Robotics & Automation News

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NFI places $10 million order for material handling robots from Boston Dynamics

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NFI Industries, a supply chain solutions provider, has signed a $10 million agreement to deploy Boston Dynamics’ newest robot, Stretch, across its US warehousing operations.

The mobile robot will begin unloading trucks and containers as a pilot program at NFI’s Savannah, GA facility in 2023, with plans to outfit additional warehouse locations across North America over the next few years.

Supply chain demand remains near all-time highs. To support the flow of goods and increase operational capacity, NFI continues to invest in technology that supports a people-led, technology-enabled approach. [Read more…] about NFI places $10 million order for material handling robots from Boston Dynamics

Hyundai establishes Boston Dynamics AI Institute

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Hyundai Motor Group have launched the Boston Dynamics AI Institute, with the goal of making fundamental advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and intelligent machines.

Hyundai and Boston Dynamics will make an initial investment of more than $400 million in the new Institute, which will be led by Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics.

As a research-first organization, the Institute will work on solving the most important and difficult challenges facing the creation of advanced robots. [Read more…] about Hyundai establishes Boston Dynamics AI Institute

Velodyne Lidar signs multi-year agreement with Boston Dynamics

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Velodyne Lidar has agreed a multi-year contract for its lidar sensors with Boston Dynamics, a developer of mobile robotics.

Boston Dynamics selected Velodyne’s sensors to provide perception and navigation capabilities for its highly mobile robots, which are capable of tackling the “toughest robotics challenges”.

Velodyne’s lidar sensor solutions enable mobile robots to operate autonomously and safely, without human intervention. They provide real-time 3D perception data for localization, mapping, object classification and object tracking. [Read more…] about Velodyne Lidar signs multi-year agreement with Boston Dynamics

Boston Dynamics’ makes its warehouse robot available for commercial purchase

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Boston Dynamics, one of the most innovative developers of mobile robotics, has made its warehouse robot available for commercial purchase.

“Stretch” is Boston Dynamics’ newest robot, and is designed specifically for warehouses and distribution centers.

The company says Stretch is part of a “new generation of mobile robots”, and is “one of the most advanced robots in the world today”. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics’ makes its warehouse robot available for commercial purchase

Startup awarded $5 million to build autonomous car that ‘runs on light’

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Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), an agency of the US military akin to Darpa, is funding a $4.8 million project spearheaded by Boston University College of Engineering, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Lightmatter, a startup developing “photonic supercomputing” chips.

Electro-photonic computing, or optical computing, is thought to hold the promise of solving one of the biggest technical hurdles that self-driving cars face today – delivering high performance, low latency computing power that is also energy efficient.

At the end of the IARPA-funded experiment, the scientists hope to have “a fully functioning prototype of a self-driving car that runs on light”. [Read more…] about Startup awarded $5 million to build autonomous car that ‘runs on light’

DHL to invest $15 million on Boston Dynamics robots for supply chain operations

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DHL Supply Chain, the global and North American contract logistics business unit within Deutsche Post DHL Group, is making a $15 million investment in robotics solutions from Boston Dynamics.

Boston dynamics is famous for making scary humanoid and canine robots but it has also become one of the leading developers of mobile robotics, and the robots it will supply DHL – which include an autonomous mobile robot with arm called “Stretch” (main picture) – will “further automate warehousing in North America”.

The companies have signed a multi-year agreement that begins with equipping DHL facilities with Stretch, Boston Dynamics’ newest robot specifically designed to automate the unloading process in distribution centers. [Read more…] about DHL to invest $15 million on Boston Dynamics robots for supply chain operations

Auto systems giant Magna acquires autonomous shuttle startup Optimus Ride

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Magna, one of the world’s largest producers of automotive components and systems, has acquired autonomous shuttle startup Optimus Ride for an undisclosed amount.

Magna says the agreement has resulted in the company adding more than 120 employees of Optimus Ride to its books.

Optimus Ride is a provider of autonomous vehicle and mobility solutions located in Boston. [Read more…] about Auto systems giant Magna acquires autonomous shuttle startup Optimus Ride

Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

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By Skip Snyder, senior partner, IBM Consulting and Mike Pollitt, chief sales officer, Boston Dynamics

The demand for AI-driven robotics is increasing in operations like those in manufacturing and warehouse settings to help organizations with data and analytics that identify problems in real time, improve decision making, and perform tasks more efficiently. But to experience the true benefits, these operations need AI as close to the origin of the data as possible.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 56 percent of manufacturers have implemented AI-driven robotics to make autonomous decisions, while 83 percent agree intelligent automation will help their organization meet strategic challenges and improve business results. However, businesses point out that most edge and IoT devices today are stationary, inflexible and often incapable of responding to rapidly changing environments.

To address this challenge, IBM and Boston Dynamics have announced a new alliance focused on delivering data analysis at the edge to help industrial companies improve worker safety, optimize field operations, and boost maintenance productivity in environments like manufacturing facilities, power plants, warehouses and more. Enabled by AI and hybrid cloud innovations from IBM Research, IBM Consulting will develop edge payloads that integrate with Spot, the agile, mobile robot from Boston Dynamics. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

Boston Dynamics releases new software for its canine robot Spot

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Boston Dynamics has released new software for its canine robot, Spot, which has sold in relatively large numbers considering its hefty price tag.

The company says the new software – Spot Release 3.0 – adds functionality to make Spot “the data collection solution you need for safer and more efficient inspection rounds”.

Spot’s famous realistic walking ability – the Autowalk system – has logged thousands of miles in industrial facilities and on construction sites around the world. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics releases new software for its canine robot Spot

Founder Institute, NASA Ames and MassRobotics partner to launch AI and robotics accelerator in Boston

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The Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, is partnering with NASA Ames Research Center and MassRobotics for the upcoming Founder Institute AI & Robotics Accelerator program in Boston.

Founders working on aerospace/space, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomous vehicles, augmented/virtual reality, voice, drones and related technologies can apply to the program here: http://fi.co/join/AIRobotics. [Read more…] about Founder Institute, NASA Ames and MassRobotics partner to launch AI and robotics accelerator in Boston