Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

navigation

Velodyne to provide its lidar sensors to Renu Robotics

by

Velodyne Lidar has reached a multi-year agreement to provide its Puck lidar sensors to Renu Robotics, an industry leader in autonomous vegetation management systems.

Renu Robotics’ Renubot, a fully autonomous, all-electric mower, helps solar and energy facilities cut costs, time and carbon emissions, while maintaining the grounds for maximum performance of the facility.

Renu Robotics selected the Puck after a competitive product review. The company found that Velodyne’s Puck offered superior quality, reliability and performance, including significantly less system interference for optimal positional accuracy. [Read more…] about Velodyne to provide its lidar sensors to Renu Robotics

SICK earns Innovation Award from Robotics Business Review for LiDAR Localization Product

by

SICK has received an Innovation Award from the Robotics Business Review for its LiDAR-LOC product, a software solution that enables contour-based localization using LiDAR technology.

This is the third consecutive year that SICK has been given an award from the Robotics Business Review.

RBR50 is an annual list that recognizes and celebrates forward thinking companies and the original, impact solutions created by these companies. [Read more…] about SICK earns Innovation Award from Robotics Business Review for LiDAR Localization Product

KVH Industries: Providing the Expertise and Precision that Autonomous Platforms Need for Accurate, Safe Navigation

by

The expansion and acceptance of vehicle autonomy will look a bit different from what futurists had predicted as recently as ten years ago.

People movers such as shuttles and buses are on track to become the first practical and widely accepted application of autonomous vehicles.

Getting to this point has been a long journey following decades of research and development into making autonomous technology safe and successful. [Read more…] about KVH Industries: Providing the Expertise and Precision that Autonomous Platforms Need for Accurate, Safe Navigation

Trustworthy Substation Inspection Robot Requires Low Power, High Performance, and Multi-Interface Fanless Embedded System

by

A New Generation of Miniaturized, Lightweight, and Modular Wheeled Inspection Robot Powered by DFI Palm-sized Fanless Embedded System in China

Wheeled, substation, and intelligent inspection robots can effectively reduce labor intensity, substation operation, and maintenance costs. It can also improve inspection data quality and create a new substation inspection mode.

With low power consumption, high performance, complete I/O interface, and excellent technical support capabilities, DFI’s EC70A-SU assists Chinese customers to create a new generation of miniaturized, lightweight, and modular wheeled inspection robots. As a result, it improved the intellectual level of substation inspection.

Substation inspection robots mainly serve various substations, concentrated primarily on large-scale substations above 500kV. Therefore, they are used mainly to inspect substation equipment. They are divided into visible light inspections and infrared inspections. [Read more…] about Trustworthy Substation Inspection Robot Requires Low Power, High Performance, and Multi-Interface Fanless Embedded System

KVH introduces P-series IMUs with PIC technology and new accelerometers

by

KVH Industries, a specialist mobile connectivity and inertial navigation systems provider, has introduced the P-1750 IMU and the P-1725 IMU to complement the previously released P-1775 IMU and create a full line of IMUs that feature high-performance accelerometers and KVH’s patented photonic integrated chip (PIC) technology.

The KVH P-series IMUs are offered in the same proven, compact IMU housing design, and now offer more dynamic and accurate sensor performance delivering improved navigation capability and more environmental robustness in vibration and shock capability for more challenging applications.

Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s CEO, says: “We are pleased to continue integrating our groundbreaking PIC technology into our inertial navigation products for use in the large and growing autonomous market. [Read more…] about KVH introduces P-series IMUs with PIC technology and new accelerometers

DFI provides ‘the most reliable brain and cerebellum’ for giant AGV in LCD panel factories

by

DFI’s AMR-dedicated AI computer enhances mobility and accuracy of mobile robots

The humble LCD panel was originally one of the Taiwanese government’s “Two Trillion & Twin Star” plan to develop its high-tech sectors. Now, it’s one of the country’s most significant symbols of electronics manufacturing.

With the trend of panel generation becoming larger and larger, in the production line of large-size panels, handling technology is also relatively important. [Read more…] about DFI provides ‘the most reliable brain and cerebellum’ for giant AGV in LCD panel factories

Clearpath develops autonomous ice resurfacer that smooths skating rink with GPS navigation

by

Every year, Clearpath Robotics holds a Hack Day – an entire workday dedicated to pet robotics projects to push and challenge itself. Numerous teams come together to draft and build out their ideas from the ground up and then present them to the entire Clearpath team. (See video below.) 

This is the chance to test out fun experiments in a supportive and constructive environment. This year, however, one team decided to stick close to Clearpath’s Canadian roots.

For Hack Day 2021, a team presented an autonomous ice resurfacer using Husky UGV equipped with its GPS Waypoint Navigation package. [Read more…] about Clearpath develops autonomous ice resurfacer that smooths skating rink with GPS navigation

BlueBotics to give digital demonstration of path to mobile robot development

by

BlueBotics, a provider of autonomous navigation technology, is attending this year’s ProMat Digital Experience (DX) event to highlight how it can help smooth the path to successful automated guided vehicle and mobile robot development, installation and operation.

During the digital event, which runs from April 12 to 16, BlueBotics will explain and fully demonstrate the benefits of its ANT natural feature navigation – ranging from quick and simple vehicle installation to robust, accurate ongoing operations and cross-platform fleet scale-up, whereby a growing range of diverse ANT driven vehicles can adapt to a business’ evolving needs.

BlueBotics’ team of autonomous navigation experts will be on hand via the company’s showcase page to answer visitor questions and to arrange any meetings required to dive deeper into any company’s specific AGV development or investment needs. [Read more…] about BlueBotics to give digital demonstration of path to mobile robot development

XPeng undertakes the ‘longest autonomous driving expedition in China’

by

XPeng, an electric vehicle company in China, has undertaken what is described as “the longest autonomous driving expedition” in China, with a fleet of XPeng P7s, covering a total distance of 3,675 km across six provinces across the country.

This will be the longest autonomous driving expedition by mass-produced vehicles in China.

The expedition will showcase the capability of Navigation Guided Pilot, full-stack in-house developed autonomous driving solution by XPeng, in complex driving scenarios on China’s highways. [Read more…] about XPeng undertakes the ‘longest autonomous driving expedition in China’

Changing Material Handling Industry Accelerates AGV Robotics

by

By John Hayes, Balyo USA

Economic policies from Industry 4.0, Logistics 4.0, and connected warehouses point to the imperative to lower costs, increase productivity, and guarantee quality. There are as many forklift truck operator positions to be filled as there are IT developer and R&D engineer jobs combined.

In the United States, 65 percent of the businesses surveyed by Deloitte (as part of its annual Supply Chain report) noted that it is “extremely difficult” to hire qualified warehouse labor.

Moving pallets is expensive. One of the global Fast Moving Customer Goods (FMCG) leaders estimates spending “almost 380 million dollars per year” for tasks that create no additional value for the business. [Read more…] about Changing Material Handling Industry Accelerates AGV Robotics