Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

GM and LG agree $2.3 billion partnership to mass-produce car battery cells

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General Motors and LG Chem have agreed a partnership to mass-produce battery cells for future electric vehicles.

Together, the companies will invest up to a total of $2.3 billion through a new, equally owned joint venture company.

The joint venture will establish a battery cell assembly plant on a greenfield manufacturing site in the Lordstown area of Northeast Ohio that will create more than 1,100 new jobs. [Read more…] about GM and LG agree $2.3 billion partnership to mass-produce car battery cells

ISO unveils ‘world’s first’ drone safety standards

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The International Organisation for Standardisation has launched what are described as the “world’s first” drone standards.

The regulations are the result of a 12-month period of consultation with drone professionals, academics, businesses and the general public.

The final publication of these new international safety and quality Standards for Unmanned Aircraft Systems is set to have a massive impact on the future growth of the drone industry throughout the world, and, are the product of several years of cooperation and rigorous interrogation from all sectors of society. [Read more…] about ISO unveils ‘world’s first’ drone safety standards

Retailers expected to buy more than 150,000 robots by 2025

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The retail sector is expected to buy more than 150,000 robots by 2025, according to a study by ABI Research.

The next generation of mobile robots for cleaning, inventory management, and material handling are “passing the test in retail”, says ABI.

Several robotics companies have grown their autonomous mobile robot fleet in 2019 and are poised to scale exponentially over the next five years. [Read more…] about Retailers expected to buy more than 150,000 robots by 2025

Siemens further expands portfolio and partnerships for industrialized additive manufacturing

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Siemens is further expanding its portfolio and partnerships for industrialized additive manufacturing (AM).

The engineering giant is exhibiting at Formnext 2019 under the slogan “Thinking industrialized Additive Manufacturing further!”.

Formnext is regarded as the leading global trade fair dedicated to additive manufacturing and all of its upstream and downstream processes. [Read more…] about Siemens further expands portfolio and partnerships for industrialized additive manufacturing

IBM joins the Mayflower autonomous ship project

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IBM has joined a global consortium of partners, led by marine research organization ProMare, that are building an unmanned, fully-autonomous ship that will cross the Atlantic in September 2020, on the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage 400 years ago.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will use IBM’s Power servers, AI, cloud and edge computing technologies to navigate autonomously and avoid ocean hazards as it makes its way from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

If successful, it will be one of the first self-navigating, full-sized vessels to cross the Atlantic Ocean and will open the door on a new era of autonomous research ships. [Read more…] about IBM joins the Mayflower autonomous ship project

HP expands and enriches its 3D printing ecosystem

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HP has launched a series of new subscriptions and services to help customers “more easily integrate 3D printing into their digital manufacturing strategies”.

HP also unveiled a series of expanded industrial partnerships and is showcasing innovative new applications and use cases with industry leaders such as Siemens, Volkswagen, and many more.

Ramon Pastor, interim president of 3D printing and digital manufacturing, HP, says: “The journey to digital manufacturing requires much more than just technology. [Read more…] about HP expands and enriches its 3D printing ecosystem

NASA launching ‘Robot Hotel’ to the International Space Station

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Sometimes robots need a place to stay in space, too. NASA is attaching a “robot hotel” to the outside of the International Space Station with the upcoming launch of the Robotic Tool Stowage (RiTS), a protective storage unit for critical robotic tools.

RiTS is set to launch on today (December 4) aboard the 19th SpaceX commercial resupply mission. Its first residents will be two Robotic External Leak Locators (RELL).

Outfitted with mass spectrometers capable of “sniffing” out the presence of gases such as ammonia, these robotic tools are used to detect leaks from the station. [Read more…] about NASA launching ‘Robot Hotel’ to the International Space Station

Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

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It’s getting close to Christmas and that means it’s time for e-commerce fulfillment managers to start getting worried about the availability of labor for the holiday season.

According to a recent article in Supply Chain Dive, “this year’s peak season promises additional challenges in recruiting new hires as the pool of available labor shrinks”.

As the article points out, the US unemployment rate hit a 50-year low in September 2019. [Read more…] about Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

Manufacturing industry turning to robotics and AI in challenging economic landscape, says Deloitte

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The manufacturing industry is turning to robotics and artificial intelligence as well as a range of other strategies to navigate an increasingly challenging economic landscape, according to a report by Deloitte.

The management consultancy says that, as the risk of a global economic downturn grows, the industrial manufacturing industry faces a challenging landscape in 2020 replete with trade tensions, muted job growth, supply chain volatility and an ongoing skilled talent shortage.

Yet, despite these headwinds, industry leaders are rapidly developing coping strategies – not only to weather the brewing storm, but to thrive in spite of it. [Read more…] about Manufacturing industry turning to robotics and AI in challenging economic landscape, says Deloitte

ArtiMinds boosts its robot programming solutions with Wibu-Systems security

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Wibu-Systems, a security technology company, has supported the integration of its comprehensive CodeMeter licensing and security solution into ArtiMinds industrial robot programming software suite.

CodeMeter allows ArtiMinds Robotics, a German provider of sensor-based automation solutions, to protect their intellectual property while enabling them to monetize their software solutions with easy and flexible entitlement management based on different factors, such as user seats or robot-bound licenses.

ArtiMinds Robot Programming Suite combines online and offline programming with a unique approach to create complex robot programs without manually writing a single line of source code. [Read more…] about ArtiMinds boosts its robot programming solutions with Wibu-Systems security