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Simbe Robotics introduces ‘industry-first’ farm supply solution

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Simbe Robotics, the provider of in-store inventory robots and its proprietary Store Intelligence software, is expanding into farm supply with a partnership with Country Supplier.

After a successful proof of value, Country Supplier, a farm and ranch retailer with stores across Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Arizona, will install Simbe technology across additional locations.

Farm supply stores are vital to local communities, providing essential products that support daily operations for farms and local businesses. To meet seasonal demand, store shelves need to be well-stocked with the right products, at the right time, and at price points that customers expect. [Read more…] about Simbe Robotics introduces ‘industry-first’ farm supply solution

AI-generated images: Is this the future of art?

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Dictionary definitions of “art” are many and varied, but for people of a certain age – let’s say around 60 – art used to mean paintings and sculptures… pretty much exclusively.

But over those 60 years – starting around 30 years ago – art started to mean different things, although those “different” artistic expressions still often incorporated the traditional modes of expression – painting and sculpting.

One of those “different” things that came to constitute art was “installation art”, which is usually a relatively large-scale work – taking up one whole gallery room or more. Installation art uses mixed media to create an immersive experience for people to walk through and perhaps interact with or even be an essential part of.

[Read more…] about AI-generated images: Is this the future of art?

Artificial Intelligence Propels Metal Manufacturing Forward

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The earlier decade marked the introduction of Industry 4.0 with digitalization.

Now, that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making waves in all industries, its impact can be felt in metal manufacturing, particularly metal parts machining and precision fabrication.

With AI algorithms, machines, and tools have gotten smarter, quicker, and more efficient. Automation technology has advanced, and access to information has become easier than ever.

[Read more…] about Artificial Intelligence Propels Metal Manufacturing Forward

Honeywell and Google Cloud to accelerate autonomous operations with AI agents for the industrial sector

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Honeywell and Google Cloud are partnering to launch a “unique collaboration” connecting artificial intelligence (AI) agents with assets, people and processes to accelerate safer, autonomous operations for the industrial sector.

This partnership will bring together the multimodality and natural language capabilities of Gemini on Vertex AI – Google Cloud’s AI platform – and the massive data set on Honeywell Forge, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) platform for industrials.

This will unleash easy-to-understand, enterprise-wide insights across a multitude of use cases. Honeywell’s customers across the industrial sector will benefit from opportunities to reduce maintenance costs, increase operational productivity and upskill employees. [Read more…] about Honeywell and Google Cloud to accelerate autonomous operations with AI agents for the industrial sector

Driving Efficiency in Manufacturing with Intelligent Automation: Beyond Robotics

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If you want to stay competitive in today’s manufacturing landscape, you’ll need more than just manpower and machines.

Intelligent automation (IA) has become the force behind efficiency, plus it gives manufacturers the chance to optimize their operations beyond traditional robotics.

When you integrate advanced technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and more, you’re able to automate processes, predict machine failures, and make decisions based on up-to-date data. [Read more…] about Driving Efficiency in Manufacturing with Intelligent Automation: Beyond Robotics

Wakefern food scales up Simbe Robotics’ store intelligence

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As top retailers deepen technology investments to enhance business performance, Simbe, the leading provider of Store Intelligence solutions, has unveiled plans to expand its work with Wakefern Food, the largest retailer-owned supermarket cooperative in the United States.

The latest cooperative organizations to add Simbe’s technology to stores include Wakefern Member Inserra Supermarkets, which owns and operates 23 ShopRite stores, and Shop-Rite Supermarkets, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wakefern that operates 37 ShopRite stores in New York and New Jersey.

Both Inserra Supermarkets and SRS are implementing Tally’s AI-powered solution. The world’s first, most advanced autonomous item-scanning robot, Tally looks for out-of-stocks and misplaced items and helps retail teams focus more on customers and the customer experience. [Read more…] about Wakefern food scales up Simbe Robotics’ store intelligence

Simbe Robotics unveils new technology to enable retailers to capture and view data faster

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As the majority of retailers embrace in-store technologies that improve business and store team performance, Simbe Robotics, a provider of robotic store intelligence solutions, has launched two new, cutting-edge product capabilities.

The announcement marks one of Simbe’s largest software updates to date and extends the value of its web platform – as the only platform with proven results at scale used by dozens of retailers across three continents globally.

The first solution, Simbe Mobile, is a configurable mobile application that puts Simbe’s Store Intelligence platform in the palm of store teams’ hands, offering prioritized inventory and pricing tasks, near real-time data analytics, planogram compliance and more, on any device.

[Read more…] about Simbe Robotics unveils new technology to enable retailers to capture and view data faster

Radiology Revolution: Exploring the Impact of AI in Medical Imaging

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Over the years, radiology has undergone significant changes with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into medical imaging practices.

