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Kinova Robotics raises $25 million for expansion plans

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Kinova Robotics, a designer and manufacturer of robotic solutions, has raised additional funds of $25 million for further expansion.

The money came from four major contributors, including lead investor Fonds Manufacturier Québécois; co-investors KTB Network, and Foxconn; and BDC Capital, the investment arm of BDC.

Kinova says 90 per cent of its business is exports, so establishing an office outside its native Canada is a priority.

Kinova CEO Charles Deguire says: “We want our users to achieve the extraordinary with our robots – creating more value for themselves and our society.  [Read more…] about Kinova Robotics raises $25 million for expansion plans

General Electric deepening its interest in the software business

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General Electric claims it was the first company to have launched an industrial internet of things platform when it released Predix last year.

The company’s software business unit, GE Digital, has been generating revenues of more than $4 billion a year, and looks like it’s strongly influencing the future direction of the overall business.

Another of the big ideas at GE is the “Brilliant Factory” concept, which is essentially the digitalisation of anything and everything that can be digitised in a manufacturing or industrial process.  [Read more…] about General Electric deepening its interest in the software business

Sony returns to robotics market after 12 years away

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Japanese electronics giant Sony is returning to the robotics market after more than a decade away, according to a report on Nikkei. 

The company is reportedly planning to bring back together the team which produced Aibo (pictured below), the robotic pet dog for the home, which proved popular many years ago.

Sony was at one time the most talked-about electronics company in the world, the Apple of its day.  [Read more…] about Sony returns to robotics market after 12 years away

Nasa supplier ATI develops new low-cost force-torque sensor

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A company which supplies products to Nasa – among others – has launched a new, “low-cost” force / torque sensor.

ATI Industrial Automation says its Axia 80 provides “high resolution with outstanding overload protection”.

Robert Little, CEO of ATI Industrial Automation, says: “There’s been a movement in the industry to start automating man-made products.

“In order to for them do that, they need robots. In order for those robots to be completely successful, they need force sensing feedback.” [Read more…] about Nasa supplier ATI develops new low-cost force-torque sensor

Vorwerk’s acquisition of Neato Robotics adds spark to exponentially growing robotic appliance market, says IHS Markit

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Germany-based home appliances manufacturer Vorwerk recently acquired Neato Robotics, a Silicon Valley maker of domestic robots.

Vorwerk is known for its premium products in the household appliances market and Neato Robotics is known for its innovation and technological know-how, mainly in robotic vacuum cleaners.

Vorwerk first invested in Neato Robotics in 2010. Both companies are eager to maximize the exponential growth of the robotic appliance market, individually and collectively, with ‘cross-over’ benefits.  [Read more…] about Vorwerk’s acquisition of Neato Robotics adds spark to exponentially growing robotic appliance market, says IHS Markit

Range against the machine: Exclusive interview with Garry Kasparov

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With so many people voicing their fears about a future world in which artificial intelligence not only influences our day-to-day activities, but also makes life-or-death decisions in security and defence scenarios, there is arguably no one more qualified to comment on the issue of man versus machine than Garry Kasparov. 

For younger readers who may not know who Kasparov is, he is probably the most celebrated and most controversial chess grandmaster there has ever been.

Back in the days when the Cold War as at its height, and the then USSR and the US were constantly on the verge of wiping humanity from the face of the Earth, Kasparov took on the very icon of American power, IBM, and what was at the time its most powerful supercomputer, Deep Blue. It was the first time such tests were conducted in such an internationally high-profile way.  [Read more…] about Range against the machine: Exclusive interview with Garry Kasparov

Fujitsu highlights advances in AI, robotics and cloud at Oracle OpenWorld

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Fujitsu is showcasing a number of enterprise innovations at Oracle OpenWorld 2017.

Highlights include an executive solution session with Goro Watanabe, executive vice president, Fujitsu America, on the latest advances in artificial intelligence for business.

Booth visitors can also meet the company’s first commercial robot, which speaks and interacts with people using AI to help it understand human emotions.  [Read more…] about Fujitsu highlights advances in AI, robotics and cloud at Oracle OpenWorld

Comau and Össur invest in Iuvo to build exoskeletons for industry

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Comau and Össur are investing a company called Iuvo, which is building an exoskeleton. 

Iuvo is a spin-off company of the BioRobotics Institute, at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy, which is researching and developing products in the field of wearable technologies.

The objective of Iuvo is to create wearable, intelligent and active tools for a better quality of life, says the company.  [Read more…] about Comau and Össur invest in Iuvo to build exoskeletons for industry

Taiwan launches its first satellite into space

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Taiwan has launched its first domestically designed satellite into space. The satellite will be used for Earth observation. 

The Danish National Space Institute supplied equipment for the satellite and DTU Space representative Professor John Leif Jørgensen says this enables it to have “a very high degree of precision and flexibility for satellite navigation”.

The satellite itself is named FormoSat-5 and is approximately 500 kg in weight.  [Read more…] about Taiwan launches its first satellite into space

Electronics industry boosting sales of industrial robots

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The global growth in the number of data centres, and the corresponding growth in the manufacturing of servers, could provide opportunities for robot makers 

The electrical and electronics sector is one of the fastest-growing markets for the industrial robotics and automation industry. 

The sector bought almost as many industrial robots as did the automotive sector, traditionally the biggest buyer of industrial robots.

This is partly confirmed by new data and analysis by the International Federation of Robotics, but mostly, it can be gleaned from anecdotal evidence all around. [Read more…] about Electronics industry boosting sales of industrial robots