Robotics & Automation News

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MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

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MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has revealed a dexterous robotic hand that scientists say can “manipulate thousands of objects with ease”. (See video below.)

At just one year old, a baby is more dexterous than a robot. Sure, machines can do more than just pick up and put down objects, but we’re not quite there as far as replicating a natural pull towards exploratory or sophisticated dexterous manipulation goes.

OpenAI gave it a try with “Dactyl” (meaning “finger” from the Greek word daktylos), using their humanoid robot hand to solve a Rubik’s cube with software that’s a step towards more general AI, and a step away from the common single-task mentality. DeepMind created “RGB-Stacking,” a vision-based system that challenges a robot to learn how to grab items and stack them.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), in the ever-present quest to get machines to replicate human abilities, created a framework that’s more scaled up: a system that can reorient over two thousand different objects, with the robotic hand facing both upwards and downwards. [Read more…] about MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

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The goal: fully automated small parts picking.

In intralogistics, there has been a lot of hype about robots for some years now, whether in trade journals or at fairs.

Most of them are classic six-axis articulated robots that are looking for their way out of a production environment and into logistics.

The main driver here is the labour shortage, the big challenge not a technical component like the robot or the gripper, but the design of an overall economic process. [Read more…] about Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

ANYbotics boosts autonomous mobile robots with Velodyne lidar sensors

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ANYbotics is equipping its autonomous mobile robots with Velodyne’s Puck lidar sensors. ANYbotics robots provide industrial operators with an automated robotic inspection solution to support efforts in monitoring and maintaining plants.

ANYbotics’ four-legged robot ANYmal performs inspection and monitoring tasks in challenging industrial terrains such as mining and minerals, oil and gas, chemicals, energy and construction.

ANYmal’s legs provide unparalleled mobility when moving up and down stairs, climbing over obstacles, steps and gaps, and crawling into tight spaces. ANYmal’s inspection payload provides visual, thermal and acoustic insights for condition monitoring of equipment and infrastructure. [Read more…] about ANYbotics boosts autonomous mobile robots with Velodyne lidar sensors

IDS introduces AI-complete industrial vision solution: ‘Even more functions thanks to free upgrade’

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The recently released software update for the IDS NXT platform provides users of the all-in-one AI solution IDS NXT ocean with many new features.

It extends the system’s AI capabilities to include object detection, offers turnkey solutions with vision apps and, with a new development environment, ensures that users can program their own image processing tasks and execute them as vision apps on their cameras.

Using OPC UA, AI-based image processing can also be integrated directly into factory automation without writing a single line of code. The update is free and can be used with all IDS NXT cameras. [Read more…] about IDS introduces AI-complete industrial vision solution: ‘Even more functions thanks to free upgrade’

SICK launches new miniature photoelectric sensor

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SICK drives innovation with the new W4F miniature photoelectric sensor for intelligent object detection in tight installation spaces for proximity applications

SICK is launching the latest generation of its miniature photoelectric sensors, the W4F. A new ASIC platform delivers numerous performance advantages to this product family.

For example, these sensors can detect jet black, highly reflective, flat, or transparent objects with the utmost reliability. The W4F can also provide distance information, such as the height of objects and, as a result, identify process errors.

Initial users have confirmed that the photoelectric sensors have the best ambient light and sunlight suppression on the market as well as maximum immunity to all known sources of optical interference.  [Read more…] about SICK launches new miniature photoelectric sensor

Deep learning networks prefer the human voice – just like we do

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Columbia engineers demonstrate that AI systems might reach higher performance if programmed with sound files of human language rather than with binary data labels. (See video below.)

The digital revolution is built on a foundation of invisible 1s and 0s called bits.

As decades pass, and more and more of the world’s information and knowledge morph into streams of 1s and 0s, the notion that computers prefer to “speak” in binary numbers is rarely questioned.

According to new research from Columbia Engineering, this could be about to change. [Read more…] about Deep learning networks prefer the human voice – just like we do

IDS says its new cameras capture ‘sharp images even with varying object distances’

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Imaging Development Systems says its new cameras capture “sharp images even with varying object distances”.

The company has extended the selection of its automatically focusable board-level cameras.

Their practical autofocus function enables uEye LE AF industrial cameras to deliver “perfectly focused images even with frequently changing object distances”, says IDS. [Read more…] about IDS says its new cameras capture ‘sharp images even with varying object distances’

All About Developing a Computer Vision System

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This is an enthralling type of artificial intelligence that is practiced in numerous ways of labeling and detecting objects in images.

Primarily, the precise field that deals with how computers can gain a high level of understanding from digital images and videos in computer vision.

This scientific field seeks to comprehend and systematize tasks that involve visual systems through handling, analyzing and understanding of videos as well as digital images. [Read more…] about All About Developing a Computer Vision System

How to Choose A Gripper for Your Collaborative Robot

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Most modern robots are built with both affordability and practicality in mind. This is because there is work that robots can do really well, and there are some simple things that human beings can do better than robots.

It is for this reason that collaborative robots have gained popularity in all major industries – robots that work alongside humans to not only increase productivity, but also safety in facilities.

Collaborative robots can be programmed to do almost any task. [Read more…] about How to Choose A Gripper for Your Collaborative Robot

SICK launches its ‘most powerful and accurate’ 2D LiDAR sensor yet

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SICK has launched what it describes as its “most powerful and accurate 2D LiDAR sensor yet”.

The LMS4000 is designed for materials handling and intralogistics applications, and is said to maintain its high degrees of accuracy and power even at high speeds, in low ambient light or when goods, packages or parcels are matt black or glossy.

SICK says its LMS4000 2D LiDAR Sensor’s “exceptionally high” laser scanning frequency helps to produce more than half a million measurement points per second to calculate the position, shape, volume or surface quality of goods, packages or components over a wide depth of field, and at ranges up to 3 metres. [Read more…] about SICK launches its ‘most powerful and accurate’ 2D LiDAR sensor yet

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