Robotics & Automation News

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Eavesdropping on our thoughts helps create robots like us

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Can intelligence be taught to robots? Advances in physical reservoir computing, a technology that makes sense of brain signals, could contribute to creating artificial intelligence machines that think like us.

In Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing, researchers from the University of Tokyo outline how a robot could be taught to navigate through a maze by electrically stimulating a culture of brain nerve cells connected to the machine.

These nerve cells, or neurons, were grown from living cells and acted as the physical reservoir for the computer to construct coherent signals. [Read more…] about Eavesdropping on our thoughts helps create robots like us

Kärcher and Brain Corp debut industry’s ‘first professional robotic vacuum’

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Brain Corp, a provider of software for industrial floor cleaning robots, has launched its “first professional autonomous vacuum cleaner”, the Kira CV 60/1.

The new machine is a joint development with Kärcher, one of the world’s leading providers of cleaning technology.

The two companies say the Kira device is built to help businesses clean smarter than ever before, the autonomous vacuum is the first robotic machine released in partnership between Brain Corp and Kärcher. [Read more…] about Kärcher and Brain Corp debut industry’s ‘first professional robotic vacuum’

A system for designing and training intelligent soft robots

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‘Evolution Gym’ is a large-scale benchmark for co-optimizing the design and control of soft robots that takes inspiration from nature and evolutionary processes

Let’s say you wanted to build the world’s best stair-climbing robot. You’d need to optimize for both the brain and the body, perhaps by giving the bot some high-tech legs and feet, coupled with a powerful algorithm to help enable the climb.

Although design of the physical body and its brain, the “control”, are key ingredients to letting the robot move, existing benchmark environments favor only the latter. Co-optimizing for both elements is hard – it takes a lot of time to train various robot simulations to do different things, even without the design element.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), aimed to fill the gap by designing “Evolution Gym”, a large-scale testing system for co-optimizing the design and control of soft robots, taking inspiration from nature and evolutionary processes. [Read more…] about A system for designing and training intelligent soft robots

Brain Corp’s European robotic cleaning fleet reaches 500 million square feet covered autonomously in 2021

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Brain Corp, which provides an operating system for commercial floor-cleaning robots, says its BrainOS-powered fleet of autonomous mobile robots has hit a new milestone of 500 million square feet covered (46.45 million square meters) autonomously in Europe during 2021.

Coming off the back of significant year-on-year growth, Brain Corp has seen momentum build throughout 2021 with the company recording 226 percent growth in floor area covered autonomously between April and October, 2021 alone.

While increases in robot deployments were seen across all industry sectors, the most significant growth came within retail outlets, shopping malls and logistics facilities. [Read more…] about Brain Corp’s European robotic cleaning fleet reaches 500 million square feet covered autonomously in 2021

Brain Corp’s robotic fleet covers 100 billion square feet

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Brain Corp, a developer of software for robotics, especially industrial robotic floor cleaners, says its BrainOS-powered fleet of autonomous mobile robots has reached 100 billion square feet of coverage.

In doing so, claims Brain Corp, “6.8 million hours have been given back to employees and operations managers, allowing them to focus on customer experience and other high-value tasks”.

Eugene Izhikevich, CEO and founder of Brain Corp, says: “We are thrilled to celebrate reaching 100 billion square feet of coverage with our fleet which represents the square footage of the entire commercial space in the United States. [Read more…] about Brain Corp’s robotic fleet covers 100 billion square feet

Cleveland Clinic develops bionic arm that restores ‘natural behaviors’

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Cleveland Clinic researchers have engineered a “first-of-its-kind bionic arm” for patients with upper-limb amputations that allows wearers to think, behave and function like a person without an amputation, according to new findings published in Science Robotics.

The Cleveland Clinic-led international research team developed the bionic system that combines three important functions – intuitive motor control, touch and grip kinesthesia, the intuitive feeling of opening and closing the hand.

Collaborators included University of Alberta and University of New Brunswick. [Read more…] about Cleveland Clinic develops bionic arm that restores ‘natural behaviors’

Denver schools bring in robots to clean floors

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Brain Corp, a developer of software for robots, says that Denver Public Schools, one of the nation’s largest school districts, has selected BrainOS-powered robotics scrubbers, manufactured by Tennant Company, to enhance cleanliness and sanitation at some of its more than 200 schools.

Denver Public Schools made the decision to invest in a large fleet of self-driving floor cleaners to give its facility management employees increased bandwidth to work on other higher-value tasks, such as cleaning between classes and other in-depth cleaning. The machines will be deployed this summer at various high schools in the 90,000-student district.

Rich Archuletta, director of facility operations at Denver Public Schools, says: “These new autonomous floor cleaners are a critical technology investment that will help us enhance cleanliness at 14 of our largest buildings, mainly our 10 comprehensive high schools. This is a huge benefit to our students, while maintaining future operating costs. [Read more…] about Denver schools bring in robots to clean floors

DFI provides ‘the most reliable brain and cerebellum’ for giant AGV in LCD panel factories

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DFI’s AMR-dedicated AI computer enhances mobility and accuracy of mobile robots

The humble LCD panel was originally one of the Taiwanese government’s “Two Trillion & Twin Star” plan to develop its high-tech sectors. Now, it’s one of the country’s most significant symbols of electronics manufacturing.

With the trend of panel generation becoming larger and larger, in the production line of large-size panels, handling technology is also relatively important. [Read more…] about DFI provides ‘the most reliable brain and cerebellum’ for giant AGV in LCD panel factories

Ekso Bionics provides exoskeletons to hospitals in Florida

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Ekso Bionics, a developer of exoskeleton technology for medical and industrial use, has expanded partnership with Kindred Healthcare, bringing EksoNR, the most clinically used robotic exoskeleton, to four of Kindred’s Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals in the US.

The multi-unit order follows a successful pilot program of the EksoNR last year.

EksoNR has become a standard of care within Kindred’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals by driving patient outcomes in neurorehabilitation through early mobility and gait training.

In 2019, Kindred executed a proof of concept in the Houston LTAC market and, after a successful implementation, launched three additional Ekso programs in the Houston-metro area in 2020. [Read more…] about Ekso Bionics provides exoskeletons to hospitals in Florida

How modern robots are developed: ‘Human cyborgs will become commonplace’

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Today, neuroscience and robotics are developing hand in hand. Mikhail Lebedev, academic supervisor at HSE University’s Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces, spoke about how studying the brain inspires the development of robots.

Robots are interesting to neuroscience and neuroscience is interesting to robots – this is what the article “Neuroengineering challenges of fusing robotics and neuroscience” was about in the journal Science Robotics.

Such collaborative development contributes to progress in both fields, bringing us closer to developing more advanced android robots and a deeper understanding of the structure of the human brain. And, to some extent, to combining biological organisms with machines, to create cybernetic organisms (cyborgs). [Read more…] about How modern robots are developed: ‘Human cyborgs will become commonplace’