Robotics & Automation News

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Advanced Driver Assistance Systems predicted to grow to $63 billion by 2024

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The global market for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is projected to be valued $63 billion by 2024, according to a report by Accurize Market Research. 

The sector is expected to see a compound annual growth rate of 10.7 percent from 2017 to 2025.

Advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, are systems developed to automate, adapt, and enhance vehicle systems for safety and improved driving to assist the driver in the driving procedure. [Read more…] about Advanced Driver Assistance Systems predicted to grow to $63 billion by 2024

Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

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By Skip Snyder, senior partner, IBM Consulting and Mike Pollitt, chief sales officer, Boston Dynamics

The demand for AI-driven robotics is increasing in operations like those in manufacturing and warehouse settings to help organizations with data and analytics that identify problems in real time, improve decision making, and perform tasks more efficiently. But to experience the true benefits, these operations need AI as close to the origin of the data as possible.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 56 percent of manufacturers have implemented AI-driven robotics to make autonomous decisions, while 83 percent agree intelligent automation will help their organization meet strategic challenges and improve business results. However, businesses point out that most edge and IoT devices today are stationary, inflexible and often incapable of responding to rapidly changing environments.

To address this challenge, IBM and Boston Dynamics have announced a new alliance focused on delivering data analysis at the edge to help industrial companies improve worker safety, optimize field operations, and boost maintenance productivity in environments like manufacturing facilities, power plants, warehouses and more. Enabled by AI and hybrid cloud innovations from IBM Research, IBM Consulting will develop edge payloads that integrate with Spot, the agile, mobile robot from Boston Dynamics. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

Zepth and Boston Dynamics develop construction robotics solution

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Zepth, a construction industry solution provider, has agreed a new collaboration with Boston Dynamics, a builder of canine and humanoid robots.

As part of an early adopter program, the project management platform now offers users seamless integration with Boston Dynamics’ mobile robot Spot, enabling project teams to automate routine inspection tasks and capture data safely and with greater precision.

The collaboration combines the data collection capabilities of Spot with Zepth’s cutting-edge intelligent technology, allowing users to draw powerful insights from captured data to enhance efficiency, productivity, and collaboration throughout each phase of a project lifecycle. [Read more…] about Zepth and Boston Dynamics develop construction robotics solution

Boston Dynamics releases new software for its canine robot Spot

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Boston Dynamics has released new software for its canine robot, Spot, which has sold in relatively large numbers considering its hefty price tag.

The company says the new software – Spot Release 3.0 – adds functionality to make Spot “the data collection solution you need for safer and more efficient inspection rounds”.

Spot’s famous realistic walking ability – the Autowalk system – has logged thousands of miles in industrial facilities and on construction sites around the world. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics releases new software for its canine robot Spot

Otto Motors integrates its warehouse robots with Boston Dynamics’ robot dog

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Otto Motors, a maker of autonomous mobile robots for warehouses and part of Clearpath Robotics, has integrated its warehouse robots with Boston Dynamics’ robot dog, Spot, as part of a demonstration. (See video below.)

The company says it combined its separate areas of expertise – from Clearpath and Otto – into “a dynamic real-world application using Boston Dynamics’ Spot”.

At the end of last year, Clearpath released a ROS software package for Spot which allows researchers to take full advantage of ROS capabilities out-of-the-box and leverage widely available open-source libraries and tools with Spot. [Read more…] about Otto Motors integrates its warehouse robots with Boston Dynamics’ robot dog

Boston Dynamics now selling its robot dog for $75,000 each

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Boston Dynamics, creator of humanoid and canine robots that have caused primal fear on a global scale, is now selling its robot dog for $75,000 each.

The company has launched commercial sales for Spot, the agile robot that climbs stairs and traverses rough terrain with ease.

The exact price per unit of the clever little canine is $74,500 and it can be bought through Boston Dynamics’ online shop. Discounts are probably available for multiple purchases. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics now selling its robot dog for $75,000 each

Boston Dynamics canine robot Spot gets a job as a terrifying alien sheepdog

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Sheep are often herded using a real sheepdog, clever canines which run around directing the animals into a pen on a farm. 

But a clever software company is conducting a test by replacing the dog with Boston Dynamics’ terrifying canine robot, Spot.

New Zealand is at the very edge of human civilisation on Earth, and the sheep there probably see the robot as an alien. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics canine robot Spot gets a job as a terrifying alien sheepdog

Kia unveils digital dashboard with monitor to ‘eliminate blind spots’

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Kia has revealed details of its “Blind-Spot View Monitor” technology included with the all-new Kia Sorento sports utility vehicle.

This “second pair of eyes” for drivers is designed to enhance safety for Sorento occupants and other road users by eliminating a driver’s left- and right-side blind spots.

The Sorento is the first Kia vehicle in Europe to offer this advanced driving assistance feature, one of a range of functions enabled by the car’s new fully-digital “Supervision” 12.3-inch instrument cluster. [Read more…] about Kia unveils digital dashboard with monitor to ‘eliminate blind spots’

Boston Dynamics provides its canine robot in the fight against coronavirus

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Boston Dynamics has modified its canine robot to make it more helpful in the fight against coronavirus.

In a blog post, the company says: “We have spent the last six weeks building and testing a payload and application architecture that would enable our robot, Spot, to help reduce exposure of frontline healthcare workers to the novel Covid-19 virus.”

Mobile robots play a vital role in removing people from dangerous environments, says the company, which developed the payload, hardware, and software for this application so that they are “generalizable and able to be deployed on other mobile robotic platforms with APIs and capacity for custom payloads”. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics provides its canine robot in the fight against coronavirus

Now you can make Boston Dynamics’ robot dog as scary as you like with the new SDK

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Boston Dynamics has launched a software development kit for its robot dog, Spot.

Already one of the scariest robots the world has ever seen, now the nightmare canine can be made even more terrifying by sick and twisted developers.

Boston Dynamics says the SDK enables a broad range of developers and non-traditional roboticists to communicate with the robot and develop custom applications that enable Spot to do useful tasks across a wide range of industries. [Read more…] about Now you can make Boston Dynamics’ robot dog as scary as you like with the new SDK