Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

Robotic camera offers social distancing solution, say its makers

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The makers of the robotic camera Solo Cinebot say their camera can offer a solution to production companies in this new world of social distancing. (See video below.)

Virtually every government in the world has stipulated social distancing rules, where people have to all stay two metres apart – even at work.

The Solo Cinebot system was the brainchild of Josh Shadid and Aaron Grasso and was created as a “response to filming needs at this unpredictable time”. [Read more…] about Robotic camera offers social distancing solution, say its makers

Elementary Robotics raises $13 million for its machine learning and computer vision offerings to industry

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Elementary Robotics, a Los Angeles-based robotics startup, has raised $12.7 million in its Series A funding round led by Threshold Ventures, an early-stage investor in technology companies.

Founded in 2017, Elementary has built a hardware and software platform for applying machine learning and computer vision to the industrial world for intelligent automation of quality and traceability workflows.

The new capital, which also had participation from existing investors Fika Ventures, Fathom Capital and Toyota AI Ventures, is being used to allow Elementary Robotics to continue developing and installing its automation products at scale. [Read more…] about Elementary Robotics raises $13 million for its machine learning and computer vision offerings to industry

Toadi smashes its fundraising goal in 14 minutes flat to raise $1.3 million for lawn robot

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Toadi, an AI-powered yard robot technology with object recognition and security features, has surpassed the goals of its Kickstarter campaign only 14 minutes after the launch.

Being featured on the platform this June 25th, the campaign reached $1,200,000 on the first day and ended up getting featured in the “Projects We Love” section of the Kickstarter platform.

The Toadi self-driving lawn robot works by integrating a camera with artificial intelligence to recognize and avoid objects in front of it, such as trees, animals, and other people. [Read more…] about Toadi smashes its fundraising goal in 14 minutes flat to raise $1.3 million for lawn robot

RIOS raises $5 million to launch robots with ‘human-level dexterity’

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RIOS, a developer of dexterous AI-powered robots for automating assembly lines, has come out of stealth mode and raised $5 million in venture funding.

RIOS, which spun out of Stanford University and was founded by former Xerox PARC engineers, helps customers automate their factories, warehouses, and supply chain operations by installing what it describes as a “new class of highly-dexterous robots” that handle hard-to-automate tasks in unstructured environments.

RIOS not only automates individual lines, but also builds “lights out” factories by partnering with its network of systems integrators. [Read more…] about RIOS raises $5 million to launch robots with ‘human-level dexterity’

The Future of Robotics in Large-Scale Clearing Operations

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Remote-controlled garbage bins used to glide through America’s most beloved theme parks, Disneyland and Walt Disney World, encourage visitors to put trash inside of them, but the widespread usage of robotics in larger-scale cleaning operations, such as land clearance, is still on the horizon.

Large machinery, such as mulchers, backhoes, and bulldozers, is generally utilized to clear spaces for new developments, whether they are industrial, commercial, or residential.

The technology used in these large machines is evolving rapidly, so these big machines do provide impressive performance. However, when it comes to efficient, eco-conscious cleaning and clearing in the future, robotics will surely play a bigger role. [Read more…] about The Future of Robotics in Large-Scale Clearing Operations

Kivnon launches ‘AGV/AMR Exchange Program’ for its warehouse robots

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Kivnon has launched a “AGV/AMR Exchange Program” for its warehouse robots – its automated guided vehicles as well as its autonomous mobile robots.

Kivnon says its customers can swap their old AGV or AMR and “save up to 40 percent on a brand-new” Kivnon warehouse robot.

Kivnon specializes in the automation of industrial processes using self-guided vehicles, and its customers include the largest automakers in the world. [Read more…] about Kivnon launches ‘AGV/AMR Exchange Program’ for its warehouse robots

BMW opens new $17 million additive manufacturing facility

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BMW has officially opened its new “Additive Manufacturing Campus”. 

The new centre brings together production of prototype and series parts under one roof, along with research into new 3D printing technologies, and associate training for the global rollout of toolless production.

The facility will likely 3D print parts for the Rolls-Royce Phantom, BMW i8 Roadster and MINI John Cooper Works GP, which contains no less than four 3D-printed components as standard. [Read more…] about BMW opens new $17 million additive manufacturing facility

US Senate to give green light to delivery robots on sidewalks

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The US Senate is poised to give the green light to the operation of delivery robots on American sidewalks after a bipartisan North Carolina bill was passed in the House in a “near unanimous vote”, according to News Observer.

Delivery robots are being tested in several states across the US in strict accordance with specific agreements with local authorities.

Delivery robots are also used on university campuses and large industrial areas where the land is owned or controlled by one company or organisation, bypassing the need to use public sidewalks. [Read more…] about US Senate to give green light to delivery robots on sidewalks

MIT adapts Ava Robotics platform to build robot to disinfect Greater Boston Food Bank

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A robot built by MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has disinfected the Greater Boston Food Bank. (See video below.)

The robot uses ultraviolet-C light to disinfect a warehouse floor “in half an hour”, and could one day be employed in grocery stores, schools, and other spaces.

CSAIL developed the robot in partnership with Ava Robotics and the GBFB, and says the system “powerfully disinfects surfaces and neutralizes aerosolized forms of the coronavirus”. [Read more…] about MIT adapts Ava Robotics platform to build robot to disinfect Greater Boston Food Bank

Robots provide opportunities for restart after coronavirus pandemic, say industry leaders

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Robots provide opportunities for a restart of the economy after the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to industry leaders surveyed by Automatica, one of the largest industrial automation trade shows in the world.

Messe Munchen, which owns Automatica, says it did a survey and found the following:

  • 84 percent of decision-makers expect more robot automation in German SMEs;
  • 77 percent of decision-makers rely on mobile robotics to convert production quickly; and
  • 76 percent of employees in SMEs want robotics training.

Even before the corona pandemic, the manufacturing industry in Germany was highly automated according to figures from the International Federation of Robotics and ranked third in robot density worldwide behind Singapore and South Korea. [Read more…] about Robots provide opportunities for restart after coronavirus pandemic, say industry leaders