Robotics & Automation News

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Third Wave Automation closes $27 million Series C funding to scale autonomous forklifts

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Third Wave Automation, a provider of autonomous high-reach forklifts, has closed a $27 million Series C round led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund.

Return investors Innovation Endeavors, Norwest Venture Partners and Qualcomm Ventures joined the round, bringing total capital raised to $97 million.

The funding will enable Third Wave to scale its “Shared Autonomy Platform”, expand manufacturing of its multimode TWA Reach forklifts, and support future technology development that advances the use of autonomous forklifts in and around warehouse environments. [Read more…] about Third Wave Automation closes $27 million Series C funding to scale autonomous forklifts

Qualcomm and Zebra invest in Third Wave Automation

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Third Wave Automation, a provider of high-reach autonomous forklifts, has received strategic investments from Qualcomm Ventures and Zebra Technologies, bringing the startup’s total funding to $70 million.

Carlos Kokron, vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, and managing director, Qualcomm Ventures Americas, says: “The increasing adoption of advanced robotics, artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity is facilitating the use of autonomous solutions within the warehouse.

“Third Wave Automation’s shared autonomy approach with continuous learning capabilities delivers immediate value to the customers by easily integrating with existing workflows while enhancing labor productivity and safety. We are excited to invest in Third Wave Automation to bring next-generation autonomy to the forklifts.” [Read more…] about Qualcomm and Zebra invest in Third Wave Automation

Third Wave Automation raises $40 million in new investment

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Third Wave Automation has closed its Series B financing, a $40 million round led by Norwest Venture Partners with participation from prior investors Innovation Endeavors and Eclipse, along with Toyota Ventures.

Third Wave is a startup company which says it has achieved a “breakthrough in machine learning, computer vision and robotic material manipulation”.

The additional funds will accelerate growth and commercialization efforts. As a part of the changes, Matt Howard, general partner at Norwest Venture Partners, will join Third Wave’s board of directors.

Howard says: “I’ve been tracking Arshan and the team at Third Wave for some time and have been consistently impressed. [Read more…] about Third Wave Automation raises $40 million in new investment

Jeff Brown’s latest prediction on stock markets: The second wave

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Stock markets are always unpredictable. You can lose money in split seconds or become a millionaire too.

However, Jeff Brown views the stock market differently, and losing is not his portion. He believes in seizing opportunities in current technologies and situations.

Jeff can predict potential brands to invest in for great profits in the future. During his latest prediction (the second wave), Brown feels the current market is not stable and poses a great risk in the near future. [Read more…] about Jeff Brown’s latest prediction on stock markets: The second wave

Oman establishes innovation center for Liquid Robotics’ autonomous vessel

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The oil-rich Gulf Arab state of Oman has established an innovation center built around the Wave Glider, a small, solar-powered autonomous sea-going vessel mainly used for research developed by Liquid Robotics, a Boeing company. 

The Research Council of Oman says its Wave Glider Hub at Innovation Park Muscat is the first of its kind in the region, and is designed to serve as a center of excellence for Wave Glider operations.

It adds that the facility is tooled with necessary equipment to support maintenance, training and piloting of Wave Glider fleets, both in Oman and within the region. [Read more…] about Oman establishes innovation center for Liquid Robotics’ autonomous vessel

Redesigning the gear: A closer look at Harmonic Drive’s new WavePlus technology

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harmonic drive Waveplus

Graham Mackrell, managing director of precision gearing expert Harmonic Drive UK, explains WavePlus technology, an innovative development in strain wave gearing

Sometimes, you only need one small innovation to make something revolutionary.

Sliced bread, for example, simply took a stroke of inspiration for Otto Rohwedder to combine automatic bread wrapping equipment with cutting functionality.

The strain wave gear has been the pinnacle of precision gearing since the technology was first developed in 1957 by renowned inventor and founder of Harmonic Drive, Walton Musser.

Consisting of just three crucial components – the wave generator, flexspline and the circular spline – and ensuring zero backlash as well as a high gear reduction ratio, strain wave gears have long been the standard for critical applications.  [Read more…] about Redesigning the gear: A closer look at Harmonic Drive’s new WavePlus technology

Boeing to acquire Liquid Robotics to ‘enhance autonomous seabed-to-space information services’

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Developer of Wave Glider ocean robot boosts Boeing’s ocean data collection capabilities

Boeing has reached an agreement to buy Liquid Robotics, a builder of autonomous maritime systems and developer of the Wave Glider ocean surface robot, to grow its seabed-to-space autonomous capabilities.

Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, says: “With Liquid Robotics’ innovative technology and Boeing’s leading intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions, we are helping our customers address maritime challenges in ways that make existing platforms smarter, missions safer and operations more efficient.”

In September 2014, Boeing and Liquid Robotics entered into a teaming agreement resulting in extensive integration on the Sensor Hosting Autonomous Remote Craft (Sharc), a version of the Wave Glider. [Read more…] about Boeing to acquire Liquid Robotics to ‘enhance autonomous seabed-to-space information services’