Robotics & Automation News

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AutoX launches fully driverless RoboTaxi service to the public in China

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Autonomous driving company AutoX has launched a “fully driverless” RoboTaxi pilot program to the public in Shenzhen, China after its taxis completed final testing last month. (See video below.)

This marks the first time that the general public will be able to book a completely autonomous RoboTaxi without accompanying safety drivers in China.

Members of the public can sign up for the pilot program through AutoX’s RoboTaxi registration page. Selected pilot users can use AutoX membership credits for the RoboTaxi rides. [Read more…] about AutoX launches fully driverless RoboTaxi service to the public in China

Kuka unveils robotics for modern treatment of tumors

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A Munich therapy center uses a medical product with an integrated Kuka robot as a high-precision instrument in tumor treatment.

The CyberKnife system of Accuray, a kind of virtual knife, is an alternative to conventional radiotherapy.

Thanks to high-precision robot- and image-guided irradiation, the CyberKnife Center in Munich is able to treat tumors anywhere in the body – from the brain to the spinal column to various organs, such as the lungs, liver, kidneys or prostate. [Read more…] about Kuka unveils robotics for modern treatment of tumors

General Motors opens new 3D printing facility

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General Motors has opened a 15,000-square-foot “Additive Industrialization Center”, a facility exclusively dedicated to productionizing 3D printing technology in the automotive industry.

GM says the AIC is the “capstone” of its expertise and increased investment in 3D printing over the past several years.

Audley Brown, GM director of additive design and materials engineering, says: “The core component of GM’s transformation is becoming a more agile, innovative company, and 3D printing will play a critical role in that mission. [Read more…] about General Motors opens new 3D printing facility

GreyOrange implements robots in Active Ants’ warehouse

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GreyOrange has implemented its GreyMatter operating system and Ranger MoveSmart robots in Active Ants’ new e-fulfillment center in Roosendaal, the Netherlands.

The 20,000 square meter warehouse features the GreyMatter Smart Zone Transfer application, utilizing Ranger MoveSmart robots to autonomously move and sort inventory in flexible process flows not possible with fixed conveyors or sorters.

“The GreyOrange robots team with our employees to fulfill customer orders with greater efficiency while also creating a high quality, pleasant work environment. The setup is unique in the world,” said Jeroen Dekker, managing partner at Active Ants. [Read more…] about GreyOrange implements robots in Active Ants’ warehouse

SSI Schaffer provides Coop with ‘one of the largest automation solutions in the world’

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Coop, one of the leading food retailers in Sweden, has chosen SSI Schaefer as its general contractor for intralogistics to provide a highly automated logistics solution for the company’s new 77,000 sqm distribution center in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

Coop’s new distribution center, strategically positioned in the heart of Sweden, will handle the distribution of goods to Coop’s 800+ stores around the country.

The majority of the material flow will be processed by two highly automated robotic case picking systems for chilled and ambient products. The result will be a sustainable warehouse that will handle more than 600,000 units per day. [Read more…] about SSI Schaffer provides Coop with ‘one of the largest automation solutions in the world’

Techman Robot establishes new training center in Taiwan

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Techman Robot, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, has established a new training center in Taiwan.

Affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the global economic situation, the industrial supply chain has been reorganizing, and the return of manufacturers has emerged.

In response to the demand for new and expanded production capacity, Techman Robot announces its cooperation with its distributor, Juyao Automation, to establish a flagship training center in Southern Taiwan to services end customers and automation manufacturers in that area. [Read more…] about Techman Robot establishes new training center in Taiwan

Robotics and Automation News Review: Fanuc and Kuka launch new robots, Pittsburgh ready to go to ‘infinity and beyond’, Foxconn moves operations out of China, and much more…

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Friday 14 August 2020: This is a new, weekly column – to be published every Friday – which rounds up all the most interesting news from the robotics and automation industry in the past seven days, in brief form. 

This Robotics and Automation News Review is also available to view on our YouTube channel.

Comau Robotics says it has created an “innovative, in-line testing and quality control system that optimizes the construction and assembly of batteries”. The company says the MI.RA / Thermography system uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to perform non-invasive automated assessment and control of welded joints, to ensure battery integrity and prevent waste.

