Robotics & Automation News

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drones

Industrial emissions measuring company Aeromon moves into production phase

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Aeromon, the company behind the compact and customisable emissions measurement devices that can be used in drone-mounted, hand-held and fixed configurations to reveal hidden industrial emissions, has launched its first commercially available product.

The company aims to help industrial operators in maritime, oil and gas, waste and recycling, and pulp and paper mitigate environmental harm and meet emissions regulations in a low-cost, effective, and safe way.

Aeromon CEO Teppo Virkkula says: “Aeromon has created the first FSC (Fuel Sulphur Content) measurement solution in the world that can be deployed on both fixed and rotary wing drones.  [Read more…] about Industrial emissions measuring company Aeromon moves into production phase

ISO unveils standards for unmanned aircraft systems

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The International Organization for Standardization has released its long-awaited guidance on unmanned aircraft systems.

The standardization relates to the field of unmanned aircraft systems including, but not limited to, classification, design, manufacture, operation – including maintenance – and safety management of UAS operations.

The standards for drones were developed in collaboration with a number of organisations including the American National Standards Institute.

ZF gets green light for drone deliveries in Germany

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ZF is the first company in Germany to receive official approval for automated drone flights over factory premises. A drone prototype has recently started flying spare parts such as sensors or control cards from the central warehouse to workshops.

As soon as the test flights are complete and drones properly deployed, such flights will relieve vehicle traffic at the plant and save time on the up to one kilometre-long delivery routes that are often on the upper floors of buildings.

In the long term, packages could even be delivered outside of factory premises, for example to facilitate package delivery in residential areas that are difficult to access.

[Read more…] about ZF gets green light for drone deliveries in Germany

SkySpecs reaches 33,000 autonomous wind turbine blade inspections

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SkySpecs, a provider of robotic solutions for the wind energy industry, says the company has officially inspected and analyzed over 33,000 wind turbine blades with their fully automated drone solution.

The company’s onshore and offshore inspections spans the globe, and its newly-released software solution, Horizon, enables customers to analyze inspection data and manage their fleet maintenance.

SkySpecs CTO Tom Brady, says: “Because our inspection process is extremely measurable and repeatable, SkySpecs is able to observe the same damages and draw correlations from year to year.  [Read more…] about SkySpecs reaches 33,000 autonomous wind turbine blade inspections

A ‘flying sculpture’ of 300 drones

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Studio Drift has presented “Franchise Freedom” for the first time in Europe, following a successful premiere at Art Basel in Miami Beach last year, developed in collaboration with BMW.

A flying sculpture of 300 luminous Intel Shooting Star drones in bird swarming formation will be on view for three days after sunset, from August 10-12, 2018.

Illuminating the river IJ in Amsterdam, the performative artwork is part of the retrospective “Studio Drift: Coded Nature”, on display at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam until August 26, 2018.  [Read more…] about A ‘flying sculpture’ of 300 drones

Flying cars: A ‘near-term’ vision of a world where people get around in electric and autonomous cars and drones

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Airbus and the German car manufacturer Audi have teamed up to develop what they describe as “real, near-term urban mobility solutions”, which features electric and autonomous cars and drones – sometimes operating together as flying cars (main picture and video below).

Beginning this summer, Airbus – through its on-demand helicopter platform Voom – will partner with Audi to deliver an end-to-end transportation service, starting in São Paulo and Mexico City.

This partnership will provide premium ground transportation serviced by Audi vehicles and helicopter transport via Airbus’ Voom service, allowing customers to have a seamless and ultra-convenient travel experience.  [Read more…] about Flying cars: A ‘near-term’ vision of a world where people get around in electric and autonomous cars and drones

True innovation: Three big ways drones are changing the way we live

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Promoted

Life changes rapidly these days. The world is full of creation and innovation, all of it happening at a speed so breakneck it can be hard to tell which developments are set to change the world and which ones are essentially the Segway of 2018.

Modern unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as UAVs or drones, have been on the military scene since 2001 and started to go mainstream in the industrial and commercial markets in 2011, with fervor for these flyers steadily increasing to the point that drones are expected to have an economic impact of $82 billion dollars by 2025 in the United States alone.

In short, drones are here to stay. They’re also here to change the way we live and work, for the better.

Here are three big ways drones are in the process of reshaping the world we know.  [Read more…] about True innovation: Three big ways drones are changing the way we live

InterDrone adds content and networking events for key unmanned aerial vehicles sectors

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InterDrone, the international drone conference and exposition, has further expanded its enterprise-specific content with the addition of the “Enterprise After Hours” and vertical-specific tracks throughout the show.

InterDrone, which is the largest commercial drone show in North America, will be held September 5-7 at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, and is expected to draw more than 3,500 unmanned aerial vehicles professionals from around the world.

The Enterprise After Hours will take place in the evening on Wednesday, September 5, and are concurrent special networking events with dedicated rooms and discussion in the following verticals:

  • construction;
  • aggregates and mining;
  • inspection, which will include both energy and infrastructure inspection;
  • precision agriculture;
  • public safety; and
  • surveying and mapping.

[Read more…] about InterDrone adds content and networking events for key unmanned aerial vehicles sectors

Drones are bridging the gap in US inspection technology

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Drones and non-destructive testing devices are shaping the future of bridge inspection and rehabilitation, by helping to improve project safety, reduce costs, and create more efficient and sustainable methods.

There are critical infrastructure needs across North America, especially when it comes to bridges. In the U.S., for example, over 54,000 U.S. bridges are structurally deficient, which is nearly 9% of all bridges across the country.

Not only that, but assessing the current state of bridge infrastructure requires an increasing amount of time and resources – and there are no shortage of safety concerns.

[Read more…] about Drones are bridging the gap in US inspection technology

Opinion: Robots help close the gap between designing and making

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Andrew Watts, CEO Newtecnic, discusses the construction industry’s move towards robotics and mass-customization that brings designers and makers together for positive disruption within and beyond the industry

Digitalization, robotics and automation, have produced significant quality and productivity benefits in manufacturing over several decades.

In construction, however, while digitalization has very successfully automated design, the disconnect between designing and making is ripe for an industrial revolution.

And while innovative product manufacturers use technology to move from mass-production to mass-customization, the construction industry is only just picking up on DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) for repetitive mass production of standardized components.

This use of what can be considered an outmoded idea seems to be a retrograde step because the opportunity now exists for construction to deploy the very latest technology and thereby take the lead in manufacturing.  [Read more…] about Opinion: Robots help close the gap between designing and making