Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

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Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

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September 2020 marks one year of Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics partnering as a team after the US-based automated driving technology company became part of Daimler Trucks’ Autonomous Technology Group.

One year together, collaboratively pursuing a common goal of bringing series-produced highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) to the roads within the decade; including on-road deployment of a Level 4 test fleet, initiation of redesign of truck chassis, adoption of a hub-to-hub model, formalized rigorous testing protocols, formal truck safety driver certification process, and extended software capabilities.

Now, the Autonomous Technology Group will extend its testing to New Mexico by building up a new testing center in Albuquerque. Expanding to a new location will support testing and provide data for more use cases of next generation vehicles on public roads starting this fall. [Read more…] about Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

How to Take Care of Your CNC Machine

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CNC machines provide high-performance levels for cutting a wide variety of parts and components, and they usually remain in operation for lengthy periods.

Like any machinery, to ensure your CNC machine lasts longer and maintains its quality of accuracy, it is essential to give it a regular service. Read on to find out how to take care of your CNC machine. [Read more…] about How to Take Care of Your CNC Machine

Buyers don’t all know the potential of robots nor who can supply them, says Lux Research

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Potential buyers are not aware of the potential of robots, nor which companies can supply and integrate them into their business, according to a report by Lux Research.

The research company says businesses are “increasingly using robotics” across a wide variety of industries, but many companies still fail to understand what’s currently possible with today’s technology or which vendors can provide the solutions they need.

In its new report, Building Robotics Solutions, Lux Research attempts to create a framework for selecting robotics vendors based on the key capabilities and level of customization required. [Read more…] about Buyers don’t all know the potential of robots nor who can supply them, says Lux Research

Will Automation Make Lorry Drivers Obsolete?

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The haulage industry is an essential part of the network that is keeping the economy going, but for the last decade, there have been whispers of big changes that will ultimately change and revolutionise the way that day-to-day haulage works. 

Huge corporations like UPS and Daimler have been investing in automation technology, working closely with robotics companies to create a standard for the haulage industry that will speed up the process of transporting freight across the world.

There have even been estimations made that 1.2 million lorry driver jobs will be eliminated. But will automation really make the lorry driver obsolete? [Read more…] about Will Automation Make Lorry Drivers Obsolete?

SICK continues to grow despite ‘challenging market’

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Sensors giant SICK says its business has continued to grow despite a “challenging market environment”.

Group sales by the sensor producer increased by 7 percent to €1,750.7 million during the 2019 fiscal year (2018: €1,636.8 million).

Growth was considerably higher than the average for the sensor industry, estimated as having shrunk by 1 percent for 2019 by the AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement. [Read more…] about SICK continues to grow despite ‘challenging market’

Mobile robots and autonomous vehicles: Coronavirus pushes logistics automation higher up the agenda

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Last month, Amazon announced that it planned on hiring 100,000 extra workers to meet the rise in demand for online shopping created by Coronavirus-caused shutdowns and social distancing.

In late March, unions said workers were demanding that Amazon takes their lives seriously. The night before a facility in Queens, NY, had been closed for deep cleaning after an employee tested positive for the virus.

There are reports that some Amazon warehouse workers in Italy and Spain have tested positive. [Read more…] about Mobile robots and autonomous vehicles: Coronavirus pushes logistics automation higher up the agenda

Autonomous trucks: Addressing the industry’s structural challenges

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The automotive industry is experiencing a difficult time due to the coronavirus pandemic, with severe shocks both to the supply and demand. Nonetheless, the industry will need to retain its focus on key transformation trends such as autonomy.

Making a business case out of autonomous however, is not always straightforward, as IDTechEx finds in its research into the sector.

Some original equipment manufacturers and tier-one suppliers are already suggesting that there is no business case for level 3 autonomy – referring to SAE’s levels of autonomy in automotive. [Read more…] about Autonomous trucks: Addressing the industry’s structural challenges

Smart building automation and the future of property development in cities

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As cities continue to grow and evolve, with more people than ever wanting to live and work from within them, so to do the tactics used to house and control this city growth, without being detrimental to the quality of life or the environment.

Here are some of the ways that buildings are modernising and evolving in 2020 and beyond into the new decade, followed by some general information on the property companies involved in these sorts of developments, and then a deeper dive on home automation from a consumer level.

  • Smarter build techniques – Perhaps one of the immediately noticeable differences in modern property developments is that they have new materials, strategies and techniques, allowing them to be as efficient, sleek and affordable as possible, with technology interweaved for the future.
  • Automation in the “smart building” – The smart building is one that, again, is interweaved with overall technology from the beginning, that can be remotely controlled and accessed, perhaps even in tandem with multiple different apartment clusters or even buildings of the same type.

This is incredible for energy efficiency, like heating, lighting, and more can all be controlled by a remote operator, as and when required. [Read more…] about Smart building automation and the future of property development in cities

Nvidia launches new SoC and software-defined platform for autonomous cars and robots

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Nvidia has introduced a new, “highly advanced” software-defined platform for autonomous vehicles and robots.

The Nvidia Drive AGX Orin platform is powered by a new system-on-a-chip (SoC) called Orin, which consists of 17 billion transistors and is the result of four years of research and development investment.

The Orin SoC integrates Nvidia’s next-generation GPU architecture and Arm Hercules CPU cores, as well as new deep learning and computer vision accelerators that, in aggregate, deliver 200 trillion operations per second – nearly seven times the performance of Nvidia’s previous generation Xavier SoC. [Read more…] about Nvidia launches new SoC and software-defined platform for autonomous cars and robots

North American semiconductor equipment industry posts high earnings

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North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.49 billion in billings worldwide in December 2019.

This is according to the December Equipment Market Data Subscription Billings Report published today by SEMI.

The billings figure is 17.5 percent higher than the final November 2019 level of $2.12 billion. [Read more…] about North American semiconductor equipment industry posts high earnings