Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Insight: Building the future-proofed robot

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By Kyle Fazzari, software engineer and roboticist at Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system

There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Time and again, it’s the desire to tweak, modify and update which separates a great idea from real-world achievements.

With Apple as the first business to cross the $1 trillion threshold, there’s no better example of this than the iPhone. As a singular product it still doesn’t boast the best camera, the most storage, or fastest processor on the market. So where does the secret to longevity lie? And what can robotics learn from Apple’s flagship product?  [Read more…] about Insight: Building the future-proofed robot

Christie’s in New York to auction painting produced by artificial intelligence for around $10,000

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A painting produced by artificial intelligence will be auctioned by Christie’s in an auction tomorrow – Thursday, 25th October 2018 – in New York.

The portrait, called Edmond de Belamy (main picture), is believed to be the first piece of AI art to go under the hammer at a major auction house and is created by French art collective “Obvious”.

The AI system compares its own portraits against ones made by human artists and works on them until it is unable to tell the difference between the two.  [Read more…] about Christie’s in New York to auction painting produced by artificial intelligence for around $10,000

Bright Machines raises $180 million for ‘software-defined and totally automated manufacturing’

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Startup company Bright Machines has raised almost $180 million in Series A funding to expand its “software-defined manufacturing” and “totally automated manufacturing” offerings.

Bright Machines describes software-defined manufacturing as the application of artificial intelligence to the $7 trillion manufacturing industry.

The term “software-defined” is generally applied to computer networks, in the reasonably well-known phrase software-defined networks or networking.  [Read more…] about Bright Machines raises $180 million for ‘software-defined and totally automated manufacturing’

Swisslog and Savioke introduce new autonomous service robot to healthcare industry

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Swisslog Healthcare, in conjunction with robotics company, Savioke, have launched Relay robot, a new autonomous service robot for application in healthcare settings.

Initially deployed for pharmacy and laboratory pick-up and delivery, the Relay robot helps hospitals optimize labor productivity.

Cory Kwarta, North America president, Swisslog Healthcare, says: “Today’s healthcare environment challenges nurses, lab techs, and pharmacists to decide how they spend their valuable time.  [Read more…] about Swisslog and Savioke introduce new autonomous service robot to healthcare industry

Opinion: Environmental Protection Agency considering backdoor subsidies for ‘talking car’ tech

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By Mark Scribner, transportation policy expert, Competetive Enterprise Institute

During the final days of the Obama administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed its “talking car” mandate.

This would have required new vehicles to come equipped with radios to communicate information to other vehicles in order to convey hazard warnings to drivers.

This was to use a specific communications protocol known as dedicated short-range communications. The proposal was deeply flawed in numerous ways, as CEI pointed out at the time.  [Read more…] about Opinion: Environmental Protection Agency considering backdoor subsidies for ‘talking car’ tech

Automated driving hype is ‘dangerously confusing drivers’

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Research by Europe’s leading road safety organisation shows that 71 percent of drivers around the world believe they can purchase a self-driving car right now.

The astonishing finding is just one of many worrying perceptions uncovered by the study, which also showed that one in 10 drivers would be tempted to have a nap while using a so-called “Highway Assist” system, such as Adaptive Cruise Control.

The TestingAutomation study, commissioned by Thatcham Research, Euro NCAP and Global NCAP, has discovered potentially dangerous false impressions around the apparent self-driving capability of new cars and the safe usage of Highway Assist technologies.  [Read more…] about Automated driving hype is ‘dangerously confusing drivers’

Global industrial robot sales doubled over the past five years, says IFR

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The International Federation of Robotics has released its annual World Robotics Report at a press conference at the World Robot Summit in Tokyo.

One of the main findings of the report is that global industrial robot sales have doubled over the past five years.

Another is that a new record high of 381,000 units were shipped globally in 2017 – an increase of 30 percent compared to the previous year.

The sales value increased by 21 percent compared to 2016 to a new peak of $16.2 billion in 2017.

The World Robotics Report which is published every year by the IFR was presented during a press conference held by the IFR at the bi-annual World Robot Summit which currently takes place in Tokyo.  [Read more…] about Global industrial robot sales doubled over the past five years, says IFR

Honeywell partners with Fetch Robotics to deliver autonomous mobile robots to distribution centers

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Honeywell Intelligrated has agreed a strategic collaboration with Fetch Robotics to provide distribution centers with autonomous mobile robots to help them more effectively fulfill growing volumes of e-commerce orders.

The initiative enables Honeywell Intelligrated’s customers to increase productivity and boost labor efficiency by deploying Fetch Robotics’ autonomous mobile robotics, which operate safely alongside people to transport items through distribution centers without human guidance or fixed paths.

By adding this offering to its smart robotics portfolio, Honeywell Intelligrated can provide customers with a range of flexible automation solutions that can be tailored to address current and future operational needs.  [Read more…] about Honeywell partners with Fetch Robotics to deliver autonomous mobile robots to distribution centers

Honeywell Intelligrated demonstrates connected palletizing solutions at Pack Expo

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Honeywell Intelligrated is showcasing its connected solutions for automated palletizing equipment in end-of-line manufacturing environments at Pack Expo International in booth S-2560.

By leveraging data from machine-level sensors, the company provides real-time equipment monitoring, diagnostics and asset-level insights to boost reliability, throughput and performance.

These connected solutions analyze real-time and historic data to detect equipment conditions that could impact performance – such as excess motor vibration, temperature fluctuations or underutilization trends – and provide real-time alerts to help fix critical issues before they affect the entire production process.  [Read more…] about Honeywell Intelligrated demonstrates connected palletizing solutions at Pack Expo

ABB launches new robotic systems for food and beverage industry at PackExpo

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ABB is launching a new “Food & Beverage Assessment Portfolio” at the Pack Expo event, which is taking place now in Chicago, USA. 

The company says the robotic systems it is showcasing are aimed at helping food and beverage manufacturers improve processes and reduce production costs by giving them a better understanding of their plant, from power to automation to digital readiness.

ABB says it will highlight its “assessment services and expertise” in booth N-4930 at the event.  [Read more…] about ABB launches new robotic systems for food and beverage industry at PackExpo