Market trends and business perspectives
by Mai Tao
Warehouse automation company Ground Inc has launched a robotic picking solution.
Called “SuperPick”, the company has been demonstrating the system at its research and development centre in Japan.
Ground says “SuperPick” is a combination of the latest vision technology and algorithm originally developed by Soft Robotics, and the material of the part that picks up the object called “hand” that has been patented. [Read more…] about Ground launches robotic picking solution
by Sam Francis
Smartphones that don’t scratch or shatter. Metal-free pacemakers. Electronics for space and other harsh environments.
These could all be made possible thanks to a new ceramic welding technology developed by a team of engineers at the University of California San Diego and the University of California Riverside.
The process, published in the August 23 issue of Science, uses an ultrafast pulsed laser to melt ceramic materials along the interface and fuse them together. [Read more…] about New lasers can weld ceramics without furnace, claim scientists
by Anna
For the first time in an urban environment, The Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia and Groupe PSA are testing the contribution that communication technologies can make to the development of automated vehicle functions.
The aim is to see how well vehicles can communicate with the surrounding infrastructure in a complex urban environment.
The tests carried out in Vigo related to: an automated valet parking system; autonomous driving in an urban environment; optimal speed regulation when approaching a traffic light; and protection of vulnerable users.
[Read more…] about Groupe PSA tests test vehicle-to-infrastructure communications in Spain
by Anna
Groupe PSA and Vinci Autoroutes have carried out further tests to assess a vehicle’s ability to drive autonomously at cruising speed and pass through a tollgate in autonomous mode. A first trial was carried out in 2017.
Two new complex driving situations were also tested in real traffic conditions on the Vinci Autoroutes network: changing into autonomous mode in a traffic area temporarily altered due to roadworks; and performing a “safe stop”.
This involves the vehicle driving to a safe place in the event that the driver does not take back control in a specific situation, for example obstacles on the road, bad weather conditions or the end of the motorway.
[Read more…] about Groupe PSA tests autonomous vehicle through motorway toll
by Anna
The fully-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros will now take to the roads for the food logistics specialist Nagel-Group in Hamburg.
The vehicle will round off the Mercedes-Benz Trucks eActros “Innovation Fleet” for testing the heavy-duty electric truck.
The first eActros has been taking part in customer testing since September 2018 and the eActros in use by Nagel-Group is the tenth vehicle in the fleet.
[Read more…] about Nagel tests Mercedes-Benz eActros electric truck in Hamburg
by Sam Francis
Daimler-Mercedes-Benz has inaugurated a new testing facility for electromagnetic compatibility and antenna systems in Sindelfingen, near Stuttgart, southern Germany.
The auto giant says electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is a key prerequisite for the future of connectivity, autonomous driving, shared, and electric drivetrain.
With the new test facility, Mercedes-Benz takes an important step as a pioneer in the digitisation of the automotive industry. [Read more…] about Mercedes inaugurates new testing facility for EMC and antenna systems
by Anna
A pilot project on truck platooning has been successfully completed by DB Schenker, MAN Truck & Bus and Fresenius University of Applied Sciences in Germany.
‘Platooning’ is when two or more trucks drive in a tight convoy on a motorway, benefiting from reduced air drag. All vehicles driving in the platoon are electronically linked to each other
Operating electronically linked trucks on German motorways is safe, technically reliable and easily applicable in the routine of a logistics company.
[Read more…] about Tests reveal potential of truck ‘platooning’ in Germany
Lufthansa Technik has been showing off what it claims is the world’s first airplane cockpit panel testing robot, which it calls “RoCCET”.
RoCCET checks the functionality of LED lights and switches, says Lufthansa Technik, which is part of the Lufthansa Group.
The Robot-based procedure is currently in the integration phase.
[Read more…] about Lufthansa Technik shows off ‘world’s first’ plane cockpit-testing robotby Sam Francis
Samsung has been showing off the robot the company uses to test the new Galaxy Fold smartphone. (See video below.)
The Galaxy Fold is a new type of smartphone – the main feature being the foldable screen.
The Galaxy Fold was scheduled for release a few days ago, but early reviews suggested that the foldable screen broke after a day’s use.
[Read more…] about Samsung shows off robot that tests Galaxy Fold smartphoneby Sam Francis
If you’re among the millions of people who watched the sci-fi TV show Westworld and saw the folding smartphones used by some of the characters, you probably immediately thought, “I want one of those.”
That’s what we thought anyway.
And whereas the old, 1960s Star Trek showed off tablet computers and other technologies many decades before they were beamed into our collective – and possibly holographic – reality, nowadays, things happen slightly faster.
[Read more…] about Beam me up, Scotty. Or send me a foldable smartphoneRobotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.
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