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Ekso Bionics in $100 million joint venture to develop the exoskeleton market in Asia

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Ekso Bionics, Inc. is to establish a joint venture to develop and serve the exoskeleton market in China and other Asian markets and to create a global exoskeleton manufacturing centre.

It will partner with Zhejiang Youchuang Venture Capital Investment Co., Ltd (ZYVC) and Zhejiang Silicon Paradise Asset Management Group.

The joint venture will develop, sell and support exoskeleton products into China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, and will be capitalized at greater than $100 million over its term.

[Read more…] about Ekso Bionics in $100 million joint venture to develop the exoskeleton market in Asia

Nidec to build $500 million facility in China to make motors for electric vehicles

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Industrial motors giant Nidec is planning to build a $500 million facility in China, according to a report on Nikkei.

The factory will specialize in manufacturing motors for electric vehicles, a growing market in China and the rest of the world.

The proposed location is said to be the Jinpu New Area in the port city of Dalian, north-east China, about 500 km east of Beijing.

[Read more…] about Nidec to build $500 million facility in China to make motors for electric vehicles

UPS Foundation supports Ghana’s vaccine drone delivery network

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The UPS Foundation, which leads the global citizenship programs for UPS, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have announced support for the expansion of a medical drone network into Ghana.

Zipline, a California-based automated logistics company, will use drones to make on-demand, emergency deliveries of 148 high priority products including emergency and routine vaccines, blood products and life-saving medications.

The service will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from four distribution centres – each equipped with 30 drones – and deliver to over 2,000 health facilities serving 12 million people across the country.

[Read more…] about UPS Foundation supports Ghana’s vaccine drone delivery network

Robotiq launches its first UR+ certified vacuum grippers and sanding kit

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The UR+ program debuted in 2016 and has since grown rapidly to include more than 140 certified UR+ products with more than 400 companies joining the UR+ developer program.

A charter partner with the UR+ program is Robotiq, the company is now adding a new chapter to its long relationship with Universal Robots by launching three new UR+ certified products at Automate 2019; AirPick and EPick, Robotiq’s new vacuum grippers, and the Sanding Kit.

Both vacuum grippers operate without the need for external air supply. The AirPick features a built-in venturi vacuum generator, while the EPick includes a built-in electrical vacuum pump. Robotiq vacuum grippers can handle a wide range of applications and are ideal for picking up even and uneven workpieces made of different materials, such as cardboard, glass, sheet metal (dry) and plastic.

[Read more…] about Robotiq launches its first UR+ certified vacuum grippers and sanding kit

Universal Robots certifies SMC magnetic grippers

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SMC Corporation of America, a pneumatics and industrial automation components manufacturer, has joined Universal Robots’ UR+ program, launching the new UR+ certified MHM Series Magnetic Gripper.

The gripper is bundled into an easy plug and play kit that integrates to a unique solution for picking, transferring, and placing ferromagnetic workpieces of uneven surfaces, porous, or that are susceptible to damage when traditional methods of vacuum systems or mechanical grippers are not viable.

A working demonstration of the MHM Magnetic Gripper kit installed on the arm of a Universal Robot was demonstrated at SMC’s booth and UR’s booth at the recent Automate Show in Chicago.

[Read more…] about Universal Robots certifies SMC magnetic grippers

Robotic toymaker Anki to close down

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Anki, a startup company which made robotic toy cars and trucks, is planning to close its doors, according to a report on the Recode website.

The company had raised more than $200 million in funding for the venture, and generated $100 million in revenue in 2017, but is now making all of its 200 employees redundant.

In a statement to Recode, the company says that it had been left “without significant funding” which meant it could not finance its hardware and software development plans going forward.

[Read more…] about Robotic toymaker Anki to close down

Phihong launches new electric vehicle charger

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Phihong has launched a new electric vehicle charger.

Following successful deliveries of EV changer products in Asia and Europe, Phihong, a supplier of power solutions, announces the availability of the AC32A 7.7kW Electric Vehicle Charger with UL certification for the North American market.

The AC32 7.7kW AC charger is compact, reliable, lightweight, and vibration resistant. With a sleek, ergonomic and customizable design, the AC32 chargers require a single-phase 220Vac to 240Vac input and have options to be wall-mounted or free standing. [Read more…] about Phihong launches new electric vehicle charger

Arrow Electronics to take part in Qualcomm’s Smart Cities Accelerator Program

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Arrow Electronics, Inc. will take part in the Smart Cities Accelerator Program of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. for the global acceleration of edge compute, 5G appliances and NB-IoT distributed sensors.

Qualcomm Technologies is promoting a library of Smart City solutions that combine existing mobile broadband networks while re-imagining existing infrastructure in cities around the world.

This will help drive additional value and integrate solutions with secure interoperability, edge processing and an ecosystem to deploy at scale.

[Read more…] about Arrow Electronics to take part in Qualcomm’s Smart Cities Accelerator Program

Sick launches new compact image-based code reader

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Sick has launched a new compact image-based code reader, Lector621, for reliable detection of 1D, 2D, stacked codes, and plain text.

The high-performance DPM – direct part marking – decoder can read laser or dot-peened codes perfectly, even in the case of low contrast levels, contamination, or poor code quality.

This fills a gap in Sick’s existing portfolio of code readers, by providing a compact solution with increased reading distance, resolution, field of vision, and scanning frequency. [Read more…] about Sick launches new compact image-based code reader

Infographic: How AI is streamlining the supply chain

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Noodle AI has produced an infographic to show how artificial intelligence is changing commerce

Artificial intelligence is everywhere. In fact, you may have interacted with it today and you didn’t even know it.

AI can streamline a lot of our daily business operations, freeing us up to tackle more difficult tasks.

Within the world of e-commerce, AI may be the key to streamlining the supply chain. [Read more…] about Infographic: How AI is streamlining the supply chain