Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

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Winter Olympics provide China opportunity to showcase its robots

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The Winter Olympics – or Beijing 2022 – are under way in China, and the country’s roboticists are using it as an opportunity to show off their technologies. 

This is not unexpected, of course. Japan used the Summer Olympics to showcase its engineering prowess in the area of vehicle technologies as well as robots.

In fact, there’s probably less robotic showing off going on in Beijing than one might have expected, given that China is now the world’s largest buyer of robots. It’s also now the world’s largest car market, much of which is slowly becoming autonomous. [Read more…] about Winter Olympics provide China opportunity to showcase its robots

Motion capture is guiding the next generation of extraterrestrial robots

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“How do we build robots that can optimally explore space?” is the core question behind Dr Frances Zhu’s research at the University of Hawai’i. One part of the answer is, “with motion capture”.

“It is my hope that my research contributes to the way extraterrestrial robots move and make decisions on other planets,” explains Zhu (main image), an assistant researcher and deputy director at the University’s Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.

That research is in its early stages, but NASA has seen the value in it and awarded Zhu an EPSCoR grant by the name “Autonomous Rover Operations for Planetary Surface Exploration using Machine Learning Algorithms”. [Read more…] about Motion capture is guiding the next generation of extraterrestrial robots

Fugro launches its new generation of uncrewed surface vessels in the Netherlands

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Fugro’s Blue Essence, an offshore certified uncrewed surface vessel (USV) with an electric remotely operated vehicle (eROV), will begin its first project in the Netherlands. 

During operations the vessel is controlled from an onshore remote operations centre (ROC) via a satellite connection and will be used for the inspection of offshore assets, construction support services, and hydrographic and geophysical surveys.

USVs play an important role in the future of the maritime sector by improving safety, reducing carbon emissions, and delivering data more efficiently. [Read more…] about Fugro launches its new generation of uncrewed surface vessels in the Netherlands

SIS 2021: The benchmark event for surface inspection and quality assurance systems

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The preliminary agenda is set, exhibitors have confirmed their participation and the doors to the 2021 Surface Inspection Summit (SIS) in Aachen, Germany are ready to open from November 9th to 10th.

Visitors can look forward to the comprehensive agenda covering new developments in industrial and institutional research, spanning industry 4.0, artificial intelligence and automation. Experts will also deep dive into product-specific case studies and share their knowledge and experiences.

Throughout the exhibition, manufacturers of OIS and OIS components will present new breakthroughs and products. [Read more…] about SIS 2021: The benchmark event for surface inspection and quality assurance systems

Intelligent multi-camera system for quality control of vaccine bottles

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Combating the Covid-19 pandemic is at the top of the global agenda. Around the world, efforts are being made to supply the population with vaccine as quickly as possible. But providing around 8 billion doses – at least one for every person in the world – is no easy task.

Glass vials are a crucial factor in the delivery of the billions of doses of vaccine. About 50 billion of them are produced worldwide every year. Currently the producers of the vials are massively ramping up their production so as not to become the proverbial bottleneck in the supply chain.

However, medical-grade vaccine vials are not standard glass tubes. Whether rolled-rim bottles, threaded bottles or ampoules, they are all made of the special glass borosilicate and require customized production lines. [Read more…] about Intelligent multi-camera system for quality control of vaccine bottles

GSR rescues its deep-sea manganese mining robot

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GSR, the deep-sea exploratory division of the DEME Group, has successfully recovered its prototype deep-seabed mining robot – which had become uncoupled from a cable connecting it to a surface vessel – from the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Patania II – GSR’s purpose-built prototype nodule collector – is currently being trialled in 4,500 metre water depth in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean.

On its final dive in the GSR area on 25 April, a lifting point separated and Patania II was uncoupled from the 5 km cable that connects it to the surface vessel. [Read more…] about GSR rescues its deep-sea manganese mining robot

Okuma unveils machining center that forms and finishes metal parts in ‘one setup’

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Okuma has unveiled a new machining center that it says can form and finishes large metal parts and components in one setup.

The company says its MCR-S double column machining center “combines cutting-edge technology and process improvements to reduce cycle time by 25 percent”.

Okuma is one of the largest manufacturers of CNC machine tools, and says its MCR-S roughs and finishes press dies in one setup and is designed for heavy duty machining of process-intensive press dies. [Read more…] about Okuma unveils machining center that forms and finishes metal parts in ‘one setup’

Best Kitchen Equipment You Must Invest In

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Like a house, furniture, or a car, you must be careful while choosing the kitchen equipment.

These tools are going to be with you as long as a lifetime.

Therefore, ensure that you are investing in the tools that will help in your daily routine. [Read more…] about Best Kitchen Equipment You Must Invest In

ATI launches end effector kits for Fanuc collaborative robots

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ATI Industrial Automation has developed CRX-Ready End-Effector Kits, providing Fanuc CRX cobot users a simple and effective way to increase the flexibility of collaborative robotic automation. (See video below.)

These all-in-one packages include robust options for automatic tool changing, force sensing, and material removal, and enable tasks such as assembly, machine tending, part inspection, surface preparation and others to be implemented and executed easily.

CRX-Ready End-Effector Kits include everything needed to get Fanuc CRX cobot applications up and running. In addition to the end-effector, the kit features all the hardware and software required for system connection. [Read more…] about ATI launches end effector kits for Fanuc collaborative robots

The Damage to Machinery You Don’t Always Notice

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When someone talks about technology being damaged, what are some of the first things you imagine in your head? Maybe a smartphone being dropped screen first onto asphalt. A car crash, maybe. How about those videos of people throwing laptops off of stairs.

But there are other types of damage that you don’t always notice, as they’re not as visible and seem to fly right under people’s radar. Things like dust, the weather, even the Sun can cause serious harm to machinery without anyone even realizing it. So then, what is this damage, and how to avoid it? [Read more…] about The Damage to Machinery You Don’t Always Notice