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SICK and Aeva partner to bring 4D LiDAR to industrial sensing applications

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Aeva, a leader in next-generation sensing and perception systems, and SICK announced a strategic multi-year collaboration to bring Aeva’s Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D LiDAR to a variety of industrial sensing applications including long-range sensing, starting with Aeries II.

Dr Niels Syassen, member of the board responsible for technology and digitization at SICK, says: “We are pleased to partner with Aeva and work closely together to bring its FMCW technology to high performance industrial sensing applications.

“We are convinced that their unique approach to FMCW technology, which includes instant velocity detection and long-range performance, will provide new opportunities for us and our customers in a variety of industrial sensing applications where traditional time of flight LiDAR technologies are challenged.” [Read more…] about SICK and Aeva partner to bring 4D LiDAR to industrial sensing applications

Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

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Scientists created a new design and fabrication tool for soft pneumatic actuators with integrated sensing, which can power personalized healthcare, smart homes, and gaming.

Soft, pneumatic actuators might not be a phrase that comes up in daily conversations, but more likely than not you might have benefited from their utility. The devices use compressed air to power motion, and with sensing capabilities, they’ve proven to be a critical backbone in a variety of applications such as assistive wearables, robotics, and rehabilitative technologies.

But there’s a bit of a bottleneck in creating the little dynamic devices that have advantages like high response rates and power to input ratios. They require a manual design and fabrication pipeline, which translates to a lot of trial and error cycles to actually test and see whether the designs will work. [Read more…] about Soft assistive robotic wearables get a boost from rapid design tool

LeddarTech raises $140 million to develop autonomous driving technology

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LeddarTech has raised investment of $140 million, which comprises a Series D first close of $116 million and debt facility of $24 million.

LeddarTech is a developer of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving sensing technology.

FS Investors led the financing round with the participation of Investissement Québec, BDC Capital, Go Capital, certain funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Export Development Canada, ams Osram, Desjardins Capital, UI Investissement, Cowen Investment II LLC and other LeddarTech management. [Read more…] about LeddarTech raises $140 million to develop autonomous driving technology

ATI unveils ‘ultra-thin’ force torque sensor for robots

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ATI Industrial Automation has unveiled its “ultra-thin” Mini43LP Force/Torque Sensor, which the company says provides “high-precision force sensing in a rugged, yet compact transducer”.

At less than 8 mm tall, the newest member of ATI’s force/torque sensor product range is “uniquely suited for smaller automated applications”, says ATI.

The low profile sensor body allows users to optimize their work envelope and preserve the robot’s lifting power for end-of-arm tools. [Read more…] about ATI unveils ‘ultra-thin’ force torque sensor for robots

Infineon and Reality AI teach cars how to ‘hear’

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Today’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are based on cameras, radar or lidar. As a result, their target objects need to be within the line of sight to be recognized by the system.

This, however, turns into a weakness when it comes to emergency vehicles – they can be heard much earlier than they can be seen and thus are invisible to ADAS for a longer time.

To address this challenge, Infineon Technologies together with Reality AI created an advanced sensing solution giving vehicles the sense of hearing. [Read more…] about Infineon and Reality AI teach cars how to ‘hear’

Ambarella, Lumentum and ON Semiconductor collaborate on AI processing based 3D sensing for next-gen AIoT devices

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Ambarella, an AI vision silicon company, Lumentum, a designer and manufacturer of innovative optical and photonic products, and ON Semiconductor, a provider of CMOS image sensor solutions, have partnered to produce two new joint reference designs that they say will “accelerate artificial intelligence of things device deployment across verticals”.

The designs build on the companies’ previous joint solution for contactless access systems.

By combining the data from Lumentum’s high-performance VCSEL array illuminators and an ON Semiconductor image sensor using Ambarella’s AI SoC, higher levels of accuracy and more intelligent decision-making can be achieved in next-generation AIoT devices for biometric access control, 3D electronic locks and other intelligent sensing applications. [Read more…] about Ambarella, Lumentum and ON Semiconductor collaborate on AI processing based 3D sensing for next-gen AIoT devices

Artificial skin brings robots closer to ‘touching’ human lives

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Modern-day robots are often required to interact with humans intelligently and efficiently, which can be enabled by providing them the ability to perceive touch.

However, previous attempts at mimicking human skin have involved bulky and complex electronics, wiring, and a risk of damage.

In a recent study, researchers from Japan sidestep these difficulties by constructing a 3D vision-guided artificial skin that enables tactile sensing with high performance, opening doors to innumerable applications in medicine, healthcare, and industry. [Read more…] about Artificial skin brings robots closer to ‘touching’ human lives

SICK shrinks its PowerProx sensor to miniature size

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SICK has shrunk its versatile, high-performance PowerProx sensor into a space-saving miniature housing to reach the longest distances ever achieved with such a compact device.

The tiny SICK WTT4SL PowerProx Mini photoelectric sensor measures just 12.2 x 41.8 x 17.3 mm yet delivers outstanding performance to detect objects up to 1.3metres away. It is therefore ideal for high-speed production and logistics applications.

The PowerProx mini can be integrated into tight machine spaces such as the grippers of picking robots or for materials handling duties in AGVs, as well as for empty bay and clearance detection in high-bay warehouses. [Read more…] about SICK shrinks its PowerProx sensor to miniature size

STMicroelectronics unveils new vibration-monitoring solution for industrial applications

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STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor manufacturer, has launched a new vibration-sensing solution optimized to enable smart maintenance of factory equipment.

ST’s IIS3DWB vibration sensor and supporting STEVAL-STWINKT1 multi-sensor evaluation kit accelerate development of condition-monitoring systems that boost productivity by inferring equipment maintenance needs.

Analyzing the sensed vibration data locally or in the cloud helps owners create strategies that maximize uptime, minimize servicing costs, and avoid emergency repairs. [Read more…] about STMicroelectronics unveils new vibration-monitoring solution for industrial applications

Silicon Sensing to provide navigation technology for Mayflower autonomous ship

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Two Silicon Sensing Systems ultra-precise AMU30 inertial measurement units (IMUs) will provide critical navigation data to the autopilot capability for the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) throughout her milestone trans-Atlantic voyage this autumn.

Setting sail this September, the 15 meter-long, 5-ton MAS400 will repeat the Mayflower’s original epic voyage 400 years ago. Led by marine research organization ProMare and powered by IBM, she will sail from Plymouth, England to Plymouth Massachusetts, USA.

Instead of a captain and crew, she will use computer vision, machine learning, edge technologies and sensors to navigate and detect hazards.  [Read more…] about Silicon Sensing to provide navigation technology for Mayflower autonomous ship