Robotics & Automation News

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Robot sales reach record high in North America for third consecutive quarter

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For the third-straight quarter, robot sales in North America hit a record high, driven by a resurgence in sales to automotive companies and an ongoing need to manage increasing demand to automate logistics for e-commerce.

According to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), of the 12,305 robots sold in Q2 2022, 59 percent of the orders came from the automotive industry with the remaining orders from non-automotive companies largely in the food and consumer goods industry, which saw a 13 percent increase in unit orders over the same period, April through June, in 2021.

Jeff Burnstein, A3 President, says: “While automotive entities have long been the frontrunner in deploying robotics and automation, the last few years have seen food & consumer goods, life sciences and other industries grow at even higher rates. [Read more…] about Robot sales reach record high in North America for third consecutive quarter

Recycling robot tackles electrical waste

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A sustainable circular economy depends on recycled electronic consumer goods. But recycling electronic waste can endanger human workers – which makes it an optimal application for robotics and automation.

To overcome these challenges, the Irish technology company Votechnik has developed a system based around a Kuka industrial robot.

Because of mercury and other gases, as well as sharp-edged parts, it’s dangerous for people to dismantle LCD screens and monitors. [Read more…] about Recycling robot tackles electrical waste

Addverb Technologies releases new sorter robot for warehouses

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Addverb Technologies, a robotics company providing warehouse automation solutions, has released a new sorter robot called SortIE – a fast-moving scalable solution for rapid and efficient order fulfilment.

As a fully automated robotic put-to-wall sorting system, SortIE is capable of performing SKU-wise intelligent sortation at very high speeds and at different height levels.

Additionally, it enables easy and rapid picking. It can be easily integrated with existing conveying systems such as conveyors, robots, and manual transport with no impact on ongoing operations. [Read more…] about Addverb Technologies releases new sorter robot for warehouses

SLAMcore raises $16 million to give spatial understanding to robots and the metaverse

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SLAMcore, a developer of vision-based location and mapping for robots and autonomous machines, has raised $16 million in Series A capital.

The company says the funding will allow the business to rapidly capitalize on its proven technology which combines AI with consumer-grade cameras, sensors and processors to solve the complex challenges of mapping and navigating for a wide range of autonomous machines and devices.

The funding round was led by ROBO Global Ventures and Presidio Ventures who invested alongside Amadeus Capital, Global Brain, IP Group, MMC and Octopus. Strategic investors Samsung Ventures, Toyota Ventures, and Yamato Holdings also joined the round. [Read more…] about SLAMcore raises $16 million to give spatial understanding to robots and the metaverse

ABB launches new robotic depalletizer to ‘reduce complexity and improve efficiency’

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ABB has launched the “ABB Robotic Depalletizer”, a solution for handling complex depalletizing tasks in the logistics, e-commerce, healthcare, and consumer packaged goods industries.

Using machine vision software, ABB’s new solution can quickly assess a wide variety of box types, enabling customers to efficiently process assorted loads with very little engineering effort and short set-up time.

Marc Segura, ABB’s Robotics division president, says: “Changes in consumer behavior are leading to a rise in new sales channels such as omni-channel, direct to consumer and e-commerce. [Read more…] about ABB launches new robotic depalletizer to ‘reduce complexity and improve efficiency’

DeepRoute.ai unveils ‘most advanced robotaxi fleet’

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DeepRoute.ai, an international autonomous driving technology company, announces a leading-edge robotaxi fleet equipped with its distinctive Level 4 autonomous driving solution, Driver 2.0.

Engineered for mass production and adoption by automakers, this advancement in autonomous vehicle technology previews what’s to come in the transportation industry and the future of L4 consumer vehicles.

Composed of 30 SAIC Motor Marvel R SUVs, the robotaxi fleet will deploy in Shenzhen, China, in the coming months. [Read more…] about DeepRoute.ai unveils ‘most advanced robotaxi fleet’

ABB predicts key trends that will change robotic automation in 2022

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Marc Segura, ABB’s new robotics division president, outlines the key 2022 robotic trends

With demand for robots growing as companies in multiple sectors look for new ways to enhance their productivity and competitiveness post-pandemic, ABB has compiled a set of growth predictions, looking at key trends driving demand for robots in the coming year.

“The pandemic accelerated far-reaching global mega trends – from labor shortages and supply chain uncertainty, to the individualized consumer and growing pressure to operate sustainably and resiliently – leading new businesses to look to robotic automation,” says Marc Segura, ABB’s newly appointed robotics division president.

“As technology opens new opportunities for meeting customer demands, new trends will continue to emerge that will further drive demand in areas where robots have traditionally not been used.” [Read more…] about ABB predicts key trends that will change robotic automation in 2022

Intel Mobileye and Geely Zeekr to build autonomous car for consumer market

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Mobileye, an Intel subsidiary which develops advanced driver assistance systems, and Zeekr, the premium electric car brand owned by China’s largest automaker Geely, are to develop a new all-electric consumer vehicle with Level 4 capabilities.

The plan represents an expansion of their existing strategic technology partnership.

The planned autonomous vehicle will be powered by six EyeQ 5 system-on-chips to process Mobileye True Redundancy sensing, Responsibility-Sensitive Safety (RSS)-based driving policy and a new open collaboration model on Road Experience Management (REM) mapping technology. [Read more…] about Intel Mobileye and Geely Zeekr to build autonomous car for consumer market

Evocargo to exhibit autonomous logistics vehicle technology at CES

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Evocargo will showcase its cutting-edge services in cargo transportation based on their own electric unmanned vehicle in the Vehicle Tech category at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022, being held in Las Vegas from January 5-8.

Established in 2019, Evocargo will exhibit its Smart Logistic service based on unmanned all-electric platforms. Evocargo’s EVO.1 vehicle (3.5 tons full weight) will be displayed, featuring a payload capacity of 1.5 tons, power reserve of 155 miles and operating time of 20 hours with 40-minute charging time.

Evocargo’s all-electric/hydrogen autonomous vehicles ensure its customers’ operations are always on time, optimized and precisely coordinated through all process cycles. [Read more…] about Evocargo to exhibit autonomous logistics vehicle technology at CES

ABB launches ‘FlexBuffer’ robotic work cell for e-commerce supply chain operations

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ABB is responding to the growing consumer demand for choice and fast delivery with the launch of its FlexBuffer application cell.

FlexBuffer brings new levels of flexibility for logistics, food and beverage, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, restaurants and retailers, offering a highly adaptable multi-functional solution for handling a variety of tasks such as sequencing, buffering, storage and order consolidation.

Marc Segura, group senior vice president managing director consumer segments and service robotics at ABB, says: “The constantly changing nature of today’s consumer landscape and the explosion of e-commerce is challenging the conventional systems used for processing and delivering orders. [Read more…] about ABB launches ‘FlexBuffer’ robotic work cell for e-commerce supply chain operations