a French manufacturer of plastic caps.

Reliably detecting cracks and micro-cracks on plastic caps in 40 different colours and shades running at high speed on a production line is a real challenge.

APREX Solutions from Nancy, France has successfully achieved this goal with the help of image processing technology and artificial intelligence.

The basic images are provided by a USB 3 industrial camera from IDS Imaging Development Systems. [Read more…] about IDS unveils camera-based cap control with AI for beverage and bottle industry

Innodisk to release blockchain SSD securing edge data integrity

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The increasing ubiquity of AI in everyday applications brings with it concerns regarding data integrity and validation.

Innodisk’s new-patented blockchain technology brings to its latest SSD solution “InnoBTS SSD” and alleviates these concerns through sophisticated use of digital signature and blockchain that is fully software independent. [Read more…] about Innodisk to release blockchain SSD securing edge data integrity

John Deere pilots new robotic welding solution

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John Deere is leveraging Intel’s artificial intelligence technology to help solve a costly, age-old problem in the manufacturing welding process.

Deere is piloting a solution that uses computer vision to automatically spot common defects in the automated welding process in its manufacturing facilities.

Andy Benko, quality director, John Deere construction and forestry division, says: “Welding is a complicated process. This AI solution has the potential to help us produce our high-quality machines more efficiently than before. [Read more…] about John Deere pilots new robotic welding solution

A robot that senses hidden objects

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In recent years, robots have gained artificial vision, touch, and even smell. “Researchers have been giving robots human-like perception,” says MIT Associate Professor Fadel Adib.

In a new paper, Adib’s team is pushing the technology a step further. “We’re trying to give robots superhuman perception,” he says.

The researchers have developed a robot that uses radio waves, which can pass through walls, to sense occluded objects. The robot, called RF-Grasp, combines this powerful sensing with more traditional computer vision to locate and grasp items that might otherwise be blocked from view. [Read more…] about A robot that senses hidden objects

Webinar: Speed and separation monitoring system from SICK and Universal Robots

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Webinar: Fast Solution for Speed & Separation Monitoring in a Collaborative Robot Application

SICK and Universal Robots (UR) are announcing a new safety solution for the safeguarding of accessible robotic applications.

When combined, the sBot safety system and URCap from SICK increase productivity with immediate automated restart and profit from an easy configuration of the safety system directly from the UR teach pendant.

With this partnership, SICK and UR have created the fastest way to implement speed and separation monitoring for cooperative robot applications. [Read more…] about Webinar: Speed and separation monitoring system from SICK and Universal Robots

Piab launches new suction end effectors for industrial robots

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Piab has launched a new suction end effector range for industrial robots.

The company says its MX suction cup family is exceptional for picking various objects primarily for the Logistics, warehousing, e-commerce, and re-cycling industries.

The MX suction cup can work across an array of applications such as bin picking, order fulfillment, box depalletizing, and parcel sorting. Gone are the days where you need to change gripper or suction cup for each individual product in the application. [Read more…] about Piab launches new suction end effectors for industrial robots