Robotics & Automation News

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Volvo invests in Waabi to strengthen autonomous truck offering

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Volvo Group Venture Capital has invested in the Canadian-founded company Waabi Innovation, which developing “next generation” autonomous trucking technology.

The companies says the investment highlights their shared commitment to “redefine the way we move goods and to accelerate the deployment of future transport solutions”.

Martin Witt, president of Volvo Group Venture Capital, says: “The company Waabi is using advanced artificial intelligence technology to test, assess skills, and ultimately teach a virtual driver to maneuver safely and efficiently in a commercial-ready autonomous trucking solution. [Read more…] about Volvo invests in Waabi to strengthen autonomous truck offering

Robot cell guarding: When adaptability trumps strength

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Luke Wilkinson, design and product development manager at Matara, looks at the growing use of aluminium over steel in robot guard frames and the reasons behind its rising popularity

It is estimated that there are around 23,000 robots operating in industrial settings in the UK. The automotive sector is the largest user employing over 9,000, with the food and drink sector recently rising to second place.

With their ability to perform repetitive tasks accurately, swiftly and consistently, it’s not hard to understand why the use of robots across industry is growing. A survey conducted by the British Automation & Robot Association showed sales of robots in the UK to be 7.5% higher in 2020 from the previous year.

Whilst the benefits of using robots in industrial settings are clear, it’s important to take into account the potential safety risk they pose; not of a science fiction nature, but a very real, present in the here and now type risk that primarily stems from people accidentally getting in their way which can have serious consequences if the machine is fast moving, carrying a heavy payload and so on. [Read more…] about Robot cell guarding: When adaptability trumps strength

Plus One Robotics’ parcel handling solutions surpass 500 million picks

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of a parcel handling robotics platform claiming to performing over 1 million parcel picks each day in production, says its platform has reached over half a billion parcel picks globally. 

The company says the 500 million figure is “currently an industry leading metric”.

Erik Nieves, Plus One Robotics’ CEO and founder, says: “Our north star will always be to increase our customers’ total picks per day. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics’ parcel handling solutions surpass 500 million picks

Why is My Car Key Stuck in the Ignition?

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If your key doesn’t turn in the ignition, you may still be able to remove it. Understandably, you’ll be panicking as you attempt to figure out what to do since you can’t simply leave it in the ignition with the doors open while you go to work, home, or somewhere else you need to go.

Whatever you do, DO NOT try to extract the key by using brute force since you may break the key off altogether. Afterward, you’ll be dealing with a far more serious situation.

The key should easily slip out of the ignition once you have twisted it entirely counterclockwise and (if appropriate) press the key release button on the key ring. The first important thing to do if your key won’t come out of the ignition is to figure out what could be causing the issue. [Read more…] about Why is My Car Key Stuck in the Ignition?

Ocean Aero partners with KAUST and Shelf Subsea to advance maritime research in Red Sea

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Ocean Aero, a manufacturer and service provider of ocean-going Autonomous Underwater and Surface Vehicles (AUSVs), has agreed a partnership with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), one of Saudi Arabia’s preeminent centers of academia, research, and development, and Saudi Shelf Subsea, part of the Shelf Subsea Group of companies headquartered in Perth, Australia with extensive operations in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

The trilateral partnership will center on novel maritime research in the Red Sea and has several core tenets:

  • applied research on tailored payloads for Saudi-specific applications with a number of the Kingdom’s maritime organizations;
  • exploration of advanced concept development utilizing existing and joint IP; and
  • continued execution of scientific services with a fleet of Ocean Aero’s TRITON AUSVs.

Kevin Decker, CEO of Ocean Aero, says: “We couldn’t be happier to work alongside the oceanographers, researchers, and marine scientists at KAUST. [Read more…] about Ocean Aero partners with KAUST and Shelf Subsea to advance maritime research in Red Sea

ABB predicts key trends that will change robotic automation in 2022

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Marc Segura, ABB’s new robotics division president, outlines the key 2022 robotic trends

With demand for robots growing as companies in multiple sectors look for new ways to enhance their productivity and competitiveness post-pandemic, ABB has compiled a set of growth predictions, looking at key trends driving demand for robots in the coming year.

“The pandemic accelerated far-reaching global mega trends – from labor shortages and supply chain uncertainty, to the individualized consumer and growing pressure to operate sustainably and resiliently – leading new businesses to look to robotic automation,” says Marc Segura, ABB’s newly appointed robotics division president.

“As technology opens new opportunities for meeting customer demands, new trends will continue to emerge that will further drive demand in areas where robots have traditionally not been used.” [Read more…] about ABB predicts key trends that will change robotic automation in 2022

Kärcher and Brain Corp debut industry’s ‘first professional robotic vacuum’

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Brain Corp, a provider of software for industrial floor cleaning robots, has launched its “first professional autonomous vacuum cleaner”, the Kira CV 60/1.

The new machine is a joint development with Kärcher, one of the world’s leading providers of cleaning technology.

The two companies say the Kira device is built to help businesses clean smarter than ever before, the autonomous vacuum is the first robotic machine released in partnership between Brain Corp and Kärcher. [Read more…] about Kärcher and Brain Corp debut industry’s ‘first professional robotic vacuum’

ABB claims 20 percent share of $14 billion distributed control systems market

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ABB claims it has “global market leadership” in the distributed control systems market, and that this claim has been confirmed “for 22nd consecutive year”. The industrial giant is making the claim after a report by the ARC Advisory Group.

ARC’s report calculates that ABB’s Distributed Control Systems (DCS) maintained a “leading share” of around 20 percent in 2020 in a market worth more than $14 billion .

During 2020, ABB saw growth across key regions, despite the impact of the pandemic on the DCS market across industry. [Read more…] about ABB claims 20 percent share of $14 billion distributed control systems market

How to Become a More Eco-Friendly Industrial Business

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A few key industrial organizations around the world are now known to be the biggest culprits when it comes to emissions, so it’s as important as ever for production lines and other similar plants to begin moving toward more eco-friendly operations.

Thankfully, figuring out how your industrial business can reduce its carbon footprint and become a more environmentally conscious brand doesn’t have to be as difficult as you might expect, as there are in fact just a few key tips and tricks that you can make the most of to turn your green dreams into a reality in no time.

So, if you’re interested in finding out more, then simply read on. [Read more…] about How to Become a More Eco-Friendly Industrial Business