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Swisslog brings supply chain automation to vertical farming

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Swisslog, a provider of warehouse automation systems, is making a push into the vertical farming market and has demonstrated newly built technologies specifically designed for the sector. 

The company says its automation systems can bring scalability, flexibility and lower costs to vertical farming, allowing them to be installed and maintained in a wide range of pre-existing and purpose-built spaces.

These systems help broaden the applicability of growing crops and bring food production closer to consumers in densely populated urban areas. [Read more…] about Swisslog brings supply chain automation to vertical farming

Startup company building autonomous trucks on Nvidia platform already has ‘more than 10,000 pre-orders’

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The autonomous trucking industry is about to get what is described by Nvidia as “a major new addition”.

Self-driving truck company Plus announced that its upcoming autonomous vehicle platform will be built on Nvidia Drive Orin.

This software-defined system will “continuously improve upon the safety and efficiency of the delivery and logistics industry with high-performance compute and AI algorithms that can be updated over the air”, says Nvidia. [Read more…] about Startup company building autonomous trucks on Nvidia platform already has ‘more than 10,000 pre-orders’

SafeLog launches warehouse robots that can operate individually or in a ‘swarm’

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SafeLog has launched warehouse robots that can operate individually or in a “swarm”, and says it offers customised automated guided vehicle solutions that have no need for a control station connection.

The company adds that the latest model of the SafeLog AGV L1 lifts loads of up to 1500 kg.

At present, many processes and systems for internal transport tasks in both, production and intralogistics are in a state of upheaval. [Read more…] about SafeLog launches warehouse robots that can operate individually or in a ‘swarm’

Toyota demonstrates autonomous shuttle for ‘mobility as a service’ applications

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Toyota Motor has unveiled an operations management system to support the providing of services that will enable practical use of the e-Palette, the Japanese auto giant’s battery-electric vehicle for autonomous mobility as a service (Autono-MaaS) applications. (See video below.)

In collaboration with a range of partners, Toyota is also planning to operate the vehicles in Woven City, a fully connected prototype city, while targeting commercial use in multiple areas and regions in the early 2020s.

When announcing his goal to transition Toyota to a mobility company at the January 2018 CES, Toyota president Akio Toyoda also announced the e-Palette as a symbol of mobility that goes beyond cars to provide customers services and new value. [Read more…] about Toyota demonstrates autonomous shuttle for ‘mobility as a service’ applications

Kuka unveils robotics for modern treatment of tumors

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A Munich therapy center uses a medical product with an integrated Kuka robot as a high-precision instrument in tumor treatment.

The CyberKnife system of Accuray, a kind of virtual knife, is an alternative to conventional radiotherapy.

Thanks to high-precision robot- and image-guided irradiation, the CyberKnife Center in Munich is able to treat tumors anywhere in the body – from the brain to the spinal column to various organs, such as the lungs, liver, kidneys or prostate. [Read more…] about Kuka unveils robotics for modern treatment of tumors

Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

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Autonomous electric truck maker Einride says the next generation of its groundbreaking “Pods” will use the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin autonomous vehicle computing platform to handle high-speed, unmanned operations.

Pär Degerman, CTO of Einride, says: “Safety and functionality in autonomous drive are achieved in two ways: diversity and redundancy.

“To capture and account for the diversity in a myriad of operational scenarios, and to develop the redundancy necessary to improve functionality, we need the most advanced processors possible, and that’s where Nvidia Orin comes in.” [Read more…] about Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

Autonomous local public transport introduced in southern Germany

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Autonomous local public transport is being introduced in southern Germany through a research project funded with €7 million.

The RABus project is one of the implemented measures of the strategic goals for automated and networked mobility in the southern German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Winfried Hermann, Minister of Transport of Baden-Wuerttemberg, handed over the notice of funding in the amount of €7 million to the RABus consortium. [Read more…] about Autonomous local public transport introduced in southern Germany

Fanuc and Plus One Robotics develop automation solutions for e-commerce fulfillment

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Fanuc America, the world’s largest industrial robotics company, is partnering with Plus One Robotics, a machine vision specialist, to combine their technologies to meet the needs of their mutual customers in e-commerce.

The new flexible fulfillment solution incorporates a Fanuc robot and Plus One’s artificial intelligence-powered PickOne perception system to identify, singulate, and sort a wide range of conveyable items without the need for traditional vision training.

Powered by AI, the system can adapt to variations in product material, size and shape, as well as intermixed, random delivery. [Read more…] about Fanuc and Plus One Robotics develop automation solutions for e-commerce fulfillment

Trumpf enters the world of automated arc welding

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Industrial machine tools company Trumpf has released its first automated arc welding system. The TruArc Weld 1000 comes with a collaborative robot, also known as a “cobot”. After the operator has manually guided it over a component, the cobot then automatically carries out the weld.

It is significantly more efficient than would be possible manually. With the new system, Trumpf says it is responding to the increasing lack of skilled workers and helps fabricators get started with automated welding. CE-compliant and approved by TÜV Austria, the TruArc Weld 1000 “meets the very highest safety standards”. [Read more…] about Trumpf enters the world of automated arc welding

The Five Things You Must Know Before Bringing AMRs into Your Operation

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Webinar title: The five things you must know before bringing AMRs into your operation
Early registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/3016037557865/WN_QDI2ki-VRfGrRZSA5IpqYw

 

AutoGuide is partnering with Robotics and Automation News in their latest webinar. If you are thinking about bringing AMR’s into your operation there are a number of things you should be aware of. AMRs dramatically increase the efficiency and safety of your operation but what do you need to know before bringing them into your enterprise? The experts from AutoGuide will share their knowledge and experience on: [Read more…] about The Five Things You Must Know Before Bringing AMRs into Your Operation