Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Mai Tao

Co-founder and CTO of Universal Robots wins Engelberger Award

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Esben Østergaard (main picture), co-founder and chief technology officer of Universal Robots, a market leader of collaborative robots, has been awarded the automation industry’s most prestigious honour, the Engelberger Robotics Award.

Singapore, May 28, 2018: The American Robotic Industries Association (RIA) announced Esben Østergaard as the recipient of the Engelberger Robotics Award 2018.

Østergaard spearheads the development of Universal Robots’ collaborative robot arms (cobots) representing one of the most significant technology breakthroughs coming out of the robotics community in decades.  [Read more…] about Co-founder and CTO of Universal Robots wins Engelberger Award

Indonesia moving towards energy-saving intelligent buildings

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The building energy management systems (BEMS) market in Southeast Asia is set to develop at a compound annual growth rate of 12.2 per cent to 2020, according to Frost & Sullivan.

Next-generation IT solutions such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are enabling the implementation of a new class of BEMS that offer both comfort and optimized energy performance, in new and existing buildings.

Due to a combination of policy support, tax benefits, educational and awareness programs, smart and green buildings in Indonesia are forecast to reach as high as 20-25 per cent of the market by 2025.  [Read more…] about Indonesia moving towards energy-saving intelligent buildings

Universal Robots in central role in JVC electronics factory

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Universal Robots is gaining market share in south-east Asia’s most populous nation, Indonesia. 

PT JVC Electronics Indonesia says it has enhanced productivity, output quality and workers’ wellbeing with Universal Robots’ cobots, while saving over $80,000.

Universal Robots is, by unit sales, the leading collaborative robotics company.  [Read more…] about Universal Robots in central role in JVC electronics factory

New institute for robotics and AI opens in China

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A new research and development institute for robotics and artificial intelligence has opened in China. 

The Changzhou Institute of Intelligent Robotics under the auspices of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences opened at the Airwheel Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence in Changzhou National Hi-Tech District.

Zhou Changming, Changzhou municipal standing committee member and organization department director, as well as Zhan Chao, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences deputy director, were present at the inaugural ceremony.  [Read more…] about New institute for robotics and AI opens in China

How artificial intelligence will impact the future of the business industry

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Artificial intelligence is taking over many areas of life, and it’s not exactly surprising why. Having the capability to process massive amounts of data holds considerable potential for a lot of parties.

Entire governments are funnelling billions into developing powerful AI, which can give them an edge over other nations. Not to mention the tech giants that are also doing the same thing for the same reasons.

The fact of the matter is that AI is now synonymous with power, both for countries and businesses. Those who can take advantage of it have the opportunity to stay ahead of their competitors and thrive in the coming decades if they start travel procedures now. Doing so, however, requires keeping a few aspects of AI in mind.  [Read more…] about How artificial intelligence will impact the future of the business industry

Pushy Pepper robots take over Smithsonian Museum hosting jobs

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A contingent of pushy Pepper robots – a small humanoid robot produced by SoftBank Robotics – has taken over the Smithsonian Museum’s hosting jobs.

The Pepper robots have already taken up their positions and are all set to meet and greet and be robotically cheerful for visitors to what is perhaps the world’s most famous museum chain.

The innocuous-looking but potentially job-stealing Pepper units were all donated by SoftBank as part of a pilot project. [Read more…] about Pushy Pepper robots take over Smithsonian Museum hosting jobs

Sony sells 11,000 units of robot dog Aibo

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Sony says it sold exactly 11,111 units of its robot dog, Aibo, in the three months since the mechatronic canine’s re-release in January this year. 

This is according to a report on The Mainichi website, which calls the sales performance a “solid start”.

This comment would indicate that the sales numbers are in line with, or indeed exceed, Sony’s targets.  [Read more…] about Sony sells 11,000 units of robot dog Aibo

Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

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Hyundai Heavy Industries has reached an agreement to supply Kuka industrial robots and other products to manufacturers and other industrial companies. 

This is according to a report on the website of the Korea Herald, which says the agreement is for HHI to market Kuka products to “large Korean manufacturing firms”.

South Korean industry is dominated by what are referred to chaebols, which means very large conglomerates, and gaining access to them is probably quite difficult.  [Read more…] about Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

Alibaba business unit Cainiao shows off autonomous delivery vehicle

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Alibaba’s logistics business unit Cainiao has been demonstrating a small, autonomous vehicle designed for goods deliveries. 

Alibaba bought a controlling stake in Cainiao last year and said it would invest $15 billion into developing its logistics network and technologies.

This new vehicle may indicate the direction in which the companies are looking to go.

Cainiao is said to deliver more than 80 per cent of goods ordered through Alibaba websites, according to TechNode.com.

Alibaba is said to be the largest e-commerce company in the world.

 

Japanese company unveils construction robot

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A Japanese company called Daiwa House Industry has been demonstrating a robotic system which can help in the construction of houses and buildings.

The robot appears to work by spraying layers of plaster on metallic structures, which themselves could be constructed by a robot – as can be seen in the image on Mainichi.jp.

It seems to work along similar lines to a robotic construction system developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland.

Daiwa House executives say the company’s system can labour costs of 30 per cent compared with human workers.

The main task it is designed to perform is to spray fireproof coating on a building – something which is said to be one of the most difficult parts of construction.

Daiwa House, which has so far invested almost $1 million into developing the system, plans to put it into operation sometime next year.

Head of technology Kazuto Tsuchida says: “It is expected the construction industry will face a shortage of 1.12 million workers in 2025.

“There are major expectations for robots, and we hope this will lead to high quantity production.”

This is not the only area of robotics Daiwa House been researching. The partners with Cyberdyne, which builds robotic exoskeletons, to supply the latter’s “HAL” exoskeletons.

The exoskeletons are designed to provide assistance to caregivers to the elderly (see picture below).

daiwa house cyberdyne

Daiwa House is Japan’s largest homebuilder, and also has interests in many other design and construction sectors, including in the building of care homes for the elderly.

The company’s annual revenue is more than $20 billion and it employs approximately 30,000 people.