Robotics & Automation News

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Autonomous robots

FORT Robotics extends physical AI safety platform with Nvidia Halos

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FORT Robotics, the “Trust Layer” for physical AI, has announced joining the Nvidia Halos for Robotics ecosystem that’s bringing safety to autonomous robots.

FORT will demonstrate an agentic safety application built with the open source Nvidia Halos Outside-In Safety Blueprint this week at the Automate conference in Chicago and presenting in the Humanoid Robotics Pavilion with Nvidia on June 23rd.

The Nvidia Outside-In Safety Blueprint combined with the FORT Trust Layer extends robot perception beyond onboard sensors by using external infrastructure sensors and visual AI Agents to deliver real-time, safety-certifiable functional safety to maximize operational throughput. [Read more…] about FORT Robotics extends physical AI safety platform with Nvidia Halos

Opinion: Why robot dogs are leading the pack in factory floor efficiency

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By Andrew Hamilton, head of the Digital Process Manufacturing Centre (DPMC) at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)

Manufacturing facilities today are sprawling, interconnected environments where equipment operates continuously and processes stretch across large physical footprints.

From factory floors and plant rooms to service corridors and external assets, engineering teams need clear visibility across areas that are not always easy, or safe, to access.

Maintaining performance in these conditions depends on accurate, timely information and the ability to respond before issues escalate. [Read more…] about Opinion: Why robot dogs are leading the pack in factory floor efficiency

ExRobotics launches UL-certified inspection robot for hazardous industrial sites in North America

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ExRobotics has announced the North American launch of its UL Certified ExR-2.5 autonomous inspection robot at the recent Energy Drone & Robotics Summit in Houston.

This certification marks another industry first for ExRobotics. The ExR-2.5 is the only UL Certified inspection robot for potentially explosive industrial environments. This provides operators with a recognised pathway to deploy autonomous robotic inspections in hazardous locations.

Oil and gas operators face mounting pressure from ageing infrastructure, acute workforce shortages and the escalating cost of unplanned downtime. The UL Certified ExR-2.5 was developed to address a critical industry need. [Read more…] about ExRobotics launches UL-certified inspection robot for hazardous industrial sites in North America

AIxCrypto launches RoboShare robot rental platform and autonomous asset network

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AIxCrypto has unveiled a robot rental marketplace and a new infrastructure platform for autonomous assets as it seeks to extend the commercial life of robots beyond their initial sale.

The Nasdaq-listed company introduced RoboShare and AIXC01 during the recent Automate Show in Chicago, outlining a strategy it says will allow robots, AI agents and other autonomous systems to generate value throughout their operational lifetime rather than only at the point of purchase.

RoboShare is designed as a marketplace that matches businesses looking to rent robots with owners seeking to monetize underused robotic equipment. The platform will support both full robot rentals and service-based bookings, enabling companies to access robotic capabilities without purchasing equipment outright. [Read more…] about AIxCrypto launches RoboShare robot rental platform and autonomous asset network

Niantic Spatial adds USDZ export to Scaniverse to streamline robotics simulation workflows

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Niantic Spatial has launched USDZ export for its Scaniverse app, enabling robotics developers to convert real-world environments into simulation-ready digital twins for use with Nvidia Isaac Sim.

The new capability is designed to help address the long-standing “sim-to-real” gap in robotics, where systems trained in synthetic environments often struggle when deployed in complex, real-world settings.

Using Scaniverse, developers can now capture a real environment with a 360-degree camera and generate a USDZ file that combines a Gaussian splat with an automatically generated, aligned mesh. The resulting model can be imported directly into NVIDIA Isaac Sim for robot training and testing. [Read more…] about Niantic Spatial adds USDZ export to Scaniverse to streamline robotics simulation workflows

Robot.com to showcase autonomous advertising robots as official robotics partner of LEAP East

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Robot.com, the company putting autonomous robots to work in the real world, has been named the official robotics partner of LEAP East, bringing its fleet of autonomous robots to the show floor in Hong Kong.

The company will deploy R-kiwis in front of one of the most-watched technology audiences in the world, leveraging its R-ads platform to engage event attendees and pass out swag.

Co-founder and president Judah Longgrear will also be on-site for a speaking session titled “When AI Leaves the Screen”, detailing how physical intelligence is changing the way brands reach people in the real world. [Read more…] about Robot.com to showcase autonomous advertising robots as official robotics partner of LEAP East

How AI Navigation is Improving the Performance of Robotic Pool Cleaners

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Robotic pool cleaners used to be judged mostly by suction, brushes, and how much debris they could collect. Those things still matter, but they are no longer the whole performance story.

The bigger shift is navigation.

A pool robot that moves randomly may clean some areas well and miss others. It may repeat the same route, struggle near steps, or leave the waterline looking unfinished. That is why AI navigation is becoming a core part of robotic pool cleaner performance. It helps the machine understand the pool as a space, not just a container of water. [Read more…] about How AI Navigation is Improving the Performance of Robotic Pool Cleaners

ABB Robotics and Psyonic use human-generated data to advance robotic dexterity

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Dexterity remains a major challenge for industry; improved handling can reduce engineering time by up to 30%

ABB Robotics is collaborating with California bionics company, Psyonic, to advance robotic gripping and dexterity using a new approach that utilizes real-world manipulation data from human prosthetic use.

By combining the Psyonic Ability Hand with an ABB GoFa cobot, the collaboration will explore how touch and motion data generated by human prosthetic use can be used to train robots to perform delicate, variable tasks that have traditionally been difficult to automate. [Read more…] about ABB Robotics and Psyonic use human-generated data to advance robotic dexterity

Interview with Digid’s Nils Könne and Christian Kreil: Nanoscale sensors could help solve robotics’ tactile sensing challenge

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The rapid rise of artificial intelligence and robotics has focused attention on software, large language models, and increasingly powerful processors.

But for robots to operate effectively in the physical world, they also need something much more fundamental: the ability to sense and understand their environment.

That challenge is creating growing interest in advanced sensing technologies capable of providing machines with far richer information about the world around them. [Read more…] about Interview with Digid’s Nils Könne and Christian Kreil: Nanoscale sensors could help solve robotics’ tactile sensing challenge

Interview with Sharpa’s Alicia Veneziani: ‘Dexterous manipulation is the key to useful humanoid robots’

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Much of the recent excitement surrounding humanoid robots has focused on increasingly impressive demonstrations of walking, running, jumping, and balancing. Yet many robotics experts argue that locomotion, while important, is only part of the challenge.

The bigger obstacle to creating genuinely useful humanoid robots may be something far more familiar to humans: the ability to use their hands.

Among the companies focused on solving this problem is Sharpa, a Singapore-based robotics startup developing dexterous robotic hands, tactile sensing systems, and embodied AI technologies designed to enable robots to interact more effectively with the physical world. [Read more…] about Interview with Sharpa’s Alicia Veneziani: ‘Dexterous manipulation is the key to useful humanoid robots’