Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Connected asparagus: Bosch outlines vision of a future with connected factories and robotic farmers

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Bosch Apas workstation, which includes a cobot the company claims is “the first collaborative robot to be certified as an assistance system”

One of the world’s largest engineering companies, Bosch, has outlined its vision of the future, which includes a world full of smart factories, robotic farmers and connected asparagus. 

Bosch made its views available to Robotics and Automation News in a series of documents sent to us this week.

The company believes two main areas of technological development stand out from the rest: connectivity and sensors.  [Read more…] about Connected asparagus: Bosch outlines vision of a future with connected factories and robotic farmers

Industry 4.0: 
Airgate develops connectivity solution for Universal industrial robots

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airgate for universal robots

If you are one of the many companies and people who have recently bought a cobot from Universal Robots, you may be asking yourself, “What if we could always get in touch with our UR robots, anywhere, anytime – from any device?”

That was the question Airgate, a Danish developer of customized IoT solutions, often encountered when talking to distributors and end users of UR robots.

Airgate had developed a GSM modem solution, ARCS basic, that provides a simple remote monitoring of the UR robots by sending text messages to the robot operator when the robot exceeded defined limits such as running out of material or stopping work unexpectedly.  [Read more…] about Industry 4.0: 
Airgate develops connectivity solution for Universal industrial robots

OR Laser claims its 3D printing method will innovate jewellery industry

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3d printed jewellery
3D printing can produce complex shapes but the finishing when it comes to metal has not so far matched traditional manufacturing methods

OR Laser believes the jewellery industry will be the main beneficiary of Orlas Creator

OR Laser believes it is on the cusp of further innovate the jewellery industry with the introduction of its new and accessible metal additive manufacturing system, the Orlas Creator. 

OR says its Orlas Creator offers an “economically profitable” metal system with “superior speed and productivity gains by way of its unique” circular build-platform design in combination with a proprietary, rotation-led precision coater blade that will bring new value creation opportunities for jewellery brands.

During its 30-year history, 3D printing has already caused some serious disruption within the jewellery industry by facilitating new approaches to jewellery design and manufacturing.  [Read more…] about OR Laser claims its 3D printing method will innovate jewellery industry

Predictions for the future of manufacturing

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industrial trends

Martyn Williams, managing director of industrial software expert Copa-Data UK, examines three of the most prominent automation trends of 2017 and discusses how these trends are changing manufacturing operations

As manufacturing facilities incorporate greater levels of automation, the demand for new technologies continues to grow.

Recent years have seen several trends create a shift in the way the industry operates.  [Read more…] about Predictions for the future of manufacturing

Hannover Messe chooses Robotics and Automation News as media partner

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hannover messe 2017

Get your complimentary ticket to Hannover Messe 2017

Hannover Messe, the world’s largest trade show for the industrial sector, has chosen Robotics and Automation News as a media partner. 

The decision follows on from last year’s collaboration between RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com and CeMAT, the logistics industry exhibition organised by the same events company.

This year, both CeMAT and Hannover Messe will be combined into one gigantic event, and Robotics and Automation News will be there to cover all the major developments.  [Read more…] about Hannover Messe chooses Robotics and Automation News as media partner

Consortium of car companies to build massive power network for electric vehicles

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A consortium of companies which includes some of the leading automakers has agreed to build what they say will be an “ultra-fast, high-power” charging network along major highways in Europe. 

The joint venture includes BMW, Daimler, Ford, and Volkswagen, which owns the Audi and Porsche brands.

The group says it will build a direct current network of approximately 400 charging points for battery electric vehicles.

In a joint statement, the consortium says this is an “important step” towards facilitating mass-market battery electric vehicle adoption.

The network itself will be based on the Combined Charging System standard technology, and will expand the existing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Europe.

Individual charging points will enable motorists to use DC current to fast-charge their vehicles with 350 kW of power, say the companies.

At the moment, the country with the highest number of charging points is the United States, followed by the Netherlands and Germany.

This is according to OpenChargeMap.org, which says there are approximately 80,000 charging stations across more than 40,000 locations around the world.

Daimler develops ways for industrial robots and factories to save energy under Areus project

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Saving energy has been a serious preoccupation of many industrial companies for many years, but especially in recent years with prices of fuel fluctuating and public concern about the environment growing. 

In the auto manufacturing sector, which buys the most number of industrial robots and uses vast amounts of energy, companies such as Kuka have been looking to make their automation systems more energy efficient.

Now, in the European Union, a project called Automation and Robotics for European Sustainable Manufacturing, or Areus, says it has developed the components of an energy-efficient automobile production system of the future.  [Read more…] about Daimler develops ways for industrial robots and factories to save energy under Areus project

Endurance Robots launches open source chatbot platform

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formitchev selfiebot chatbot
George Formitchev, CEO of Endurance Robots, demonstrates the company’s new chatbot platform

Endurance Robots has developed an open source platform to enable developers to build their own chatbots. 

CEO George Formitchev says the system is capable of facilitating the development of something like Jibo, Alexa, or Siri – some of the more well known chatbots on the market.

He adds that the SelfieBot Endurance ChatBot allows you to create your own personal assistant to “answer your emails and to communicate with you and on your behalf”.

Formitchev says the applications of the system could be “to help you learn a foreign language and to be a key addition in your everyday life”.

Endurance has a wide range of robotic solutions, including lasers for industrial applications, and like its chatbot most of it is open source and instructions on how to get started are on the company’s website.

Chatbot market racing towards $1 billion, says report

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robot assistant
Picture: Matthew Hurst

The market for chatbots is on course to reach $1 billion by 2024, according to a new report by Transparency Market Research. 

Advances in high-end artificial intelligence development is allowing companies to attain a far greater consumer pool than before, says Transparency.

Facebook, Google, and Microsoft were the “clear winners” in the global chabot market in 2015, adds the company.  [Read more…] about Chatbot market racing towards $1 billion, says report

Lowering the entry barriers of additive manufacturing

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renishaw

Marc Saunders, director of Renishaw’s Global Solutions Centre, explains how additive manufacturing is moving from the world of rapid prototyping into series production

A famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin says: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Although in reality Franklin never said these words, the quote has become extremely popular because its message resonates with anyone who has ever tried to make sense of new technology.

To a large extent, the quote also applies perfectly to additive manufacturing (AM).  [Read more…] about Lowering the entry barriers of additive manufacturing