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ABB and LandingAI unleash the power of generative AI for robotic vision

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ABB Robotics has invested in California-based LandingAI to accelerate the transformation of vision AI, making it faster, more intuitive, and accessible to a broader range of users.

This first of its kind collaboration will integrate LandingAI’s vision AI capabilities, like LandingLens, into ABB Robotics’ own software suite, marking another milestone in ABB’s journey towards truly autonomous and versatile robots.

Sami Atiya, president of ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation, says: “This announcement is the latest in our decade-long journey to innovate and commercialize AI, benefitting our customers by enhancing robot versatility and autonomy to expand the use of robots beyond traditional manufacturing. [Read more…] about ABB and LandingAI unleash the power of generative AI for robotic vision

MicroFactory raises $1.5 million to scale ‘general-purpose robot’ for manufacturing

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MicroFactory, a robotics startup specializing in how manual labor gets automated, has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from a set of visionary backers.

The backers include Clement Delangue, the founder of Hugging Face, and Naval Ravikant, early investor in Uber and Twitter. This gives the company a post-money cap of $30 million.

The company is leveraging the funds for its flagship product: an AI-powered general-purpose robotic system enclosed in a compact, box-shaped frame with two robotic arms and interchangeable tools. [Read more…] about MicroFactory raises $1.5 million to scale ‘general-purpose robot’ for manufacturing

Sea Machines Robotics launches marine autonomy APIs for third-party systems

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As part of the recent major refresh of its flagship SM300 marine autonomy system, Sea Machines Robotics has unveiled new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that enable approved third-party command and control (C2) system integration.  [Read more…] about Sea Machines Robotics launches marine autonomy APIs for third-party systems

Robotics-oriented seafood company Shinkei Systems expands California headquarters

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Shinkei Systems, which says it “sets the new standard for the very best fish through its robotics technology”, says it will more than double the size of its corporate footprint with a new headquarters in El Segundo, California.

As one of the fastest-growing food robotics startups in the country, Shinkei moved into a new 15,000 square foot space at El Segundo’s Standard Works campus, located in the heart of LA’s thriving coastal tech hub.

The multipurpose space at 1301 El Segundo Blvd. will be used to engineer, test, and manufacture the company’s robotic systems, as well as serve as the corporate offices for its premium seafood brand, Seremoni. [Read more…] about Robotics-oriented seafood company Shinkei Systems expands California headquarters

Outrider achieves information security certification for logistics yard automation

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Outrider, a specialist developer of autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has received an “industry-first” SOC 2 Type 2 certification for its technology after an audit conducted by Prescient Security, a security and compliance attestation company for B2B SaaS firms worldwide.

The certification ensures that Outrider’s policies, governance, and controls meet the highest standards of security and compliance demanded by the chief information security officers (CISOs) of Fortune 500 logistics-dependent companies.

Bob Hall, CEO at Outrider, says: “As cyber threats become more frequent and sophisticated, enterprises need assurance that AI-powered logistics systems are built with security at their core. [Read more…] about Outrider achieves information security certification for logistics yard automation

Dyna Robotics raises $120 million to advance robotic foundation models on ‘path to physical artificial general intelligence’

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Dyna Robotics has closed a $120 million Series A funding round, led by Robostrategy, CRV, and First Round Capital, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, NVentures (Nvidia’s venture capital arm), the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Samsung Next, and LG Technology Ventures.

The new capital will be used to expand its world-class research and engineering team and accelerate the development of its next-generation foundation model as the company works to deliver high performance general-purpose robots in commercial environments.

Dyna has made rapid progress since raising a $23.5 million seed round in March, including launching its DYNA-1 model, a breakthrough robotics foundation model that pushed the performance of robots to a 99+ percent success rate in 24 hours of non-stop operation. [Read more…] about Dyna Robotics raises $120 million to advance robotic foundation models on ‘path to physical artificial general intelligence’

Bot Auto’s driverless truck completes first hub-to-hub test run in Houston

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Bot Auto, an autonomous trucking company that says it is “redefining logistics through transportation-as-a-service (TaaS)”, has successfully completed its first “humanless hub-to-hub validation run in Houston”.

The truck operated seamlessly within its defined operational domain with no one in the cab or remote assistance, navigating real-world traffic conditions. The run was executed at sunset, successfully navigating day and night operations.

Differing from a commercial launch, this milestone serves as a validation benchmark, demonstrating the maturity and safety of Bot Auto’s autonomy stack and test protocols. [Read more…] about Bot Auto’s driverless truck completes first hub-to-hub test run in Houston

Regal Rexnord partners with ABB for ‘seamless integration of cobot seventh axes’

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Regal Rexnord has joined forces with automation giant ABB Robotics to simplify integration of its GoFa cobots into 7th Axis Cobot Transfer Units (CTUs) from Thomson, one of Regal Rexnord’s linear motion brands.

This collaboration makes the Thomson Movotrak CTU the first cobot 7th axis technology that ABB Robotics has certified for use in its partner ecosystem.

Kevin Zaba, EVP and president, automation and motion control segment of Regal Rexnord, says: “Until now, anyone wanting to use a single, plug-and-play ABB cobot on multiple workstations faced what could be days of programming and communications challenges. [Read more…] about Regal Rexnord partners with ABB for ‘seamless integration of cobot seventh axes’

Tata Technologies to acquire ES-Tec Group for €75 million

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Tata Technologies, a product engineering and digital services company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent equity shares of ES-Tec GmbH and its subsidiaries (collectively, ES-Tec Group) for a total cash consideration of €75 million.

The consideration will be paid over the next two years and includes performance-based earn-outs linked to strategic milestones. The transaction is expected to be EPS accretive from the first full year of operations itself.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, ES-Tec Group is a premium automotive engineering services provider with deep domain expertise in Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Comfort Electronics, and E-Mobility. [Read more…] about Tata Technologies to acquire ES-Tec Group for €75 million

Virginia Tech opens new center to ‘shape the future of advanced manufacturing’

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For years, Virginia Tech has forged its place as a powerhouse in advanced manufacturing research. With the launch of Virginia Tech Made: The Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the university welds its mission to shape the future of the field with its commitment to train the workforce to lead it.

Housed within the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech Made will cultivate cross-campus collaborations, expand partnerships with industry and government, and train manufacturing professionals based on the university’s expertise in advanced materials, manufacturing technologies, computational design, data analytics, and digital infrastructure.

As faculty affiliated with the center advance state-of-the-art technology, they’ll focus on workforce development and outreach as key components of the center’s mission. [Read more…] about Virginia Tech opens new center to ‘shape the future of advanced manufacturing’