Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Sam Francis

Parts Town expands to include more than 120 distribution partners

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Parts Town, a restaurant and foodservice equipment parts distributor which claims to have “the most in-stock original equipment manufacturer parts on the planet”, says it has added a total of 24 brands to its roster of master distribution programs this year alone along with 35 percent organic growth for 2018.

Parts Town, which recently installed a highly automated storage and retrieval system in its facility (main picture), supplied by warehouse automation company AutoStore, says “innovation and company culture are at the core” of its year-over-year performance.

The company says its year-end milestones include:

  • the creation of the Serial Number Lookup technology;
  • hiring of its 500th employee; and
  • the addition of PartsXpress and 3Wire to the PT Holdings family.

[Read more…] about Parts Town expands to include more than 120 distribution partners

Creaform to showcase automated quality control solutions for the production line at Hannover Messe

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Creaform, a specialist in automated and portable 3D metrology solutions, is planning to showcase its automated quality control solutions at this year’s Hannover Messe.

The company says automated quality control is getting more and more important in the manufacturing industry and Industry 4.0.

Today more than ever, it is necessary to be able to carry out dimensional controls within the production cycle with automated measuring technology solutions next to or on the production line. The industry of tomorrow is moving toward automated quality control.  [Read more…] about Creaform to showcase automated quality control solutions for the production line at Hannover Messe

Vecna Robotics co-founder Daniel Theobald to make keynote presentation at Automate Show

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Vecna Robotics co-founder Daniel Theobald will make a key presentation on the subject of collective industrial workflows at the Automate Show in Chicago, Illinois on April 11 at 11 am.

This presentation will feature the importance of combining the individual strengths of humans and robots in sustainable workflows.

It will also introduce the concepts that drive the world’s first artificial intelligence-based orchestration engine to manage operational resources and monitor equipment.  [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics co-founder Daniel Theobald to make keynote presentation at Automate Show

Zalando to use GreyOrange warehouse robots in its newest fulfillment center

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Robotics and warehouse automation company, GreyOrange, says its Butler system warehouse robot has been installed in the supply chain of Zalando, a leading online fashion and lifestyle products e-commerce retailer in Europe.

The new 30,000 square metre fulfillment center, about the size of three football fields, is located in Brunna, near Stockholm, Sweden. It is equipped with the most advanced automation technology in Zalando’s portfolio.

The GreyOrange goods-to-person Butler system is being installed to manage Zalando’s growing volume of orders as well as to complement and support manual work for employees.  [Read more…] about Zalando to use GreyOrange warehouse robots in its newest fulfillment center

SoftWear Automation launches ‘Sewbots as a service’

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SoftWear Automation, a company which builds machines for the textiles industry, is launching something it calls “Sewbots as a service”.

“Sewbots” – short for sewing robots – is the name the company uses for its automated sewing machines, and whereas previously it was looking to sell units, now it will also hire them out.

If SoftWear’s technology takes off, it will have dramatic implications for the textiles industry.  [Read more…] about SoftWear Automation launches ‘Sewbots as a service’

World’s largest automated lockers record broken

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The National Expo Center in Kiev, Ukraine has set a new record for the highest number of automated lockers in one place.

The record was announced by the Guinness Records Committee as the largest electronic locking parcel lockers station in the world.

The Guinness Records Committee said “the most electronic locking parcel lockers in one single venue is 1,182”, granting the creators of the project with the “Officially Amazing” Guinness World Record certificate.  [Read more…] about World’s largest automated lockers record broken

Industrial robotics: 5 trends in 2019 and beyond

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Micropsi Industries, a robotics software company, provides its predictions of the technologies that will affect manufacturing and industrial robots this year.

Ronnie Vuine, founder and CEO, Micropsi Industries, says: “Smart industrial robots aren’t science fiction anymore.

“Equipped with more and more sensors and ever-easier to program, robots can now take on repetitive or dangerous tasks that were too hard to automate, even just two years ago.  [Read more…] about Industrial robotics: 5 trends in 2019 and beyond

Columbia University engineers create ‘a robot that can imagine itself’

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Columbia University engineers say they have created “a robot that can imagine itself”, taking the industry one step closer to self-aware machines. (See video below.)

Robots that are self-aware have been science fiction fodder for decades, and now we may finally be getting closer.

Humans are unique in being able to imagine themselves – to picture themselves in future scenarios, such as walking along the beach on a warm sunny day.  [Read more…] about Columbia University engineers create ‘a robot that can imagine itself’

OnRobot’s Nasa technology-based ‘Gecko’ gripper named finalist in the 2019 Edison Awards

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OnRobot, a global leader in end-of-arm tooling for collaborative robots, announced today its Gecko Gripper has been named a finalist in the Applied Technology’s Robotics category in the 2019 Edison Awards.

The Edison Awards, named after Thomas Alva Edison, recognizes and honors the world’s best in innovators and innovations. The Awards will announce gold, silver and bronze award winners at the Edison Awards Gala held Thursday, April 4, 2019, in New York City.

OnRobot provides hardware and software that is used with collaborative robots – or cobots – from a variety of robot manufacturers, such as Universal Robots, Kuka, Fanuc and Yaskawa. Recently, OnRobot announced general availability of its Gecko Gripper.  [Read more…] about OnRobot’s Nasa technology-based ‘Gecko’ gripper named finalist in the 2019 Edison Awards

US politicians debating rules for autonomous delivery robots

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Autonomous delivery robots are being discussed in the US state of Washington by local politicians who want to draw up regulations for the gray area of mobile machines moving along pavements in the country.

More and more companies are developing autonomous delivery robots and they are finding customers and creating a burgeoning market.

However, while they are currently mostly to be found within one organization’s grounds – such as a university, for example – the prospect of large numbers of autonomous delivery robots on the roads and streets, mingling with pedestrians, is something that is said to be a unclear area in terms of legislation.  [Read more…] about US politicians debating rules for autonomous delivery robots