Robotics & Automation News

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Design

ABB Robotics and Psyonic use human-generated data to advance robotic dexterity

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Dexterity remains a major challenge for industry; improved handling can reduce engineering time by up to 30%

ABB Robotics is collaborating with California bionics company, Psyonic, to advance robotic gripping and dexterity using a new approach that utilizes real-world manipulation data from human prosthetic use.

By combining the Psyonic Ability Hand with an ABB GoFa cobot, the collaboration will explore how touch and motion data generated by human prosthetic use can be used to train robots to perform delicate, variable tasks that have traditionally been difficult to automate. [Read more…] about ABB Robotics and Psyonic use human-generated data to advance robotic dexterity

Teradar enters paid evaluation program with German automaker for terahertz vehicle sensing technology

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Teradar, a developer of terahertz (THz) vision technology, has entered a paid technical evaluation program with a major German automotive manufacturer to assess its sensing technology for future advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving platforms.

The evaluation will focus on scenarios where existing sensing technologies such as cameras, radar, and lidar can struggle, including adverse weather conditions and complex edge cases involving small objects at long range.

As part of the program, the automaker will invest engineering resources and provide access to specialist testing facilities to evaluate Teradar’s Summit terahertz vision sensor under controlled rain and fog conditions. [Read more…] about Teradar enters paid evaluation program with German automaker for terahertz vehicle sensing technology

The Small Component Problem Behind More Reliable Industrial Robots

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Picture an automotive assembly line or a high-speed semiconductor packaging facility. A robotic arm moves with sub-millimeter precision at three hundred cycles a minute, its movements coordinated by machine vision systems, remote I/O blocks, and sensitive microcontrollers. Everything draws power from a shared industrial rail.

Then, a heavy CNC machine on the same grid fires up, causing a momentary voltage spike.

If that spike reaches the robot’s control silicon, the entire cell stops. A maintenance tech is paged, and the manufacturer enters a downtime window that, according to Deloitte data, costs anywhere between $5,000 and $22,000 per hour. [Read more…] about The Small Component Problem Behind More Reliable Industrial Robots

Empowering STEM Education and Research in the Americas: Elephant Robotics Introduces Integrated Educational Robotics Solutions

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STEM education has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by increasing demand for practical engineering skills, artificial intelligence literacy, and interdisciplinary innovation.

However, for schools, universities, and research laboratories, building effective robotics environments has long remained a challenge.

In many cases, instructors must integrate robotic arms, mobile platforms, sensors, and open-source software from multiple vendors, often spending weeks resolving compatibility issues before meaningful teaching or experimentation can begin. [Read more…] about Empowering STEM Education and Research in the Americas: Elephant Robotics Introduces Integrated Educational Robotics Solutions

Interview with Olo Robotics COO Eleanor Tang-Smith: Making robot programming accessible to everyone

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Robotics hardware has advanced rapidly in recent years. Autonomous mobile robots, quadrupeds, robotic arms, and even humanoid robots are becoming increasingly capable and commercially available. Yet for many organizations, one of the biggest barriers to adoption remains software.

Building robotic applications typically requires specialist expertise in platforms such as ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2), the open-source framework that has become the de facto standard for modern robotics development.

While ROS 2 has helped accelerate robotics innovation across industries, it is still widely regarded as complex and difficult for newcomers to master. [Read more…] about Interview with Olo Robotics COO Eleanor Tang-Smith: Making robot programming accessible to everyone

Interview with Sharpa’s Alicia Veneziani: ‘Dexterous manipulation is the key to useful humanoid robots’

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Much of the recent excitement surrounding humanoid robots has focused on increasingly impressive demonstrations of walking, running, jumping, and balancing. Yet many robotics experts argue that locomotion, while important, is only part of the challenge.

The bigger obstacle to creating genuinely useful humanoid robots may be something far more familiar to humans: the ability to use their hands.

Among the companies focused on solving this problem is Sharpa, a Singapore-based robotics startup developing dexterous robotic hands, tactile sensing systems, and embodied AI technologies designed to enable robots to interact more effectively with the physical world. [Read more…] about Interview with Sharpa’s Alicia Veneziani: ‘Dexterous manipulation is the key to useful humanoid robots’

Massachusetts awards $2 million to six local robotics companies

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Massachusetts’ Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Innovation Institute, a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), has awarded nearly $2 million through the Massachusetts Robotic Digital Twin Initiative to six organizations advancing robotics innovation across the state.

The funding will help accelerate commercialization pathways for robotics hardware developers by expanding access to digital twin technologies.

Digital twins, or virtual, data-driven replicas of physical robots, allow users to test robots virtually before deployment in real-world environments, reducing costs, improving safety and accelerating innovation. [Read more…] about Massachusetts awards $2 million to six local robotics companies

The Role of RF Connectors in Robotic Vision, Sensor Communication, and Automated Inspection Systems

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Robotic vision and automated inspection love to dress up as software victories. Fast GPUs. Smart models. Slick dashboards. None of that survives a dirty physical signal path. A camera can’t “compute” its way past a noisy clock.

A sensor can’t “average” its way out of an interface that loosens after ten thousand tiny vibrations. This is where RF connectors stop being accessories and start being governing parts. They decide what reaches the processor, when it arrives, and how cleanly it arrives.

In factories that run through the night, connectors don’t just connect. They decide whether the inspection tells the truth or sells a comforting lie. [Read more…] about The Role of RF Connectors in Robotic Vision, Sensor Communication, and Automated Inspection Systems

Decart’s Oasis 3 world model streams realism into robotic training environments

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Frontier AI research lab Decart is aiming to bridge the gap between synthetic simulation and physical AI with the launch of its latest world model, Oasis 3.

Announced recently, the new video output model was designed to accelerate the training of operating system models for robots and autonomous vehicles. The goal is to create intelligent hardware that won’t be fazed by the unpredictable nature of the world it operates in.

Makers of robotics face significant challenges due to the dearth of useful data that can be harnessed to train their machines to operate in complex physical environments. [Read more…] about Decart’s Oasis 3 world model streams realism into robotic training environments

5 Best Towel Manufacturers for Wholesale Purchasing

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Most buyers don’t realize how much the wrong towel supplier can cost them until they’re three months in with inconsistent GSM ratings and a backorder problem they can’t explain.

Sourcing from the right Towel Manufacturers for Wholesale Purchasing matters more than most procurement guides admit.

MOQ thresholds, production batch consistency, and import logistics can quietly wreck margins before you ever see a return order. [Read more…] about 5 Best Towel Manufacturers for Wholesale Purchasing