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The Questor Tapes: Novocaine for the android’s soul

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Watching old films probably has the same effect as taking novocaine or whatever it is that dentists give you these days as a local anaesthetic before they inflict the worst pain imaginable right inside your gaping piehole. 

The discomfort of modern life – and perhaps this only applies to older people – is somewhat anaesthetised by the eye-candy that is old film formats.

Or should that be “true” film formats, as in actual film rather than the zeros and ones on electrical circuitry somewhere inside today’s digital cameras?  [Read more…] about The Questor Tapes: Novocaine for the android’s soul

Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

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Hyundai Heavy Industries has reached an agreement to supply Kuka industrial robots and other products to manufacturers and other industrial companies. 

This is according to a report on the website of the Korea Herald, which says the agreement is for HHI to market Kuka products to “large Korean manufacturing firms”.

South Korean industry is dominated by what are referred to chaebols, which means very large conglomerates, and gaining access to them is probably quite difficult.  [Read more…] about Hyundai Heavy Industries to sell Kuka robots to manufacturers

Japanese company unveils construction robot

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A Japanese company called Daiwa House Industry has been demonstrating a robotic system which can help in the construction of houses and buildings.

The robot appears to work by spraying layers of plaster on metallic structures, which themselves could be constructed by a robot – as can be seen in the image on Mainichi.jp.

It seems to work along similar lines to a robotic construction system developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, in Switzerland.

Daiwa House executives say the company’s system can labour costs of 30 per cent compared with human workers.

The main task it is designed to perform is to spray fireproof coating on a building – something which is said to be one of the most difficult parts of construction.

Daiwa House, which has so far invested almost $1 million into developing the system, plans to put it into operation sometime next year.

Head of technology Kazuto Tsuchida says: “It is expected the construction industry will face a shortage of 1.12 million workers in 2025.

“There are major expectations for robots, and we hope this will lead to high quantity production.”

This is not the only area of robotics Daiwa House been researching. The partners with Cyberdyne, which builds robotic exoskeletons, to supply the latter’s “HAL” exoskeletons.

The exoskeletons are designed to provide assistance to caregivers to the elderly (see picture below).

daiwa house cyberdyne

Daiwa House is Japan’s largest homebuilder, and also has interests in many other design and construction sectors, including in the building of care homes for the elderly.

The company’s annual revenue is more than $20 billion and it employs approximately 30,000 people.

Singapore university develops robotic system to build Ikea furniture

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A group of scientists at a university in Singapore has developed a robotic system which can autonomously assemble Ikea furniture. (See video below.)

Ikea is a globally famous furniture retailer which supplies furniture flat-packed, which the customer usually assembles after taking home.

The scientists at Nanyang Technological University say the robotic arms can put together a chair “without interruption”.  [Read more…] about Singapore university develops robotic system to build Ikea furniture

Rethink Robotics presents new features for collaborative robot Sawyer

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Rethink Robotics presented its smart cobot Sawyer at this year’s Hannover Trade Fair last week, featuring new functionalities such as an Intera 5.2 software update for real-time production data visualization and easy external camera integration, and ClickSmart technology for easy changing of end-effectors.

Companies from numerous industries – including automotive, plastics, metalworking, electronics and co-packing – use Sawyer to complete tasks that cannot be automated with conventional industrial robots due to labour constraints, short product cycles or fluctuations in demand.

At the Hannover Trade Fair, Rethink Robotics provided demonstrations of manufacturing use cases from Germany, Europe and worldwide.

“With Sawyer, Rethink Robotics offers companies a smart, secure and quick-to-implement solution that allows them to automate manufacturing processes quickly and with the necessary flexibility,” says Darius Wilke, Director of European Business at Rethink Robotics.

Printed books have ‘positive future’, says Stora Enso survey

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There is a bright future for printed books, a recent survey by Stora Enso has found.

According to the results, printed books will continue to be important, relevant, interesting and still very much appreciated compared to e-books and audiobooks.

As one of the leading book paper and cover providers, Stora Enso conducted a study with 80 in-depth interviews in 13 countries across Europe, Asia and North America together with research company Opticom International.  [Read more…] about Printed books have ‘positive future’, says Stora Enso survey

Trends: The meteoric rise of unattended retail – the next multi-billion-dollar industry

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Article contributed by MarketNewsUpdates.com

“Unattended cashless retail” may sound futuristic, like a driverless car, but in reality, it is a thriving segment of the economy that is forecasted by ResearchAndMarkets.com to grow to $34 billion by 2023.

What used to be dominated by simple coin-based laundromats and vending machines selling candy bars is now a high-growth, multi-layered and profitable segment retailing items like frozen yogurt, electronics, makeup, school supplies and over-the-counter medicines.  [Read more…] about Trends: The meteoric rise of unattended retail – the next multi-billion-dollar industry

Sony partners with Carnegie Mellon on artificial intelligence and robotics

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Initial efforts to focus on cooking and delivery

Sony has entered into an agreement with Carnegie Mellon University to collaborate on artificial intelligence and robotics research.

Initial research and development efforts will focus on optimizing food preparation, cooking and delivery.

This area of research and development was selected because the technology necessary for a robot to handle the complex and varied task of food preparation and delivery could be applied to a broader set of skills and industries.  [Read more…] about Sony partners with Carnegie Mellon on artificial intelligence and robotics

Balluff releases new magnetostrictive linear position sensor for explosion hazard areas

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Balluff has released a new magnetostrictive linear position sensor for explosion hazard areas.

Control and shut-off valves are used for oil and gas transmission in refineries and petrochemical plants.

The valve position is regulated using the position measuring systems, because they are extremely reliable, especially in very harsh environments.  [Read more…] about Balluff releases new magnetostrictive linear position sensor for explosion hazard areas

ESMERA project to fund robotics innovation

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The European Commission has launched the project ESMERA (European SMEs Robotics Applications), a starting block for European SMEs designing and developing robotic solutions.

To unlock the innovation potential of these SMEs, ESMERA promotes applied robotics technology developed for industrial challenges set by key European companies, so the SMEs get a chance to realise new technologies that address real life problems and thus already have a market.

ESMERA offers direct financial support to the solution-providing SMEs, through a cascade funding mechanism.

[Read more…] about ESMERA project to fund robotics innovation