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Sea Machines completes ‘world’s first’ 1,000 nautical mile autonomous voyage

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Sea Machines Robotics​​​​, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for the maritime industry, has completed what is believed to be the world’s first 1,000+ nautical miles autonomous and remotely commanded journey of a commercial vessel at sea.

Under the project name The Machine Odyssey, the autonomous tug Nellie Bly completed its journey in just 129 operational hours over 13 days.

The program was commanded by US Coast Guard-licensed mariners remotely stationed 3,000 miles away in Boston, many of whom are also members of the American Maritime Officers union. [Read more…] about Sea Machines completes ‘world’s first’ 1,000 nautical mile autonomous voyage

Software AG helps automate OEE calculation with new app for Cumulocity IoT

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Software AG has launched an app to automate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) calculation for its Cumulocity IoT platform.

The new app will enable manufacturers of any size to collect and process key data as it’s created and quickly understand production effectiveness.

By monitoring production line availability, performance and quality, organizations can be more responsive to inefficiencies in their operations, enabling them to avert problems and capitalize on opportunities to be more effective. [Read more…] about Software AG helps automate OEE calculation with new app for Cumulocity IoT

Motional invests in its Las Vegas operations with expanded testing and R&D capabilities

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Autonomous vehicle technology developer Motional has further invested in its Las Vegas operations with expanded testing and research and development capabilities.

Las Vegas has played an important role in Motional’s growth as a global driverless technology leader. It’s home to the company’s public robotaxi fleet, a service that has safely conducted over 100,000 public rides, and is also an important hub for its testing and research.

Motional is now significantly expanding its Las Vegas footprint as it continues to scale up ahead of its 2023 commercial robotaxi deployment. The company is tripling the size of its Las Vegas closed-course testing facility, doubling its operations center, and growing its Las Vegas team by over 100 new employees. This represents Motional’s largest operations investment in the Las Vegas area to date. [Read more…] about Motional invests in its Las Vegas operations with expanded testing and R&D capabilities

Honeywell introduces new robotic technology to ‘help warehouses boost productivity, reduce injuries’

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Honeywell has unveiled its latest innovation in robotic technology designed to help warehouses and distribution centers automate the manual process of unloading pallets, reducing the operational risks of potential injuries and labor shortages.

Driven by sophisticated machine learning and advances in perception and gripping technologies, Honeywell’s Smart Flexible Depalletizer minimizes the need for manual labor to break down pallet loads – roles that carry risk of injury to labor, experience high turnover and are currently difficult to staff.

Driven by sophisticated machine learning and advances in perception and gripping technologies, Honeywell’s Smart Flexible Depalletizer minimizes the need for manual labor to break down pallet loads – roles that carry risk of injury to labor, experience high turnover and are currently difficult to staff. [Read more…] about Honeywell introduces new robotic technology to ‘help warehouses boost productivity, reduce injuries’

Berkshire Grey launches ‘Robotic Shuttle Put Wall’

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Berkshire Grey, a provider of robotics and automation systems for supply chain processes, has launched its AI-powered Robotic Shuttle Put Wall (RSPW) solution for e-commerce order fulfillment.

The RSPW is an automated put wall that increases capacity and throughput with robotic automation, which the company says is “more important than ever”, given today’s heightened customer expectations for fast and efficient fulfillment and the parallel industry pressure of labor scarcity.

Kevin Prouty, analyst at IDC, says: “Businesses will continue to see e-commerce orders rise as global e-commerce sales expect to approach $5 trillion by the end of 2021. [Read more…] about Berkshire Grey launches ‘Robotic Shuttle Put Wall’

Fugro partners with Nexxis to operate robots via satellite from SpAARC

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Fugro, in partnership with remote visual inspection, non-destructive testing and robotics company Nexxis, has demonstrated how its remote operations capability can be applied to space through satellite-controlled robots.

The demonstration took place at SpAARC, the Space Automation Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control Complex, in Western Australia.

The Australian Space Agency commissioned Fugro to design, build and operate the world-class SpAARC complex in 2020. [Read more…] about Fugro partners with Nexxis to operate robots via satellite from SpAARC

Ambi Robotics raises $26 million in Series A funding led by Tiger Global

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Ambi Robotics, a developer of AI for highly-dexterous robotics, has closed a $26 million Series A funding round. The investment is led by new investor, Tiger Global Management, and builds on participation from existing investors Bow Capital, Vertex Ventures US and The House Fund.

The new funding comes at a time of significant customer growth and expansions just five months after the company emerged from stealth.

The funding round enables Ambi Robotics to scale the team and operations to support rapid deployments of AI-powered robotic systems throughout US supply chain operations. [Read more…] about Ambi Robotics raises $26 million in Series A funding led by Tiger Global

Sea Machines embarks on ‘world’s first’ autonomous, remotely commanded voyage by an ocean tugboat

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In a milestone moment slated to prove that the world’s waterways are primed and ready for autonomous technology, Sea Machines will circumnavigate Denmark on a multi-week 1,000 nautical mile remotely commanded commercial voyage.

Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for the maritime industry, says it will embark on a 1,000 nautical mile autonomous and remotely commanded journey around Denmark later this month.

Aptly named “The Machine Odyssey”, the voyage marks a landmark moment for autonomous transportation and is slated to prove that the world’s waterways are primed and ready for long-range autonomy.

The Machine Odyssey will depart from Hamburg, Germany, on September 30, with full onboard vessel control managed by autonomous technology, while operating under the authority of commanding officers located in the United States. [Read more…] about Sea Machines embarks on ‘world’s first’ autonomous, remotely commanded voyage by an ocean tugboat

Geek+ and FDL implement robotic e-commerce operations for Athinaiki

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Geek+, a manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, has installed smart sorting robots in the warehouse of Athinaiki, a logistics and transport service provider specializing in last-mile delivery in Greece.

The solution was implemented in partnership with FDL Group, a leading integrator for supply chain solutions and the exclusive distributor of Geek+ AMR solutions in Greece and Cyprus. It marks the company’s second project in the region.

Jackson Zhang, VP of Geek+ Europe, says: “We are very excited to see our sorting robots provide Athinaiki with the speed and accuracy needed for excellent last-mile delivery services. With Geek+ and FDL, intelligent automation is easily accessible to Greek companies.” [Read more…] about Geek+ and FDL implement robotic e-commerce operations for Athinaiki

ABB launches ‘FlexBuffer’ robotic work cell for e-commerce supply chain operations

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ABB is responding to the growing consumer demand for choice and fast delivery with the launch of its FlexBuffer application cell.

FlexBuffer brings new levels of flexibility for logistics, food and beverage, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, restaurants and retailers, offering a highly adaptable multi-functional solution for handling a variety of tasks such as sequencing, buffering, storage and order consolidation.

Marc Segura, group senior vice president managing director consumer segments and service robotics at ABB, says: “The constantly changing nature of today’s consumer landscape and the explosion of e-commerce is challenging the conventional systems used for processing and delivering orders. [Read more…] about ABB launches ‘FlexBuffer’ robotic work cell for e-commerce supply chain operations