Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Ava says its telepresence robot ‘revolutionizing real estate industry’s digital capabilities’

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Ava Robotics says its telepresence robot is “revolutionizing real estate industry’s digital capabilities”. (See video below.)

In response to the severe limitations created by Covid-19 lockdowns, Ava Robotics, a leader in creating intelligent robots for the workplace, partnered with Austrian real estate company SIGNA and Cisco partner FRINK Advanced Services to create a fully digital, remote sales experience powered by Ava’s telepresence robots.

Ava Telepresence assists realtors and clients in remote, contactless home tours that allow the customer to have more control and better access to viewing a property and interacting with a sales agent. [Read more…] about Ava says its telepresence robot ‘revolutionizing real estate industry’s digital capabilities’

ATI Industrial Automation introduces new robotic tool changer and storage solution

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ATI Industrial Automation has developed what it says is “a new standard robotic tool changing and storage solution” – the QC-7 Robotic Tool Changer.

This lightweight yet durable tool changer offers a variety of configuration options with ATI’s Pass-Through Utility Modules and Tool Stand systems.

An optional ML12 Electrical Module attaches easily to the QC-7 Tool Changer body, which also includes five pass-through air ports and lock/unlock air fittings. [Read more…] about ATI Industrial Automation introduces new robotic tool changer and storage solution

CapStone invests $10 million in Perrone Robotics

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CapStone Holdings, a business incubator and investment group, has made a $10 million equity investment in Perrone Robotics, a provider of fully autonomous vehicle systems. 

Perrone delivers autonomous mobility through what it says is “the world’s first and only patented general purpose robotics operating system and autonomous vehicle retrofit kit” (TONY).

TONY embeds inside any vehicle for any job, to provide an “artificial driver” solution that brings full autonomy in a safety certifiable framework for the right vehicle platform. [Read more…] about CapStone invests $10 million in Perrone Robotics

Computer games-making engine Unity introduces robotics simulation system

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Unity, a software platform for making computer games, has unveiled a robotic simulation system. 

Unity is one of the most popular platforms for creating and operating real-time 3D games and other digital content and its new functionality is called Object Pose Estimation demonstration, which the company says “combines the power of computer vision and simulation technologies”, adding that it illustrates how Unity’s artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities are “having real-world impact on the use of robotics in industrial settings”.

Object Pose Estimation and its corresponding demonstration come on the heels of recent releases aimed at supporting the eminent Robot Operating System (ROS), a flexible framework for writing robot software. [Read more…] about Computer games-making engine Unity introduces robotics simulation system

Giving airplanes new life with new cockpits

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Technology moves at a blistering pace, and what was modern and cool yesterday is outdated today.

That’s where UPS Airlines was with its Airbus A300 freighter aircraft fleet several years ago. The 52 wide-body “browntails,” with an average age of 18 years, have plenty of life left in them.

But the avionics in the cockpit needed a serious upgrade. The current flight management computers (FMC) used for navigation have just 200 kilobytes of storage. That was fine in 1983, when the A300-600 first flew, but nowhere near enough storage now. [Read more…] about Giving airplanes new life with new cockpits

Stäubli launches three new six-axis industrial robots

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Stäubli is launching three new six-axis industrial robots for the medium payload range.

The TX2-140, TX2-160 and TX2-160L extend the current TX2 generation and bring the total to nine models.

The company says their “rigid structure and smart design make them the ideal choice for a variety of applications in ambient conditions ranging from harsh to sterile”, adding that they feature the “highest level of safety and connectivity”. [Read more…] about Stäubli launches three new six-axis industrial robots

RoboDK, DIY-Robotics, and ATI release a ‘plug-and-play’ cell for robotic deburring

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Robot software company RoboDK has partnered with DIY-Robotics and ATI Industrial Automation to release a combined application bundle for robotic deburring. The plug-and-play modular Robotic Deburring Cell can be integrated in just a few days. (See video below.)

With manufacturing industries changing rapidly, companies are increasingly turning to robotic automation to stay competitive. However, robot deployments have traditionally taken weeks or even months.

In February 2021, robot software company RoboDK partnered with DIY-Robotics and ATI Industrial Automation to create a pre-engineered, modular solution for robotic deburring that reduces deployment time considerably. [Read more…] about RoboDK, DIY-Robotics, and ATI release a ‘plug-and-play’ cell for robotic deburring

Agriculture robotics startup Future Acres looking to raise $3 million

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Startup Future Acres is looking to raise $3 million to bring agricultural robotics to the farm industry in order to “optimize workforce efficiency”. 

The initiative to raise up to $3 million in seed capital is being organized through the equity crowdfunding site SeedInvest. The company is producing an autonomous, electric agricultural robotic harvest companion, named Carry, to help farmers gather hand-picked crops faster and with less physical demand.

At a time when farmers are tasked with producing more food than ever before to meet growing global population demands – predicted to get as high as 10 billion people by 2050 – limitations in labor and harvesting tools, in addition to environmental scrutiny, have prevented farmers from staying profitable and scaling their businesses. [Read more…] about Agriculture robotics startup Future Acres looking to raise $3 million

Motional operates driverless vehicles on public roads in Las Vegas

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Motional is operating driverless vehicles on public roads, becoming one of the world’s first companies to do so. The inaugural testing took place in Las Vegas this month and consisted of multiple driverless vehicles safely navigating intersections, unprotected turns, and interactions with other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

In pursuit of this milestone and a future of safer roads, Motional set a high bar for the industry. The company’s driverless operation follows decades of innovation, 1.5 million miles, and a two-year self-imposed safety evaluation process that took hundreds of employees more than 100,000 hours to complete.

During this process, Motional proactively sought external review. TÜV SÜD, a world-leading independent technical service provider with extensive experience assessing driverless technology, was given access to the company’s proprietary systems, technology, and operations. [Read more…] about Motional operates driverless vehicles on public roads in Las Vegas

Symbio Robotics raises $30 million and launches computing platform to make robots ‘more intelligent’

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Startup company Symbio Robotics has raises more than $30 million in funding and has launched a computing platform to make robots “more intelligent”.

Symbio says it is “pioneering the next frontier of manufacturing” through a combination of artificial intelligence and industrial robotics.

Symbio officially launched the company today, armed with $30 million and a goal of “modernizing industrial manufacturing by breathing new life into existing industrial robots – making them faster, more capable and more flexible”. [Read more…] about Symbio Robotics raises $30 million and launches computing platform to make robots ‘more intelligent’