Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

robot

Neura Robotics to launch ‘revolutionary robot’ at Future Days event

by

A “revolutionary robot” is scheduled to be launched at the Future Days event, according to organizers.

The robot is called MAiRA – acronym for Multi-sensing Intelligent Robotic Assistant – and can perceive the environment as humans do.

The robot’s creator, Neura Robotics, says MAiRA “can hear, see and feel.” It adds: “This is possible due to many in-house developed and patented sensors. For a user it means a completely safe robot-human collaboration, complemented by a very simple and intuitive UI, so anyone can operate it.” [Read more…] about Neura Robotics to launch ‘revolutionary robot’ at Future Days event

NuTec employs Epson cleanroom robots to automate medical syringe manufacturing

by

NuTec Tooling Systems, a developer of custom automation solutions, has built a syringe coating machine which integrates four Epson Robots Cleanroom SCARA robots for a pharmaceutical original equipment manufacturing.

The robots are employed at various stations within the machine to provide precise, efficient, and cost-effective automation to the customer’s syringe manufacturing process.

The concept phase of the project started in 2018, and the machine was ready for operation in November 2020, enabling the OEM to work with government agencies at a critical time to develop a cost-effective process for manufacturing mass quantities of syringes to use in the fight against Covid-19. [Read more…] about NuTec employs Epson cleanroom robots to automate medical syringe manufacturing

ABB launches podcast about robotics and automation

by

ABB is introducing a new series of podcasts that explore the world of robotics and automation, and their benefits to society in what the company describes as “the greatest shift in automation in a generation, brought on by the pandemic”.

Whether it’s collaborative robots working alongside humans in laboratories and SME businesses, or industrial robots working in large factories producing the next generation of electric vehicle, robots of all shapes and sizes are making work safer and more efficient for people and companies the world over.

Each episode of The Robot Podcast features a panel of experts and takes an in-depth look at some of the most interesting global case studies. [Read more…] about ABB launches podcast about robotics and automation

Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows

by

Soft robots may not be in touch with human feelings, but they are getting better at feeling human touch.

Cornell University researchers have created a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect a range of physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch at all. Instead, a USB camera located inside the robot captures the shadow movements of hand gestures on the robot’s skin and classifies them with machine-learning software.

The group’s paper, ShadowSense: Detecting Human Touch in a Social Robot Using Shadow Image Classification, published in the Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies. The paper’s lead author is doctoral student, Yuhan Hu. [Read more…] about Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows

Verizon to acquire autonomous mobile robot software company

by

US telecommunications giant Verizon has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire incubed IT, the creator of a software platform providing autonomous navigation tools to administer, manage and optimize mixed fleets of robots in industrial settings.

Rima Qureshi, chief strategy officer at Verizon, says: “This acquisition further demonstrates Verizon’s commitment to developing new and innovative businesses and use cases leveraging the power of 5G.

“Mobile robot orchestration is a real and emerging challenge faced by enterprises today. By integrating incubed IT’s autonomous software with Verizon’s 5G platform, we will have the ability to power robotic automation at scale. [Read more…] about Verizon to acquire autonomous mobile robot software company

K.Hartwall launches new ‘autonomous mobile robot’

by

K.Hartwall has launched a new “autonomous mobile robot” called A-Mate. The company says this is the first fully electric free-lift pallet “AGV” with omnidirectional drive on the market. 

K.Hartwall calls its new machine an AGV as well as an AMR, which indicates the ongoing merging of the two technologies across the industry.

The company says the A-Mate is an extremely versatile mobile robot that will bring a new level of automation to intra-logistics, and to the movements of different load carriers, from pallets to roll containers and foldable cages or “gitter” boxes. [Read more…] about K.Hartwall launches new ‘autonomous mobile robot’

ABB says its RobotStudio’s new braking distance simulator reduces robotic cell footprint by ‘up to 25 percent’

by

ABB’s RobotStudio offline programming and simulation software has been upgraded with a new virtual robot braking distance function designed to create an exact simulation of the real-world stopping distance of a robot.

Enabling the robot’s braking distance to be accurately calculated, the function overcomes the need to add safety margins into cell designs, enabling space savings of up to 25 percent.

Predicting exactly where a robot will stop depends on a range of variables including speed, payload and the robot’s own inertia. These factors, individually or combined, can result in the robot coming to a halt outside of its safety zone, sometimes by several meters. [Read more…] about ABB says its RobotStudio’s new braking distance simulator reduces robotic cell footprint by ‘up to 25 percent’

UBTech reveals robot ox on ‘the most watched TV show on Earth’

by

UBTech Robotics, a developer of intelligent humanoid robots and artificial intelligence technologies, has displayed its first four-legged ox robot at the 2021 CCTV New Year Gala, commonly known as Spring Festival Gala, which is the most watched TV program in the world.

As 2021 marks the Year of the Ox in Chinese astrology, four “Pioneering Ox” robots remodeled from UBTech’s quadruped robot prototype have taken the festival stage and captured viewers’ hearts with their “dazzling dancing moves and state-of-the-art mechanical designs”, says the company.

Standing 83 cm tall and weighing 60kg, the futuristic ox-looking robot features strong physical features with sixteen joints and weight payload capability of 15 kg. [Read more…] about UBTech reveals robot ox on ‘the most watched TV show on Earth’

Explosion-proof ANYmal canine robots inspecting Petronas’ offshore platform

by

Petronas, a global energy and solutions company from Malaysia, is testing the ANYmal four-legged dog-like robot from ANYbotics for autonomous robotic inspection on its oil and gas platforms. (See video below.)

They recently conducted a successful multi-week installation with the robot ANYmal C on one of their offshore facilities. For commercial use in 2022, ANYbotics and Petronas are co-developing a specialized version of ANYmal for potentially explosive environments.

Petronas relies on robotics to enable unmanned industrial inspections in its production operations. Its long-term partnership with ANYbotics focuses on bringing robotic routine inspection to offshore and onshore facilities targeting the commercial use of the ANYmal canine robot in potentially explosive environments by 2022. [Read more…] about Explosion-proof ANYmal canine robots inspecting Petronas’ offshore platform

Otto Motors integrates its warehouse robots with Boston Dynamics’ robot dog

by

Otto Motors, a maker of autonomous mobile robots for warehouses and part of Clearpath Robotics, has integrated its warehouse robots with Boston Dynamics’ robot dog, Spot, as part of a demonstration. (See video below.)

The company says it combined its separate areas of expertise – from Clearpath and Otto – into “a dynamic real-world application using Boston Dynamics’ Spot”.

At the end of last year, Clearpath released a ROS software package for Spot which allows researchers to take full advantage of ROS capabilities out-of-the-box and leverage widely available open-source libraries and tools with Spot. [Read more…] about Otto Motors integrates its warehouse robots with Boston Dynamics’ robot dog