Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

vehicles

InoBat Auto secures funding from Slovakian government to build €1 billion ‘Gigafactory’

by

InoBat Auto, a battery production company providing new energy solutions for electric vehicles, has secured funding to build a research and development centre to support the construction of a 10 GWh Gigafactory in Slovakia – the world’s biggest car producer per capita.

The investment from the Slovakian Government has contributed to the €100 million first-phase fund raising to deliver the Gigafactory, which will deploy state-of-the-art battery technology with the potential to provide an estimated 240,000 electric vehicles with cutting edge batteries by 2024.

InoBat Auto says its planned Gigafactory will catapult Europe to become a leading global force in the electric vehicle battery industry. [Read more…] about InoBat Auto secures funding from Slovakian government to build €1 billion ‘Gigafactory’

Mercedes expands development of autonomous commercial vehicle systems

by

From project to product: With AXYARD, Lab1886 and Daimler Trucks automate the operation of commercial vehicles

The automated snow removal by two self-driving Mercedes-Benz Arocs in Immendingen shows a successful application for automated commercial vehicles in closed areas.

The joint project of Lab1886, the innovation unit for new business models within Mercedes-Benz AG, and Daimler Trucks, the inventor of the truck, has now become a product that can be used as a solution for various customer requirements in sectors such as on-site logistics and agriculture.

Lab1886 and Daimler Trucks, together with Fraport, demonstrated the operation of self-driving snow-clearing vehicles in non-public closed areas for the first time in October 2017 as part of a pilot project on the site of the former Pferdsfeld air base. [Read more…] about Mercedes expands development of autonomous commercial vehicle systems

Handling large, heavy and bulky objects with Morello equipment

by

Large construction and engineering projects almost always feature particular requirements in transportation and handling of big, heavy and often awkwardly shaped objects.

Most people are used to seeing trucks and cranes on the roads and on work sites. But when it comes to handling materials inside, for example, warehouses or other confined spaces, more specialized vehicles are often required.

Modern tendencies in industrial material handling and on-site logistics require customization of these vehicles for a specific client or purpose and there are very few companies in the world that can provide such a service. Morello Giovanni is one of those companies. [Read more…] about Handling large, heavy and bulky objects with Morello equipment

Otto Motors expands its autonomous mobile robots business to Japan

by

Otto Motors, the industrial division of Clearpath Robotics, is expanding into the Japanese market.

The move marks Ontario-based Otto’s first expansion outside North America.

Otto Motors produces self-driving vehicles – also referred to as “autonomous mobile robots” or warehouse robots – that move materials within manufacturing and warehousing facilities. [Read more…] about Otto Motors expands its autonomous mobile robots business to Japan

Renault Trucks signs ‘historic agreement’ with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 electric trucks

by

Renault Trucks says it is taking “a critical step in the transformation of urban transport” by signing of a contract with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 D Wide ZE vehicles.

These 100 per cent electric 26-tonne trucks, which will be delivered in 2020, will be operated by the Feldschlösschen brewery, the Carlsberg Group’s Swiss subsidiary.

Renault Trucks says urban transport “needs to move towards electric mobility quickly” in order to improve quality of life in city centres and tackle global CO2 emissions. [Read more…] about Renault Trucks signs ‘historic agreement’ with the Carlsberg Group to deliver 20 electric trucks

Advanced driver assistance systems: Disrupting the global automotive safety landscape

by

Automotive accidents and road mishaps and the subsequent injuries and fatalities present a significant global concern today.

According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, nearly 1.25 million people succumb to road accidents every year, which equates to an average of almost 3,287 deaths a day.

Despite the alarming statistics however, strong technological evolution across the industrial landscape, particularly in the automotive domain, is ensuring that things take a turn for the better. [Read more…] about Advanced driver assistance systems: Disrupting the global automotive safety landscape

NXP launches new ‘multi-gigabit’ automotive Ethernet switch for time-sensitive networking

by

NXP, one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive semiconductors, has launched a “multi-gigabit Ethernet switch” designed to help automakers deliver the high-speed networks required for evolving connected vehicles.

NXP says its SJA1110 is “the first automotive Ethernet switch with safety capabilities built in”, offering integrated 100BASE-T1 PHYs, hardware-assisted security as well as multi-gigabit interfaces.

Optimized for integration with NXP’s S32G vehicle network processor, the SJA1110 switch is also part of an overall networking solution which includes the VR5510 power management integrated circuit. [Read more…] about NXP launches new ‘multi-gigabit’ automotive Ethernet switch for time-sensitive networking

Scania tests autonomous truck in complex manoeuvre in traffic

by

Scania has conducted a test in which an autonomous made a complex manoeuvre on a relatively busy road.

Autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems need robust and precise positioning to enable reliable operations.

This is especially important in the early transitional phase of the technology, when other vehicles around it will not be automated. [Read more…] about Scania tests autonomous truck in complex manoeuvre in traffic

General Motors to invest $2.2 billion in Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make it ‘100 percent devoted to electric vehicles’

by

General Motors is making a $2.2 billion investment into its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to produce a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs.

The company says the plant will be “100 percent devoted to electric vehicles”.

GM’s first all-electric truck will be a pickup with production scheduled to begin in late 2021. This will be followed soon after by the Cruise Origin, a shared, electric, self-driving vehicle unveiled by Cruise in San Francisco last week. [Read more…] about General Motors to invest $2.2 billion in Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make it ‘100 percent devoted to electric vehicles’

Transportation applications to account for more than 50 percent of the overall AGV market

by

Transportation applications are to account for more than 50 percent of the overall AGV market, according to a report by Future Market Insights.

A new market research study on the global automated guided vehicle market contains global industry analysis 2014-2018 and opportunity assessment 2019-2029.

The report investigates the automated guided vehicle market and provides critical insights for the forecast period of 2019-2029. [Read more…] about Transportation applications to account for more than 50 percent of the overall AGV market