Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

build

Relativity Space raises astronomical amount of $500 million for 3D printed rockets idea

by

Relativity Space, which is said to be the first company to 3D print an entire rocket and build the largest metal 3D printers in the world, has raised $500 million Series D equity funding.

The investment round was led by Tiger Global Management with participation from new investors Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Iconiq Capital, General Catalyst, XN, Senator Investment Group, and Elad Gil.

Existing investors participating in the round include Bond, Tribe Capital, K5 Global, 3L, Playground Global, Mark Cuban, Spencer Rascoff, and Allen & Company, among others. [Read more…] about Relativity Space raises astronomical amount of $500 million for 3D printed rockets idea

Robust AI raises $22.5 million to build ‘world’s first’ industrial-grade cognitive engine for robotics

by

Robust.ai, the company pioneering an industrial grade cognitive engine for robots, announced today the close of a $15 million Series A investment round, taking the company’s total funding to date to $22.5 million.

JAZZ Venture Partners led the Series A round and was joined by previous investors Playground Global, Liquid2, Fontinalis, Jaan Tallinn and Mark Leslie. Esther Dyson, Steve Blank and Tim O’Reilly are also angel investors in Robust.ai.

Historically, robots have largely been confined to highly predictable environments; Robust aims to change that by creating a new cognitively-driven AI platform that gives robots the problem-solving capabilities they need to work alongside humans in dynamic, open-ended environments, vastly increasing their potential in complex public spaces. [Read more…] about Robust AI raises $22.5 million to build ‘world’s first’ industrial-grade cognitive engine for robotics

Volkswagen orders staggering 800 ABB robots to build its new electric vehicles

by

ABB has received a massive order for 800 industrial robots from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to support production of a new generation of electric vehicles at its plant in Hannover, Germany.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is modernizing its Hannover factory and is installing state-of-the-art facilities to build the all-electric ID.

Buzz van, which will begin production in 2022. ABB’s robots will be installed in the body shop to undertake a range of body construction tasks. [Read more…] about Volkswagen orders staggering 800 ABB robots to build its new electric vehicles

Circle K to build fully automated store in partnership with Standard Cognition

by

Circle K, a large grocery chain in America, is to build a cashierless store in partnership with Standard Cognition.

Alimentation Couche-Tard, which operates close to 14,500 convenience stores worldwide, including the Circle K chain, has selected Standard Cognition to pilot touchless, autonomous checkout technology for its stores.

Together, the two companies will launch what they claim will be the world’s first convenience store retrofitted with artificial intelligence technology, located in the Phoenix, Arizona area, with other stores to follow. [Read more…] about Circle K to build fully automated store in partnership with Standard Cognition

Fetch Robotics partners with Build With Robots and Albuquerque airport to launch autonomous disinfecting robot

by

Fetch Robotics, a warehouse robotics and automation company, has partnered with Build With Robots and the City Of Albuquerque to launch the “Breezy One” disinfecting autonomous mobile robot. (See video below.)

Designed to protect Albuquerque Sunport airport employees and passengers from both harmful pathogens and cleaning agents, Breezy One can quickly, safely and effectively decontaminate spaces over 100,000 square feet in 1.5 hours with a patented, environmentally safe disinfectant.

Breezy One was co-developed with the City of Albuquerque’s Aviation Department, where it autonomously sanitizes the Sunport’s facilities every night in the ongoing fight against Covid-19. [Read more…] about Fetch Robotics partners with Build With Robots and Albuquerque airport to launch autonomous disinfecting robot

LG partners with Woowa Brothers to develop food delivery robots

by

Electronics and household appliances giant LG is partnering with unicorn startup Woowa Brothers to develop food delivery robots.

The partnership will aim to produce mobile robots that can deliver food to people’s homes as well to the tables of customers at restaurants.

While LG is well known around the world, Woowa Brothers is a startup which achieved unicorn status – became worth more than $1 billion – when German company Delivery Hero acquired it for around $4 billion in January this year. [Read more…] about LG partners with Woowa Brothers to develop food delivery robots

Students build robotic garbage-sorting system using B&R technology

by

A group of students have built a robotic garbage-sorting system using B&R technology.

The 13 students were given three days to build a machine that uses robots to sort garbage at the international Smart Green Island Makeathon engineering competition.

Austrian automation specialist B&R supported an interdisciplinary team of students from Brno University of Technology, the Kempten University of Applied Sciences, the Technical University of Ostrava, the University of Applied Sciences in Bremerhaven and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. [Read more…] about Students build robotic garbage-sorting system using B&R technology

MakerBot adds specialty materials for functional 3D printing prototypes

by

MakerBot, a 3D printing company and subsidiary of Stratasys, has expanded the materials portfolio for its “Method” 3D printer with two new materials – PC-ABS and PC-ABS FR.

The addition of these new materials brings the number of MakerBot materials for Method to 10, underscoring the company’s efforts to deliver a wider range of industrial-grade solutions to open more additive manufacturing applications for engineers.

PC-ABS (polycarbonate-acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) has high heat resistant properties and high tensile strength, which make it optimal for use across automotive, rail, and electronics industries. [Read more…] about MakerBot adds specialty materials for functional 3D printing prototypes

HGZN and Hyundai Robotics to build smart factory to manufacture robots in China

by

HGZN has partnered with Hyundai Robotics to embark on a project to build smart factory to manufacture robots in Haining, China.

The official groundbreaking ceremony for the “HGZN’s Intelligent Robot Industrialization Project” was held recently at the Economic Development Zone in Haining.

With a strong industrial city as its goal, HGZN – an acronym for Jiangsu Hagong Intelligent Robot Company – is focusing on the smart robot industrialization project. [Read more…] about HGZN and Hyundai Robotics to build smart factory to manufacture robots in China

Brain Corp and Dane Technologies partner to build autonomous delivery solutions

by

Brain Corp, an artificial intelligence company specialising in robotics, and Dane Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of power assist solutions, have formed a technology partnership to manufacture autonomous material delivery robots for use in public and commercial applications.

Under the partnership, Dane Technologies will license BrainOS, a cloud-connected operating system for commercial autonomous robots, and begin building the delivery robots in Q2 2020. The two companies will pilot the robots with several major retailers this spring.

John Black, SVP of new product development for Brain Corp, says: “Dane Technologies has a successful track record of developing equipment for demanding retail and manufacturing environments, including the pioneering QuicKART shopping cart management system. [Read more…] about Brain Corp and Dane Technologies partner to build autonomous delivery solutions