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ABB says its new 3D inspection robot cell makes quality control testing ‘10 times faster’

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ABB has unveiled a new 3D inspection robot cell which it claims makes quality control testing “10 times faster”.

The industrial automation giant says its 3D quality inspection (3DQI) robot cell is “capable of detecting defects of less than half the width of a human hair and imperceptible to the naked eye”.

It adds that the cell will “dramatically accelerate production by providing fast, accurate testing to make metrology easier and less time consuming”. [Read more…] about ABB says its new 3D inspection robot cell makes quality control testing ‘10 times faster’

AImotive and C3S take self-driving car technology from the road to space

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AImotive, the automotive supplier of automated driving technologies, and C3S, the satellite and space technology provider, has entered into a collaboration to create a prototype hardware platform for the efficient execution of artificial intelligence onboard satellites by the second half of 2021.

C3S will adapt AImotive’s aiWare NN hardware acceleration technology in its space electronics platform to enable high performance AI capabilities in small, power-constrained satellites.

The results of this collaboration are expected to accelerate the commercialization of a wide range of services for both specialized and mass-market applications, such as telecommunications, Earth and space observation, autonomous satellite operation, docking support, asteroid mining and so on. [Read more…] about AImotive and C3S take self-driving car technology from the road to space

Bosch says its new chip is ‘revolutionizing navigation’

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Bosch, one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive components, says a new chip has invented is “revolutionizing navigation”.

The company says its new MEMS sensor – the SMI230 – is a highly precise sensor which constantly registers changes in the vehicle’s direction and speed, evaluates the information, and transmits it to the navigation system.

There, the information is combined with the positional data from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and used for navigation. [Read more…] about Bosch says its new chip is ‘revolutionizing navigation’

AImotive becomes ‘most-funded’ automated driving software supplier in Europe

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AImotive claims it has become “the most-funded automated driving software supplier in Europe” after its latest investment round.

AImotive, an automated driving technology company, says the new funding round has raised $20 million, and comes despite amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The round was led by Lead Ventures, a Budapest based scale-up investor. [Read more…] about AImotive becomes ‘most-funded’ automated driving software supplier in Europe

Vitesco Technologies celebrates 25 years and its new ‘high degree of automation’

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In the scenic setting of Frenštát pod Radhoštěm at the foot of the Beskid Mountains, the Vitesco Technologies site is celebrating its 25th anniversary as well as its “high degree of automation” which is enabling the company to produce advanced technologies more efficiently than ever before. 

In May 1995, the site started producing electronic components for the automotive industry, initially with 100 employees.

Today, the Czech site with its workforce of approximately 3,000 is one of the largest employers in the region and is also one of the largest electronics plants owned by Vitesco Technologies, the Powertrain Technologies group sector of Continental. [Read more…] about Vitesco Technologies celebrates 25 years and its new ‘high degree of automation’

Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

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By Maya Xiao of Interact Analysis

The coronavirus pandemic which has devastated economies worldwide is expected to reduce revenues in the industrial robot market by more than 8 per cent, according to a study by Interact Analysis.

“After a weak 2019, we originally expected the 2020 robot market to recover strongly, but Covid-19 changed the market revenue growth forecast from 4.8 percent to -3.6 percent,” writes Maya Xiao, automation market expert at Interact Analysis.

Global industrial robot shipments experienced negative growth for four consecutive quarters from mid-2018, she says. At the end of 2019, recovery signs appeared, and the mid-term growth rate turned positive. This turnaround happened in the context of a continued slowdown in general global manufacturing activity, which led to weak spending on machinery and automation equipment. [Read more…] about Coronavirus expected to cut industrial robot revenue by more than 8 per cent this year

Kuka supplies Webasto with production equipment for assembly of battery systems

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Kuka is supplying a robotic system for the assembly of battery systems for a company called Webasto.

Kuka says the automotive industry is resolutely driving forward in the development of electromobility.

Webasto, a supplier of systems to the automotive industry, is also entering the field of battery systems production. [Read more…] about Kuka supplies Webasto with production equipment for assembly of battery systems

MIPI Alliance completes development of new industry standard A-PHY v1.0

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The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, has completed the development of MIPI A-PHY v1.0, a long-reach serializer-deserializer (SerDes) physical layer interface for automotive applications.

The specification is undergoing member review, with official adoption expected within the next 90 days.

A-PHY will provide a physical layer for data transfers spanning an entire vehicle. As the first standard of its kind, it will help the automotive industry accelerate the availability of advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous driving systems and other surround-sensor applications, including cameras and in-vehicle infotainment displays. [Read more…] about MIPI Alliance completes development of new industry standard A-PHY v1.0

AMS launches new position sensors for high-speed electric motors to ‘improve car industry’s electrification efforts’

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AMS, a supplier of high performance sensor solutions, has introduced new position sensors that it says lower system cost and enhance electrification of safety-critical vehicle functions such as power steering, active damper control, and braking for safer, smarter, and greener cars.

The two new position sensors – the ams AS5147U and the AS5247U – bring new benefits and a lower system cost to the automotive industry, says ams.

The ams AS5147U is an intelligent magnetic rotary position sensor chip for use in electric motors that run at speeds up to 28,000 rpm. [Read more…] about AMS launches new position sensors for high-speed electric motors to ‘improve car industry’s electrification efforts’

Aisin and QC Ware to jointly develop quantum computing capabilities

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Aisin Seiki and QC Ware have agreed a research collaboration to explore the impact of quantum optimization and quantum machine learning algorithms on automotive applications.

The collaboration will utilize commercially available quantum computers from D-Wave Systems and Rigetti Computing.

Aisin is a global supplier of components and systems for the automotive industry and one of the world’s largest transmission manufacturers. Its customers represent a wide range of automotive manufacturing giants, including Toyota, Volkswagen, PSA, Volvo, and the BMW. [Read more…] about Aisin and QC Ware to jointly develop quantum computing capabilities