Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Mark Allinson

How Businesses Should Handle Recalls and Resulting Negative Publicity

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If you run a business that makes physical products, then it’s highly likely you will have to do a recall at some point. It’s a natural part of doing business. The more physical products you make, the more probable that you’ll run into this issue at some juncture.

If you’re running a smaller company, then a product recall might involve a few thousand products. The larger you get, the more disruptive a recall can seem.

For instance, Takata recently recalled 67 million airbags. They had little choice, though. Often, when a company has to do a recall, they realize that if they don’t move forward on this issue, they might have a class action lawsuit from injured consumers somewhere down the line. [Read more…] about How Businesses Should Handle Recalls and Resulting Negative Publicity

Saudi Arabia invests in automated construction startup GMT Robotics

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NEOM, the sustainable region taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia, has signed a landmark investment agreement with GMT Robotics, one of Europe’s emerging innovators in advanced construction technology.

Led by NEOM’s strategic investment arm, NEOM Investment Fund (NIF), the investment will accelerate the delivery of the region’s expansive capital project program through construction robotics, while underpinning NEOM as an innovator in modern construction techniques, including automation.

Majid Mufti, CEO of NEOM Investment Fund, says: “Our investment in GMT Robotics reflects NEOM’s commitment to driving transformative technologies that will unlock next-generation industries. [Read more…] about Saudi Arabia invests in automated construction startup GMT Robotics

Airbus Ventures invests in Eureka Robotics

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Airbus Ventures has made an investment in Singapore-based Eureka Robotics.

Eureka says it will use the $10.5 million Series A funds to accelerate the development of its main products – Eureka Controller and Eureka 3D Camera, which enable system integrators and manufacturers to deploy High Accuracy-High Agility (HA-HA) applications in factories and warehouses.

It will also scale the company’s operations in the existing markets of Singapore and Japan, with a plan to launch more widely across Japan, as well as to enter the US market, where the company has already acquired initial customers. [Read more…] about Airbus Ventures invests in Eureka Robotics

Opinion: Will autonomous cars ever gain regulatory approval to operate freely on public roads?

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The news that General Motors has decided to fold Cruise into its overall business should send shock waves through the industry. If Cruise can’t do it, with all its money and giant parent’s backing, who can?

Cruise is a relatively new startup which had huge optimism around it because several billion dollars were invested into it and a lot of people still believe autonomous cars are the future of global road traffic.

But after burning through $10 billion and only generating $500 million in revenue, Cruise seems to have lost its parent company’s confidence and has now been absorbed into the historic automotive giant, with its technology being repackaged into GM production cars as, essentially, an advanced driver assistance system called “Super Cruise”. [Read more…] about Opinion: Will autonomous cars ever gain regulatory approval to operate freely on public roads?

General Motors to shut down autonomous car developer Cruise despite $10 billion spend

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General Motors is planning to close down Cruise, its autonomous vehicle technology development business, after the startup had racked up expenses of approximately $10 billion while generating revenues of only $500 million.

The way GM announced the closure on its website was that it plans to “realign its autonomous driving strategy and prioritize development of advanced driver assistance systems on a path to fully autonomous personal vehicles”.

GM will build on the progress of Super Cruise, the company’s hands-off, eyes-on driving feature, now offered on more than 20 GM vehicle models and currently logging over 10 million miles per month. [Read more…] about General Motors to shut down autonomous car developer Cruise despite $10 billion spend

Embotech receives $27 million in funding to expand its autonomous tow truck business

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Embotech, an innovator in autonomous driving solutions for industrial logistics, has received CHF23.5 million (approximately $27 million) in Series B funding to help the company scale its autonomous tow truck business.

The company calls its solutions “Automated Vehicle Marshalling” (AVM) and “Autonomous Terminal Tractor” (ATT). The plan is to expand in Europe initially, and then in the United States, Middle East, and Asia.

The funding round is led by Emerald Technology Ventures and Yttrium, with additional funds from BMW i Ventures, Nabtesco Technology Ventures, Sustainable Forward Capital Fund, RKK VC and existing investors.

Embotech, short for embedded optimization technologies, has already secured landmark multi-year rollout contracts for its AVM solution in finished vehicle logistics and its ATT solution for port and yard logistics applications. [Read more…] about Embotech receives $27 million in funding to expand its autonomous tow truck business

Exotec’s warehouse robots surpass ‘1 million bin retrieval and deliveries daily, maintaining 99 percent uptime’

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Exotec, a warehouse robotics provider, says its fleet of Skypod robots have achieved a major operational milestone, retrieving and delivering over one million bins to workstations on a daily basis globally.

Exotec says this achievement underscores its commitment to delivering reliable, high-performance solutions that improve supply chain operations worldwide.

Each individual bin fulfilment represents a robot retrieving a bin and delivering it to a designated workstation. Each bin can fulfil up to four orders, significantly reducing the time and effort it takes for warehouse workers to keep up with spikes in customer demand. [Read more…] about Exotec’s warehouse robots surpass ‘1 million bin retrieval and deliveries daily, maintaining 99 percent uptime’

ANYbotics raises additional $60 million to drive US expansion

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ANYbotics, a provider of four-legged robotic inspection solutions, has raised an additional $60 million, bringing its total funding to over $130 million.

The new funding is led by Qualcomm Ventures and Supernova Invest, with participation from TDK Ventures and other new investors.

Backed by existing investors from Silicon Valley and Europe, including Walden Catalyst, NGP Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Swisscanto, and Swisscom Ventures, the funding will accelerate ANYbotics’ global scaling and recent expansion in the US to meet the growing demand for its industrial inspection robots and enhance the company’s ability to deliver exceptional services and seamless integrations worldwide. [Read more…] about ANYbotics raises additional $60 million to drive US expansion

Olive Young installs Libiao Robots to capitalize on beauty boom in South Korea

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South Korea-based heath and beauty retail chain Olive Young has recently deployed Libiao Robotics’ T-Sort handling technology in its new 33,000 sq m national distribution centre in Gyeonggi Province, bringing the retailer unprecedented levels of efficiency, speed and order accuracy.

Established in 1999 and now considered a market leader in the booming K-beauty sector, Olive Young operates more than 1,300 stores and is growing its online marketplace for its products at a considerable rate.

It has seen a rapid growth in business post-Covid thanks to its wide product range allied with an ethical approach to business. [Read more…] about Olive Young installs Libiao Robots to capitalize on beauty boom in South Korea

Surgical robotics startup Capstan Medical raises $110 million in new funding

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Capstan Medical, a developer of robotic enabled minimally invasive solutions to address heart valve disease, announced today its $110 million Series C to further advance its mission of bringing its innovative structural heart solution to patients.

The round was led by Eclipse, with participation from existing investors Yu Galaxy and Intuitive Ventures, and new investment from Gideon Strategic Partners.

Heart disease has remained the leading cause of death in America for over 100 years, claiming a life every 33 seconds. Today, there are more than 7 million people in the US with heart valve disease, a complex condition made up primarily of mitral and tricuspid valve disease. [Read more…] about Surgical robotics startup Capstan Medical raises $110 million in new funding