Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous Mobile Robots Deliver on the Promise of Safer Operations

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Rob Sullivan, President, AutoGuide Mobile Robots

You need to move material but moving that material is risky business. Ninety percent of all forklifts in the US will be in an accident during their useful life, and almost 35,000 people per year suffer severe injuries in forklift-related incidents.

Accidents happen and people are injured when a forklift driver’s view is obscured by the load they’re carrying. It happens all the time but there’s a better way.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Robots that can navigate autonomously along pre-determined paths using only the natural features of the facility. They have built-in sensors and LiDAR scanners that detect objects and personnel in their path to substantially reduce accidents of all kinds. [Read more…] about Autonomous Mobile Robots Deliver on the Promise of Safer Operations

Wrapify, Kiwibot and Gong partner for ‘first’ autonomous bot delivery campaign

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Wrapify, the advertising tech platform for brands powered by out-of-home and the gig economy, has agreed a “first-of-its-kind” autonomous bot delivery campaign alongside partners Kiwibot, the delivery robot company, and Gong, the revenue intelligence platform, kicking off in San Jose and coming soon to Denver and Los Angeles.

Robotic delivery services can promise contactless delivery, a highly sought-after service under mandates of social distancing.

With autonomous bots on the rise, Wrapify’s Boost provides these delivery operators with a brand-new transit media revenue stream with the ability to provide brand and agency clients robust attribution reporting, data visualization and multi-channel retargeting capabilities. [Read more…] about Wrapify, Kiwibot and Gong partner for ‘first’ autonomous bot delivery campaign

Ridecell raises $45 million in latest funding round

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Ridecell, the startup providing fleet management software for autonomous vehicles, has secured $45 million in its Series C financing round.

The round was led by new investor, Fort Ross Ventures, and includes new investor Solasta Ventures.

Existing investors Activate Capital, Denso, LG Technology Ventures, and Initialized Capital also participated in the round. [Read more…] about Ridecell raises $45 million in latest funding round

BMW shows off autonomous version of classic Mini

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BMW is showing off an autonomous version of the classic Mini. The new concept car is part of the German automotive giant’s “Vision Next” project, which encapsulates a company-wide philosophy that aims to integrate the latest technologies into a new generation of vehicles.

These technologies include internet connectivity, autonomous or highly automated driving functions, shared availability, and electric propulsion. 

Called the Mini Vision Urbanaut, BMW says the car represents an “all-new interpretation of a vision of space”. In other words, the interior is radically different from conventional modern cars. [Read more…] about BMW shows off autonomous version of classic Mini

Autonomous local public transport introduced in southern Germany

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Autonomous local public transport is being introduced in southern Germany through a research project funded with €7 million.

The RABus project is one of the implemented measures of the strategic goals for automated and networked mobility in the southern German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Winfried Hermann, Minister of Transport of Baden-Wuerttemberg, handed over the notice of funding in the amount of €7 million to the RABus consortium. [Read more…] about Autonomous local public transport introduced in southern Germany

Autonomous shuttle market forecast to be worth $18 billion

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The autonomous shuttle market is forecast to be worth $18 billion by IDTechEx, which includes driverless minibuses and small, sidewalk delivery robots in the category. 

An increasing number of commercial vehicles are going battery-electric, assisted by battery life of one million miles and ranges of up to 600 miles being imminent. Shenzhen alone has 70,000 electric logistics vehicles.

Next come robot buses, robotrucks and robotaxis with driver elimination reducing cost by intensive use. IDTechEx has a report on the topic, Electric, Hybrid & Fuel Cell Light Commercial Vehicles 2021-2041. [Read more…] about Autonomous shuttle market forecast to be worth $18 billion

‘Autonomous vehicles’ tops Lux Research list of emerging technologies

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The category of “Autonomous vehicles” tops a new list of 12 emerging technologies for 2021 produced by Lux Research.

The research company says that, after a tumultuous 2020, organizations need to “re-examine their outlook on what emerging tech innovations will be critical for their future opportunities”.

Lux Research, a provider of tech-enabled research and advisory services, released its annual report on the top tech innovations that will have the greatest impact over the next 10 years, based on proprietary data science tools and expert insight. [Read more…] about ‘Autonomous vehicles’ tops Lux Research list of emerging technologies

Gatik raises $25 million in new funding

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Gatik, a Palo Alto and Toronto based autonomous technology company deploying autonomous vehicles for B2B short-haul middle-mile logistics, announced today it has raised $25 million in Series A funding.

The round was co-led by Wittington Ventures and Innovation Endeavors with participation from FM Capital and Intact Ventures. Existing investors like Dynamo Ventures, Fontinalis Partners, AngelPad and others participated as well.

Gatik’s investors bring a wealth of deep experience in automotive, artificial intelligence and supply chain, making them a strong strategic fit for the company’s rapid growth. [Read more…] about Gatik raises $25 million in new funding

Showing robots how to drive a car… in just a few easy lessons

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USC researchers have developed a method that could allow robots to learn new tasks, like setting a table or driving a car, from observing a small number of demonstrations.

Imagine if robots could learn from watching demonstrations: you could show a domestic robot how to do routine chores or set a dinner table. In the workplace, you could train robots like new employees, showing them how to perform many duties. On the road, your self-driving car could learn how to drive safely by watching you drive around your neighborhood.

Making progress on that vision, USC researchers have designed a system that lets robots autonomously learn complicated tasks from a very small number of demonstrations – even imperfect ones. The paper, titled Learning from Demonstrations Using Signal Temporal Logic, was presented at the Conference on Robot Learning (CoRL). [Read more…] about Showing robots how to drive a car… in just a few easy lessons

How do self-driving cars work?

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Self-driving cars are gaining more and more attention in recent times. They are an incredibly brilliant invention that proves how vastly technology is shaping our lives.

Sure, they are expensive, but their impact is far greater than probably any other AI or technological innovation. They have already been tested and proved to be safer than human-driven cars.

Are you ready to know more about this revolutionary travel miracle? Then keep on reading! [Read more…] about How do self-driving cars work?