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Starship Technologies agrees €50 million funding from European Investment Bank

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Starship Technologies, a maker of autonomous delivery robots, has agreed on a €50 million quasi-equity facility agreement with the European Investment Bank.

The lending arm of the European Union and one of the largest providers of climate finance, the EIB supports projects that promote the priorities and objectives of the EU.

This financing, which is supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments, has been facilitated via a venture loan, and will be used for research and development, including the building of thousands more robots at Starship’s engineering and innovation facility in Tallinn. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies agrees €50 million funding from European Investment Bank

Schaeffler acquires precision gearbox maker Melior Motion 

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Schaeffler, a billion-dollar German company which supplies bearings and other components to the automotive and aerospace industries, has signed an agreement to acquire all of the shares of Melior Motion.

The acquisition of this supplier of precision gearboxes for robotics and other applications in automation expands the robotics portfolio of the Schaeffler Group’s industrial division.

As automation of simple, repetitive tasks as well as complex mounting and manufacturing processes is progressing rapidly, Schaeffler’s industrial division is expanding its position as a supplier for robotics components and systems. [Read more…] about Schaeffler acquires precision gearbox maker Melior Motion 

Wandelbots raises $84 million in Series C funding round

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Wandelbots, a developer of software for industrial robots, has raised more than $84 million in a Series C financing round.

The round was led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors 83North, Microsoft, Next47, Paua, Atlantic Labs and EQT.

Wandelbots’ no-code approach brings automation to the next level by enabling application experts to teach their robots independently and become robot experts without the need for coding skills. [Read more…] about Wandelbots raises $84 million in Series C funding round

Motion capture is guiding the next generation of extraterrestrial robots

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“How do we build robots that can optimally explore space?” is the core question behind Dr Frances Zhu’s research at the University of Hawai’i. One part of the answer is, “with motion capture”.

“It is my hope that my research contributes to the way extraterrestrial robots move and make decisions on other planets,” explains Zhu (main image), an assistant researcher and deputy director at the University’s Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.

That research is in its early stages, but NASA has seen the value in it and awarded Zhu an EPSCoR grant by the name “Autonomous Rover Operations for Planetary Surface Exploration using Machine Learning Algorithms”. [Read more…] about Motion capture is guiding the next generation of extraterrestrial robots

How Robots Can Contribute to the Ecommerce Industry

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Robots may be able to assist in various ways in the ecommerce industry. Some of these roles include marketing, providing customer service, and even content generation.

With the advent of new technologies, many companies are using robots to make their businesses more efficient. These robots are used for various tasks on ecommerce websites like order fulfillment, inventory tracking, picking and more.

Examples of robots include virtual assistants, chatbots, machine learning systems, and robot sellers.

Virtual assistants are the main type of robot used in eCommerce – they aid users in accomplishing tasks by providing any requested information about products or services. [Read more…] about How Robots Can Contribute to the Ecommerce Industry

Opinion: What does the future of robot-human interaction look like?

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Michel Spruijt, GM and VP of BrainCorp Europe, looks at how robots are being integrated into the working environment and how these intelligent machines will operate alongside the human workforce

Technology has seen significant progress over the last half a century, with artificial intelligence playing an important role.

Robots are now no longer a thing of fantasy but instead are being integrated into businesses across multiple industries.

They are making inroads across facilities as the need for greater efficiency in operations becomes a priority. [Read more…] about Opinion: What does the future of robot-human interaction look like?

Opinion: Predictions about the surgical robots market

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By Anthony Fernando, CEO and president of Asensus Surgical

Surgery has evolved from open surgery to robotic surgery. Surgical robots can perform complex procedures with geometrical precision, even in anatomical areas that are difficult to reach by human surgeons.

This is resulting in increased demand and adoption of minimally invasive surgeries and is one of the key drivers for the growth of the surgical robotics market.

So here are some predictions that foresee changes in the coming year within the surgical robotics market, telehealth and telesurgery, and augmented intelligence. [Read more…] about Opinion: Predictions about the surgical robots market

Starship Technologies launches robot delivery service at Dallas university

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Starship Technologies has rolled out its robot food delivery service at SMU, a Dallas-based private university.

Starship’s fleet of 16 autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from 10 campus eateries.

The University’s students, faculty and staff can now use the Starship Food Delivery app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from Cinco Taco, Einstein Bros Bagels, Lawyers Inn, Mac’s Place, Panera Bread, Rollin’ & Bowlin’ Acai Bowls, Starbucks, Sushic, and The Market to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies launches robot delivery service at Dallas university

Fanuc launches new 1,000 kg payload industrial robotic arm

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Fanuc America, the world’s largest maker of industrial robots, has introduced the new M-1000iA robot capable of handling very heavy products including automotive components, construction materials and battery packs for electric vehicles.

The M-1000iA’s serial-link construction gives the robot a wider range of motion in every direction. It can extend its arm upright or rotate it backwards, which is not possible for typical heavy-payload robots with a parallel-link mechanism.

With a 1,000 kg payload, a 3,253 mm horizontal reach, and a 4,297 mm vertical reach the M-1000iA is ready to go to work for manufacturers looking to increase output and maximize their production line’s efficiency. [Read more…] about Fanuc launches new 1,000 kg payload industrial robotic arm

Amazon introduces home monitoring robot

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Amazon has launched a small, humanoid-ish security robot for the home, called Astro, although it’s currently only available “exclusively by invitation”, whatever that means. 

The online retail giant, which probably operates the largest fleet of autonomous warehouse robots in the world, says Astro is a “household robot for home monitoring”.

On its website, Amazon adds: “When you’re away, use the Astro app to see a live view of your home, check in on specific rooms and viewpoints, and get activity alerts. [Read more…] about Amazon introduces home monitoring robot