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Rapid Robotics and Universal Robots partner to fight labor shortages with fast collaborative robot installations

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Rapid Robotics has formed a new partnership with Universal Robots in which the Danish collaborative robot producer will be supplying collaborative robot arms for Rapid Robotics’ installation of cobot work cells across North America.

As a proven manufacturer of high-quality, versatile robots, Universal Robots will enable Rapid Robotics to serve a greater number of customers and maintain the rapid deployment times they’ve come to expect even as Rapid Robotics continues to expand its national footprint.

Jordan Kretchmer, CEO and co-founder of Rapid Robotics, says: “As the number of unfilled, critical manufacturing roles increases and global economic uncertainty continues to impact supply chains, more and more North American manufacturers are turning to automation. [Read more…] about Rapid Robotics and Universal Robots partner to fight labor shortages with fast collaborative robot installations

Addverb Technologies releases new sorter robot for warehouses

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Addverb Technologies, a robotics company providing warehouse automation solutions, has released a new sorter robot called SortIE – a fast-moving scalable solution for rapid and efficient order fulfilment.

As a fully automated robotic put-to-wall sorting system, SortIE is capable of performing SKU-wise intelligent sortation at very high speeds and at different height levels.

Additionally, it enables easy and rapid picking. It can be easily integrated with existing conveying systems such as conveyors, robots, and manual transport with no impact on ongoing operations. [Read more…] about Addverb Technologies releases new sorter robot for warehouses

Rapid Robotics unveils robot with ‘fastest setup time in the industry’

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Rapid Robotics says it has developed a robot with the “fastest setup time in the industry”.

The Rapid Machine Operator (RMO) from Rapid Robotics is “the first industrial robot that can get up and running in a matter of hours”, according to the company.

It’s also the first manufacturing robot that can move between jobs “in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee”. [Read more…] about Rapid Robotics unveils robot with ‘fastest setup time in the industry’

With Human Controls Abolished, Only a Few Hurdles Remain in Making Automation Legally Secure

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One of the greatest barriers to the true stress testing of automated devices is the need for human control.

According to Reuters, however, US regulators have now eliminated the need for human control in automated devices, such as cars, paving the way for significant future developments.

But the removal of human control does not remove total legal liability, and there are a few legal hurdles yet left that will need to be addressed before automation innovation can start to progress quickly. [Read more…] about With Human Controls Abolished, Only a Few Hurdles Remain in Making Automation Legally Secure

SVT Robotics raises $25 million in Series A funding round led by Tiger Global

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SVT Robotics, whose software accelerates and simplifies the integration and implementation of robotics, has closed a $25 Million Series A funding round.

The investment was led by Tiger Global, with participation from Prologis Ventures.

Griffin Schroeder, partner at Tiger Global, says: “With no ‘plug-and-play’ integration solution for industrial robotics, warehouses and manufacturers have been prevented from quickly deploying the automation they need to keep pace with the dramatic shifts in labor dynamics we’ve seen over the past year. [Read more…] about SVT Robotics raises $25 million in Series A funding round led by Tiger Global

Rapid Robotics raises $37 million in new investment

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Rapid Robotics, creator of what it says is “the first ready-to-work robotic machine operator”, has raised $36.7 million in Series B funding.

The funding round was led by Kleiner Perkins and Tiger Global, with existing investors NEA, Greycroft, Bee Partners and 468 Capital also participating.

The latest round is Rapid’s third in less than a year, bringing its total funding to $54.2 million. [Read more…] about Rapid Robotics raises $37 million in new investment

Seegrid creates ‘Blue Labs’ research and development group

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Seegrid, a provider of autonomous mobile robots for material handling, has established something it calls “Blue Labs”, a research and development group to further the company’s technical progress.

With an in-house team of innovators in mobile automation building upon Seegrid’s proprietary, artificial intelligence technologies, the company will accelerate its expanding footprint throughout the manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics sectors it serves.

This year the company has launched multiple new automated workflows for its fleet of Palion AMRs along with a cloud-based data analytics platform, and has been heavily focused on faster development of new products and rapid expansion of its product offering. [Read more…] about Seegrid creates ‘Blue Labs’ research and development group

Lilee Systems to launch first autonomous buses for public transportation in Taiwan

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Lilee Systems has received the first permit for self-driving bus commercial services on two designated bus lines in Tainan, Taiwan.

The self-driving fleet, subsidized by the Ministry of Transportation, will generate new revenues to the city’s public transit systems by providing two regular bus services in the science park and between the high-speed railway station and the nearby university, exhibition center and large outlet mall.

This milestone of the innovative autonomous rapid transit system has been achieved through partnership with Kasion Green Energy, Taiwan’s sole distributor of BYD vehicles, and Tainan Bus, one of the largest bus operators servicing over 23-million passengers per year. [Read more…] about Lilee Systems to launch first autonomous buses for public transportation in Taiwan

MassRobotics chooses Festo as winner of its GM Gripper Challenge

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MassRobotics has chosen Festo, a MassRobotics partner, in collaboration with Magswitch, is the winner of the 2020 GM Gripper Challenge.

Festo’s design concept was selected for its ability to handle a variety of parts, in addition to avoiding occluding a part when gripped.

Joseph Cyrek, Magswitch CEO, says: “The technology challenge hosted by MassRobotics provided an excellent platform for collaboration and rapid development of innovative solutions.” [Read more…] about MassRobotics chooses Festo as winner of its GM Gripper Challenge

ABB robots accelerate coronavirus testing in Singapore

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ABB robots are accelerating coronavirus testing in Singapore through a new robotics lab system which “saves time and costs and keeps lab workers safe”, according to the company.

As part of Singapore’s efforts to enhance its nation-wide COVID-19 testing capabilities, ABB’s high-precision robots have been deployed in a new automated laboratory system, known as the Rapid Automated Volume Enhancer (RAVE).

The system automates some of the manual steps usually required in sample processing. Two sets of RAVE and associated equipment can process an industry-topping throughput of close to 4,000 samples a day. RAVE also reduces test contamination and infection risks for laboratory workers. [Read more…] about ABB robots accelerate coronavirus testing in Singapore