Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Taurob and Equinor to introduce autonomous robots on Norway’s offshore platforms

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Norwegian petroleum refining company Equinor is introducing autonomous ATEX-certified robots on their oil and gas installations.

ATEX is the European certification given to equipment tested and approved to be “intrinsically safe”.

Partner in the project is inspection robotics specialist Taurob of Austria. Its robot will be used to conduct routine inspection and maintenance tasks on offshore installations.

Taurob started developing robotics applied for human safety, particularly in emergency response situations, 11 years ago. Safety is also the main driver for the energy domain to step into robotics. [Read more…] about Taurob and Equinor to introduce autonomous robots on Norway’s offshore platforms

Carbon Robotics releases new autonomous weeding robot into farming industry

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Carbon Robotics, an autonomous robotics company, has unveiled its third-generation autonomous weed elimination robots.

The Autonomous Weeder uses robotics, artificial intelligence, and laser technology to safely and effectively drive through crop fields to identify, target and eliminate weeds.

Unlike other weeding technologies, the robots utilize high-power lasers to eradicate weeds through thermal energy, without disturbing the soil. [Read more…] about Carbon Robotics releases new autonomous weeding robot into farming industry

RightHand Robotics unveils new item-handling system

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RightHand Robotics, an automation solutions company, has launched the RightPick 3 item-handling robot system, the company’s newest generation of the RightPick product suite. (See video below.)

The announcement is made in conjunction with this year’s virtual material handling automation showcase, ProMatDX.

The RightPick 3 system is the world’s first autonomous piece-picking solution designed from the ground up to be integrator-friendly with a modular, industrialized hardware design, well-defined software APIs and international compliance. [Read more…] about RightHand Robotics unveils new item-handling system

Stäubli SCARA robots win Red Dot design award

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Stäubli’s SCARA robots have won one of the industry’s most coveted design awards, the Red Dot Design Award 2021, in the “Product Design” category.

The new TS2 SCARA series Stäubli has been well received in the market and sets benchmarks in terms of dynamics, precision and cleanroom, says Stäubli.

Christophe Coulongeat, group division manager Stäubli Robotics, says: “We are very proud to receive this prestigious prize. [Read more…] about Stäubli SCARA robots win Red Dot design award

ABB’s new collaborative robot GoFa wins prestigious Best of the Best Red Dot award

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ABB’s GoFa cobot has been awarded the prestigious Red Dot Best of the Best design award in recognition of its unique design concept to make the new robot appealing and accessible to users.

The global Red Dot Design Awards recognize achievements in product design, with the jury assessing thousands of entries every year.

Red Dot’s “Best of the Best” award is for groundbreaking design and is the highest award in the competition, reserved for the most aesthetically appealing, functional, smart or innovative design. [Read more…] about ABB’s new collaborative robot GoFa wins prestigious Best of the Best Red Dot award

Avinor ploughs €40 million into Yeti autonomous snow removal vehicles

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Norwegian airport operator Avinor is taking the next step towards autonomous snow removal through a new framework agreement regarding the purchase of self-driving runway sweepers.

The self-driving technology is developed by the technology company Yeti Move, where Semcon is one of the co-owners.

Since the winter of 2018/2019, a number of self-driving runway sweepers have been tested at Oslo Airport. With Avinor’s new framework agreement with snowplough manufacturer Øveraasen, which runs for eight years, more autonomous vehicles will be put into operation during the winter of 2021/2022. [Read more…] about Avinor ploughs €40 million into Yeti autonomous snow removal vehicles

European project Robotics4EU releases surveys aimed at robotics community

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Robotics4EU, a three-year project funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, is releasing two surveys to support the project implementation and its goal: to boost a wider adoption of robotics in Europe. 

Developed as a basis for foundational work and to support the Robotics4EU project implementation, which started in January, these two surveys are aimed at the robotics community and policy makers in the area of robotics.

The data gathered from these surveys will also help identify the greatest challenges, bottlenecks and needs in enabling wider adoption of robotics in the project’s areas – healthcare, inspection and maintenance of infrastructure, agri-food, and agile production – and help the uptake of principles of responsible robotics. [Read more…] about European project Robotics4EU releases surveys aimed at robotics community

Key industry organisations partner to develop global standards for autonomous vehicles

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The Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium, a global group of automotive and technology industry organisations, has agreed what is described as a “key liaison” with SAE International, the association of more than 200,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries.

The two organisations’ shared goal is to help expedite the development of autonomous and assisted driving solutions through shared technical references, recommendations, design benchmarks and marketing initiatives.

Jack Pokrzywa, ground vehicle standards director, SAE International, says: “For more than a century, SAE Standards have created the safe, reliable and consistent use and adoption of technologies to advance the mobility industry for the benefit of humanity. [Read more…] about Key industry organisations partner to develop global standards for autonomous vehicles

XPO Logistics pilots autonomous forklift truck technology in partnership with Balyo and Linde

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XPO Logistics, a global provider of transport and logistics solutions, has embarked on a new autonomous forklift truck technology pilot program in collaboration with Balyo, a specialist developer of robotics for goods handling equipment.

XPO is the first logistics company in Europe to test Balyo’s latest robotic “reach truck” – referring to its higher reach – under real-life conditions. The pilot is underway at an XPO distribution center near Blois, France.

Malcolm Wilson, XPO’s chief executive officer – Europe, says: “We’re pleased that our on-site tests will help optimize intelligent reach trucks for the logistics environment. As we pilot the robotics in our operations, we’re also exploring these applications to increase efficiency for customers and to support our employees.” [Read more…] about XPO Logistics pilots autonomous forklift truck technology in partnership with Balyo and Linde

Driverless truck company TuSimple files for listing on Nasdaq

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TuSimple, a self-driving truck company, has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed initial public offering of shares of its Class A common stock.

The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. TuSimple intends to list its common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “TSP”. Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and JP Morgan will act as lead book-running managers for the proposed offering. [Read more…] about Driverless truck company TuSimple files for listing on Nasdaq