Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Mai Tao

Denso Robotics reveals it has 95,000 industrial robots installed worldwide

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Denso Robotics now has almost 100,000 industrial robots installed worldwide, which means it overtakes Kuka on the Robotics and Automation News list of top industrial robot manufacturers in the world. 

The company – which is the main robotics and automation systems supplier to automotive giant Toyota – overtakes Kuka, and is now just 5,000 short of Nachi-Fujikoshi.

The list of the top industrial robot manufacturers in the world was first published a couple of years ago, but has since been updated whenever new information has been made available.  [Read more…] about Denso Robotics reveals it has 95,000 industrial robots installed worldwide

Dr Robot: Robotics and automation in the medical sector

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Robotics in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector has a relatively long history, having started with a robot called the Puma 560 in 1985, according to All About Robotic Surgery.

Now, however, a number of robotic and automation systems have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for operation in healthcare environments, and the market is probably set to grow exponentially in the next few years as they become fully commercialised.

While robotic surgery systems such as Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci may be the most photogenic of the systems, gaining a lot of publicity in recent years, there are numerous other systems being developed, with some already being used in healthcare.  [Read more…] about Dr Robot: Robotics and automation in the medical sector

Rockwell Automation launches infrastructure-as-a-service to simplify setting up industrial networks

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Rockwell Automation has launched an infrastructure-as-a-service which the company says simplifies and accelerates networks.

The new service bundles networking products and remote-monitoring support into one contract.

Rockwell says a secure and robust network infrastructure is essential to improving overall competitiveness in a connected enterprise, but designing, deploying and maintaining this infrastructure can be complex and time consuming for many companies, and is often too costly for their capital budgets.  [Read more…] about Rockwell Automation launches infrastructure-as-a-service to simplify setting up industrial networks

Robots in the cosmetics industry: Complex tasks for sophisticated machines

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Like most business sectors, the cosmetics industry is a growing market for industrial robotics and automation suppliers. 

At the moment, it’s a relatively small market compared to automotive, electronics, and other sectors, but according to a study by Alltake Market Research, unit shipments in the sector will grow more than 20 per cent by 2022.

However, Alltake combines cosmetics and pharmaceutical into one category for its projections.  [Read more…] about Robots in the cosmetics industry: Complex tasks for sophisticated machines

Epson to demonstrate newly launched T3 all-in-one SCARA robot at the Assembly Show

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Epson Robots will be showcasing its newly launched T3 All-in-One SCARA robot at the manufacturing industry event The Assembly Show.

Epson says that as well as the T3, it will also showcase its “revolutionary” Flexion N2 6-Axis robot, as well as a selection of its leading 6-Axis and SCARA robots.

Additionally, Epson will lead a discussion on how to get started in robotics and automation.  [Read more…] about Epson to demonstrate newly launched T3 all-in-one SCARA robot at the Assembly Show

Japanese companies prepare to bring forward new generation of humanoid collaborative robots capable of a variety of industrial work

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There was a time when Japanese electronics companies were the Apples and Googles of the world, with everyone buying their products and talking about them in the media.

Many of those same formerly pre-eminent names today play second fiddle to the Silicon Valley tech giants.

But while they may not be discussed as much as they were in the past – and their products not as ubiquitous in the consumer market – Japanese companies still loom large in the industrial sector.  [Read more…] about Japanese companies prepare to bring forward new generation of humanoid collaborative robots capable of a variety of industrial work

ABB robot hatches 30 per cent more eggs for Singapore egg farm

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Growing demand for locally-farmed eggs prompted Seng Choon Farm, to turn to automation in an effort to increase its production capacity

In April this year, ABB installed and commissioned a robotic palletizing system at Seng Choon Farm’s 36 acre site in north-west Singapore, to support increased production output as well as the company’s future expansion plans.

Since then, the robotic palletizing system, that stacks heavy boxes and baskets of eggs onto pallets, has raised the farm’s productivity by 30 per cent.

Before the robotic system was installed, workers would manually stack the cartons and baskets of eggs onto the pallets, with a single worker lifting about 15 tons of eggs a day.  [Read more…] about ABB robot hatches 30 per cent more eggs for Singapore egg farm

General Electric deepening its interest in the software business

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General Electric claims it was the first company to have launched an industrial internet of things platform when it released Predix last year.

The company’s software business unit, GE Digital, has been generating revenues of more than $4 billion a year, and looks like it’s strongly influencing the future direction of the overall business.

Another of the big ideas at GE is the “Brilliant Factory” concept, which is essentially the digitalisation of anything and everything that can be digitised in a manufacturing or industrial process.  [Read more…] about General Electric deepening its interest in the software business

Sony returns to robotics market after 12 years away

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Japanese electronics giant Sony is returning to the robotics market after more than a decade away, according to a report on Nikkei. 

The company is reportedly planning to bring back together the team which produced Aibo (pictured below), the robotic pet dog for the home, which proved popular many years ago.

Sony was at one time the most talked-about electronics company in the world, the Apple of its day.  [Read more…] about Sony returns to robotics market after 12 years away

Toyota investing $400 million to manufacture hybrid powertrain in the US

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Toyota is to build hybrid powertrains at plants in the US for the first time.

The company claims it has “just upped the stakes” to remain the top manufacturer of hybrid vehicles worldwide.

Its investment in the US will total $373.8 million, spread across five US manufacturing plants.  [Read more…] about Toyota investing $400 million to manufacture hybrid powertrain in the US