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Japanese government urged to establish industrial espionage unit

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The Japanese government is being urged to establish an industrial espionage unit to try and stop spies stealing secrets relating to advanced technologies being developed by successful companies in the country. 

According to a report on the Nikkei Asian Review website, the Liberal Democratic Party, led by current Japanese President Shinzō Abe, is formulating a list of recommendations aimed at preventing industrial espionage against Japanese companies.

As quoted by Nikkei, Akira Amari, one of the LDP’s leading members, says: “The need for intelligence capabilities is broadening beyond sensitive military-related information to a wide range of private-sector data.” [Read more…] about Japanese government urged to establish industrial espionage unit

Kuka showcases new fully automated sealing and damping system at Audi

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Kuka is showcasing a new “fully automated sealing and damping system” that the company has implemented at Audi.

In the automotive industry, it is becoming increasingly important to produce sustainably and efficiently.

As an alternative joining method, adhesive and sealing technology in body-in-white production makes it possible to reliably join a wide variety of materials. [Read more…] about Kuka showcases new fully automated sealing and damping system at Audi

Wing AI partners with KiwiBot to develop robotic delivery services

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Wing AI is partnering with KiwiBot to develop robotic delivery services.

The companies say the partnership will “help make consumer deliveries easier, safer, and more affordable in the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Wing is a 24/7 mobile assistant app powered by humans and artificial intelligence. It is the only on-demand concierge app that learns about its users to better tailor and improve its services. [Read more…] about Wing AI partners with KiwiBot to develop robotic delivery services

Reducing Complexity for Engineer-to-Order Manufacturers Finally Possible

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By Thomas R. Cutler

Reducing complexity for engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturers is finally possible. More than 50 percent of all manufacturers now acknowledge aspects of plant operations include customization.

Many ETO companies assume it is impossible to automate the entire end-to-end process surrounding product configuration, design, engineering, and production. [Read more…] about Reducing Complexity for Engineer-to-Order Manufacturers Finally Possible

Robotics and Automation News Review: Fanuc and Kuka launch new robots, Pittsburgh ready to go to ‘infinity and beyond’, Foxconn moves operations out of China, and much more…

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Friday 14 August 2020: This is a new, weekly column – to be published every Friday – which rounds up all the most interesting news from the robotics and automation industry in the past seven days, in brief form. 

This Robotics and Automation News Review is also available to view on our YouTube channel.

Comau Robotics says it has created an “innovative, in-line testing and quality control system that optimizes the construction and assembly of batteries”. The company says the MI.RA / Thermography system uses thermal imaging and artificial intelligence to perform non-invasive automated assessment and control of welded joints, to ensure battery integrity and prevent waste.

Kuka Robotics has launched a new compact industrial robot. The company says its new KR 4 Agilus is “a hot candidate for first place in the small robotics charts from October onwards”.

Fanuc Robotics has launched a new “extremely compact” robot which it claims has the “best precision in its class”. The new M-10iD/16S robot is the most compact model of the M-10iD series, says Fanuc, adding that it combines the best features of its two predecessors, M-10iA/10MS and M-10iA/12S.

Hyundai Robotics has signed an agreement with Korea’s Asan Medical Center and KT for joint development and commercialization of smart hospital solutions on June 30th. The company is planning to prepare for the post-corona era with a smart hospital solution for infection management by ICT-based digital transformation.

Techman Robot, a manufacturer of collaborative robots, says it has adopted proactive steps against the new coronavirus. Techman Robot says it checks the health of its employees on a daily bases and collects global virus information. It also implementing prevention measures. The company maintains business communications online and is frequently in touch with all overseas offices, global distributors, partners, and customers.

HRG International Institute of Research and Innovation has unveiled a new floor cleaning robot, the SW10. The company says it is exclusively designed for floor cleaning tasks in commercial and industrial environments. The robot is combined with sweeping, mopping and vacuum cleaning functions and its work can maintain 2,000 square meters per hour.

