Robotics & Automation News

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Teradyne leads $20 million funding round for MachineMetrics

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MachineMetrics, an industrial data startup that helps improve manufacturing performance through autonomous machining, has raised $20 million in Series B financing.

The company will use the funding to scale its platform globally and democratize access to the machine insights that power manufacturing operations.

Bill Bither, co-founder and CEO of MachineMetrics, says: “Manufacturing is on the brink of a digital renaissance. The intersection of software, big data and physical machinery is the next frontier for manufacturing and a proven solution for overcoming the production and labor shortages we are experiencing right now. [Read more…] about Teradyne leads $20 million funding round for MachineMetrics

Geek+ and Circle K implement ‘Asia’s largest smart warehouse for grocery deliveries’

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Geek+ is supplying 100 autonomous mobile robots to Circle K for its distribution center in Hong Kong.

The companies say the implementation represents the commitment of Geek+ and Circle K Hong Kong to “build supply chain resilience using technology and support customers with a wide selection of products and excellent services”.

Today, the distribution center of 140,000 square feet handles the deliveries of more than 300 Circle K convenience stores in Hong Kong, serving over 600,000 customers daily. [Read more…] about Geek+ and Circle K implement ‘Asia’s largest smart warehouse for grocery deliveries’

Realtime Robotics raises $31.4 million in Series A funding round

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Realtime Robotics, a developer of motion planning software for industrial robots, has completed its $31.4 million Series A round.

New strategic investors including HAHN Automation and SAIC Capital Management, as well as new institutional investors Soundproof Ventures and Heroic Ventures, join existing investors SPARX Asset Management, Omron Ventures, Toyota AI Ventures, Scrum Ventures and Duke Angels in concluding this round.

Realtime Robotics says it was founded to transform automation with flexible robot control capabilities, built on its innovative, real-time collision-free motion planning technology. [Read more…] about Realtime Robotics raises $31.4 million in Series A funding round

How Can You Improve an Ecommerce Website?

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You can improve an ecommerce website in so many ways that it would be almost impossible to list them all. There are several keyways that I am going to discuss in this post, and hopefully it will give you some insight to improve your own website.

Whether you are good at website design or you need to hire a UI/UX design company, this post is going to get you up to speed in a few ways. [Read more…] about How Can You Improve an Ecommerce Website?

DFI brings accurate indoor positioning for e-commerce warehousing

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DFI’s embedded computers have helped the largest e-commerce platform in Taiwan to realize a more accurate indoor positioning in smart warehouse.

Affected by the raging Covid-19, the public avoids going out in fear of infection. Not only has e-commerce orders surged, but significant e-commerce companies must also expand the deployment of more advanced robots, such as shuttles between shelves, to increase the floor area ratio and improve storage efficiency.

Based on the needs of a top e-commerce company in Taiwan, DFI quickly customized the EC700-BT system and added an expansion card to provide a COM port compatible with RS-232/422/485 protocols and with galvanic isolation protection. [Read more…] about DFI brings accurate indoor positioning for e-commerce warehousing

Boston Dynamics unveils new robot for warehouse automation

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Boston Dynamics, a developer of mobile robotics, has revealed Stretch, its new box-moving robot designed to support the growing demand for flexible automation solutions in the logistics industry.

This debut marks the company’s official entrance into warehouse automation, a fast-growing market fueled by increased demand in e-commerce.

Stretch is Boston Dynamics’ first commercial robot specifically designed for warehouse facilities and distribution centers, of which there are more than 150,000 globally, according to analysts. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics unveils new robot for warehouse automation

RB-KAIROS +: the best solution for Universal Robots e-Series users

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Collaborative Mobile Robots are one of the most important hits of Industry 4.0, where robots and humans operate together, each one providing its own particular strengths and complementing each other to achieve greater efficiency.

These robots are in charge of repetitive tasks and, on the other hand, the professionals of the industry have the creativeness and the solution-problems capabilities to obtain the maximum benefit of robotics, and achieve this objective.

RB-KAIROS + has been designed as a mobile solution to expand the possibilities of the e-Series Universal Robots arms and improve the efficiency of the production chain. [Read more…] about RB-KAIROS +: the best solution for Universal Robots e-Series users

GM to invest $800 million to convert existing facility into Canada’s first large-scale commercial EV plant

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American auto giant General Motors to invest $800 million to convert one of its existing facilities into Canada’s first large-scale commercial electric vehicle manufacturing plant.

Subject to ratification of a tentative 2021 agreement reached with Unifor and confirmation of government support, GM plans to bring production of its recently announced BrightDrop electric light commercial vehicle, the EV600, to its CAMI manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario (main picture, courtesy 3BL Media).

The nearly $800 million (1 billion Canadian dollar) investment will support GM’s timing to deliver BrightDrop EV600 in late 2021. The investment will enable GM to convert CAMI into Canada’s first large-scale electric delivery vehicles manufacturing plant. [Read more…] about GM to invest $800 million to convert existing facility into Canada’s first large-scale commercial EV plant

Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

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Autonomous electric truck maker Einride says the next generation of its groundbreaking “Pods” will use the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin autonomous vehicle computing platform to handle high-speed, unmanned operations.

Pär Degerman, CTO of Einride, says: “Safety and functionality in autonomous drive are achieved in two ways: diversity and redundancy.

“To capture and account for the diversity in a myriad of operational scenarios, and to develop the redundancy necessary to improve functionality, we need the most advanced processors possible, and that’s where Nvidia Orin comes in.” [Read more…] about Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

Merck and Volansi launch commercial drone service to deliver cold-chain medicines in rural North Carolina

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Volansi, a drone company specializing in medical logistics, has launched a commercial healthcare drone delivery project in North Carolina.

In collaboration with pharmaceuticals and biotech giant Merck, known as MSD outside the US and Canada, Volansi is piloting the delivery of cold-chain medicines from Merck’s Wilson, North Carolina manufacturing site to Vidant Healthplex-Wilson, a Vidant Health clinic, as the first of three phases in a project to learn about drone technology’s role and ability to improve access to healthcare.

With 1.4 million people across 29 counties, eastern North Carolina’s vast, rural environment can create challenges for accessing care. Initial flights in the project resulted in the first drone delivery of temperature-controlled medicines within the US. [Read more…] about Merck and Volansi launch commercial drone service to deliver cold-chain medicines in rural North Carolina