Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

drone

Seat and Grupo Sesé launch a parts delivery service using drones

by

The Seat factory in Martorell is the first Spanish plant to receive components via drone delivery. In collaboration with Grupo Sesé, the Spanish carmaker has a pioneering service connecting Sesé’s logistics centre in Abrera with the Seat factory using drones.

The first parts delivery service between two production plants in Spain by drone will deliver steering wheels and airbags to the Seat assembly lines.

The pilot project is being carried out under the supervision of the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA) and will go forward in an experimental phase with several flights per day.

[Read more…] about Seat and Grupo Sesé launch a parts delivery service using drones

DJI uses Ubuntu in drone computer

by

Ubuntu, the most popular Linux operating system for the Internet of Things, is now available on the Manifold 2, a high-performance embedded computer offered by drone manufacturer, DJI.

The Manifold 2 is designed to fit onto DJI’s drone platforms via the onboard SDK and enables developers to transform aerial platforms into truly smarter drones, performing complex computing tasks and advanced image processing, which in-turn creates rapid flexibility for enterprise usage.

As part of the offering, the Manifold 2 is planning to feature snaps. Snaps are containerised software packages, designed to work perfectly across cloud, desktop, and IoT devices – with this the first instance of the technology’s availability on drones.

[Read more…] about DJI uses Ubuntu in drone computer

DHL launches last-mile drone delivery service in China

by

DHL Express has partnered with autonomous aerial vehicle company EHang to jointly launch a fully automated and intelligent smart drone delivery solution to tackle the last-mile delivery challenges in the urban areas of China.

The launch ceremony was held today at the EHang Command and Control Center in Guangzhou, with the attendance of senior executives from both companies.

This cutting-edge solution takes its inaugural flight for a DHL customer, making DHL the first international express company to provide such a service in China.

[Read more…] about DHL launches last-mile drone delivery service in China

UPS Foundation supports Ghana’s vaccine drone delivery network

by

The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs for UPS, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have announced support for the expansion of a medical drone network into Ghana.

Zipline, a California-based automated logistics company, will use drones to make on-demand, emergency deliveries of 148 high priority products including emergency and routine vaccines, blood products and life-saving medications.

The service will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from four distribution centres – each equipped with 30 drones – and deliver to over 2,000 health facilities serving 12 million people across the country.

[Read more…] about UPS Foundation supports Ghana’s vaccine drone delivery network

Parrot launches thermal compact lightweight drone solution

by

Drone maker Parrot has launched the Anafi Thermal, which the company describes an “all-in-one, drone-based solution that provides easy to use, sophisticated and high-quality thermography” – drone + sensor + software.

Parrot has evolved its existing Anafi platform to create this lightweight and easy-to-use solution specifically engineered to support a wide range of industries.

As well as the built-in 4K HDR camera, Anafi Thermal integrates a FLIR® thermal sensor – a benchmark product in this sector – capable of letting users see thermal imaging quickly and efficiently. [Read more…] about Parrot launches thermal compact lightweight drone solution

Parrot launches drone system for agriculture

by

Parrot Business Solutions has launched Parrot Bluegrass Fields, an end-to-end drone solution for agriculture.

The newest member of Parrot’s drone portfolio, the solution combines the existing Parrot Bluegrass quadcopter drone, which integrates the Parrot Sequoia multispectral sensor, with the new ParrotFields mobile mapping app and Pix4Dfield desktop and cloud-based drone-mapping software.

The result is a comprehensive, ready-to-fly drone solution that spans the entire crop analysis workflow, for farmers to monitor crops and identify problem areas in their fields.

[Read more…] about Parrot launches drone system for agriculture

Samsung, Cisco and Orange demonstrate 5G-powered drone and industrial robot 

by

Samsung Electronics, Cisco and Orange unveiled  two promising industrial 5G applications – a drone and an industrial robot, at the MWC19 in Barcelona, Spain, in the last week of February.

The 5G drone, carrying a very low latency, high-quality video system was piloted from the Orange booth at the Fira de Barcelona.

The drone, which was located outdoors at an Orange datacentre, carried a 5G router (CPE) that was used to transfer commands to the drone and transmit a high-quality video feed with low latency.

[Read more…] about Samsung, Cisco and Orange demonstrate 5G-powered drone and industrial robot 

Father Christmas caught testing drone to replace Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

by

Startup company AirBoard appears to be working with Father Christmas to test a drone to replace Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and their famous flying sleigh with which they deliver presents all round to world to billions of people every year on the night of December 24th. (See video below.)

But that’s just one of AirBoard’s markets, and a very small one, given that there’s only one Father Christmas, or “Santa Claus”, another one of the many names under which the kindly old man travels, often dressed in a red pajama suit.

The main commercial market the northern European startup is aiming for with its drone is the agricultural sector.  [Read more…] about Father Christmas caught testing drone to replace Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

GDU launches infrared, open-platform industrial drone at CES

by

GDU, a company which claims to have created the world’s first foldable drone, has launched a new model called “Saga”. (See video below.) 

Saga is described as a lightweight, compact industrial drone with a “state-of-the-art” open platform and infrared camera, 39 minutes of flight time, and capable of reaching ascent speeds of 5 metres per second and flight speeds of 15 m/s.

GDU launched the new drone, the GDU Saga, at the ongoing CES 2019 in Las Vegas.  [Read more…] about GDU launches infrared, open-platform industrial drone at CES

Intel drone solutions modernise US bridge inspections

by

Intel has collaborated with two US departments of transportation to improve bridge inspections, supplementing manual inspections of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky and the Stone Arch Bridge in Minnesota.

Throughout the inspections, Intel’s advanced automated commercial drone hardware and software solutions increased efficiency and produced more reliable data in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.

More than 600,000 bridges are in the U.S., and nearly 10 percent of them are currently rated structurally deficient or obsolete. Each bridge is structurally unique and needs regular inspections to achieve safety requirements for general use.

[Read more…] about Intel drone solutions modernise US bridge inspections