Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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Ultimation reaches out to vertical farming sector with its conveyor systems

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Ultimation is targeting the new and growing market of vertical farming sector with its conveyor systems, technology it has been supplying for more than 30 years.

The company says that sustainable agricultural operations such as vertical and indoor farms are becoming more prevalent, and “conveyor technology systems can be part of the solution”.

Ultimation says vertical farms can potentially achieve higher yields for the surface area dedicated to production by controlling the light, temperature, humidity, water and nutrients the plants receive. [Read more…] about Ultimation reaches out to vertical farming sector with its conveyor systems

Samsung moves into the vertical farming market

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Agricultural innovations are essential for feeding our ever-growing global population.

Especially these days, as industrialisation and global warming continue to negatively affect soil fertility and reduce the amount of arable land.

According to the United Nations, the world’s population is set to reach 9.8 billion by 2050.

[Read more…] about Samsung moves into the vertical farming market

‘Innovative’ Škoda factory introduces human-robot collaboration with Kuka LBR iiwa

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Škoda Auto, Matador Group and Kuka have come together in the town of Vrchlabí, Czech Republic, for what they say is “a manufacturing initiative without borders or fences”.

The project is being undertaken in an automobile factory which produces direct-shift-gearbox automatic transmissions.

There, an industrial robot does what industrial robots do best: grow productivity, reduce costs and improve output quality.  [Read more…] about ‘Innovative’ Škoda factory introduces human-robot collaboration with Kuka LBR iiwa

Yaskawa Motoman reveals MotoSight 3D CanonVision, says it can sort out random parts

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Yaskawa Motoman has launched MotoSight 3D CanonVision which it says provides single-step recognition, picking of randomly placed parts. 

The robot-manufacturing giant says its MotoSight 3D CanonVision is an easy-to-use hardware-and-software solution that utilizes a single 3D machine vision head to quickly and easily recognize and pick parts that are randomly placed in bins.

Plus, 3D CAD matching provides simplified, accurate part registration, allowing even complicated parts to be identified.  [Read more…] about Yaskawa Motoman reveals MotoSight 3D CanonVision, says it can sort out random parts

SKF talks smart robotics: Revolutionising manufacturing

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Thanks to faster computation and higher storage capabilities, intelligent autonomous robots aren’t science fiction anymore.

They are already at work within industry today. In the future, up to 60 percent of our jobs are expected to be automated.

How will this development transform manufacturing and the maintenance of machinery in the future?

SKF is sparking conversation and spreading ideas with a new series of a knowledge-sharing symposium called Let’s Talk (see video).

Industry experts are discussing industry trends such as digitalization, industry ecology and counterfeiting in front of a live audience at leading universities.  [Read more…] about SKF talks smart robotics: Revolutionising manufacturing

How motion systems transform airline seating from cramped into comfortable

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actuators and airline seats

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As the demand for air travel keeps on growing, so does the needs of the passengers that come aboard.

Aero planes tend to have very limited space for which much of the facilities have to be fitted in and made to the standards that the customers are willing to pay for.

As such, engineers are tasked with figuring out how best they bring about that element without compromising on the size of the air craft and safety among others, while maintaining the economic aspect of the airline owners.  [Read more…] about How motion systems transform airline seating from cramped into comfortable

Japan leader promotes robot revolution at G7 Summit

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Local automakers take G7 Summit opportunity to show off new autonomous car technology 

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe claims autonomous car technology will be safer than the human motorists of today, according to an official translation of his comments.

Abe, a fanatical supporter of artificial intelligence who recently launched a “robot revolution” to accelerate the robot takeover of the world, made his remarks at the G7 Summit, where leaders of the seven most powerful trading nations in the world were given a closer look at the latest in autonomous car technology, as well as more environmentally friendly fuel systems.

The G7 Summit was held last week in Ise-Shima, Japan, and local carmakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan took the opportunity to unveil some new innovations in their autonomous product range.  [Read more…] about Japan leader promotes robot revolution at G7 Summit

Echord to develop robots for sewer inspection

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The European Coordination Hub for Open Robotics Development (Echord) is planning robots for the inspection of sewage works. The Germany-based, EU-funded organisation is also developing robots for geriatric assessment.

“Municipalities, regions, public hospitals and other state-owned enterprises still have a long way to go when it comes to using robots for their daily assignments,” says Marie-Luise Neitz, project manager of Echord, which likes to write its name as ECHORD++ to perhaps indicate a reference to the C++ computer programming language.

In Neitz’s opinion, public bodies often lack the knowledge which robotics technology is available on the market, whereas robot manufacturers have insufficient information about the needs of the public sector. [Read more…] about Echord to develop robots for sewer inspection

Aston University wins funding to develop robotic stem cell factory

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Aston University
Aston University

Aston University is playing a critical role in a €6 million EU project working to develop a robotic stem cell factory, which will reduce the cost of manufacturing adult stem cells and open up the opportunity to produce new therapies for a range of conditions.

The Autostem consortium, coordinated by NUI Galway in Ireland, has received funding through the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme to address the current challenges in manufacturing stem cells.

Dr Qasim Rafiq, academic lead for the project at Aston University and Lecturer in Bioprocess Engineering, explains: “Stem cell therapies have the potential to treat currently unmet patient needs and provide therapies for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson’s. [Read more…] about Aston University wins funding to develop robotic stem cell factory