Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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FedEx to test Wing Aviation drone for Walgreens deliveries

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Wing Aviation, an Alphabet company, is collaborating with FedEx and pharmaceuticals retailer Walgreens to launch a first-of-its-kind drone delivery service in Christiansburg, Virginia next month.

The pilot program will demonstrate the many benefits of drone delivery to communities by exploring methods to enhance last-mile delivery service, improve access to health care products, and create a new avenue of growth for local businesses.

Drone delivery in the United States has historically been limited to small-scale demonstrations on designated test sites, or extremely short flights along pre-planned, fixed routes – all within the visual line of sight of the drone operator. [Read more…] about FedEx to test Wing Aviation drone for Walgreens deliveries

NIU partners with Omron to introduce first PhD programs in engineering

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The College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois University (NIU) will begin offering its first doctoral programs with three PhD degrees in electrical, mechanical, and industrial and systems engineering.

The new programs, which will take advantage of online and on-campus learning, were approved Tuesday, September 10 by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE).

NIU executive vice president and provost Beth Ingram says the degrees keep NIU relevant in the rapidly expanding field of engineering. [Read more…] about NIU partners with Omron to introduce first PhD programs in engineering

SEMICON Europa 2019 expands intelligent applications showcase

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SEMICON Europa, the largest European event that links the entire supply chain for electronics design and manufacturing from innovation to application, will take place from November 12 to 15, 2019 at the Munich Exhibition Center, parallel to productronica 2019.

This year, SEMICON Europe offers exhibitors and visitors many synergies, and an even greater range of information through unique exchange opportunities.

The exponential growth of the industry in the following “smart” industries will be presented:

  • Automotive;
  • Medical;
  • Design and Fabless;
  • Smart Manufacturing;
  • MEMS and Sensors;
  • Image Processing;
  • Materials; and
  • Workforce Development.

Registration is now open to visitors and exhibitors at the following link: http://www.semiconeuropa.org/register
Connect. [Read more…] about SEMICON Europa 2019 expands intelligent applications showcase

PC running slow? Speed up your computer by cleaning it with CCleaner

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By William Downhill, MoltenSoft

Every computer gets there at some point. Everything is running slower, the fans are turning at ten thousand rpm, and every so often the screen just freezes arbitrarily, even if there isn’t anything running.

Regular users immediately think “I must have a virus!”

But that’s not always right. Often times, the only thing making your computer run like a turtle through a vat of cold honey is just that your computer needs to be cleaned up. [Read more…] about PC running slow? Speed up your computer by cleaning it with CCleaner

When Automation Works Alongside Humans

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When we talk about automation, we often imagine a future in which everything we do will be almost entirely handled by machines. Cars will drive themselves. Management decisions will be handed over to an AI. Even the creative arts might one day be taken over by robots.

But for the time being, automation isn’t quite there. And so, some compromise between machine and human worker is needed. A synergy between the two has already yielded great results – just think about an autopilot guiding a plane for the majority of a flight, and human pilot intervening only for take-off and landing.

A more commonplace example of machine-assistance comes in the form of a spell-checker on a word-processing program. And these are getting more sophisticated. Apps like Grammarly and ProWritingAid not only identify grammatical or spelling errors; they now also identify more stylistic problems, and help us to make writing clearer and more concise, even when it isn’t technically wrong. [Read more…] about When Automation Works Alongside Humans

General Motors unveils its digital vehicle platform

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General Motors has unveiled its all-new electronic platform for its next-generation of vehicles.

As the automotive industry and vehicles evolve in the next five to 10 years, more electrical bandwidth and connectivity will be needed to ensure that features such as electric propulsion systems, the Super Cruise driver assistance feature and advanced active safety systems can all run in conjunction with each other.

Debuting on the recently-unveiled 2020 Cadillac CT5 sedan, the electronic platform will go into production later this year and should be rolled out to most vehicles within GM’s global lineup by 2023.

[Read more…] about General Motors unveils its digital vehicle platform

Manhattan Associates creates new program to advance warehouse robotics and automation

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Manhattan Associates has launched the Manhattan Automation Network, a program designed to speed the development and implementation of modern distribution center automation and robotics in partnership with leading warehouse automation solution providers.

The program is designed to deliver joint solution design, integration touchpoints and implementation approaches between the industry’s leading warehouse management solution and innovative robotics providers.

The Manhattan Automation Network is launching with five inaugural members:

  • Kindred AI;
  • Locus Robotics;
  • Matthews Automation Solutions;
  • Right Hand Robotics; and
  • VCO Systems.

[Read more…] about Manhattan Associates creates new program to advance warehouse robotics and automation

Inspection and maintenance robotics event to take place in the Netherlands

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The second edition of the World Conference for Inspection and Maintenance Robotics will take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The conference and exhibition are organized by the Sprint Robotics Collaborative, an end-user driven, not-for-profit foundation.

The initiative gathers a global community to share the innovative progress and rapid development of robotics techniques and solutions, focusing on the use of robotics for inspection, maintenance, repairs and cleaning. [Read more…] about Inspection and maintenance robotics event to take place in the Netherlands

Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi partner with Plug and Play China

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Alliance Ventures, the venture capital fund that invests in technology start-ups for Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors, is partnering with Plug and Play China, part of the global innovation platform.

“China is leading innovation in the automotive industry,” said Francois Dossa, Alliance Global Vice President, Ventures and Open Innovation; Chairman of Alliance Ventures.

“By harnessing the expertise of Plug and Play China, we can gain access to start-ups and technologies that will transform the mobility experience.”

[Read more…] about Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi partner with Plug and Play China

Universal Robots certifies ATI’s new automated tool changer

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ATI Industrial Automation’s QC-11 Automatic Tool Changer, a component of many robotic applications, is now certified to work seamlessly with collaborative robots from Universal Robots.

It joins more than 150 products in the UR+ portfolio featuring plug-and-play solutions for UR cobots.

The QC-11 enables automatic exchange of robotic end-effectors without any manual intervention.

[Read more…] about Universal Robots certifies ATI’s new automated tool changer