Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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New consortium to develop a common computing platform for autonomous vehicles

A group of leading companies from the automotive and computing industries have formed collaborative effort toward making fully self-driving vehicles a reality.

The new Autonomous Vehicle Computing Consortium (AVCC), officially launched recently at Arm TechCon in San Jose, brings together industry leaders from automotive, automotive supply, semiconductor and computing to serve as the leading organization for autonomous computing expertise.

Together with the consortium’s growing membership, the initial AVCC members Arm, Bosch, Continental, Denso, General Motors, Nvidia, NXP Semiconductors and Toyota will collaborate to help solve some of the most significant challenges to deploy self-driving vehicles at scale. [Read more…] about New consortium to develop a common computing platform for autonomous vehicles

Adena to invest $70m in orthopaedic and robotics centre

Adena Health System is to construct a five-story Orthopedic and Robotics Center on the campus of Adena Regional Medical Center (ARMC), located in Chillicothe, Ohio, USA.

The  $70-million investment will include at least six operating rooms to meet the specific technological and space needs for current and future orthopaedic and robot-assisted surgeries.

Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the new centre opening in 2021.

Komatsu develops electric mini excavator

Komatsu Ltd has unveiled its electric mini excavator, based on its accumulated technological expertise of hybrid construction equipment and electric forklift trucks.

Equipped with an in-house developed new charger, high-voltage converter and other devices, it offers excavation performance on a par with the internal combustion model of the same power output, while achieving zero exhaust gas emissions and a dynamic reduction in noise levels.

Komatsu expects a wider range of applications for this machine, including construction work near hospitals or schools or in residential areas, where contractors pay special attention to exhaust gas and noise during work, as well as inside tunnels or buildings.

[Read more…] about Komatsu develops electric mini excavator

Samsung Electronics to invest $115 billion in logic chip businesses by 2030

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, will invest KRW 133 trillion (US$115 billion) by 2030 to strengthen its competitiveness in System LSI and Foundry businesses.

The investment plan is expected to help the company to reach its goal of becoming the world leader in not only memory semiconductors but also logic chips by 2030.

The company also plans to create 15,000 jobs in R&D and production to bolster its technological prowess.

[Read more…] about Samsung Electronics to invest $115 billion in logic chip businesses by 2030

This is the biggest infographic in the world ever

infographic – Where-next-for-car-technology

By Neil Tohill, director of Southside Motor Factors

This epic infographic outlines the extraordinary technological innovations that we are currently seeing, or can soon expect to see, on modern vehicles.

The concept of self-driving cars has been mooted for quite some time and has been a feature of sci-fi TV shows or cartoons speculatively casting an eye to the future.

In 2017, autonomous cars have become a distinct possibility, and while a fully autonomous vehicle is still a way off, we can now invest in cars which will let us kick back for most of a journey.

We’re also entering the area of holographic windscreens which can display key data that we would previously have needed to glance down at the dashboard to see.

These advances are remarkable when you think that it wasn’t so long ago since power steering and remote locking were perceived as fantastic innovations.

Awesome infographic: Autonomous car market to reach $77 billion in 2025

jaguar art biennale

Get Off Road claims cars will see the most amount of technological change in the next few years

Ever wondered, what will be our world like in 2025?

In next seven or eight years, we will be witnessing some dramatic changes around us, mostly in the field of technology, because we live in such times that technical revolutions happen every day.

And the greatest impact of this will be on cars. There will be lot more autonomous cars on the roads in next 10 years then we have ever predicted.

Get Off Road has designed an infographic showing the growth of autonomous car market which we have also republished below.

In this infographic, you will discover some important facts about autonomous cars including:

  • the history of autonomous cars;
  • challenges tackled by engineers while manufacturing;
  • the design of a car; and
  • the predicted figures of the market.

The Growth Of The Autonomous Car Market

Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters
A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters

By Martinne Geller and Ben Hirschler, Reuters

Open markets and global trade have been blamed for job losses over the last decade, but global CEOs say the real culprits are increasingly machines.

And while business leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos relish the productivity gains technology can bring, they warned this week that the collateral damage to jobs needs to be addressed more seriously.

From taxi drivers to healthcare professionals, technologies such as robotics, driverless cars, artificial intelligence and 3D printing mean more and more types of jobs are at risk.  [Read more…] about Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

Stop praying to the gods of the free market and roll out the red carpet to robots, urges Labour

The UK Labour Party is urging the government to turn away from “the gods of the free market” and instead roll out the red carpet to our new robot overlords.

Or at least that’s what could be inferred from an opinion piece written by the Labour Party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, who made it clear that he favours mechatronics over abstract notions of free markets.

“A robot driving a lorry may sound daunting, just as a horseless carriage did in 1890. But a driverless car doesn’t get tired, or drink alcohol, or have blind spots,” writes Watson in praise of the machines.

Watson calls for a royal commission into the issue of robotics and automation in the UK, claiming that the chancellor, George Osborne, is leaving to fate to decide whether technological change becomes “out ally not our foe”.

Full story at The Guardian.