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MassRobotics honors Stanford’s Allison Okamura and Seoul National University’s Ayoung Kim with 2026 robotics medals

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MassRobotics, a robotics innovation organization, announced its 2026 Robotics Medal and Rising Star recipients at the recent IEEE ICRA conference in Vienna.

The Robotics Medal is the world’s first major award to recognize the wide-ranging impact of female researchers focusing on the development of robotics around the globe.

The Robotics Medal is awarded to a nominated woman researcher in robotics to recognize her impactful contributions to the field and includes a $50,000 prize awarded to the individual. [Read more…] about MassRobotics honors Stanford’s Allison Okamura and Seoul National University’s Ayoung Kim with 2026 robotics medals

Enhancing Industrial Automation: Why Compact Mini PCs Are Quietly Becoming the Default Choice for Robotic Controllers

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In most modern factories, the control cabinet has changed a lot compared to even a few years ago. There’s more happening inside it – vision systems, sensors, controllers, networking gear – and somehow engineers are expected to fit all of it into the same limited space.

That’s where compact industrial computers have started to take over roles that used to belong to bulky industrial PCs or even desktop-class machines sitting awkwardly outside the system.

The shift isn’t about aesthetics. It’s about practicality: less space, fewer points of failure, and systems that can run continuously without constant attention. [Read more…] about Enhancing Industrial Automation: Why Compact Mini PCs Are Quietly Becoming the Default Choice for Robotic Controllers

Gecko Robotics tests Ouster’s next-generation color lidar to enhance AI-powered infrastructure inspections

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Ouster, a specialist in sensing and perception technologies for physical AI, has announced that Gecko Robotics, a provider of advanced robotics and AI-powered software, is leveraging Ouster’s new Rev8 digital lidar sensors to integrate novel data layers into its Cantilever operating platform.

Gecko Robotics currently utilizes Ouster’s digital lidar to navigate complex industrial environments and create high-fidelity digital twins of critical assets.

As Gecko continues to scale its Cantilever operating platform, Ouster’s new Rev8 sensor suite offers an opportunity to further enhance Gecko’s data capture and push the boundaries of its “detect and repair” missions. [Read more…] about Gecko Robotics tests Ouster’s next-generation color lidar to enhance AI-powered infrastructure inspections

Perspective from Harting: The industrial reality check – why factory winners execute, not just innovate

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Rodriques Johnpeter, global industry segment manager, Harting

Manufacturers are operating in a moment where disruption is the norm, not the exception. Supply chain volatility, inflationary pressure and labor constraints all collide with a parallel push to embed automation and AI into plants that were never designed for today’s technologies.

Most facilities – well over two-thirds globally – are still brownfield sites, built around legacy machines, heterogeneous controls and fragile integrations that have been patched together over decades.

These environments leave almost no room for extended downtime or wholesale rip-and-replace projects, which is where many digital transformation strategies quietly break down.​ [Read more…] about Perspective from Harting: The industrial reality check – why factory winners execute, not just innovate

Geekplus Takes Fifth RBR50 Innovation Award With AI-Powered Picking Station

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The warehouse robotics firm’s latest win recognises a zero-shot learning system deployed at a Schneider Electric facility in Shanghai

Beijing-headquartered Geekplus (HKEX: 2590.HK) has won the 2026 RBR50 Innovation Award for its Robot Arm Picking Station, an intelligent system that automates item picking, which is widely regarded as the last major bottleneck in warehouse automation.

The award, presented annually by The Robot Report at the Robotics Summit & Expo, recognises the 50 most innovative companies in global robotics. It is the fifth time Geekplus has appeared on the list, placing it alongside ABB, Amazon, Boston Dynamics and Nvidia among repeat honourees. [Read more…] about Geekplus Takes Fifth RBR50 Innovation Award With AI-Powered Picking Station

How Industrial Automation Services Are Modernizing Legacy Facilities

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Many older plants still produce dependable output, yet the systems behind that output often show their age. Support teams are asked to meet modern production goals using control systems built for a slower operating model. The gap becomes obvious when downtime rises, and fault detection arrives too late.

Luckily, expert industrial automation services are helping these facilities modernize without forcing every asset into an expensive rebuild. The best projects are careful rather than dramatic. A good plan adds modern control where it creates value. It also protects proven equipment when that equipment still performs. [Read more…] about How Industrial Automation Services Are Modernizing Legacy Facilities

From Cloud to Robot: Why Network Infrastructure is the Critical Failure Point in Modern Automation

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Automation has advanced rapidly in recent years, driven by improvements in artificial intelligence, machine vision, and robotics hardware.

From warehouse robotics to autonomous delivery systems and industrial automation, the capabilities of modern systems are no longer the primary limitation.

Instead, the bottleneck is increasingly something far less visible: network infrastructure. [Read more…] about From Cloud to Robot: Why Network Infrastructure is the Critical Failure Point in Modern Automation

Surplus robots, robot welders, and support equipment to be auctioned by BTM Industrial

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The industrial auctioneer is helping its client free up needed floor space

BTM Industrial, a leading asset disposition company, is helping a large industrial robotics supplier liquidate its surplus inventory of than 150 FANUC, ABB, KUKA, and Yaskawa robots, controllers, and welding equipment, along with other miscellaneous production support items.

The company is holding a no-reserve online auction on May 5 and 6, 2026, to help its client free up needed floor space at its Warren, Ohio, facility.

“Facility space is always a premium for our clients,” said BTM Industrial President Jeff Orlowski, who coordinated the auction’s set-up using his extensive used-robotics industry knowledge. “We help them manage available floorspace by quickly liquidating surplus inventory and assets that are no longer needed.” [Read more…] about Surplus robots, robot welders, and support equipment to be auctioned by BTM Industrial

Interview with the CEO of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories: ‘Uncertainty in the real world’

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As robotics continues to move from controlled environments into more complex, real-world settings, the role of research institutions in shaping the next generation of systems is becoming increasingly significant.

One of the organizations operating at this intersection is Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL), the North America-based R&D arm of Mitsubishi Electric.

Led by president and CEO Anthony Vetro, MERL focuses on advancing core technologies that underpin robotics, including perception, control systems, and machine learning. Its work spans multiple domains, from industrial automation to energy systems, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical deployment. [Read more…] about Interview with the CEO of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories: ‘Uncertainty in the real world’

Blueprint for a robotic workforce: Can the UK close its automation gap?

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A panel of industry and technology leaders gathered in London last week to examine a question that is becoming increasingly urgent for the UK economy: not whether automation is beneficial, but how it can be deployed at scale across industry.

The event, titled “Blueprint for a Robotic Workforce” and hosted at the London College of Contemporary Arts near the famous Tower Bridge, brought together representatives from across the robotics, finance, education and policy landscape.

The session was chaired by Professor Mike Wilson, chief automation officer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), who set the tone with a data-driven overview of the UK’s current position. [Read more…] about Blueprint for a robotic workforce: Can the UK close its automation gap?