Robotics & Automation News

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Yaskawa achieves 30 million total shipments of AC drives

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Yaskawa, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of industrial robotics and automation technologies, says it has reached 30 million total shipments of alternating current drives.

An AC drive is a device that is used to control the speed of an electric motor, which are present in almost all robots and automated machines.

In a statement, Yaskawa, which shipped the world’s first transistor inverter in 1974, says: “We are pleased to announce that the cumulative shipments of AC Drives reached 30 million units in January 2021.” [Read more…] about Yaskawa achieves 30 million total shipments of AC drives

Fetch Robotics integrates AMRs into Vargo’s warehouse execution system

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Fetch Robotics, a warehouse robotics company, has agreed a partnership with Vargo, a provider of warehouse execution software, and a plan to launch an integrated fulfillment solution.

The new solution will combine Fetch’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with Continuous Order Fulfillment Engine (Cofe), Vargo’s industry-leading warehouse execution system (WES), to enable distribution centers to optimize order fulfillment with the latest technology in real time.

The growth of e-commerce and omnichannel fulfillment has pushed companies to optimize their order fulfillment processes to gain efficiencies and to do so with more speed and accuracy. [Read more…] about Fetch Robotics integrates AMRs into Vargo’s warehouse execution system

Fetch Robotics partners with Vargo to launch integrated fulfillment solution

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Fetch Robotics, a warehouse and cloud robotics company, has agreed a partnership with Vargo, a provider of warehouse execution software, to launch an integrated fulfillment solution.

The new solution will combine Fetch’s autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) with the Continuous Order Fulfillment Engine (COFE), Vargo’s warehouse execution system (WES), to enable warehouse customers to optimize order fulfillment in real time.

The growth of e-commerce and omnichannel fulfillment has pushed companies to optimize their order fulfillment processes to gain efficiencies and to do so with more speed and accuracy. [Read more…] about Fetch Robotics partners with Vargo to launch integrated fulfillment solution

Kuka launches new SCARA robots

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Kuka has launched a new range of SCARA robots. The company says the new KR SCARA jointed-arm robots are “reliable assistants” for industrial production that that excel in applications like in small parts assembly, materials handling and inspection tasks.

In the payload category up to 6 kg, it is hard to find a match for the Kuka SCARA robots, claims the company.

The new KR SCARA horizontal jointed-arm robots from Kuka are ultra-compact and at the same time deliver “maximum cost-effectiveness”. [Read more…] about Kuka launches new SCARA robots

6 River Systems upgrades its robotic fulfillment solution

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6 River Systems has made a series of enhancements to its robotic fulfillment solution.

6 River, part of e-commerce platform provider Shopify, revealed the upgrade during its second annual user conference, FLOW 2020.

David Vallance, director of product at 6 River Systems, says: “We have developed a strategic product roadmap at 6RS to find and address the next level of efficiencies to help our customers meet ever-changing demand and drive value to their own customers. [Read more…] about 6 River Systems upgrades its robotic fulfillment solution

Graze unveils solar-powered autonomous commercial lawn mower

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Startup company Graze has unveiled a new solar-powered autonomous commercial lawn mower, which it plans to launch by 2021.

The company says has now expanded the design to increase efficiency and maintenance speed for mid-to-large sized commercial lawns, enhance cutting blades to perfect trim precision, add new sensor capabilities to increase safety, improve GPS based mapping and computer vision, while optimizing intelligent and applicable insights through advanced machine learning capabilities.

Analyst reports have found landscaping services in the US generated $101.7 billion in revenue in 2020, while commercial landscaping services (maintenance and general services) have been projected to range between 40 and 60 percent of the overall landscaping service industry in the US. [Read more…] about Graze unveils solar-powered autonomous commercial lawn mower

Michigan university scientists’ new solar panels could eventually lead to self-powering skyscrapers

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Imagine if all the glass we see on the sides of skyscrapers and other buildings were actually solar cells in disguise, collecting energy from the sun and helping to power the building and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. 

That is the dream of many scientists who are working on the technology. Essentially, they want to replace the silicon material that glass is made out of with material that is more suitable for capturing solar energy.

While green energy has made great strides in recent years – with Germans as a nation recently using more electricity from alternative sources than traditional gas- and oil-based power – there’s still a long way to go. [Read more…] about Michigan university scientists’ new solar panels could eventually lead to self-powering skyscrapers

MSC Industrial Supply integrates systems from Plus One Robotics at fulfillment centers

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MSC Industrial Supply is integrating Plus One Robotics systems at its fulfillment centers.

MSC is a distributor of metalworking and maintenance repair and operations products and services for industrial customers throughout North America.

The company says the partnership with Plus One Robotics will “support and enhance the efficiency” of its customer fulfillment centers. [Read more…] about MSC Industrial Supply integrates systems from Plus One Robotics at fulfillment centers

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

Einride launches ‘intelligent freight mobility platform’ in anticipation of autonomous logistics

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Einride is launching its freight mobility platform and says it’s designed for businesses that want to make their shipments sustainable.

The Swedish technology autonomous and electric truck developer has been beta testing with selected customers since the start of the year.

The platform provides live insights on emissions, energy usage, location data, and more, and generates recommendations on how exactly to electrify freight with the most impact for your business. [Read more…] about Einride launches ‘intelligent freight mobility platform’ in anticipation of autonomous logistics