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Waypoint Robotics moves to larger facility to ‘meet growing demand’ for its warehouse robots

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Waypoint Robotics has moved to a larger facility to meet what it says “growing demand” for its autonomous mobile robots. Among the products the company supplies is the MAV3K, an AMR with the capacity to lift 3000 lb.

The new, larger manufacturing facility in Nashua, New Hampshire. The new location features expanded space for production, design, engineering, quality control, and robot testing.

Jason Walker, CEO and co-founder of Waypoint, says: “The response for our Vector and MAV3K AMRs has been strong and we quickly outgrew our Merrimack, New Hampshire location. We need space to ramp up production as customers transition from pilot programs into scaling their robot fleets. [Read more…] about Waypoint Robotics moves to larger facility to ‘meet growing demand’ for its warehouse robots

B&R unveils new simulation tool for digital twin development

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B&R has integrated its “industrialPhysics” simulation tool into its Automation Studio engineering environment.

The company says the 3D simulation software greatly simplifies model-based machine development, enabling easier digital twin development.

B&R says developers can import CAD data from machine components or entire machines directly into the simulation tool, and then they can quickly and easily generate a digital twin for developing and testing the machine software. [Read more…] about B&R unveils new simulation tool for digital twin development

Nvidia unveils new reinforcement learning research at ICRA 2019

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Nvidia researchers from the newly opened robotics research lab in Seattle, Washington have presented a new proof of concept reinforcement learning approach that aims to enhance how robots trained in simulation will perform in the real world. (See video below.)

The work was presented at the recent International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Montreal, Canada.

The research is part of a growing trend in the deep learning and robotics community that relies on simulation for training. [Read more…] about Nvidia unveils new reinforcement learning research at ICRA 2019

Mitsubishi Electric takes a stake in Realtime Robotics

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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has taken an equity stake in Realtime Robotics, Inc. a U.S. technology startup that develops and commercialises motion-planning technologies.

Motion planning is the process of calculating and determining the optimised path that a robot should take to reach a goal without colliding with any obstacle. Realtime Robotics’ motion path planning solution performs the necessary calculations in real time.

Funding by Mitsubishi Electric is expected to accelerate the development of industrial robot systems offering enhanced safety and performance.

[Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric takes a stake in Realtime Robotics

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

The pros and cons of using drones in the real estate business

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By Tim Jennings, president, Custom Case Group

Are drones a necessity in the real estate business or are they an extra? 

The clearest and quickest way to answer that question is to present a few compelling pieces of information:

  • When the Federal Aviation Administration handed out its first 1,000 commercial drone operator exemptions a couple of years ago, 35 percent were to operators in real estate marketing.
  • The Multiple Listing Service has reported that properties featuring aerial images sell about 68 percent faster than do properties featuring only non-aerial photos.
  • According to the National Association of Realtors, 73 percent of homeowners said they’d be more likely to list with an agent who incorporates video in marketing their home.
  • In March 2016, Goldman Sachs released a report saying the global drone market is expected to grow to $20.6 billion in the next five years.
  • Many analysts are saying last summer’s FAA commercial drone ruling will result in a dramatic expansion of drone use in the real estate industry this year.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The bottom line is: If you haven’t incorporated drones in your operations yet, it’s time to get the process started.  [Read more…] about The pros and cons of using drones in the real estate business