Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

location

Continental reveals its new virtual dashboard

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Automotive components and parts supplier Continental has unveiled its new virtual dashboard, saying it represents a “complete culture change”.

Continental will be formally launching what it calls its “Integrated Interior Platform” at the IAA 2019 in Frankfurt later this month.

As a high-performance computer, this comprehensive solution for software and hardware provides the basis for interaction between humans and vehicles in the connected cockpit of tomorrow – and at the highest level of quality. [Read more…] about Continental reveals its new virtual dashboard

SLAM software paving the way for new generation autonomous mobile robots

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Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), a software-and-hardware technology which enables a mobile device to map its environment while positioning itself within it, is a crucial driver for robotics.

SLAM will enable the transition from automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in the industrial space.

According to report by global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research, the installed base of SLAM-enabled commercial and industrial robots will exceed 15 million by 2030. [Read more…] about SLAM software paving the way for new generation autonomous mobile robots

OnRobot opens research and development facility in Los Angeles

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New office location in Culver City provides OnRobot opportunity to attract talent and add new products to a portfolio including robotic grippers inspired by lizards and sensors lending a human touch to robot arms

OnRobot, a provider of end-of-arm tooling for collaborative robot applications, has opened its first location specifically dedicated to research and development in the United States.

Based in Culver City in Los Angeles, California, the new office area boasts 6,000 square feet for engineers, researchers and local staff to work and develop new products. Last year marked OnRobot’s first foray into the LA area, as it acquired Perception Robotics.

With this acquisition, OnRobot brought the award winning Gecko Gripper technology into its product offerings and developed it for commercial launch. [Read more…] about OnRobot opens research and development facility in Los Angeles

How Automation has Transformed the Delivery Process

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The world of logistics has, in recent years, been radically altered by automation.

More than ever before, the process of getting a package from one location to another has been put into the hands of machines, and the change is behind many of the recent improvements in packaging and distribution that even small businesses can enjoy.

But exactly how does automation impact the delivery process, and what changes might we continue to see in the future? Let’s take a look. [Read more…] about How Automation has Transformed the Delivery Process

Nippon Express to construct new Shanghai warehouse

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Nippon Express Global has begun construction on a new warehouse in Shanghai Qingpu Industrial Park.

Situated in the western part of Shanghai, Qingpu Industrial Park was opened in 1995 as an industrial park receiving key municipal-level industrial support, and its location within 50 minutes of central Shanghai has attracted electronics, biotech, and hi-tech companies.

The industrial park is located adjacent to a highway linking Shanghai with cities across Jiangsu Province, which is now developing into a major production area, and growing attention on this strategic logistics location is driving warehouse demand higher.

[Read more…] about Nippon Express to construct new Shanghai warehouse

Volkswagen to invest €1 billion in new battery cell production facility

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Volkswagen is planning to move into the battery cell manufacturing market with an investment of €1 billion in a new production facility in Europe.

The automotive giant will set up the battery cell production facility in the Lower Saxony region of its native Germany.

The company is working with the local government to choose a suitable location for the factory complex, and is likely to partner with businesses from relevant sectors.

[Read more…] about Volkswagen to invest €1 billion in new battery cell production facility

Komatsu develops electric mini excavator

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Komatsu Ltd has unveiled its electric mini excavator, based on its accumulated technological expertise of hybrid construction equipment and electric forklift trucks.

Equipped with an in-house developed new charger, high-voltage converter and other devices, it offers excavation performance on a par with the internal combustion model of the same power output, while achieving zero exhaust gas emissions and a dynamic reduction in noise levels.

Komatsu expects a wider range of applications for this machine, including construction work near hospitals or schools or in residential areas, where contractors pay special attention to exhaust gas and noise during work, as well as inside tunnels or buildings.

[Read more…] about Komatsu develops electric mini excavator

DoCoMo and Itochu to trial IoT solution for delivery fleet management in the US

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NTT DoCoMo and Itochu Logistics are planning to trial an internet-of-things solution for delivery fleet management in the US.

The system uses devices compatible with low-power, wide-area LTE-M technology to enable delivery businesses to visualize the status of outsourced trucks in their fleets.

The trial will begin in the United States on May 1, 2019. [Read more…] about DoCoMo and Itochu to trial IoT solution for delivery fleet management in the US

Industrial Internet: Ubisense launches new tracking solution for logistics

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Ubisense has released a new version of its “precision zone tracking product”, AngleID, with a range of additional features including the ability to network multiple readers.

These updates increase the area that can be covered to whole buildings and enable even more sophisticated zones to be created.

AngleID was launched in May to offer real-time precision zone tracking, offering a completely new product that sits between passive RFID proximity tracking and real-time location systems (RTLS) exact location tracking.  [Read more…] about Industrial Internet: Ubisense launches new tracking solution for logistics

A brief history of smart factories and new gadgets available to today’s manufacturers

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Jay Cadman, of Ubisense, talks about the history of smart factories and the new products today that are enabling many more businesses to realise the benefits of real-time location systems 

While the phrase “smart factory” is relatively recent, first coined at The Hanover Fair in 2011, the concept has been talked about in various forms for the past 30 years. And at Ubisense we’ve been creating smart factories for some of the world’s leading manufacturers in the automotive and discrete industries for more than a decade.

Ubisense’s Smart Factory product was originally designed to specifically help vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tackle the challenges of managing ever increasing levels of complexity in assembly lines brought about by mass-customisation.

By placing ultra-wideband (UWB) tags on tools and mounting networked UWB sensors around the factory, we can locate and make sense of thousands of objects in a factory in real-time.  [Read more…] about A brief history of smart factories and new gadgets available to today’s manufacturers