Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

cobots

How Motor Controllers Influence Robot Accuracy and Energy Efficiency

by

As robotics continues to transform industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and agriculture, the demand for precise and energy-efficient motion control has never been greater.

At the heart of many modern robotic systems are Brushless DC (BLDC) motors, known for their high efficiency, reliability, and long service life. However, the true performance of a BLDC motor depends heavily on its motor controller.

A well-designed BLDC motor controller not only ensures accurate movement but also minimizes energy consumption, making it one of the most important components in any robotic system. [Read more…] about How Motor Controllers Influence Robot Accuracy and Energy Efficiency

Hirebotics launches ‘no-code explosion-proof’ collaborative robot for industrial painting

by

Hirebotics, a provider of collaborative robot solutions for metal fabrication, has announced the first explosion-proof cobot solution built using its no-code Beacon platform and the Fanuc CRX-10iA/L Paint hardware.

Hirebotics’ Cobot Painter is available now, offering metal fabricators and manufacturers a practical, high-mix, low-volume alternative to manual spraying and complex automated lines.

In the past, fabrication shops and other manufacturers had to outsource coating work, as traditional automation lines were too costly and complex. [Read more…] about Hirebotics launches ‘no-code explosion-proof’ collaborative robot for industrial painting

Flexiv launches new ‘adaptive robots’ for industrial automation

by

Flexiv has launched two new adaptive robots designed to bring greater tactile sensing and physical AI capabilities to industrial automation.

The company unveiled its new Enlight robotic arm and Mico dual-arm robotic platform, describing them as a significant step forward in force-controlled robotics and embodied intelligence.

The flagship Enlight is a seven-axis adaptive robot equipped with multi-dimensional force-torque sensors integrated into each of its seven joints. According to Flexiv, this enables whole-body touch sensitivity, allowing the robot to detect single-touch contact, track multiple contact points, and recognize tactile patterns. [Read more…] about Flexiv launches new ‘adaptive robots’ for industrial automation

ABB Robotics and Psyonic use human-generated data to advance robotic dexterity

by

Dexterity remains a major challenge for industry; improved handling can reduce engineering time by up to 30%

ABB Robotics is collaborating with California bionics company, Psyonic, to advance robotic gripping and dexterity using a new approach that utilizes real-world manipulation data from human prosthetic use.

By combining the Psyonic Ability Hand with an ABB GoFa cobot, the collaboration will explore how touch and motion data generated by human prosthetic use can be used to train robots to perform delicate, variable tasks that have traditionally been difficult to automate. [Read more…] about ABB Robotics and Psyonic use human-generated data to advance robotic dexterity

The Small Component Problem Behind More Reliable Industrial Robots

by

Picture an automotive assembly line or a high-speed semiconductor packaging facility. A robotic arm moves with sub-millimeter precision at three hundred cycles a minute, its movements coordinated by machine vision systems, remote I/O blocks, and sensitive microcontrollers. Everything draws power from a shared industrial rail.

Then, a heavy CNC machine on the same grid fires up, causing a momentary voltage spike.

If that spike reaches the robot’s control silicon, the entire cell stops. A maintenance tech is paged, and the manufacturer enters a downtime window that, according to Deloitte data, costs anywhere between $5,000 and $22,000 per hour. [Read more…] about The Small Component Problem Behind More Reliable Industrial Robots

Empowering STEM Education and Research in the Americas: Elephant Robotics Introduces Integrated Educational Robotics Solutions

by

STEM education has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by increasing demand for practical engineering skills, artificial intelligence literacy, and interdisciplinary innovation.

However, for schools, universities, and research laboratories, building effective robotics environments has long remained a challenge.

In many cases, instructors must integrate robotic arms, mobile platforms, sensors, and open-source software from multiple vendors, often spending weeks resolving compatibility issues before meaningful teaching or experimentation can begin. [Read more…] about Empowering STEM Education and Research in the Americas: Elephant Robotics Introduces Integrated Educational Robotics Solutions

MTC launches new Robot Experience Centre to accelerate UK automation adoption

by

The UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) has launched a new Robot Experience Centre (REC), designed to help UK manufacturers accelerate the adoption of robotics and automation technologies.

Located at MTC’s Ansty Park site in Coventry, the vendor-neutral facility will enable manufacturers to explore, test and validate robotics solutions before making investment decisions.

The REC comprises three dedicated areas: a modular automation and robotics sandpit for project development and experimentation; a demonstration space for applications including welding, palletising and machine tending; and a collaborative robot development area. [Read more…] about MTC launches new Robot Experience Centre to accelerate UK automation adoption

Festo launches GripperAI software to simplify flexible robot handling

by

Festo has introduced GripperAI, an AI-powered software solution that enables robots to handle mixed, unfamiliar and randomly positioned products without the need for extensive programming, template loading or specialist vision integration.

Designed for manufacturers seeking greater flexibility from automated handling systems, GripperAI automatically identifies the optimum gripping point for each item and selects the most appropriate gripper for the task from the end-of-arm tools available.

The software enables robots to adapt to changing product mixes in real time, helping manufacturers deploy and scale automation more efficiently. [Read more…] about Festo launches GripperAI software to simplify flexible robot handling

Why Factory Automation Now Depends on Software-Savvy Workers

by

Automation is becoming a software problem. The deeper robots move into production, the more workers need to be confident handling dashboards, updates, alerts and data-driven decisions.

The old image of factory automation was a robot arm behind a safety cage, doing one repetitive task faster than a human being ever could. But whilst robots weld, lift, assemble and pack at speeds fast enough to warrant their own keepers and still save thousands of man-hours, the knowledge of that robot engineer is increasingly software-based.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Robotics said that, worldwide, more than half a million industrial robots were installed in 2024 alone, topping up a figure approaching 5 million robots in operational use. [Read more…] about Why Factory Automation Now Depends on Software-Savvy Workers

Inbolt to launch vision-enabled robot programming at Automate event

by

Inbolt, the robot intelligence company that turns digital twins into live robot control, is launching two new capabilities that complete the company’s AI vision model for robot guidance: Inbolt Robot Programming and an expanded Inbolt Robot Control. The launch pad is booth #1675 at Automate 2026 in Chicago, June 22-25.

Rudy Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Inbolt, says: “Robot deployment still takes weeks because the digital twin never matches the real factory floor, engineers hand-tune every trajectory during commissioning.

“With Robot Programming, the Vision Model, and Robot Control on a single platform, that gap closes; Engineers build the program from the CAD, our vision model locates the real part, and the robot executes the planned path.  [Read more…] about Inbolt to launch vision-enabled robot programming at Automate event