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delivery

Ottonomy secures investment for its delivery robot from Rome airport

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Aeroporti di Roma Ventures (ADR Ventures), which is the new Corporate Venture Capital arm of Aeroporti di Roma, has made an “initial venture investment” with Ottonomy, a startup providing contactless deliveries using fully autonomous robots.

After a successful proof of concept (PoC) established during the accelerator program in the Innovation Hub in Fiumicino airport, the autonomous delivery project became part of ADR’s long-term strategy aimed at maintaining the highest levels of service and enhancing passengers’ experience using cutting edge technology and innovation.

Emanuele Calà, president and CEO of ADR Ventures, says: “Our first investment is an additional step towards building the airport of the future, which will be more autonomous and passenger-centric. [Read more…] about Ottonomy secures investment for its delivery robot from Rome airport

African-engineered food delivery robots debut at Brigham university

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A unique food delivery robot is on campus at Brigham Young University (BYU). The robot is a collaboration between Professor Benjamin Terry of BYU and a robotics startup called CAYTU Robotics. 

The unique twist to these robots is that they will be controlled by operators sitting in a country far away on the continent of Africa.

CAYTU Robotics, based in Dakar, Senegal, is a startup founded by a team of African engineers which is using cutting-edge technology to enable remote control of robots from anywhere in the world. [Read more…] about African-engineered food delivery robots debut at Brigham university

ASRS revenue forecast to reach $1 billion in micro-fulfilment centers

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As retailers build micro-fulfilment centers (MFCs) to augment their distribution networks, automated picking solutions provide the speed and space maximization necessary for e-commerce efficiency and profitability.

According to a report by technology intelligence firm ABI Research, Automated Storage & Retrieval System (AS/RS) revenue within MFCs is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2027, with uptake primarily seen in the grocery and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industries.

Ryan Wiggin, supply chain management and logistics industry analyst at ABI Research, says: “The need for high-density storage and fast fulfillment capabilities allows technologies to scale down and enable a flexible, bespoke frontline distribution network. [Read more…] about ASRS revenue forecast to reach $1 billion in micro-fulfilment centers

Kiwibot and Sodexo bring food delivery robots to Shenandoah University

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Kiwibot, a robotic sidewalk delivery company, is now available at Shenandoah University to ensure an affordable on-campus food delivery service for students.

With 15 robots operating at Shenandoah University, students profit from speedy food delivery with zero carbon emissions, reducing the carbon footprint on campus.

Kiwibot’s proven track record is in part due to its ongoing partnership with Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company and Shenandoah’s dining partner. [Read more…] about Kiwibot and Sodexo bring food delivery robots to Shenandoah University

Starship Technologies delivery robots clock 10 million km

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Starship Technologies, a provider of autonomous delivery services, has reached what it says is “an industry first”, with the company’s robots having now passed the 10 million km mark (over 6 million miles) in terms of distance traveled around the world.

This comes as the company is marking five years of commercial delivery services.

This milestone distance is further than any other company in the industry, and more than six times that of the 1 million mile mark recently announced by international self-driving car developers, Waymo and Cruise. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies delivery robots clock 10 million km

Smart Robotics launches new robotic mixed case palletizer

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Smart Robotics, a warehouse robotics and automation specialist, has launched its Smart Mixed Case Palletizer, an industrial robot pick and place station.

Smart Robotics says the system is designed to improve warehouse delivery speed by removing one of the biggest bottlenecks – manual palletizing of mixed products or stock-keeping units (SKUs).

By using warehouse automation, the robot enables another step towards touchless shipping and allows large distribution centres to pre-sort to multiple destinations without increasing full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) in shipping. [Read more…] about Smart Robotics launches new robotic mixed case palletizer

Clevon collaborates with ZF to orchestrate driverless last-mile delivery fleets

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Clevon, an Estonia-based autonomous delivery vehicles innovator, and ZF, a giant German automotive technology company, have agreed a strategic collaboration that brings together Clevon’s Autonomous Robotic Carrier technology and ZF Scalar, a real-time AI-based fleet orchestration platform. 

Clevon and ZF are joining forces to accelerate the deployment of efficient and integrated next-generation last-mile delivery services using driverless carriers in urban and on-yard environments.

Sander Sebastian Agur, CEO of Clevon, says: “Clevon is making driverless deliveries happen already today. We are active in the US, Belgium, Lithuania, and Estonia. [Read more…] about Clevon collaborates with ZF to orchestrate driverless last-mile delivery fleets

Automation in Construction: Researchers develop automated system to measure strain and acceleration of precast concrete structures

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Reserarchers at Chung-Ang University, South Korea have developed a smart portable sensing system for monitoring precast structures during delivery. The multimetric portable system uses an IoT sensor to simultaneously measure strain and acceleration of the structures real-time during delivery.

Precast concrete structures (PCS) reduce workforce dependency and construction time. However, they are subjected to vibrations and strain during transport from their manufacturing site to the construction site.

Effective quality control measures require continuous logging of vibration and strain measurement during the delivery, an essential feature that is missing in current systems. To this end, researchers have now developed a novel portable sensing system that can monitor strain and acceleration to enable efficient PCS delivery. [Read more…] about Automation in Construction: Researchers develop automated system to measure strain and acceleration of precast concrete structures

Starship Technologies launches robot delivery service at North Carolina university

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Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, announced today that its robots have started on-demand food deliveries at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte).

Starship’s fleet of 30 autonomous, on-demand robots are now delivering from Wendy’s, Bojangles and Shake Smart and will add more campus eateries throughout March, with 10 onboard by the end of the month.

The school’s nearly 30,000 students and faculty can now use the Starship Food Delivery app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from campus retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies launches robot delivery service at North Carolina university

Kiwibot secures $10 million in new funding

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Kiwibot, a robotic last-mile delivery service that has completed over 250,000 food deliveries with robots, has agreed what it describes as a “tailor-made” $10 million financing partnership with asset financing group kineo finance.

The agreement will help Kiwibot with its manufacturing and scaling needs, growing its robotic fleet and disrupting the delivery-as-a-service (DaaS) industry.

By removing the working capital barrier, this partnership will accelerate Kiwibot’s growth in the DaaS industry. kineo finance provides smart asset financing for startups while limiting dilution, so they can focus on growing the business. [Read more…] about Kiwibot secures $10 million in new funding