Robotics & Automation News

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Telexistence to install AI re-stocking robots in 300 convenience stores across Japan

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Telexistence has started the mass production of its originally developed artificial intelligence robot, TX SCARA, to be installed in 300 FamilyMart stores, Japan’s top-tier convenience store chain in major metropolitan areas, starting later this month, validating its AI-based “robot-as-a-service” solution for grocery retailers.

TX SCARA was created to do the specific task of restocking refrigerated shelves with bottles and cans, a repetitive, tedious job generally performed by employees in often uncomfortable settings.

TX SCARA can be in operation 24/7, replenishing shelves at a pace of up to 1,000 bottles and cans per day, relying almost completely on its AI system – known as “GORDON” – to know when and where products need to be placed on the shelves. [Read more…] about Telexistence to install AI re-stocking robots in 300 convenience stores across Japan

How Automation is Influencing the Automotive Industry Today

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Last year, robot orders were up by 67 percent in comparison to the previous year. And according to the International Federation of Robotics, 1 in every 2 industrial robots sold globally is bought by US automakers. This goes to show just how much the auto industry appreciates the benefits of automation.

Automakers have always been pioneers of automation; they started using sensor technology and industrial robots in their assembly plants years ago to increase efficiency and productivity. Want to know how automation is influencing the automotive industry today? Read on. [Read more…] about How Automation is Influencing the Automotive Industry Today

Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

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Scientists created a new design and fabrication tool for soft pneumatic actuators with integrated sensing, which can power personalized healthcare, smart homes, and gaming.

Soft, pneumatic actuators might not be a phrase that comes up in daily conversations, but more likely than not you might have benefited from their utility. The devices use compressed air to power motion, and with sensing capabilities, they’ve proven to be a critical backbone in a variety of applications such as assistive wearables, robotics, and rehabilitative technologies.

But there’s a bit of a bottleneck in creating the little dynamic devices that have advantages like high response rates and power to input ratios. They require a manual design and fabrication pipeline, which translates to a lot of trial and error cycles to actually test and see whether the designs will work. [Read more…] about Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

Carnegie Mellon develops robots that ‘learn household tasks by watching humans’

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By Aaron Aupperlee

Novel method developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers enables robots to ‘learn in the wild’

The robot watched as Shikhar Bahl opened the refrigerator door. It recorded his movements, the swing of the door, the location of the fridge and more, analyzing this data and readying itself to mimic what Bahl had done.

It failed at first, missing the handle completely at times, grabbing it in the wrong spot or pulling it incorrectly. But after a few hours of practice, the robot succeeded and opened the door.

“Imitation is a great way to learn,” says Bahl, a PhD student at the Robotics Institute (RI) in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science. “Having robots actually learn from directly watching humans remains an unsolved problem in the field, but this work takes a significant step in enabling that ability.” [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon develops robots that ‘learn household tasks by watching humans’

Industrial inspection startup Gecko Robotics raises $73 million

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Gecko Robotics, a leader in robotics and industrial asset management software, has revealed details of its Series C funding round of $73 million, led by XN with participation from Founders Fund, XYZ, Drive Capital, Snowpoint Ventures, Joe Lonsdale, Mark Cuban, Gokul Rajaram, and others.

The company says this latest funding round accelerates Gecko’s stated mission, “To protect today’s critical infrastructure, and give form to tomorrow’s”.

Co-founded by Jake Loosararian, CEO, and Troy Demmer, chief product officer, Gecko focuses on essential industries such as power generation, oil and gas, heavy manufacturing, and defense. [Read more…] about Industrial inspection startup Gecko Robotics raises $73 million

Halodi selects Immervision to give ‘human-like’ vision to its humanoid robots

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Immervision, a leading developer of advanced vision systems combining optics, image processing, and sensor fusion technology, has been chosen by Halodi Robotics to provide their next generation vision system for their humanoid service robot platform, capable of handling both human and computer vision.

Robots are capable of performing a wide variety of tasks that are difficult or dangerous for humans to perform. To intelligently and accurately perform these tasks, they require mobility and the aptitude to explore, understand and function within various environments.

For a robot to work autonomously, or problem-solve with human assistance, it requires sensor data to understand the human world and the ability to process the data and respond in a timely manner. [Read more…] about Halodi selects Immervision to give ‘human-like’ vision to its humanoid robots

How Does Artificial Intelligence Work in a Chatbot?

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On any reputable website, one will find a chatbot to help the users. While interacting with the chatbot, the user engages themselves with a simulated human conversation instead of talking to a real human being.

A chatbot is a computer program or software that has the power to simulate human conversation both textual and voice conversation. The use of chatbots is extremely prevalent, especially in B2C and BCB websites.

Chatbot assistants on the website have many benefits like it reduces overhead costs of the company and providing support to the staff to handle the customer care service in a better way. [Read more…] about How Does Artificial Intelligence Work in a Chatbot?

How Can Robots Help to Improve Efficiency in Logistics Operations?

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This is a big question for the logistics industry, is it possible to improve efficiency with robotics in the logistics industry?

Well, the answer to this question is not simple because logistics is different from other industries, and unlike other industries, it is not always clear how robots can offer their services in the logistics process.

But we are seeing an increase in the number of robots being used in the logistics industry which means that after all, robots can offer their services in this industry. [Read more…] about How Can Robots Help to Improve Efficiency in Logistics Operations?

What Are the Benefits of Collaborative Robot Screwdriving?

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Many people think that robotic screwdriving isn’t a good idea because automated screw driving seems like a difficult, costly, and expensive thing to manage and achieve.

They think that these automated screw driving machines are huge machines that can manage only a small set of operations and are suitable only for high-volume manufacturing businesses and not for small to medium-sized businesses, however, that is not the case.

Robotics screwdriving provides a way through which any business can automate the task of screwdriving and the best thing is that collaborative robots can be used for different processes and situations, even for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. [Read more…] about What Are the Benefits of Collaborative Robot Screwdriving?

How the MIT mini cheetah learns to run

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By Rachel Gordon, MIT CSAIL

CSAIL scientists came up with a learning pipeline for the four-legged robot that learns to run entirely by trial and error in simulation (see video below)

It’s been roughly 23 years since one of the first robotic animals trotted on the scene, defying classical notions of our cuddly four-legged friends.

Since then, a barrage of the walking, dancing, and door-opening machines have commanded their presence, a sleek mixture of batteries, sensors, metal, and motors. [Read more…] about How the MIT mini cheetah learns to run