Robotics & Automation News

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exoskeletons

Exoskeleton market projected to grow to $6 billion

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The current robotics limelight tends to focus on the ability of new innovations to automate tasks, but a less publicized development is taking place whereby passive exoskeletons have been slowly deployed and adopted to help augment the capability of human workers.

Exoskeleton popularization through passive suits will provide a base for increased resources for powered suits, which will eventually provide significant augmentative capability to the industrial workforce.

By 2028, global Exoskeleton revenues will reach $5 billion with hundreds of thousands of active exoskeletons being deployed, according to ABI Research. The research consultancy’s findings are on its report, Exoskeletons for Industrial Use Cases.

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Ekso Bionics in $100 million joint venture to develop the exoskeleton market in Asia

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Ekso Bionics, Inc. is to establish a joint venture to develop and serve the exoskeleton market in China and other Asian markets and to create a global exoskeleton manufacturing centre.

It will partner with Zhejiang Youchuang Venture Capital Investment Co., Ltd (ZYVC) and Zhejiang Silicon Paradise Asset Management Group.

The joint venture will develop, sell and support exoskeleton products into China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, and will be capitalized at greater than $100 million over its term.

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Ottobock to launch ‘smallest exoskeleton in the world’ at Hannover Messe

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Ottobock is planning to present a range of innovative new exoskeletons for ergonomic workplaces during the Hannover Messe trade show

Ottobock will be presenting its industrial exoskeletons for the first time at the Hannover Messe trade show.

Visitors to booth G18/1 in hall 17 will have the opportunity to personally test the passive exoskeletons in the Paexo product family and experience the relief they provide.

Dr Sönke Rössing, head of Ottobock Industrials, says: “Exoskeletons designed for industrial settings will bring about permanent changes in many working environments.  [Read more…] about Ottobock to launch ‘smallest exoskeleton in the world’ at Hannover Messe

Hyundai develops exoskeletons for industry

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Hyundai Motor Group has ventured further into the high-value robotics industry of the future by beginning development of Hyundai Vest Exoskeleton (H-VEX) wearable industrial robots.

Following the Hyundai Chairless Exoskeleton (H-CEX) demonstration conducted in the Hyundai-KIA North American factory last August, the company plans to verify H-VEX’s success through extensive testing at the end of 2018.

In early 2018, Hyundai selected Robot-Artificial Intelligence as one of five areas of future innovation growth. The company established a designated robotics team in its strategic technology headquarters to focus on the development of related tech, and is expanding its cooperation with associated sectors.

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Fast-growing exoskeleton market set to exceed $5 billion in annual revenue, says report

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The fast-growing exoskeleton market is forecast to exceed $5 billion in annual revenue over the next 10 years, according to consultants at ABI Research.

Across a range of applications, exoskeletons are increasingly being introduced to augment human capability; for assistive purposes in the workplace, and for enabling and rehabilitative purposes for the healthcare market.

Though a technology that has been talked about since the Sixties, exoskeletons are only now beginning to demonstrate their practical value. As of 2018, global shipments stand at 7 thousand units with a global hardware revenue of $192 million.  [Read more…] about Fast-growing exoskeleton market set to exceed $5 billion in annual revenue, says report

Sarcos Robotics raises $30 million in new funding

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Sarcos Robotics, which specializes in making exoskeletons for industry, has raised $30 million in new funding.

The new Series B funding is from a consortium of investors co-led by DIG Investment and Alex Brown & Sons.

Each of the company’s Series A investors also participated in this round, including Caterpillar Ventures, Cottonwood Technology Fund, GE Ventures, Microsoft, Schlumberger and Sarcos’ chairman and CEO, Ben Wolff.  [Read more…] about Sarcos Robotics raises $30 million in new funding

Atoun introduces powered exoskeleton into food recycling business

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Atoun, which seems to be a business unit of Panasonic, has introduced its powered exoskeleton into a food recycling business, saying that it is targeting the supply of 20 units this year. 

Atoun produces an exoskeleton called “Powered Wear Atoun Model Y”, which it describes as a “wearable robot” for the waist designed to reduce work-induced burdens from the backs of workers and improve work efficiency.

This product was recently introduced to one of the recycling centers of Hamada Kagaku, a company engaged in environmental businesses such as the recycling of used cooking oil and food residue.  [Read more…] about Atoun introduces powered exoskeleton into food recycling business

Exclusive interview: Sarcos Robotics aims to augment human strengths

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Exclusive interview with Ben Wolff, CEO of Sarcos Robotics

Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver is most famous for two things: one is making vests popular and the other is having an epic dust-up with a massive alien on the deck of a spaceship, toe to toe, mano-a-mano, or womano-a-womano, or womano-a-alieno, or whatever. 

In space, no one can hear you mangle the Spanish language.

The vest is of less interest to this website, but the battle suit Weaver wore to take on what is arguably the most terrifying alien in cinematic history is of great interest because it was an exoskeleton, although most people probably didn’t know what it was called at the time.

The film was, of course, Aliens, released in 1986, and in donning the exoskeleton, Weaver instantly acquired what seemed like hundreds of times her natural body strength.  [Read more…] about Exclusive interview: Sarcos Robotics aims to augment human strengths

Fast-growing sectors within robotics and automation

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If we were to think of robotics and automation as one industry – which we at this website in fact do – we could argue that it’s one of the fastest-growing industries in the world right now.

Certainly if we were to include software automation systems – such as robotic process automation – it would probably be the biggest.

But Robotics and Automation News tends to concentrate on physical machines – such as robotic arms or autonomous vehicles – which can be seen in a typical manufacturing or logistics facility.

And we try and understand what other sectors are most closely related to robotics and automation – manufacturing and logistics being two obvious ones.

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Comau and Össur invest in Iuvo to build exoskeletons for industry

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Comau and Össur are investing a company called Iuvo, which is building an exoskeleton. 

Iuvo is a spin-off company of the BioRobotics Institute, at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy, which is researching and developing products in the field of wearable technologies.

The objective of Iuvo is to create wearable, intelligent and active tools for a better quality of life, says the company.  [Read more…] about Comau and Össur invest in Iuvo to build exoskeletons for industry