Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Relativity Space raises astronomical amount of $500 million for 3D printed rockets idea

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Relativity Space, which is said to be the first company to 3D print an entire rocket and build the largest metal 3D printers in the world, has raised $500 million Series D equity funding.

The investment round was led by Tiger Global Management with participation from new investors Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Iconiq Capital, General Catalyst, XN, Senator Investment Group, and Elad Gil.

Existing investors participating in the round include Bond, Tribe Capital, K5 Global, 3L, Playground Global, Mark Cuban, Spencer Rascoff, and Allen & Company, among others. [Read more…] about Relativity Space raises astronomical amount of $500 million for 3D printed rockets idea

Locus Robotics reaches picking milestone of 250 million units in warehouses

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Locus Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robots for fulfillment warehouses, says that it has now passed the 250 million units picked volume level heading into the 2020 holiday peak season.

Locus robots now pick more than 10,000 units every 15 minutes, a 263 percent increase in units picked compared with the same period last year.

Locus’s 250 million pick milestone reflects the rapidly growing volumes at customer sites throughout this pandemic-impacted year, with some customers’ daily orders often reaching Black Friday levels. [Read more…] about Locus Robotics reaches picking milestone of 250 million units in warehouses

Bobacino launches robotic tea bar

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A startup company called Bobacino has launched its automated Boba Tea Bar, which uses a robotic arm to make beverages for customers. (See video below.)

Bobacino says it is bringing the “unique boba tea experience” to a growing audience of boba aficionados and new enthusiasts through advanced artificial intelligence, automation and robotics.

The company has launched on StartEngine, a crowdfunding platform, to target a market that it forecasts is set to hit $8.4 billion by 2024. [Read more…] about Bobacino launches robotic tea bar

Telerobotics: A ’smart’ remedy for productivity during Covid-19

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By Neil Tardella, CEO, Energid

A surgeon in New York performs a robot-assisted surgery on a patient in India. An engineer in London programs and monitors a robotic work cell in Shenzhen, China.

An assembly line worker or welder unable to enter their auto manufacturing factories in Michigan performs their job remotely, with robots aiding in the process.

It’s called telerobotics – the area of robotics focused on controlling robots from a distance – and it’s bound to play an increasingly important role in society in the wake of the Covid pandemic. [Read more…] about Telerobotics: A ’smart’ remedy for productivity during Covid-19

Locomation completes autonomous truck test involving three states

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Locomation, a startup company providing autonomous trucking technology, has completed an on-road test that involved three different states in America.

The pilot program is intended to showcase autonomous trucking technology for the SmartBelt Coalition (SBC), a collaboration of five transportation agencies and seven research and academic institutions, located throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Over the course of one week, two Locomation trucks performed three separate interstate routes under close observation from representatives of all involved organizations. [Read more…] about Locomation completes autonomous truck test involving three states

Einride and Oatly reveal results of logistics test with electric trucks and freight mobility platform

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Autonomous and electric truck developer Einride and large-scale drinks manufacturer Oatly have revealed the initial results of the two companies’ joint logistics operations.

Einride had integrated its vehicles into Oatly’s transport routes at its production sites and warehouses in the Swedish cities of Helsingborg, Landskrona, and Småland’s Tingsryd.

Oatly is one of the first companies in the world to operate a full fleet of Einride electric trucks daily, on-site. [Read more…] about Einride and Oatly reveal results of logistics test with electric trucks and freight mobility platform

Trumpf enters the world of automated arc welding

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Industrial machine tools company Trumpf has released its first automated arc welding system. The TruArc Weld 1000 comes with a collaborative robot, also known as a “cobot”. After the operator has manually guided it over a component, the cobot then automatically carries out the weld.

It is significantly more efficient than would be possible manually. With the new system, Trumpf says it is responding to the increasing lack of skilled workers and helps fabricators get started with automated welding. CE-compliant and approved by TÜV Austria, the TruArc Weld 1000 “meets the very highest safety standards”. [Read more…] about Trumpf enters the world of automated arc welding

Honeywell to provide flight control technology for unmanned cargo plane

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Pipistrel has selected Honeywell’s Compact Fly-By-Wire system for the Nuuva V300 cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), choosing a modern, lightweight, highly capable system with a proven architecture ideally suited for their autonomous cargo UAV.

Fly-by-wire computers act as the “brains” of an aircraft’s flight controls by operating them electronically and can be found inside nearly all large fixed-wing aircraft today.

The compact version from Honeywell has features derived from decades of expertise in fly-by-wire systems for airliners, but it’s much smaller – roughly the size of a paperback book. [Read more…] about Honeywell to provide flight control technology for unmanned cargo plane

Simbe unveils new version of its shop inventory robot

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Simbe Robotics, a provider of retail service robots, has launched Tally 3.0 – the latest design iteration of its autonomous inventory robot, Tally.

Simbe says its “unique, human-centered approach to design” has set Tally apart from competitors since its initial debut in 2015.

The company adds in its press release: “With enhancements to the robot’s optical system, greater durability and maneuverability to ensure cost-effective top performance, and the introduction of an embedded data processor, Tally 3.0 continues to lead the pack and remains the most innovative, efficient retail robot on the market.” [Read more…] about Simbe unveils new version of its shop inventory robot

Toyota venture fund invests in robotic kitchen startup

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Toyota AI Ventures, Toyota’s early-stage venture capital fund, has decided to invest in YPC Technologies, a robotic kitchen startup based in Montreal, Canada.

The funding follows YPC Technologies’ participation in the 2020 Toyota AI Ventures “call for innovation” focused on smart, connected cities that launched earlier this year in partnership with Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD) and Toyota Research Institute (TRI).

Toyota AI Ventures views cities as a platform for innovation, and this year’s global call for innovation focused on attracting and investing in early-stage startups that are building solutions for smart and connected cities in the areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomy, mobility, cloud, or data. [Read more…] about Toyota venture fund invests in robotic kitchen startup