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Drones expected to grow to $100 billion market as they take off in commercial and industrial sectors while delivery market beckons

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Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), more commonly referred to as drones, have been in the public eye for well over this decade and a hype cycle developed around its applications for the consumer and commercial space.

The high-profile failure of major drone manufacturers and software providers, such as US firm Airware in 2018, somewhat tempered initial enthusiasm, causing early projections from industry organizations such as the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) to look overly optimistic.

However, according to a new report from global tech market advisory, ABI Research, commercial drone usage, especially in the industrial space, will be a source of accelerating growth throughout the next decade with $101 billion in revenue being created annually by 2030 across the commercial, military, civil, and consumer sectors. [Read more…] about Drones expected to grow to $100 billion market as they take off in commercial and industrial sectors while delivery market beckons

Robert Bosch Venture Capital leads growth funding round in MegaRobo

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Robert Bosch Venture Capital, the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, is leading a growth financing round in MegaRobo. 

The Chinese high-tech robotic company with over 100 employees is headquartered in Beijing and integrates cutting-edge machine vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide modular automation solutions for lab automation, smart retail and light industrial sectors.

“MegaRobo’s technology increases efficiency in production automation. Already today, robots from MegaRobo are used for special applications in the end-of-line production of household appliances at Bosch”, says RBVC managing director Dr Ingo Ramesohl.

[Read more…] about Robert Bosch Venture Capital leads growth funding round in MegaRobo

Universal Robots certifies ATI’s automated tool changer QC-11

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ATI Industrial Automation’s QC-11 Automatic Tool Changer is a vital component of many robotic applications and is now certified to work with collaborative robots from Universal Robots.

The QC-11 enables automatic exchange of robotic end-effectors without any manual intervention. With an ATI Automatic Tool Changer, a robot can use multiple end-effectors in a single process.

Preceding the QC-11 in the UR+ program are ATI’s Axia80 Force/Torque Sensor and MC-10 Manual Tool Changer. There are more than 150 products in the UR+ portfolio featuring plug-and-play solutions for UR cobots.

[Read more…] about Universal Robots certifies ATI’s automated tool changer QC-11

Industry group developing standards for exoskeletons

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ASTM International, formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials, is developing global standards for exoskeletons.

The group’s proposed “Exoskeletons Guide” aims to provide tools that help assess and ultimately improve the usefulness and usability of exoskeletons and exosuits.

Kevin Purcell, an ergonomist at the US Army Public Health Center’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, says: “Exoskeletons and exosuits can open up a world of possibilities, from helping workers perform industrial tasks while not getting overstressed, to helping stroke victims learning to walk again, to helping soldiers carry heavier rucksacks longer distances. [Read more…] about Industry group developing standards for exoskeletons

Siemens partners with ExOne for industrial 3D printing and Industry 4.0 initiatives

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ExOne, a specialist provider of industrial sand and metal 3D printers using binder jetting technology, has formed a partnership with engineering giant Siemens that the two companies say “will benefit industrial customers in the foundry, aerospace, automotive, energy and other markets”.

Siemens’ Digital Enterprise Portfolio of software and automation technology including MindSphere are fully implemented on the all-new S-Max Pro sand printer, which is said to be capable of achieving print speeds of up to 135 l/h (18 s/layer).

The S-Max Pro was launched at the 2019 GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair last week. [Read more…] about Siemens partners with ExOne for industrial 3D printing and Industry 4.0 initiatives

Nokia partners on wireless digitalisation infrastructure for ports and terminals

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Kalmar, part of Cargotec, a pioneer in terminal automation and energy-efficient cargo handling, and Ukkoverkot, leading private LTE network provider, have signed a two-year co-operation agreement with Nokia to design, build and operate a private LTE network.

Nokia brings the digital automation platform that is well suited for mobile machinery and industrial Internet of Things.

A test network reflecting an actual terminal environment will be built for research and development purposes.

[Read more…] about Nokia partners on wireless digitalisation infrastructure for ports and terminals

Nippon Express to construct new Shanghai warehouse

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Nippon Express Global has begun construction on a new warehouse in Shanghai Qingpu Industrial Park.

Situated in the western part of Shanghai, Qingpu Industrial Park was opened in 1995 as an industrial park receiving key municipal-level industrial support, and its location within 50 minutes of central Shanghai has attracted electronics, biotech, and hi-tech companies.

The industrial park is located adjacent to a highway linking Shanghai with cities across Jiangsu Province, which is now developing into a major production area, and growing attention on this strategic logistics location is driving warehouse demand higher.

[Read more…] about Nippon Express to construct new Shanghai warehouse

HP opens 3D printing and digital manufacturing centre of excellence in Spain

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HP has opened a new 3D printing and digital manufacturing centre of excellence in Barcelona, Spain – one of the world’s largest and most advanced research and development facilities for those technologies.

The new centre brings together hundreds of the world’s leading additive manufacturing experts in more than 150,000 square feet of space.

The 3+ acre facility at HP’s Barcelona campus is dedicated to the development of HP’s industrial 3D printing portfolio and provides a large-scale factory environment to collaborate with customers and partners on digital manufacturing technologies.

[Read more…] about HP opens 3D printing and digital manufacturing centre of excellence in Spain

Collaborative robots being bought at ‘feverish rate’

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Most commentators and onlookers of the robotics industry hear of and understand the advertised value proposition of collaborative robots.

Cobots are smaller, more dexterous industrial robotic arms that open the possibility between human and machine collaboration without the need for complex programming or external safety infrastructure.

In reality, the value of current collaborative robotics is somewhat more modest. [Read more…] about Collaborative robots being bought at ‘feverish rate’

ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise expand industrial internet partnership

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ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have expanded their partnership in the industrial internet space and say they will “bring scalable connectivity to large industrial customers” by integrating ABB Ability Smart Sensor technology with Aruba Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled access points.

ABB and Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, will collaborate to deliver a scalable, high-performance wireless connectivity solution for large industrial customers.

Customers will be able to capture valuable data and insights from their equipment via ABB Ability Smart Sensor technology and access it via a web portal, a cloud interface or a mobile phone application, say the companies. [Read more…] about ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise expand industrial internet partnership