Robotics & Automation News

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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

Berkshire Grey introduces new robotic product sortation for warehouses

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Berkshire Grey, a provider of robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, has introduced its next generation Robotic Product Sortation (BG RPS) solution for order fulfillment.

This high-capacity automation solution robotically picks, sorts, and packs individual items into outbound order containers without the need for operator interaction.

The latest version of BG RPS includes a host of new features including a unique dual wing design that increases speed by over 25 percent and doubles the simultaneous order processing capacity. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey introduces new robotic product sortation for warehouses

Berkshire Grey launches new robotic shuttle solution

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Berkshire Grey, a provider of AI-enabled robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, has launched its Robotic Shuttle Product Sortation (RSPS) solution for order fulfillment.

The system supports filling e-commerce orders through stores and in-person shopping by automating store replenishment, allocation order processing, split-case cross docking, sortation, and packing.

RSPS increases processing capacity and throughput for existing operations without adding labor, helps right-size store inventories, and enables e-commerce fulfillment from stores to scale. Following a series of successful installations at major US retailers, the solution is now generally available for global deployments. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey launches new robotic shuttle solution

Zebra Technologies expands Fetch Robotics portfolio with solution to optimize fulfillment workflows

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Zebra Technologies, which provides automation solutions to the supply chain sector, has introduced what it claims is “the industry’s most comprehensive picking solution to help businesses improve their fulfillment operations”.

The fulfillment solution uses machines from Fetch Robotics, which Zebra recently acquired, and consists of three new autonomous mobile robots – FlexShelf, FlexShelf Guide, and RollerTop Guide – and a new FetchCore fulfillment software package for order or batch picking.

These new offerings further extend Zebra’s position as a leader in automating and digitizing critical workflows in warehouses, distribution and fulfillment centers as order volumes increase, labor pools get more competitive and customer expectations continue to rise. [Read more…] about Zebra Technologies expands Fetch Robotics portfolio with solution to optimize fulfillment workflows

Landscaping robot company Electric Sheep Robotics officially launches

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Robotic lawnmower startup Electric Sheep Robotics has now officially launched as “an autonomy partner to the landscaping industry”.

The company is tackling the industry’s single most pressing challenge, a decades-long shortage of reliable labor. This has often resulted in businesses that are unable to grow beyond a certain size even if the demand is present.

Over 50 percent of landscape maintenance involves lawn mowing, a tedious and repetitive process made physically grueling by exposure to harsh weather. This exacerbates the industry’s labor shortages, low growth and shrinking margins. [Read more…] about Landscaping robot company Electric Sheep Robotics officially launches

Scythe Robotics launches with $18.6 million funding to ‘transform commercial landscaping with autonomous mower’

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Scythe Robotics, a builder of commercial-grade autonomous robotic solutions for the landscaping industry, has emerged from stealth with its first offering: an all-electric, fully autonomous mower, designed completely in-house to be “the most advanced, reliable, and sustainable commercial-grade mower in the industry”.

Scythe has also completed its $13.8 million in Series A funding led by Inspired Capital with participation from existing investors True Ventures, Zigg Capital, and Lemnos, bringing the company’s total funding to $18.6 million.

The new investment will be used to grow the company’s existing operations in Texas, Florida and Colorado, expand with new customers, and accelerate development of further products to revolutionize how commercial landscape contractors care for outdoor environments. [Read more…] about Scythe Robotics launches with $18.6 million funding to ‘transform commercial landscaping with autonomous mower’