Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

future

IOC takes delivery of zero emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from Toyota

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A fleet of Toyota Mirai zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell cars has been delivered to the International Olympic Committee  in Lausanne, Switzerland as a key part of the organisation’s mobility plan.

The eight fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) were unveiled on the eve of World Environment Day at Olympic House, the IOC’s new sustainability-driven headquarters to be inaugurated on 23 June 2019.

To allow refuelling of the vehicles, a temporary hydrogen fuelling station – one of the first in Switzerland – will be installed at the new headquarters, before a public station is commissioned nearby.

[Read more…] about IOC takes delivery of zero emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from Toyota

Airbus and Siemens collaborate on hybrid-electric propulsion

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Representatives of Airbus and Siemens attended the recent Bauhaus Luftfahrt Symposium “Ambition 2050”, bringing together science, industry, and politicians to tackle how to meet the EU Flightpath 2050 goals, aviation’s challenging environmental targets.

Topics explored included operations, alternative fuels, as well as energy technologies and power systems, which are at the heart of the work being carried out within the Airbus E-Aircraft Systems Programme in Taufkirchen/Ottobrunn near Munich.

While no single technology will allow the industry to become emission free, as Glenn Llewellyn, Electrification General Manager at Airbus highlighted on day one of the symposium, electric and hybrid electric propulsion technologies are some of the most promising.

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Adena to invest $70m in orthopaedic and robotics centre

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Adena Health System is to construct a five-story Orthopedic and Robotics Center on the campus of Adena Regional Medical Center (ARMC), located in Chillicothe, Ohio, USA.

The  $70-million investment will include at least six operating rooms to meet the specific technological and space needs for current and future orthopaedic and robot-assisted surgeries.

Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the new centre opening in 2021.

ABB and Ericsson partner to accelerate wireless automation for flexible factories

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Industrial automation provider ABB and telecommunications equipment company Ericsson have strengthened their commitment to accelerate the industrial ecosystem for flexible wireless automation, which will enable enhanced connected services, industrial IoT and artificial intelligence technologies in the future. 

The partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Hannover Messe 2019, establishing their joint vision for future flexible production with automation and wireless communication.

The collaboration comes during the Industry 4.0 era and 5G connectivity which allow businesses to realize increased productivity, with the help of automation and digitalization. [Read more…] about ABB and Ericsson partner to accelerate wireless automation for flexible factories

Omron robotics boss envisages cars building themselves

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A senior executive at industrial giant Omron foresees a time in which cars virtually build themselves in factories. (See interview below.)

Bruno Adam, director of Omron’s mobile robot business director in Europe, says that in the future, factories will operate completely differently.

The current process sees car bodies moved along a linear, straight production line where different robots and people work on their assembly.

[Read more…] about Omron robotics boss envisages cars building themselves

Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robot

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Lufthansa Technik has been showing off what it claims is the world’s first airplane cockpit panel testing robot, which it calls “RoCCET”.

RoCCET checks the functionality of LED lights and switches, says Lufthansa Technik, which is part of the Lufthansa Group.

The Robot-based procedure is currently in the integration phase.

[Read more…] about Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robot

Volkswagen partners with Infineon for electric vehicles

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Infineon Technologies is a new partner in the Volkswagen Group’s strategic supplier network called “Fast”, short for Future Automotive Supply Tracks.

Infineon says the program is aimed at developing close cooperation in key future fields.

As the market leader in semiconductors for electro-mobility, Infineon says it contributes significantly to the move toward electric drivetrains by the world’s largest car maker.

[Read more…] about Volkswagen partners with Infineon for electric vehicles

Eclipse Foundation launches openMobility group to plan future of autonomous cars

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The Eclipse Foundation has launched the openMobility Working Group, which will focus on open and shared collaboration around one of the major issues in urban planning around autonomous vehicles and future transportation requirements – traffic simulation and modelling.

The Eclipse Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit corporation that acts as a steward of the Eclipse open source software development community.

Based on the cutting-edge Eclipse Simulation of Urban Mobility project that originated at the German Aerospace Center, the openMobility Working Group brings together researchers and industry to create a common simulation platform for urban areas in a shared collaboration, open source environment.

[Read more…] about Eclipse Foundation launches openMobility group to plan future of autonomous cars

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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Oceaneering selected to ‘digitally’ transform Pacific Drilling’s global fleet

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Oceaneering International, Inc., and Pacific Drilling have entered into a five-year Digital Services Package agreement to provide Pacific’s customers with better reliability and improved throughput enabling streaming video and real-time data.

This will allow the provision of emerging services such as remote ROV piloting, surveying, and automation aboard Pacific Drilling’s high-specification drillship fleet.

As a result of these efforts, Pacific Drilling’s customers can benefit from higher security, increased access and management of third parties as well as new and expanded digital services.

[Read more…] about Oceaneering selected to ‘digitally’ transform Pacific Drilling’s global fleet