Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Toyota demonstrates ‘human service robot’ of a type that may take over a lot of homes

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Toyota has been demonstrating what it calls its “Human Support Robot”, a type of robot which looks likely to take over millions of homes all over the world in the next few years.

The market for this type of so-called personal assistance robot is forecast to grow very quickly over the next few years because of advances in the technology.

According to analysts at ResearchAndMarkets.com, the personal robotics market will grow by almost 40 per cent within the next five years to a total size of $34 billion.  [Read more…] about Toyota demonstrates ‘human service robot’ of a type that may take over a lot of homes

Industrial internet of things improving everything, says Rockwell Automation CEO

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Industrial internet of things applications are leading to better collaboration, faster problem-solving and increased productivity, according the boss of Rockwell Automation.

Blake Moret, president and CEO of Rockwell, spoke on internet of things adoption and its impact on industrial productivity, sharing insights with more than 1,200 business leaders at Cisco’s IoT World Forum.

Rockwell claims to be the industry’s only company solely dedicated to industrial automation and information, and says it is “uniquely positioned to understand the challenges and opportunities associated with harnessing the future of smart manufacturing”.  [Read more…] about Industrial internet of things improving everything, says Rockwell Automation CEO

Harman introduces Sherlock AI system to help its designers and engineers find and put things together more quickly

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Harman International, a design and engineering company which supplies a range of products and services to automotive companies, has introduced a new artificial intelligence system into its company.

The AI system, Sherlock, is described as a “virtual colleague” for Harman employees, and is said to have completely redefined the innovation management workflow in some of the company’s divisions.

Armin Prommersberger, senior vice president technology, lifestyle audio division, at Harman, says Sherlock offers a level of insight into the business that would be impossible to gain without it.  [Read more…] about Harman introduces Sherlock AI system to help its designers and engineers find and put things together more quickly

World’s largest automotive companies and an intro to their autonomous and electric vehicle tech moves

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In the first of a series of articles about large industrial companies, we list 20 of the leading automakers in the world in order of their last reported annual revenue amount, and highlight some of their more interesting developments in autonomous technologies. 

Automakers are have long been the largest market for industrial robotics and automation systems, but also, more recently, the vehicles they produce have become more robotic.

The design and development of road vehicles are becoming increasingly an exercise in developing computing technology – both hardware and software. Add to that the growing importance of artificial intelligence to run the advanced driver assistance systems that many new cars already have. [Read more…] about World’s largest automotive companies and an intro to their autonomous and electric vehicle tech moves

ADAS: Features of advanced driver assistance systems

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This is a long list of features of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS as it’s called in the automotive industry. 

ADAS is an umbrella term. Its individual technologies are basically small autonomous systems.

Taken together, ADAS is essentially a self-driving system, but it’s not promoted as such because of regulatory reasons.  [Read more…] about ADAS: Features of advanced driver assistance systems

Innovative sensors are empowering the smart factory robot, says AMS

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ams Industrial-Robotics

By Mark Donovan

The next industrial revolution is arriving on a shore near you. It’s called Industry 4.0, and like its three predecessors, it’s about to bring sweeping changes to manufacturing that will globally affect everyone.

Industry 4.0, and the resulting manufacturing changes that are coming with it, have spawned a new type of production plant called the smart factory.

Central to the smart factory is the prolific use of autonomous and collaborative robots that work symbiotically with each other and alongside human beings to yield a more productive and efficient manufacturing plant.  [Read more…] about Innovative sensors are empowering the smart factory robot, says AMS

Hillcrest Labs launches ‘industrial grade sensor for consumer products’

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FSM300 Module vs Quarter_NEW_ExtraLarge crop

Hillcrest Labs has a new sensor system which the company says is “four times better” than competitor solutions.

Hillcrest says its new FSM300 delivers industrial-grade sensor fusion accuracy at prices suitable for consumer products with “four times greater accuracy versus competitor solutions in some tests”.

The FSM300 is what’s called a attitude and heading reference system, which is a sensor system, and an inertial measurement unit, which like a gyroscope.  [Read more…] about Hillcrest Labs launches ‘industrial grade sensor for consumer products’

Dana to supply driveshaft assemblies and motion systems for New York Wheel

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new york wheel
Photo credits: S9 Architecture / Perkins Eastman

New York City is planning to construct what will be the world’s largest ferris wheel, and a company called Dana is providing the crucial components.

Dana announced that it is providing driveshaft assemblies and gearboxes for the New York Wheel – which will be the world’s tallest observation wheel.

This attraction is currently under construction on the north shore of Staten Island in New York City and will stand 630 feet (192 meters) high when completed in early 2018.  [Read more…] about Dana to supply driveshaft assemblies and motion systems for New York Wheel

Mitsubishi improves visualisation on its human machine interface

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The GT2107 Wide Series Human Machine Interface
The GT2107 Wide Series Human Machine Interface

Mitsubishi has updated its human machine interface and integrated what it says is improved visibility and performance. 

The company says the improvements to its GT2107 HMI were driven by “end user demand”.

Mitsubishi says the GT2107 is an interface that monitors and controls machine components with a graphical touchscreen that connects to equipment such as programmable logic controllers, variable frequency drives and servos.

The compact HMI features a 7-inch wide display with 800 x 480 resolution for clear image quality and is equipped with a remote connectivity option through a virtual network computing server. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi improves visualisation on its human machine interface

Swiss robots planning to build houses using 3D printers

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ETH Zürich, a university in Switzerland, has unveiled a plan to build a three-storey house – dubbed DFab House – using robots and 3D printing. (See video below.) 

Structural engineers and sustainability experts from ETH Zürich have teamed up with business partners on the project, which is designed to bring numerous building technologies from research labs into the real world.

The project is overseen by the National Centre of Competence in Research Digital Fabrication, and its architects, robotics specialists, and materials scientists.  [Read more…] about Swiss robots planning to build houses using 3D printers