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Otto Motors reveals North American sales and service expansion with certified dealers

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Otto Motors, a provider of autonomous mobile robots, has launched the Otto Certified Dealer program to provide “high-quality service and support locally throughout North America”. The program introduces over 215 regional offices and 2,000 technicians to the rapidly-growing AMR industry. 

To meet the rising demand for AMRs, Otto Motors has trained and certified the most reputable material handling equipment organizations to deliver solutions with the same quality that Otto Motors is known for.

John Stikes, director of global strategic alliances and partnerships at Otto Motors, says: “Customers demand exceptional service. We’ve built our Otto Certified Dealer program like we’ve built our products, with unwavering emphasis on quality to ensure that our customers receive the exceptional service they expect. [Read more…] about Otto Motors reveals North American sales and service expansion with certified dealers

Built Robotics launches fully autonomous solar piling system

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Built Robotics, a maker of autonomous construction machinery, has launched the RPD 35, which the company describes as “the world’s first fully autonomous solar piling system”.

With the RPD 35, utility-scale solar foundations can be constructed up to five times faster than with traditional means and methods, bringing the nation closer to net zero energy, says Built Robotics.

Piling is a complex construction activity at the heart of every utility-scale solar project. Solar piles are generally steel H-beams 12 to 16 feet in length and up to 200 pounds in weight. [Read more…] about Built Robotics launches fully autonomous solar piling system

International Union of Operating Engineers and Built Robotics renew training partnership

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Built Robotics, the inventor of the Exosystem, which is said to convert excavators into robots, has renewed its partnership with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE).

The renewal extends the strategic partnership through 2026, and will continue to put union members in the driver’s seat of construction automation.

James Callahan, general president of the IUOE, says: “Together with Built Robotics, we have pioneered a model of engagement between the Union and advanced technology providers to give our members continued opportunities to learn and develop their careers. [Read more…] about International Union of Operating Engineers and Built Robotics renew training partnership

Manufactured in the metaverse: Mercedes-Benz designs virtual factories with Nvidia Omniverse

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Building state-of-the-art factories requires a state-of-the art planning system.

Mercedes-Benz is taking the next step in digitizing its production process, using the Nvidia Omniverse platform to design and plan manufacturing and assembly facilities.

By tapping into Nvidia AI and metaverse technologies, the automaker can create feedback loops to reduce waste, decrease energy consumption and continuously enhance quality. [Read more…] about Manufactured in the metaverse: Mercedes-Benz designs virtual factories with Nvidia Omniverse

Built Robotics acquires Roin Technologies to expand beyond autonomous earthmoving

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Built Robotics, a construction autonomy company and inventor of the Exosystem, which “turns any excavator into a robot”, is acquiring Roin Technologies, the maker of the what is claimed to be the “first automated concrete power trowel”.

The acquisition will grow the capabilities of Built’s engineering team and accelerate key technological developments to expand automation beyond construction into new applications and markets.

Noah Ready-Campbell, founder and CEO of Built Robotics, says: “Since their founding, Roin’s team has pushed the boundaries of construction autonomy, which has created a unique expertise in our industry. [Read more…] about Built Robotics acquires Roin Technologies to expand beyond autonomous earthmoving

MOV.AI releases Flow ROS robot development environment

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MOV.AI, developer of the Robotics Engine Platform announced today the beta release of Flow, a visual Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed especially for ROS-based robot software.

This open IDE speeds up and streamlines robot software development with a visual representation of ROS projects that makes it easy to understand ROS projects and allows simple and intuitive development.

MOV.AI Flow makes it easier to import assets, reduces configuration and integration work, speeds up debugging, and makes it easy to port projects across environments, and share with the community.  [Read more…] about MOV.AI releases Flow ROS robot development environment

Sesto Robotics raises $5.7 million for its autonomous mobile robots

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Sesto Robotics, a Singapore-based autonomous mobile robotics company, has raised $5.7 million funding from institutional investors Trive, Germany-based World Trading Inovation, and the Singapore government-backed Seeds Capital. 

Chor Chen Ang, CEO of Sesto Robotics, says: “Having WTI as a strategic investor at this stage of our company’s development helps us to expand into the important European and German market that is the home of Industry 4.0.

“WTI has a strict investment policy and the investors are entrepreneurs who have built and scaled businesses themselves and believe in investing in the right management team to create successful businesses. [Read more…] about Sesto Robotics raises $5.7 million for its autonomous mobile robots

Cleo Robotics launches doughnut-shaped drone for indoor industrial inspection

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Cleo Robotics, which claims to be the first company to successfully develop a stable and highly maneuverable ducted bi-rotor drone, has launched its Dronut X1 for law-enforcement, industrial inspection, construction and defense markets.

Cleo’s patented thrust vectoring technology has, for the first time ever, made the hyper-efficient ducted fan design stable in flight. The Dronut’s completely enclosed propellers enable the X1 to safely bounce off objects and people and is a fraction of the size of similarly featured drones.

For industrial and commercial applications, the Dronut X1 now enables unmanned inspections of dangerous and confined spaces (tanks, pressure vessels, crawl spaces, and so on) where no drone or robot could previously go. [Read more…] about Cleo Robotics launches doughnut-shaped drone for indoor industrial inspection

Sea Machines embarks on ‘world’s first’ autonomous, remotely commanded voyage by an ocean tugboat

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In a milestone moment slated to prove that the world’s waterways are primed and ready for autonomous technology, Sea Machines will circumnavigate Denmark on a multi-week 1,000 nautical mile remotely commanded commercial voyage.

Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for the maritime industry, says it will embark on a 1,000 nautical mile autonomous and remotely commanded journey around Denmark later this month.

Aptly named “The Machine Odyssey”, the voyage marks a landmark moment for autonomous transportation and is slated to prove that the world’s waterways are primed and ready for long-range autonomy.

The Machine Odyssey will depart from Hamburg, Germany, on September 30, with full onboard vessel control managed by autonomous technology, while operating under the authority of commanding officers located in the United States. [Read more…] about Sea Machines embarks on ‘world’s first’ autonomous, remotely commanded voyage by an ocean tugboat

Desolination: Unique energy and water project combines solar power and desalination

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A unique, €10 million “Desolination” project, involving 19 partners and 12 countries, aims to develop a “first-of-its-kind efficient coupling of concentrated solar power and desalination techniques”.

The Horizon 2020 Desolination project started in June, this year and will last 48 months until May 2025.

During this time, innovative technologies related to both concentrated solar power and desalination will be designed to improve the efficiency of existing concepts. [Read more…] about Desolination: Unique energy and water project combines solar power and desalination