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Activ Surgical completes first in-human procedures to demonstrate impact of its surgical intelligence and sensing platform

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Activ Surgical, a digital surgery company, has completed its first in-human surgery clinical trial utilizing the company’s technology-as-a-service bundle – the ActivInsights augmented reality-based software suite and the ActivSight imaging module.

Procedures for the study at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) were led by Dr Erik Wilson, professor in the Department of Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and a leading bariatric, endoluminal and robotic general surgeon; and Dr Shinil Shah, associate professor at UTHealth Houston and a preeminent general surgeon with expertise in advanced gastrointestinal surgery.

The safety and feasibility study was conducted across bariatric, colorectal and gallbladder procedures – surgeries in which intraoperative assessment of perfusion and anatomic structures are critical to prevent costly and life-threatening complications. [Read more…] about Activ Surgical completes first in-human procedures to demonstrate impact of its surgical intelligence and sensing platform

4 Ways Businesses Can Improve Accessibility

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These days, almost everyone relies on the World Wide Web for information, goods, and services. For this reason, businesses across all industries build online domains that draw in prospective customers quickly.

In other words, websites enable companies to create exposure for their brands and attract a more incredible following, increasing sales and revenue.

But despite the benefits of the Internet on both entrepreneurial ventures and consumers alike, many Web pages remain inaccessible to people who have disabilities. [Read more…] about 4 Ways Businesses Can Improve Accessibility

634AI and InOrbit collaborate to bring ‘more efficient’ AMR fleet management to US

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634AI, the developers of Maestro, an AI-enabled control tower for streamlining the management of industrial indoor mobility, has agreed a collaboration with InOrbit, a cloud-based management platform for robot operations at scale.

The joint solution is designed to enable a deeper understanding of the flows on industrial and warehouse floors, to support the easy integration of AMRs on work floors and optimize their activity.

Maestro is an AI powered centralized Control Tower that enables effective and harmonized indoor operations, from tracking of raw material movements and real time safety alerts for man driven vehicles, to navigation and fleet management of AMRs. [Read more…] about 634AI and InOrbit collaborate to bring ‘more efficient’ AMR fleet management to US

Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

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By Skip Snyder, senior partner, IBM Consulting and Mike Pollitt, chief sales officer, Boston Dynamics

The demand for AI-driven robotics is increasing in operations like those in manufacturing and warehouse settings to help organizations with data and analytics that identify problems in real time, improve decision making, and perform tasks more efficiently. But to experience the true benefits, these operations need AI as close to the origin of the data as possible.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 56 percent of manufacturers have implemented AI-driven robotics to make autonomous decisions, while 83 percent agree intelligent automation will help their organization meet strategic challenges and improve business results. However, businesses point out that most edge and IoT devices today are stationary, inflexible and often incapable of responding to rapidly changing environments.

To address this challenge, IBM and Boston Dynamics have announced a new alliance focused on delivering data analysis at the edge to help industrial companies improve worker safety, optimize field operations, and boost maintenance productivity in environments like manufacturing facilities, power plants, warehouses and more. Enabled by AI and hybrid cloud innovations from IBM Research, IBM Consulting will develop edge payloads that integrate with Spot, the agile, mobile robot from Boston Dynamics. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

ABB Robotics offers South Africa’s food and beverage industry ‘a taste of the future’

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By Linda Eales, robotics division manager at ABB South Africa

The future has never looked more unpredictable for South Africa’s food and beverage (F&B) sector, as it battles a perfect storm of pressure brought on by Covid-19, changing consumer and retail consumption patterns, disrupted supply chains and ongoing scrutiny around food safety.

The food and beverage sector has been battered by a couple of high-profile food safety scares in recent years, and is scrambling to keep up with mega-trends like digitalisation and shifting consumption patterns. The good news is that this could be the perfect opportunity for the local F&B industry to reposition itself for the present and future.

F&B manufacturers increasingly need more flexibility on their production lines to enable them to adapt to changing consumer tastes and demands. At the same time, they require higher levels of productivity and efficiency, while maintaining the highest levels of product quality. In many cases, the answer to these challenges is to install a robotics solution, which makes F&B operations safer and more productive. [Read more…] about ABB Robotics offers South Africa’s food and beverage industry ‘a taste of the future’

Vecna Robotics’ latest cloud release delivers ‘industry’s fastest and safest’ autonomous mobile robots

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Vecna Robotics, a developer of pallet-handling autonomous mobile robots and workflow orchestration, announced at Pack Expo its latest innovation designed to deliver the best AMR performance in the industry.

The new Mark 3 software release helps warehouse, distribution and manufacturing organizations double fleet performance to improve efficiency and throughput, while continuing to exceed industry safety standards.

According to a recent Peerless Research Group industry report, 24 percent of organizations plan to implement AGV or AMR technology within the next year. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics’ latest cloud release delivers ‘industry’s fastest and safest’ autonomous mobile robots

Decathlon to implement PAL Robotics’ StockBot in facilities worldwide

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Sports goods giant Decathlon and PAL Robotics have launched a global partnership after PAL Robotics’ StockBot inventory tracking and data collection solution was selected for rollout across Decathlon stores in multiple countries, assisting the team and elevating in-store experience.

The retailer has implemented the solution in order to improve in-store operations and efficiencies so that teammates are able to dedicate more time helping customers for a better customer experience, as well as helping improve product availability rates.

PAL Robotics’ StockBot solution was first implemented in Decathlon Singapore, as well as more recently in France, The Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Ireland, Italy, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia. Discussions are also ongoing on further deployment opportunities in other countries. [Read more…] about Decathlon to implement PAL Robotics’ StockBot in facilities worldwide

5 manufacturing trends to look forward to in 2021

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The past year has highlighted the need for sweeping and immediate changes across the manufacturing industry. It has been facing several evolving challenges accelerated by the pandemic.

To improve efficiency and productivity, here are five manufacturing trends you should look forward to in 2021:

Continued Focus On the Development of IoT
IoT (the internet of things) remains a buzzword in manufacturing owing to its adaptability and disruptive nature. As companies and their equipment continue to be digitized, IoT can help companies in multiple ways. [Read more…] about 5 manufacturing trends to look forward to in 2021

‘World’s first’ magnetic robotic-assisted surgeries performed with Levita Magnetics’ newest platform

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Levita Magnetics says “the first ever” robotic-assisted surgical procedures have been performed using the company’s newest system in development, the Levita Robotic Platform.

The first case was a reduced-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) completed by Dr Ignacio Robles, a minimally invasive surgeon at Clínica INDISA in Santiago, as part of a current clinical study of the system in Chile.

The new robotic platform is intended to deliver the clinical benefits of the company’s first commercial product, the Levita Magnetic Surgical System, including less pain, faster recovery and fewer scars for patients. The platform is intended to improve visualization, maintain surgeon control of instruments, and increase hospital efficiency with fewer assistive personnel required to conduct the procedures. [Read more…] about ‘World’s first’ magnetic robotic-assisted surgeries performed with Levita Magnetics’ newest platform

4 Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Your Auditing Process

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There are several users of the financial statements prepared by a company.

Some of these users include the existing shareholders, potential shareholders, competitors, customers, management, employees, the government, lenders, and the general public.

All these stakeholders can be interested in a company’s financial statements to help them make wise decisions when dealing with the said company. [Read more…] about 4 Ways to Improve the Efficiency of Your Auditing Process