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Mitsubishi and Shin Nihonkai Ferry to develop unmanned ship navigation system

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Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, is collaborating with Shin Nihonkai Ferry to jointly develop autonomous ships.

The two companies have successfully applied for grant aid under the Joint Technological Development Programme for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ships, sponsored by The Nippon Foundation.

With this support, the two companies say they will commence co-development of underlying technologies and systems to enable unmanned ship navigation in the future. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi and Shin Nihonkai Ferry to develop unmanned ship navigation system

Epiroc orders 77 giant autonomous mining truck systems from ASI

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Autonomous Solutions Inc has signed a subcontract with mining equipment manufacturer Epiroc to supply its autonomous haul truck solution to Roy Hill in Western Australia.

This signing follows the recent award by Roy Hill to Epiroc, a global leader in mining equipment and drill automation, as the prime contractor for the project.

For its part, ASI Mining will supply the technology and systems to convert Roy Hill’s mixed fleet of 77 haul trucks from manned to autonomous operation. The project also includes integration with Fleet and other Mining Management Systems. [Read more…] about Epiroc orders 77 giant autonomous mining truck systems from ASI

RE2 Robotics receives $2.5 million from US Navy to develop manipulation system

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RE2 Robotics, a developer of human-like robotic manipulation systems, has received $2.5 million in funding from the Office of Naval Research to continue the development and commercialization of its technology under the Dexterous Maritime Manipulation System (DM2S) program.

RE2’s DM2S technology will provide Navy personnel with the ability to autonomously perform mine countermeasure (MCM) missions.

In this next phase of the program, RE2 will upgrade its dual-arm prototype, known as the Maritime Dexterous Manipulation System (MDMS), for deep ocean use; apply computer vision and machine-learning algorithms to enable autonomous manipulation capabilities; and integrate with underwater vehicles that can autonomously navigate. [Read more…] about RE2 Robotics receives $2.5 million from US Navy to develop manipulation system

Interview: Startup Reflect developing new solution to ‘a real industrial problem’

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Interview with George Papanikolopoulos, CEO of CASP, which is developing a software solution to what he describes as ‘a real industrial problem’

Reflect is one of the experiments that successfully passed to Phase II of the first Open Call in ESMERA, the EU agency that has a multimillion-euro budget to help robotic startups. 

Being one of the 12 experiments that started in ESMERA in the summer of 2019, Reflect proved its concept to external evaluators and has been selected as one of the currently five final experiments in Phase II. [Read more…] about Interview: Startup Reflect developing new solution to ‘a real industrial problem’

ESMERA releases list of 20 new robotics projects in line to receive €75,000 each

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ESMERA, the EU-funded program to develop the European robotics sector, has released a list of 20 new “experiments” that will receive support from the organisation.

The 20 new experiments started within the ESMERA project as of May 1st, 2020. The word “ESMERA” is short for European SMEs Robotic Applications.

Within the project’s second Open Call, which ended in December 2019, 69 applications were registered, all proposing to solve either a pre-defined robotics challenge or bringing with them their own challenge provider and challenge. [Read more…] about ESMERA releases list of 20 new robotics projects in line to receive €75,000 each

nTopology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop additive manufacturing technologies

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nTopology has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to advance the capabilities of additive manufacturing through integrated software toolkits and embed ORNL expertise into nTop software.

The plan is for these capabilities to be made available commercially to the broader advanced-manufacturing market.

The collaboration incorporates foundational nTopology software with ORNL-developed machine control capabilities on large-scale polymer additive manufacturing systems. [Read more…] about nTopology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory partner to develop additive manufacturing technologies

Five robotic technology innovations move to final phase of Esmera competition

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Five robotic technology experiments have moved into the final phase of a competition run by Esmera, the European Union-funded project set up to develop innovative technologies.

The five entrants are:

  • Nix;
  • Minotaur-R (energy sector);
  • Reflect;
  • Wire Cobots (manufacturing); and
  • Cobolleague (construction).

They have all been selected to move into the second phase of Esmera, which is an abbreviation of European SMEs Robotic Applications. [Read more…] about Five robotic technology innovations move to final phase of Esmera competition

ESMERA opens €200,000 competition to fund small businesses developing robotics solutions

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The EU funded robotics project ESMERA – the European SMEs Robotics Applications – has opened its second open call to help fund small businesses developing robotic solutions for enterprise applications.

Within that call, industrial end-users have defined specific challenges that are to be solved by introducing a robotics solution.

The challenges come from the areas of manufacturing, energy, construction, agriculture, food processing, retail, healthcare and emergency response. [Read more…] about ESMERA opens €200,000 competition to fund small businesses developing robotics solutions

Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robot

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Lufthansa Technik has been showing off what it claims is the world’s first airplane cockpit panel testing robot, which it calls “RoCCET”.

RoCCET checks the functionality of LED lights and switches, says Lufthansa Technik, which is part of the Lufthansa Group.

The Robot-based procedure is currently in the integration phase.

[Read more…] about Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robot

Challengers in Esmera robotics competition in line to receive €200k each

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In the context of the European robotics project Esmera, 12 experiments have now started to solve industry challenges by developing new robotics solutions.

The Esmera consortium has chosen the best twelve experiments from 32 proposals that were handed in during the first Open Call in 2018.

The solution design by the experiments will be carried out in two competitive phases.

[Read more…] about Challengers in Esmera robotics competition in line to receive €200k each