Robotics & Automation News

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Kuka says its ‘sensitive robot’ increases efficiency in automotive final assembly

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Industrial robot maker Kuka says its “sensitive robot” is helping to increase efficiency at the final stages of assembly in the automotive manufacturing sector.

The company says car manufacturers are always looking for solutions to increase the efficiency of assembly on the assembly line.

Innovative automation solutions should increase the degree of automation, says Kuka, and human and robot increasingly share the workplace along the assembly line. [Read more…] about Kuka says its ‘sensitive robot’ increases efficiency in automotive final assembly

BHS Technologies unveils RoboticScope to assist surgeons

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A Swiss company called BHS Technologies has unveiled a specially designed robot to assist surgeons, claiming it to be a world first.

“A high-precision robot, a high-resolution 3D camera and an innovative head-mounted display – the world’s first RoboticScope has arrived on the market,” says the company, adding that it “sets new standards in microsurgery”. 

Essentially, the system uses a head-mounted display to translate small head movements of the surgeon directly into movements of the robotic arm, enabling the surgeon to view exactly what they want. [Read more…] about BHS Technologies unveils RoboticScope to assist surgeons

Fanuc unveils new vision sensor for robotic warehousing applications

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Fanuc America, the leading supplier of robotics, CNCs, RoboMachine’s and industrial IoT solutions recently demonstrated its new 3DV/1600 vision sensor.

Fanuc demonstrated the sensor at the show, an M-710iC/45M robot used the 3DV/1600 vision sensor to quickly find and snap boxes of varying sizes and shapes in a large bin.

The robot picked each package and dropped it into another bin. Once a bin was emptied, the sensor moved to the full bin and the cycle repeated. [Read more…] about Fanuc unveils new vision sensor for robotic warehousing applications

Agricultural robots and AI: A question of when and not if

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Robotics and artificial intelligence will drive a deep and transformative change in the agricultural world during the coming decades, according to a new report by IDTechEx.

Seeing, localising, and taking plant-specific intelligent action are no longer the exclusive realm of humans, says the research company.

Machines have demonstrated the technical viability and the emphasis has long shifted to the finer details of return on investment, reliability, business model, and so on. [Read more…] about Agricultural robots and AI: A question of when and not if

LG partners with Woowa Brothers to develop food delivery robots

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Electronics and household appliances giant LG is partnering with unicorn startup Woowa Brothers to develop food delivery robots.

The partnership will aim to produce mobile robots that can deliver food to people’s homes as well to the tables of customers at restaurants.

While LG is well known around the world, Woowa Brothers is a startup which achieved unicorn status – became worth more than $1 billion – when German company Delivery Hero acquired it for around $4 billion in January this year. [Read more…] about LG partners with Woowa Brothers to develop food delivery robots

Boston Dynamics canine robot Spot gets a job as a terrifying alien sheepdog

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Sheep are often herded using a real sheepdog, clever canines which run around directing the animals into a pen on a farm. 

But a clever software company is conducting a test by replacing the dog with Boston Dynamics’ terrifying canine robot, Spot.

New Zealand is at the very edge of human civilisation on Earth, and the sheep there probably see the robot as an alien. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics canine robot Spot gets a job as a terrifying alien sheepdog

IPsoft and GlobalDWS launch service robot powered by Amelia

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IPsoft, a developer of virtual robot for business, and GlobalDWS, a systems integrator and technology solutions provider, have partnered to enable Amelia, IPsoft’s conversational artificial intelligence solution, on GlobalDWS’ service robot platform. (See video below.)

The result of this agreement is a new disinfection service robot that combines GlobalDWS’ autonomous, voice-enabled robot platform with an Amelia-driven Covid-19 Assistant.

The robot is equipped with a high-pressure atomizer containing disinfectant liquid and UV-C lights to effectively eliminate 99.9 percent of harmful bacteria and viruses from a target area – for example, floors, desks, doors – while providing Covid-19 risk assessments and information through an interactive assistant. [Read more…] about IPsoft and GlobalDWS launch service robot powered by Amelia

Mitsubishi Electric launches ‘Melfa Assista’ series of collaborative robots

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Mitsubishi Electric has launched what is believed to be its first series of collaborative robots, which the company has named “Melfa Assista” (main picture).

The “RV-5AS-D” model of the cobot has a 5 kg load capacity and 6-axis movement.

The company says the robots can work collaboratively with humans based on safety features such as collision detection and strict compliance with the international safety and robotic standards ISO 10218-1 and ISO/TS15066.

The series also will introduce an intuitive engineering software, RT VisualBox, for “quick, easy system deployment”, says Mitsubishi. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric launches ‘Melfa Assista’ series of collaborative robots

Mazak launches new 5-axis vertical machining centre

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Yamazaki Mazak has unveiled a new high-accuracy simultaneous 5-axis vertical machining centre, the Variaxis C-600, suitable for a wide range of sectors, including the aerospace and automotive markets.

Mazak says the C-600, which is the successor machine to the highly successful Variaxis j-600/5X, is being marketed at a “highly attractive price point” to provide a high performance and cost-effective 5-axis solution.

The Variaxis C-600 is characterised by its highly agile performance, with no compromise on rigidity. The compact machine, capable of machining workpieces up to Ø730 mm x H450 mm and 500 kg in weight, has been designed with a large machining envelope and a high-rigidity structure featuring a Ø600 mm fully supported trunnion table with roller gear cam on the B- and C-axes. [Read more…] about Mazak launches new 5-axis vertical machining centre

Interview: Startup Reflect developing new solution to ‘a real industrial problem’

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Interview with George Papanikolopoulos, CEO of CASP, which is developing a software solution to what he describes as ‘a real industrial problem’

Reflect is one of the experiments that successfully passed to Phase II of the first Open Call in ESMERA, the EU agency that has a multimillion-euro budget to help robotic startups. 

Being one of the 12 experiments that started in ESMERA in the summer of 2019, Reflect proved its concept to external evaluators and has been selected as one of the currently five final experiments in Phase II. [Read more…] about Interview: Startup Reflect developing new solution to ‘a real industrial problem’