Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

David Edwards

Cambridge Medical unveils its new surgical robot

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Cambridge Medical Robotics, which is developing a surgical robot, has released the first photographs of the system, Versius.

The images show the “revolutionary” design of the robot, including its “highly versatile” surgical bio-mimicking arms.

The release of the photographs marks a major milestone, says CMR, which aims to make minimal access surgery available to all the estimated 6 million people a year who could benefit and make it easier for laparoscopic surgeons to learn and perform the technique.  [Read more…] about Cambridge Medical unveils its new surgical robot

US politicians approve driverless car bill

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The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to create a national framework for the development and testing of driverless cars. 

Until now, the situation has been that each individual state deals with automakers which want to test and develop autonomous cars in their area.

The new measure would allow automakers to acquire permits for up to 25,000 vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards, according to Reuters.  [Read more…] about US politicians approve driverless car bill

Taiwan to develop ‘affordable’ industrial robots for factories and warehouses

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The Industrial Technology Research Institution of Taiwan says it is working with local manufacturers to develop what it says will be more “affordable” robots for factories and warehouses – in other words, collaborative robots.

This is according to a report in the Taipei Times.

Patrick Yu, acting division director of ITRI’s mechanical and mechatronics systems research labs, is quoted on the website as saying: “Traditional industrial robots are suitable for large-scale production lines. They need a lot of space and cost a lot of money, which small and medium-sized enterprises cannot afford.”

Traditional robots – the large industrial machines which tend to be caged off and require separate computers to run them, called programmable logic controllers – are said to be too big and expensive for a lot of smaller companies, says ITRI.  [Read more…] about Taiwan to develop ‘affordable’ industrial robots for factories and warehouses

John Deere to buy lettuce farming robot maker Blue River Technology

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John Deere, the farming machinery giant, has reached a deal to buy lettuce farming robot maker Blue River Technology for $305 million. 

Blue River also provides a range of other technology solutions – such as a weed killing machine, drone sensing and phenotyping solutions – to the precision agriculture sector, principally using machine learning.

The lettuce farming robot is called LettuceBot, and is one of the company’s newer products.

John May, president, agricultural solutions, and chief information officer at Deere, says: “We welcome the opportunity to work with a Blue River Technology team that is highly skilled and intensely dedicated to rapidly advancing the implementation of machine learning in agriculture.  [Read more…] about John Deere to buy lettuce farming robot maker Blue River Technology

Kollmorgen updates its developer network software

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Kollmorgen says it has updated its developer network, added more functions and made it easier to use on mobile and desktop computer.

“It’s so much easier when you work as a team,” say the company in a statement. “This is why Kollmorgen has thoroughly revised and expanded the web-based customer community KDN – Kollmorgen Developer Network.”

The new version of the online knowledge base is really easy to use on all PCs, tablets, and smartphones – thanks to its responsive design, says the company.  [Read more…] about Kollmorgen updates its developer network software

Bimba launches multi-axis electric linear robot actuator

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Bimba, a supplier of pneumatic, hydraulic and electric motion solutions, has introduced IntelliAxis multi-axis electric linear robot actuators for either X-Z or X-Y motion applications.

Employing what the company says is “a one-of-a-kind two-axis system”, the unit features a single continuous belt that serpentines around the two axes eliminating the need for a motor in the Z- or Y-axis while driving a pair of coordinated motors in the X-axis.

These configurations, known as T-bot and H-bot within the industry, permit synchronized control for complex motion movement profiles such as circles, ellipses and sine waves.  [Read more…] about Bimba launches multi-axis electric linear robot actuator

Kuka expected to roll out collaborative robot on autonomous platform in more factories

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Kuka is expected to make its mobile collaborative robot available to more factories, partly as a result of its takeover by Midea, the Chinese home appliances manufacturer. 

Midea has many large factories where a mobile robot which can also pick and place objects would be very useful.

Kuka’s collaborative robot is called iiwa, and it’s already in use at various large companies, including automotive giant BMW.  [Read more…] about Kuka expected to roll out collaborative robot on autonomous platform in more factories

Glassblower Hofmann employs Universal Robots machine to manage delicate glass process

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Traditional glassblowing company Hofmann Glastechnik is utilising two collaborative robots to automate a part of the production process. 

The Universal Robots machines are tasked with picking and placing highly sensitive glass tubes into a forming machine.

This relieves the family-owned company’s human employees from what is one of the most repetitive and monotonous tasks in the facility.  [Read more…] about Glassblower Hofmann employs Universal Robots machine to manage delicate glass process

DHL uses Effibot logistics robot to deliver Formula E racing cars

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Logistics giant DHL called on the Effibot autonomous vehicle to help with the logistics demands of delivering all 40 fully-electric racing cars which took part in the recent Formula E Championship decider in Montreal, Canada.

Along with the cars, DHL also delivered lithium-ion batteries, charging stations, garage equipment and track infrastructure for the 10 teams that will compete for the title.

With the season finale, DHL also concludes its third season of delivering logistics solutions for the only fully single seater electric car racing series around the globe.  [Read more…] about DHL uses Effibot logistics robot to deliver Formula E racing cars

Norautron recruits ABB’s YuMi collaborative robot to help with Abax electronics manufacturing

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Norautron, an electronics manufacturer based in Norway, has invested in the ABB YuMi collaborative robot to help the company meet additional demands relating to a manufacturing agreement with Abax, a supplier of electronics for cars and other road vehicles. 

Norautron fully automatic robotic work cell is said to be able to manufacture, assemble, mark and pack four unique products.

With this new cell, hardware can be assembled in Norway at a competitive cost level, says the company.  [Read more…] about Norautron recruits ABB’s YuMi collaborative robot to help with Abax electronics manufacturing