Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Aethon launches new autonomous mobile robots at Automate 2017

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aethon tug

Aethon has demonstrated new products at Automate 2017 in Chicago specifically designed to address the needs of manufacturers looking to automate material movement and connect islands of automation within their plants.

Aethon showcased new mobile robots and software control systems allowing their robotic platform to achieve Level 4 autonomy. (Full list of autonomy levels, as published by SAE.)

Aethon will feature the T3 and T3XL model robots, which represent the newest innovations in automated material movement.  [Read more…] about Aethon launches new autonomous mobile robots at Automate 2017

Honeybee Robotics wins Nasa funding for six spacecraft projects

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Honeybee Robotics has received four Nasa Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I awards and two Nasa Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award to develop new spacecraft systems and enabling technologies.

The awards will allow Honeybee to analyze concepts for advanced future planetary exploration, sampling, in-situ resource utilization, and on-orbit operations.  [Read more…] about Honeybee Robotics wins Nasa funding for six spacecraft projects

Nidec says demand for robot parts has grown by seven times

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Nidec factory
Nidec will add equipment to increase production of speed reducers. Picture: Nikkei

Nidec, a Japanese electric motor manufacturer, says demand for its speed reducers has grown seven-fold. 

The increase in orders has led the company to invest an additional $36 million in new equipment at its factory – operated by subsidiary Nidec-Shimpo – to produce more of the component.

Speed reducers are a core part in robots, and are used to control robotic limbs and give them power.  [Read more…] about Nidec says demand for robot parts has grown by seven times

Foxconn considers options for establishing multi-billion-dollar manufacturing facilities in the US

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Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant which makes Apple devices among other things, is considering its locations, incentives and other options for establishing manufacturing facilities in the US. 

Among the locations being discussed are two cities in Oakland County, in the state of Michigan; and the amounts being mentioned range from $4.2 billion to $7 billion.

The Crain’s Detroit website reported that Foxconn’s expansion would create 2,000 to 5,000 jobs in the southeast Michigan area, but the situation is fast moving.  [Read more…] about Foxconn considers options for establishing multi-billion-dollar manufacturing facilities in the US

Cognitive technologies and AI poised to transform all manufacturing sectors, says Frost

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ibm ai

Partnership, collaboration, and technology investment crucial for growth opportunities, says Frost & Sullivan’s industrial automation and process control team 

The Internet of Things and data analytics are transforming the manufacturing space, and data is the new currency.

Currently, human intervention is needed for logical and reasonable decision making. However, with the rise of cognitive technologies, machines will be empowered to detect constantly changing manufacturing scenarios and respond in real time with minimum human intervention.

To be successful, manufacturers need to invest in artificial intelligence technology to improve plant efficiency and productivity, and build partnerships and collaborations that drive data-driven intelligence.  [Read more…] about Cognitive technologies and AI poised to transform all manufacturing sectors, says Frost

Robots now ‘essential’ to clinical diagnostic labs, says new report

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fl smith lab automation
Picture courtesy FL Automation

There is an $8.8 billion market for robotic laboratory automation systems, according to Kalorama Information.

The healthcare research firm just completed a report on lab robots, and notes the imbalance between the high demand for diagnostics and the lack of supply of qualified technicians.

Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama, says: “More than two-thirds of clinical decisions are based on laboratory test results, and new tests are developed constantly.

“But a shrinking field of qualified laboratory personnel, while demand grows requires something to handle the tasks created.”  [Read more…] about Robots now ‘essential’ to clinical diagnostic labs, says new report

Book: Cognitive Approach to Natural Language Processing

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Book title: Cognitive Approach to Natural Language Processing
Authors: Bernadette Sharp, Florence Sedes and Wieslaw Lubaszewski

As natural language processing spans many different disciplines, it is sometimes difficult to understand the contributions and the challenges that each of them presents.

This book explores the special relationship between natural language processing and cognitive science, and the contribution of computer science to these two fields.

It is based on the recent research papers submitted at the international workshops of Natural Language and Cognitive Science which was launched in 2004 in an effort to bring together natural language researchers, computer scientists, and cognitive and linguistic scientists to collaborate together and advance research in natural language processing.

The chapters cover areas related to language understanding, language generation, word association, word sense disambiguation, word predictability, text production and authorship attribution.

This book will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the interdisciplinary nature of language processing.

Curtiss-Wright launches contactless proportional rocker

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curtiss wright jc040

New model expands joystick range and offers non-contact proportional control for hand-grips and HMI consoles

The industrial division of Curtiss-Wright has launched the JC040, a single-axis, Hall-effect proportional rocker suitable for arduous applications in specialty off-highway vehicles.

The JC040 builds on the success of legacy potentiometric versions available from the Corporation’s brand family of Penny & Giles, and uses non-contacting, Hall-effect sensing technology for long-life integrity of the output signal.  [Read more…] about Curtiss-Wright launches contactless proportional rocker

The pros and cons of using drones in the real estate business

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By Tim Jennings, president, Custom Case Group

Are drones a necessity in the real estate business or are they an extra? 

The clearest and quickest way to answer that question is to present a few compelling pieces of information:

  • When the Federal Aviation Administration handed out its first 1,000 commercial drone operator exemptions a couple of years ago, 35 percent were to operators in real estate marketing.
  • The Multiple Listing Service has reported that properties featuring aerial images sell about 68 percent faster than do properties featuring only non-aerial photos.
  • According to the National Association of Realtors, 73 percent of homeowners said they’d be more likely to list with an agent who incorporates video in marketing their home.
  • In March 2016, Goldman Sachs released a report saying the global drone market is expected to grow to $20.6 billion in the next five years.
  • Many analysts are saying last summer’s FAA commercial drone ruling will result in a dramatic expansion of drone use in the real estate industry this year.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is: If you haven’t incorporated drones in your operations yet, it’s time to get the process started.  [Read more…] about The pros and cons of using drones in the real estate business