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Carnegie Mellon builds killer robot to save economy

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A team from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute has developed an autonomous robot to find and kill dangerously spotted lanternflies before they’re even born. Spotted lanternflies are invasive insects known to destroy economically important crops. (See video below.)

TartanPest uses an all-electric tractor, a robotic arm and computer vision to traverse fields and forests while it detects and destroys spotted lanternfly egg masses.

The egg masses – which contain 30-50 eggs and are often found on trees, rocks, outdoor furniture and rusty metal surfaces – are laid in the fall and hatch in the spring, birthing a new generation of the pests each year. [Read more…] about Carnegie Mellon builds killer robot to save economy

Sumitomo develops robot that climbs steel walls

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Japanese industrial giant Sumitomo Heavy Industries says it has developed a “novel robot capable of traveling over curved steel walls by magnetic adhesion”.

The achievement is part of a robot development project at Sumitomo’s Technology Research Center, aiming to automate various manufacturing tasks at industrial sites. The development was achieved under Challenge Program 1, launched in 2018.

Wheeled robots with magnetic adhesion are well known in manufacturing and maintenance of large steel structures like ships and industrial facilities. Most conventional wall climbing robots are designed for flat surfaces. [Read more…] about Sumitomo develops robot that climbs steel walls

Motiv Space Systems wins contract to supply NASA with new type of actuation system

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Motiv Space Systems is has won a key contract with NASA that will continue to power the future of space exploration and innovation, with eyes set on NASA’s Artemis program.

Motiv was recently awarded a $5 million contract to begin development of the Distributed Extreme Environments Drive System (DEEDS) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Sequential Phase II Program.

This revolutionary technology has applications across a broad spectrum of missions, including in-situ resource utilization systems, robotics, payload offloading systems and mobility systems on the Lunar and Martian surfaces. [Read more…] about Motiv Space Systems wins contract to supply NASA with new type of actuation system

Adapting Robotic Production Lines for a Titanium-Focused Economy

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With the post-pandemic recovery well on its way, the new jobs market has placed a clear focus on hygiene.

According to CNBC, 66 percent of workers want cleaner, even sterile, working conditions, and that’s independent of their industry. Creating the tools and surfaces required to meet this demand will fall on factories and robotic, or automated, machining.

In turn, this will require innovation to work with materials that are conducive to that sterile environment – which poses a challenge to manufacturers and their robotic factory lines. [Read more…] about Adapting Robotic Production Lines for a Titanium-Focused Economy

Toyota Research Institute reaches ‘new technical milestones in robotics’

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Toyota Research Institute (TRI) says it has reached “new technical milestones in robotics”. The company has unveiled new robotics capabilities aimed at solving complex tasks in home environments.

Specifically, TRI roboticists were able to train robots to understand and operate in complicated situations that confuse most other robots, including recognizing and responding to transparent and reflective surfaces in a variety of circumstances.

As TRI demonstrates in a new video (see below), this robust system allows robots to make generalizations in a range of scenarios, including in different homes. [Read more…] about Toyota Research Institute reaches ‘new technical milestones in robotics’

SICK launches new product for contactless measurement of speed and length

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SICK Sensor Intelligence has launched a new system for contactless measurement of speed and length.

With the SPEETEC sensor solution, SICK says it is expanding its product range for speed and length measurement of objects moving in a linear path to include technology that measures directly on the material surface.

The non-contact sensor is able to measure a wide range of web and continuous materials, as well as blanks with an accuracy of just 4 µm. [Read more…] about SICK launches new product for contactless measurement of speed and length

MIT adapts Ava Robotics platform to build robot to disinfect Greater Boston Food Bank

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A robot built by MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has disinfected the Greater Boston Food Bank. (See video below.)

The robot uses ultraviolet-C light to disinfect a warehouse floor “in half an hour”, and could one day be employed in grocery stores, schools, and other spaces.

CSAIL developed the robot in partnership with Ava Robotics and the GBFB, and says the system “powerfully disinfects surfaces and neutralizes aerosolized forms of the coronavirus”. [Read more…] about MIT adapts Ava Robotics platform to build robot to disinfect Greater Boston Food Bank

Fanuc to introduce new RoboNano ‘ultra precise’ machining tool

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Fanuc is to introduce its new “RoboNano α-NTiA” at SPIE Photonics West 2020, February 4-6, in San Francisco, Booth #5684.

Designed to help manufacturers improve productivity, the RoboNano is described as an “ultra-precise machine tool offering the ultimate in finish quality for optical surfaces”.

Available in two models, including the new RoboNano α-NTiA for turning applications and the RoboNano α-NMiA for 5-axis milling and scribing / engraving, the RoboNano meets the requirements of the most demanding applications in the automotive, biomedical, and watchmaking industries. [Read more…] about Fanuc to introduce new RoboNano ‘ultra precise’ machining tool

Omron says its optical sensors can better detect black surfaces

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Omron has launched an updated ranges of optical sensors that the company says can better detect black, mirrored and transparent surfaces.

Omron Electronic Components Europe says the new series of optical sensors, also feature a longer detection distance.

Omron B5W sensors are particularly effective at identifying black, transparent, reflective and other hard to detect services, and the new range also features enhanced performance in this area. [Read more…] about Omron says its optical sensors can better detect black surfaces

Sick launches new compact image-based code reader

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Sick has launched a new compact image-based code reader, Lector621, for reliable detection of 1D, 2D, stacked codes, and plain text.

The high-performance DPM – direct part marking – decoder can read laser or dot-peened codes perfectly, even in the case of low contrast levels, contamination, or poor code quality.

This fills a gap in Sick’s existing portfolio of code readers, by providing a compact solution with increased reading distance, resolution, field of vision, and scanning frequency. [Read more…] about Sick launches new compact image-based code reader