Robotics & Automation News

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vehicles

SMD partners with Beam to ‘mobilise’ autonomous underwater vehicles

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SMD, an underwater technology and services company, and Beam, a deep technology company, are partnering to “mobilise” autonomous vehicles in harsh offshore environments using Beam’s Pathfinder software.

Having purchased SMD’s market-leading Quantum EV, Beam plans to mount its innovative subsea perception system, SubSLAM – running their Pathfinder software – to the vehicle, enabling AI-driven autonomous piloting in deeper, harsher waters.

By combining SubSLAM’s localisation, AI and mapping technology with Quantum EV’s exceptional high-current performance, vital progress will be made towards improving the efficiency of offshore wind farm maintenance. [Read more…] about SMD partners with Beam to ‘mobilise’ autonomous underwater vehicles

Common ground: Are mobile robots technologically the same as autonomous cars?

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For a long time, I’ve been wondering if an autonomous mobile robot – those small wheeled boxes you see moving shelf units and other items in warehouses – could be increased in size, then fitted with a car chassis and body, with a couple of seats inside, and marketed as a road-going, passenger-carrying autonomous vehicle. 

Yes, of course, some serious design refinements of the sketched out idea above would be required and a torrent of regulations would have to be navigated, but beyond that, the internal technologies would not need to change much because, fundamentally, they are the same. Right? Or not?

Actually, I don’t know. I’m not an engineer. But from what’s called a high-level perspective, both AMRs and autonomous vehicles are essentially the same thing or at least perform the same function – carry goods and people around autonomously. [Read more…] about Common ground: Are mobile robots technologically the same as autonomous cars?

Toyota, Aurora and Continental to build autonomous vehicles on Nvidia platform

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Toyota, Aurora and Continental have joined the list of mobility technology providers developing and building their consumer and commercial vehicle fleets on chipmaker Nvidia’s accelerated computing and AI platforms.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, will build its next-generation vehicles on Nvidia Drive AGX Orin, running the safety-certified Nvidia DriveOS operating system. These vehicles will offer functionally safe, advanced driving assistance capabilities.

The majority of today’s auto manufacturers, truckmakers, robotaxi, and autonomous delivery vehicle companies, tier-one suppliers and mobility startups are developing on Nvidia Drive AGX platform and technologies. [Read more…] about Toyota, Aurora and Continental to build autonomous vehicles on Nvidia platform

How Nvidia conquered the digital world and plans to dominate the robotics industry

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There was a time when it was difficult to see beyond Intel. It was indisputably the world’s largest chipmaker for a long time and eclipsed whoever else was around at the time. For some people, no other semiconductor manufacturer even existed.

Intel’s partnership with manufacturers of computers that ran the Windows operating system was largely responsible for the global success of the company whose unofficial motto was “Only the paranoid survive”.

But perhaps the total and utter domination of the market, and the falling away of would-be competitors into niche markets, led Intel to be less paranoid and get more relaxed – perhaps even complacent. [Read more…] about How Nvidia conquered the digital world and plans to dominate the robotics industry

Grenzebach supplies AGVs for Benteler’s automated intralogistics complex

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Grenzebach has developed and implemented customer-specific superstructures and charging stations for Benteler’s automated intralogistics complex. The Benteler Group is a global supplier of vehicle components to the automotive industry.

For Benteler, efficient material planning, a reliable material flow, and the digitalization of value creation processes are essential. The company was therefore looking for an automated solution for its intralogistics.

The goal was to combine different systems and processes within one production line and to be able to transport goods without forklift trucks from A to B. During this project, Benteler faced the challenge of transporting heavy goods carriers with very large dimensions in a very confined space. [Read more…] about Grenzebach supplies AGVs for Benteler’s automated intralogistics complex

Autonomous vehicle accident: Who is at fault and how a car accident lawyer can help

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Autonomous vehicles, or AVs, have completely changed the way we think about transportation.

They are at the cutting edge of technological innovation and has the potential to reduce human error and increase road safety, but accidents involving AVs still happen, which begs the difficult question of who is at fault in a crash involving an AV.

The Complicated Fault System in AV Mishaps

The dynamics of AV accidents involve a multitude of factors, in contrast to traditional auto accidents where fault is usually attributed to one or more human drivers. [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicle accident: Who is at fault and how a car accident lawyer can help

Drev and Kollmorgen to develop ‘groundbreaking’ AGV with integrated contamination control technology

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As gigafactories and recycling plants scale to meet rising demands, the need for innovative solutions that address both safety and efficiency continues to grow.

To meet this demand, Drev and Kollmorgen Autonomous Mobile Solutions have agreed to jointly develop “a groundbreaking Automated Guided Vehicle with integrated contamination control technology”.

Designed to operate in large, highly restricted and hazardous environments, this AGV aims to ensure the safety of workers by operating where humans should not, while at the same time recovering valuable raw materials that would otherwise be discarded as dust. [Read more…] about Drev and Kollmorgen to develop ‘groundbreaking’ AGV with integrated contamination control technology

Panasonic and Arm partner to ‘standardize’ software-defined vehicles

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Panasonic Automotive Systems (PAS) and chip designer Arm have agreed a strategic partnership aimed at standardizing automotive architecture for Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs).

The two organizations share a common vision for creating a software stack with the flexibility to meet the current and future needs for automotive and have aligned on this through their active participation in SOAFEE, an industry-wide initiative that is driving greater collaboration in standardized software development across the automotive market.

This new partnership will see PAS and Arm adopt and extend the device virtualization framework VirtIO to decouple automotive software development from hardware and accelerate automotive industry development cycles. [Read more…] about Panasonic and Arm partner to ‘standardize’ software-defined vehicles

Volvo Group and Daimler Truck to jointly develop software-defined vehicle platform

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Volvo Group and Daimler Truck are planning to create a joint venture to develop a common software-defined vehicle platform and dedicated truck operating system, providing the basis for future software-defined commercial vehicles.

The two leading companies in the commercial vehicle industry have now signed a binding agreement to establish the joint venture and are working towards setting up the company that will be headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The software-defined vehicle platform will enable Volvo Group and Daimler Truck and potential other future customers of the joint venture to provide stand-alone digital vehicle functions for their products. [Read more…] about Volvo Group and Daimler Truck to jointly develop software-defined vehicle platform

Electric ATVs vs. UTVs for Worksites: Which Vehicle is More Efficient?

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Choosing the right vehicle for worksite tasks is crucial for maximizing efficiency and minimizing environmental impact.

Electric All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTVs) are popular choices, each offering distinct advantages depending on the nature of the work.

This comparison aims to guide businesses in selecting the best vehicle for their specific needs by evaluating the efficiency of both options. [Read more…] about Electric ATVs vs. UTVs for Worksites: Which Vehicle is More Efficient?