Robotics & Automation News

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Autonomous trucking developer Inceptio partners with chipmaker Ambarella

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Inceptio Technology, an autonomous driving truck technology developer, has selected two each of Ambarella’s CV2FS and CV2AQ edge AI systems on chip (SoCs) – a total of four CVflow SoCs – for its automotive-grade central computing platform.

This platform is at the core of Inceptio’s full-stack XuanYuan autonomous driving system for trucks, where Ambarella’s SoCs provide high-performance and low-power processing simultaneously for seven 8MP cameras, including AI compute, for surround camera perception and front ADAS safety features like collision avoidance.

Susan Beardslee, ABI Research’s principal analyst for supply chain management and logistics, says: “Globally, there were over 223 million registered commercial vehicles (light-duty to heavy-duty) by the end of 2021. [Read more…] about Autonomous trucking developer Inceptio partners with chipmaker Ambarella

ABB and Red Hat partner to develop scalable digital solutions across industrial edge and hybrid cloud

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ABB and Red Hat have agreed a global partnership to enable industries using ABB’s process automation and industrial software to scale rapidly and flexibly leveraging Red Hat’s industry leading enterprise platforms and application services built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The collection, management and analysis of industrial plant data is critical to improve the efficiency of operations while addressing safety, security and productivity needs. This is consistent with ABB’s strategy for the evolution of process automation.

The partnership enables virtualization and containerization of automation software with Red Hat OpenShift to provide advanced flexibility in hardware deployment, optimized according to application needs. It also provides efficient system orchestration, enabling real-time, data-based decision making at the edge and further processing in the cloud. [Read more…] about ABB and Red Hat partner to develop scalable digital solutions across industrial edge and hybrid cloud

Nokia and Mobile Industrial Robots showcase real-time robot fleet management using private 5G wireless

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Nokia and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), a manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, have showcased the power of private 5G wireless for the digital transformation of industries.

The companies will demonstrate how companies like manufacturers and warehouse operators can leverage 5G to transform tasks, including real-time fleet management of industrial robots.

MiR will leverage the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) end-to-end industrial private wireless solution at its booth at the event in Stuttgart. [Read more…] about Nokia and Mobile Industrial Robots showcase real-time robot fleet management using private 5G wireless

Autonomous vehicle simulation startup MorAI raises $20 million funding

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MorAI, a developer of autonomous vehicle simulation technology, has secured a $20 million Series B funding round.

The round includes investment from new investors Korea Investment Partners, KB Investment, and the state-run Korea Development Bank, as well as from existing investors Naver’s D2 Startup Factory, Hyundai Motor Group’s Zero1ne, Kakao Ventures, and Atinum Investment, bringing MorAI’s total funding to date to $25 million.

MorAI was co-founded in 2018 by three autonomous driving researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Ever since, the company has established itself as South Korea’s sole provider of full-stack autonomous vehicle simulation solutions. [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicle simulation startup MorAI raises $20 million funding

Aptiv to buy Wind River for $4.3 billion

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Aptiv, a technology company developing mobility software and systems, is to acquire Wind River from TPG Capital, the private equity platform of global alternative asset management firm TPG, for $4.3 billion in cash.

Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge. Used on over two billion edge devices across more than 1,700 customers globally, Wind River’s software enables the secure development, deployment, operations and servicing of mission-critical intelligent systems.

This edge-to-cloud software portfolio spans the aerospace and defense, telecommunications, industrial and automotive markets and is anchored by Wind River Studio, a highly versatile, comprehensive cloud-native intelligent systems software platform that enables full product lifecycle management for edge-to-cloud use cases. [Read more…] about Aptiv to buy Wind River for $4.3 billion

Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

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By Skip Snyder, senior partner, IBM Consulting and Mike Pollitt, chief sales officer, Boston Dynamics

The demand for AI-driven robotics is increasing in operations like those in manufacturing and warehouse settings to help organizations with data and analytics that identify problems in real time, improve decision making, and perform tasks more efficiently. But to experience the true benefits, these operations need AI as close to the origin of the data as possible.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 56 percent of manufacturers have implemented AI-driven robotics to make autonomous decisions, while 83 percent agree intelligent automation will help their organization meet strategic challenges and improve business results. However, businesses point out that most edge and IoT devices today are stationary, inflexible and often incapable of responding to rapidly changing environments.

To address this challenge, IBM and Boston Dynamics have announced a new alliance focused on delivering data analysis at the edge to help industrial companies improve worker safety, optimize field operations, and boost maintenance productivity in environments like manufacturing facilities, power plants, warehouses and more. Enabled by AI and hybrid cloud innovations from IBM Research, IBM Consulting will develop edge payloads that integrate with Spot, the agile, mobile robot from Boston Dynamics. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

Emerson’s unveils new industrial edge-computing software for manufacturers

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Emerson has unveiled the PACEdge industrial edge platform designed to help manufacturers accelerate digital transformation projects by enabling users to quickly create and scale up performance-improving applications.

Emerson says the PACEdge platform simplifies application development by bringing together today’s leading open-source tools into a flexible, integrated and secure platform for utilising machine data and analytics.

The PACEdge release coincides with the launch of Emerson’s new PACSystems RXi2-BP edge computer, a small form-factor industrial PC that enables high-performance analytics to be run close to the machine. [Read more…] about Emerson’s unveils new industrial edge-computing software for manufacturers

Innodisk to release blockchain SSD securing edge data integrity

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The increasing ubiquity of AI in everyday applications brings with it concerns regarding data integrity and validation.

Innodisk’s new-patented blockchain technology brings to its latest SSD solution “InnoBTS SSD” and alleviates these concerns through sophisticated use of digital signature and blockchain that is fully software independent. [Read more…] about Innodisk to release blockchain SSD securing edge data integrity

ABB launches podcast about robotics and automation

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ABB is introducing a new series of podcasts that explore the world of robotics and automation, and their benefits to society in what the company describes as “the greatest shift in automation in a generation, brought on by the pandemic”.

Whether it’s collaborative robots working alongside humans in laboratories and SME businesses, or industrial robots working in large factories producing the next generation of electric vehicle, robots of all shapes and sizes are making work safer and more efficient for people and companies the world over.

Each episode of The Robot Podcast features a panel of experts and takes an in-depth look at some of the most interesting global case studies. [Read more…] about ABB launches podcast about robotics and automation

Hitachi launches new industrial edge computer

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Hitachi has launched a new industrial edge computer. The “Hitachi Industrial Edge Computer CE series Embedded AI model” was developed in collaboration with Intel.

The product, an integration of Intel’s artificial intelligence technology and Hitachi’s control system design and manufacturing technologies, is a new model that incorporates an image analysis execution platform using AI and deep learning.

Through providing this product, Hitachi contributes to the expansion of digital transformation, such as streamlining and automating tasks that rely on visual checks (the inspection process for finished products in the manufacturing industry) and solving management challenges using on-site data. [Read more…] about Hitachi launches new industrial edge computer