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mechatronics

Opinion: What is a robot? And how does it differ from a machine?

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By Ricardo Tellez, founder and CEO of TheConstructSim

I had an interesting discussion with a reader of TheConstructSim’s newsletter recently. He was replying to my newsletter a few weeks previously, when I wrote about robots helping to fight Covid-19. 

I’ll leave out the background detail of the discussion and simply tell you that we arrived at a key point of difference between us. “It depends on what you consider a robot,” he said, adding: “For me, a washing machine is a robot.”

I did not agree. How would you feel if you were hired to build robots, and on the first day at the lab, you discover that the actual robots you have to build are washing machines? [Read more…] about Opinion: What is a robot? And how does it differ from a machine?

Houston Mechatronics unveils underwater transforming robot ‘Aquanaut’

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Houston Mechatronics (HMI) unveiled Aquanaut at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, one year after the announcement of the platform concept.

Aquanaut is a revolutionary multi-mode transforming all-electric undersea vehicle. The vehicle is capable of efficient long-distance transit and data collection in ‘AUV’ (autonomous underwater vehicle) mode.

After transforming into ‘ROV’ (remotely operated vehicle) mode the head of the vehicle pitches up, the hull separates, and two arms are activated so that Aquanaut may manipulate its environment.

[Read more…] about Houston Mechatronics unveils underwater transforming robot ‘Aquanaut’

Magna opens new mechatronics engineering centre in China

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Magna was joined by customers and local government officials at a ceremony to announce the opening of a new mechatronics engineering centre in Suzhou in the Jiangsu Province, China.

Automakers around the world are looking to mechatronics as an opportunity to improve getting in and out of vehicles both today and in the future.

Mechatronics products, such as power doors and liftgates, work through a combination of mechanical systems, electronic control units and embedded software to offer consumers unique vehicle access experiences.

[Read more…] about Magna opens new mechatronics engineering centre in China

Canadian university ‘ready to train the next generation’ of mechatronics boffins

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One of the leading universities in Canada says it is “ready to train the next generation” of mechatronics eggheads.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University, located in Vancouver, has opened a new program to train the next generation of brainiacs needed to control and maintain electronic industrial machinery.

KPU is now accepting applications for the first students to take its Mechatronics and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Diploma program.  [Read more…] about Canadian university ‘ready to train the next generation’ of mechatronics boffins

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer signs deal with Korean company TPC Mechatronics

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rethink-robotics-korea

Rethink Robotics has reached a deal with a South Korean pneumatic equipment manufacturer and distributor. 

TPC Mechatronics will utilise Sawyer collaborative robots from Rethink Robotics in its own facility, as well as the facilities of its customers, in “an effort to move the entire industry toward smarter factories”, according to the companies.

The exclusive distribution partner of Rethink Robotics in Korea, TPC Mechatronics’ core customer base consists of a wide range of industrial manufacturers.  [Read more…] about Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer signs deal with Korean company TPC Mechatronics

Exclusive: Nasa scientists set to revolutionise oil and gas business with robotics and automation technology

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space shuttle

Houston company says it is bringing advanced technology from Nasa to elevate oil and gas operations through robotics and automation

A Texas business grounded in aerospace experience and space technology is changing the face of oil and gas.

Houston Mechatronics, a company founded by former Nasa roboticists, is incorporating intelligent automation and robotics into the energy industry in ways that streamline operations, improve both costs and quality, and remove workers from hazardous environments.

The recent focus on oil and gas was a natural one, says Matthew Ondler, Houston Mechatronics’ co-founder and president. Although the company works with clients across a range of industries, energy is feeling a pinch.  [Read more…] about Exclusive: Nasa scientists set to revolutionise oil and gas business with robotics and automation technology

Humanity’s loss at the hands of artificial intelligence is no big deal, says top robotics expert

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The current struggles human player Lee Seedol is facing while playing the ancient Chinese board game Go against an artificially intelligent machine learning program is being watched with interest by the world’s media as well as computer scientists everywhere, probably.

One of those computer scientists, however, says he’s not that bothered. Professor Alois Knoll, co-ordinator of the European Clearing House for Open Robotics Development (Echord), says Google DeepMind AlphaGo is essentially just a software program inside a computer, which is much easier to develop than a mechatronics system.

“A machine or helper that can only help you play Go probably not something on which you’d spend much money,” says Knoll, who is one of the key scientists involved in the $1.5 billion-dollar Human Brain Project.  [Read more…] about Humanity’s loss at the hands of artificial intelligence is no big deal, says top robotics expert

Stop praying to the gods of the free market and roll out the red carpet to robots, urges Labour

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The UK Labour Party is urging the government to turn away from “the gods of the free market” and instead roll out the red carpet to our new robot overlords.

Or at least that’s what could be inferred from an opinion piece written by the Labour Party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, who made it clear that he favours mechatronics over abstract notions of free markets.

“A robot driving a lorry may sound daunting, just as a horseless carriage did in 1890. But a driverless car doesn’t get tired, or drink alcohol, or have blind spots,” writes Watson in praise of the machines.

Watson calls for a royal commission into the issue of robotics and automation in the UK, claiming that the chancellor, George Osborne, is leaving to fate to decide whether technological change becomes “out ally not our foe”.

Full story at The Guardian.

 

 

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