Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

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Carnegie Mellon builds killer robot to save economy

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A team from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute has developed an autonomous robot to find and kill dangerously spotted lanternflies before they’re even born. Spotted lanternflies are invasive insects known to destroy economically important crops. (See video below.)

TartanPest uses an all-electric tractor, a robotic arm and computer vision to traverse fields and forests while it detects and destroys spotted lanternfly egg masses.

The egg masses – which contain 30-50 eggs and are often found on trees, rocks, outdoor furniture and rusty metal surfaces – are laid in the fall and hatch in the spring, birthing a new generation of the pests each year. [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon builds killer robot to save economy

RoboUP launches ‘the most intelligent and precise robotic lawn mower ever created’

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RoboUP has launched what it describes as “the most intelligent and precise robot lawn mower ever created” – one that delivers “the perfect lawn” with a hands-free experience.

Using cutting edge technology, AI intelligent design, and convenient app control, RoboUP revolutionizes lawn care for busy people. Now, maintaining a beautiful and healthy lawn is automatic and effortless.

RoboUP is available now on Kickstarter: https://bit.ly/3XsGe0P [Read more…] about RoboUP launches ‘the most intelligent and precise robotic lawn mower ever created’

Robotics in Dentistry: The Next Generation Technology

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Robots are now utilized in every field of research thanks to technological breakthroughs; they have even found their way into dentistry due to the capacity for precision work without being fatigued. Hamilton dentist Dr. Moninder Tuli, chatted with us and provided us with information about the usage of robotics in dentistry.

The use of robots in dentistry is quite astounding. It can be debated that one of the most astonishing creations of modern civilization is the robot, a tool that can imitate living things. Robots shorten the time it takes to perform a task, increase production, and decrease human error.

Robotics is a revolutionary technology that will alter dental medicine’s diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Robots can do repetitive tasks for an endless amount of time while improving the overall level and scope of medical care.

The most recent medical robots can conduct clinical intervention or remote patient monitoring independently since robotic systems have evolved dramatically over the previous ten years. [Read more…] about Robotics in Dentistry: The Next Generation Technology

Aerobotix partners with FerRobotics to develop ‘first-of-its-kind’ end-of-arm-tool automated sander for flammable dust

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Aerobotix and FerRobotics, two robotics companies based in the US and Austria respectively, have partnered to create what they say is the first Class II, Division 1 (C2D1) End of Arm Tool (EOAT) automated sander.

Meeting industry demand for a hazardous-environment solution that will achieve time and cost efficiencies, and enable much safer work environments, this special orbital sander – based on the industry-proven Active Orbital Kit (AOK) with patented Active Compliant Technology – lessens human involvement in hazardous tasks.

Each year, according to the International Labour Organization, tens of millions of workers globally are afflicted with silicosis, an incurable lung disease caused by crystalline silica dust inhalation, leading to thousands of deaths. [Read more…] about Aerobotix partners with FerRobotics to develop ‘first-of-its-kind’ end-of-arm-tool automated sander for flammable dust

Ideal Working Environments for Robots with item

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Networking, researching, and training – the Mehnert Lab in Erfurt sees itself as a platform for industrial cooperation in the age of Industry 4.0.

Mehnert GmbH provides skilled workers and specialists for various projects in the fields of electronics, mechanics, digital control, 3D measurement technology, and robotics. The company employs 55 permanent staff members, headquartered in Mülsen but also represented in Erfurt.

The globally-deployed team is focused on the construction, maintenance, and servicing of modern industrial plants. A few years ago, Managing Director René Mehnert founded the Mehnert Lab in Erfurt. It facilitates a new form of industrial collaboration and creates the perfect working environment to provide specialists with the best possible qualifications. [Read more…] about Ideal Working Environments for Robots with item

Fujitsu to use ‘world’s fastest supercomputer’ for tsunami prediction

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Fujitsu, in partnership with other companies and academic institutions, has developed a computing system that will enable the prediction of tsunamis – massive, sudden floods caused by turbulence at sea. 

The International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University, the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, and Fujitsu Laboratories have developed an artificial intelligence model that will empower disaster management teams with the ability to predict tsunami flooding in coastal areas in near real-time.

