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Panasonic launches initiative to encourage ‘social integration of robots’

Panasonic has launched an initiative to promote robot development via open co-creation. The “Robotics Hub” is the central axis of Panasonic’s quest to integrate robots into society in the near future.

Nine years ago, in 2010, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), one of the largest public research and development management organisations in Japan, released some very curious data.

In their future market projections of domestic robot turnout, they forecast a sharp expansion of robots in the services field by 2035. By “services field,” it is meant medical care, logistics, nursing and welfare, cleaning, security and so forth.

Universal Robots certifies ATI’s automated tool changer QC-11

ATI Industrial Automation’s QC-11 Automatic Tool Changer is a vital component of many robotic applications and is now certified to work with collaborative robots from Universal Robots.

The QC-11 enables automatic exchange of robotic end-effectors without any manual intervention. With an ATI Automatic Tool Changer, a robot can use multiple end-effectors in a single process.

Preceding the QC-11 in the UR+ program are ATI’s Axia80 Force/Torque Sensor and MC-10 Manual Tool Changer. There are more than 150 products in the UR+ portfolio featuring plug-and-play solutions for UR cobots.

DJI uses Ubuntu in drone computer

Ubuntu, the most popular Linux operating system for the Internet of Things, is now available on the Manifold 2, a high-performance embedded computer offered by drone manufacturer, DJI.

The Manifold 2 is designed to fit onto DJI’s drone platforms via the onboard SDK and enables developers to transform aerial platforms into truly smarter drones, performing complex computing tasks and advanced image processing, which in-turn creates rapid flexibility for enterprise usage.

As part of the offering, the Manifold 2 is planning to feature snaps. Snaps are containerised software packages, designed to work perfectly across cloud, desktop, and IoT devices – with this the first instance of the technology’s availability on drones.

Webinar: Safety Standards Update – Collaborative and Autonomous Mobile Robots

Robotics and Automation News is hosting a webinar about collaborative robot safety presented by SICK, on June 24th, at 11 am EST.

SICK is one of the leading providers of sensors for robots. The company’s sensors are in the majority of the new generation of robots in the market today.

In this webinar, Mark Nehrkorn, SICK’s director of safety, will present an update in the safety standards in the field of collaborative and autonomous mobile robots. [Read more…] about Webinar: Safety Standards Update – Collaborative and Autonomous Mobile Robots

Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation

By Nicola Olivetti, Lean and Industry 4.0 Program Director, iObeya

Recently, a leading industrial journalist asked for an explanation about the pragmatic integration of human-centricity and automation. Below are my responses.

Question: How can you preserve a human-centric approach to collegial work in a highly automated environment?

Answer: Companies with an authentic Lean culture leverage automation to expand the scope of teams by granting real-time access to valuable information. This allows for important activity and relevant people (experts, partners, suppliers, customers) to co-operate in a horizontal and agile manner. [Read more…] about Digital Visual Management: Integration of Human-Centricity and Automation

Nvidia unveils new reinforcement learning research at ICRA 2019

Nvidia researchers from the newly opened robotics research lab in Seattle, Washington have presented a new proof of concept reinforcement learning approach that aims to enhance how robots trained in simulation will perform in the real world. (See video below.)

The work was presented at the recent International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in Montreal, Canada.

The research is part of a growing trend in the deep learning and robotics community that relies on simulation for training. [Read more…] about Nvidia unveils new reinforcement learning research at ICRA 2019

Atoun begins trial of Powered Wear with new arm support function

Atoun Inc. is beginning a work-site trial of Powered Wear with arm support function at the end of May, 2019.

The prototype to be tested is the Powered Wear “Atoun Model Y” for the waist-attached arms support part.

By adding the arms support function to the previous waist support function, work efficiency increases up to 37.7% compared to when Powered Wear is not used.

iRobot launches its most advanced robot vacuum and mop

iRobot Corp. is launching two new robots that work together to provide what it claims is the deepest clean possible in the home.

The Roomba s9+ robot vacuum with Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal is the most intelligent, powerful, and deepest cleaning Roomba robot to date.

The Braava jet m6 robot mop tackles multiple rooms and large spaces with advanced navigation and mapping capabilities.

Omron robotics boss envisages cars building themselves

A senior executive at industrial giant Omron foresees a time in which cars virtually build themselves in factories. (See interview below.)

Bruno Adam, director of Omron’s mobile robot business director in Europe, says that in the future, factories will operate completely differently.

The current process sees car bodies moved along a linear, straight production line where different robots and people work on their assembly.

[Read more…]

Universal Robots looks for opportunities created by Malaysia’s Industry4WRD program

Universal Robots, a collaborative robots maker, has identified Malaysia as a key growth market in line with the country’s increased focus on automation and robotics, as outlined in its national policy on Industry 4.0, called “Industry4WRD”, to transform its manufacturing sector.

The manufacturing sector, comprising 98.5 percent of Malaysian SMEs, serves as a major contributor to the country’s economy. In 2018, the sector contributed 22.4 percent of GDP, roughly RM 325 billion.

Sakari Kuikka, general manager, Southeast Asia and Oceania at UR, says: “Malaysia deployed just 45 units of industrial robots per 10,000 employees in 2017, almost 50 percent below the global average of 85 units. [Read more…] about Universal Robots looks for opportunities created by Malaysia’s Industry4WRD program