Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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The 4 longest and most dangerous haulage routes in the world

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The haulage industry has come a long way from steam powered carts; technological revolution and globalisation have pushed the industry to the forefront, today “85 per cent of everything Brits buy, eat, wear and use is moved by a UK-registered lorry”. From the clothes on your back, to the bricks and mortar that are used to build your home – it probably came in a lorry.

Long haul trucking is defined as any form of trucking that requires the driver to stay away from home because the journey cannot be completed in a day. HGVs are everywhere and are used in all industries, from huge scale machinery movers to retail product delivery.

Drivers are often required to live a partially nomadic lifestyle because the role requires them to regularly commit to long time periods away from home, It is not uncommon for a long-haul driver to travel the whole length of a country and even travel internationally, however, some journeys are considerably longer than others and some pose a greater risk. [Read more…] about The 4 longest and most dangerous haulage routes in the world

Service robotics market grows by 33 percent in China

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China’s robotics industry outlook remains positive post-Covid-19 outbreak, especially across manufacturing, hospitality, and healthcare sectors.

This is according to a new report, How is Covid-19 Shaping China’s Robotics Industry?, by YCP Solidiance, which highlights that the $8 billion robotics industry projects a positive long-term growth forecast highlighting robotic automation and its useful applications across different industries.

Investment Contraction in China Following Covid-19: The Covid-19 outbreak has caused investment contraction in Q1 2020 – between 50 percent to 57 percent year-on-year, setting off a difficult funding situation across China and globally. [Read more…] about Service robotics market grows by 33 percent in China

San Francisco looks like a scene from Blade Runner

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The original Blade Runner film was regarded as a cinematic classic partly because of its depiction of an eery, dystopic world where the sky is permanently a dark, dusty orangey colour, possibly suggesting acid rain or something slightly toxic in the air because of the dirty and polluting machines and factories down on the ground. 

It was a ground-breaking, startling view of the future and was in complete contrast to the vast majority of science fiction films that came and went before it as they mostly showed the future as relatively bright and pollution-free, or at least the colour of the sky wasn’t a consideration as such.

Now, in the real world, modern San Francisco is shrouded in a blanket of cloud that looks quite similar to the world of Blade Runner. The dramatic change has been caused by the “worst wildfires in the history of the state of California”, according to those who are tasked to deal with them. [Read more…] about San Francisco looks like a scene from Blade Runner

China expands testing of digital currency in case US bans yuan

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China is expanding the testing of digital yuan currency to prepare for any further restrictions on its companies by the US. 

So far, US President Donald Trump has effectively banned Huawei in the US and from doing business with US suppliers globally.

Huawei is the leading Chinese telecommunications equipment provider, supplying 5G systems to many countries abroad, and it offers a successful line of smartphones. [Read more…] about China expands testing of digital currency in case US bans yuan

Japanese government urged to establish industrial espionage unit

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The Japanese government is being urged to establish an industrial espionage unit to try and stop spies stealing secrets relating to advanced technologies being developed by successful companies in the country. 

According to a report on the Nikkei Asian Review website, the Liberal Democratic Party, led by current Japanese President Shinzō Abe, is formulating a list of recommendations aimed at preventing industrial espionage against Japanese companies.

As quoted by Nikkei, Akira Amari, one of the LDP’s leading members, says: “The need for intelligence capabilities is broadening beyond sensitive military-related information to a wide range of private-sector data.” [Read more…] about Japanese government urged to establish industrial espionage unit

Luxshare buys iPhone assembly factory and becomes bigger than Foxconn

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Chinese hi-tech manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry has bought an iPhone assembly factory from Wistron and has become bigger than Foxconn in terms of market capitalization.

Although Luxshare is well known in the industry, it’s not as famous as its Taiwanese rival Foxconn, which also goes by the name of Hon Hai Precision and has been Apple’s main contract manufacturer for many years.

Luxshare had previously been supplying individual components for iPhones but the Wistron factory purchase means that it can now provide assembled parts or complete devices. [Read more…] about Luxshare buys iPhone assembly factory and becomes bigger than Foxconn

AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

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Driverless car startup AutoX has launched its RoboTaxi ride-hailing service in Shanghai, China to the general public for the first time, marking a transit milestone for China’s largest city.

AutoX RoboTaxis can be booked through Alibaba’s AutoNavi smartphone app, similar to other ride-hailing services.

AutoX, which has raised at least $160 million to date, according to Crunchbase, has also struck up a strategic partnership with Letzgo, a major taxi fleet operations company headquartered in Shanghai. [Read more…] about AutoX launches driverless taxi service in China

New Chinese chipmaker’s progress could ease pain of US restrictions

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The progress made by a relatively new Chinese chipmaker, called ChangXin Memory Technologies, could help ease the pain caused by increasingly wide-ranging US restrictions against China’s tech companies.

US President Donald Trump has already effectively banned Huawei from doing business in the country, which has led to American companies to shun the Chinese telecommunications and smartphones giant. And in the latest move, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has introduced new rules prohibiting non-US companies from selling any chips made using American technology to Huawei “without a special license”.

Huawei has found it difficult to source chips and other components for its equipment, for which, in turn, the company has found fewer buyers. [Read more…] about New Chinese chipmaker’s progress could ease pain of US restrictions

China overtakes US as world’s leading patent generator

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China has overtaken the US as the world’s leading researcher, generating 58,990 patents in 2019 compared with America’s 57,840. 

This is the first time since 1978 that the US has lost its position as the world’s leading producer of patent-winning inventions or innovations. (See animation below.)

The figures were published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. [Read more…] about China overtakes US as world’s leading patent generator

Trump looking to ban Alibaba

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Alibaba, which at one time was the world’s largest e-commerce company, is in the sights of US President Donald Trump, according to Reuters.

Asked directly at a White House briefing if he was considering a ban on Alibaba, Trump replied: “We’re looking at other things, yes we are.”

Alibaba is a Chinese company most famous for its business-to-business website Alibaba.com, where qualified buyers can contact and do businesses directly with manufacturers and other industrial companies in China. [Read more…] about Trump looking to ban Alibaba

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