Robotics & Automation News

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ABB and Agilent Technologies enter collaboration to advance laboratory automation

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Industrial automation giant ABB Robotics has signed a collaboration agreement with Agilent Technologies, a provider of analytical and laboratory technology and software, to deliver automated laboratory solutions.

Working together, ABB and Agilent will combine the benefits of their technologies to enable companies across multiple sectors including pharma, biotechnology, energy and food and beverage to transform their laboratory operations by making processes such as research and quality control faster and more efficient.

Marc Segura, president ABB Robotics Division, says: “By combining Agilent’s state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation and laboratory software solutions with ABB’s advanced robotics, we will empower laboratories to operate with greater speed, precision, and flexibility. [Read more…] about ABB and Agilent Technologies enter collaboration to advance laboratory automation

Starship Technologies and Topanga partner to offer reusable packaging with campus food orders

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Starship Technologies, a builder and provider of autonomous delivery robots, and Topanga.io, a reusable packaging management platform, are partnering to offer reusable packaging for food orders at US campuses.

George Mason University will be the first Starship campus to introduce the ReusePass integration and the first university to offer a fully integrated reusables experience for kiosks.

There are plans to expand the service to additional Starship campuses. Initially available for mobile pickup and kiosk orders, it will be available for robot deliveries after the launch. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies and Topanga partner to offer reusable packaging with campus food orders

Common ground: Are mobile robots technologically the same as autonomous cars?

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For a long time, I’ve been wondering if an autonomous mobile robot – those small wheeled boxes you see moving shelf units and other items in warehouses – could be increased in size, then fitted with a car chassis and body, with a couple of seats inside, and marketed as a road-going, passenger-carrying autonomous vehicle. 

Yes, of course, some serious design refinements of the sketched out idea above would be required and a torrent of regulations would have to be navigated, but beyond that, the internal technologies would not need to change much because, fundamentally, they are the same. Right? Or not?

Actually, I don’t know. I’m not an engineer. But from what’s called a high-level perspective, both AMRs and autonomous vehicles are essentially the same thing or at least perform the same function – carry goods and people around autonomously. [Read more…] about Common ground: Are mobile robots technologically the same as autonomous cars?

Top 10 Technologies for Which US Businesses Are Relying on Indian Development Outsourcing Partners

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Introduction: The Growing Trend of Software Development Outsourcing in India

For businesses worldwide and particularly in the US, outsourcing IT services has evolved into a strategic approach. And with its mix of technology knowledge and a very competent workforce, India often ranks among the top outsourcing locations, globally.

This write-up by Clarion Technologies, an in-demand software development company in India, investigates the kinds of technologies US businesses are outsourcing to India as well as the major advantages it offers of this expanding trend. [Read more…] about Top 10 Technologies for Which US Businesses Are Relying on Indian Development Outsourcing Partners

Badger Technologies opens new office and Jabil Center of Robotics Excellence in Kentucky

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Badger Technologies, a product division of Jabil, has announced the grand opening of their new corporate office and Center of Robotics Excellence to accelerate the research, development and delivery of state-of-the-art robotics and retail automation solutions.

The 25,000-square-foot facility includes engineering and research and development labs to support more than 50 engineers; a robotics training and testing area; and a customer ideation center.

The new space will better enable Badger Technologies’ strategic collaborations with technology companies, furthering the development of next-generation robotics solutions like computer vision, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robot operating systems, and connectivity. [Read more…] about Badger Technologies opens new office and Jabil Center of Robotics Excellence in Kentucky

Starship Technologies survey says ‘public attitudes to robots have changed dramatically’

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Starship Technologies, a provider of autonomous delivery services, has revealed the findings from a new national survey of US college students. The company says the survey results show a “dramatic shift” in the way people view robots.

In 2018, a Brookings survey found that 61 percent of US respondents were uncomfortable with robots. In the new survey conducted by Starship, 91.5 percent of respondents said they would recommend the robots to a friend, and two-thirds (66 percent) felt more positive about the robots since seeing them on campus.

It’s not just attitudes that have shifted in a positive direction, as the robots are also having a positive impact on behavior. According to the Starship survey, nearly two-thirds (63.2 percent) said the robots helped them avoid skipping meals. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies survey says ‘public attitudes to robots have changed dramatically’

DB Schenker installs remote-controlled forklifts at logistics facility

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Forklifts are now being operated remotely at DB Schenker’s contract logistics site in Kassel, Germany. The drivers control the vehicles from a distance. With a remote driving setup, drivers are connected to several different vehicles at different locations via the enabl platform.

Lucas Mömken, vice president global engineering and innovation in contract logistics, DB Schenker: “The collaboration with enabl allows us to react flexibly to fluctuations in demand and automate our processes to increase productivity.

“We see this partnership as a valuable addition to our CL digitalization strategy, which will help us to secure our competitiveness in the long term.” [Read more…] about DB Schenker installs remote-controlled forklifts at logistics facility

WFL integrates articulated robot into machining center

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WFL Millturn Technologies has integrated an articulated robot into its newly developed machining center.

The company says that an automated cell containing an articulated robot paired with a M35-G Millturn “offers numerous benefits that boost efficiency and quality in the manufacturing industry”.

Modern production technology calls for increasingly flexible and efficient solutions in order to meet market requirements – solutions such as an automated cell that connects an articulated robot to a M35-G Millturn.

[Read more…] about WFL integrates articulated robot into machining center

PAL Robotics celebrates 20 years

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PAL Robotics, a provider of automation technologies, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of “innovation and technological breakthroughs”, says the company.

Founded in 2004, the company has grown from a small Barcelona-based startup into a “global leader”, pushing transformation in fields where technology can make a real positive impact in people’s lives.

PAL Robotics develops service robots for research, retail, healthcare, agrifood, and industrial applications, including humanoids, mobile manipulators, and autonomous navigation bases. [Read more…] about PAL Robotics celebrates 20 years

Infineon unveils ‘world’s thinnest’ silicon power wafer

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Infineon Technologies has unveiled what it describes as “the next milestone’ in semiconductor manufacturing technology.

Infineon says it has reached a “breakthrough” in handling and processing “the thinnest silicon power wafers ever manufactured”, with a thickness of only 20 micrometers and a diameter of 300 millimeters, in a high-scale semiconductor fab.

The ultra-thin silicon wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human hair and half as thick as current state-of-the-art wafers of 40-60 micrometers.

[Read more…] about Infineon unveils ‘world’s thinnest’ silicon power wafer