The system harnessed the computational power of what is claimed to be “the world’s fastest supercomputer”, Fugaku, jointly developed by Riken and Fujitsu. [Read more…] about Fujitsu to use ‘world’s fastest supercomputer’ for tsunami prediction

How robotics is helping those with disabilities

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Government statistics show that 14.1 million people reported a disability in the UK in 2018-19 – a figure that equates to 21% of the population. Of course, disabilities can range in severity and further data from the authorities reveals 4.1 million disabled people are in work.

Although that represents almost 30% of all disabled people, Scope’s 2019 disability price tag study found that on average, those with a disability face extra living costs of nearly £600 per month.

The encouraging news is that plenty is being done to improve the quality of life for disabled people, to help them enjoy the sense of freedom and independence that more able members of the population may take for granted. [Read more…] about How robotics is helping those with disabilities

Are Robots After Your Job?

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With all the new technology being developed lately, it’s common to worry about job security, especially when we consider that robotics and automation are bound to eventually replace a lot of workers. In fact, it’s pretty common to find businesses automating tasks that we once performed by humans.

Not only are machines more reliable, they’re also unhindered by things like fatigue and stress, which essentially minimizes the margin of error.

Coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic and the migration of business to the online landscape, job security is now more important than ever. [Read more…] about Are Robots After Your Job?

Pretentious method-acting humanoid robot to star in $70 million Hollywood blockbuster film

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A humanoid robot developed by Japanese scientists is to star in a $70 million budget Hollywood film.

The name of the robot is Erica, and it was created by famed humanoid roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro, along with fellow scientist Kohei Ogawa.

The two creators are said to have programmed Erica in the art of “method acting”, in which an actor aspires to complete emotional identification with a part. [Read more…] about Pretentious method-acting humanoid robot to star in $70 million Hollywood blockbuster film

A Short History of Night Vision Devices

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Night vision devices (often called night scoped by the general public) are used to intensify our sight when the lighting conditions are very poor. You can choose from many types of such devices. You’ll find a complete review on many sites that can help you find out more about the present-day technology.

An infrared imaging system, also called an “active” night vision device, will focus the infrared light on a certain scene. Since infrared is not in the light spectrum that humans can notice, the beam that is produced is not detectable. The technology of image-converting is what transforms said illuminated scene by the infrared into an image we can see.

A thermal imaging system doesn’t work very differently as this one can convert the pattern of heat that is emitted by people, animals or objects, into an image we can distinguish.

The night vision devices that were initially created for wars, but are now available in stores for the general public, are known under the “passive” night vision system name. Such a system has the role of amplifying an image that was picked up in a minimal light (for example, starlight), into an image we can see.

The view that we get using such a device is anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 times brighter than the image our eyes could see without any such device.

Said devices for night vision were initially created for and only used by the army since being able to see in the dark gives you a big advantage over the enemy and can be used as a tactic to have the upper hand. Wars in which night vision devices were used are the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.

These devices have also started to be used by the police forces. By the late 1990s, these items were being available for the public for the first time as well. They started by being used in high-end cars and are now available for most everybody to be used when they please.

How did it all start?

The research for devices that can work during the nighttime started in the United States, in the 1940s. The country managed to create a technology program by the end of the decade and in the 1950s it created an infrared viewing system. This falls into the “active” technology category because it made use of a directed beam of infrared light.

Although this beam was not noticeable by the naked eye, a person having the equivalent technology could manage to pick up the beam easily. The types of viewers that were used during the mid-1950s and 1960s are now known as “Generation 0” technology.

ITT Corporation started being the producer of night vision devices for the US military in 1958. The Department of Defense would later found its own laboratory in 1965 with the aim of improving the technology that was already existing. In the same decade, scientists created the first passive night vision system that could be considered workable.

Such a device bore the name “Starlight” as they had the ability to pick up and amplify the images that could only be seen by starlight. It came to be known as a “Generation I” device and, obviously, gave the best results under the moonlight.

New developments and commercialism

After being used in the Vietnam War, the technology started to develop more, creating devices that were smaller and less bulky and were called “Generation 2” devices. During the 1970s and the 1980s, the U.S. military worked continuously on developing and refining this technology and passive “Generation 2” devices appeared.

By the end of the 1980s “Generation 3” technology was being developed. These products had better resolutions even when the light was really low. The US Army used them in the Persian Gulf War and the troops had the advantage of seeing in the dark, but also through smoke or dust.

At the end of the 1990s, the Department of Defense cut much of the funding for the development of night vision and the shift of the producers moved to the consumer market.

In a short period of time, night vision devices went from just an idea to one important part of any combat to being used by everyday citizens.