Market trends and business perspectives
Amazon and iRobot have entered into a “definitive merger agreement” under which Amazon will acquire iRobot.
iRobot is the well known maker of innovative cleaning products for the home, including the Roomba vacuum cleaning robot.
iRobot says it has continued to innovate with every product generation, solving hard problems to help give customers valuable time back in their day. [Read more…] about Amazon to acquire iRobot for $1.7 billion
Telexistence has started the mass production of its originally developed artificial intelligence robot, TX SCARA, to be installed in 300 FamilyMart stores, Japan’s top-tier convenience store chain in major metropolitan areas, starting later this month, validating its AI-based “robot-as-a-service” solution for grocery retailers.
TX SCARA was created to do the specific task of restocking refrigerated shelves with bottles and cans, a repetitive, tedious job generally performed by employees in often uncomfortable settings.
TX SCARA can be in operation 24/7, replenishing shelves at a pace of up to 1,000 bottles and cans per day, relying almost completely on its AI system – known as “GORDON” – to know when and where products need to be placed on the shelves. [Read more…] about Telexistence to install AI re-stocking robots in 300 convenience stores across Japan
The Volvo Group has initiated the process to establish a large-scale production plant for battery cells in Sweden.
The company says the initiative is designed to meet “the growing demand for battery electric heavy-duty vehicles and machines”.
Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO of the Volvo Group, says: “We aim to lead the transition to a decarbonized transport system and have the long-term ambition to offer our customers solutions that are 100 percent fossil free. [Read more…] about Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden
Automotive giant General Motors and open source software provider Red Hat have formed a partnership to “help advance software-defined vehicles at the edge”.
The companies expect to expand an ecosystem of innovation around the Red Hat In-Vehicle Operating System, which provides a functional-safety certified Linux operating system foundation intended for the ongoing evolution of GM’s Ultifi software platform.
The collaboration between Red Hat and GM is a significant moment in the convergence of the transportation and technology industries, with Red Hat’s cloud-native, enterprise-grade open source operating system accelerating the development of GM’s software-defined vehicle programs following Ultifi’s initial launch. [Read more…] about General Motors and Red Hat partner to develop software-defined vehicles
Methods Machine Tools, the foremost supplier of high-quality, high-precision CNC machine tools and automation in North America, has released the Turn-Assist 200i and 270i from RoboJob as its first, end-to-end standard automation system for Nakamura-Tome turning centers.
A semi-collaborative system engineered for lathe automation, Turn-Assist is designed to be implemented and run by operators of any skill level. With a simple tablet-style HMI and standard Ethernet IP interface, shops can successfully change over from one part to another within minutes.
Zach Spencer, Methods’ automation manager, says: “By pairing the Turn-Assist from RoboJob with Nakamura-Tome, we have created a unique automation solution for high-mix/low-volume and/or mid-volume with frequent changeovers on round workpieces often associated with Nakamura lathes. [Read more…] about Methods Machine Tools releases its first end-to-end standard automation system for Nakamura turning centers
Ottonomy has closed its seed funding round of $3.3 million, bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million.
The funding is planned to support the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries with its robots.
The funding round is led by Pi Ventures who back deep tech startups. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also joined this round; making the group a dynamic mix from retail, food and robotics industry investors for Ottonomy’s seed round. [Read more…] about Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round
ABB opened its new global innovation and training campus at the headquarters of B&R in Eggelsberg, Austria, its global center for machine and factory automation. B&R is a subsidiary of ABB.
The new campus will create up to 1,000 additional high-tech jobs and includes world-class research and development laboratories, as well as global training facilities for up to 4,000 people per year in collaboration with universities. ABB invested EUR 100 million ($103 million) in the expansion of the B&R headquarters.
Campus innovations around artificial intelligence and machine and factory automation will play an essential role in unlocking the potential of future industrial production – in sectors such as electronics, e-mobility, food and beverage, recycling, logistics, or agriculture. [Read more…] about ABB opens $100 million global innovation and training campus for machine automation at B&R in Austria
Flytrex, a specialist in on-demand drone delivery for food and retail, has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its delivery radius from one to two nautical miles across all its operating stations in North Carolina and Texas.
Deliveries will be made in cooperation with longtime partner Causey Aviation Unmanned, offering food, drinks and other goods to approximately 100,000 eligible customers that can opt into the service – a substantial increase from the 40,000 customers that were previously eligible.
Flytrex and Causey will conduct all flights while maintaining the highest safety standards. [Read more…] about Flytrex receives FAA approval to double drone delivery radius to two nautical miles
Berkshire Grey, a developer of AI-enabled robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, says that industrial giant ABB has joined Berkshire Grey’s Technology Alliance Program to provide more customers with AI-enabled robotic solutions that improve e-commerce fulfillment throughput and warehouse efficiency while driving down operational costs.
The companies say ABB’s expertise in providing automation solutions to global e-commerce merchants, retailers, and third-party logistics complements Berkshire Grey’s extensive portfolio of AI-enabled robotic automation solutions for eCommerce fulfillment, store replenishment, back-of-store order collection, and package handling.
Berkshire Grey has extensive experience in incorporating ABB robotic technology into enterprise-scale automation solutions in production environments. [Read more…] about ABB joins Berkshire Grey’s tech alliance program to deliver AI-enabled robotic solutions
North American companies started the year by purchasing “the most robots ever in a single quarter”, with 11,595 robots sold at a value of $646 million.
According to the Association for Advancing Automation, these Q1 numbers represent growth of 28 percent and 43 percent respectively over the first quarter of 2021 and 7 percent and 25 percent respectively over the previous best quarter, Q4 of 2021. Each industry segment experienced double-digit growth over the same quarter of 2021. [Read more…] about Industrial robot sales in North America ‘continue record surge into 2022’
