Robotics & Automation News

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Robotics and automation to replace 800 million human workers by 2030, says new report

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The global effects of robotics and automation technologies is forecast to include the removal of as many as 800 million people from their jobs by 2030, according to a new report. Seventy million of them will be in the US. 

McKinsey, the consultancy firm which conducted the research, says the development of automation technologies is “sparked much public concern”.

In its report, Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation, McKinsey Global Institute says that, while automation is not a new phenomenon and fears surrounding its effects date back centuries, the situation seems different now.  [Read more…] about Robotics and automation to replace 800 million human workers by 2030, says new report

Yaskawa Electric reports stunning 150 per cent more profits with robotics and automation leading the way

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Yaskawa Electric says it has achieved a staggering 150 per cent growth in net profit for the period from April to September, compared with the same period last year, according to a report on Nikkei. 

Nikkei says Yaskawa’s profits for the period were $184 million, beating its own previous records.

Yaskawa, which also owns the Motoman brand of industrial robot, says most of the growth was due to increased orders for automation equipment from China, Japan and the US.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa Electric reports stunning 150 per cent more profits with robotics and automation leading the way

NTT Data and Automation Anywhere partner to offer digital workforce platform

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NTT Data Services has expanded agreement with Automation Anywhere to include its robotic process automation, cognitive and analytics solutions in NTT Data’s end-to-end automation ecosystem, Solutions for Intelligent Automation.

By leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning, NTT Data delivers and maintains automation solutions to allow humans, autonomics, and virtual assistants to automate repetitive tasks and fuel enterprise innovation and business growth. 

Dan Thomas, vice president of automation, integration and alliances, NTT Data Services, says: “Our expanded collaboration with Automation Anywhere adds to our robust portfolio of robotic process automation related services and outcome-driven solutions for our clients.  [Read more…] about NTT Data and Automation Anywhere partner to offer digital workforce platform

B&R to present condition monitoring solution at Agritechnica

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Automation company B&R is planning to showcase its condition monitoring solution for mobile automation, designed specifically for the agricultural sector.

B&R will be presenting the solution at this year’s Agritechnica exhibition – scheduled for November 12-18 in Hanover. B&R will be in hall A05, at booth 15.

Visitors will be able to see how advanced automation solutions can be implemented based on a comprehensive hardware portfolio, ready-made software components and a powerful engineering tool, says B&R.  [Read more…] about B&R to present condition monitoring solution at Agritechnica

Yaskawa partners with CommScope on advanced manufacturing technology centre in Belgium

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CommScope, a provider of infrastructure solutions for communications networks, has opened a new advanced manufacturing technology centre at its Kessel Lo, Belgium site.

The centre will showcase a newly formed partnership with Yaskawa, one of the world’s largest industrial robot suppliers, to determine the feasibility of adding robot technology and greater automation to manufacturing processes.

The new Advanced Manufacturing Technology centre enables CommScope to develop automated manufacturing competencies and technology in a laboratory setting through cross-functional collaboration and partnerships with universities, knowledge partners and suppliers.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa partners with CommScope on advanced manufacturing technology centre in Belgium

Interview with Ubuntu boss: A rich ecosystem for robotics and automation systems

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Exclusive interview with Mike Bell from Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu

There’s a lot of talk about the Robot Operating System. Understandably so. But the most widely used operating system in robotics and automation systems development is actually Ubuntu. 

In fact, ROS is not actually an operating system at all – it’s a set of software frameworks, or a software development kit, to be installed into an operating system like Ubuntu.

As Mike Bell, executive vice president of internet of things and devices at Canonical, explains in an exclusive interview: “It’s a bit confusing because it’s called Robot Operating System, but the reason is because if you’re developing robot applications, you don’t need to worry about the fact that it’s running on Ubuntu.

“You just write your application to interface into a ROS SDK and then deploy on Ubuntu.”  [Read more…] about Interview with Ubuntu boss: A rich ecosystem for robotics and automation systems

Siasun becomes first Chinese company to join leading US robotics association

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Siasun Robot & Automation has become the first Chinese company to join the US Robotic Industries Association. 

Siasun is said to be China’s largest robot supplier and integrator. By joining RIA, the company will gain greater access to the association’s members, partners and personnel.

It may also learn about new technologies and more support for any plans expansion in America.  [Read more…] about Siasun becomes first Chinese company to join leading US robotics association

‘World’s first’ fully automated port terminal opens in Melbourne

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The Port of Melbourne is the site of what is said to be the world’s first fully automated container handling terminal.

The system was developed and delivered by Kalmar, part of Cargotec, and Navis, part of Kalmar Business Area within Cargotec.

The automation solution is called OneTerminal, and was supplied to International Container Terminal Services Incorporated at the Port of Melbourne, Australia.  [Read more…] about ‘World’s first’ fully automated port terminal opens in Melbourne

B&R gives its industrial PC more power with Intel Xeon processor

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B&R’s Automation PC 910 is now optionally available with an Intel Xeon processor to make it more powerful, says the company.

The new microarchitecture provides a “50 per cent increase in performance” compared to the previous high-performance Core i processors, adds B&R, which was recently acquired by industrial giant ABB.

This level of performance allows effective handling of all applications that require fast analysis of large amounts of data, such as machine vision, data preparation for cloud applications and data mining for collection and analysis of quality data.  [Read more…] about B&R gives its industrial PC more power with Intel Xeon processor

Kollmorgen updates its developer network software

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Kollmorgen says it has updated its developer network, added more functions and made it easier to use on mobile and desktop computer.

“It’s so much easier when you work as a team,” say the company in a statement. “This is why Kollmorgen has thoroughly revised and expanded the web-based customer community KDN – Kollmorgen Developer Network.”

The new version of the online knowledge base is really easy to use on all PCs, tablets, and smartphones – thanks to its responsive design, says the company.  [Read more…] about Kollmorgen updates its developer network software