Robotics & Automation News

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ABB launches new, ‘fastest’ five-axis Delta robot

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ABB has launched a new five-axis Delta robot which it claims is “the fastest for lightweight product picking, packing and reorientation”.

The new machine is part of the FlexPicker Delta robot portfolio and is called the IRB 365. With five axis and 1.5 kg payload, the IRB 365 is both flexible and the fastest in its class for reorienting packaged lightweight products such as cookies, chocolates, peppers, candies, small bottles, and parcels.

Responding to the rise in e-commerce and growing demand for shelf ready packaged goods, the IRB 365 has been developed for applications including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods, where production line speed and adaptability are essential. [Read more…] about ABB launches new, ‘fastest’ five-axis Delta robot

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’

100,000 Husqvarna robots prepare to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to NASA’s Mars robot

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More than 100,000 Husqvarna robots are preparing to sing the traditional “Happy Birthday” song to NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover robot in the weirdest birthday party ever.

Husqvarna says its robots will shout at the top of their voices – or whatever it is they use to communicate – from Earth to Mars, which is a distance of more than 174 million km, in an effort to get through to the “loneliest robot in the universe”, according to the company.

It generally takes about 5 to 20 minutes for a radio signal to travel the distance between Mars and Earth, depending on planet positions. [Read more…] about 100,000 Husqvarna robots prepare to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to NASA’s Mars robot

University Hospital Tübingen carries out first Dexter robotic surgeries in Germany

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University Hospital Tübingen has successfully completed gynecological operations using the Distalmotion Dexter on-demand robotic surgery system.

This marks the Swiss robot’s first clinical use in Germany.

Professor Dr Diethelm Wallwiener, Prof Dr Sara Brucker, Prof Dr Bernhard Krämer and their teams used the Dexter robot in several surgical procedures. [Read more…] about University Hospital Tübingen carries out first Dexter robotic surgeries in Germany

ROBOJuice promises robot-made smoothies in 60 seconds

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A startup company called ROBOJuice is promising “first-ever artificial intelligence and robotics-powered kiosk that can prepare and serve smoothies and acai bowls in under 60 seconds”.

Nik Sakhno, the founder of ROBOJuice, says the company has launched because the hospitality industry continues to embrace automation and it was good time to bring the machine to market.

With more than 10 years’ experience in the food automation industry, Sakhno, alongside a team of expert engineers, created ROBOjuice with the goal of helping fast-casual restaurants increase productivity, while being “10 times more affordable to deploy, and two times more profitable compared to traditional, labor-intensive fast-casual restaurants”. [Read more…] about ROBOJuice promises robot-made smoothies in 60 seconds

Serve Robotics partners with Piestro to deliver robot-made pizzas

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Piestro, a maker of a robotic pizzeria, is partnering with Serve Robotics, a maker of autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, to offer customers a totally robotic pizza delivery service.

When a customer places an order, Piestro’s scheduling system will notify Serve’s fleet and the nearest available robot will pick up the pizza for transport from a Piestro pod.

The partnership will roll out in the coming months, as Piestro deploys units within Serve delivery areas.  [Read more…] about Serve Robotics partners with Piestro to deliver robot-made pizzas

Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

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Scientists created a new design and fabrication tool for soft pneumatic actuators with integrated sensing, which can power personalized healthcare, smart homes, and gaming.

Soft, pneumatic actuators might not be a phrase that comes up in daily conversations, but more likely than not you might have benefited from their utility. The devices use compressed air to power motion, and with sensing capabilities, they’ve proven to be a critical backbone in a variety of applications such as assistive wearables, robotics, and rehabilitative technologies.

But there’s a bit of a bottleneck in creating the little dynamic devices that have advantages like high response rates and power to input ratios. They require a manual design and fabrication pipeline, which translates to a lot of trial and error cycles to actually test and see whether the designs will work. [Read more…] about Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

Carnegie Mellon develops robots that ‘learn household tasks by watching humans’

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By Aaron Aupperlee

Novel method developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers enables robots to ‘learn in the wild’

The robot watched as Shikhar Bahl opened the refrigerator door. It recorded his movements, the swing of the door, the location of the fridge and more, analyzing this data and readying itself to mimic what Bahl had done.

It failed at first, missing the handle completely at times, grabbing it in the wrong spot or pulling it incorrectly. But after a few hours of practice, the robot succeeded and opened the door.

“Imitation is a great way to learn,” says Bahl, a PhD student at the Robotics Institute (RI) in Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science. “Having robots actually learn from directly watching humans remains an unsolved problem in the field, but this work takes a significant step in enabling that ability.” [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon develops robots that ‘learn household tasks by watching humans’

Danfoss installs 3D scanner robot that can measure components to within a micron

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Danfoss Power Solutions, a supplier of mobile and industrial hydraulics as well as electric powertrain systems, has invested in an advanced 3D scanner robot for its joystick manufacturing lines in Nordborg, Denmark.

The company says the new device is boosting inspection routines by measuring component dimensions to “micron-level precision, providing customers with even higher product quality”.

Danfoss Power Solutions’ Nordborg facility manufactures thousands of joystick variants for off-highway vehicles, such as forestry machines, harvesters, cranes, tractors and more. With the new 3D scanner robot, operators can tell immediately if a joystick component is within specifications. [Read more…] about Danfoss installs 3D scanner robot that can measure components to within a micron

Robotic pets: How to choose and what you should know about them

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Communication with pets helps reduce stress levels, distracts from troubles and reduces anxiety. There is even a method of treatment – pet therapy. Four-legged pets make a person move more and expand their social circle – after all, pet lovers will always find common topics for conversation.

Communication with animals is especially useful for older people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, for children with mental disorders and for patients who are in the hospital for a long time. Pets save them from loneliness, help overcome depression, reduce anxiety and irritability.

But sick people can’t always get a cat or a dog – they can’t take care of them, and nursing home residents and hospital patients aren’t allowed to keep animals. It’s for such people that they made companion robots. [Read more…] about Robotic pets: How to choose and what you should know about them