Robotics & Automation News

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Startup company Foamplant launches ‘world’s first sustainable foam’

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A startup company called Foamplant, based in the Netherlands, is launching what it claims is “the world’s first and only fully circular, sustainable open cell foam”.

Branded “Moorefoam”, the product will be officially launched at Foam Expo Europe (8-10 November, Stuttgart, Germany).

Patented Moorefoam technology enables circular production in the bedding, furniture, automotive and avionics sectors, says the company. Moorefoam is available to order now, with initial deliveries in mid-April 2023. [Read more…] about Startup company Foamplant launches ‘world’s first sustainable foam’

Attabotics introduces new robot to ‘increase warehouse efficiency’

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Attabotics, which describes itself as “the world’s first 3D robotics supply chain system for modern commerce”, has unveiled its Attabot 2022, the first commercialized version of its proprietary robot.

Built stronger and smarter than its predecessor, the Attabot 2022 boasts a simplified mechatronic design that reduces operational costs while increasing the efficiency of automated picking and packing of goods.

Beginning customer operations in August 2022, the Attabot 2022 is equipped with a flexible payload to accommodate larger bins up to 16” tall at 100 lb – an increase of 25 percent from Attabotics’ previous robot release. [Read more…] about Attabotics introduces new robot to ‘increase warehouse efficiency’

Plus One Robotics’ parcel handling solutions surpass 500 million picks

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of a parcel handling robotics platform claiming to performing over 1 million parcel picks each day in production, says its platform has reached over half a billion parcel picks globally. 

The company says the 500 million figure is “currently an industry leading metric”.

Erik Nieves, Plus One Robotics’ CEO and founder, says: “Our north star will always be to increase our customers’ total picks per day. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics’ parcel handling solutions surpass 500 million picks

Vecna Robotics unveils ‘major software release’

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Vecna Robotics, a specialist in material handling automation solutions, has unveiled what it describes as “a major software release and hardware upgrades” to its AFL-class autonomous forklift.

The new capabilities expand the company’s reach within warehouse and factory floors by optimizing material transport between other machinery and equipment, with specific focus on low-lift workflows.

The update supports numerous above-ground workflows including: inbound staging to AS/RS induction; delivering materials to ergonomic lift stands for work-in-process flows; and loading and extracting from robotic palletizers and stretch wrappers. [Read more…] about Vecna Robotics unveils ‘major software release’

Study Shows US Drivers Believe Partially Automated Vehicles Are Fully Self-Driving

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US drivers may be treating their partially-autonomous vehicles as fully self-driving, according to a new study.

Research shows that owners of advanced systems, such as General Motors’ Super Cruise or Tesla’s Autopilot, believe that these technologies have more capabilities than they actually do.

Academics are concerned that such findings could lead to more unnecessary collisions in the future. [Read more…] about Study Shows US Drivers Believe Partially Automated Vehicles Are Fully Self-Driving

ABB survey reveals re-industrialization ‘at risk’ from global education gap in automation

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A global ABB survey has revealed a growing trend in US and European businesses towards re-shoring or nearshoring operations to build resilience in the face of global challenges – but at the same time, a significant education gap in the skills necessary for these strategies to succeed.

Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics and Discrete Automation Business, says: “The world is constantly evolving – businesses are shifting existing structures and adopting new technologies to future-proof their operations for a variety of challenges and uncertainties, with robotic automation playing a key role.

“We need significant investment in continuous education to prepare our existing and future workforce to thrive in an age of robotics and automation, important not only to prepare for the widespread shifts we are seeing, but to create prosperous societies going forward.” [Read more…] about ABB survey reveals re-industrialization ‘at risk’ from global education gap in automation

Global spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment forecast to reach ‘all-time high’ of almost $100 billion in 2022

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Global fabrication equipment spending for front-end facilities is expected to increase approximately 9 percent year-over-year to a new “all-time high” of $99 billion in 2022, according to SEMI.

The industry association revealed its prediction in its latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report. The report also shows the global fab equipment industry increasing capacity this year and again in 2023.

Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO, says: “After achieving a record level in 2022, the global fab equipment market is projected to remain healthy next year driven by new fabs and upgrade activity.” [Read more…] about Global spending on semiconductor fabrication equipment forecast to reach ‘all-time high’ of almost $100 billion in 2022

Generation gap is ‘leading cause’ of labor shortage in warehouses, says Berkshire Grey report

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The majority of chief supply chain officers say that the generation gap is “leading cause of the labor shortage in warehouses”, according to research conducted by Berkshire Grey.

Berkshire Grey, a developer of robotic solutions that automate supply chain processes, made the revelation in its 2022 State of Retail & eCommerce Fulfillment Report.

The research, conducted in partnership with Hanover Research, surveyed chief supply chain officers at retail and ecommerce businesses on topics including labor issues, costs, pain points, automation and predicted areas of industry growth to uncover how organizations are meeting increasing consumer demands in today’s always-on retail world. [Read more…] about Generation gap is ‘leading cause’ of labor shortage in warehouses, says Berkshire Grey report

Lenovo unveils foldable tablet computer

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Lenovo has unveiled a foldable tablet computer, the likes of which have so far only been seen in science fiction.

Lenovo says its next-generation ThinkPad X1 Fold “redefines the foldable PC category” that the company claims to have created in 2020.

The new ThinkPad X1 Fold is designed to offer full PC performance with a larger screen area, while maintaining the ultra-portability that the original ground-breaking device offered. [Read more…] about Lenovo unveils foldable tablet computer

DuPont commits to using renewable energy across all its global operations

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Industrial giant DuPont, which specializes in developing novel materials such as Kevlar, says it is committed to using renewable energy across all its operations worldwide.

As a step towards that goal, DuPont has joined RE100, a global environmental initiative led by the Climate Group in partnership with CDP, which brings together companies committed to shifting the electricity used globally in its operations to 100 percent renewable energy.

Joining RE100 underscores DuPont’s commitment to its global Acting on Climate sustainability goal, which aims to source at least 60 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. DuPont is also committing to address market and policy barriers to sourcing renewables alongside member companies. [Read more…] about DuPont commits to using renewable energy across all its global operations