Robotics & Automation News

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Coronavirus pandemic causing grocers to invest in robotics, says report

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The coronavirus pandemic is causing grocers to invest more in robotics, according to a study published by the Retail Analytics Council ahead of the Retail Robotics and AI Conference.

The RAC retail robotics research report, Emerging Trends in Retail Robotics, says the Covid-19 outbreak gives grocers an additional reason to use robots in retail – “to assist with customer and employee safety”.

However, the industry was already expanding its use of robots, notes the RAC in its report. [Read more…] about Coronavirus pandemic causing grocers to invest in robotics, says report

Airbus and Xenesis to demo 10 Gbps networking on ISS for robotics and other applications

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Airbus and Xenesis have signed a contract for a payload slot on the International Space Station Bartolomeo platform for the demonstration of their Xen-Hub optical communication space terminal.

The Xen-Hub is a greater than 10 gigabyte per second optical communications terminal. The terminal was enabled with a technology transfer from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is designed to increase satellite communications bandwidth.

The Airbus-built Bartolomeo platform offers external science and payload hosting capabilities on the ISS, providing new opportunities for science and research. [Read more…] about Airbus and Xenesis to demo 10 Gbps networking on ISS for robotics and other applications

BMW applies AI dust particle analysis to ‘increase paint shop quality’

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BMW says it uses an “ongoing algorithm-based analysis” of dust content in vehicle paint booths and compares them to a database to predict the quality of coating it applies to cars

Artificial intelligence can bring even greater precision to controlling highly sensitive systems in automotive production, as a pilot project in the paint shop of the BMW’s Munich plant has demonstrated.

Despite state-of-the-art filtration technology, the content of finest dust particles in paint lines varies depending on the ambient air drawn in. If the dust content exceeded the threshold, the still wet paint could trap particles, thus visually impairing the painted surface.

AI specialists from what BMW calls its “central planning” and the Munich plant have now found a way to avoid this situation altogether: every freshly painted car body must undergo an automatic surface inspection in the paint shop. [Read more…] about BMW applies AI dust particle analysis to ‘increase paint shop quality’

Siemens acquires provider of virtual training for industrial companies Vizendo

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Siemens has acquired Swedish service and software company Vizendo, a provider of virtual operator training for automotive manufacturing.

Virtual training enables industrial companies to reduce their training times and launch new products faster and in higher quality.

Karen Florschütz, CEO of the customer services business unit at Siemens, says: “Virtual training has huge growth potential. Vizendo’s service and software range ideally complements our digital services and thus our Digital Enterprise portfolio. [Read more…] about Siemens acquires provider of virtual training for industrial companies Vizendo

Mitsubishi Electric develops ‘co-operative AI’ for human-machine work

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Mitsubishi Electric says it has developed a cooperative artificial intelligence technology that it says “enhances work collaboration between humans and machines”.

The system uses something Mitsubishi calls “inverse reinforcement learning”, or IRL, to learn and imitate the actions of skilled workers.

IRL, one of the key features of Mitsubishi Electric’s “Maisart AI” technology, enables machines to imitate human-like actions based on relatively small amounts of data. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric develops ‘co-operative AI’ for human-machine work

How automation can help fast track a vaccine

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When there’s a Covid-19 vaccine, we’ll all want one fast. Here’s how Honeywell says digital tools can help speed up the process…

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible.

The typical vaccine development and production process depends on how the vaccine is created, with the manufacturing process taking anywhere from several days to several weeks for a single batch.

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, the urgency of being able to scale up a vaccine is even more critical. [Read more…] about How automation can help fast track a vaccine

MIPI Alliance completes development of new industry standard A-PHY v1.0

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The MIPI Alliance, an international organization that develops interface specifications for mobile and mobile-influenced industries, has completed the development of MIPI A-PHY v1.0, a long-reach serializer-deserializer (SerDes) physical layer interface for automotive applications.

The specification is undergoing member review, with official adoption expected within the next 90 days.

A-PHY will provide a physical layer for data transfers spanning an entire vehicle. As the first standard of its kind, it will help the automotive industry accelerate the availability of advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous driving systems and other surround-sensor applications, including cameras and in-vehicle infotainment displays. [Read more…] about MIPI Alliance completes development of new industry standard A-PHY v1.0

Hexagon NovAtel unveils ROS-based autonomous driving platform

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NovAtel, part of Hexagon, has released of its first purpose-built driver, powered by Robot Operating System (ROS), to support its OEM7 family of GNSS receivers.

The driver, developed by NovAtel engineers, provides an optimized interface enabling users to accelerate autonomous development projects by quickly incorporating NovAtel OEM7 receivers into custom applications.

The driver is available for immediate download through the new NovAtel GitHub repository or as a ROS Binary Package for direct installation. [Read more…] about Hexagon NovAtel unveils ROS-based autonomous driving platform

Nvidia offers glimpse into Silicon Valley simulator in the cloud used for autonomous car development

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As much of the world continues to conduct business from home, Nvidia’s autonomous test vehicles are hard at work in the cloud. (See video below.)

During the GTC 2020 keynote, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang demonstrated how Nvidia Drive technology is being developed and tested in simulation.

While physical testing is temporarily paused, the cloud-based Nvidia Drive Constellation platform makes it possible to dispatch virtual vehicles in virtual environments to continue making great progress in self-driving technology. [Read more…] about Nvidia offers glimpse into Silicon Valley simulator in the cloud used for autonomous car development

Here’s what you may not know about the world of cloud

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Although cloud computing has been around since the 1960s, the use of cloud computing in its modern context didn’t take off until 2006.

Cloud computing is the process of delivering computing services over the internet using a provider’s data services. Common public cloud offerings include Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

However, even though the phrase “in the cloud” has become ubiquitous in current technology, there are many things that are unclear for people, particularly for those who are exploring what the cloud means beneath the surface. Here are a few things you may not know. [Read more…] about Here’s what you may not know about the world of cloud