Robotics & Automation News

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Baidu granted China’s ‘first-ever’ permits for commercial driverless ride-hailing services

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Baidu, China’s equivalent of Google, has secured the first permits in China to offer commercial fully driverless robotaxi services to the public on open roads.

Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, is now authorized to collect fares for robotaxi rides – completely without human drivers in the car – in Chongqing and Wuhan, two of China’s largest megacities.

Amid increasing regulatory approval of the expansion of autonomous vehicles (AVs), the permits reflect regulatory authorities’ strong recognition and trust in the strength of Baidu’s autonomous driving technology. [Read more…] about Baidu granted China’s ‘first-ever’ permits for commercial driverless ride-hailing services

Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

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Ottonomy has closed its seed funding round of $3.3 million, bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million.

The funding is planned to support the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries with its robots.

The funding round is led by Pi Ventures who back deep tech startups. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also joined this round; making the group a dynamic mix from retail, food and robotics industry investors for Ottonomy’s seed round. [Read more…] about Ottonomy closes $3.3 million seed funding round

Comau brings high-speed robotic precision to the cosmetics industry

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Comau has collaborated with Siscodata for the development of an innovative robotic cell designed to clean and manipulate high-end, pre-printed cosmetic bottles without leaving a single scratch.

With the aim of increasing the production capacity for Cosmint, a premium cosmetic manufacturer who works with some of the world’s biggest names in the industry, the System Integrator used two Comau NJ-40 robots within a high-speed depalletizing solution able to pick, rotate and clean custom-printed plastic bottles at an accelerated rate of 150 pieces per minute.

The new cell replaces three standard machines that were previously installed at the Cosmint facilities. [Read more…] about Comau brings high-speed robotic precision to the cosmetics industry

Commercial vehicle maker MAN selects Magazino robot for warehouse work

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The robotics company Magazino wins commercial vehicle maker MAN as a customer for a pilot project with the SOTO robot.

The mobile robot SOTO automates the material supply between the warehouse and the assembly line, by handling and transporting small load carriers (KLT) completely autonomously.

The pilot operation started at the Nuremberg site in the engine production for trucks and offers both sides the opportunity to gain experience with the robot for a future live operation. [Read more…] about Commercial vehicle maker MAN selects Magazino robot for warehouse work

Alstom wins €156 million contract for driverless metro trains in Italy

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Alstom, a large transportation vehicles manufacturer, has won a €156 million contract from the Italian city of Turin to supply its latest generation of fully driverless metro trains.

Turin’s transportation infrastructure agency, Infra.To, actually placed the order. Infra.To is owned by the city of Turin and is one of Europe’s largest public companies.

The contract is for the supply of Alstom’s latest generation of fully driverless train-to-train CBTC system for line 1 of Turin Metro along with four new Metropolis trains. The contract includes an option for 12 more Metropolis trains. [Read more…] about Alstom wins €156 million contract for driverless metro trains in Italy

Will Car Manufacturing Ever Be Fully Automated?

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The other day, I got an email asking me to participate in a survey regarding robots in hotels. Basically, the people behind the study wanted to gauge how comfortable respondents were about letting robots and AI systems take care of different aspects of their stay.

Would they be happy to check in without ever speaking to a human? What about having a robot clean their rooms?

The reason this survey stuck with me is that it posited the possibility that hotels would be staffed by robots in the near future. I wondered if it would be people coming to stay in hotels who would delay this from happening due to technophobia. This is in spite of the fact that mechanisation itself is not fully automated in many industries. [Read more…] about Will Car Manufacturing Ever Be Fully Automated?

Outrider releases ‘fully autonomous’ truck parking system

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Outrider, a developer of autonomous technology for yard operations at logistics hubs, has released “fully autonomous” trailer backing capabilities to its fleet.

This proprietary technology enables autonomous yard trucks to back trailers into tight spaces with precision and without modifications to trailers.

These capabilities are now available as part of the Outrider System, which automates distribution yards for large, logistics-dependent enterprises. [Read more…] about Outrider releases ‘fully autonomous’ truck parking system

Stäubli launches new software to enable robot programming through PLCs

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Stäubli has launched uniVAL pi, a software solution that will enable robot programming to be implemented in the future via the PLC, using Plug & Play in Siemens TIA Portal.

A PLC, or programmable logic controller, is a type of small computer or device used to control machines in factories.

Stäubli’s new software is optionally an available communication interface, with which users can program Stäubli robots without manufacturer-specific, high-level language knowledge in their familiar environment – safely, quickly and efficiently, says the company. [Read more…] about Stäubli launches new software to enable robot programming through PLCs

AutoX expands robotaxi operation zone to 1,000 km

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Alibaba-backed AutoX, a developer of Level 4 fully autonomous cars, or “robotaxis”, now claims to operate “China’s largest autonomous driving area”.

The total area covers 1,000 square kilometers, including a 168-square-kilometer fully driverless zone. AutoX robotaxis are able to navigate all the public roads inside the 1,000 square kilometer area.

Expanding the total autonomous driving area to over 1,000 square kilometers is an important step towards making the robotic taxi service a reality in the daily lives of people in China. [Read more…] about AutoX expands robotaxi operation zone to 1,000 km

Swisslog to deliver another AutoStore to Bring Parcels’ major venture in Copenhagen

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In early 2021, Swisslog signed a framework agreement with Bring Parcels for the supply of warehouse automation for the logistics company’s new fulfillment solution “Shelfless”.

A decision has now been made to build the fully automated fulfillment solution also in Køge outside Copenhagen.

It is now clear that Bring will build its third automated AutoStore facility, this time in Køge outside Copenhagen. The facility is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The service already operates in Oslo and a facility is under construction in Stockholm. [Read more…] about Swisslog to deliver another AutoStore to Bring Parcels’ major venture in Copenhagen