Robotics & Automation News

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transport

Fabulos completes autonomous public transport pilot project in Greece

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An autonomous public transport pilot project in Greece, led by an Estonian consortium called the Future Automated Bus Urban Level Operation Systems (Fabulos), has now successfully ended. After two months and 1,930 km driven in the streets of the municipality of Lamia, nearly 400 people used autonomous bus “Iseauto”.

The bus has been developed in Estonia and offers a full-scale autonomous public transportation service in Lamia.

The autonomous minibus developed by AuveTech in Estonia is the first Level 4 category autonomous vehicle that has officially been declared “street-legal” in Greece. [Read more…] about Fabulos completes autonomous public transport pilot project in Greece

BMW enters warehouse robotics market with launch of IdealWorks

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The BMW Group is breaking new ground in the field of logistics as it founds warehouse robotics company IDEALworks – a fully-owned subsidiary headquartered in Munich. 

This marks the first time a major automotive brand is building and supplying what are often called autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) or automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

The aim is to become a leading supplier of autonomous robotics solutions in the logistics sector. The name “IDEAL” stands for Industry Driven Engineering for Autonomous Logistics. [Read more…] about BMW enters warehouse robotics market with launch of IdealWorks

Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

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Autonomous electric truck maker Einride says the next generation of its groundbreaking “Pods” will use the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin autonomous vehicle computing platform to handle high-speed, unmanned operations.

Pär Degerman, CTO of Einride, says: “Safety and functionality in autonomous drive are achieved in two ways: diversity and redundancy.

“To capture and account for the diversity in a myriad of operational scenarios, and to develop the redundancy necessary to improve functionality, we need the most advanced processors possible, and that’s where Nvidia Orin comes in.” [Read more…] about Einride driverless trucks now powered by Nvidia chips

Autonomous local public transport introduced in southern Germany

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Autonomous local public transport is being introduced in southern Germany through a research project funded with €7 million.

The RABus project is one of the implemented measures of the strategic goals for automated and networked mobility in the southern German federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Winfried Hermann, Minister of Transport of Baden-Wuerttemberg, handed over the notice of funding in the amount of €7 million to the RABus consortium. [Read more…] about Autonomous local public transport introduced in southern Germany

Gatik raises $25 million in new funding

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Gatik, a Palo Alto and Toronto based autonomous technology company deploying autonomous vehicles for B2B short-haul middle-mile logistics, announced today it has raised $25 million in Series A funding.

The round was co-led by Wittington Ventures and Innovation Endeavors with participation from FM Capital and Intact Ventures. Existing investors like Dynamo Ventures, Fontinalis Partners, AngelPad and others participated as well.

Gatik’s investors bring a wealth of deep experience in automotive, artificial intelligence and supply chain, making them a strong strategic fit for the company’s rapid growth. [Read more…] about Gatik raises $25 million in new funding

IDS launches new industrial camera range

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IDS has launched a new range of industrial cameras – the uEye XLE, which the company describes as “modern, small and consistently cost-optimised”.

Particularly affordable, particularly compact and particularly powerful when the essentials matter: the new uEye XLE camera family from IDS has been specially developed for high-volume and price-sensitive projects.

Thanks to their space-saving design, practical USB3 interface and support of the USB3 Vision Standard, the industrial cameras can be easily integrated into any machine vision system. [Read more…] about IDS launches new industrial camera range

Estonian company launches ‘first’ autonomous bus in Greece

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An autonomous bus named “Iseauto” has started its work in Greece, in the city of Lamia. The bus has been developed in Estonia and offers a full-scale autonomous service that was first piloted in the summer in Tallinn, in Ülemiste City.

For the first time in Greek history, a fully street-legal autonomous vehicle is operational in the context of an autonomous public transport pilot project led by Estonians.

The autonomous minibus developed by AuveTech in Estonia is the first “4th category” – or Level 4 – autonomous vehicle that has been pigeonholed “street-legal” in Greece. [Read more…] about Estonian company launches ‘first’ autonomous bus in Greece

Autonomous boats could be your next ride

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Five years in the making, MIT’s autonomous floating vessels get an upgrade in size and learn a new way to communicate aboard the waters

The feverish race to produce the shiniest, safest, speediest self-driving car has spilled over into our wheelchairs, scooters, and even golf carts.

Moreover, recently, there’s been movement from land to sea, as marine autonomy stands to change the canals of our cities, with the potential to deliver goods and services and collect waste across our waterways.

In an update to a five-year project from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the Senseable City Lab, researchers have been developing the world’s first fleet of autonomous boats for the city of Amsterdam, and have recently added a new, larger vessel to the group: “Roboat II”. (See video below.) [Read more…] about Autonomous boats could be your next ride

Logistics companies turning to robotics and automation as way out of coronavirus crisis

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Logistics companies are turning to robotics and automation as way out of the coronavirus crisis, according to the a new report by the International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank.

Governments around the world have responded to the crisis by designating logistics and supply chain companies as “essential” business and have exempted them from lockdown measures.

But even though they have been allowed to continue operating, logistics and supply chain companies have struggled, particularly with labor shortages. [Read more…] about Logistics companies turning to robotics and automation as way out of coronavirus crisis

Automated transport ‘could propel development forward’, say World Bank analysts

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Automated transportation and mobility systems – such as autonomous cars, driverless trains, elevators, escalators and moving walkways – “could propel development forward” for the global economy, according to World Bank analysts.

Writing on the World Bank blog, Michael Lokshin, lead economist, Europe and Central Asia, and David Newsom, retired World Bank senior IT manager, say that although the vast majority of new transportation ideas do not succeed, innovation should nonetheless be encouraged.

“Despite impressive technological strides, attempts to automate transport operations are usually met with reactions that can range from mild skepticism to downright hostility,” say Lokshin and Newsom in their article. [Read more…] about Automated transport ‘could propel development forward’, say World Bank analysts