Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Features

Nvidia says it’s working with US manufacturing and robotics leaders to ‘drive America’s reindustrialization with physical AI’

by

Nvidia says that America’s leading manufacturers, industrial software developers and robotics companies are “using Nvidia Omniverse technologies to build state-of-the-art robotic factories and new autonomous collaborative robots to help overcome labor shortages and drive American reindustrialization”.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, says: “AI is transforming the world’s factories into intelligent thinking machines – the engines of a new industrial revolution.

“Together with American’s manufacturing leaders, we’re building physical AI, Omniverse digital twins and collaborative robots that will drive productivity, resilience and competitiveness across the US industrial base.” [Read more…] about Nvidia says it’s working with US manufacturing and robotics leaders to ‘drive America’s reindustrialization with physical AI’

Interview with Nauto CEO Stefan Heck: ‘The key difference is foresight’

by

As fleets and logistics operators accelerate toward automation, the line between assisted driving and autonomy is becoming increasingly blurred.

Few companies illustrate this transition more clearly than Nauto, a Silicon Valley-based developer of artificial intelligence software that helps commercial vehicles predict and prevent collisions in real time.

Founded by Stanford professor and entrepreneur Stefan Heck, Nauto has spent the past several years developing what it calls a predictive safety platform – an AI system that looks several seconds ahead to anticipate risk before it occurs. [Read more…] about Interview with Nauto CEO Stefan Heck: ‘The key difference is foresight’

Researchers develop robots to work together to explore the Moon and Mars

by

University of Pennsylvania engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration

In early August, the crisp dawn sky above White Sands National Park glows faintly blue, gradually brightening as streaks of marigold and soft pink pierce the clouds with the rising sun.

But although the powder-white sand of the 30-foot gypsum dunes is cool at dawn, air temperatures become blistering hot as the sun approaches its zenith.

It’s precisely these harsh conditions that drew an interdisciplinary research team to this remote desert, using it as an Earthly stand-in for the Moon and Mars. Their goal: to evaluate lunar robots designed to traverse unforgiving terrain. [Read more…] about Researchers develop robots to work together to explore the Moon and Mars

Agentic science and the rise of the self-driving lab at Virginia Tech

by

Agentic science. A quick glance at the term and you might think of something very complex, but the end goal is to use artificial intelligence (AI) “agents” to advance scientific research with ease. And while these agents aren’t top secret, they are highly skilled and trained.

Hongliang Xin, Virginia Tech chemical engineering professor, along with collaborators John Kitchin from Carnegie Mellon University and Heather Kulik from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published a commentary in Nature Machine Intelligence exploring the foundation and frontiers of agentic science, outlining its emerging uses, limitations, and pathways for responsible integration into scientific practice.

In a recent conversation, Xin, Kitchin, and Kulik discussed the emerging paradigm of “agentic science” and what it means for the future of research. [Read more…] about Agentic science and the rise of the self-driving lab at Virginia Tech

Cleaning and sanitation robots: The new standard in hygiene

by

When the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world in 2020, few sectors changed as visibly as cleaning and disinfection. Overnight, hygiene became a matter of public infrastructure rather than private preference.

The sight of robots quietly gliding through airports, malls and hospitals, emitting UV light or spraying disinfectant, once a novelty, became a symbol of safety and reassurance.

Five years on, these machines are no longer temporary solutions. Cleaning and sanitation robots have evolved from emergency measures to permanent fixtures in the global automation landscape – part of a new baseline for public hygiene and operational efficiency. [Read more…] about Cleaning and sanitation robots: The new standard in hygiene

Interview: Zebra and ODW Logistics on the warehouse of the future

by

As e-commerce volumes continue to climb and labor shortages persist, warehouse operators are under pressure to achieve more with less. 

Many are turning to collaborative automation and orchestration platforms to unlock new levels of productivity without overhauling their entire infrastructure.

In this exclusive Q&A, Robotics & Automation News speaks with Matt Wicks, vice president and general manager of Zebra Robotics Automation, and Brian Drees, senior director of operational excellence at ODW Logistics, about how ODW is using Zebra’s Symmetry Fulfillment software to improve pick rates by over 40 percent while using up to 30 percent fewer robots than comparable systems. [Read more…] about Interview: Zebra and ODW Logistics on the warehouse of the future

Awkward question: What will be the ‘killer app’ for humanoid robots?

by

Tesla’s latest humanoid demonstration – a kung fu routine performed by its Optimus robot for actor Jared Leto – was clearly designed to impress.

But, as dramatic and as thought-provoking as it was, the spectacle raised an awkward question: what will be the “killer app” for humanoid robots?

“Killer app” is a phrase to mean the defining use case that makes a technology indispensable. In every major technology shift, there’s been a defining use case – a killer app – that turned novelty into necessity. For early personal computers, it was spreadsheets – programs like VisiCalc and later Excel that justified owning a machine running DOS. [Read more…] about Awkward question: What will be the ‘killer app’ for humanoid robots?

Robot tsunami: How to survive and thrive in the face of overwhelming competition

by

A few years ago, autonomous mobile robots and collaborative robotic arms were among the hottest sectors in automation.

Universal Robots and Geek+ rode the wave of early demand, turning once-niche ideas into billion-dollar businesses.

But now, the landscape looks very different. With dozens of new competitors offering similar machines, prices are under pressure, growth has slowed, and the market is showing all the classic signs of saturation. [Read more…] about Robot tsunami: How to survive and thrive in the face of overwhelming competition

Retail automation: Robots on the shop floor and behind the scenes

by

From shelf-scanning robots to warehouse automation and AI-powered checkout systems, robots are transforming retail operations both in stores and behind the scenes. [Read more…] about Retail automation: Robots on the shop floor and behind the scenes

Interview with Locus Robotics software leader: ‘AI delivers clear advantages over generic foundational models’

by

Locus Robotics has become one of the defining companies in warehouse automation, best known for its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that work alongside people in logistics centers around the world.

But increasingly, the company’s real differentiator may lie not in the hardware itself – which many would argue has reached near-optimal design for its purpose – but in the intelligence that drives it.

Hamid Montazeri, senior vice president of software and AI at Locus Robotics, leads the team responsible for that intelligence. His work focuses on developing what he calls “physical AI” – domain-specific artificial intelligence designed to operate in the unpredictable, fast-moving environment of a warehouse. [Read more…] about Interview with Locus Robotics software leader: ‘AI delivers clear advantages over generic foundational models’

Please switch off your ad blocker.

Our website relies on ads to provide free content and sustain our operations. By turning off your ad blocker, you help support us and ensure we can continue offering valuable content without any cost to you.

We truly appreciate your understanding and support. Thank you for considering disabling your ad blocker for this website