Robotics & Automation News

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Opinion: How to double up grocery logistics productivity with autonomous mobile robots

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With growing labour availability issues, how can grocery logistics operations significantly boost performance? Vincent Jacquemart, CEO at French autonomous mobile robot designer and manufacturer iFollow, offers a solution.

Faced with the likelihood of long term staff shortages and resulting rises in pay rates, warehouse and distribution centre operators in grocery and many other sectors are turning sometimes belatedly to automation. This is certainly an option but not all solutions deliver really significant productivity improvements.

Labour shortages in logistics have been building for some years, by no means just because of Brexit, and the inability to fulfil orders reliably is becoming an existential threat for many firms.

Logistics UK in October claimed that “13 percent of traders are reporting severe warehouse staff shortages”; in November the Cold Chain Federation noted “10 percent to 20 percent shortage rates” among its members. [Read more…] about Opinion: How to double up grocery logistics productivity with autonomous mobile robots

Brain Corp launches mobile app to manage autonomous robot fleets

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Brain Corp, a developer of software for mobile cleaning robots, has launched BrainOS Mobile, a mobile application connecting operators and managers directly with their BrainOS-powered robotic fleets and providing real-time visibility on machine locations, status and performance.

Josh Baylin, vice president of product and marketing at Brain Corp, says: “Our BrainOS Mobile app represents an exciting new step in our company’s goal to make working with advanced robotics incredibly simple and to provide critical insights to our customers.”

“We’re now able to provide operators a more seamless way to interact with their robotic teammates and for managers to oversee their automated operations from almost anywhere, which leads to better operational experiences and performance.” [Read more…] about Brain Corp launches mobile app to manage autonomous robot fleets

Comau unveils new software for ‘easy programming of complex robotic applications’

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Comau has unveiled what it describes as a “powerful software program” based on artificial intelligence algorithms that makes man-machine communication easier while optimizing industrial operations.

The industrial automation company says its MI.RA/Dexter reflects Comau’s “commitment to simplified automation”.

MI.RA/Dexter is a metalanguage that makes aims to make robotics more accessible for companies of all sizes by translating human language syntax into robot syntax. [Read more…] about Comau unveils new software for ‘easy programming of complex robotic applications’

Stanley Engineered Fastening achieves automated quality inspection with Universal Robots

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Universal Robots, the world’s leading collaborative robot provider, says Stanley Engineered Fastening has successfully introduced robotic quality inspection using its collaborative robots.

15 UR3e cobots act as key components in its brand-new cells for Breakstem autonomous manufacture which have reduced product costs by approximately 10 percent and shortened lead times by up to 70 percent.

They are producing approximately 350 million fasteners per annum from across the company’s product range. [Read more…] about Stanley Engineered Fastening achieves automated quality inspection with Universal Robots

PickNik Robotics releases beta version of MoveIt Studio

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PickNik Robotics, a robotics software and engineering services company which has won a contract with NASA, has released additional details about its MoveIt Studio software platform and the made the beta version of the product available.

PickNik says MoveIt Studio provides “state-of-the-art motion planning software” with an intuitive user interface that now makes it easy for robot operators to remotely manage complex robotic arms that require supervised autonomy.

In space missions, for example, robotic arms are used to repair satellites and augment astronauts inside space stations, and will also be used to build the future Moon base. [Read more…] about PickNik Robotics releases beta version of MoveIt Studio

New Honeywell warehouse automation technology allows sites to maximize storage and increase order fulfillment

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Honeywell has launched its latest solution in intelligent automated handling designed to help warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing sites receive, process and fill orders faster and more accurately while potentially reducing storage footprint.

Honeywell’s next-generation Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to allow warehouse and distribution center operators to better keep up with unprecedented ecommerce growth.

Ben Cardwell, president of Honeywell Intelligrated, says: “The rapidly evolving retail market is pushing distribution centers to find and use innovative, flexible and automated approaches to e-commerce order fulfillment. Growing inventories, the rising cost of land and other pressures are pushing operations to make the most efficient use of available space. [Read more…] about New Honeywell warehouse automation technology allows sites to maximize storage and increase order fulfillment

Fuzzy Logic Robotics raises €2.5 million to ‘put robots in the hands of operators’

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The Franco-American start-up Fuzzy Logic Robotics announces a €2.5 million seed round of financing from two European “deeptech” funds: 42CAP, an industry-specialized German fund based in Munich, and Karista (via the Paris Region Venture Fund), an early-stage VC firm based in Paris.

Fuzzy Logic, which originated in the French start-up ecosystem (Agoranov and Wilco), is developing an “all-in-one” software platform that dramatically simplifies every step of robotization, from robotic cell design to daily reprogramming in the factory by operators.

It reproduces a virtual environment in which the robot in the factory can be controlled “on the fly” and as simply as a video game. [Read more…] about Fuzzy Logic Robotics raises €2.5 million to ‘put robots in the hands of operators’

Revenues from robotics in warehouses to exceed $51 billion by 2030

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The warehousing industry has ramped up its automation efforts considering the increased order volume and labor shortages fueled by the pandemic.

In addition to technology solutions such as augmented reality powered smart glasses and handheld devices with enhanced capabilities, autonomous, collaborative, and mobile robots are proving to be the most popular and fastest-growing productivity-enhancing solution in the warehouse workspace.

According to ABI Research, a global tech market advisory firm, worldwide commercial robot revenue in warehouses will have a compounded annual growth rate of over 23 percent from 2021 to 2030 and exceed $51 billion by 2030. [Read more…] about Revenues from robotics in warehouses to exceed $51 billion by 2030

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

Autonomous excavators ready for around the clock real-world application

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Researchers from Baidu Research and the University of Maryland have developed a robotic excavator system that integrates perception, planning, and control capabilities to enable material loading over a long duration with no human intervention

Researchers from Baidu Research Robotics and Auto-Driving Lab (RAL) and the University of Maryland, College Park, have introduced an autonomous excavator system (AES) that can perform material loading tasks for a long duration without any human intervention while offering performance closely equivalent to that of an experienced human operator.

AES is among the world’s first uncrewed excavation systems to have been deployed in real-world scenarios and continuously operating for over 24 hours, bringing about industry-leading benefits in terms of enhanced safety and productivity.

The researchers described their methodology in a research paper published on June 30, 2021, in Science Robotics. [Read more…] about Autonomous excavators ready for around the clock real-world application