Robotics & Automation News

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Rocla launches new automated compact truck for warehouses and loading docks

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A Finland-based company called Rocla AGV has launched a new, agile AGV – named “ACT”, short for automated compact truck – designed to lift heavy loads in narrow spaces.

Rocla says ACT is an “exceptional addition” to its existing AGV line, allowing the company to offer our customers an even more versatile product range.

From the comprehensive Rocla AGV offering, there is always a suitable pick or combination for each customer’s unique needs in warehouse and production environments. [Read more…] about Rocla launches new automated compact truck for warehouses and loading docks

Plus One Robotics raises $50 million in new funding

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, has raised $50 million in Series C funding.

The round was led by Scale Venture Partners, with Partner Rory O’Driscoll joining the board of directors. Top Tier Capital Partners, Tyche Partners, ROBO Global Ventures, Translink, McRock, and Pritzker Group Venture Capital also participated in the round alongside existing investors, which brings the company’s total funding to date to nearly $100 million.

Plus One’s technology helps to alleviate the persistent shortage of manual labor through robotic solutions, dramatically streamlining the parcel picking and depalletizing processes. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics raises $50 million in new funding

Comau supplies robotic systems for 20 Alfa Romeo manufacturing lines

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Comau has designed and deployed a flexible body-in-white (BIW – a car body) manufacturing solution for the all-new Tonale (pictured below), the first Alfa SUV of the new generation, meeting both the customer’s rigorous production targets, quality goals and time to market objectives.

The new and enhanced 20 lines are designed to allow the automaker to assemble its mid-size Tonale in a random mix of up to 4 different versions while maintaining the desired throughput.

Fully scalable, the innovative solution lets the automaker produce multiple brands on the same line whileallowing them to further expand production in the future if and when it is needed. [Read more…] about Comau supplies robotic systems for 20 Alfa Romeo manufacturing lines

Drilling company Nabors fully automates existing land rig with first-of-its-kind robotics module

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Nabors Industries has launched its Canrig Red Zone Robotics (RZR) Rig Floor Module, a modular rig upgrade that automates routine drilling activities.

Nabors retrofitted an existing rig – X29 – with RZR (pronounced razor) and has successfully drilled multiple horizontal wells for ExxonMobil in the Permian Basin.

In 2021, Nabors and ExxonMobil proved fully automated land drilling is possible with Nabors’ newbuild R801 robotic drilling rig. Now, the companies have advanced to the next phase of their collaboration to validate the use of modular rig retrofits as a viable path to scale drilling rig automation. [Read more…] about Drilling company Nabors fully automates existing land rig with first-of-its-kind robotics module

Scythe Robotics receives 7,000 orders for its autonomous law mowers

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Scythe Robotics has received 7,000 orders for its autonomous law mowers, according to a report The Denver Post website.

The startup company says it plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Colorado to be able to handle the orders, adding that its mowers have received strong interest from all across the United States.

Scythe Robotics specializes in building commercial-grade autonomous robotic solutions for the landscaping industry, and its first offering is an all-electric, fully autonomous mower, designed completely in-house. [Read more…] about Scythe Robotics receives 7,000 orders for its autonomous law mowers

Trimble implements new localization system for autonomous vehicles

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Trimble has released details of the first deployment of its map-based localization system for land-based autonomous vehicle applications.

IHI Corporation, a heavy industry manufacturer based in Japan, will retrofit its existing container and haulage trucks with a customized Applanix POS LV system as part of its broader autonomy capabilities for the transport of goods around industrial facilities.

Map-based localization provides precise positioning and orientation estimation, augmenting GNSS/inertial data, which is critical for safe and efficient autonomous vehicle operations. The ability to provide IHI Corporation a full workflow and real-time data ensures seamless integration into IHI’s truck design. [Read more…] about Trimble implements new localization system for autonomous vehicles

Flexiv unveils ‘powerful’ new development kit for robot users

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Flexiv, which claims to be “the world’s leading general-purpose robotics company”, has released its Robotic Development Kit (RDK).

Describing it as “a leap forward in how robots are programmed and managed”, Flexiv says the RDK provides users with a powerful toolkit that can enhance how their robot works.

The RDK utilises customizable, easy-to-use APIs so users can completely control an adaptive robot and make instant program modifications or integrate external hardware and software effortlessly. [Read more…] about Flexiv unveils ‘powerful’ new development kit for robot users

Embark and US Xpress partner to build nationwide terminal network for autonomous trucks

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Embark Trucks, a developer of autonomous technology for the trucking industry, says US Xpress has joined the Embark Partner Development Program and plans to add its terminals to the Embark Coverage Map.

This partnership marks a significant milestone by adding a fleet’s properties into an autonomous truck developer’s transfer point network.

Embark pioneered the transfer point model in 2019 when the company unveiled its first sites in Los Angeles and Phoenix. Transfer points are used to move freight from driverless, long-haul trucks to driver-enabled trucks for first- and last-mile delivery. [Read more…] about Embark and US Xpress partner to build nationwide terminal network for autonomous trucks

Robotic Resources: How Autonomous Technologies Enhance Human Capabilities

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By Jeff Weiland, LG Business Solutions USA

Ever since the first modern robots were developed in the 1950s, the public’s fascination with autonomous machines has varied from excitement and hope to hesitance and fear, and everything in between.

In the following decades, single-purpose robots began showing up on factory floors and in mailrooms, and average citizens grew more comfortable and familiar with digital technologies forming a central part of home life.

While the dancing, jumping, self-navigating robots of today were still decades away, the controversy then was much the same: workers worried that machines might eliminate their jobs. [Read more…] about Robotic Resources: How Autonomous Technologies Enhance Human Capabilities

NEC unveils autonomous mobile robot control system

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NEC has developed a control technology that the company claims “doubles the efficiency of autonomous mobile robots” in warehouses while maintaining a high level of safety.

NEC plans to put this technology into practical use by March 2024 and to have it installed in NEC’s co-operative AMRs in Japan.

In recent years, the introduction of robots for transporting materials has accelerated due to labor shortages and large warehouses. [Read more…] about NEC unveils autonomous mobile robot control system