From shelf-scanning robots to warehouse automation and AI-powered checkout systems, robots are transforming retail operations both in stores and behind the scenes. [Read more…] about Retail automation: Robots on the shop floor and behind the scenes
Jacobi Robotics wins DHL innovation award for its warehouse palletizing solution
DHL announced Jacobi Robotics as the winner of its Fast Forward Challenge Americas Edition on October 14.
Jacobi Robotics received a $20,000 cash prize to bring its vision to life by working jointly with DHL innovation experts to pilot its warehouse palletizing solution.
The Fast Forward Challenge is a competition inviting businesses, start-ups and innovators to showcase their game-changing solutions in logistics for a chance to test them in a real-world environment with DHL, join the DHL Innovation Ecosystem, and potentially exhibit their solutions to DHL customers in DHL Innovation Centers worldwide. [Read more…] about Jacobi Robotics wins DHL innovation award for its warehouse palletizing solution
BASF and Carlyle to form €7.7 billion standalone coatings company with QIA investment
BASF has signed a binding agreement with global investment firm Carlyle and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) to create a new standalone coatings company valued at €7.7 billion.
The deal covers BASF’s automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinish coatings, and surface treatment businesses, collectively known as BASF Coatings. Under the agreement, Carlyle and QIA will take a majority stake, while BASF will retain a 40 percent equity stake in the new company.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals. BASF says it will receive approximately €5.8 billion in pre-tax cash proceeds at closing. [Read more…] about BASF and Carlyle to form €7.7 billion standalone coatings company with QIA investment
The end is nigh for smelly socks: Heraeus invents material that eliminates bad odours
Heraeus Precious Metals has developed an antimicrobial technology called AGXX, which the company says eliminates bacteria, fungi, viruses, and algae through a catalytic reaction rather than by releasing metal ions or other potentially harmful substances.
Unlike conventional antimicrobial coatings, which often rely on silver or copper ion release and lose effectiveness over time, AGXX operates continuously using humidity and oxygen from the surrounding air.
The process generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that destroy microorganisms and prevent biofilm formation. [Read more…] about The end is nigh for smelly socks: Heraeus invents material that eliminates bad odours
ABB integrates Machine Automation division into Process Automation business area
Following the announcement of the divestment of its robotics division to SoftBank Group, ABB is transitioning the Machine Automation division – formerly part of the Robotics & Discrete Automation business area – into the Process Automation business area.
The transition will take effect in the fourth quarter of 2025.
As the division transitions into the Process Automation business area, customers in process and hybrid industries will benefit from deeper technology synergies – spanning automation, electrification and digitalization – delivered through a unified and comprehensive portfolio. [Read more…] about ABB integrates Machine Automation division into Process Automation business area
Kenco partners with GreyOrange to elevate fulfillment through AI-powered orchestration
Kenco, a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, has agreed a long-term partnership with GreyOrange, the global leader in AI-driven warehouse orchestration software.
Over the next five years, Kenco will deploy GreyOrange’s GreyMatter Multi-Process Orchestration Platform (MPOP) across its network of fulfillment centers, supported by fleets of robotic solutions from GreyOrange’s Certified Ranger Network.
The collaboration underscores Kenco’s commitment to redefining fulfillment in the 3PL market by integrating orchestration technology that synchronizes people, processes, and robotic systems across complex and continuously evolving distribution environments. [Read more…] about Kenco partners with GreyOrange to elevate fulfillment through AI-powered orchestration
ODW Logistics expects to improve pick rates by 42 percent with Zebra Technologies
Zebra Technologies, a provider of warehouse automation technologies, says ODW Logistics has adopted Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment to optimize its e-commerce operations.
With this implementation, ODW Logistics anticipates realizing a 42 percent improvement in pick rates, enhancing its ability to scale while maintaining cost efficiency.
ODW Logistics selected Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment to enhance efficiency and flexibility across its fulfillment operations. [Read more…] about ODW Logistics expects to improve pick rates by 42 percent with Zebra Technologies
Best Technologies for Senior Safety at Home
Most household injuries for older adults happen in familiar rooms when routines slip. Small gaps in attention can turn into falls, burns, or missed pills.
Medical alert wearables remain the backbone for rapid help. Modern devices add GPS, fall detection, and two way voice so help is one press away.
Brands like Life Assure focus on simple setup, nationwide coverage in Canada, and no long contracts, which matters for families that want reliable support without a complex install. [Read more…] about Best Technologies for Senior Safety at Home
When customers see robots being mistreated, their reactions reveal something deeper about society
A new study from Hanyang University ERICA, in South Korea, has found that when people witness someone abusing a service robot, their response follows one of two psychological paths: some copy the aggressor’s behavior, while others feel empathy for the robot and act more kindly.
The research, led by Professor Taeshik Gong, offers one of the first empirical looks at a phenomenon that many people have noticed but few have studied – the discomfort that arises when robots are kicked, shoved, or insulted in public or online videos.
Such scenes, once intended to showcase a robot’s balance or durability, increasingly strike observers as needlessly cruel. [Read more…] about When customers see robots being mistreated, their reactions reveal something deeper about society
Interview with Locus Robotics software leader: ‘AI delivers clear advantages over generic foundational models’
Locus Robotics has become one of the defining companies in warehouse automation, best known for its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that work alongside people in logistics centers around the world.
But increasingly, the company’s real differentiator may lie not in the hardware itself – which many would argue has reached near-optimal design for its purpose – but in the intelligence that drives it.
Hamid Montazeri, senior vice president of software and AI at Locus Robotics, leads the team responsible for that intelligence. His work focuses on developing what he calls “physical AI” – domain-specific artificial intelligence designed to operate in the unpredictable, fast-moving environment of a warehouse. [Read more…] about Interview with Locus Robotics software leader: ‘AI delivers clear advantages over generic foundational models’