Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

True innovation: Three big ways drones are changing the way we live

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Life changes rapidly these days. The world is full of creation and innovation, all of it happening at a speed so breakneck it can be hard to tell which developments are set to change the world and which ones are essentially the Segway of 2018.

Modern unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs or drones, have been on the military scene since 2001 and started to go mainstream in the industrial and commercial markets in 2011, with fervor for these flyers steadily increasing to the point that drones are expected to have an economic impact of $82 billion dollars by 2025 in the United States alone.

In short, drones are here to stay. They’re also here to change the way we live and work, for the better.

Here are three big ways drones are in the process of reshaping the world we know.  [Read more…] about True innovation: Three big ways drones are changing the way we live

Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg wins the Automotive Lean Production Award for the first time

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Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany has won the Automotive Lean Production Award for the first time in the automotive giant’s history. 

When assessing lean solutions at more than 50 stations of Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant, the expert jury was impressed by the “rapid pace of change at the plant”.

Volkswagen Wolfsburg will receive the award as the best original equipment manufacturer at this year’s Automotive Lean Congress in Bremen at the beginning of November.  [Read more…] about Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg wins the Automotive Lean Production Award for the first time

Maxim launches new power-management integrated circuit boards for advanced driver assistance systems

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Maxim Integrated has launched a new range of power-management integrated circuit boards for advanced driver assistance systems.

The company says the new power-management ICs offer high performance, small size, efficiency, and protection needed by advanced automotive subsystems.

With a series of PMICs from, Maxim says designers can optimize power for automotive advanced driver-assistance systems functions to achieve high performance, small size, efficiency, and electrical protection.  [Read more…] about Maxim launches new power-management integrated circuit boards for advanced driver assistance systems

Market briefing: Performance of engineering and machinery stocks

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In this commentary, Stock Trader Report provides insight into recent movements in share prices of some engineering and machinery companies 

On Thursday, July 19, 2018, US markets saw five out of nine sectors finishing the day in red and four in green.

Benchmark US indices were bearish at the end of the previous day’s session:

  • Nasdaq Composite down 0.37% closing at 7,825.30;
  • the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.53% lower, finishing at 25,064.50;
  • and the S&P 500 ending at 2,804.49, down 0.40%.

Before the market opening today – July 20 – StockTraderReport.com scans the performance of the following four diversified engineering and machinery stocks:

  • ABB (NYSE: ABB);
  • Ametek (NYSE: AME);
  • Actuant (NYSE: ATU); and
  • Colfax (NYSE: CFX).

More detailed information about these and other companies can be found on the Stock Trader Report website, and the company is offering a free limited time offer.  [Read more…] about Market briefing: Performance of engineering and machinery stocks

Collaborative robotics evolving into billion-dollar market

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Cognitive systems are fueling the future of the robotics industry, while the collaborative robotics sector is “morphing into a billion-dollar market”, according to ABI Research.

There is a growing interest within the robotics industry as to the benefits of cognitive systems and how they can improve robotic solutions, both in the incremental sense of improving productivity and the strategic sense of adding entirely new capabilities that broaden the use-cases for robotics in the traditional parameters of the industry and beyond.

The innate value of cognitive systems run concomitant to the development of collaborative robotics, says ABI, which provides strategic guidance on transformative technologies.  [Read more…] about Collaborative robotics evolving into billion-dollar market

Lightweighting: How GM and Autodesk are using generative design for vehicles of the future

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Autodesk and General Motors have been working together to develop new technologies for engineering design, as Bill Danon reports (see video below)

General Motors’ auto engineers have been heavyweights in vehicle lightweighting for years.

Just since 2016, GM has launched 14 new vehicle models with a total mass reduction of over 5000 pounds or more than 350 pounds per vehicle.

The lighter the car, the less fuel it uses, the less carbon it emits and the more money the driver saves. Pretty important stuff.  [Read more…] about Lightweighting: How GM and Autodesk are using generative design for vehicles of the future

Exechon finds new customer for XMini industrial robot

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Exechon Enterprises – a joint venture comprising of Lockheed Martin, Injaz National, and Tecgrant AB – has sold an XMini industrial robotic manufacturing tool to Refco Metals, a UAE-based manufacturer of aluminum assemblies for luxury automobiles.

Shafik Nasser, chairman of Exechon Enterprises, says: “Today’s automotive industry moves fast and requires parts made to the most exacting specifications.

“The XMini creates complex, high-precision parts while streamlining production and lowering costs, making it the perfect partner in a modern manufacturing environment.”  [Read more…] about Exechon finds new customer for XMini industrial robot

Commentary: Exponential growth of IoT becoming the next tech revolution

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MarketNewsUpdates.com news commentary

Global internet of things markets are poised to achieve significant growth through the use of sensors, widgets, cameras, and platforms that are used to help implement precision digital control and send alerts for all manner or management of devices and machinery.

Visualization and digitization are permitting a growing number of companies and individuals better control of any device or mechanical thing while present a diversity of uses for digital tracking devices in industry, healthcare and consumer markets.

The market is growing at a rapid pace because of increasing popularity and integration in various consumer markets.  [Read more…] about Commentary: Exponential growth of IoT becoming the next tech revolution

Hitachi demonstrates how AI can be used in industrial operations

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Hitachi says its system “contributes to improving efficiency of repair work and more stable operation”

Hitachi has developed a service platform that utilizes artificial intelligence and other advanced digital technologies to automatically propose optimal repair work for various types of industrial machinery.

Hitachi will be commencing joint demonstrative testing in collaboration with its US subsidiary Sullair, which manufactures and sells air compressors, towards the commercial productization of the service platform.

Specifically, Hitachi will verify its performance and advance the development of related applications through applying the service platform to air compressors at Sullair’s own factories and those in use by Sullair customers.  [Read more…] about Hitachi demonstrates how AI can be used in industrial operations

Westworld: Second season of epic sci-fi robot show ends run

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A look back at the second season of Westworld, which recently ended its run on HBO

There are so many amazing stills from Westworld that it was difficult to choose one as the featured image for this article. 

In the end, I chose what I think is the creepiest, but there are just so many creepy and bothersome things in Westworld, that I can only point you to the other images in this article and let you decide if I made a good choice or not.

And certainly I would suggest you watch the show if you’ve ever been a fan of TV.

Westworld is by far the most terrific television series ever. Maybe that’s an exaggeration but I haven’t watched much TV in years because nothing else intrigued me enough to spend as much time as I have watching this show and a few others as part of my job here at Robotics and Automation News.  [Read more…] about Westworld: Second season of epic sci-fi robot show ends run