Artificial intelligence has learned to draw, write songs, and generate code – this is no longer surprising. Now, robots have almost mastered cooking. We explain why this is important and what innovations in food processing automation are happening in the industry right now. [Read more…] about Automation in Food Processing
robotics news
Robotics funding trends: Ten recent investments shaping the automation market
Robotics companies continue to draw significant investor attention as automation spreads across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, mobility and infrastructure.
After a period of uncertainty in the wider venture market, capital is returning to sectors where engineering depth, technical defensibility and long-term demand are driving renewed confidence.
In response to increasing engagement from readers with financial and investment backgrounds, Robotics & Automation News is expanding its data-driven coverage of the robotics and automation capital landscape. [Read more…] about Robotics funding trends: Ten recent investments shaping the automation market
Why Factories Trust Robotics and Vision Tools for Better Food Quality Control
Facilities now use smart tools and software instead of relying only on people to catch mistakes. These systems watch products while they move through factories and look for anything that seems different from the expected condition. They can notice foreign pieces, broken parts, or issues with wrapping before goods leave the building.
Firms also depend on these to avoid problems that could damage their name. When faults are found early, fewer items also need to be pulled back from stores. The information collected further helps teams understand where mistakes happen. Over time, routines become smoother and the quality of goods reaching shelves improves. [Read more…] about Why Factories Trust Robotics and Vision Tools for Better Food Quality Control
Distalmotion raises $150 million to expand Dexter robotic surgery system
Distalmotion, a medical technology company which provides robotic surgery systems, has announced the successful closing of its Series G financing round. The $150 million financing was led by Revival Healthcare Capital and included inside investor participation.
This new funding will be used primarily to accelerate US commercial adoption of Dexter, its soft tissue robotic surgery system, as well as to support ongoing clinical and product development initiatives.
A major focus of the US expansion continues to be the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) market – one of the fastest-growing segments in surgical care, driven by the ongoing shift toward efficient, outpatient surgery. [Read more…] about Distalmotion raises $150 million to expand Dexter robotic surgery system
MIT alumni build robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting
By Zach Winn, MIT News
Founded by MIT alumni, the Pickle Robot Company has developed machines that can autonomously load and unload trucks inside warehouses and logistic centers.
There are some jobs human bodies just weren’t meant to do. Unloading trucks and shipping containers is a repetitive, grueling task – and a big reason warehouse injury rates are more than twice the national average.
The Pickle Robot Company wants its machines to do the heavy lifting. The company’s one-armed robots autonomously unload trailers, picking up boxes weighing up to 50 pounds and placing them onto onboard conveyor belts for warehouses of all types.
The company name, an homage to The Apple Computer Company, hints at the ambitions of founders AJ Meyer ’09, Ariana Eisenstein ’15, SM ’16, and Dan Paluska ’97, SM ’00. The founders want to make the company the technology leader for supply chain automation. [Read more…] about MIT alumni build robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting
Taming AI’s hunger for data: German-Taiwanese researchers show how to use ‘the smallest technology nodes for energy-efficient AI’
Artificial intelligence works fast, but its energy consumption is growing rapidly. A German-Taiwanese research team is now developing a solution: new memory for leading chip technologies smaller than 3 nm.
These innovative nanosheet devices enable computing operations directly in memory, thereby drastically reducing energy consumption. They are based on ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeMFETs) made from hafnium oxide, which are particularly efficient.
With a joint research program, Fraunhofer IPMS, Fraunhofer IMWS, and the Taiwanese research institute TSRI are laying the foundation for the next generation of energy-efficient AI chips – from smartphones and automobiles to medical devices. [Read more…] about Taming AI’s hunger for data: German-Taiwanese researchers show how to use ‘the smallest technology nodes for energy-efficient AI’
Civ Robotics’ AI-powered CivNav brings solar construction a step closer to autonomy
Civ Robotics, a construction robotics company, has launched CivNav, a machine-control material distribution system. Powered by AI, CivNav speeds up solar construction by streamlining logistics, efficient pile and pallet placement, and advanced planning and workflow segmentation.
As demand for solar construction continues to surge, projects are often slowed by complex logistics, requiring constant deliveries that result in sites congested with dozens of trucks.
These inefficiencies are compounded by the construction industry’s current 500,000-worker labor shortage. CivNav’s technology arrives at this critical time, streamlining outdated processes to keep the transition to solar on track. [Read more…] about Civ Robotics’ AI-powered CivNav brings solar construction a step closer to autonomy
Mach secures $7 million seed funding and agrees partnerships to scale its off-road autonomy business
Mach, a Tier 1 supplier of full-stack autonomy solutions for off-road equipment, has announced two concurrent milestones that signal a major acceleration in its commercial progress: the close of a $7 million funding round and key partnerships with leading original equipment manufacturers in agriculture, defense, and landcare.
The funding round was led by The Venture Collective (TVC), with participation from Next Level Ventures and Midwest Growth Partners. The capital will be used to scale production and support Mach’s growing ecosystem of more than 25 OEM partners, who are integrating Mach’s proven autonomy platform to deliver next-generation solutions to their customers.
Off-road industries face new challenges, including labor shortages and increased demands for safety and efficiency. Mach addresses these issues with a proven autonomy platform, boasting 500,000 driverless miles and 250,000 hours in the field. [Read more…] about Mach secures $7 million seed funding and agrees partnerships to scale its off-road autonomy business
How robotics is becoming a branch of AI
For most of the modern industrial era, the hierarchy of automation was simple.
- Automation meant machines reliably performing fixed routines.
- Robotics was a sophisticated subset of automation – programmable machinery with sensors, motors and a defined task.
- Artificial intelligence was something entirely separate: a software discipline concerned with logic, reasoning and learning.
But the boundaries that made sense for the last 50 years no longer describe the technologies emerging now. Robots are beginning to perceive, classify, and adapt. AI systems are leaving screens and entering machines. And a new phrase – physical AI – is gaining ground as researchers try to explain what happens when intelligence takes a physical form. [Read more…] about How robotics is becoming a branch of AI
Trump reportedly considering robotics executive order as top scientists warn government is dismantling research funding
The Trump administration is preparing a major push to accelerate the development of robotics technologies, according to a report on the Politico website.
Five months after unveiling a national plan for artificial intelligence, the administration is now shifting its attention to autonomous systems and advanced manufacturing.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been meeting with robotics industry CEOs and is “all in” on accelerating the industry’s development, Politico reports, citing “three people familiar with the discussions who were granted anonymity to share details”. [Read more…] about Trump reportedly considering robotics executive order as top scientists warn government is dismantling research funding