Market trends and business perspectives
ABB is introducing a new harsh environment version of its IRB 1100 robot and OmniCore controller, designed with enhanced protection against water and dust.
The entire body of the new IRB 1100 model has an IP67 rating, with all electrical components sealed against contaminants.
This makes it resistant to water and provides the robot with “complete protection from dust ingress”, claims ABB. [Read more…] about ABB launches new robot and controller
A company called Grote has demonstrated a robotic sandwich-making system which it developed in partnership with Stäubli Robotics. (See video below.)
Grote is a manufacturer of food processing equipment and the system it showcased at the International Baking Industry Exposition is said to be feature “robotic food contact for the first time in America”.
Grote’s systems shows how it utilizes Stäubli’s TX2-60 HE robotic arms to assemble sandwiches, cut them, and place them on trays. [Read more…] about Grote demonstrates robotic sandwich-making system
by Mai Tao
ExRobotics and Yokogawa Electric have signed a licensing agreement that will enable Yokogawa to sell and deploy ExRobotics’ inspection robot hardware and software platforms worldwide.
ExRobotics is a Netherlands-based developer of robotics technology for hazardous environments, and Yokogawa Electric Corporation is a global provider of industrial automation, control, and measurement technology.
ExRobotics was established in 2017 to commercialise robotics technology for use in the potentially explosive atmospheres found at oil and gas production and processing facilities, which are often in remote locations with harsh environments. [Read more…] about ExRobotics and Yokogawa to develop robotics for inspection of hazardous environments
by Sam Francis
Realtime Robotics, a provider of responsive motion planning for industrial robots and autonomous vehicles, says it has raised $11.7 million in Series A funding.
The round was led by Sparx Asset Management, and included participation from Mitsubishi Electric, Hyundai, and Omron Ventures, alongside existing investors Toyota AI Ventures, Scrum Ventures, and the Duke Angel Network.
The new capital will be used to accelerate the development of more commercial product releases and expand the team to support key customers and partners across the globe. [Read more…] about Realtime Robotics raises $18 million Series A funding
Vecna Robotics is teaming up with UniCarriers Americas, a manufacturer of material handling equipment and part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The two companies are collaborating on a line of autonomous material handling vehicles for warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing environments.
Vecna Robotics is integrating its autonomous navigation technology, learning algorithms, and workflow orchestration software into UCA vehicles turning them into autonomous mobile robots, capable of moving bulk material through dynamic warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics partners with UniCarriers to launch new line of autonomous material handling solutions
Boston Dynamics is making its canine robot, Spot, available to the market in limited numbers and to select customers. (See video.)
This is the first time Spot will be on sale and most of Boston Dynamics’ robots are still in various stages of research and development, most famously perhaps its humanoids, but also its unusual “Handle” material handling robot, which is basically a robotic arm on two wheels.
Boston Dynamics describes Spot as “a nimble robot that climbs stairs and traverses rough terrain with unprecedented ease, yet is small enough to use indoors”. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics bring its canine robot to market
by Liv
SnakeClamp’s new custom-length Flexwire product is a durable, waterproof flexible mounting and positioning arm alternative to flexible gooseneck tubes.
It is ideal for mounting objects in harsh or outdoor environments where a flexible positioning arm is required.
SnakeClamp Products of Christiansburg, Virginia has developed Flexwire, an innovative waterproof solid-core flexible mounting arm alternative to flexible gooseneck tubing. [Read more…] about SnakeClamp Products launches Flexwire
by Mai Tao
An Indian company called GenRobotics has developed a range of robots to undertake work down manholes and in sewage environments, and has been receiving orders from a number of states in its home country as well as many places abroad.
GenRobotics was launched in relatively quiet circumstances in 2015, but then, last year, the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, was in attendance at the launch of the company’s second-generation robots.
Malaysia and the UAE are among the outside nations from which orders have been received for GenRobotics machines, and they join Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, in the south, and Haryana, in the north of the massive country of more than 1 billion people. [Read more…] about Indian government to replace sewage workers with robots by 2020
by Mai Tao
Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, the strategic business development and investment arm of Yamaha Motor, has participated in the $16 million Series A funding round for Exyn Technologies, a developer of autonomous aerial robotics for GPS-denied environments.
The investment is one of the first out of the $100 million Yamaha Motor Exploratory Fund established in 2018 and activated this year. The Exyn investment reflects YMVSV’s interest in developing innovation in the aviation sector.
George Kellerman, CEO and managing director of YMVSV, says: “Advanced aerial autonomy technologies have broad impacts across industry sectors, making Exyn Technologies a very attractive exploratory investment for us. [Read more…] about Yamaha invests in drone tech startup Exyn
by Anna
Since the start of April, Group PSA’s vehicles equipped with level 3 autonomous driving functions have been operating on open roads in France as part of the European L3Pilot project.
Six to eight vehicles will undergo intensive driving tests to validate autonomous functions on dual carriageways.
The project is strengthening Groupe PSA’s expertise in the development of autonomous vehicles, thanks to a global ecosystem of partners, including European carmakers, research centres and roads authorities.
[Read more…] about Groupe PSA carries out autonomous driving tests in L3Pilot projectRobotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.
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