Robotics & Automation News

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Toyota, Aurora and Continental to build autonomous vehicles on Nvidia platform

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Toyota, Aurora and Continental have joined the list of mobility technology providers developing and building their consumer and commercial vehicle fleets on chipmaker Nvidia’s accelerated computing and AI platforms.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, will build its next-generation vehicles on Nvidia Drive AGX Orin, running the safety-certified Nvidia DriveOS operating system. These vehicles will offer functionally safe, advanced driving assistance capabilities.

The majority of today’s auto manufacturers, truckmakers, robotaxi, and autonomous delivery vehicle companies, tier-one suppliers and mobility startups are developing on Nvidia Drive AGX platform and technologies. [Read more…] about Toyota, Aurora and Continental to build autonomous vehicles on Nvidia platform

DB Schenker installs remote-controlled forklifts at logistics facility

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Forklifts are now being operated remotely at DB Schenker’s contract logistics site in Kassel, Germany. The drivers control the vehicles from a distance. With a remote driving setup, drivers are connected to several different vehicles at different locations via the enabl platform.

Lucas Mömken, vice president global engineering and innovation in contract logistics, DB Schenker: “The collaboration with enabl allows us to react flexibly to fluctuations in demand and automate our processes to increase productivity.

“We see this partnership as a valuable addition to our CL digitalization strategy, which will help us to secure our competitiveness in the long term.” [Read more…] about DB Schenker installs remote-controlled forklifts at logistics facility

C-Hawk Technology launches robotic plastic welding platform for semiconductor equipment manufacturing

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C-Hawk Technology, a maker of manufacturing of components, assemblies and processes for the semiconductor and healthcare industries, has unveiled its new patent-pending “Roberto” platform.

The company describes the platform as “an integrated robotics system that automates plastic welding and sets new benchmarks for quality, precision, scalability and safety in manufacturing for plastic welded assemblies and subassemblies”.

Early performance data shows that Roberto outperforms manual welding with a 25 percent increase in production speed and product consistency, a 30 percent improvement in output efficiency and a 50 percent decrease in error rates. [Read more…] about C-Hawk Technology launches robotic plastic welding platform for semiconductor equipment manufacturing

Brain Corp’s autonomous robot fleet reaches ‘250 billion square feet milestone’

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Brain Corp, a developer of software for robots, says its fleet of over 37,000 autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), powered by the BrainOS Robotics Platform, has now “autonomously covered more than 250 billion square feet of space globally”.

The vast majority of the robots which use BrainOS are industrial or commercial large floor cleaning machines (see main image), manufactured by other companies, such as Tennant and and SoftBank Robotics.

Brain Corp says the new milestone emphasizes the “global trend towards automation” as industries around the world increasingly move to intelligent robotic solutions to optimize operations and address rising workforce challenges. [Read more…] about Brain Corp’s autonomous robot fleet reaches ‘250 billion square feet milestone’

How Automation Can Improve Your Business

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Getting the best from your business in the modern era is often a matter of knowing when to automate. There are certain processes and tasks that demand human attention – but then there are other (usually more mundane) tasks, that can be performed fairly mindlessly by machines.

Thanks to the advent of artificial intelligence, however, it’s become difficult to see where the line should be drawn. Here, let’s take a closer look at what automation can do for you, and where it might be appropriate to use it. [Read more…] about How Automation Can Improve Your Business

Streamlining Supply Chain Automation with Integration Platforms

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Supply chain management has evolved in complexity in today’s fast changing technology environment. The need for flawless integration of several systems has grown as businesses try to meet the demand for faster, more effective procedures.

Here is where Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) plays a transformative role. iPaaS helps companies to automate their supply chain operations by connecting robotic systems, ERP software, and logistics platforms, thus improving efficiency and lowering operational expenses. [Read more…] about Streamlining Supply Chain Automation with Integration Platforms

Alphabet’s Intrinsic looking to integrate more closely with ROS

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Intrinsic – a business unit of Alphabet, the parent company of Google – has been exploring ways to bring the Intrinsic platform “closer together” with Robot Operating System (ROS).

From humble beginnings 17 years ago, ROS has grown to become the “backbone of all kinds of robotics products and projects around the world”, according to Intrinsic.

The open source community has long been at the edge of pushing for greater interoperability in robotics, with ROS playing a “critical role” in many of these advances. [Read more…] about Alphabet’s Intrinsic looking to integrate more closely with ROS

Clearpath Robotics launches new version of Husky mobile robot

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Clearpath Robotics a global leader in autonomous mobile robots for research and development, has launched Husky A300, the next-generation version of its flagship rugged mobile robotic platform.

Clearpath, which is part of Rockwell Automation, says the new robot offers “superior performance, durability, and flexibility, empowering robotics researchers and innovators to tackle the most complex challenges in demanding environments”.

With key improvements in speed, weather resistance, payload capacity and runtime, Husky A300 is “poised to redefine the possibilities” for robotics research and development, driving forward the next generation of groundbreaking discoveries and applications, adds Clearpath. [Read more…] about Clearpath Robotics launches new version of Husky mobile robot

Promwad partners with Hilscher to develop ‘universal’ industrial communications platform

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Promwad, an electronics design house based in Germany, has collaborated with Hilscher, a technology and solution provider in industrial communication, to develop a pioneering universal robotics platform that addresses a critical problem faced by industrial robotics manufacturers using popular robotics platforms from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and other tech vendors.

The new platform, powered by the Hilscher netX communication controller, supports EtherCAT, PROFINET, and EtherNet/IP protocols and enables manufacturers to seamlessly integrate popular modules and ready-made servo drives with a wide range of industrial and consumer robots without the need for additional solutions, which the industrial robotics manufacturers face today.

The issue of integrating Nvidia Jetson, Nvidia Orin, or Qualcomm RB5 platforms into the existing industrial networks and components stems from the need for supplementary integration solutions to bridge the compatibility gaps. The problem leads to additional costs on hardware and complex software development, as well as a potentially diminished performance of the final robotic solution.

[Read more…] about Promwad partners with Hilscher to develop ‘universal’ industrial communications platform

Caracol to debut ‘groundbreaking’ robotic large-format additive manufacturing platform at IMTS

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Caracol will use IMTS to demonstrate how manufacturers can produce industrial large-scale 3D printed parts with more efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability, thanks to its advanced technology.

Via live on-booth 3D printing with its partner, Kuka, (booth #236807, West Hall), visitors will be able to get an up-close look at the capabilities of LFAM via Caracol’s innovative flagship Heron AM integrated AM platform.

This modular hardware-software robotic system works on 6+ axes to enable manufacturers in key sectors like aerospace, automotive, energy and maritime, to produce thermoplastic composite parts with very complex geometries and with no scale or shape limits. [Read more…] about Caracol to debut ‘groundbreaking’ robotic large-format additive manufacturing platform at IMTS