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UPS to use drones to deliver medicines to retirement homes in Florida

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CVS Health Corporation and UPS subsidiary UPS Flight Forward will use drones to deliver prescription medicines from a CVS pharmacy to The Villages, Florida for the largest US retirement community, home to more than 135,000 residents.

The service will use Matternet’s M2 drone system.

Drone transport offers a fast delivery option for medicines that are time-sensitive, while supporting social-distancing efforts. Drone delivery options provide individuals with a convenient alternative to visiting a pharmacy. This program can also help prioritize the protection of healthcare workers. [Read more…] about UPS to use drones to deliver medicines to retirement homes in Florida

DB Schenker invests in Volocopter as drone startup builds funds up to €87 million

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DB Schenker, a global logistics company, has invested in Volocopter, a startup developing a new type of passenger-carrying drone which can also be used for good distribution.

DB Schenker says its investment shows that it is “a pioneer of urban air mobility”. With the new investment, Volocopter has extended its Series C funding to now a total of €87 million.

Besides DB Schenker, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, MS&AD Ventures, and TransLink Capital (Japan Airlines and Sompo Japan Insurance) join the round as new investors, existing investors Lukasz Gadowski and btov also invested. [Read more…] about DB Schenker invests in Volocopter as drone startup builds funds up to €87 million

Hyundai Motor showcases miniature model of smart mobility ecosystem

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Hyundai Motor Company is showing its smart mobility ecosystem model in the lobby of its headquarters and at other key global events afterward in order to further communicate its future mobility vision.

The 1:8-scale model on display is a miniature of the exhibit shown at CES 2020 and includes integration of its Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Purpose Built Vehicles (PBV) and Hub (Mobility Transit Base) smart mobility solutions as part of a dynamic human-centered future cityscape.

The exhibition aims to inspire Hyundai employees and other audiences by showing the company’s vision for future mobility as it aims to become a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. After the current exhibition ends on June 12, the model will be showcased at major events around the globe. [Read more…] about Hyundai Motor showcases miniature model of smart mobility ecosystem

Epson Robots selects Air Automation Engineering as authorized service center

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Epson Robots has selected Air Automation Engineering as one of its authorized service centers.

Epson says the decision is part of an initiative to increase technical support in the Midwest US. Epson Robots claims to be the number-one SCARA robot manufacturer in the world.

The company already has a partnership in place with AAE, and this new initiative is an expansion of that relationship. [Read more…] about Epson Robots selects Air Automation Engineering as authorized service center

OnRobot unveils compact Gecko gripper for smaller jobs

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OnRobot, a global leader in robotic end-of-arm tooling, has launched a compact, single-pad version of its innovative Gecko no-mark adhesive gripper.

The new Gecko Single Pad (SP) gripper brings the previous model’s revolutionary adaptability to more varied applications with smaller payloads.

It is available in three sizes, SP1, SP3 and SP5, indicating the different grippers’ lifting capacities in kilos. [Read more…] about OnRobot unveils compact Gecko gripper for smaller jobs

The critical role of hydraulic manifolds in robotics and automation

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By Nimit Patel, CEO, Hydraulic Manifolds USA

With increasing labor costs and technology becoming less expensive, the paradigm of manufacturing productivity will be forever changed. The need for increased productivity will be addressed by automation.

Recently, hydraulic manifolds have played a critical role in robotics, automation, and mobile applications.

Years of experience designing manifolds is critical to avoid the pitfalls of standardized off-the-shelf solutions. [Read more…] about The critical role of hydraulic manifolds in robotics and automation

Hanwha Systems gearing up to enter air taxi market

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Hanwha Systems is making a $25 million investment in US air taxi startup Overair, and has received approval from the relevant authorities for the move.

Hanwha Systems and Overair research and development are planning to co-develop and bring the “Butterfly” to the US air-taxi market by the year 2025.

In early December of 2019, Youn-Chul Kim, CEO of Hanwha Systems, said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved Hanwha Systems’ $25 million investment in Overair (previously K4 Aeronautics), a leading US air-taxi startup. [Read more…] about Hanwha Systems gearing up to enter air taxi market

OnRobot launches ‘compact, highly customizable’ electric vacuum gripper

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OnRobot, a provider of robotic end-of-arm tooling, has launched the VGC10 compact electric vacuum gripper that addresses customer demand for a small but powerful and highly configurable gripper for nearly any application.

Based on the design of the award-winning OnRobot VG10 electric vacuum gripper, the compact VGC10 is smaller and lighter than its larger cousin, so is ideal for constrained environments and smaller robot arms, but offers the same impressive payload of 15 kg (35 lb).

The VGC10 provides fast out-of-the-box deployment but also offers unlimited customization, with easily changeable suction cup options and the ability to add or replace arms to fit highly specific application needs. [Read more…] about OnRobot launches ‘compact, highly customizable’ electric vacuum gripper

Festo presents BionicSoftHand and BionicSoftArm

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Festo has presented the latest innovations in its BionicSoftHand and BionicSoftArm technologies.

Combined with the BionicSoftArm, a pneumatic lightweight robot, the Future Concepts are “suitable for human-robot collaboration”, says Festo.

Whether its grabbing, holding or turning, touching, typing or pressing – in everyday life, we use our hands as a matter of course for the most diverse tasks. [Read more…] about Festo presents BionicSoftHand and BionicSoftArm

OnRobot launches ‘small but powerful’ new gripper

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OnRobot, a manufacturer of robotic end-of-arm tooling, has launched a new gripper which it describes as “small but powerful”.

OnRobot says the VGC10 compact electric vacuum gripper addresses customer demand for a small, powerful and highly configurable gripper for nearly any application.

The new gripper has no compressor and requires no air supply, which eliminates the cost, noise, space, and maintenance of producing compressed air, says OnRobot, adding that the compact electrical gripper is “easy to implement and move”. [Read more…] about OnRobot launches ‘small but powerful’ new gripper