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XTEND acquires drone inspection specialist Performance Rotors

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XTEND, the developer of XOS, a human-guided autonomous operating system, or human-machine interaction system, has acquired Performance Rotors, a Singapore-based drone inspection specialist.

XTEND says the move will boost its ability to offer human-guided, remote interactive operations in a range of inspection scenarios, and grow its global business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Aviv Shapira, co-founder, and CEO at XTEND, says: “Our acquisition of Performance Rotors marks the latest step in furthering XTEND’s vision of making remote interactive operations accessible to everyone, in a range of scenarios, including inspection, public safety and security. [Read more…] about XTEND acquires drone inspection specialist Performance Rotors

The Rise of Sustainable Automation: Innovations and Best Practices in Fashion and Manufacturing

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Have you ever thought about how the fashion industry is responsible for roughly 10 percent of global carbon emissions? 

But here’s the good news – believe it or not – there’s a shift happening toward more sustainable practices; and automation is playing a huge role in this change.

Let’s dive into how innovations in fashion and manufacturing are making a difference. [Read more…] about The Rise of Sustainable Automation: Innovations and Best Practices in Fashion and Manufacturing

Bison Gear ‘transforms’ blanking operation with robotic automation

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Bison Gear & Engineering says its implementation of robotic automation has “transformed the company’s gear blanking operation”.

Bison Gear, a specialist in power transmission industry and a high-mix, low-volume manufacturer, highlights production gains with robotic automation.

Bison incrementally introduces automation solutions and targets specific steps in the production process where automation can have the greatest impact. [Read more…] about Bison Gear ‘transforms’ blanking operation with robotic automation

Groundlight raises $10 million to launch ‘natural language powered computer vision’ service for robotics

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AI startup Groundlight has launched its visual understanding service based on natural language instructions.

Groundlight says its service “enables any developer to understand images programmatically using simple English language instructions and just a few lines of code”.

Groundlight says its platform can be integrated into applications such as industrial automation, process monitoring, retail analytics, video stream analysis, and robotics. This pilot service is now available to select customers. [Read more…] about Groundlight raises $10 million to launch ‘natural language powered computer vision’ service for robotics

Advanced Robotics and Automation: Reducing Car Accidents and Saving Lives on the Road

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Car accidents are a leading cause of death and injury worldwide, with millions of people affected by them each year. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, education campaigns, and technology advances, the numbers continue to rise.

However, recent developments in robotics and automation technology have the potential to reduce the frequency and severity of car accidents, ultimately saving lives on the road.

In this article, we will explore how these advancements are shaping the future of driving and creating safer roads for everyone. [Read more…] about Advanced Robotics and Automation: Reducing Car Accidents and Saving Lives on the Road

Flexiv unveils robotic masseur

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Flexiv, a provider of general-purpose robotics solutions, has developed a fully automatic massaging application for its Rizon 4 robot.

Powered by artificial intelligence, computer vision, and force feedback, the robot can provide a massage “equal to any human masseur”, boasts the company.

Able to target specific areas of the back or larger areas in general, the robot’s soft silicone massage tool can accurately emulate the deep-pressure glide stroke commonly used in Tui Na, or as it is more widely known, Chinese deep tissue massage. [Read more…] about Flexiv unveils robotic masseur

Will a robot take my job? Notre Dame researcher says this view is overly pessimistic

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With the impact of industrial robots on the US labor markets in the past two decades, and an ever-increasing presence of machine-driven technology (such as artificial intelligence and ChatGPT), many employees have feared that one day robots will take their jobs.

Not necessarily so, according to research recently published by Yong Suk Lee, an assistant professor in the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs.

He and his co-author, Auburn University’s John Chung, found that industrial robots, particularly those used within the automotive industry, complemented human workers rather than replaced them – some even working collaboratively, side-by-side. [Read more…] about Will a robot take my job? Notre Dame researcher says this view is overly pessimistic

Factory Visit: Investment bankers tour client’s robot-filled machine shop

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Investment and automation specialists John Slater and Jorge Maceyras, of Focus Investment Banking, make a factory visit to a client of theirs, and find that robotics is integral to the operation.

Do you have any robots?

When we posed that somewhat naïve question to the CEO of an extreme high precision machine shop in 2014, we got the response we deserved.

“Look up on the landing.”

There, we saw a hulking industrial robot our client had acquired years before to satisfy his auto industry customer that had a factory full of such behemoths. The unwieldy, difficult to program, creature had no role in the high mix low volume shop and had long been consigned to serve as the firm’s robot museum. [Read more…] about Factory Visit: Investment bankers tour client’s robot-filled machine shop

Agility Robotics launches next generation of its humanoid worker robot

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Agility Robotics has unveiled the next generation of its humanoid worker robot, Digit, describing it as “the first human-centric, multi-purpose robot made for logistics work”.

Agility says Digit is designed from the ground up to go where people go and do useful work safely in spaces designed for people, starting with bulk material handling within warehouses and distribution centers.

The next generation Digit still on show at ProMat 2023 in Chicago, doing fully autonomous live demonstrations in a replica warehouse work cell, for an audience of 45,000 attendees. [Read more…] about Agility Robotics launches next generation of its humanoid worker robot

What You Need to Know About Liability in Self-Driving Car Accidents

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Taking the world by storm, self-driving cars have been all the rage ever since they hit the market. Their advanced technology and superior design have also significantly contributed to their popularity.

However, as much as self-driving cars seem like something out of a science fiction movie, these dreamy vehicles are not perfect.

With car accidents being one of the most common personal injury claims, driverless vehicles now bring new complications to already challenging auto accident lawsuits. [Read more…] about What You Need to Know About Liability in Self-Driving Car Accidents