Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

testing

Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

by

September 2020 marks one year of Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics partnering as a team after the US-based automated driving technology company became part of Daimler Trucks’ Autonomous Technology Group.

One year together, collaboratively pursuing a common goal of bringing series-produced highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) to the roads within the decade; including on-road deployment of a Level 4 test fleet, initiation of redesign of truck chassis, adoption of a hub-to-hub model, formalized rigorous testing protocols, formal truck safety driver certification process, and extended software capabilities.

Now, the Autonomous Technology Group will extend its testing to New Mexico by building up a new testing center in Albuquerque. Expanding to a new location will support testing and provide data for more use cases of next generation vehicles on public roads starting this fall. [Read more…] about Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics celebrate one year of successful collaboration

China expands testing of digital currency in case US bans yuan

by

China is expanding the testing of digital yuan currency to prepare for any further restrictions on its companies by the US. 

So far, US President Donald Trump has effectively banned Huawei in the US and from doing business with US suppliers globally.

Huawei is the leading Chinese telecommunications equipment provider, supplying 5G systems to many countries abroad, and it offers a successful line of smartphones. [Read more…] about China expands testing of digital currency in case US bans yuan

Recent Breakthrough May Enable the Automated Laboratory of the Future

by

Over the past several months, the world has been dealing with the first major global pandemic in more than a generation.

It has disrupted economies far and wide, cost hundreds of thousands of lives, and laid bare many of the weaknesses of the global medical industry.

One of those weaknesses has been the difficulty that multiple countries have faced in scaling up laboratory capacity to meet the demand for PCR testing created by the crisis. [Read more…] about Recent Breakthrough May Enable the Automated Laboratory of the Future

ABB says its new 3D inspection robot cell makes quality control testing ‘10 times faster’

by

ABB has unveiled a new 3D inspection robot cell which it claims makes quality control testing “10 times faster”.

The industrial automation giant says its 3D quality inspection (3DQI) robot cell is “capable of detecting defects of less than half the width of a human hair and imperceptible to the naked eye”.

It adds that the cell will “dramatically accelerate production by providing fast, accurate testing to make metrology easier and less time consuming”. [Read more…] about ABB says its new 3D inspection robot cell makes quality control testing ‘10 times faster’

Siemens opens beta testing for forthcoming launch of NX

by

Siemens has opened beta testing of its next update of NX, the engineering giant’s computer-aided design software.

The NX application is part of Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM) software unit, and can also be used for computer-aided manufacturing and computer-aided engineering.

NX – sort for Siemens Next Generation Design – includes design functions and simulation capabilities which feature real-world physics, and the company is strongly emphasising the new additions for additive manufacturing. [Read more…] about Siemens opens beta testing for forthcoming launch of NX

NIST awards $3.4 million to support Manufacturing USA’s coronavirus projects

by

The US government has awarded $3.4 million to support Manufacturing USA’s solutions to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $3.4 million in grants to support “high-impact projects” for Covid-19 pandemic response.

The funding is authorized through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed by President Donald Trump in March 2020. [Read more…] about NIST awards $3.4 million to support Manufacturing USA’s coronavirus projects

Horiba Mira offers simulation platform to autonomous car developers

by

Automotive engineering and development consultancy Horiba Mira says it is providing its new “co-simulation” platform to helps US Connected and Autonomous Challenge organisers get through the Covid-19 lockdown.

With the coronavirus pandemic causing disruption across the industry, Horiba Mira’s forward-thinking Horizon Scanning team has provided critical support to the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge (EcoCAR), using its new Component-in-the-Loop (XiL) co-simulation platform, DigiCAV, to help EcoCAR safely carry on developing its vehicles despite the recent lockdown.

As one of the world’s leading competitions for creating concept vehicles for future mobility, the EcoCAR Challenge is a four-year scheme managed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), a multidisciplinary science and engineering research centre based in Chicago. [Read more…] about Horiba Mira offers simulation platform to autonomous car developers

Cobots v Covid: How Universal Robots and others are helping in the fight against coronavirus

by

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are emerging as a “tremendous force for good” in the global battle against Covid-19, according to Universal Robots.

In this article, we highlight some of the ways in which collaborative robots from Universal Robots have contributed to the global response to the pandemic.

We take a look at disinfection and test kit solutions along with some less easily categorized solutions made possible by Universal Robots, the world’s leading manufacturer of cobots. [Read more…] about Cobots v Covid: How Universal Robots and others are helping in the fight against coronavirus

Danish robots assisting lab technicians with Covid-19 testing work

by

A Danish pipetting robot is automating Covid testing processes in hospitals around Europe.

The robot, called flowbot ONE, “significantly reduces the time it takes for laboratories to produce results for patients to tell them whether they are infected with Covid-19”, says its manufacturer Flow Robotics.

The company says its machine is a “unique liquid-handling robot” which is now speeding up the enormous task of analysing Covid tests. The flowbot ONE system now conducts thousands of tests for Covid-19 every day. [Read more…] about Danish robots assisting lab technicians with Covid-19 testing work

Mitsubishi and Shin Nihonkai Ferry to develop unmanned ship navigation system

by

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, is collaborating with Shin Nihonkai Ferry to jointly develop autonomous ships.

The two companies have successfully applied for grant aid under the Joint Technological Development Programme for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ships, sponsored by The Nippon Foundation.

With this support, the two companies say they will commence co-development of underlying technologies and systems to enable unmanned ship navigation in the future. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi and Shin Nihonkai Ferry to develop unmanned ship navigation system