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Infineon and TTTech Auto collaborate for level 4 and 5 automated driving

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Semiconductor firm Infineon Technologies AG and TTTech Auto, a leader in safety platforms for automated driving, have just released the second generation of their fully integrated automotive-grade safety solution for automated driving use cases.

It is based on Infineon’s AURIX™ TC397XM microcontroller and TTTech Auto’s MotionWise safety software platform.

It delivers full support and scalability for level 2+ solutions up to the advanced levels 4 and 5 of automated driving. It is said to help customers achieve faster time-to-market, improved software integration and validation thus reducing overall cost.

[Read more…] about Infineon and TTTech Auto collaborate for level 4 and 5 automated driving

Ambarella and Smart Eye partner to deliver ‘next-generation AI-based driver monitoring’

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Ambarella, a developer of high-resolution video processing and computer vision semiconductors, and Smart Eye, a developer of artificial intelligence-powered eye, mouth, and head tracking technology, are partnering to deliver a Driver Monitoring System platform that they say “tracks driver actions and intentions”.

The platform is based on Ambarella’s CV22AQ CVflow computer vision processor, which offers high-quality image processing and high-performance AI computing at low power consumption, typically below 2.5 watts.

Smart Eye AI software running on CV22AQ will make it possible for automotive original equipment manufacturers and tier-1s to deploy a new generation of driver and in-cabin monitoring systems with advanced AI features, increasing safety and convenience for drivers and passengers.  [Read more…] about Ambarella and Smart Eye partner to deliver ‘next-generation AI-based driver monitoring’

Nvidia system picked by Chinese e-commerce firms for robot delivery

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Leading China e-commerce companies JD.com and Meituan have selected the Nvidia Jetson AGX Xavier platform to power their next-generation autonomous delivery robots.

Over the past decade, China’s e-commerce has grown to more than 40 percent of the world’s online transactions, accounting for hundreds of billions of dollars in trade annually.

To support this tremendous growth, China’s leading e-commerce companies are developing AI delivery robots to move goods to and from warehouses, speed up last-mile deliveries and deliver products to consumers and businesses.

[Read more…] about Nvidia system picked by Chinese e-commerce firms for robot delivery

An ‘App Store’ for robots? It’s coming and it’s a game-changer

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By Kyle Fazzari, software engineer and roboticist at Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu open-source operating system

We are all familiar with Apple’s app store. It is an easily navigable place to download the latest features available, at the touch of our fingertips. Now imagine this same concept, but for robotics.

A growing industry, robotics isn’t just a buzzword – it’s becoming a transformative technology.

Whether robotics track down deadly species of starfish responsible for coral reefs destruction, or provide agricultural support for sustainable crops, access to an app store could open up an array of alternative revenue streams for robotics startups – functionality exchanged for a fee.  [Read more…] about An ‘App Store’ for robots? It’s coming and it’s a game-changer

Webcast: Nvidia launches ‘world’s first AI computer for autonomous machines’

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Nvidia has launched what it says is the world’s first artificial intelligence computer for developing autonomous machines. (See video below.)

The Nvidia “Jetson AGX Xavier” module sports vast computing power generated by six different processing systems integrated into one single architecture, says the company.

In a presentation to launch the new computer, Nvidia’s Jesse Clayton, senior manager of product, autonomous machines, says: “The Jetson AGX Xavier module is an AI computer that makes fully autonomous machines possible.  [Read more…] about Webcast: Nvidia launches ‘world’s first AI computer for autonomous machines’

Wandelbots raises €6 million funding to ‘democratise industrial robots’

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A startup called Wandelbots has raised €6 million in funding which it says it will use to “democratise industrial robots”. 

Wandelbots, a software company which uses what it describes as “demonstration-based teaching”, raised the €6 million Series A funding from Paua Ventures, the EQT Ventures fund and existing investors.

The funding will be used to grow Wandelbot’s team and expand the company’s global presence. One year after launch, Wandelbots is already working globally with automotive and electronics manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, Infineon and Midea.  [Read more…] about Wandelbots raises €6 million funding to ‘democratise industrial robots’

Tomahawk Robotics raises $2.4 million in seed funding

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Startup company Tomahawk Robotics, which aims to bring “advanced robotic control systems to enterprise markets”, has raised a $2.4 million seed round investment from leading venture capital firms and angel investors.

Participating in the oversubscribed round are: Mosley Venture Partners, which led the round, Naples Technology Ventures, Scout Ventures and Stout Street Capital.

This initial investment round will be used to further evolve Tomahawk Robotics’ Kinesis platform and expand the product development and engineering teams to address immediate deliverables for key customers.  [Read more…] about Tomahawk Robotics raises $2.4 million in seed funding

Industrial IoT startup MachineMetrics raises $11.3 million in funding

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Industrial IoT startup MachineMetrics has raised $11.3 million in Series A funding. The company says the funding will enable it to “continue leading the endeavor to bring analytics to manufacturing”.

In a circular, the company says: “We intend to use every penny to give our customers a world-class experience through faster growth, focused innovation, quick product updates, custom features, improved service – and that’s just the start.”

Most importantly, adds the company, the funding has provided it with the opportunity to “preserve the secret sauce that has made MachineMetrics who we are today”.  [Read more…] about Industrial IoT startup MachineMetrics raises $11.3 million in funding

Infineon ships ‘world’s first industrial-grade eSIM in miniaturized package’

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Infineon has started shipping what it says is “the world’s first industrial-grade embedded SIM in a miniaturized package”.

Infineon’s new chip is than 3mm x 3mm and is designed for a wide range of applications.

Machine-to-machine communication in the internet of things requires reliable data collection and uninterrupted data transmission.  [Read more…] about Infineon ships ‘world’s first industrial-grade eSIM in miniaturized package’

Amazon Web Services launches AWS RoboMaker

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Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company has announced the availability of AWS RoboMaker, a new service that makes it easy for developers to develop, test, and deploy robotics applications, as well as build intelligent robotics functions using cloud services.

AWS RoboMaker extends the most widely used open source robotics software framework, Robot Operating System (ROS), with connectivity to AWS services including machine learning, monitoring, and analytics services to enable a robot to stream data, navigate, communicate, comprehend, and learn.

AWS RoboMaker provides an AWS Cloud9-based robotics integrated development environment for application development, robotics simulation to accelerate application testing, and fleet management for remote application deployment, update, and management.

[Read more…] about Amazon Web Services launches AWS RoboMaker