Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

Continental building supercomputer on Nvidia platform to use for vehicle AI

by

Continental is building a supercomputer based on the Nvidia computing platform. The system is intended for vehicle artificial intelligence system training.

The two companies say they are building the high-performance cluster based on Nvidia DGX AI systems, adding that this will “boost autonomous driving development performance”.

The new cluster reduces development time from weeks to hours, say the companies and among its main uses are deep learning, simulation and virtual data generation. [Read more…] about Continental building supercomputer on Nvidia platform to use for vehicle AI

ABB breaks ground on new $30 million facility to manufacture electric vehicle chargers

by

ABB has marked the start of construction at its new facility in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy, which will serve as a global Center of Excellence and production site for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The company says the 16,000 square meter facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.

As a global market leader in e-mobility solutions, the $30 million investment in this new facility is further evidence of ABB’s continued commitment to driving innovation in this fast-growing sector. [Read more…] about ABB breaks ground on new $30 million facility to manufacture electric vehicle chargers

Dexterity launches new warehouse robots

by

Dexterity has launched its “full-stack, hardware-agnostic” robotic systems for warehouses.

The startup company says its robots allow customers to automate repetitive pick-pack tasks, and can handle complex manipulations in unpredictable environments.

It adds that the robots utilize artificial intelligence, advanced control theory, computer vision, and the sense of touch to adapt quickly, making them safe to work alongside humans. [Read more…] about Dexterity launches new warehouse robots

What does the term ‘productivity’ actually mean in economics?

by

Here at Robotics and Automation News, we’ve often wondered what factors determine the productivity of a nation or industry, market or economy. There is a reason for this that has to with our website’s editorial subject matter and possibly our survival as a business.

In other words, we would like to expand our editorial coverage, and we would like to monetise. Our website has millions of readers, a significant proportion of whom are business people, so we have a marketable audience.

So far, we have mostly carried niche industrial news. Now, we want to add to that broader, global industry-wide and indeed world economy-wide, perspectives that may affect their growth and success. [Read more…] about What does the term ‘productivity’ actually mean in economics?

Kuka launches new robotic cell with pre-configured applications

by

Kuka has launched a new robotic cell with pre-configured applications, or “packages”, as the company calls them.

The Kuka “cell4_production” systems are described as flexible production cells for automated processes.

The company says they feature highly flexible, modular in design, digitally networked and are “immediately ready for use”. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new robotic cell with pre-configured applications

Automation and digitalization ‘competitive edge in volatile market’, says Siemens

by

Automation and digitalization “offer a significant competitive edge in a volatile market environment”, according to Siemens.

Europe’s largest engineering company says the current situation creates major challenges for industrial companies worldwide – and shows that digitalized and highly automated production is more important than ever when it comes to gaining a competitive edge.

This is the only way that companies can react to current and future challenges with the required degree of flexibility, says Siemens. [Read more…] about Automation and digitalization ‘competitive edge in volatile market’, says Siemens

Spending on chip manufacturing equipment to reach record high of $70 billion in 2021

by

Global sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment by original equipment manufacturers are projected to increase six percent to $63.2 billion in 2020, compared to $59.6 billion in 2019, before logging record high revenue of $70 billion in 2021 on the strength of double-digit growth, according to industry association SEMI.

The group revealed the figures is its Mid-Year Total Semiconductor Equipment Forecast – OEM Perspective at the annual SEMICON West exposition.

Growth across a number of semiconductor segments is expected to power the expansion. The wafer fab equipment segment – which includes wafer processing, fab facilities, and mask/reticle equipment – is expected to rise five percent in 2020 followed by 13 percent growth in 2021 driven by a memory spending recovery and investments in leading-edge and China. [Read more…] about Spending on chip manufacturing equipment to reach record high of $70 billion in 2021

Important 2020 Trend: Price Alignment Automation

by

By Thomas R. Cutler

Automation solutions have been adapted and adjusted promoting the ease of setting and managing pricing boundaries for manufacturers.

When corporate objectives include rapidly and repeatedly adjusting prices at the most granular level, automation must be designed to alleviate the pain by using simple rules to derive prices.

Previously, most industrial business decision-makers feared an extensive implementation time, complexity, and significant costs for pricing technology. [Read more…] about Important 2020 Trend: Price Alignment Automation

Rapid Growth of Autonomous Forklifts

by

By Thomas R. Cutler

Autonomously driven forklifts, whether in distribution centers, manufacturing, or some hybrid, are much more cost-effective than manned forklifts for extremely repetitive processes.

They can be integrated into continuous round-the-clock operations covering several shifts. Self-controlling these trucks can coordinate perfectly in terms of routing and speed. This enables material flows to maintain optimal levels and the energy consumption is kept to a minimum.

The additional benefit reported by facilities managers includes substantially less damage to shelving, loads, pallets, and other trucks, as they navigate more accurately and safely than manned forklifts. [Read more…] about Rapid Growth of Autonomous Forklifts

How to pick, purchase and program your first industrial robot

by

By Nigel Smith, CEO of TM Robotics

Robots aren’t always given a favourable representation in pop culture. In Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, homicidal supercomputer HAL 9000 demonstrates how a robot could conspire against its human colleagues.

Thankfully, industrial robots aren’t quite as menacing. Here, Nigel Smith, managing director of Toshiba Machine distributor, TM Robotics, gives advice to manufacturers to make their first robotic investment.

Pop culture aside, robots don’t disappoint. After their first industrial robot installation, manufacturers come back to TM Robotics time and time again to add further automation to their factories. [Read more…] about How to pick, purchase and program your first industrial robot