Robotics & Automation News

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MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

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MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has revealed a dexterous robotic hand that scientists say can “manipulate thousands of objects with ease”. (See video below.)

At just one year old, a baby is more dexterous than a robot. Sure, machines can do more than just pick up and put down objects, but we’re not quite there as far as replicating a natural pull towards exploratory or sophisticated dexterous manipulation goes.

OpenAI gave it a try with “Dactyl” (meaning “finger” from the Greek word daktylos), using their humanoid robot hand to solve a Rubik’s cube with software that’s a step towards more general AI, and a step away from the common single-task mentality. DeepMind created “RGB-Stacking,” a vision-based system that challenges a robot to learn how to grab items and stack them.

Scientists from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), in the ever-present quest to get machines to replicate human abilities, created a framework that’s more scaled up: a system that can reorient over two thousand different objects, with the robotic hand facing both upwards and downwards. [Read more…] about MIT unveils dexterous robotic hands that can ‘manipulate thousands of objects with ease’

Door locking systems manufacturer turns to Delta for machine vision robotic solution

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Metal LS, a Bulgarian manufacturer of door locking systems, door and window handles and building hardware, started planning the new automated assembly of door locks in 2019.

The robotic systems that the company already used for other applications were too large for the planned production site, so the new solutions needed to be as compact and precise as possible, in addition to being state of the art.

Door and security locks are precision parts with standard dimensions and components stipulated in DIN standards. Therefore, quality and precision were especially important deciding factors for Metal LS. [Read more…] about Door locking systems manufacturer turns to Delta for machine vision robotic solution

Robot-assisted assembly of high-voltage connectors for electric vehicles

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Assembling high-voltage connectors for electric and hybrid vehicles at a rate of 5 million per year calls for sophisticated automation solutions. Especially when regular retooling for new models and variants is the norm. Against this background, a pioneering system with six Stäubli robots, 13 image processing systems and inline quality control at every stage is now ensuring highly flexible production.

Electro-mobility is the buzzword of our times, and the market for vehicles with electric drives is steadily gaining momentum worldwide. For some time now, this trend has also been spurring demand for the type of assembly solutions for electric components offered by specialized machine builders such as Eberhard. The company, based in Schlierbach near Stuttgart, Germany, was recently asked by a multinational automotive supplier to implement a complex project.

Specifically, it involved the planning and realization of an assembly line for high-voltage connectors. The system would have to not only perform the actual assembly work, but also the visual inspection at each stage, the testing of every single connector for leak-proofing, and finally the packing of the finished high-voltage connectors in trays. [Read more…] about Robot-assisted assembly of high-voltage connectors for electric vehicles

Smith+Nephew launches handheld robotic-assisted surgical system

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Smith+Nephew, the global medical technology business, has launched its CORI handheld surgical robot, an advanced robotic system for both total and partial knee arthroplasties.

The CORI system is a compact and fully mobile solution incorporating a 3-D intra-operative imaging system with an advanced robotic sculpting tool. The robotic system allows surgeons to measure, plan, and perform a knee surgery which is personalised to the patient’s individual anatomy in theatre.

The Smith+Nephew system is considerably more compact than alternative robotic systems, has minimal set up time, and is so portable it can be moved from theatre to theatre to optimise flow of patients through surgical units. [Read more…] about Smith+Nephew launches handheld robotic-assisted surgical system

‘Slopehelper’ robot ready to help out in vineyards and orchards

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A company called PeK Automotive has developed a robot it calls “Slopehelper” and says it is ready to help out in vineyards and orchards.

The autonomous agricultural electric robot Slopehelper is being developed and produced in the European Union.

Its creators say the solar-powered robot promises the “absolutely green future” of agriculture to vineyards and orchards at low cost, having made it possible to perform regular annual operations without a driver in fully autonomous mode. [Read more…] about ‘Slopehelper’ robot ready to help out in vineyards and orchards

Sea Machines Robotics and HamiltonJet unveil new autonomous vessel technology

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Sea Machines Robotics and HamiltonJet, a marine propulsion systems provider, have launched a new intelligent voyage control product, named JETsense, that utilizes autonomous navigation, multi-sensor fusion and computer vision.

The two companies say the new system is designed to “move waterjet vessels to the forefront of 21st century navigation and utility”.

JETsense utilizes artificial intelligence and advanced autonomy to perceive the domain and maintain precise control of steering and speed during a voyage and re-route to avoid traffic and obstacles, while enabling a new level of streaming data to improve on-water operations.

This new HamiltonJet product, which features Sea Machines’ technology at its core, is the culmination of a partnership announced earlier this year to offer a helm-based system to advise, safeguard or assume active control of open water vessel transits. [Read more…] about Sea Machines Robotics and HamiltonJet unveil new autonomous vessel technology

Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

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The goal: fully automated small parts picking.

In intralogistics, there has been a lot of hype about robots for some years now, whether in trade journals or at fairs.

Most of them are classic six-axis articulated robots that are looking for their way out of a production environment and into logistics.

The main driver here is the labour shortage, the big challenge not a technical component like the robot or the gripper, but the design of an overall economic process. [Read more…] about Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

Webinar: Vision Systems with Collaborative Robots

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Register now for this webinar: Vision Systems with Collaborative Robots

TM Robot vision embedded robot system is easier to program than you think.

In this webinar, attendees will learn about how a built-in camera could benefit manufacturers deploying cobots in multiple production workstations, together with the highly integrated TM Software platform and Safety features to realize true collaborative applications. [Read more…] about Webinar: Vision Systems with Collaborative Robots

New Honeywell warehouse automation technology allows sites to maximize storage and increase order fulfillment

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Honeywell has launched its latest solution in intelligent automated handling designed to help warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing sites receive, process and fill orders faster and more accurately while potentially reducing storage footprint.

Honeywell’s next-generation Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to allow warehouse and distribution center operators to better keep up with unprecedented ecommerce growth.

Ben Cardwell, president of Honeywell Intelligrated, says: “The rapidly evolving retail market is pushing distribution centers to find and use innovative, flexible and automated approaches to e-commerce order fulfillment. Growing inventories, the rising cost of land and other pressures are pushing operations to make the most efficient use of available space. [Read more…] about New Honeywell warehouse automation technology allows sites to maximize storage and increase order fulfillment

Main Stages in the Development of an ERP System

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In every business or company’s work process comes to the stage when handling everyday tasks like accounting, management, and other operations becomes more and more difficult. If something goes wrong or if more issues appear, the results will only disappoint.

But we live in a world where people develop new ways to systemize and organize complex work processes, which resulted in ERP system development. And now there are a lot of businesses that saw the need in using it.

In this article, we will go over what ERP software is, what its pros and cons are and what steps you’ll need to take in order to plan and create a perfect one for your company. [Read more…] about Main Stages in the Development of an ERP System