Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

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The goal: fully automated small parts picking.

In intralogistics, there has been a lot of hype about robots for some years now, whether in trade journals or at fairs.

Most of them are classic six-axis articulated robots that are looking for their way out of a production environment and into logistics.

The main driver here is the labour shortage, the big challenge not a technical component like the robot or the gripper, but the design of an overall economic process. [Read more…] about Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

IDS expands Ensenso 3D camera portfolio in the lower price segment

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New entry-level 3D camera: The ultra-compact Ensenso S10 is universally applicable and cost-effective

Industrial camera manufacturer IDS Imaging Development Systems has introduced the Ensenso S, saying the new device shows that the use of industrial-grade 3D technology does not have to be expensive.

The 3D camera is particularly suitable for 3D applications that require budget-friendly, easy-to-integrate and industrial-grade camera technology.

The new Ensenso S10 has an ultra-compact, IP65/67-protected housing and generates 3D data using laser point triangulation, supported by artificial intelligence. This makes the camera suitable for a wide range of applications – and delivers robust 3D information even in low ambient light. [Read more…] about IDS expands Ensenso 3D camera portfolio in the lower price segment

What Happens When Cybercriminals Target Industrial Robots?

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Historically, robots were just dumb pieces of programmable machinery that did the same task over and over again. They had virtually no ability to sense their environment. And they certainly couldn’t make decisions for themselves.

With the advent of machine learning and smart systems, that’s all changing. Now designers are imbuing their mechanical appendages with all manner of intelligence. And it’s only getting better.

For economists, these trends are extremely exciting. We could be looking at a future where robots do the vast majority of manual jobs, freeing up labour for other tasks, boosting productivity like nothing else in human history. [Read more…] about What Happens When Cybercriminals Target Industrial Robots?

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

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