Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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How robotics is helping those with disabilities

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Government statistics show that 14.1 million people reported a disability in the UK in 2018-19 – a figure that equates to 21% of the population. Of course, disabilities can range in severity and further data from the authorities reveals 4.1 million disabled people are in work.

Although that represents almost 30% of all disabled people, Scope’s 2019 disability price tag study found that on average, those with a disability face extra living costs of nearly £600 per month.

The encouraging news is that plenty is being done to improve the quality of life for disabled people, to help them enjoy the sense of freedom and independence that more able members of the population may take for granted. [Read more…] about How robotics is helping those with disabilities

Ensenso 3D stereo camera system imitates human vision to make robotic inspection cells faster and more accurate

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The new Ensenso 3D stereo industrial camera system “imitates human vision” to make robotic inspection cells “faster and more accurate”, according to Imaging Development Systems (IDS).

Each Ensenso camera system contains two 2D IDS cameras to view the scene from different positions, similar to the way human eyes work, with artificial intelligence processing the data, rather like the human brain does.

“Special matching algorithms compare the two images, search for corresponding points and visualize all point displacements in a disparity map,” explains IDS. “This is then used to calculate depth information for the resulting point cloud.” [Read more…] about Ensenso 3D stereo camera system imitates human vision to make robotic inspection cells faster and more accurate

Elon Musk wants to implant a chip in your brain. Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

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Elon Musk – he of PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX fame and enormous fortune – now wants to implant a chip in your brain as part of his Neuralink business.

Neuralink is Musk’s brain-to-computer interface company that seeks to connect all humans to artificial intelligence systems which will potentially monitor and control all their movements and thoughts.

The Matrix-style scenario sounds like living in an absolute hellish nightmare, but Musk seems completely oblivious to that likelihood. [Read more…] about Elon Musk wants to implant a chip in your brain. Not that there’s anything wrong with it…

Russia and China ‘ditch’ dollar and increase use of euro

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Russia and China are building a “financial alliance” and look set to “ditch” the dollar, according to a report on the Nikkei Asian Review website. 

The financial news website reports that the US dollar’s share of trade between Russia and China “fell below 50 percent for the first time on record” in the first quarter of 2020.

The source of the statistic is Russia’s Central Bank and Federal Customs Service, which published figures showing that a relatively low 46 percent of trade transactions between China and Russia were conducted or completed in US dollars. [Read more…] about Russia and China ‘ditch’ dollar and increase use of euro

Mobile robots and autonomous vehicles: Coronavirus pushes logistics automation higher up the agenda

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Last month, Amazon announced that it planned on hiring 100,000 extra workers to meet the rise in demand for online shopping created by Coronavirus-caused shutdowns and social distancing.

In late March, unions said workers were demanding that Amazon takes their lives seriously. The night before a facility in Queens, NY, had been closed for deep cleaning after an employee tested positive for the virus.

There are reports that some Amazon warehouse workers in Italy and Spain have tested positive. [Read more…] about Mobile robots and autonomous vehicles: Coronavirus pushes logistics automation higher up the agenda

Brain Corp and Dane Technologies partner to build autonomous delivery solutions

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Brain Corp, an artificial intelligence company specialising in robotics, and Dane Technologies, a designer and manufacturer of power assist solutions, have formed a technology partnership to manufacture autonomous material delivery robots for use in public and commercial applications.

Under the partnership, Dane Technologies will license BrainOS, a cloud-connected operating system for commercial autonomous robots, and begin building the delivery robots in Q2 2020. The two companies will pilot the robots with several major retailers this spring.

John Black, SVP of new product development for Brain Corp, says: “Dane Technologies has a successful track record of developing equipment for demanding retail and manufacturing environments, including the pioneering QuicKART shopping cart management system. [Read more…] about Brain Corp and Dane Technologies partner to build autonomous delivery solutions

B&R brings safety to delta robot kinematics

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B&R now offers SafeRobotics functions for tripods to safely monitor all types of delta kinematic systems – or delta robots.

The company says serial axes can also be included in the calculations, for example when tripods are mounted on moving platforms.

Safe robot monitoring is implemented using the safety functions Safely Limited Position, Safely Limited Orientation, Safely Limited Joint Position and Safely Limited Speed. [Read more…] about B&R brings safety to delta robot kinematics

NextShift Robotics receives patent for vertical lift capability in robotic picking

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NextShift Robotics, a provider of autonomous mobile robot solutions for automated order fulfilment and warehouse materials management, has been granted a second patent, US10214354B2, “Method and System for Automated Transport of Items”.

The patent pertains to operating a robotic picking system in which the containers to be picked are positioned on the shelves and within picking stations.

The patent covers the ability of the robot to raise itself vertically to access shelving of different heights in order to pick the appropriate container from a range of shelf heights and storage system configurations.

[Read more…] about NextShift Robotics receives patent for vertical lift capability in robotic picking

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