Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

logistics automation

AutoFlight completes first 2-ton-class eVTOL tea delivery in China

by

AutoFlight has successfully completed China’s first 2-ton-class eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) dedicated spring tea transport trial in Guizhou, a mountainous province in western China.

The trial deployed AutoFlight’s CarryAll (V2000CG) – a fully autonomous, unmanned eVTOL aircraft – to transport fresh spring tea between Anshun and Guiyang, two Guizhou cities approximately 120 km apart.

The unmanned flight crossed rugged mountain terrain in just 37 minutes, a significant improvement over road transportation in the region, where winding mountain routes make timely delivery a persistent challenge. [Read more…] about AutoFlight completes first 2-ton-class eVTOL tea delivery in China

Kollmorgen launches layout analysis tool to improve mobile robot performance

by

Kollmorgen has introduced a new software tool designed to help companies plan and optimize the movement of automated vehicles and mobile robots inside factories and warehouses.

Called the NDC Layout Assistant, the tool is aimed at improving how routes are designed for automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots. (NDC stands for Navigation and Driving Control.)

These machines typically move materials around facilities such as distribution centers, factories, and logistics hubs. [Read more…] about Kollmorgen launches layout analysis tool to improve mobile robot performance

Humble Robotics emerges from stealth to bring autonomous electric haulers to real-world freight

by

Humble Robotics has emerged from stealth with what it describes as a “revolutionary new vehicle”: a fully autonomous, cabless, electric hauler designed for cost-efficient freight transportation.

The company also revealed it has raised $24 million in seed funding, led by Eclipse with additional participation by Energy Impact Partners and others.

The Humble Hauler is an entirely new take on the classic tractor-trailer combo, designed from the ground up with modern technology. [Read more…] about Humble Robotics emerges from stealth to bring autonomous electric haulers to real-world freight

Robots on demand: Why robotics-as-a-service on its own won’t solve warehouse automation

by

By Kevin Price, logistics consultant, Dematic

Supply chains are under intense pressure due to constantly shifting order volumes and increased customer expectations, which has made effective management essential.

At the same time, rising operational costs are pushing many warehouse operators to test new ways of running their businesses.

To meet this challenge many organisations have turned to on-demand robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) and warehouse-as-a-service (WaaS), particularly small and midsized operators. [Read more…] about Robots on demand: Why robotics-as-a-service on its own won’t solve warehouse automation

How to Cut Parcel Damage in Automated Fulfillment

by

To stop automated fulfillment lines, which will account for 85% of all warehousing nationally by 2030, from shredding your margins, you have to look at the physics of the floor.

Damage in a robotized environment isn’t usually about a single “drop” incident; it is a cumulative result of high-velocity vibration, G-force shifts during AMR acceleration, and rigid sorting hardware that lacks a human touch. [Read more…] about How to Cut Parcel Damage in Automated Fulfillment

MoviĜo Robotics launches new warehouse robot

by

MoviĜo Robotics launches a new robot technology platform for production logistics in industries such as food, pharma, automotive and the print industry.

The “Ŝharko5 Technology Platform” is developed based on the proven technology of the highly successful Ŝharko5 robot.

The Ŝharko5 Technology Platform exists of robots and fleet management and process software. The robot platform has a modular design; the front part contains the standardized technology components, the rear part is the lifting unit, easily adapted to fit any carrier. [Read more…] about MoviĜo Robotics launches new warehouse robot

Peak Technologies partners with Jacobi Robotics to deliver next-generation mixed-case palletizing automation

by

Peak Technologies, a provider of smart technologies, automated supply chain and mobile workforce solutions, is proud to announce its partnership with Jacobi Robotics. The collaboration brings AI-powered mixed-case palletizing to complex warehouses and distribution centers.

Using the Jacobi OmniPalletizer – a physical AI platform – the need for upstream buffering, sorting and sequencing can be eliminated, driving unmatched operational efficiency.

Combined with Peak Technologies’ deep expertise in enterprise technology integration, the turnkey solution can be deployed rapidly without disruptions to active workflows. [Read more…] about Peak Technologies partners with Jacobi Robotics to deliver next-generation mixed-case palletizing automation

Siemens, Nvidia and Humanoid partner to bring physical AI into factory operations

by

Siemens and Humanoid has announced what it says is “a landmark milestone” in the journey to bring physical AI from vision to industrial reality.

Humanoid’s HMND 01 wheeled Alpha humanoid robot, built using the Nvidia physical AI stack, has been successfully tested in operations at Siemens’ electronics factory in Erlangen, Germany, performing autonomous logistics tasks. (See video below.)

This builds on the Siemens and Nvidia strategic partnership, announced at CES, to build the world’s first fully AI-driven, adaptive manufacturing sites. [Read more…] about Siemens, Nvidia and Humanoid partner to bring physical AI into factory operations

Interview with Volvo Autonomous Solutions: Driverless trucks are upon us

by

As the global logistics industry grapples with persistent driver shortages, rising operating costs, and increasing pressure to improve efficiency, autonomous trucking is beginning to move beyond promise and into early-stage commercial reality.

For much of the past decade, the technology has been described as “almost ready” – a phrase that has invited both optimism and skepticism.

Today, that characterization is starting to shift. Autonomous trucks are now hauling real freight on public roads, albeit within limited routes and often still under human supervision, marking a transitional phase between pilot programs and true large-scale deployment. [Read more…] about Interview with Volvo Autonomous Solutions: Driverless trucks are upon us

Accenture invests in General Robotics to advance physical AI-powered robotics in manufacturing and logistics

by

International management consultancy Accenture has invested, through Accenture Ventures, in AI-native company General Robotics.

General Robotics offers general-purpose robotic intelligence that allows organizations to rapidly deploy and continuously adapt robots of any form, with any AI, for any task.

With this investment, Accenture and General Robotics will also partner to help manufacturers, logistics companies and clients in other asset-intensive industries advance autonomous operations with physical AI.

Prasad Satyavolu, global lead for manufacturing and operations at Accenture, says: “Physical AI-powered robotics address issues our clients are facing, such as workforce constraints, challenged factory and warehouse productivity, and continuously rising capital and operational costs. [Read more…] about Accenture invests in General Robotics to advance physical AI-powered robotics in manufacturing and logistics