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Autonomous delivery vehicle maker Faction selects Point One navigation tech

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Faction, a developer of self-driving micro-logistics and vehicle-on-demand transportation, is partnering with Point One Navigation, a specialist in precise positioning technology, to bring driverless delivery and transportation solutions to the mass market.

Faction’s DriveLink platform deeply integrates Point One’s safe positioning technology with reliable centimeter-level absolute accuracy, enabling trustworthy and efficient autonomous operations across the entire fleet.

Faction is accelerating the commercial deployment of its B2B autonomous delivery service by leveraging three-wheel production electric vehicles which are purpose-built for driverless fleet services and supported by teleoperation. [Read more…] about Autonomous delivery vehicle maker Faction selects Point One navigation tech

Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

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Ottonomy has closed its seed funding round of $3.3 million, bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million.

The funding is planned to support the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries with its robots.

The funding round is led by Pi Ventures who back deep tech startups. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also joined this round; making the group a dynamic mix from retail, food and robotics industry investors for Ottonomy’s seed round. [Read more…] about Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

ABB and SKF increase collaboration on industrial automation

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Industrial automation giant ABB and SKF, one of the world’s largest suppliers of bearings, have agreed a partnership to explore the possibilities for a collaboration in the automation of manufacturing processes.

The agreement was signed at ABB’s Robotics Experience Center in Västerås, Sweden, by ABB CEO Björn Rosengren and SKF CEO Rickard Gustafson.

Following the successful delivery of a number of projects in SKF’s global manufacturing network, including in Gothenburg, where a fleet of industrial robots from ABB are installed in the bearing manufacturer’s state-of-the-art factory, the two companies are now taking the next step in their collaboration. [Read more…] about ABB and SKF increase collaboration on industrial automation

‘First-of-its-kind’ $50 million fund launches for early-stage robotics, automation, and AI companies

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Cybernetix Ventures, an independent venture capital firm investing in early-stage robotics, automation and AI technology companies, today announced the launch of its first global fund headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Cybernetix Fund I will focus on pre-seed, seed and Series A investments into companies in the US and around the world developing robotics solutions for manufacturing, logistics, construction, and healthcare verticals.

The fund will also invest in key robotics-enabling software companies in AI/machine learning, cloud robotics, cybersecurity, autonomy and sensors/edge computing. [Read more…] about ‘First-of-its-kind’ $50 million fund launches for early-stage robotics, automation, and AI companies

Serve Robotics partners with Piestro to deliver robot-made pizzas

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Piestro, a maker of a robotic pizzeria, is partnering with Serve Robotics, a maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, to offer customers a totally robotic pizza delivery service.

When a customer places an order, Piestro’s scheduling system will notify Serve’s fleet and the nearest available robot will pick up the pizza for transport from a Piestro pod.

The partnership will roll out in the coming months, as Piestro deploys units within Serve delivery areas.  [Read more…] about Serve Robotics partners with Piestro to deliver robot-made pizzas

Sweden’s largest pharmacy chain partners with GreyOrange to increase warehouse automation

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Apotek Hjärtat, Sweden’s largest pharmacy chain, has signed a new partnership with GreyOrange to develop automation solutions for its new 20,000 square meter e-commerce warehouse that will open in September in Norrköping.

Through the partnership, Apotek Hjärtat will take the next step in automating its logistics. The warehouse that supplies pharmacies with goods is already largely automated, but the new collaboration gives Apotek Hjärtat the conditions to continue to improve customer experience through faster and smoother deliveries.

Eric Lundberg, CEO of Apotek Hjärtat, says: “Through the collaboration, we continue to automate our logistics flows and thereby lay the foundation for the next generation of e-commerce offering. [Read more…] about Sweden’s largest pharmacy chain partners with GreyOrange to increase warehouse automation

DB Schenker to operate zero-emission autonomous ship for Ekornes

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DB Schenker, one of the world’s leading logistics providers, has revealed plans to operate an innovative zero-emission coastal container feeder in Norway. The fully electric vessel has a unique design, making it the first of its kind in the world.

Having just signed a pre-study agreement, DB Schenker and its co-operation partners – the furniture giant Ekornes and the vessel designer Naval Dynamics, along with Kongsberg and Massterly – have taken the first steps in an ambitious joint project to replace the traditional feeder vessels utilized along the stretch of the Norwegian coastline around Ikornnes and Ålesund.

The new autonomous and electric, short-sea container feeder leverages Naval Dynamics’ NDS AutoBarge 250 concept that was developed in partnership with Kongsberg and Massterly. [Read more…] about DB Schenker to operate zero-emission autonomous ship for Ekornes

Additive manufacturing startups MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge

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MakerBot and Ultimaker, two of the best-known startups in desktop 3D printing, have come to a “business combination agreement” – or a merger.

The company says the move will accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing by providing a comprehensive desktop 3D printing ecosystem of hardware, software, and materials.

The new entity will be backed by existing investors, NPM Capital and Stratasys, and will benefit from a planned cash investment of $62.4 million to fuel innovation and expansion into new markets. [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing startups MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge

Addverb Technologies expands warehouse robotics solutions to Americas

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Addverb Technologies, an automation solutions provider for warehouses and factories, is expanding into North and South America.

The move comes on the heels of $132 million in funding from Reliance Industries.

This expansion establishes an experienced US leadership team with more than four decades of robotics, manufacturing, and business development experience. [Read more…] about Addverb Technologies expands warehouse robotics solutions to Americas

Vecna Robotics raises $65 million in Series C funding

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Vecna Robotics, a provider of robotic material handling automation, has raised $65 million in its Series C funding round led by Tiger Global Management, along with additional funding from new investors Lineage Logistics, Proficio Capital Partners, and Impulse.

The new financing will help fund the company’s technology roadmap with new autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and software, and will accelerate fulfillment of new orders and expanded operations to address the $165 billion market opportunity for pallet-moving autonomy.

Craig Malloy, CEO of Vecna Robotics, says: “There is huge headroom for growth in automated material handling with over 5 billion pallets in the world being moved by more than 5 million forklifts and nearly 5 million manual operators. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics raises $65 million in Series C funding