Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Mai Tao

From old mail order catalogues to same-day delivery: Warehouse robots are the quintessential sign of changing times

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Ever since Amazon acquired Kiva Systems in 2012 for $775 million and took the startup company’s robots off the market, warehouse managers have been looking for alternative suppliers. 

At that time, there simply no significantly well-known alternatives or proven solutions, but now, seven years on, there is a relatively large number of companies which build and supply warehouse robots.

It’s highly unlikely to be a coincidence that, in the intervening years, Amazon has grown extremely fast to become not only the world’s largest online retailer but also one of the largest logistics companies – not just in its native US, but worldwide. [Read more…] about From old mail order catalogues to same-day delivery: Warehouse robots are the quintessential sign of changing times

White paper: Preparing Your Warehouse for Robots

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In this white paper, Preparing Your Warehouse for Robots, produced in association with Geek Plus Robotics, we look at the types of robotics and automation technologies available to warehouse managers and how they can prepare for the implementation of these technologies.

We can provide a brief answer right now to one of the first questions that many people ask about buying robots and increasing the level of automation in their warehouse: “Is it expensive?”

And that answer is, as ever, “It depends.” [Read more…] about White paper: Preparing Your Warehouse for Robots

Opinion: The new wave of robotic arms helps small businesses

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New robots save money and boost innovation through ‘desktop-to-notebook integrated design’, says Johnson Zhu of Elephant Robotics

High acquisition costs of new technology are harming small businesses that can’t afford to go all-in like the big companies.

Robotics are the lifeblood of large industrial plants and big companies, enabling them to automate multiple tasks while increasing productivity.

Smaller businesses, on the other hand, can’t afford to create innovative products or services or rapidly scale by using the same formula, because they’re in a different league game. [Read more…] about Opinion: The new wave of robotic arms helps small businesses

Yamaha invests in drone tech startup Exyn

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Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, the strategic business development and investment arm of Yamaha Motor, has participated in the $16 million Series A funding round for Exyn Technologies, a developer of autonomous aerial robotics for GPS-denied environments.

The investment is one of the first out of the $100 million Yamaha Motor Exploratory Fund established in 2018 and activated this year. The Exyn investment reflects YMVSV’s interest in developing innovation in the aviation sector.

George Kellerman, CEO and managing director of YMVSV, says: “Advanced aerial autonomy technologies have broad impacts across industry sectors, making Exyn Technologies a very attractive exploratory investment for us. [Read more…] about Yamaha invests in drone tech startup Exyn

Neolix inaugurates factory for manufacturing autonomous vehicles

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Neolix, a maker of small autonomous delivery vehicles, has laid the foundation stone to mark the start of building a factory for manufacturing driverless vehicles. 

The company says the new facility in Changzhou will be the first unmanned vehicle mass-production base in the region, and possibly the world.

The plant will produce vehicles which have “Level 4” autonomation, which is described as “full autonomy with human driver” by the SAE. [Read more…] about Neolix inaugurates factory for manufacturing autonomous vehicles

Renault opens new design center in Shanghai

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Global automotive brand Renault has opened a new design center in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

The new design center in Shanghai will support Groupe Renault’s expansion strategy in China, which has been the world’s number-one car market since 2009.

China was Groupe Renault’s fourth-largest market in 2018, and the country is one of the key pillars of the automaker’s “Drive the Future” strategic plan. [Read more…] about Renault opens new design center in Shanghai

ZF and Foton open joint facility in China to produce automated commercial vehicles

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German automotive components giant ZF Friedrichshafen and Chinese commercial vehicles manufacturer Foton have jointly opened a facility to produce automated commercial vehicles.

The joint plant in Jiaxing will produce automatic commercial vehicle transmissions for the Chinese market, and the partners say they see “excellent market potential for automated commercial vehicles in the next five years”.

At the end of 2016, ZF entered into two joint ventures with Foton, a Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer, to produce and sell commercial vehicle transmissions. [Read more…] about ZF and Foton open joint facility in China to produce automated commercial vehicles

Kiwi automation company Aurora shows off its palletizing robot

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New Zealand automation company Aurora demonstrates and describes its robotic palletizing system

Palletizing equipment is a critical component of many end-of-line processes. Without the right system in place, inefficiencies and production downtime can harm your bottom line.

One of Aurora’s popular solutions is the Fuji-Ace Robotic Palletizer. Often cited as the most advanced palletizer in the world, it is a high-capacity, energy efficient, easy-to-use machine that is streamlining the processes of packing and manufacturing facilities across the world.

In the words of one satisfied customer, site engineer Kendell Chapman of Seales Window: “The output of the system has improved capabilities over our last system. [Read more…] about Kiwi automation company Aurora shows off its palletizing robot

NEDO, Sharp, and Toyota to begin public road trials of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries

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NEDO, Sharp Corporation, and Toyota Motor plan to commence public road trials of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries later this month.

The trials aim to assess the effectiveness of improvements in cruising range and fuel efficiency of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries.

To facilitate the execution of this trial, Sharp modularized its world-class, high-efficiency solar battery cells (conversion efficiency of 34 percent+), previously developed for a NEDO-led project, to create an onboard solar battery panel. [Read more…] about NEDO, Sharp, and Toyota to begin public road trials of electrified vehicles equipped with high-efficiency solar batteries

Elephant Robotics launches collaborative robot

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Elephant Robotics has unveiled a collaborative robot, called “Catbot”, saying it is one of the new generation of smart assistant robotic arms. The cobot is available for pre-order, with delivery scheduled for August. 

Human-robot collaborations are happening across factories worldwide, yet very few are using it for smaller businesses, due to high costs or the difficulty of customization, says the company.

Elephant Robotics, a startup from Shenzhen, China – or the “Silicon Valley of Asia”, as Elephant describes it – has set its sight on helping smaller businesses gain access to smart robotics. [Read more…] about Elephant Robotics launches collaborative robot