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Starship robots to deliver lunch to 180,000 workers in Milton Keynes

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Robots made by Starship Technologies have expanded into central Milton Keynes, UK and are delivering lunch to 180,000 workers.

Customers in central Milton Keynes will have access to robot delivery for the first time from some of the town’s most popular brands, says the company.

Starship Technologies is celebrating two years of commercial operation in the UK, and the rollout of its robot delivery service in central Milton Keynes is part of its celebrations. [Read more…] about Starship robots to deliver lunch to 180,000 workers in Milton Keynes

Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

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Ew, a cockroach! But it zips off before the swatter appears. Now, researchers have leveraged the bug’s superb scurrying skills to create a cleverly simple method to assess and improve locomotion in robots.

Normally, tedious modeling of mechanics, electronics, and information science is required to understand how insects’ or robots’ moving parts coordinate smoothly to take them places.

But in a new study, biomechanics researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology boiled down the sprints of cockroaches to handy principles and equations they then used to make a test robot amble about better. [Read more…] about Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

Vattenfall and Echandia Marine develop electric ferry with ‘superfast charging’

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Energy supplier Vattenfall and engineering company Echandia Marine claim they have developed a new solution for electric ferries that can “minimise emissions and noise and at the same time lower operational and maintenance costs and provide superfast charging”.

The systems are installed on E/S Movitz that operates in central Stockholm and can be fully charged within 10 minutes with up to 500 kW charging power.

Vattenfall and Echandia Marine have together developed a new concept that can contribute to a more sustainable transport solution for different types of boats and ferries. [Read more…] about Vattenfall and Echandia Marine develop electric ferry with ‘superfast charging’

Parker Hannifin introduces new servo drive range

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Parker Hannifin, a leader in motion and control technologies, has introduced its PSD series of servo drives designed for use in central control applications.

All components utilise an Ethernet-based fieldbus system for communications with the controller via popular fieldbuses, currently in use in industry, such as EtherCAT, Ethernet IP and PROFINET.

Due to its flexibility, the new system can be used in a wide range of applications including highly dynamic packing and production machinery.

[Read more…] about Parker Hannifin introduces new servo drive range

NextGenAM 3D printing pilot successfully completed

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The “NextGenAM” project, what began as a vision in May 2017, has now reached a successful conclusion.

The aim was to develop a digitalised next-generation manufacturing line to produce aluminium components for the automotive and aerospace sectors significantly more cost-effectively than is currently possible.

The successful outcome was that, in terms of the overall production process, manufacturing costs could be reduced by up to 50 percent compared with existing 3D printing systems.

[Read more…] about NextGenAM 3D printing pilot successfully completed

SSI Schaefer automates central warehouse for Rossmann

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The chemist chain Rossmann has commissioned SSI Schaefer to automate its central warehouse in their Polish subsidiary in Łódź.

SSI Schaefer will equip a 10-aisle miniload with more than 100,000 bin storage locations operated by Schaefer Miniload Cranes.

In addition, it will install a custom-fit pallet and bin conveying system, introducing 84 ergonomic work station systems and the logistics software WAMAS,

Rossmann’s Polish central warehouse supplies two regional warehouses and over 1,300 shops in Poland. The product range comprises up to 21,000 items, depending on store size.

[Read more…] about SSI Schaefer automates central warehouse for Rossmann