Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

healthcare

Pack Expo to showcase robots in packaging industry

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Robot use in the packaging industry has grown nearly 48 percent among consumer packaged goods companies and 30 percent in the life sciences and pharma sector.

Pack Expo Las Vegas and co-located Healthcare Packaging Expo – scheduled for September 23-25, 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center – is primed to introduce the “Robotics Zone”, a new show floor destination that spotlights new robotic technology, human and robot interaction and collaborative robot displays.

The new destination area is an ideal place for attendees to get ideas and inspiration, meet leading robot providers and interact with cutting edge robotic technologies first-hand. [Read more…] about Pack Expo to showcase robots in packaging industry

ABB Robotics to develop collaborative robot solutions for healthcare

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ABB is to introduce collaborative robots to medical laboratories as it opens a new healthcare hub at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) innovation campus in Houston, Texas.

The facility will be ABB’s first dedicated healthcare research centre when it opens in October 2019.

ABB’s research team will work on the TMC campus with medical staff, scientists and engineers to develop non-surgical medical robotics systems, including logistics and next-generation automated laboratory technologies.

[Read more…] about ABB Robotics to develop collaborative robot solutions for healthcare

UPS Foundation supports Ghana’s vaccine drone delivery network

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The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs for UPS, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have announced support for the expansion of a medical drone network into Ghana.

Zipline, a California-based automated logistics company, will use drones to make on-demand, emergency deliveries of 148 high priority products including emergency and routine vaccines, blood products and life-saving medications.

The service will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from four distribution centres – each equipped with 30 drones – and deliver to over 2,000 health facilities serving 12 million people across the country.

[Read more…] about UPS Foundation supports Ghana’s vaccine drone delivery network

A guide to the revolution in digital healthcare: 3 key areas

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The healthcare sector is changing as a result of increasing device integration, intelligent automation and the internet of things.

From remote monitoring to smart sensors and medical device integration, healthcare IoT has the potential to not only keep patients safe and healthy, but radically transform the way physicians deliver care as well.

In fact, the IoT healthcare market is expected to reach $136.8 billion worldwide by 2021.

With that in mind, the presentation below outlines three key areas of IoT application within healthcare.

Presentation: Digital Health Revolution

Healthcare’s digital revolution: Technologies transforming medicine

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Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of obsolete parts supplier, EU Automation discusses technologies that are revolutionising healthcare in the 21st century

Doctor Crawford W. Long conducted the first surgical operation under anaesthetic in 1841 in Jefferson, Georgia.

In 1841, general anaesthetic had not yet been invented, so Dr Long used diethyl ether, a chemical most commonly used to start internal combustion engines, in its place.

The surgeon pressed an ether-soaked towel to the patient’s face to put him to sleep before removing a tumour from his neck. He billed the patient two dollars for the whole procedure.  [Read more…] about Healthcare’s digital revolution: Technologies transforming medicine

Tech-Link partners with Blue Ocean Robotics on atmosphere disinfection system

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Tech-Link Engineering has formed a strategic partnership with Blue Ocean Robotics to offer an ultra-violet disinfection robot solution.

The partnership affirms both Tech-Link and Blue Ocean Robotics’ efforts in delivering emerging technologies to battle against Hospital Acquired Infections and improve the quality of healthcare services.

As an official sales partner, Tech-Link says it brings together Blue Ocean Robotics’ expertise in automating disinfection procedures to promote safer, efficient and more productive work environment.  [Read more…] about Tech-Link partners with Blue Ocean Robotics on atmosphere disinfection system

Swisslog buys Tecnilab

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Swisslog, a supplier of solutions for medication and supply chain management in healthcare, has bought Tecnilab Group, a specialist in pharmacy automation and logistics technology for healthcare systems. 

Swisslog and Tecnilab have partnered over the past three years to introduce the UniPick 2 Drug Dispensing System for outpatient pharmacies and the TheraPick Automated Packaging and Dispensing System for inpatient pharmacies. The acquisition strengthens the existing global Swisslog technology portfolio in inpatient and outpatient pharmacy automation.

The acquisition strengthens the existing global Swisslog technology portfolio in inpatient and outpatient pharmacy automation.  [Read more…] about Swisslog buys Tecnilab

Robots not yet ready to enter smart homes, says expert

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relaince smart client for smart homes

TechTalk – Smart Homes: Interview with Matt Davis, of SCM World, about smart homes and intelligent buildings of the future. Courtesy of Currys PC World

The phrase “bricks and mortar” is till used to conjure up images of buildings, residential or commercial. Usually, the phrase differentiates between something virtual or exists only in computers, say a website for a shop, and something that is physical, like an actual, real-world shop on the high street, for example. 

But, along with everything else in the known world, bricks-and-mortar building are being computerised. Those that have already integrated some degree of computer technology are often called “smart homes”, if they are residential, and “intelligent buildings”, if they are commercial.

A lot of experts say that over the next decade or so, the vast majority of buildings – commercial and residential – will become computerised, or become “smarter”.

In the first of two interviews about the subject, we publish a Q&A with Matt Davis, senior vice president, SCM World, a cross-industry learning community backed by some of the world’s most influential supply chain practitioners.  [Read more…] about Robots not yet ready to enter smart homes, says expert

Clearpath to provide GE Healthcare repair center with self-driving vehicles

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The Clearpath Otto logistics robot
The Clearpath Otto logistics robot

A fleet of Otto self-driving vehicles will automate just-in-time parts delivery within Milwaukee facility 

Clearpath, the developer of Otto – a self-driving vehicle designed for material transport, has been selected to automate just-in-time parts delivery in a GE Healthcare repair facility being expanded near Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“The Otto fleet will optimize GE Healthcare’s just-in-time manufacturing process to help enable repair cells to operate at full capacity,” said Matt Rendall, chief executive officer at Clearpath Robotics.  [Read more…] about Clearpath to provide GE Healthcare repair center with self-driving vehicles

Robotic process automation can drive billion-dollar savings in healthcare, says Alsbridge

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Advisory company Alsbridge predicted that deploying smart robots to improve the efficiency of claims processing could generate billion-dollar savings for the healthcare industry. 

“Robotic process automation (RPA) offers a cost-effective strategy to significantly increase the rate of healthcare claims automation and drive cost savings,” said Rod Dunlap, a director in Alsbridge’s RPA practice.

“Insurers struggling to update aging, inflexible legacy systems or grappling with the price tag of new technology platforms now have an alternative option.”  [Read more…] about Robotic process automation can drive billion-dollar savings in healthcare, says Alsbridge