Where Innovation Meets Imagination
Despite billions in federal incentives and high-profile tariffs aimed at reshoring manufacturing, the US still can’t seem to fill its factory jobs.
While the official narrative blames skills gaps and labor shortages, the deeper story may be about cultural shifts, generational values, and the unintended consequences of financialisation. [Read more…] about The US can’t fill its factory jobs even now. So how is it going to revitalize manufacturing in the future?
Pudu Robotics, a global leader in commercial service robotics, is strengthening its presence in North America with its new US headquarters in Santa Clara, California, and a new fulfillment center in Hamilton, New Jersey.
This expansion reinforces Pudu’s long-term commitment to the Americas, enabling faster deliveries, localized service, and more support for businesses looking for affordable solutions that increase productivity and enrich customer experiences.
Pudu Robotics is expanding to meet rising demand in hospitality, retail, e-commerce, food and beverage, logistics, healthcare, transportation, and education. [Read more…] about Pudu Robotics expands global operations with new US headquarters in California and East Coast fulfillment center
Distalmotion has been granted De Novo approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the Dexter Surgical Robot for adult inguinal hernia repair.
This significant milestone marks another step forward in Distalmotion’s mission to empower robotic surgery excellence by expanding access and improving care with robotic assisted surgery in the hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgery centers (ASC’s) where over 90 percent of inguinal hernia repairs are currently performed in the United States.
With more than 1,300 patients successfully treated in Europe, Distalmotion’s extensive experience has paved the way for bringing this innovation to the US market. [Read more…] about US FDA grants authorization for Distalmotion surgical robot
By Shihao Fu, technology analyst at IDTechEx
The commercialization of Autonomous driving technology in the trucking industry has rapidly advanced in 2024, presenting substantial potential to address critical industry challenges such as high operational costs, driver shortages, and safety concerns.
It is expected that the global trucking fleet will be supported by an additional half million L4 autonomous drivers, while the remaining drivers will either transition into supervisory roles or continue to operate in less developed regions.
IDTechEx’s recent research on more than 10 companies in the autonomous trucking sector reveals that the industry has officially entered the commercialization phase, marked by deep collaborations across the global supply chain.
[Read more…] about Autonomous trucks: How the US, EU, and China are commercializing driverless logisticsABB has opened its refitted US robotics headquarters and manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, which will support ABB Robotics’ global leadership in developing and manufacturing cutting-edge robotic solutions in the US, for the US and the Americas.
The expanded facility reflects ABB’s commitment to long-term growth in the US market, which is predicted to follow global growth rates for robotics of 8 per cent compound annual growth rate, as well as the company’s global investment to build Robotics and Automation capacity and create new, highly skilled jobs.
This is ABB’s third global robotics factory expansion in three years across China, Europe and the Americas and is part of its efforts to further strengthen its local-for-local footprint.
[Read more…] about ABB opens refitted, ‘state-of-the-art’ US robotics facilityState Representative Lindsay Sabadosa and State Senator Michael Moore have filed an Act to ensure the responsible use of advanced robotic technologies, legislation that prohibits the manufacture, sale, and operation of robotic devices or drones that are mounted with a weapon.
If passed, this first-in-the-nation legislation will implement common-sense regulations that will protect the public while bringing stability and predictability to an emerging market and its entrepreneurs.
The bill contains three primary provisions related to robots, drones, and other uncrewed robotic devices in Massachusetts: banning the sale and use of weapons-mounted robotic devices, banning the use of robotic devices to threaten or harass, and banning the usage of robotic devices to physically restrain an individual. [Read more…] about US politicians move to prevent robots from being given weapons
Finland’s Healthy Travel project, based at the Åbo Akademi University, is aiming to offer the global cruise industry a lifeline as cruise lines aim to set sail safely once again – through the use of a “coughing robot”.
In the multi-disciplinary initiative, Finnish academic researchers, cruise companies, shipyards, and subcontractors are coming together to develop and implement science-based solutions that will improve health and safety on cruise ships and in terminal buildings.
Finland’s Ambassador to the United States, Mikko Hautala, and his team are now connecting American cruise companies with their Finnish counterparts to ensure that the US cruise industry – the largest in the world – is an active participant in the recovery and future of the global cruise industry. [Read more…] about Finland university aims to solve cruise liner passenger safety issues with ‘coughing robot’
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has taken an equity stake in Realtime Robotics, Inc. a U.S. technology startup that develops and commercialises motion-planning technologies.
Motion planning is the process of calculating and determining the optimised path that a robot should take to reach a goal without colliding with any obstacle. Realtime Robotics’ motion path planning solution performs the necessary calculations in real time.
Funding by Mitsubishi Electric is expected to accelerate the development of industrial robot systems offering enhanced safety and performance.
[Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric takes a stake in Realtime RoboticsAs growth in the U.S. economy continues and manufacturers create more and more jobs in a thriving sector, the industry’s pre-existing workforce crisis could get even worse according to a new 2018 skills gap study, released by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute.
The widening manufacturing skills gap is expected to grow from about 488,000 jobs left open today to as many as 2.4 million manufacturing jobs going unfilled between this year and 2028 (compared with 2 million jobs between 2015 and 2025 per an earlier study).
In turn, $454 billion in manufacturing GDP could be at risk in 2028, or more than $2.5 trillion over the next decade.
[Read more…] about US skills gap worsens in manufacturing – new report
