Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Mai Tao

Baidu partners with automaker BAIC to mass produce Apollo robotaxis

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Baidu, the equivalent of Google in China and a developer of autonomous car technology, is partnering with automaker BAIC Group’s electric vehicle brand ArcFox to jointly release Apollo Moon, a new generation of robotaxis that are set to be mass-produced with a per unit manufacturing price of RMB 480,000 ($75,000). Apollo is a business unit of Baidu.

Said to be “only one third of the cost of average Level 4 autonomous vehicles”, Apollo Moon is described as “a monumental milestone” in the large-scale commercialization of fully autonomous ride-hailing services in the smart transportation industry.

Apollo Moon has a projected operating cycle of over five years and is slated to revolutionize the transportation sector by providing dependable long-term robotaxi ride-hailing services. [Read more…] about Baidu partners with automaker BAIC to mass produce Apollo robotaxis

Geek+ and Circle K implement ‘Asia’s largest smart warehouse for grocery deliveries’

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Geek+ is supplying 100 autonomous mobile robots to Circle K for its distribution center in Hong Kong.

The companies say the implementation represents the commitment of Geek+ and Circle K Hong Kong to “build supply chain resilience using technology and support customers with a wide selection of products and excellent services”.

Today, the distribution center of 140,000 square feet handles the deliveries of more than 300 Circle K convenience stores in Hong Kong, serving over 600,000 customers daily. [Read more…] about Geek+ and Circle K implement ‘Asia’s largest smart warehouse for grocery deliveries’

New S&P Analysis: Stressed semiconductor industry needs water, gets liberal sprinkling of state support

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By Christopher Rogers, senior researcher, Panjiva, part of S&P Global

The global semiconductor industry is in the midst of a period of upheaval driven by both short- and long-term factors.

The most obvious has been the imbalance in supply versus demand shown by shortages in the automotive industry, as discussed in Panjiva’s research of May 18, resulting in higher prices.

There are also emergent challenges from water shortages in Taiwan – which accounted for 14.4 percent of global exports in 2019 – that are causing power shortages and potential semiconductor fabrication facility closures, according to Nikkei Asia. [Read more…] about New S&P Analysis: Stressed semiconductor industry needs water, gets liberal sprinkling of state support

SberAutoTech launches its first fully autonomous vehicle

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By David Rafalovsky, CTO, Sberbank Group; executive vice president, head of technology, Sberbank

SberAutoTech, a Sber ecosystem company, has revealed a prototype of its own autonomous vehicle for future mobility, which it has named “FLIP”.

The brand-new and fully self-driving vehicle has been developed to match the highest level in international driving automation classification. It pursues the new mobility concept providing quick, safe, and comfortable transportation for passengers through cutting-edge IT and automotive technologies.

There is a proprietary electric platform driven by an electric motor powered by a replaceable battery module at the core of FLIP. Key differentiating know-how is that fast-swappable batteries can be replaced in five minutes. [Read more…] about SberAutoTech launches its first fully autonomous vehicle

Ambarella, Lumentum and ON Semiconductor collaborate on AI processing based 3D sensing for next-gen AIoT devices

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Ambarella, an AI vision silicon company, Lumentum, a designer and manufacturer of innovative optical and photonic products, and ON Semiconductor, a provider of CMOS image sensor solutions, have partnered to produce two new joint reference designs that they say will “accelerate artificial intelligence of things device deployment across verticals”.

The designs build on the companies’ previous joint solution for contactless access systems.

By combining the data from Lumentum’s high-performance VCSEL array illuminators and an ON Semiconductor image sensor using Ambarella’s AI SoC, higher levels of accuracy and more intelligent decision-making can be achieved in next-generation AIoT devices for biometric access control, 3D electronic locks and other intelligent sensing applications. [Read more…] about Ambarella, Lumentum and ON Semiconductor collaborate on AI processing based 3D sensing for next-gen AIoT devices

TSMC’s chairman: Real reasons for the global chip shortage

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Republished from AutoTech.News

In terms of severity the automotive industry was among the early victims who experienced the adverse effect of the global chip shortage.

It led to disrupted supply chains, subsequent halted auto production and loss of income for auto manufacturers.

Initially Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Ford were the first carmakers who reported to stopped auto production in early January of 2021 caused by the chip shortage. [Read more…] about TSMC’s chairman: Real reasons for the global chip shortage

Innodisk releases CAN Bus modules for unmanned smart systems

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Innodisk has released its latest CAN Bus modules. With a complete line of form factors and strict industrial quality, these products have proven themselves indispensable in the success of unmanned systems, says the company.

The demand for unmanned systems has seen marked growth since 2020, with a report from Fortune Business Insights estimating annual growth of 12.23 percent for the UAV segment.

Many industry verticals have felt the impact of unmanned systems, such as agriculture, logistics, transportation, and aerospace, which have all begun to leverage the benefits of unmanned vehicle technologies. [Read more…] about Innodisk releases CAN Bus modules for unmanned smart systems

Singapore mega-port implements Stäubli robot charging solution

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PSA Singapore’s new mega-port will have fully automated key operations with AGVs that are automatically charged during the operation process with Stäubli’s QCC high-power charging solution.

In the course of maintenance, the battery systems are exchanged automatically with Stäubli’s Multi Connect System, or MCS.

PSA Singapore is ranked the world’s largest container transshipment hub. To anticipate the future growth in global trade, PSA is constructing the new mega port at Tuas. This future port will feature totally automated terminal operations. [Read more…] about Singapore mega-port implements Stäubli robot charging solution

Unity partners with Mando to develop advanced driver assistance system

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Unity, one of the best-known platforms for creating games, is partnering up with South Korean self-driving technology company Mando to develop front camera simulation technology for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Unity has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mando to develop an ADAS front camera simulator. This MoU will combine Mando’s expertise in technology with Unity for a joint effort to develop an ADAS front camera simulator.

This is South Korea’s first collaboration case between an automotive parts company and a game engine developer. [Read more…] about Unity partners with Mando to develop advanced driver assistance system

Opinion: Collaborative robots enable effective high-mix, low-volume production

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Oliver Giertz, product manager for servo/motion and robotics for the EMEA region at Mitsubishi Electric, factory automation, explains how collaborative robots are helping manufacturers to increase flexibility, boost quality, and drive down operational costs.

With increased competition, often on a global scale, manufacturers need to differentiate themselves by tailoring products more closely to customer demand.

This, of course, carries with it an implicit reduction in batch sizes and has seen the rise of high-mix, low-volume production.

Collaborative robots, or cobots, can enable manufacturers to effectively meet individual customer requirements with greater product variety in smaller batches. [Read more…] about Opinion: Collaborative robots enable effective high-mix, low-volume production