Robotics & Automation News

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Warehouse robot maker Seegrid partners with Koops Automation Systems

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Seegrid, a builder of autonomous mobile robots for material handling, has agreed a strategic partnership with Koops Automation Systems, a leading systems integrator specializing in industrial automation for manufacturing environments.

The collaboration agreement enables Koops to bolster their portfolio by introducing their customers to the full suite of Seegrid Palion autonomous mobile robots and Fleet Central enterprise software solutions.

Mike Slager, director of business development for Koops Automation, says: “We are excited to be able to solve yet another set of problems our customers experience. [Read more…] about Warehouse robot maker Seegrid partners with Koops Automation Systems

Massage robot to start product evaluation in the US and clinical trial in Singapore

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Singapore robotics firm AiTreat will be embarking on a new product evaluation in the United States for their massage robot powered by artificial intelligence at Mayo Clinic, USA.

At the same time, a randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing the efficacy of the massage robot with existing therapies such as manual Tuina – a massage used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – in managing chronic low back pain is also being planned in Singapore.

The RCT will be jointly led by the biomedical sciences and Chinese medicine programme at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH). [Read more…] about Massage robot to start product evaluation in the US and clinical trial in Singapore

Bear Robotics unveils new service robot for hospitality industry

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Bear Robotics is launching Servi, which it describes as “an innovative new robot set to revolutionise the food service industry”.

Servi is designed to help hospitality and care home businesses, assisting staff by utilizing AI and autonomous robot technology to serve drinks and food and clear tables.

This, in turn, allows waiting staff and care home employees to focus on spending quality time and delivering outstanding service to customers and patients. [Read more…] about Bear Robotics unveils new service robot for hospitality industry

EEVE says its robot remains unchallenged by Chinese imitator

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A Belgian robotics startup called EEVE says a Chinese company has been trying to copy its little helper robot but has so far failed to replicate its quality.

EEVE has built a robot it calls Willow (main picture), which mows the lawn, shreds and collects leaves, and can also be utilised as a security guard at night.

EEVE says it “continues to lead the way” in the world of robotics with this “ground-breaking vision-only robot”. [Read more…] about EEVE says its robot remains unchallenged by Chinese imitator

Carnegie Mellon University’s new robot collaborates with humans to create art

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Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute has a new artist-in-residence.

FRIDA, a robotic arm with a paintbrush taped to it, uses artificial intelligence to collaborate with humans on works of art. Ask FRIDA to paint a picture, and it gets to work putting brush to canvas.

“There’s this one painting of a frog ballerina that I think turned out really nicely,” says Peter Schaldenbrand, a School of Computer Science PhD student in the Robotics Institute working with FRIDA and exploring AI and creativity. [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon University’s new robot collaborates with humans to create art

Starship Technologies launches robot food delivery at University of Notre Dame

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The University of Notre Dame, Grubhub and Starship Technologies are introducing robot delivery via Starship’s fleet on campus.

During the initial launch, Starship’s fleet of up to 30 on-demand robots will deliver from six campus eateries: Au Bon Pain, Garbanzo, The Gilded Bean, Hagerty Family Cafe, Modern Market and Taco Bell.

The University’s more than 17,000 students, faculty and staff can now use the Grubhub app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from on-campus retailers to be delivered nearly anywhere on campus, within minutes. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies launches robot food delivery at University of Notre Dame

Rope Robotics says its robotic wind turbine blade repairs pay off in six months

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After over 18 months in operation, having repaired over 150 rain-damaged onshore wind turbine blades on three continents, the patented robot from Denmark’s Rope Robotics, the world leader in robotic blade maintenance, has demonstrated return on investment for turbine owners within just six months.

Compared to manual alternatives, the robot can repair the blade around four times faster at half the cost.

An increasing problem, rain erosion damage compromises aerodynamic performance of the blade and at worst can lead to blade failure and expensive turbine downtime. [Read more…] about Rope Robotics says its robotic wind turbine blade repairs pay off in six months

Robotic pollinator: A fairy-like robot flies by the power of wind and light

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The loss of pollinators, such as bees, is a huge challenge for global biodiversity and affects humanity by causing problems in food production. At Tampere University, researchers have now developed the first passively flying robot equipped with artificial muscle. Could this artificial fairy be utilised in pollination?

The development of stimuli-responsive polymers has brought about a wealth of material-related opportunities for next-generation small-scale, wirelessly controlled soft-bodied robots.

For some time now, engineers have known how to use these materials to make small robots that can walk, swim and jump. So far, no one has been able to make them fly.

Researchers of the Light Robots group at Tampere University are now researching how to make smart material fly. Hao Zeng, Academy Research Fellow and the group leader, and Jianfeng Yang, a doctoral researcher, have come up with a new design for their project called FAIRY – Flying Aero-robots based on Light Responsive Materials Assembly. They have developed a polymer-assembly robot that flies by wind and is controlled by light. [Read more…] about Robotic pollinator: A fairy-like robot flies by the power of wind and light

4Ocean robot cleans up Florida beach as part of startup’s mission to clean up the world’s oceans

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A robot built by 4Ocean is cleaning up Florida beach as part of the startup company’s mission to clean up the entire world’s oceans.

An ambitious mission for sure, and one for which the company admits “there is no playbook”, but 4Ocean has already collected 28 million pounds of trash from the plastic-polluted salty waters of the world and its program is just getting started.

The robot 4Ocean has supplied to Florida beach is called the BeBot, which collects things like cigarette butts, pieces of plastic and other trash, according to a report on the Fox Weather website. [Read more…] about 4Ocean robot cleans up Florida beach as part of startup’s mission to clean up the world’s oceans

Kuka releases ‘one of the strongest and fastest delta robots on the market’

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Kuka has released a new delta robot, the KR 3 D1200, which is specially designed for pick-and-place of foodstuffs, among other applications, and carries up to 6 kg at high speed.

Part of the Kuka Hygienic Oil (HO) portfolio, the new KR 3 D1200 performs various pick-and-place tasks at “previously unattainable speeds” with maximum precision, according to Kuka, which adds that it now moves up to 6 kg of food, medicine or electronic parts.

Although the KR 3 D1200 has a rated payload of 3 kg, it is designed for loads of up to 6 kg. This makes it “one of the strongest delta robots on the market”. [Read more…] about Kuka releases ‘one of the strongest and fastest delta robots on the market’