Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Locus Robotics raises $26 million in new investment

by

Supply chain automation startup Locus Robotics has raised $26 million in Series C funding.

The company says it will use the proceeds to scale production of its revolutionary multi-bot solution for warehouse fulfillment, as well as for expansion of its sales and marketing efforts, both in North America, and internationally.

Participants in the round include Zebra Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Zebra Technologies, and Scale Venture Partners, which led the Company’s Series B round in 2017. [Read more…] about Locus Robotics raises $26 million in new investment

ADAS: Top 40 advanced driver assistance systems companies

by

The term “advanced driver assistance systems”, or ADAS, refers to a collection of automotive electronics technologies which are designed to enable vehicles to operate autonomously in certain situations.

The market for ADAS is forecast to be worth around $70 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research. And although it’s already a huge market, a lot of the activity now is with the future in mind, a future in which many believe autonomous and electric cars will dominate.

A longer list of ADAS functions can be found elsewhere on this website, but examples include cruise control, lane-keeping, self-parking, and collision avoidance.

[Read more…] about ADAS: Top 40 advanced driver assistance systems companies

Apple’s recycling robot hungry for more defunct devices

by

Apple’s recycling robots are hungry for more defunct devices, as tech giant announces a “major expansion” of its recycling programmes.

The company says it is quadrupling the number of locations US customers can send their iPhone to be disassembled by Daisy, its recycling robot.

Daisy will disassemble and recycle select used iPhones returned to Best Buy stores throughout the US and KPN retailers in the Netherlands.

[Read more…] about Apple’s recycling robot hungry for more defunct devices

Sick demonstrates ‘smart logistics’ system for warehouse automation

by

Sensors supplier Sick showcased a new “smart logistics” system at the recent ProMAT Show, one of the world’s largest material handling exhibitions.

Sick says its system demonstrates how to obtain greater efficiency throughout supply chain operations.

Sick presented its new innovations under the banner of “Logistics Gets Smart”, and says they are designed to provide “highly efficient solutions for intralogistics applications”. [Read more…] about Sick demonstrates ‘smart logistics’ system for warehouse automation

Opinion: Robotic end-of-arm tools are shaping the manufacturing industry

by

By Thomas Knudsen, general manager Northern Europe, OnRobot

Within a diverse and innovative sector like the manufacturing industry, flexibility is key.

Robotics, a key enabler of this, has already taken this industry by storm, allowing factories worldwide to automate more and more tasks, cutting costs and increasing productivity.

However, simple automation is no longer enough. Manufacturers now require unique automation solutions for each specific production environment, to tackle the talent shortage they are facing, but can’t redesign facilities for every different process and application.  [Read more…] about Opinion: Robotic end-of-arm tools are shaping the manufacturing industry

The Awesome and Endless Possibilities of Additive Manufacturing

by

Promoted

Additive manufacturing technologies, also known as 3D printing, is a process that allows you to create physical 3-dimensional objects from a computer design file.

It could one day be responsible for the second industrial revolution. This technology started small and has continued to transform over the last thirty years and is quickly advancing.

One interesting thing about additive manufacturing technology is, it allows for a quick innovation. You can try out designs over and over again, and test out the physical part at the end of the design cycle.

There’s a wide variety of materials used in making these objects, for example, polymer composites, metals, ceramics, and exotic materials like gels.

It’s incredible what you can make with these materials.  [Read more…] about The Awesome and Endless Possibilities of Additive Manufacturing

Doosan Robotics signs up RG Group as first US distributor and integrator

by

RG Group has become the first US company to agree on a distribution and integration partnership for Doosan’s collaborative robots.

Doosan Robotics says its collaborative robots can be useful in different industries and processes ranging from assembly and inspection to gluing and packaging.

The company claims to have “the world’s most diversified lineup of collaborative robots” which boast high-performance torque sensors and the industry-leading collision detection technology.  [Read more…] about Doosan Robotics signs up RG Group as first US distributor and integrator

Veo Robotics could make all industrial robots collaborative

by

Traditional industrial robots tend to be very large and potentially dangerous, which is why they tend to be caged off and kept separate from human workers.

But a new company called Veo Robotics says it has the technology to transform traditional industrial robotic arms into safe machines that humans can work alongside, within close proximity.

Veo’s solution could make every industrial robot a collaborative robot. The term “collaborative” is recognized by international standards organizations and usually applies to much smaller, newer types of robots which are specifically designed to safe for humans to work with.  [Read more…] about Veo Robotics could make all industrial robots collaborative

Boeing 737 crash could lead to planes being fitted with thousands of additional sensors

by

On the 10th of March this year, a Boeing 737 plane crashed in Ethiopia, killing all 157 on board. 

Investigators have released their early findings into another accident involving a 737 operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air, in October last year, and they suggest the cause was “an erroneous angle-of-attack sensor”.

An angle-of-attack sensor is usually positioned to the side of the plane’s nose and detects oncoming air flow, to which it adjusts and sends back data to the plane’s computer system.  [Read more…] about Boeing 737 crash could lead to planes being fitted with thousands of additional sensors

Berkeley developing ‘low-cost, human-friendly’ robot for the home

by

Berkeley University has unveiled what it describes as a “low-cost, human-friendly” robot which is capable of accommodating artificial intelligence. (See video below.)

In an article on the university’s website, “Blue”, which is a two-armed robot, is said to have been designed to use recent advances in artificial AI and deep reinforcement learning to master intricate human tasks.

And while it sounds advanced and sophisticated, Berkeley says Blue will remain affordable and safe enough for every AI researcher and every home to have one.  [Read more…] about Berkeley developing ‘low-cost, human-friendly’ robot for the home