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Chinese shipbuilder integrates autonomous navigation system

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Chinese shipbuilder Jiangnan Shipyards Group is integrating autonomous navigation system into its new vessels, according to RivieraMM.com.

The company ordered the integrated automation and control systems from a company called Høglund Marine Solutions, based in Norway.

Integrated automation and control systems, or IACS, are hardware-plus-software solutions that are designed to meet the complete range of automation and control tasks on board modern vessels, according to Høglund. [Read more…] about Chinese shipbuilder integrates autonomous navigation system

Investment in agricultural automation increases as farmers look to offset labor shortages

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Total investment in agricultural robot startups has increased significantly as farmers look to offset labor shortages partly caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report on the Financial Times website.

Citing data collated by DealRoom.co, the news website says investment in vertical and indoor farming startups has grown by more than 40 percent this year compared with last year.

Indoor farming is basically the process of growing inside large buildings, some of which are like greenhouses and use natural light coming through transparent roofs, while others use artificial lights if their roofs are opaque. [Read more…] about Investment in agricultural automation increases as farmers look to offset labor shortages

Rokae unveils robotic system for making knives and scissor blades

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Rokae has unveiled a robotic system for making knives, scissor blades and other metallic objects with sharp edges. 

The company has partnered with Zhang Xiao Quan, a 400-year-old manufacturer of cutting tools, to implement a robotic system in place of what would be a very time-consuming process for a human worker.

In a typical knife manufacturing facility, huge rolls of steel arrive and are cut into blanks, which are then shaped using presses, and then sharpened. [Read more…] about Rokae unveils robotic system for making knives and scissor blades

Robotic and Automation News Review: Indy Autonomous Challenge, ABB’s final trim system for automotive manufacturing, billion-dollar quantum and AI plan, microscopic robots, and much more…

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Robotic and Automation News Review Saturday 29 August 2020

This is a new, weekly column which rounds up all the most interesting news from the robotics and automation industry in the past seven days, in brief form.

Usually, we try to publish the review on Fridays, but because of technical problems last week, it has been delayed until today. Apologies for that.

This Robotics and Automation News Review is also available to view on our YouTube channel. (See video embedded below.)

Please support our website by subscribing to our YouTube channel, by sharing the stories we publish on social media, and by purchasing premium subscriptions to RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com, as well as through corporate sponsorships and advertising.

[Read more…] about Robotic and Automation News Review: Indy Autonomous Challenge, ABB’s final trim system for automotive manufacturing, billion-dollar quantum and AI plan, microscopic robots, and much more…

Geisel Software wins NASA contract to develop collaborative mobile robotics for space program

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Geisel Software, a Massachusetts-based custom software development company, and University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) have been awarded a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) contract by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The award will support the development of a solution that will allow for collaborative mobility and manipulation in a heterogeneous robotic environment.

The research is critically important to solving problems such as mapping, localization, atmospheric transmission spectroscopy, electromagnetic radiation detection of all kinds, seismic and other planetary sensing, and more. [Read more…] about Geisel Software wins NASA contract to develop collaborative mobile robotics for space program

ABB Dynamic Assembly Pack provides ‘missing last piece’ in automating final trim assembly applications

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ABB says its Dynamic Assembly Pack provides the “missing last piece” in automating final trim assembly applications. (See video below.)

New force control sensors enable robots to accurately perform assembly tasks during final trim assembly, improving productivity, ergonomics and quality.

Designed to offer a fast, accurate and safe automated solution for installing anything from seats, dashboards and carpets inside vehicle bodies, to doors, bumpers and wheels outside the vehicle, ABB’s new Dynamic Assembly Pack for Final Trim and Assembly (FTA) combines real time vision cameras on the robot gripper and arms with integrated force control sensors to allow the robot to precisely track the position of the car body as it enters the workstation. [Read more…] about ABB Dynamic Assembly Pack provides ‘missing last piece’ in automating final trim assembly applications

Nippon Express opens ‘cutting-edge, showroom-style’ logistics facility

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Nippon Express has completed the construction of its what it describes as a “cutting-edge, showroom-style logistics facility”.

NEX-Auto Logistics Facility (NEX-ALFA) is located within a warehouse estate in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, andfeatures artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies.

Nippon Express says declining birthrates and a shrinking population have resulted in serious labor shortages in recent years for Japan’s logistics industry, which has been pursuing “work style reform” as advocated by the government. [Read more…] about Nippon Express opens ‘cutting-edge, showroom-style’ logistics facility

Doosan Robotics launches six new collaborative robot models

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Doosan Robotics is introducing six new collaborative robots models. The new lineup includes four models from the A-Series and two from the H-Series.

The company says the new robots add to its selection of “innovative, future-proof cobots”.

The A-Series is comprised of four models, A0509, A0509s, A0912 and A0912s, and offers payload range of 5kg to 9kg. [Read more…] about Doosan Robotics launches six new collaborative robot models

Origami-inspired miniature robot could open new era of surgical robotics

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By Lindsay Brownell, Wyss Institute, Harvard University

Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery, in which a surgeon uses tools and a tiny camera inserted into small incisions to perform operations, has made surgical procedures safer for both patients and doctors over the last half-century.

Recently, surgical robots have started to appear in operating rooms to further assist surgeons by allowing them to manipulate multiple tools at once with greater precision, flexibility, and control than is possible with traditional techniques.

However, these robotic systems are extremely large, often taking up an entire room, and their tools can be much larger than the delicate tissues and structures on which they operate. [Read more…] about Origami-inspired miniature robot could open new era of surgical robotics

Xwing debuts ‘world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight’ using classic plane

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A startup company called Xwing has completed what it says is the “world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight” using a classic Cessna plane. (See video below.)

Aerospace experts at the company are working with the FAA to unveil pilotless plane technology for short-distance regional air transportation.

Xwing says it has successfully executed numerous passenger-carrying autonomous take-off to landing flights in a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. [Read more…] about Xwing debuts ‘world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight’ using classic plane