Denso has established the Pittsburgh Innovation Lab, a new US research and development center designed to strengthen open innovation and enhance technology development that enables automated driving.

FedEx has installed industrial robotic arms to do what is considered the “most difficult” job to automate in a sorting facility in Memphis, USA. The logistics giant has integrated Yaskawa robots and software from Plus One Robotics into a robotic system that performs a task which involves picking up parcels or envelopes from a tray and placing them on a conveyor.

Foxconn, Apple’s main contract manufacturing partner, has moved a significant portion of its operations outside of China. The company has already moved an additional 5 percent of its operations to countries other than China, bring it up to 30 percent, compared with 25 percent last year.

Pittsburgh local authorities say they are looking to “infinity and beyond” after NASA awarded a local company, Astrobotic Technology, a $200 million contract to build and send the first-ever US robotic rover to the Moon by 2023.

Hyundai and Aptiv launch new autonomous driving joint venture Motional

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The autonomous driving joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv has been given a name and brand identity: Motional. (See video below.)

Launched virtually to its employees around the world, the the companies say they are “making driverless vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality”.

Formed by Hyundai Motor Group, one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers offering smart mobility solutions, and Aptiv, one of the industry’s most innovative technology providers, the joint venture was established in March 2020 to advance the development and commercialization of the world’s highest-performing and safest autonomous vehicles. [Read more…] about Hyundai and Aptiv launch new autonomous driving joint venture Motional

Pittsburgh looks to ‘infinity and beyond’ with $200 million NASA contract win

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Pittsburgh local authorities say they are looking to “infinity and beyond” after NASA awarded a local company, Astrobotic Technology, a $200 million contract to build and send the first-ever US rover to the Moon by 2023.

Specialising in the development of space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions, Astrobotic was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon University professor Red Whittaker and his associates.

Whittaker is considered the “father of field robotics” for his pioneering work and the company was designed with the specific goal of putting a rover on the Moon. [Read more…] about Pittsburgh looks to ‘infinity and beyond’ with $200 million NASA contract win

Circle K to build fully automated store in partnership with Standard Cognition

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Circle K, a large grocery chain in America, is to build a cashierless store in partnership with Standard Cognition.

Alimentation Couche-Tard, which operates close to 14,500 convenience stores worldwide, including the Circle K chain, has selected Standard Cognition to pilot touchless, autonomous checkout technology for its stores.

Together, the two companies will launch what they claim will be the world’s first convenience store retrofitted with artificial intelligence technology, located in the Phoenix, Arizona area, with other stores to follow. [Read more…] about Circle K to build fully automated store in partnership with Standard Cognition

Opinion: Robots are proving themselves now more than ever

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By Rhys Davies, product manager for robotics, Snapcraft and Ubuntu Appliances at Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu

The year was 1923. Forty-two thousand people in Cincinnati signed a petition to force all cars in the city to have governing devices that would shut off the engine at 25 miles per hour.

The proposal was defeated in an election referendum, but it illustrates the anxiety and suspicion that the automobile ran into around the world soon after its introduction. Some people just thought horses were better and safer.

History is littered with examples of initial skepticism around radically new technologies. When the operatorless elevator was invented in the late 19th century, many people were terrified. People in the 1930s worried telephones would electrocute them. [Read more…] about Opinion: Robots are proving themselves now more than ever

The Robots Are Here to Stay: How Automation is Affecting Global Business

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Robots are shaking up different aspects of the modern business world. Deloitte’s 3rd Annual Robotics Survey suggested that the implementation of robotic process automation (RPA) in organisations is in the rise.

Robotic Process Automation? What Is It?

Simply known simply as RPA, it is the use of robotics systems on computers or robots to support the processing of data, and thereby, making such data processing more effective.

RPA also comes with programs that prevent the need for human hands or humans to perform rule-based tasks that are mostly repetitive. Thus, RPA also leads to very time-efficient processes. [Read more…] about The Robots Are Here to Stay: How Automation is Affecting Global Business