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India to send humanoid robot astronaut into space

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India is planning to send a humanoid robot astronaut into space, according to a number of media reports. (See video below.)

Called “Vyommitra”, the humanoid robot has been given a female form and does not have any legs. India Today reports that it can “recognise astronauts, converse with them and answer their questions”.

Sam Dyal, a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, says Vyommitra is referred to as “half humanoid” because it only has an upper body and has limited movement – “it can only bend sidewards and forward”. [Read more…] about India to send humanoid robot astronaut into space

GM’s Cruise Automation unveils new driverless electric vehicle

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Cruise Automation, the driverless car startup acquired by General Motors, has unveiled its first vehicle.

The Cruise Origin, as it is called, is electric, autonomous, driverless with no steering wheel, and designed to carry several people – about six in spacious comfort.

The company says the Origin is the answer to the many problems of motoring today. Cars today use fossil fuels which pollute the atmosphere, and are designed in a way that limits the space available. [Read more…] about GM’s Cruise Automation unveils new driverless electric vehicle

Key supplier selection criteria for when you’re building optical assemblies for commercial space applications

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By Joe Salemi, OEM sales manager, Optical Components Group, ZYGO Corporation

It is often easy to ignore the fundamental role that technology plays in our everyday lives.

Consider the ability to analyze changes to the Earth’s surface, daily. Consider the possibility of ubiquitous internet access even in remote parts of the world. Consider satellite navigation systems in almost every new road vehicle.

All these and thousands of other activities that are driven by the need to monitor what is happening in the world every minute of every day are only possible because of commercial space projects, and the technology used in such space craft must marry reliability with utmost precision. [Read more…] about Key supplier selection criteria for when you’re building optical assemblies for commercial space applications

European Space Agency to launch robot to clean up space

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The European Space Agency is planning to send a robot out into space to clean it of debris, which mainly consists of the countless satellites sent into orbit over the past few decades.

The vast majority of these “junk” satellites – communications, weather, military – have operational lifetimes lasting a few years – about five to 10 years, after which there is no system for bringing them back or clear them in any way. (See simulation of space debris around Earth below.)

Some have previously proposed to build robots that can travel to those obsolete satellites to perhaps fix them or make use of them somehow or at least maintain them so they are operational for longer, but that is an idea that is still in development, although also mentioned as part of ESA’s plan. [Read more…] about European Space Agency to launch robot to clean up space

Waypoint Robotics moves to larger facility to ‘meet growing demand’ for its warehouse robots

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Waypoint Robotics has moved to a larger facility to meet what it says “growing demand” for its autonomous mobile robots. Among the products the company supplies is the MAV3K, an AMR with the capacity to lift 3000 lb.

The new, larger manufacturing facility in Nashua, New Hampshire. The new location features expanded space for production, design, engineering, quality control, and robot testing.

Jason Walker, CEO and co-founder of Waypoint, says: “The response for our Vector and MAV3K AMRs has been strong and we quickly outgrew our Merrimack, New Hampshire location. We need space to ramp up production as customers transition from pilot programs into scaling their robot fleets. [Read more…] about Waypoint Robotics moves to larger facility to ‘meet growing demand’ for its warehouse robots

NASA launching ‘Robot Hotel’ to the International Space Station

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Sometimes robots need a place to stay in space, too. NASA is attaching a “robot hotel” to the outside of the International Space Station with the upcoming launch of the Robotic Tool Stowage (RiTS), a protective storage unit for critical robotic tools.

RiTS is set to launch on today (December 4) aboard the 19th SpaceX commercial resupply mission. Its first residents will be two Robotic External Leak Locators (RELL).

Outfitted with mass spectrometers capable of “sniffing” out the presence of gases such as ammonia, these robotic tools are used to detect leaks from the station. [Read more…] about NASA launching ‘Robot Hotel’ to the International Space Station

Mitsubishi launches ‘smallest, most compact’ programmable logic controller

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Mitsubishi Electric has released the company’s smallest and most powerful compact programmable logic controller to date – the FX5UC series Premium Micro PLC.

The company says the new PLC’s diminutive size is set to help machine builders and manufacturers pack “ever more functionality into a smaller space”, while also providing the web access and network connectivity demanded by the latest smart factory applications.

Mitsubishi Electric launched its first range of micro controllers, the FX family of PLCs, over 35 years ago as part of the MELSEC-F series. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi launches ‘smallest, most compact’ programmable logic controller

Yandex testing delivery robot

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Yandex, the largest online search engine company in Russia, has started testing a delivery robot. (See video below.)

The company has been following in the footsteps of similarly large search engine companies around the world – such as Google in the US, and Baidu in China – by investing in research and development of autonomous vehicles.

Earlier this year, Yandex signed a partnership agreement with Hyundai Mobis on self-driving cars which aims to build a self-driving platform that can be used by any car manufacturer or taxi fleet. [Read more…] about Yandex testing delivery robot

‘Trillions of billions’ of alien robots near Earth and about to invade

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A staggering “trillions of billions” of alien robots could be about to invade Earth, according to a credible and down-to-earth astrophysicist.

And because they are likely to be self-replicating alien robots, they could overwhelm our planet with some unimaginable numbers.

This terrifying prospect is being reported by Fox News, which quotes Zaza Osmanov, of Georgia’s University of Tbilisi. [Read more…] about ‘Trillions of billions’ of alien robots near Earth and about to invade

Formant launches cloud platform to manage robot fleets

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Formant, a San Francisco-based startup, has launched its new cloud robotics platform, which enables businesses to automatically collect and analyze robotics data.

By centralizing all application data in a single web user interface, Formant allows business teams, operators, and engineers to improve the efficacy of their robotic workforce.

Jeff Linnell, CEO of Formant.io, says: “Robots are leaving the factory and adventuring into our world. They could use some guidance. This release facilitates this journey by enabling robot fleets to thrive through human observability and assistance.” [Read more…] about Formant launches cloud platform to manage robot fleets