Robotics & Automation News

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Avnet poised to play key role in next-generation automotive technology

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The automotive industry is undergoing an historic transformation which will fundamentally shift the way vehicles are manufactured as well as change the way we look at and use cars, and possibly all road-going automobiles.

In-keeping with the widespread trend, Avnet, one of the world’s leading distributors of electronic components, is taking a leading position in developing the technologies required to make the future a reality.

A number of predictions are being made for the automotive industry, and many of them may have sounded outlandish in the past, but now that the public at large has accepted driverless cars as a realistic concept, anything is possible – even flying cars. [Read more…] about Avnet poised to play key role in next-generation automotive technology

Elon Musk wants to implant a chip in your brain. Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

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Elon Musk – he of PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX fame and enormous fortune – now wants to implant a chip in your brain as part of his Neuralink business.

Neuralink is Musk’s brain-to-computer interface company that seeks to connect all humans to artificial intelligence systems which will potentially monitor and control all their movements and thoughts.

The Matrix-style scenario sounds like living in an absolute hellish nightmare, but Musk seems completely oblivious to that likelihood. [Read more…] about Elon Musk wants to implant a chip in your brain. Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

Chinese shipbuilder integrates autonomous navigation system

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Chinese shipbuilder Jiangnan Shipyards Group is integrating autonomous navigation system into its new vessels, according to RivieraMM.com.

The company ordered the integrated automation and control systems from a company called Høglund Marine Solutions, based in Norway.

Integrated automation and control systems, or IACS, are hardware-plus-software solutions that are designed to meet the complete range of automation and control tasks on board modern vessels, according to Høglund. [Read more…] about Chinese shipbuilder integrates autonomous navigation system

Indy Autonomous Challenge to use RTI software to build and race autonomous vehicles

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Real-Time Innovations (RTI), a software framework provider for smart machines and real-world systems, has joined the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC), the two-year, $1.5 million university competition to advance autonomous mobility technologies and enable the next generation of mobility leaders.

RTI is providing software to more than 500 students globally to design and develop the control software to autonomously race full-size, modified Dallara IL-15 racecars.

The students are competing in the first-ever head-to-head, high-speed autonomous race on the world’s largest racing stage, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in October 2021. [Read more…] about Indy Autonomous Challenge to use RTI software to build and race autonomous vehicles

ABB Dynamic Assembly Pack provides ‘missing last piece’ in automating final trim assembly applications

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ABB says its Dynamic Assembly Pack provides the “missing last piece” in automating final trim assembly applications. (See video below.)

New force control sensors enable robots to accurately perform assembly tasks during final trim assembly, improving productivity, ergonomics and quality.

Designed to offer a fast, accurate and safe automated solution for installing anything from seats, dashboards and carpets inside vehicle bodies, to doors, bumpers and wheels outside the vehicle, ABB’s new Dynamic Assembly Pack for Final Trim and Assembly (FTA) combines real time vision cameras on the robot gripper and arms with integrated force control sensors to allow the robot to precisely track the position of the car body as it enters the workstation. [Read more…] about ABB Dynamic Assembly Pack provides ‘missing last piece’ in automating final trim assembly applications

Cheetah Mobile’s epidemic prevention and control robots keeping busy in China

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More than 30 hospitals and public venues in six major Chinese cities have been using Cheetah Mobile’s robots for epidemic prevention and control. (See video below.)

The locations include Wuhan’s Huoshenshan Hospital, the emergency specialty field hospital that was built in 10 days in response to the virus outbreak. [Read more…] about Cheetah Mobile’s epidemic prevention and control robots keeping busy in China

Quality control automation with the help of technology

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Quality control inspection is one of the most crucial parts of the manufacturing process for most of the companies and industries. Especially if a small error in the production can result in a massive loss for the company, it becomes imperative to invest in better quality control systems.

A non-automated quality control system requires a large human force that results in increased costs and is still not entirely reliable. On the other hand, automated quality control can help to grow your business by cutting on manual inspection costs.

