Robotics & Automation News

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Radial selects Covariant to automate e-commerce fulfillment with AI-powered robotics

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E-commerce company Radial, a Belgian Post group company, the leader in e-commerce solutions, has agreed a new partnership with Covariant, an artificial intelligence robotics company, to automate sortation in their batch-picking operations through the installation of 12 Covariant Robotic Putwalls.

The Robotic Putwalls sort a high variety of health and beauty items for one of the world’s leading retailers in Radial’s fulfillment center in Louisville, Kentucky.

The integration of Covariant’s Robotic Putwalls into the existing facility operations delivers more optimal e-commerce fulfillment performance and accuracy – providing high quality, reliable and consistent customer experience for Radial’s clients. [Read more…] about Radial selects Covariant to automate e-commerce fulfillment with AI-powered robotics

Oil and gas drilling contractor Nabors acquires digital twin developer MindMesh

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Oil and gas drilling company Nabors has acquired engineering technology firm, MindMesh. The acquisition includes the downhole simulation and modeling technologies that the MindMesh team has developed.

Additionally, MindMesh co-founder and chief technology officer Raju Gandikota joined Nabors as a Director in the Controls and Automation group.

Plans are in the works to integrate several digital modeling and visualization technologies complementary to Nabors’ Smart Suite of drilling automation and digitalization products. [Read more…] about Oil and gas drilling contractor Nabors acquires digital twin developer MindMesh

Lumotive and Axibo partner to bring lidar to cinematography automation

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Lumotive, the developer of Light Control Metasurface (LCM) beam steering chips enabling the next generation of 3D sensors, and Axibo, a cinema robotics company and the developer of autonomous camera motion control systems, have unveiled Axibo’s Precision eJib – a unique, designed-for-cinema, 6-axis robotic arm with 3D sensing capabilities made possible with Lumotive’s LCM beam steering technology.

The jointly-developed solution gives photographers and videographers unparalleled capabilities such as smart object targeting and tracking, enhanced image stabilization, and ground-breaking new autofocus features, to produce far crisper images and films combined with automated scene capture.

Available initially for professional-grade cameras, and under development for consumer-grade cameras, this revolutionary photography and cinematography automation solution takes advantage of Lumotive’s LCM beam steering chips that deliver best-in-class performance, range, and size in the 3D sensing industry. [Read more…] about Lumotive and Axibo partner to bring lidar to cinematography automation

Nokia and Rohde & Schwarz jointly explore feasibility of drone-based network measurement solution

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Nokia has signed an agreement with network measurement technology provider Rohde & Schwarz to embed QualiPoc 4.9G/LTE and 5G network measurement capabilities into the Nokia Drone Networks platform.

The companies say this is the “first software-embedded solution of its kind” and will expand the use cases for drones to provide communication service providers (CPS), private wireless partners and enterprises with deeper knowledge around their wireless network coverage and performance for more efficient utilisation.

Nokia and Rohde & Schwarz will jointly work on a prototype that integrates mobile network measurement and troubleshooting QualiPoc capabilities using QualiPoc software from Rohde & Schwarz, embedded directly into the Nokia drone, connected to the MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) over the Digital Automated Cloud (DAC). [Read more…] about Nokia and Rohde & Schwarz jointly explore feasibility of drone-based network measurement solution

Why the Automotive Future is Electric

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With the global automotive market shifting towards electrification at an unprecedented rate, electric cars or EVs are slated to become the next generation of personal transportation.

By 2040, an estimated 40 million units of EVs are expected to hit the roads, essentially replacing the IC engine. Several manufacturers have already shifted their focus on EV platforms and the latest entry into the segment is the Mazda MX-30, the company’s first all-electric offering.

Taking the MX-30 as an example, we can see how far the EV industry has come over the years. Mixing style and practicality with its rear-hinged doors, the 2022 MX-30 is as good as a modern EV can get. [Read more…] about Why the Automotive Future is Electric

ASTM forms new robotics group to develop standards for grasping and manipulation technologies

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ASTM International’s committee on robotics, automation, and autonomous systems (F45) has formed a new subcommittee on grasping and manipulation.

This new subcommittee (F45.05) of ASTM (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) will develop standards that evaluate performance in several major areas of robotic manipulation.

The first three task groups of the committee will develop standards for performance of grasping type end-effectors, mobile manipulators, and robotic assembly systems, covering their use in both fixed and mobile base systems. [Read more…] about ASTM forms new robotics group to develop standards for grasping and manipulation technologies

Celera Motion launches ‘world’s smallest, fastest servo drive’

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Celera Motion, a business unit of Novanta, has launched what it says is “the world’s smallest and fastest servo drive”.

The new Everest S, the latest addition to the popular Everest Series, is about 30 percent smaller than its predecessor, making it the world’s smallest servo drive. It’s also the fastest: The EtherCAT and CANopen versions deliver bus latency reduced to 1 cycle, making Everest S the fastest servo drive on the market today.

The Everest S includes all the best features of other Everest servo drives – plus it now also includes Dual BiSS-C feedback support, a highly sought-after feature. [Read more…] about Celera Motion launches ‘world’s smallest, fastest servo drive’

ICE Cobotics chooses IoT system from T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom

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ICE Cobotics has chosen T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom’s T IoT as its exclusive IoT connectivity solution worldwide to help its customers more easily manage fleets of the company’s floor cleaning robots.

As part of the long-term agreement, T IoT – a comprehensive solution for global IoT connectivity, platform management and support – will deliver cellular connectivity to more than 7,500 new and existing ICE Cobotics intelligent and autonomous cleaning units across the world.

This includes their newest product, Cobi 18, a compact autonomous floor scrubber which is designed to clean 5,000 to 7,000 square feet per hour, starting at less than $20 a day. [Read more…] about ICE Cobotics chooses IoT system from T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom

Liminal launches automated system for battery inspection in manufacturing

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Liminal, a specialist in electric vehicle battery manufacturing intelligence, has launched its EchoStat platform, a fully-automated commercial-ready manufacturing inspection solution based on ultrasound and machine learning.

Scheduled to be fully operational in 2023, this in-process inspection innovation is a groundbreaking, critical advancement toward helping EV battery manufacturers achieve the accelerated production ramp rates and cost reduction required to catalyze EV adoption at scale.

EchoStat’s core technology has been validated across 50 different cell types by six EV OEMs and seven cell manufacturers.

Anders Thor, director of communications at Northvolt, says: “We see potential in the automated EchoStat platform, enabling in-process control of saturation quality and prediction of cell performance and cycle life. The in-line inspection solution provides opportunities to improve manufacturing efficiency, saving resource, cost and time.” [Read more…] about Liminal launches automated system for battery inspection in manufacturing

MicroVision’s lidar solution now supported on Nvidia’s autonomous vehicle platform

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MicroVision, a maker of MEMS-based solid-state automotive lidar and advanced driver-assistance systems, says its Mavin DR dynamic view lidar system is now supported on the Nvidia Drive AGX platform.

Mavin DR, MicroVision’s lidar sensor featuring a dynamic field of view, delivers high resolution at all ranges and with low latency, enabling new ADAS safety features to achieve true highway-pilot functionality that OEMs demand.

Nvidia Drive AGX is a scalable, open, centralized software-defined compute platform that serves as the AI brain for highly automated and fully self-driving vehicles. [Read more…] about MicroVision’s lidar solution now supported on Nvidia’s autonomous vehicle platform