Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

installation

Advanced Construction Robotics launches ‘world’s first’ rebar robot

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Advanced Construction Robotics (ACR) has launched its second product, IronBOT, during ConExpo, the largest gathering of construction professionals in North America, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

IronBOT augments construction crews by lifting, carrying, and placing up to 5,000-pound bundles of rebar in a transverse or longitudinal orientation without the need for heavy lifting from crew members.

When IronBOT is combined with TyBOT, ACR’s rebar-tying robot, this powerful BOT Bundle can typically provide 50% schedule savings during rebar installation. [Read more…] about Advanced Construction Robotics launches ‘world’s first’ rebar robot

Apotea installs ‘world’s first’ piece-picking solution integrated with AutoStore

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Sweden’s leading online pharmacy Apotea automated its logistics centre in Autumn 2022 to quickly, easily, and smoothly deliver approximately 50,000 orders a day to its customers.

Following international cooperation between Element Logic, AutoStore, RightHand Robotics and Apotea, the centre fully integrated eOperator piece-picking robots with an AutoStore solution, a world first.

Pharmacy products are one of the fastest-growing segments of both Swedish and European e-commerce. Apotea.se is Sweden’s largest online pharmacy, with the country’s most comprehensive range of over-the-counter products and prescription drugs. [Read more…] about Apotea installs ‘world’s first’ piece-picking solution integrated with AutoStore

Swedish online pharmacy Apotea installs ‘world’s first’ piece-picking solution integrated with AutoStore

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Sweden’s leading online pharmacy Apotea has automated its logistics centre to “quickly, easily, and smoothly deliver approximately 50,000 orders a day” to its customers.

Following international cooperation between Element Logic, AutoStore, RightHand Robotics and Apotea, the centre fully integrated eOperator piece-picking robots with an AutoStore solution, a world first.

Pharmacy products are one of the fastest-growing segments of both Swedish and European e-commerce. Apotea.se is Sweden’s largest online pharmacy, with the country’s most comprehensive range of over-the-counter products and prescription drugs. [Read more…] about Swedish online pharmacy Apotea installs ‘world’s first’ piece-picking solution integrated with AutoStore

SICK launches new photoelectric sensor

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SICK has unveiled its new Roller Sensor Bar (RSB) as an addition to its extensive portfolio of photoelectric sensors. This sensor provides the logistics and production markets a reliable solution to accommodate the ever-increasing variety of packaging shapes and sizes, and that provides a quick and easy installation experience.

Traditional sensors are mounted above the side frame and require installers to align and teach the sensor to a reflector at the end consumer, leading to high costs.

SICK offers the RSB as a solution to high installation costs and packaging variations to help logistics and production processes run more smoothly and efficiently. [Read more…] about SICK launches new photoelectric sensor

Flexiv robot used in avant-garde art installation

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Flexiv, a maker of general-purpose robotics solutions, has collaborated with internationally renowned artist Stavros Didakis in the creation of his latest art installation, Xenoforms.

As an academic, researcher, and artist, Professor Didakis’ work focuses primarily on technological futures with a particular emphasis on architectural augmentation, sensorial interfaces and technological frameworks as extensions of human environments.

His latest piece features a Flexiv Rizon 10 adaptive robot which randomly selects a 3D printed model, places it on a pedestal, and then replaces it in its original position. [Read more…] about Flexiv robot used in avant-garde art installation

Heliogen demonstrates autonomous robot designed to reduce installation and maintenance costs of solar plants

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Bill Gates-backed company Heliogen, a provider of concentrated solar power, has unveiled a new robot which it describes as a “technological breakthrough” in the production of low-cost renewable energy.

In field tests at Heliogen’s Lancaster, California facility, the company successfully completed the first technical demonstration of an autonomous field maintenance system, Heliogen’s Installation & Cleaning Autonomous Robot & Utility Solution, or “ICARUS”. (See video below.)

By bringing the same advanced technologies that enable its AI-enabled concentrated solar power systems to the task of installing and maintaining those systems, the company’s latest innovation is expected to significantly reduce the time to implement its concentrated solar facilities, as well as the costs associated with construction and ongoing maintenance. [Read more…] about Heliogen demonstrates autonomous robot designed to reduce installation and maintenance costs of solar plants

Yaskawa launches new Motoman industrial robot for small component processing

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Yaskawa has launched a new industrial robot for small component processing, called the Motoman GP4.

The company says the new robot is “extremely fast” to enable maximum throughput, and is “highly precise”.

The GP4 robot is equipped with a 4 kg payload for high-volume small component processing. Axis speeds up to 1,000 degrees/s and incredibly fast acceleration/deceleration control for all robot positions optimize overall productivity. [Read more…] about Yaskawa launches new Motoman industrial robot for small component processing

Omron releases new 3D vision sensor for robot arms

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Omron has released its new FH-SMD Series 3D Vision Sensor, which can be mounted on a robot to recognize randomly placed bulk automotive parts in three dimensions, enabling space-saving assembly, inspection, and pick and place, which are difficult with conventional robots, and improving productivity.

Production workers are hard to come by these days, and labor costs have risen sharply, says Omron. Manufacturers are now facing intense pressure to automate processes that rely on the senses of experienced human workers.

Moreover, production workers now need to work harmoniously with machines to raise productivity amid the Covid-19 crisis. In particular, the automotive industry requires vision sensors as the eyes of robots that are indispensable for automation because it is difficult for machines to recognize positions and postures of various complex shaped parts. [Read more…] about Omron releases new 3D vision sensor for robot arms

China has more industrial robots than next four countries combined

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China has more industrial robots than next four countries put together, according to a new report. 

Data presented by Buy Shares indicates that China, Japan, and the United States cumulatively control about 58.71 percent of the global industrial robot installations.

As of September 2020, there were 381,000 units of industrial robots globally. [Read more…] about China has more industrial robots than next four countries combined

ABB offers augmented reality on a smartphone to simplify robot installations

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ABB has launched its new RobotStudio Augmented Reality viewer to provide a “quick and convenient way of visualizing where and how robotic automation can fit into your process using a smartphone or tablet”.

Discovering whether a robot is right for your application has never been easier following the launch of ABB’s new Augmented Reality viewer, which has been added to ABB’s powerful PC-based RobotStudio offline programming software.

The RobotStudio AR Viewer app can be used to test any model created in RobotStudio, enabling users to get an idea of the size and scale of a robot or robot cell and how it can be deployed on a factory floor to fit around any existing production equipment. [Read more…] about ABB offers augmented reality on a smartphone to simplify robot installations