Robotics & Automation News

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Ibeo and SICK partner in ‘largest ever’ LiDAR co-operation agreement

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Ibeo Automotive Systems and SICK Sensor Intelligence are partnering in what is described as the “largest ever LiDAR co-operation agreement”. The technology partnership between Hamburg-based automotive LiDAR specialist Ibeo and SICK will result in a 3D solid-state LiDAR sensor for industrial applications.

The technology, developed by Ibeo to automotive standards, is based on a new photon laser measurement technology and is entirely free of moving parts. An additional, camera-like reference image adds a “fourth dimension” to the measurement provided by the sensor.

The market for autonomous and semi-autonomous systems in an industrial context is predicted to grow at above-average rates. There is particular demand for durable, small, and cost-efficient sensor solutions. [Read more…] about Ibeo and SICK partner in ‘largest ever’ LiDAR co-operation agreement

Pandemic-Driven Automation Adoption Will Forever Change These 3 Sectors

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For quite a while now, experts have predicted that a wave of automation would remake labour markets.

For businesses, it would be the beginning of a new age of efficiency. For workers, it would be a job apocalypse.

But no matter how you viewed it, the automation wave wasn’t expected to crest until sometime around 2030. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic threw decades of business technology planning into a sudden tailspin. [Read more…] about Pandemic-Driven Automation Adoption Will Forever Change These 3 Sectors

Mosaic raises $14 million to digitalize construction and bring prefabrication into the mainstream

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A startup company aiming to bring digital project management techniques to the construction sector has raised $14.25 million in Series A funding, bring the total raised to $24.7 million, according to Business Insider. 

Mosaic Construction says its fundamental offer or service is to provide a method for analyzing building plans and categorize them according to which contractor will do what task in what time frame and so on.

This could enable traditional property developers and builders to move more of their tasks into the factory for prefabrication, bringing prefabricated construction into the mainstream. [Read more…] about Mosaic raises $14 million to digitalize construction and bring prefabrication into the mainstream

Thai agritech startup to use satellite images and AI for farming

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A startup company in Thailand called Ricult is planning to use satellite imagery and artificial intelligence to provide precision agritech services to farmers.

The company recently raised $2 million in new investment, bringing its total funding to $5 million, according to Nikkei. Among its backers are the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Bangkok Bank.

Ricult – which takes its name from the middle of the agriculture – says it is particularly targeting small-scale farmers with its services. [Read more…] about Thai agritech startup to use satellite images and AI for farming

Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers

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Sometimes described as “the workhorse of industrial automation”, a programmable logic controller, or PLC, is a computing device that is specially designed for use in an industrial operation.

A PLC can take many shapes and sizes, but in most instances it does not look like a conventional desktop computer like the ones you find in offices or in homes – a PLC has no display screen, no hard drive, and no keyboard.

PLCs started out in the automotive manufacturing trade, although they can now be found in almost all sectors, where they tend to replace relays.

Relays are devices that essentially turn machines on and off, and are said to be time-consuming and complex to use compared to PLCs. Relays also require more operational downtime when they need to reconfigured. PLCs are estimated by one research company to reduce downtime from 20 percent to about 4 percent. [Read more…] about Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers

NIST awards $3.4 million to support Manufacturing USA’s coronavirus projects

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The US government has awarded $3.4 million to support Manufacturing USA’s solutions to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $3.4 million in grants to support “high-impact projects” for Covid-19 pandemic response.

The funding is authorized through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump in March 2020. [Read more…] about NIST awards $3.4 million to support Manufacturing USA’s coronavirus projects

Tech giants and driverless cars: Racing against the automakers

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Modern tech conglomerate Amazon – whose interests range from online shopping, through computing devices such as the Kindle and Amazon Echo, to cloud computing and even space exploration – is in advanced talks to acquire self-driving startup Zoox, according to a report on the Financial Times website. 

It’s not the first time Amazon has shown interest in the automotive sector. The company was the lead investor in Aurora Innovation’s $530 million funding round last year.

Aurora is seen as a rival to Waymo, the driverless car company set up by Google, another tech giant. [Read more…] about Tech giants and driverless cars: Racing against the automakers

Automatic Passenger Counters for Improving Public Transport

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Fleet companies that operate cabs, buses, and coaches and companies that manage public trains and trams need to keep data on the number of passengers boarding and alighting for accountability. Earlier, manual counting was the only way to record such data.

But today, technology has really changed how things are done. These public transport vehicles are fitted with automatic passenger counting (APC) devices that will actually transmit the tally in real time to a remote location.

The availability of such technology is a big invention in the public transport sector that has brought numerous positive changes. Let us dive deeper into how the sector has changed through using APC devices. [Read more…] about Automatic Passenger Counters for Improving Public Transport

Global industry ‘in midst of major change’ because of ‘megatrends’

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Hannover Messe 2020 will coincide with a period of rapid technological change and political and economic uncertainty, according to its organisers.

Sporting its 2020-season lead theme of “Industrial Transformation” and featuring some 6,000 exhibitors, the world’s top trade show for industrial technology will shine a light on the opportunities arising from new technologies, changing buyer behavior and a growing awareness of climate protection.

Experts at Deutsche Messe, one of the world’s largest industrial trade show companies and the owner of Hannover Messe, the global industrial sector is “in the midst of a period of major change”, driven primarily by the “megatrends” of digitization, individualization and climate protection.

At the same time, it is grappling with some very challenging economic and political fundamentals.

Dr Jochen Köckler, chairman of Deutsche Messe, says: “The world is embarking on a period of change, the likes of which we haven’t seen for a long time. [Read more…] about Global industry ‘in midst of major change’ because of ‘megatrends’

Dow showcasing new materials aimed at automotive sector at Battery Show

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Dow Performance Silicones is showcasing new materials aimed at the automotive sector at the ongoing Battery Show North America.

The silicon-based technology and innovations include new materials and capabilities for electric vehicle and battery packs.

The company says the technologies are intended to help designers and engineers to manage thermal, adhesion, sealing and throughput challenges. [Read more…] about Dow showcasing new materials aimed at automotive sector at Battery Show

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