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Gatik partners with Ontario government to accelerate R&D for autonomous vehicle technology

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Gatik, an autonomous technology company developing autonomous vehicles for logistics, has been awarded $997,706 in support through Ontario’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network’s (AVIN) R&D Partnership Fund, along with $8 million in industry contribution, to winterize its autonomous driving technology.

To support the work of this project, Gatik has also made use of AVIN’s regional sites across the province to access R&D resources, tools and equipment as well as leveraged AVIN to bring on-board highly skilled Ontario talent.

Since establishing a presence in Toronto in 2019, Gatik has led the way in autonomous middle mile delivery in Canada. The company’s fleet of light and medium duty trucks transports goods on behalf of Fortune 500 retailers, enhancing operational capacity, reducing costs and keeping delivery times short. [Read more…] about Gatik partners with Ontario government to accelerate R&D for autonomous vehicle technology

Einride and Electrolux enter innovation partnership to electrify transport

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Autonomous and electric truck developer Einride and home appliance giant Electrolux have agreed a partnership to “electrify transport”.

Operations are planned to start in the second half of this year.

The companies say their partnership will save hundreds of tonnes of CO2 within the first three years, compared to diesel freight. It also signifies a crucial first step for two companies deeply invested in technological innovation and sustainability. [Read more…] about Einride and Electrolux enter innovation partnership to electrify transport

Silicon Valley Robotics awards two honors to SICK

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The Silicon Valley Robotics group awarded SICK two honors as a part of the SVR’s inaugural Good Robot Industry Awards.

This program celebrates robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence that helps to solve global challenges.

SVR is a non-profit industry cluster and coalition of robotics companies and startups, representing the robotics cluster in northern California. The organization works to support the innovation and commercialization of robotics technology. [Read more…] about Silicon Valley Robotics awards two honors to SICK

MassRobotics chooses Festo as winner of its GM Gripper Challenge

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MassRobotics has chosen Festo, a MassRobotics partner, in collaboration with Magswitch, is the winner of the 2020 GM Gripper Challenge.

Festo’s design concept was selected for its ability to handle a variety of parts, in addition to avoiding occluding a part when gripped.

Joseph Cyrek, Magswitch CEO, says: “The technology challenge hosted by MassRobotics provided an excellent platform for collaboration and rapid development of innovative solutions.” [Read more…] about MassRobotics chooses Festo as winner of its GM Gripper Challenge

DHL expands its global logistics operation to include outer space missions

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DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, normally moves goods that stay in the Earth’s atmosphere. Now they have partnered with D-Orbit, a specialized company covering the entire lifecycle of a space mission, including logistics services, for the first time.

Together with the company’s own innovation team DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation (CSI), the freight forwarding expert set up logistics to help the ION Satellite Carrier in its journey into space. Developed and designed by D-Orbit, the satellite carrier is planned to launch at Cape Canaveral, the world’s most famous space base in Florida in January 2021.

Tim Scharwath, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, says: “We are excited about this partnership for two key reasons. First, D-Orbit shares our vision of reliable, safe and sustainable logistics to connect people and to improve lives. [Read more…] about DHL expands its global logistics operation to include outer space missions

‘Autonomous vehicles’ tops Lux Research list of emerging technologies

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The category of “Autonomous vehicles” tops a new list of 12 emerging technologies for 2021 produced by Lux Research.

The research company says that, after a tumultuous 2020, organizations need to “re-examine their outlook on what emerging tech innovations will be critical for their future opportunities”.

Lux Research, a provider of tech-enabled research and advisory services, released its annual report on the top tech innovations that will have the greatest impact over the next 10 years, based on proprietary data science tools and expert insight. [Read more…] about ‘Autonomous vehicles’ tops Lux Research list of emerging technologies

Toyota venture fund invests in robotic kitchen startup

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Toyota AI Ventures, Toyota’s early-stage venture capital fund, has decided to invest in YPC Technologies, a robotic kitchen startup based in Montreal, Canada.

The funding follows YPC Technologies’ participation in the 2020 Toyota AI Ventures “call for innovation” focused on smart, connected cities that launched earlier this year in partnership with Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD) and Toyota Research Institute (TRI).

