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Comau exoskeleton ‘first’ to be awarded EAWS certification

July 6, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Comau Robotics & Automation claims its “MATE” exoskeleton is the first on the market to receive the Ergonomic Assessment Work-Sheet certification.

The company says the certification provides clear evidence of its exoskeleton’s effectiveness in reducing the “risk of biomechanical overload” of the upper limbs.

Based on the evaluation system promoted by Ergo Foundation, Italy’s reference for the organization and measurement of work and ergonomics, the successful recognition studied workers who used MATE to perform daily tasks requiring flexion-extension of the arms. [Read more…] about Comau exoskeleton ‘first’ to be awarded EAWS certification

What Does it Take to Get Into the Business of Tech?

July 5, 2020 by Polly Leave a Comment

Whether it’s home automation, custom computer building, or just about anything else in the tech field, the idea of starting a business dealing with products like this can be an exciting proposition.

If you love gadgets and gizmos, starting a business specializing in them will give you the opportunity to make them into a bigger part of your life.

Of course, though, getting into business is never easy, even if you love the work you do. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring what it takes to get into the business of tech. [Read more…] about What Does it Take to Get Into the Business of Tech?

Danish robots assisting lab technicians with Covid-19 testing work

June 16, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

A Danish pipetting robot is automating Covid testing processes in hospitals around Europe.

The robot, called flowbot ONE, “significantly reduces the time it takes for laboratories to produce results for patients to tell them whether they are infected with Covid-19”, says its manufacturer Flow Robotics.

The company says its machine is a “unique liquid-handling robot” which is now speeding up the enormous task of analysing Covid tests. The flowbot ONE system now conducts thousands of tests for Covid-19 every day. [Read more…] about Danish robots assisting lab technicians with Covid-19 testing work

Comau launches mobile app for remote monitoring and diagnostics of its robots and machining centers

June 15, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Comau has launched a mobile app for remote monitoring and diagnostics of its robots and machining centers.

The company’s “in.Grid/Link” is part of its Smart Digital Restart plan and internet of things platform developed in collaboration with Microsoft.

A light version of the application will be available for free for a period of six months, first in Italy and then in other countries. [Read more…] about Comau launches mobile app for remote monitoring and diagnostics of its robots and machining centers

Present times require clever solutions, digitalisation, and process automation: How Y Soft has implemented robots in its offices

June 8, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

By Ondřej Krajíček, chief technology strategist at Y Soft

Since the world was turned on its head as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations in all sectors have been forced to transform the way they work, speed up their digital transformation projects and rapidly innovate their processes in a way they’ve never had to previously.

So far, we’ve seen organisations completely repurposing their offering to help in the fight against coronavirus, such as manufacturers producing PPE; we’ve seen staff rapidly reskilled, or even being offered from one industry to another; and we’ve seen organisations using technologies to create innovations in both software and hardware.

At Y Soft, we’ve been using our fleet of 3D Printers to contribute face shields to hospitals around the world, but we’ve also been implementing various innovations internally, to ensure our operations continue seamlessly while we’re not physically in the office. [Read more…] about Present times require clever solutions, digitalisation, and process automation: How Y Soft has implemented robots in its offices

Mitsubishi Electric develops ‘co-operative AI’ for human-machine work

June 4, 2020 by Mai Tao Leave a Comment

Mitsubishi Electric says it has developed a cooperative artificial intelligence technology that it says “enhances work collaboration between humans and machines”.

The system uses something Mitsubishi calls “inverse reinforcement learning”, or IRL, to learn and imitate the actions of skilled workers.

IRL, one of the key features of Mitsubishi Electric’s “Maisart AI” technology, enables machines to imitate human-like actions based on relatively small amounts of data. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric develops ‘co-operative AI’ for human-machine work

How automation can help fast track a vaccine

June 4, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

When there’s a Covid-19 vaccine, we’ll all want one fast. Here’s how Honeywell says digital tools can help speed up the process…

The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need to develop a vaccine as quickly as possible.

The typical vaccine development and production process depends on how the vaccine is created, with the manufacturing process taking anywhere from several days to several weeks for a single batch.

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, the urgency of being able to scale up a vaccine is even more critical. [Read more…] about How automation can help fast track a vaccine

Kuka says its ‘sensitive robot’ increases efficiency in automotive final assembly

June 2, 2020 by David Edwards Leave a Comment

Industrial robot maker Kuka says its “sensitive robot” is helping to increase efficiency at the final stages of assembly in the automotive manufacturing sector.

The company says car manufacturers are always looking for solutions to increase the efficiency of assembly on the assembly line.

Innovative automation solutions should increase the degree of automation, says Kuka, and human and robot increasingly share the workplace along the assembly line. [Read more…] about Kuka says its ‘sensitive robot’ increases efficiency in automotive final assembly

5,000 deaths a year: A reminder of why safety systems matter

May 25, 2020 by Abdul Montaqim Leave a Comment

Special Report by Robotics and Automation News in association with SICK

It’s been almost 50 years since the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, was established in the United States after much pressure from labour unions seeking more protection for workers.

In the half-century since OSHA’s creation, it is estimated that many thousands of workers’ lives have been saved and countless more have been kept out of harm’s way.

Today, OSHA, an agency of the Department of Labour, is more important than ever as people start returning to work after months of lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused almost 350,000 deaths worldwide to date, and infected 5.5 million more. [Read more…] about 5,000 deaths a year: A reminder of why safety systems matter

Are You Ready to Survive the Future of Manufacturing?

May 8, 2020 by Mai Tao Leave a Comment

By Darrell Adams, head of Southeast Asia and Oceania, Universal Robots

For many ASEAN nations, manufacturing takes up a sizable chunk of the national GDP. For example, manufacturing in Singapore contributed 20.9 percent of Singapore’s GDP in 2019, according to the department of statistics Singapore.

Successful companies readily acknowledge one key factor contributing to their achievements – hardworking, committed and skilled employees who are the foundation of the companies.

However, manufacturers today face the primary challenge of filling open positions with skilled workers, which in turn affects overall productivity and growth. [Read more…] about Are You Ready to Survive the Future of Manufacturing?