Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

The future of landscaping: Autonomous technology is mowing the path ahead

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By Tim Kubista, RC Mowers

When robotic mowing first appeared in the late 1990s, the mowers were primarily focused on the residential market and were commonly referred to as “lawn Roombas”. These mowers were small and innovative, but weren’t all that reliable or productive.

As the technology expanded, demand shifted to the commercial market, where expectations are significantly higher. Reliability, productivity and integration into existing operations are non-negotiable for most commercial lawn care and landscaping businesses.

Today, we’ve moved from simple robotic mowers to autonomous mowing, an industry that is in the critical early-adoption phase and is comparable to where robotic vacuums were in the early 2010s. Autonomous mowers are seen as having real utility but are often met with skepticism and infrastructure challenges. [Read more…] about The future of landscaping: Autonomous technology is mowing the path ahead

Amazon’s relentless march towards total global roboticization

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Amazon has quietly passed a stunning milestone: the deployment of 1 million robots across its global operations.

While not all are fully autonomous, the scale and speed of the company’s automation push have sparked a bigger question – how soon will robots outnumber human workers inside Amazon’s warehouses?

With the announcement of a new generative AI foundation model powering its fleet, Amazon is transforming its fulfillment network into one of the most advanced robotic ecosystems in the world. The implications – on efficiency, employment, and the future of logistics – are significant. [Read more…] about Amazon’s relentless march towards total global roboticization

How autonomous mobile robots are picking up the slack caused by labor shortages

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Autonomous mobile robots and their more versatile cousins, mobile manipulators, are increasing in number across many different sectors.

They are rapidly becoming the backbone of modern logistics and are now extending their reach far beyond the warehouse floor, revolutionizing how goods are moved, tasks are performed, and industries operate.

This burgeoning trend, frequently covered on Robotics and Automation News, underscores their critical role in addressing pressing challenges like labor shortages and the demand for greater efficiency in dynamic environments. [Read more…] about How autonomous mobile robots are picking up the slack caused by labor shortages

Continental unveils ‘ultracompact transport robot’

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Continental has developed an ultracompact transport robot that transports stacked small load containers (SLCs) of up to 300 kg fully automatically.

The NXS 300 ensures immediately deployable automation: no infrastructure modifications to existing floor-roller tracks are needed, and thanks to native VDA 5050 integration, the NXS 300 plugs seamlessly into existing AMR fleets. It delivers top speeds of up to two m/s and safe omnidirectional movement thanks to its 360-degree view.

The NXS 300 comes in two versions: the base version with a 600 mm fork length for classic 400 x 600 mm SLCs on carts and the extended version with an 800 mm fork length for half-pallets to effectively double the capacity per trip. [Read more…] about Continental unveils ‘ultracompact transport robot’

Middle kingdom: ABB aims for mid-market expansion in China

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As China’s automation appetite grows beyond mega-factories, ABB is betting big on the mid-market. Its latest launch of three robot families – Lite+, PoWa, and a redesigned IRB 1200 – marks a strategic shift to tap the country’s booming small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) segment. (See video below.)

Manufactured at ABB’s state-of-the-art Shanghai Mega Factory (main image), the new robots are purpose-built for mid-tier industrial applications, offering simplified deployment, AI-ready controls, and modular designs.

The move signals ABB’s intent to lead not just in top-tier industrial automation but also in more accessible, user-friendly robotics platforms tailored for China’s evolving industrial landscape. [Read more…] about Middle kingdom: ABB aims for mid-market expansion in China

ABB launches three new robot ranges to expand automation in China

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New robot products aimed primarily at medium-sized businesses 

ABB is expanding its portfolio with three new robot ranges to support China’s ongoing expansion in advanced manufacturing, building on 30 years of robotics leadership in the country.

Manufactured at ABB’s Robotics’ state-of-the-art Shanghai Mega Factory, the new robot families address a wide range of automation needs in high growth sectors including electronics, consumer industries and general industries – from essential material handling to high-end applications like dispensing and polishing.

All are powered by ABB Robotics’ OmniCore single control platform that enables the full integration of AI, sensor, cloud and edge computing systems to create the most advanced and autonomous robotic applications. [Read more…] about ABB launches three new robot ranges to expand automation in China

Beep begins operating ‘America’s first’ fully autonomous public transit system in Jacksonville

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Beep, a provider of autonomous shared mobility solutions, has begun operating the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s autonomous vehicle service, Navi (Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation).

Navi, the nation’s first fully autonomous public transportation system, launched in Jacksonville, Florida this week.

Backed by a five-year operations and maintenance contract, Beep will operate and maintain the Navi service, which is part of the JTA’s groundbreaking Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program. The company is also announcing the closing of $52.7 million in a funding round co-led by Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital. [Read more…] about Beep begins operating ‘America’s first’ fully autonomous public transit system in Jacksonville

Genesis AI raises $105 million to build ‘universal’ robotics foundation model

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Genesis AI, a global physical AI research lab and full-stack robotics company, emerged from stealth today with a mission to unlock unlimited physical labor.

The company is building a universal robotics foundation model (RFM) and a horizontal robotics platform, raising $105 million co-led by Eclipse and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Bpifrance, HSG, and visionary leaders Eric Schmidt and Xavier Niel.

Physical labor contributes an estimated $30-40 trillion to the Global GDP, yet over 95 percent of it remains unautomated due to the limitations of current automation solutions. Today’s robotic systems, such as industrial arms, rely on brittle, rigid, and overfitted software stacks. [Read more…] about Genesis AI raises $105 million to build ‘universal’ robotics foundation model

Civ Robotics secures $7.5 million to power robot-led surveying

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Civ Robotics, a construction robotics company, has closed its $7.5 million Series A funding round, led by AlleyCorp with investments from Bobcat Company, ff Venture Capital, and previous seed investors.

This brings the total funding to date to $12.5 million. This new investment will support further development of its construction robots and expansion into new global markets, with an emphasis on renewable energy and solar.

Civ Robotics has over 100 of its robots deployed to job sites around the globe. This signals that industry trust in automation is increasing for a sector historically slow to adopt new technologies. [Read more…] about Civ Robotics secures $7.5 million to power robot-led surveying

How do robots work? Sensors, controllers, actuators and software explained

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This article is part of a series of articles based on common questions in robotics. The previous article dealt with the question: What is a robot?

Robots are machines designed to perform tasks – ranging from simple, repetitive actions to complex decision-making processes. But how do they actually work?

At the most basic level, every robot operates through a combination of four core components: sensors, controllers, actuators, and software. These systems work together, often in a closed feedback loop, to carry out programmed instructions and respond to the environment in real time. [Read more…] about How do robots work? Sensors, controllers, actuators and software explained