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Mitsubishi Electric to establish factory automation products service center in Malaysia

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Mitsubishi Electric says it will establish the Malaysia Factory Automation Center on the premises of its subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric Sales Malaysia, which is located in Selangor state on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

The new facility, which is scheduled to start operating on March 1, will strengthen servicing and support for Mitsubishi Electric factory automation products in Malaysia and thereby facilitate expansion of the company’s local business in factory automation systems.

The Malaysian factory automation market largely comprises an expanding base of local and Japanese enterprises. These firms span numerous industries, including electrical, electronic, automotive, food and beverage, and more, each of which requires various services for the factory automation products they use. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric to establish factory automation products service center in Malaysia

Postmates chosen as official robotic food delivery partner of the NFL

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Delivery robots company Postmates has been chosen as the official on-demand food delivery partner of the National Football League this season. (See video below.)

As part of its service, Postmates has teamed up with the NFL to tackle “one of the biggest issues Americans face” – food insecurity.

Through this partnership, Postmates says it has been able to tackle hunger in all 30 cities the 32 NFL teams call home, and “even got a few friends to help along the way”. [Read more…] about Postmates chosen as official robotic food delivery partner of the NFL

Baidu launches ‘world’s first’ multi-modal autonomous driving mobility-as-a-service platform

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Baidu, a driverless car developer and China’s equivalent of Google, has launched a multi-modal autonomous driving mobility as a service (MaaS) platform that will provide AI-driven city transportation services in Guangzhou, a city a hundred miles north-west of Hong Kong.

Utilizing a fleet of Apollo Robotaxis and Robobuses along with three other model types of autonomous vehicles, this initiative will allow local users to order smart transport services on demand, starting in the Chinese New Year holiday period.

The implementation of both Baidu Apollo and the ACE Transportation Engine is a testament to the promising commercialization prospects of smart transportation in the intelligent era. [Read more…] about Baidu launches ‘world’s first’ multi-modal autonomous driving mobility-as-a-service platform

Walmart begins to scale local fulfillment centers

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Walmart, the world’s largest supermarket chain, has started to scale its local fulfillment centers in the apparent belief that highly automated micro-warehouses are the way to go. 

The company has been working with a range of robotics companies on changing many aspects of its operation, and Alphabot (main picture) is one of the robots it has been testing.

Brian Roth, senior manager of pickup automation and digital operations for Walmart US, says: “With Alphabot, our associates should be able to put even more focus on helping the customer.” [Read more…] about Walmart begins to scale local fulfillment centers

Organic products wholesaler doubles output with AutoStore installed by Swisslog

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The leading wholesaler in the Swiss organic products market, Bio Partner, has doubled its output following the implementation of robotic logistics from Swisslog at its facility in Aargau, Switzerland.

Bio Partner supplies business customers in the organic specialist trade as well as the rest of the retail and food industry from its location in Seon.

As a result of the merger with Somona, the warehouse reached its performance and capacity limits, and the wholesaler turned to a local partner with a global footprint to deliver an automated storage system. [Read more…] about Organic products wholesaler doubles output with AutoStore installed by Swisslog

3 Things That Every Good Courier Company Needs

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Most businesses need a courier service at some time or another, so it’s a venture that could prove profitable in the longer term.

Whether you already have your own courier business or are thinking of starting one, there are some key things that you should try to focus on that could help to make your business a success.

Here are 3 things that every good courier company needs. [Read more…] about 3 Things That Every Good Courier Company Needs

Trees and power lines

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Trees are an important part of our lives; they add aesthetic value to the surrounding environment, improve air and water quality, reduce soil erosion, and provide shade during the scorching summer months.

Likewise, power lines serve the machinery and equipment we interact with every day, adding luxury and efficacy to our lives.

While these two provide amazing benefits, when trees and power lines are in close proximity to roads, they become a potential hazard to motorists and can cause extreme vehicle damages and bodily injuries if they fall over or motorists accidentally run into them.

Read on to find out how to stay safe while driving on roads with trees and power lines. [Read more…] about Trees and power lines

Uber completes acquisition of delivery robot startup Postmates

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Uber Technologies has completed the acquisition of delivery robot startup Postmates in an all-stock transaction.

The two companies have begun the process of integrating US operations.

The transaction brings together Uber’s global Mobility and Delivery platform with Postmates’ business in the US to strengthen the delivery of food, groceries, essentials, and other goods. [Read more…] about Uber completes acquisition of delivery robot startup Postmates

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.

US Senate to give green light to delivery robots on sidewalks

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The US Senate is poised to give the green light to the operation of delivery robots on American sidewalks after a bipartisan North Carolina bill was passed in the House in a “near unanimous vote”, according to News Observer.

Delivery robots are being tested in several states across the US in strict accordance with specific agreements with local authorities.

Delivery robots are also used on university campuses and large industrial areas where the land is owned or controlled by one company or organisation, bypassing the need to use public sidewalks. [Read more…] about US Senate to give green light to delivery robots on sidewalks

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