Robotics & Automation News

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Design

Volume Graphics partners with industry consortium to improve rapid-prototyping of plastic mold inserts

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Volume Graphics, a provider of industrial computed tomography software, is partnering in a second joint project on “rapid tooling” with companies from a wide range of industries.

The company’s partnership is with the Kunststoff-Institut, in Germany.

As a project partner, Volume Graphics brings expertise in quality assurance and process optimization to the team via its advanced industrial computed tomography (CT) data-analysis software.

Christof Reinhart, CEO of Volume Graphics, says: “Working on this project with Kunststoff-Institut and partners is very important to us because we are convinced that industrial computed tomography can advance the future of rapid tooling. [Read more…] about Volume Graphics partners with industry consortium to improve rapid-prototyping of plastic mold inserts

Lilium jet awarded prestigious ‘Best of the Best‘ Red Dot design award

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Lilium, the Munich-based startup developing an on-demand air taxi service, has been awarded one of the world’s most prestigious design accolades for its work on the Lilium Jet.

The Lilium Jet, a five-seater all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, was selected for a “Best of the Best” award by the Red Dot Design Award organization in its 2019 “Design Concept” competition.

From more than 4,200 entries the international judging panel selected fewer than 1 per cent to receive this award which celebrates the design of novel concepts and products that are not yet in the market. [Read more…] about Lilium jet awarded prestigious ‘Best of the Best‘ Red Dot design award

Renault opens new design center in Shanghai

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Global automotive brand Renault has opened a new design center in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

The new design center in Shanghai will support Groupe Renault’s expansion strategy in China, which has been the world’s number-one car market since 2009.

China was Groupe Renault’s fourth-largest market in 2018, and the country is one of the key pillars of the automaker’s “Drive the Future” strategic plan. [Read more…] about Renault opens new design center in Shanghai

Nasa installs 7-foot-long robotic arm on Mars 2020 Rover

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Nasa has integrated a 7-foot-long robotic arm on the Mars 2020 Rover.

In the image shown above, taken about a week ago, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, install the main robotic arm on the Mars 2020 rover.

A smaller arm to handle Mars samples will be installed inside the rover as well. [Read more…] about Nasa installs 7-foot-long robotic arm on Mars 2020 Rover

FemtoPrint wins the 2019 Exhibitors’ Grand Prix at EPHJ

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FemtoPrint, a Swiss company specialising in microtechnology, has won the 2019 Exhibitors’ Grand Prix at the EPHJ event.

The young Ticino company impressed the judges with its “SPOT-RVC”, which has been described as a “real innovation in the medical technology market and a beacon of hope for the 16 million people worldwide with retinal vein occlusion”.

The Safe Puncture Optimized Tool (SPOT), designed by FemtoPrint, aims to safely inject a drug that dissolves clots in the retinal veins without harming tissue, thanks to a new high-precision miniaturised medical tool. [Read more…] about FemtoPrint wins the 2019 Exhibitors’ Grand Prix at EPHJ

Volvo Cars and Varjo launch ‘world-first’ mixed-reality application for car development

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Volvo Cars and Varjo, the Finnish maker of high-end augmented-reality headsets, have created what they say is a “world-first” mixed-reality approach to evaluating prototypes, designs and active safety technologies.

The collaboration will be further strengthened by the Volvo Cars Tech Fund’s decision to invest in Varjo. The Tech Fund is Volvo’s venture capital fund, which invests in high-potential technology start-ups.

Volvo Cars and Varjo have made it possible for the first time to drive a real car while wearing a mixed-reality headset, seamlessly adding virtual elements or complete features that seem real to both the driver and the car’s sensors, for development purposes. [Read more…] about Volvo Cars and Varjo launch ‘world-first’ mixed-reality application for car development

Omron provides new robotics laboratory to Houston university

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Omron Foundation, the charitable arm of the US-based operations of industrial automation solutions provider Omron, donated a new laboratory complete with workstations and state-of-the-art equipment to give University of Houston students the opportunity to prepare for real-world engineering challenges.

The University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering recently unveiled a cutting-edge laboratory donated by the Omron Foundation, the charitable arm of automation solutions provider Omron in the United States.

Designed for electrical and computer engineering students, the lab includes advanced technologies and equipment donated by Omron. [Read more…] about Omron provides new robotics laboratory to Houston university

Boom Supersonic and Dassault Systèmes partner to advance development of new supersonic plane

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Boom Supersonic is implementing Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform to accelerate the design and development of Overture, its Mach-2.2 commercial airliner, with an aim to make supersonic travel mainstream and affordable.

Boom Supersonic is using Dassault Systèmes’ “Reinvent the Sky” industry solution experience based on the 3DExperience platform to support product development from concept through manufacturing and certification.

By using this solution, Dassault Systèmes says Boom Supersonic can cut development time of its first prototype in half and improve product quality by reducing program complexity, inefficiency, costs and resources, lowering the barriers to market entry. [Read more…] about Boom Supersonic and Dassault Systèmes partner to advance development of new supersonic plane

International System of Units agreement being commemorated today

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Intergovernmental organization BIPM outlines historic changes to the International System of Units, or the SI

Today, May 20, is World Metrology Day, commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875.

This treaty provides the basis for a coherent measurement system worldwide that underpins scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing and international trade, as well as the improvement of the quality of life and the protection of the global environment.

The theme for World Metrology Day 2019 is “The International System of Units – Fundamentally Better”. [Read more…] about International System of Units agreement being commemorated today

NIST unveils tiny new chip for atomic clocks

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Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and partners have demonstrated an experimental, next-generation atomic clock – ticking at high “optical” frequencies – that is much smaller than usual, made of just three small chips plus supporting electronics and optics.

As can be seen from the main picture, it’s smaller than a coffee bean.

Described in Optica, the chip-scale clock is based on the vibrations, or “ticks”, of rubidium atoms confined in a tiny glass container, called a vapor cell, on a chip.

Two frequency combs on chips act like gears to link the atoms’ high-frequency optical ticks to a lower, widely used microwave frequency that can be used in applications. [Read more…] about NIST unveils tiny new chip for atomic clocks