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aiMotive opens Munich office

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aiMotive, a supplier of automated driving technologies, has opened a new office in Munich, Germany.

Beyond supporting business operations, the new office will include a workshop to enable testing and data collection in Germany.

László Kishonti, founder and CEO of aiMotive, says: “Munich is an important center of the European automotive industry and a transportation hub in the middle of the continent. A perfect location for our second European office.” [Read more…] about aiMotive opens Munich office

Airbus to develop ‘Moon Cruiser’ concept for ESA

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Aerospace giant Airbus has been awarded a CLTV (Cis-Lunar Transfer Vehicle) study for a “Moon Cruiser” by the European Space Agency (ESA).

According to the study concept (two parallel Phase A/B1), the CLTV is a versatile, autonomous logistics vehicle that could, for example, provide timely and efficient support to NASA and ESA in the implementation of the future Artemis Moon missions.

The spacecraft will be based on existing and proven technologies and will complement the multipurpose European Large Logistic Lander (EL3). [Read more…] about Airbus to develop ‘Moon Cruiser’ concept for ESA

30 critical raw materials: EU prioritizes lithium but launches plan to avoid dependency

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The European Commission, the administrative arm of the European Union, has listed 30 “critical raw materials” that it wants to secure the supply of while at the same time avoiding becoming dependent on any of them.

The four new additions to the list are bauxite, lithium, titanium and strontium.

Lithium, a fundamental material in the manufacturing of batteries of all kinds, is increasingly gaining importance as more and more people buy electric cars. [Read more…] about 30 critical raw materials: EU prioritizes lithium but launches plan to avoid dependency

EU member states agree €750 billion post-pandemic recovery fund

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Member states of the European Union have agreed a €750 billion recovery fund in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has all but destroyed large parts of the economy in many countries.

The agreement was reached during a four-day summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium between the leaders of the 27 member nations.

Charles Michel, chairman of the summit, called the accord “a pivotal moment for Europe”, according to a report by Reuters. [Read more…] about EU member states agree €750 billion post-pandemic recovery fund

Internet industry organisation calls for strengthening EU against tech giants

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The internet industry association ECO has called for the strengthening of the European Union against tech giants that have caused enormous disruption across Europe and the world.

ECO has drawn up a six-point “catalogue of requirements” on behalf of the internet industry for the strengthening of Europe as a digital location.

The organisation says the internet industry is gaining increasing significance for the economy as a whole and promotes value creation in other sectors, thereby guaranteeing the innovation capacity of Europe as a business location. [Read more…] about Internet industry organisation calls for strengthening EU against tech giants

Webinar: A closer look at the EC’s Digital Services Act

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Title: The Digital Evolution – E-Commerce Directive to Digital Services Act and a look at the German Council Presidency
Registration link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7620775972725344270

When the EU passed the E-Commerce Directive (ECD) 20 years ago it built a solid ground for the years to come and it found long lasting balance between regulation and entrepreneurial freedoms.

It was not perfect in the beginning and there are still questions about details nowadays. [Read more…] about Webinar: A closer look at the EC’s Digital Services Act

FLIR releases European thermal imaging dataset for automotive driver assistance development

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FLIR Systems has made available its first European thermal imaging regional dataset and the third in a series of thermal imaging datasets for machine vision testing.

The company says the dataset is designed to help researchers, developers and auto manufacturers enhance and accelerate work on safety, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), automatic emergency braking (AEB) and autonomous vehicle systems.

The dataset features thousands of annotated thermal images of daytime, nighttime and various weather scenarios from six cities across Europe. [Read more…] about FLIR releases European thermal imaging dataset for automotive driver assistance development

Interview: Startup Reflect developing new solution to ‘a real industrial problem’

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Interview with George Papanikolopoulos, CEO of CASP, which is developing a software solution to what he describes as ‘a real industrial problem’

Reflect is one of the experiments that successfully passed to Phase II of the first Open Call in ESMERA, the EU agency that has a multimillion-euro budget to help robotic startups. 

Being one of the 12 experiments that started in ESMERA in the summer of 2019, Reflect proved its concept to external evaluators and has been selected as one of the currently five final experiments in Phase II. [Read more…] about Interview: Startup Reflect developing new solution to ‘a real industrial problem’

ESMERA releases list of 20 new robotics projects in line to receive €75,000 each

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ESMERA, the EU-funded program to develop the European robotics sector, has released a list of 20 new “experiments” that will receive support from the organisation.

The 20 new experiments started within the ESMERA project as of May 1st, 2020. The word “ESMERA” is short for European SMEs Robotic Applications.

Within the project’s second Open Call, which ended in December 2019, 69 applications were registered, all proposing to solve either a pre-defined robotics challenge or bringing with them their own challenge provider and challenge. [Read more…] about ESMERA releases list of 20 new robotics projects in line to receive €75,000 each

Five robotic technology innovations move to final phase of Esmera competition

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Five robotic technology experiments have moved into the final phase of a competition run by Esmera, the European Union-funded project set up to develop innovative technologies.

The five entrants are:

  • Nix;
  • Minotaur-R (energy sector);
  • Reflect;
  • Wire Cobots (manufacturing); and
  • Cobolleague (construction).

They have all been selected to move into the second phase of Esmera, which is an abbreviation of European SMEs Robotic Applications. [Read more…] about Five robotic technology innovations move to final phase of Esmera competition