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Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

December 4, 2019 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

It’s getting close to Christmas and that means it’s time for e-commerce fulfillment managers to start getting worried about the availability of labor for the holiday season.

According to a recent article in Supply Chain Dive, “this year’s peak season promises additional challenges in recruiting new hires as the pool of available labor shrinks”.

As the article points out, the US unemployment rate hit a 50-year low in September 2019. [Read more…] about Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

Automation and digitalization will re-shape the logistics industry, says DHL

December 4, 2019 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

DHL, the world’s largest logistics company, has highlighted technologies such as robotics and digitalisation in a new strategy, which it unveiled at its Bering Technology Campus – or “Smart Warehouse” – in the Netherlands.

“Automation and digitalization will re-shape the logistics industry”, says DHL, and these technologies are central to the company’s Strategy 2025, launched by Oscar de Bok, CEO DHL Supply Chain last week amid ever-greater challenges facing the logistics industry.

DHL Supply Chain already runs one of its Smart Warehouses and serves customers across Europe with “highly automated and digitalized” contract logistics solutions. [Read more…] about Automation and digitalization will re-shape the logistics industry, says DHL

ZF joins Mobility as a Service Alliance group

November 15, 2019 by Sam Francis Leave a Comment

The automotive components and systems supplier ZF has become the first major automotive supplier to participate in the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance.

The objective of this special interest group that spans Europe is to bring about a paradigm shift in urban mobility, promote networked mobility concepts, and create uniform standards for technologies and legislation.

ZF says traffic jams, lack of parking, and air pollution mean that better mobility concepts are needed to avert the threat of complete gridlock in many city centers. [Read more…] about ZF joins Mobility as a Service Alliance group

Helping robots and humans work hand in hand

October 22, 2019 by David Edwards

As the internet-connected world continues to transform the manufacturing and logistics industry, Technische Universität Dortmund is leading the way in research into human-robot interaction.

With the help of Vicon’s cutting-edge motion capture and VR solutions, the University is developing innovative ways to approach the coexistence of drones and robots with people in warehouse environments.

The manufacturing and logistics sector faces a major challenge: how best to serve the ever-growing e-commerce market – with increasingly small-scale shipments and shorter delivery deadlines – in a cost-effective and sustainable way. [Read more…] about Helping robots and humans work hand in hand

Cornell scientists develop new material to give robots more sensitive touch

September 12, 2019 by David Edwards

A new synthetic material created by a scientist at Cornell University is said to give robots a “softer touch”.

Developed by PhD student Patricia Xu, at Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab, the “sensory network” – also dubbed “optical lace” – is said to be similar to the human biological nervous system.

The lab’s paper, Optical Lace for Synthetic Afferent Neural Networks, was published in Science Robotics. [Read more…] about Cornell scientists develop new material to give robots more sensitive touch

Indian government to replace sewage workers with robots by 2020

September 11, 2019 by Mai Tao

An Indian company called GenRobotics has developed a range of robots to undertake work down manholes and in sewage environments, and has been receiving orders from a number of states in its home country as well as many places abroad.

GenRobotics was launched in relatively quiet circumstances in 2015, but then, last year, the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, was in attendance at the launch of the company’s second-generation robots.

Malaysia and the UAE are among the outside nations from which orders have been received for GenRobotics machines, and they join Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, in the south, and Haryana, in the north of the massive country of more than 1 billion people. [Read more…] about Indian government to replace sewage workers with robots by 2020

The Future of Auto Transportation

September 11, 2019 by Liv

We live in a world of automation. Our worlds are in the palm of our hands, thanks to mobile technology. We have more access to everything, faster, and drones are already delivering parcels. Self-driving cars are fast approaching the next stage after experimentation.

But what does this mean for the future of the auto transportation industry?

Freight demand continues to grow, placing significant strain on freeways. In fact, the Department of Transport estimates that “… by 2040, nearly 30,000 miles of our busiest highways will be clogged on a daily basis. Truck congestion will waste $27 billion in time and fuel economy annually”. [Read more…] about The Future of Auto Transportation

Want to know how safe your warehouse job is? There’s an app for that

August 20, 2019 by David Edwards

In 2017 there were nearly 350,000 incidents of workers taking sick leave due to injuries affecting muscles, nerves, ligaments or tendons – like carpal tunnel syndrome – according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among the workers with the highest number of incidents: people who work in factories and warehouses.

Musculoskeletal disorders happen at work when people use awkward postures or perform repeated tasks. These behaviors generate strain on the body over time. So it’s important to point out and minimize risky behaviors to keep workers healthy on the job. [Read more…] about Want to know how safe your warehouse job is? There’s an app for that

Columbia university demonstrates robotic cane to ‘improve stability in walking’

August 8, 2019 by David Edwards

Columbia University has demonstrated a robotic cane which it claims can “improve stability in walking”.

The developers say the device acts as a cane-like mobile assistant to provide “light-touch” operation to help the elderly and others with impaired mobility.

By adding electronics and computation technology to a simple cane that has been around since ancient times, a team of researchers at Columbia Engineering have transformed it into a 21st-century robotic device that can provide light-touch assistance in walking to the aged and others with impaired mobility. [Read more…] about Columbia university demonstrates robotic cane to ‘improve stability in walking’

Toyota robots to help at Tokyo 2020 Olympics

August 2, 2019 by Anna

Toyota Motor Corporation, as a worldwide partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, aims to provide mobility solutions that go beyond providing official vehicles for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

One way Toyota is doing this is by participating in the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project, led by the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, that brings the government, Tokyo Metropolitan government, as well as Games’ partners together with experts in the field of robotics.

At Tokyo 2020, the robots to be introduced by Toyota will be used to support the mobility of people at various locations and venues.