Robotics & Automation News

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Kuka develops mobile robot for semiconductor production

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Kuka has developed a mobile robot for semiconductor production. The system integrates a robotic arm with an autonomous wheeled platform.

Kuka says it developed the system because the production of semiconductors is particularly complex.

Until now there was no mobile, automated semiconductor production system that enabled component transfer from one step to the next. That has now changed with the Kuka wafer handling solution. [Read more…] about Kuka develops mobile robot for semiconductor production

Sportamore opts for Swisslog to expand automated warehouse

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Sportamore, one of the largest and fastest-growing online vendors of sports clothing and equipment in the Nordic countries, has expanded its automated central warehouse in Eskilstuna in cooperation with Swisslog.

The expansion began in February 2018 and was finished according to plan in February 2019.

Sema Söderhäll, chief logistics officer at Sportamore, says: “Together with Swisslog, we were able to complete the expansion without disrupting our regular production, something we’re very grateful for.” [Read more…] about Sportamore opts for Swisslog to expand automated warehouse

Formant acquires Formation to add robot remote control to its fleet management solutions

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Formant, a robot fleet management software company, has acquired Formation, a robot teleoperation startup based in Pittsburgh.

Formant will integrate the startup’s solution to enable customers to remotely control their robots through its browser-based, cloud-enabled robot fleet management system.

According to Formant’s CEO, Jeff Linnell, adding teleoperation to Formant’s offerings will create an end-to-end solution that robots-as-a-service companies can leverage to scale their fleets, enabling them to easily manage thousands of robots. [Read more…] about Formant acquires Formation to add robot remote control to its fleet management solutions

ABB pilots automation solution for data centres

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A colocation data centre provider is piloting ABB‘s new data centre automation cloud solution, which aims to meet challenges faced by the rapid growth of data centres.

Optimisation of data centre performance, increased tenant retention, agile communications between operations and upper management, and reduced costs are some of the benefits claimed for the new ABB offering.

With a holistic data centre approach, the solution is said to provide a detailed insight into how multiple data centres and devices are performing.

[Read more…] about ABB pilots automation solution for data centres

Volvo Trucks autonomous vehicle to link logistics centre and Gothenburg port

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Volvo Trucks’ electric, connected and autonomous vehicle Vera will form part of an integrated solution to transport goods from a logistics centre to a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The assignment is a result of a new collaboration between Volvo Trucks and the ferry and logistics company, DFDS.

The purpose of the collaboration is to use Vera in a real application, enabling a connected system for a continuous flow of goods, from a DFDS’ logistics centre to an APM Terminals port facility in Gothenburg, for distribution across the world.

[Read more…] about Volvo Trucks autonomous vehicle to link logistics centre and Gothenburg port

Vattenfall and Echandia Marine develop electric ferry with ‘superfast charging’

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Energy supplier Vattenfall and engineering company Echandia Marine claim they have developed a new solution for electric ferries that can “minimise emissions and noise and at the same time lower operational and maintenance costs and provide superfast charging”.

The systems are installed on E/S Movitz that operates in central Stockholm and can be fully charged within 10 minutes with up to 500 kW charging power.

Vattenfall and Echandia Marine have together developed a new concept that can contribute to a more sustainable transport solution for different types of boats and ferries. [Read more…] about Vattenfall and Echandia Marine develop electric ferry with ‘superfast charging’

BD launches solution for high throughput molecular diagnostic testing

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Medical technology company Becton Dickinson and Co, has launched the CE-IVDD certification of the BD COR System in Europe.

The high throughput solution for infectious disease diagnostics sets a new standard in automation for molecular testing in core laboratories and other large centralized laboratories.

The BD COR System integrates and automates the complete molecular laboratory workflow from pre-analytical processing to diagnostic test result. [Read more…] about BD launches solution for high throughput molecular diagnostic testing

ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise expand industrial internet partnership

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ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have expanded their partnership in the industrial internet space and say they will “bring scalable connectivity to large industrial customers” by integrating ABB Ability Smart Sensor technology with Aruba Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled access points.

ABB and Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, will collaborate to deliver a scalable, high-performance wireless connectivity solution for large industrial customers.

Customers will be able to capture valuable data and insights from their equipment via ABB Ability Smart Sensor technology and access it via a web portal, a cloud interface or a mobile phone application, say the companies. [Read more…] about ABB and Hewlett Packard Enterprise expand industrial internet partnership

Locus Robotics and Manhattan team up for retail and 3PL customers

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Locus Robotics, a leader in autonomous mobile robots (AMR) for fulfilment warehouses, has announced a strategic integration partnership with Manhattan Associates, a supply chain and omnichannel solutions provider.

The partnership makes Manhattan a licensed reseller of Locus’s autonomous, multi-robot solution for warehouse fulfillment and will facilitate the development of integration tools to improve productivity and efficiency for shared retail and third-party logistics (3PL) customers.

“The sustained massive growth in e-commerce has left the supply chain industry at a turning point. Retailers and 3PLs are seeking autonomous mobile robots to solve their productivity, efficiency and labour challenges,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics.

[Read more…] about Locus Robotics and Manhattan team up for retail and 3PL customers

Haltian launches 5G-ready smart factory solution with AWS IoT

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Haltian has launched what it says is a 5G-ready smart factory solution with AWS IoT Greengrass edge computing capabilities.

Haltian says the new solution is an end-to-end smart factory service that reduces factory costs up to 90 percent, compared to traditional automation techniques, by providing a straightforward and secure asset and process digitalization for industrial enterprises.

This solution sees Haltian combine their Thingsee IoT platform and industry-grade retrofit sensors with AWS IoT Greengrass Edge Computing, and private LTE technology and paves the way for 5G. [Read more…] about Haltian launches 5G-ready smart factory solution with AWS IoT