AI has become a game changer, transforming how healthcare professionals analyze and diagnose diseases using imaging technologies.

This article will explore the impact of radiology AI on imaging and how this innovative technology is reshaping the field of radiology. [Read more…] about Radiology Revolution: Exploring the Impact of AI in Medical Imaging

ABB identifies new frontiers for robotics and AI in 2024

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ABB is celebrating 50 years of robotic innovation throughout 2024. Here, Marc Segura, president ABB Robotics Division, identifies three drivers for robotics-driven AI solutions in 2024, as ABB continues expansion into new segments not previously served by robotic automation.

Marc Segura, president ABB Robotics Division, says: “The coming year will see a growing focus on the critical role of AI.

“From mobile robots and cobots, to enabling new robotic applications in new sectors and creating new opportunities for people to learn and develop, these new frontiers for AI are redefining the future of industrial robotics.”

1. AI will drive new levels of autonomy in robotic applications

Accelerating progress in AI is redefining what is possible with industrial robotics. AI is enhancing everything from robots’ ability to grip, pick and place as well as their ability to map and navigate through dynamic environments.

From mobile robots to cobots and beyond, AI is giving robots unprecedented levels of speed, accuracy, and payload carrying ability, enabling them to take on more tasks in settings like flexible factories, warehouses, logistics centers and laboratories.

Segura says: “AI-enabled mobile robots can transform sectors like discrete manufacturing, logistics and laboratories.

“Robots equipped with ABB’s new Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Visual SLAM) technology, for example, have advanced mapping and navigation skills, granting new levels of autonomy, while greatly reducing the infrastructure needed by previous generations of guided robots.

“This paves the way for a shift from linear production lines to dynamic networks, creating significant efficiencies and taking on more dull, dirty and dangerous tasks, to enable workers to take up more rewarding jobs.”

2. AI will see robots enter new sectors

The potential offered by AI-enabled robotics is influencing sectors far beyond manufacturing. In 2024, these technologies are expected to bring substantial efficiency improvements to more dynamic environments, such as healthcare and life sciences, as well as retail.

Another example is the construction industry, where AI-powered robotics can make a material contribution to boosting productivity, enhancing safety and sustainable construction practices while spurring growth.

Segura says: “The construction industry is a great example of a sector where AI-powered robots will prove transformative, delivering real value by addressing many of the issues facing the industry today, including worker shortages, safety issues and stagnant productivity.

“Abilities such as enhanced recognition and decision-making offered by AI, coupled with advances in collaborative robots enable safe deployment alongside workers.

“These advances also enable robots to perform key tasks such as bricklaying, modular assembly and 3D printing with greater precision and speed, all while contributing to more sustainable construction by lowering emissions, such as concrete mixing on site, to reducing the need to transport materials across far distances with on-site assembly.”

3. AI will offer new opportunities for education and working with robots

The advances being made in AI and robotics are significant for training and education, closing the automation skills gap and making robots more accessible to more people and businesses.

With AI making programming easier, through lead-through and even natural language, education can shift more towards how robots can assist humans more effectively, rather than just teaching programming skills.

This transition will make robots more approachable and bring them to a wider audience, leading to new job prospects while helping alleviate labor and skills shortages.

Segura says: “A shortage of people with the skills needed to program and support robots has long been a hurdle to the uptake of robotic automation, especially in small to medium sized manufacturing companies.

“We will see this increasingly being overcome as advances in generative AI lower the barriers to automation and expand the focus of education beyond programming.

“Developments in natural language programming, powered by AI in which workers can verbally instruct a robot in its task, will create a new dynamic in human-robot interactions.”

ABB Robotics: 50 years of innovation

The continued development of AI-powered robotics is the latest chapter in ABB’s fifty-year story of robotic innovation that began in 1974 with the sale of the world’s first commercial all-electric robot, the IRB 6.

Fifty years later, ABB is pioneering new ways of helping customers boost their productivity, efficiency, and sustainability through robotic automation.

ABB will be celebrating 50 years of robotic innovation throughout 2024, Search ABB Robotics in LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram or head to new.abb.com/products/robotics/events/50-years-of-robotic-innovation for all the latest news and updates.

Why Artificial Intelligence Matters in Robotic Technology

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Part of one of the world’s largest automation and robotics companies, Yaskawa Southern Africa is a pioneer in innovative technologies, not least when it comes to adopting burgeoning trends and automated solutions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a groundbreaking force in a plethora of sectors, including transportation, healthcare, finance, and agriculture.

In the realm of robotics, AI is redefining the landscape, as well as human-machine interaction. Andrew Crackett, managing director of Yaskawa, provides some insight into the role of AI in robotics technology, its advantages, challenges, and makes his predictions on what is to come in the future. [Read more…] about Why Artificial Intelligence Matters in Robotic Technology