Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Healthcare’s digital revolution: Technologies transforming medicine

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Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of obsolete parts supplier, EU Automation discusses technologies that are revolutionising healthcare in the 21st century

Doctor Crawford W. Long conducted the first surgical operation under anaesthetic in 1841 in Jefferson, Georgia.

In 1841, general anaesthetic had not yet been invented, so Dr Long used diethyl ether, a chemical most commonly used to start internal combustion engines, in its place.

The surgeon pressed an ether-soaked towel to the patient’s face to put him to sleep before removing a tumour from his neck. He billed the patient two dollars for the whole procedure.  [Read more…] about Healthcare’s digital revolution: Technologies transforming medicine

IoT ‘transforming’ industrial robotics market, says report

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industrial robots

Sharmila Annaswamy, industrial automation and process control research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, provides an exclusive insight of the impact of industrial robots on manufacturing and how the IoT is changing everything 

During the last decade, the advent of robotics has phenomenally transformed the industrial sector in terms of manufacturing capability.

They are traditionally used to carry out tasks that are complex, repetitive or hazardous to enhance productivity, quality and reduce operational costs for the manufacturers.

However, the industrial robotics market is going through a phase of transformation driven by Industrial Internet of Things.

But the challenges in integrating and programming them restrain their widespread application across verticals. [Read more…] about IoT ‘transforming’ industrial robotics market, says report

Rough seas: Resistors for severe environments

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Container ship New Orleans

Resistor liquid cooling boosts 3.3kV medium voltage loads, and slashes resistor footprint in industrial and marine applications, as David Atkins, projects director at Cressall Resistors explains

In motor driven applications like cranes, lifts, hoists and conveyors, air cooled resistors are common, but in medium voltage, high power applications liquid cooling wins out.

A medium voltage drive running off a 3.3kV supply to turn a 500kW motor will put a severe heating load on the application’s power transistors – hence the need for water cooling.

The new EV2 advanced water cooled modular resistor range for low and medium voltage applications is especially designed to function in severe environments, like the ones marine systems have to function in.

This patented design encapsulates and completely separates the resistor elements from the coolant.  [Read more…] about Rough seas: Resistors for severe environments

Silicon Designs adds new features to its 2210 accelerometer

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Silicon Designs Model 2210

Silicon Designs has upgraded its Model 2210 series of accelerometer chips to include measurement capabilities on one, two, or three orthogonal axes.

Silicon Designs is veteran-owned small business and industry expert in the design, development and manufacture of highly rugged industrial-grade MEMS capacitive accelerometer chips and modules.

Accelerometers is an electromechanical device used to measure acceleration forces, while MEMS stands for micro-electro-mechanical systems.

Silicon Designs says its low-noise single axis Model 2210 accelerometer modules integrate a MEMS VC accelerometer chip with high-drive, low-impedance buffering for reliable, repeatable measurements.  [Read more…] about Silicon Designs adds new features to its 2210 accelerometer

Product testing: There’s a collaborative industrial robot for that

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universal robots product testing system
Product testing system using a collaborative robot from Universal Robots

How do you make sure that a product can handle the wear and tear of an expected life cycle and that all safety and quality standards are met?

You test it. Over and over again.

Nothing is more repetitive than product testing – lending itself to one of the “3D jobs” that robots excel at: dirty, dangerous… and dull.

Increasingly, collaborative robots – or cobots – are now being used for product testing. This type of automation is maximizing the testing environment, improving employee productivity and happiness, benefiting the bottom line while allowing companies to bring products to market much faster than ever before.  [Read more…] about Product testing: There’s a collaborative industrial robot for that

Dealing with legacy systems in industry

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upgrade your phone

Nick Boughton, sales manager at Boulting Technology, discusses best practice for obsolescence management from a systems integrator point of view

The control system in a factory is what a motor is to a car, and when something is amiss, the systems integrator will analyse, design, fit and test, to make sure the system is better than ever and raring to go. However, there’s a topic that we’re finding crops up time and again.

The debate between upgrade vs repair is by no means a new one, but it has become prevalent as most industries look to squeeze margins. Certain sectors have long had to carefully manage obsolescence due to their delicate nature.

For example, pharmaceuticals manufacturing is well known for being heavily regulated and so sourcing spare parts instead of committing to a systems upgrade generally means saving time, money and a whole lot of paperwork.  [Read more…] about Dealing with legacy systems in industry

ABB approves Chinese company Recon to bid for major automation projects

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recon

Recon Technology, which describes itself as an independent oilfield services provider operating primarily in China, has been authorised by ABB to participate in bidding for various projects in the future, including automation system products projects.

Recon says it anticipates cooperating with ABB in the future to provide integrated automation solutions, products and product quality assurance services for various projects beyond oil industry.

For any successful project bids, Recon expects it would provide on-site project commissioning and maintenance services.  [Read more…] about ABB approves Chinese company Recon to bid for major automation projects

Rethink Robotics launches ‘first-of-its-kind’ software platform

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Rethink-robotics

Rethink Robotics has launched what it describes as a first-of-its-kind software platform that connects everything in a smart factory.

The collaborative industrial robot maker says the extensible software is “redefining automation deployments and providing a gateway to the factory of the future”.

Rethink Robotics calls its software platform Intera 5, and says it “connects everything from a single robot controller, extending the smart, flexible power of Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer to the entire work cell and simplifying automation with unparalleled ease of deployment”.

Built on the backbone of the Rethink robots’ train-by-demonstration software, Intera 5 is designed to pave the way for connected manufacturing environments and helping companies build factories of the future.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics launches ‘first-of-its-kind’ software platform

Smart travel for future cities: Integrating and connecting new tram lines

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Smart travel for future cities

The main feature that makes a public transport system smart is enhanced control and monitoring features.

In the case of the Nottingham trams Express Transit project, in the UK, these functionalities became a reality through the collaboration of big industry names such as Taylor Woodrow, Alstom, and Boulting Technology.

Nottingham Express Travel Phase Two

In a bid to become one of the UK’s first smart cities, Nottingham has recently expanded its existing tram network to include two new lines to serve the South and South West of the city.

The first new line crosses the river Trent to Clifton and the second connects the Queens Medical Centre, Beeston and Toton.

The new routes join the existing line at Nottingham Station, with the entire network accommodating over 20 million passengers every year.  [Read more…] about Smart travel for future cities: Integrating and connecting new tram lines

Heard the one about the robot barista?

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Man walks into a coffee bar and says, “Waiter, coffee, black, no sugar.”

How anyone can drink coffee without milk, cream or sugar is beyond our understanding of human taste buds, but anyway…

A robot barista would not be making such judgments, and would serve up the coffee just as the man who walked into the bar had ordered it.

It might take a few years, but sooner or later, you will be served some drink or food somewhere by a robot.  [Read more…] about Heard the one about the robot barista?