Toyota AI Ventures views cities as a platform for innovation, and this year’s global call for innovation focused on attracting and investing in early-stage startups that are building solutions for smart and connected cities in the areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomy, mobility, cloud, or data. [Read more…] about Toyota venture fund invests in robotic kitchen startup

SVV claims China’s first dedicated low-volume manufacturing facility

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Product development and engineering company Shenzen Valley Ventures (SVV) says its​ new manufacturing facility in China is its “first tier-1 facility” in the country. (See 3D tour of the facility.)

Located on the 9th floor of a skyscraper, SVV says it is “the most impressionable manufacturing facility in the Greater Bay Area’s Shenzhen”.

The platform is designed solely to accommodate the low-volume production needs of complex business-to-business devices, something which other manufacturers are unable to support, at least at a tier-1 level.  [Read more…] about SVV claims China’s first dedicated low-volume manufacturing facility

China overtakes US as world’s leading patent generator

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China has overtaken the US as the world’s leading researcher, generating 58,990 patents in 2019 compared with America’s 57,840. 

This is the first time since 1978 that the US has lost its position as the world’s leading producer of patent-winning inventions or innovations. (See animation below.)

The figures were published by the World Intellectual Property Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations. [Read more…] about China overtakes US as world’s leading patent generator

Robotics and Automation News Review: Fanuc and Kuka launch new robots, Pittsburgh ready to go to ‘infinity and beyond’, Foxconn moves operations out of China, and much more…

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Friday 14 August 2020: This is a new, weekly column – to be published every Friday – which rounds up all the most interesting news from the robotics and automation industry in the past seven days, in brief form. 

This Robotics and Automation News Review is also available to view on our YouTube channel.

Comau Robotics says it has created an “innovative, in-line testing and quality control system that optimizes the construction and assembly of batteries”. The company says the MI.RA / Thermography system uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to perform non-invasive automated assessment and control of welded joints, to ensure battery integrity and prevent waste.

Kuka Robotics has launched a new compact industrial robot. The company says its new KR 4 Agilus is “a hot candidate for first place in the small robotics charts from October onwards”.

Fanuc Robotics has launched a new “extremely compact” robot which it claims has the “best precision in its class”. The new M-10iD/16S robot is the most compact model of the M-10iD series, says Fanuc, adding that it combines the best features of its two predecessors, M-10iA/10MS and M-10iA/12S.

Hyundai Robotics has signed an agreement with Korea’s Asan Medical Center and KT for joint development and commercialization of smart hospital solutions on June 30th. The company is planning to prepare for the post-corona era with a smart hospital solution for infection management by ICT-based digital transformation.

Techman Robot, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, says it has adopted proactive steps against the new coronavirus. Techman Robot says it checks the health of its employees on a daily bases and collects global virus information. It also implementing prevention measures. The company maintains business communications online and is frequently in touch with all overseas offices, global distributors, partners, and customers.

HRG International Institute of Research and Innovation has unveiled a new floor cleaning robot, the SW10. The company says it is exclusively designed for floor cleaning tasks in commercial and industrial environments. The robot is combined with sweeping, mopping and vacuum cleaning functions and its work can maintain 2,000 square meters per hour.

Denso has established the Pittsburgh Innovation Lab, a new US research and development center designed to strengthen open innovation and enhance technology development that enables automated driving.

FedEx has installed industrial robotic arms to do what is considered the “most difficult” job to automate in a sorting facility in Memphis, USA. The logistics giant has integrated Yaskawa robots and software from Plus One Robotics into a robotic system that performs a task which involves picking up parcels or envelopes from a tray and placing them on a conveyor.

Foxconn, Apple’s main contract manufacturing partner, has moved a significant portion of its operations outside of China. The company has already moved an additional 5 percent of its operations to countries other than China, bring it up to 30 percent, compared with 25 percent last year.

Pittsburgh local authorities say they are looking to “infinity and beyond” after NASA awarded a local company, Astrobotic Technology, a $200 million contract to build and send the first-ever US robotic rover to the Moon by 2023.