Robotics & Automation News

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Apptronik and Jabil partner to scale production of humanoid robots for manufacturing

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Apptronik, the AI-powered humanoid robotics company, and Jabil, an engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain solutions company, have agreed a strategic collaboration to build Apollo humanoid robots and integrate them into specific Jabil manufacturing operations.

This includes the production lines that will build Apollo humanoid robots, paving the way for Apollo to build Apollo.

As part of the pilot program, newly manufactured Apollo units will leverage Jabil’s factory environment for real-world validation testing. [Read more…] about Apptronik and Jabil partner to scale production of humanoid robots for manufacturing

Third Wave Automation closes $27 million Series C funding to scale autonomous forklifts

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Third Wave Automation, a provider of autonomous high-reach forklifts, has closed a $27 million Series C round led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund.

Return investors Innovation Endeavors, Norwest Venture Partners and Qualcomm Ventures joined the round, bringing total capital raised to $97 million.

The funding will enable Third Wave to scale its “Shared Autonomy Platform”, expand manufacturing of its multimode TWA Reach forklifts, and support future technology development that advances the use of autonomous forklifts in and around warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Third Wave Automation closes $27 million Series C funding to scale autonomous forklifts

Hitachi Digital Services launches R2O2.ai framework to build, scale and operate ‘trustworthy AI’

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Hitachi Digital Services, the digital consultancy and technology services subsidiary of Hitachi, has launched its generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) offering: Reliable, Responsible, Observable and Optimal AI or R2O2.ai.

The R2O2.ai framework is designed to bridge the gap between conceptualizing AI workloads and deploying them at scale, delivering reliable, responsible and observable AI models at unprecedented speed and efficiency – ideal for enterprises aiming to scale their AI projects responsibly and optimally.

The R2O2.ai framework will further expand our proprietary HARC (Hitachi Application Reliability Centers) offering, a suite of engineering services that helps our customers build and manage systems with reliability, resiliency, security and cost efficiency. [Read more…] about Hitachi Digital Services launches R2O2.ai framework to build, scale and operate ‘trustworthy AI’

New Scale Robotics brings automated gauging to Fanuc’s collaborative robots

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New Scale Robotics has formed a new partnership with Fanuc Americas as an Authorized Systems Integrator.

This new relationship expands the Fanuc system’s capabilities by enabling the automation of manual gauging processes, helping manufacturers eliminate bottlenecks and improve productivity.

By automating tedious manual gauging tasks, New Scale’s Q-Span systems improve measurement consistency, repeatability, and throughput while eliminating data entry errors. [Read more…] about New Scale Robotics brings automated gauging to Fanuc’s collaborative robots

3M highlights major global trends in materials science and charts its own way ahead

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3M Forward is a program that highlights how materials science-based innovation at scale can help society progress amid three unstoppable forces shaping our planet: climate change and resource scarcity, shifting demographics and social change and convergence of the physical and digital worlds. As part of 3M Forward, 3M scientists, engineers and experts share how their solutions are helping to build a brighter future.

Mark Copman, 3M senior vice president, new growth ventures, says: “The global forces highlighted within 3M Forward are disruptive in nature, but we see them as catalysts for new advances in science and positive societal impact.

“Science has the potential to solve the toughest global challenges, and 3M’s diverse global portfolio and vast expertise make us optimally positioned to imagine what’s possible and build what’s next.”  [Read more…] about 3M highlights major global trends in materials science and charts its own way ahead

Denali becomes Universal Robots’ biggest Certified Solution Partner

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Denali Advanced Integration has become Universal Robots’ biggest Certified Solution Partner.

Denali is now expected to use its integration expertise and market reach to bring Universal Robots’ collaborative robot technology to major business across the globe as part of its new Automation-As-A-Service (AaaS) portfolio, which it announced in April.

This will offer large scale companies end-to-end integration and service support and corresponds with a growing interest from large businesses in cobot automation. [Read more…] about Denali becomes Universal Robots’ biggest Certified Solution Partner

Noah Medical raises $150 million to scale robotics surgery solutions

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Medical robotics innovator Noah Medical has raised $150 million in Series B funding.

With participation from a number of well-known institutional and strategic investors, Noah Medical says it will use the funds to meet rising demand for the Galaxy System, its next-generation, integrated solution for navigated robotic bronchoscopy.

Co-led by the Softbank Vision Fund and Prosperity7 Ventures, the oversubscribed round also included investments from Tiger Global, Hillhouse, Sequoia China, Shangbay Capital, Uphonest Capital, Sunmed Capital, Lyfe Capital, 1955 Capital, and AME cloud ventures, as well as undisclosed strategic and existing investors. [Read more…] about Noah Medical raises $150 million to scale robotics surgery solutions

New Scale Robotics enhances its automated gauging system through robotic thread verification

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Thread verification is the latest enhancement to New Scale Robotics’ Q-Span Automated Gauging System, a “do-it-yourself” robotic automation system for quality teams in high-mix, small-batch manufacturing.

The Q-Span Gauging System automates gauging processes by combining existing manual gauges with a collaborative robot, grippers for part handling, easy-to-use metrology and robot control software, and automated data collection.

The robot arm loads parts into a fixture and activates the thread gauge to verify or chase threaded holes or external threads. [Read more…] about New Scale Robotics enhances its automated gauging system through robotic thread verification

Factory Visit: Investment bankers tour client’s robot-filled machine shop

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Investment and automation specialists John Slater and Jorge Maceyras, of Focus Investment Banking, make a factory visit to a client of theirs, and find that robotics is integral to the operation.

Do you have any robots?

When we posed that somewhat naïve question to the CEO of an extreme high precision machine shop in 2014, we got the response we deserved.

“Look up on the landing.”

There, we saw a hulking industrial robot our client had acquired years before to satisfy his auto industry customer that had a factory full of such behemoths. The unwieldy, difficult to program, creature had no role in the high mix low volume shop and had long been consigned to serve as the firm’s robot museum. [Read more…] about Factory Visit: Investment bankers tour client’s robot-filled machine shop

Plus One Robotics raises $50 million in new funding

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Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, has raised $50 million in Series C funding.

The round was led by Scale Venture Partners, with Partner Rory O’Driscoll joining the board of directors. Top Tier Capital Partners, Tyche Partners, ROBO Global Ventures, Translink, McRock, and Pritzker Group Venture Capital also participated in the round alongside existing investors, which brings the company’s total funding to date to nearly $100 million.

Plus One’s technology helps to alleviate the persistent shortage of manual labor through robotic solutions, dramatically streamlining the parcel picking and depalletizing processes. [Read more…] about Plus One Robotics raises $50 million in new funding