Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Infrastructure

ABB creates CO2-neutral and energy self-sufficient factory of the future

by

ABB’s commitment to combating climate change includes limiting the environmental impact of its own operations.

At its site in Lüdenscheid, Germany, ABB is showing how a sustainable energy transition can succeed with digital energy management.

After a two-year design and construction phase, as part of its “Mission to Zero” project, ABB has opened its first CO2-neutral and energy self-sufficient production site in the world, with the commissioning of a solar power plant at a factory of its subsidiary Busch-Jaeger.

[Read more…] about ABB creates CO2-neutral and energy self-sufficient factory of the future

IBM to develop an AI IoT solution for ageing infrastructure

by

IBM has announced a collaboration with Sund & Bælt — which owns and operates some of the largest infrastructure in the world — to assist in development of an AI-powered IoT solution to help prolong the lifespan of ageing bridges, tunnels, highways, and railways.

The new industry solution, IBM Maximo for Civil Infrastructure, further extends the IBM Maximo portfolio while providing deep industry and task-specific functionality to help organisations manage, monitor and administer their infrastructure assets.

Organisations struggle with ageing facilities, the difficulty of physical inspections and high cost of continued maintenance. 

[Read more…] about IBM to develop an AI IoT solution for ageing infrastructure

Connected Signals launches cloud-based vehicle-to-infrastructure system

by

Connected Signals, a provider of predictive real-time traffic signal information, has launched its Signal Priority System product suite for smart cities.

SPS is a proprietary vehicle-to-infrastructure technology that is a cloud-based, centralized system connecting vehicles to traffic signals, and providing prioritization of buses, pedestrians, emergency vehicles, and others.

Connected Signals says this fresh approach capitalizes on existing traffic management infrastructure and cellular data, rather than requiring dedicated roadside equipment.

[Read more…] about Connected Signals launches cloud-based vehicle-to-infrastructure system

ABB and Porsche to jointly develop electric vehicle chargers

by

ABB has teamed up with Porsche to develop a dedicated high-power charger for Porsche’s electric vehicles in Japan.

ABB has entered into an agreement to deliver its market-leading electric vehicle infrastructure for Porsche Japan’s EVs, including Taycan, the automaker’s first fully electric car, set to enter the Japanese market in 2020.

Under the terms, Porsche Japan will install ABB’s high-power chargers at Porsche Centers and public facilities across the country, creating a network of fast chargers for its electric vehicles. The first installation is set to go live in mid-2020.

[Read more…] about ABB and Porsche to jointly develop electric vehicle chargers

Arrow Electronics to take part in Qualcomm’s Smart Cities Accelerator Program

by

Arrow Electronics, Inc. will take part in the Smart Cities Accelerator Program of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. for the global acceleration of edge compute, 5G appliances and NB-IoT distributed sensors.

Qualcomm Technologies is promoting a library of Smart City solutions that combine existing mobile broadband networks while re-imagining existing infrastructure in cities around the world.

This will help drive additional value and integrate solutions with secure interoperability, edge processing and an ecosystem to deploy at scale.

[Read more…] about Arrow Electronics to take part in Qualcomm’s Smart Cities Accelerator Program

Japan to send robots to Moon and remote control them to build lunar base

by

The Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency is planning to send robots to the moon and remote-control them to build a lunar base.

Jaxa is partnering with Kajima Corporation, one of Japans oldest and largest construction companies, to promote research and development on the remote construction system by coordination of remote and automatic control.

The project got started in 2016 with the participation of educational establishments including Shibaura Institute of Technology, the University of Electro-Communications and Kyoto University.  [Read more…] about Japan to send robots to Moon and remote control them to build lunar base

Renewable energy now accounts for a third of global power capacity, says Irena

by

Clean energy from sources such as solar, wind, and others now accounts for a third of global power capacity, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

The decade-long trend of strong growth in renewable energy capacity continued in 2018 with global additions of 171 gigawatts, according to new data released by Irena.

The annual increase of 7.9 percent was bolstered by new additions from solar and wind energy, which accounted for 84 percent of the growth. “A third of global power capacity is now based on renewable energy,” says Irena.  [Read more…] about Renewable energy now accounts for a third of global power capacity, says Irena

Endress+Hauser starts construction of Texas facility

by

Industrial instrumentation and process automation company Endress+Hauser is investing $36 million in a new regional center on the Gulf Coast of the USA.

The company officially broke ground on earlier this month at its new site in Pearland’s lower Kirby District near Houston, Texas. Completion is projected by the end of 2020.

The new 10,000-square-meter Endress+Hauser campus will offer areas for calibration, repair and training, which will include a process training unit.  [Read more…] about Endress+Hauser starts construction of Texas facility

Mitsubishi develops autonomous firefighting robots

by

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has developed two firefighting robots: the “Water Cannon Robot” and the “Hose Extension Robot”. (See video below.)

As a team, they are expected to play an active role in situations too hazardous for firefighting crews, such as fires at petrochemical plants.

The Water Cannon Robot can extinguish and cool fires where human intervention is difficult, while the Hose Extension Robot automatically lays out up to 300 metres of fire hose to supply water to the Water Cannon Robot.  [Read more…] about Mitsubishi develops autonomous firefighting robots

NTT DoCoMo and STP to test drone-based inspection service in Indonesia

by

Drones will enable telecom towers to be inspected faster and more safely than ever before, claim companies

NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese telecom giant, and PT Solusi Tunas Pratama, a company that leases out telecommunication towers in Indonesia, have agreed to test a service, named docomo sky for Tower Inspection.

The inspection service uses drones to photograph base stations and telecom towers and transmit the information to a command center in real time.

The partners hope to expand the scope of the test to include other locations and facilities prior to launching a full-scale commercial service in the first half of this year.  [Read more…] about NTT DoCoMo and STP to test drone-based inspection service in Indonesia