Robotics & Automation News

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UCLA engineers develop miniaturized ‘warehouse robots’ for biotechnology applications

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UCLA engineers have developed minuscule warehouse logistics robots that could help expedite and automate medical diagnostic technologies and other applications that move and manipulate tiny drops of fluid. The study was published in Science Robotics.

The robots are disc-shaped magnets about 2 millimeters in diameter, designed to work together to move and manipulate droplets of blood or other fluids, with precision.

For example, the robots can cleave one large droplet of fluid into smaller drops that are equal in volume for consistent testing. [Read more…] about UCLA engineers develop miniaturized ‘warehouse robots’ for biotechnology applications

New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

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The City of Pully, Switzerland, reports experience with ‘Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities’

A new ITU case study offers an evaluation of the Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities developed by the United for Smart Sustainable Cities Initiative (U4SSC), an initiative supported 16 United Nations bodies.

U4SSC develops practical tools to support cities’ application of digital technologies to become smarter and more sustainable, with the aim of achieving SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.

Pully, a Swiss municipality home to some 18,000 residents, has reported its experience applying the U4SSC Key Performance Indicators to help meet the objectives of its “smart city” strategy. [Read more…] about New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

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An automated method of conducting materials science research can increase productivity by 384 times when compared to a human, according to researchers. 

The robot-plus-software system also makes it easier for people who are not expert researchers or scientists to create new materials.

A Rutgers-led team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. [Read more…] about Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

Zimmer robotic surgery system found to improve accuracy

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A newly developed robotic surgery system has been found to improve surgeon accuracy in knee operations.

The Zimmer Biomet ROSA Knee System provides surgeons “an intuitive inference displaying planned resections throughout cuts and a validation tool to verify cuts’ accuracy in real-time”, says the company.

Zimmer Biomet is a Warsaw, Indiana-based company which designs and manufactures a range of musculoskeletal healthcare products. [Read more…] about Zimmer robotic surgery system found to improve accuracy

General Motors and University of Michigan develop automated safety features

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As General Motors moves toward its vision of a world with zero crashes, the company is partnering with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to understand the real-world effectiveness of some of its available active safety, driver assistance, and advanced headlighting features that may prevent or mitigate different types of crashes.

The company says results show that several of these features are making a statistically significant impact in helping to reduce crashes.

The study leveraged 3.7 million GM vehicles across 20 different models from 2013-2017. Fifteen different systems were evaluated using police report crash databases available to UMTRI from 10 states. [Read more…] about General Motors and University of Michigan develop automated safety features

Researchers develop robot fingertips for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions

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A team of researchers at Kanazawa University has developed a robot control system – or fingertips – for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions.

The researchers say that the study was able to verify that “object grasping by soft surface fluid fingertips with high friction was controllable by applying a suitable lubricant”.

However, they added that it was necessary to do more experiments under various conditions in order to apply the current controlling technology to manufacturing environments. [Read more…] about Researchers develop robot fingertips for grasping and releasing objects in dry and wet conditions

Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

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Ew, a cockroach! But it zips off before the swatter appears. Now, researchers have leveraged the bug’s superb scurrying skills to create a cleverly simple method to assess and improve locomotion in robots.

Normally, tedious modeling of mechanics, electronics, and information science is required to understand how insects’ or robots’ moving parts coordinate smoothly to take them places.

But in a new study, biomechanics researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology boiled down the sprints of cockroaches to handy principles and equations they then used to make a test robot amble about better. [Read more…] about Scurrying cockroaches help researchers steady staggering robots

Columbia university develops robotic neck brace that ‘dramatically improves’ movement

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Columbia university has developed a robotic neck brace that it says “dramatically improves functions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. (See video below.)

The brace incorporates both sensors and actuators to “restore roughly 70 percent of the active range of motion”.

The novel neck brace, which supports the neck during its natural motion, was designed by Columbia university engineers. [Read more…] about Columbia university develops robotic neck brace that ‘dramatically improves’ movement

Columbia university demonstrates robotic cane to ‘improve stability in walking’

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Columbia University has demonstrated a robotic cane which it claims can “improve stability in walking”.

The developers say the device acts as a cane-like mobile assistant to provide “light-touch” operation to help the elderly and others with impaired mobility.

By adding electronics and computation technology to a simple cane that has been around since ancient times, a team of researchers at Columbia Engineering have transformed it into a 21st-century robotic device that can provide light-touch assistance in walking to the aged and others with impaired mobility. [Read more…] about Columbia university demonstrates robotic cane to ‘improve stability in walking’

Connected devices, industrial control systems expose manufacturers to cyber threats, say Deloitte and Mapi

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Intellectual property theft tops manufacturers’ concerns, says new report, which identifies measures to control cyber risks associated with advanced manufacturing

Nearly half of surveyed manufacturing executives lack confidence their assets are protected from external threats, according to a new study from Deloitte and the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (Mapi) on Cyber risk in advanced manufacturing. 

Study results indicate nearly 40 percent of surveyed manufacturing companies were affected by cyber incidents in the past 12 months, and 38 percent of those impacted indicated cyber breaches resulted in damages in excess of $1 million.

Trina Huelsman, vice chairman, Deloitte & Touche and US industrial products and services leader, says: “Manufacturers are innovating at an unprecedented rate, integrating cutting-edge technologies in products, automating the shop floor, connecting supply chains, and increasingly investing in valuable intellectual property.  [Read more…] about Connected devices, industrial control systems expose manufacturers to cyber threats, say Deloitte and Mapi

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