Kuka Robotics has launched a new compact industrial robot. The company says its new KR 4 Agilus is “a hot candidate for first place in the small robotics charts from October onwards”.

Fanuc Robotics has launched a new “extremely compact” robot which it claims has the “best precision in its class”. The new M-10iD/16S robot is the most compact model of the M-10iD series, says Fanuc, adding that it combines the best features of its two predecessors, M-10iA/10MS and M-10iA/12S.

Hyundai Robotics has signed an agreement with Korea’s Asan Medical Center and KT for joint development and commercialization of smart hospital solutions on June 30th. The company is planning to prepare for the post-corona era with a smart hospital solution for infection management by ICT-based digital transformation.

Techman Robot, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, says it has adopted proactive steps against the new coronavirus. Techman Robot says it checks the health of its employees on a daily bases and collects global virus information. It also implementing prevention measures. The company maintains business communications online and is frequently in touch with all overseas offices, global distributors, partners, and customers.

HRG International Institute of Research and Innovation has unveiled a new floor cleaning robot, the SW10. The company says it is exclusively designed for floor cleaning tasks in commercial and industrial environments. The robot is combined with sweeping, mopping and vacuum cleaning functions and its work can maintain 2,000 square meters per hour.

Denso has established the Pittsburgh Innovation Lab, a new US research and development center designed to strengthen open innovation and enhance technology development that enables automated driving.

FedEx has installed industrial robotic arms to do what is considered the “most difficult” job to automate in a sorting facility in Memphis, USA. The logistics giant has integrated Yaskawa robots and software from Plus One Robotics into a robotic system that performs a task which involves picking up parcels or envelopes from a tray and placing them on a conveyor.

Foxconn, Apple’s main contract manufacturing partner, has moved a significant portion of its operations outside of China. The company has already moved an additional 5 percent of its operations to countries other than China, bring it up to 30 percent, compared with 25 percent last year.

Pittsburgh local authorities say they are looking to “infinity and beyond” after NASA awarded a local company, Astrobotic Technology, a $200 million contract to build and send the first-ever US robotic rover to the Moon by 2023.

Robotic surgery: Catheter navigation proving to be the fastest growing sector

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IDTechEx reports that the robotic surgery market will reach over $12 billion by 2030. Within this industry, catheter navigation is an emerging, but lesser known application, that is rapidly gaining traction.

IDTechEx’s findings are detailed in the recently published report Innovations in Robotic Surgery 2020-2030: Technologies, Players & Markets.

Catheters are widely used to conduct an intervention within the blood vessels or airways. Traditional catheter ablation procedures have a success rate of approximately 60 percent and can be very long – sometimes several hours. [Read more…] about Robotic surgery: Catheter navigation proving to be the fastest growing sector

Boston Scientific introduces ‘touchless distribution’ at its distribution center

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Boston Scientific has offices in more than 100 countries and says it is committed to changing lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world. 

At the distribution center in Kerkrade, Boston Scientific began automating its distribution center in 2013. The aim of the manufacturer and distributor of medical products is: “touchless distribution”.

The implementation of intralogistics company Inther Group’s Automated Document Applicator (ADA) is an important part of this.

 [Read more…] about Boston Scientific introduces ‘touchless distribution’ at its distribution center

Virginia Tech partners with Dive Technologies to launch autonomous underwater vehicle

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Virginia Tech researchers at the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics have partnered with Boston-based Dive Technologies to support the development and testing of what they describe as a novel autonomous underwater vehicle with innovative vehicle design and state-of-the-art control, software, and autonomy systems.

This multiyear collaboration provides an opportunity to apply research discoveries and innovative technology developed in the academic lab and deploy them in next-generation commercial applications.

Bill Lebo, co-founder and chief technology officer of Dive Technologies, says: “We feel fortunate to be working closely with professors Daniel Stilwell, Stefano Brizzolara, and the entire team supporting Dive Technologies from the Center for Marine Autonomy and Robotics. [Read more…] about Virginia Tech partners with Dive Technologies to launch autonomous underwater vehicle