Robotics & Automation News

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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

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

Kuka and VIP launch new system to teach industrial robots without programming

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All Kuka robots can now be “easily and intuitively” guided by hand in the workspace using a new navigation system developed by Very Important Product. 

The VIP Navigator was developed in partnership with Kuka.

VIP is a special-machine engineering expert and is now offering what the companies call the ready-to-use package, “ready2_pilot”, through its Navigator product.

The new system enables “quick and easy robot programming” using intuitive guidance – physically teaching the robot – instead of computer coding.  [Read more…] about Kuka and VIP launch new system to teach industrial robots without programming

TheConstructSim launches beta of its IDE for ROS

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theconstructsim-ide

The Construct has launched a beta version of its integrated development environment. 

The company says users of the IDE don’t need to code, and can develop Robot Operating System programs “graphically”.

TheConstructSim.com is an online robot simulation environment in which users can develop and test their systems.

Industrial robots can now do their work uninterrupted thanks to the cloud and offline programming

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fanuc industrial robot

Industrial robots are increasingly being connected to the cloud, where they can be managed centrally in some sort of control room, which means that a small number of human staff could theoretically manage hundreds, if not thousands, of machines.

Previously they were almost always operated in isolated circumstances within factories, inside a work cell, fenced off from human workers because of safety concerns. They were programmed individually, using a teach pendant, which is like a 20-years-out-of-date oversized mobile phone.

The teach pendant is still used for refinements and modifications after the machine goes online, into work, but nowadays most industrial robots are prepared for a life of work using offline programming. [Read more…] about Industrial robots can now do their work uninterrupted thanks to the cloud and offline programming