Read on to know more about the automated quality inspection and how your firm can benefit from its installation. [Read more…] about Quality control automation with the help of technology

iRobot launches ‘Genius’ robotic floor cleaners

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iRobot, maker of robotic floor cleaners for the home, is unveiling new ways to clean with the launch of its iRobot Genius Home Intelligence. (See video below.)

The company describes the new system as a “powerful new robot platform” that unlocks an expansive range of digital features and experiences for the company’s line of Wi-Fi connected products, including the Roomba robot vacuum and Braava jet robot mop.

iRobot Genius gives users an “unmatched level of personalization and control over their cleaning robots”, accounting for their unique homes, schedules, cleaning preferences and smart home integrations, says the company. [Read more…] about iRobot launches ‘Genius’ robotic floor cleaners

Xwing debuts ‘world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight’ using classic plane

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A startup company called Xwing has completed what it says is the “world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight” using a classic Cessna plane. (See video below.)

Aerospace experts at the company are working with the FAA to unveil pilotless plane technology for short-distance regional air transportation.

Xwing says it has successfully executed numerous passenger-carrying autonomous take-off to landing flights in a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan. [Read more…] about Xwing debuts ‘world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight’ using classic plane

Robotics and Automation News Review: Fanuc and Kuka launch new robots, Pittsburgh ready to go to ‘infinity and beyond’, Foxconn moves operations out of China, and much more…

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Friday 14 August 2020: This is a new, weekly column – to be published every Friday – which rounds up all the most interesting news from the robotics and automation industry in the past seven days, in brief form. 

This Robotics and Automation News Review is also available to view on our YouTube channel.

Comau Robotics says it has created an “innovative, in-line testing and quality control system that optimizes the construction and assembly of batteries”. The company says the MI.RA / Thermography system uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to perform non-invasive automated assessment and control of welded joints, to ensure battery integrity and prevent waste.

Kuka Robotics has launched a new compact industrial robot. The company says its new KR 4 Agilus is “a hot candidate for first place in the small robotics charts from October onwards”.

Fanuc Robotics has launched a new “extremely compact” robot which it claims has the “best precision in its class”. The new M-10iD/16S robot is the most compact model of the M-10iD series, says Fanuc, adding that it combines the best features of its two predecessors, M-10iA/10MS and M-10iA/12S.

Hyundai Robotics has signed an agreement with Korea’s Asan Medical Center and KT for joint development and commercialization of smart hospital solutions on June 30th. The company is planning to prepare for the post-corona era with a smart hospital solution for infection management by ICT-based digital transformation.

Techman Robot, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, says it has adopted proactive steps against the new coronavirus. Techman Robot says it checks the health of its employees on a daily bases and collects global virus information. It also implementing prevention measures. The company maintains business communications online and is frequently in touch with all overseas offices, global distributors, partners, and customers.

HRG International Institute of Research and Innovation has unveiled a new floor cleaning robot, the SW10. The company says it is exclusively designed for floor cleaning tasks in commercial and industrial environments. The robot is combined with sweeping, mopping and vacuum cleaning functions and its work can maintain 2,000 square meters per hour.

Denso has established the Pittsburgh Innovation Lab, a new US research and development center designed to strengthen open innovation and enhance technology development that enables automated driving.

FedEx has installed industrial robotic arms to do what is considered the “most difficult” job to automate in a sorting facility in Memphis, USA. The logistics giant has integrated Yaskawa robots and software from Plus One Robotics into a robotic system that performs a task which involves picking up parcels or envelopes from a tray and placing them on a conveyor.

Foxconn, Apple’s main contract manufacturing partner, has moved a significant portion of its operations outside of China. The company has already moved an additional 5 percent of its operations to countries other than China, bring it up to 30 percent, compared with 25 percent last year.

Pittsburgh local authorities say they are looking to “infinity and beyond” after NASA awarded a local company, Astrobotic Technology, a $200 million contract to build and send the first-ever US robotic rover to the Moon by 2023.