Robotics & Automation News

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Warehouse automation for the holidays starts with optimized flexible space utilization

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By Frank Charles Cozza, founder and CEO of Gondola Skate

More square footage is not the only solution to maximizing space utilization; nor are second-level mezzanines. Even C-Suite executives, inclined to expand the DCs and warehouse footprint, quickly discover there is so little space availability.

According to Jennifer Smith, the logistics reporter for the Wall Street Journal, the hunt for warehouse space in the US and abroad will not get any easier in the coming years.

Smith reported that the availability of warehouse space fell to 7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2018, the lowest point since 2000, and real-estate brokerage CBRE Group said the tight capacity that has driven up the costs of warehousing in recent years will remain a challenge for companies for the remainder of 2019. [Read more…] about Warehouse automation for the holidays starts with optimized flexible space utilization

Hyundai walking car concept for the ‘first responder’ industry

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Any first responder will tell you that the first 72 hours following a natural disaster are the most crucial to saving lives.

However, often times due to the nature of the disaster (forest fire, earthquake, hurricane, or flood), it can be difficult for search-and-rescue and humanitarian aid missions to reach and get immediate help to those in need.

The need for efficient, rapid, resilient transportation for disaster assistance is what led Hyundai to develop the first-ever vehicle with moveable legs.

[Read more…] about Hyundai walking car concept for the ‘first responder’ industry

Cambridge Consultants unveils ‘dexterous robot with the human touch’

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Technology research and development company Cambridge Consultants has unveiled what it describes as a “dexterous robot with the human touch”. (See video below.)

Breakthrough innovation specialist Cambridge Consultants has developed Hank, a robot with flexible robotic fingers inspired by the human hand.

Hank uses a pioneering sensory system embedded in its pneumatic fingers, providing a sophisticated sense of touch and slip, meaning it can emulate the human ability to hold and grip delicate objects using just the right amount of pressure.

[Read more…] about Cambridge Consultants unveils ‘dexterous robot with the human touch’

Exoskeleton market projected to grow to $6 billion

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The current robotics limelight tends to focus on the ability of new innovations to automate tasks, but a less publicized development is taking place whereby passive exoskeletons have been slowly deployed and adopted to help augment the capability of human workers.

Exoskeleton popularization through passive suits will provide a base for increased resources for powered suits, which will eventually provide significant augmentative capability to the industrial workforce.

By 2028, global Exoskeleton revenues will reach $5 billion with hundreds of thousands of active exoskeletons being deployed, according to ABI Research. The research consultancy’s findings are on its report, Exoskeletons for Industrial Use Cases.

[Read more…] about Exoskeleton market projected to grow to $6 billion

NextShift Robotics receives patent for vertical lift capability in robotic picking

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NextShift Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robot solutions for automated order fulfilment and warehouse materials management, has been granted a second patent, US10214354B2, “Method and System for Automated Transport of Items”.

The patent pertains to operating a robotic picking system in which the containers to be picked are positioned on the shelves and within picking stations.

The patent covers the ability of the robot to raise itself vertically to access shelving of different heights in order to pick the appropriate container from a range of shelf heights and storage system configurations.

[Read more…] about NextShift Robotics receives patent for vertical lift capability in robotic picking

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

ABB launches digital solutions for industrial internet

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ABB has commercially launched ABB Ability, its portfolio of digital solutions, at ABB Customer World in Houston.

With the commercial launch of more than 180 solutions and services, ABB says it is unlocking value for customers in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

By combining ABB’s domain expertise with network connectivity and the latest digital technologies and innovations, ABB Ability says it creates powerful solutions and services that solve real business problems and produce tangible business opportunities.  [Read more…] about ABB launches digital solutions for industrial internet