Robotics & Automation News

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Brain Corp achieves ‘record sales growth’ in 2019 amid strong demand for autonomous mobile robots

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Brain Corp, a San Diego-based robotics and artificial intelligence company, says it achieved “record sales and revenue growth in 2019” as retailers increasingly turn to robotic solutions to reduce costs and enhance in-store experiences.

Brain Corp achieved more than a 300 percent increase in revenue last year, fueled by a surge in interest for BrainOS-powered floor care machines by major retailers, including Walmart.

The company also saw a 760 percent increase in global deployments. It now provides the intelligent backend for one of the largest fleets of its kind in the world – approximately 10,000 robots deployed or enabled. [Read more…] about Brain Corp achieves ‘record sales growth’ in 2019 amid strong demand for autonomous mobile robots

Locus Robotics picks ‘record-breaking’ 13 million units during 2019 holiday period

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Locus Robotics has broken its own record in terms of productivity numbers in November 2019. (See infographic below.)

The warehouse robot maker delivered more than 13 million units picked on behalf of global retail and third party logistics partners during the critical holiday season.

Locus says this is a 400 per cent increase in units picked over last year. [Read more…] about Locus Robotics picks ‘record-breaking’ 13 million units during 2019 holiday period

Nokia provides venue to showcase 5G technology for last-mile delivery robots

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Engineers attending this year’s 5G Days at Nokia’s Paris-Saclay campus were likely to stumble into an unusual gofer rambling the streets of the 4,000 employees’ facility: a small autonomous delivery robot, with parcel lockers, delivering goods without human intervention or guidance. 

The robot was part of a one-shot demonstration for Nokia customers and partners, but it could soon become the default option for the delivery of small parcels across the campus.

Jean-Philippe Bellaiche, of EIT Digital, says: “Campus facility manager Sodexo, together with Nokia have decided not to deliver parcel below 5 kilos to the personnel on the campus anymore. [Read more…] about Nokia provides venue to showcase 5G technology for last-mile delivery robots

AutoStore wins prestigious prize at the European Business Awards

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Norwegian robotics company AutoStore won Business of the Year with Turnover of €150 million or higher at the European Business Awards presented earlier this week in Warsaw, Poland. 

The Awards are one of the most established business competitions, which recognises Europe’s leading companies each year.

Headquartered in Nedre Vats in Rogaland, AutoStore is one of the world leaders in high-density storage with an existing award-winning robotic cube-based, storage and retrieval system that has transformed the logistics and delivery process for businesses across the globe. [Read more…] about AutoStore wins prestigious prize at the European Business Awards

Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

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It’s getting close to Christmas and that means it’s time for e-commerce fulfillment managers to start getting worried about the availability of labor for the holiday season.

According to a recent article in Supply Chain Dive, “this year’s peak season promises additional challenges in recruiting new hires as the pool of available labor shrinks”.

As the article points out, the US unemployment rate hit a 50-year low in September 2019. [Read more…] about Can robots save the e-commerce holiday season?

Kassow Robots adds three ports to its collaborative robots for end of arm tools

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Kassow Robots, a startup which launched a new collaborative robot last year, has adding ports into its machines to provide integration with end-of-arm tools.

The Danish robot manufacturer, which develops and produces its 7-axis collaborative robots in Copenhagen, says the ports provide “easy connection of end-of-arm tool directly to a Kassow Robot without cable on the outside of the robot”.

Dieter Pletscher, head of sales at Kassow Robots, says: “All our cobots have three ports with various I/Os and power supply signals. Two of the ports are for digital or analogue input/output. [Read more…] about Kassow Robots adds three ports to its collaborative robots for end of arm tools

Geek+ smart warehouses break Single’s Day record with 8 million orders delivered in 72 hours

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Geek+ says it implemented and completed large-scale scheduling of more than 4,000 robots in its smart warehouses during this year’s 11.11 Singles’ Day shopping festival.

China’s largest smart warehouse network processed a record 8 million orders in 72 hours.

Geek+ says “the successful deployment is a fantastic validation of the strength of the robotics-as-a-service business model” and the flexibility and efficiency of smart warehouses during periods of peak orders, including the ultimate challenge of the world’s largest shopping festival. [Read more…] about Geek+ smart warehouses break Single’s Day record with 8 million orders delivered in 72 hours

Invertek Drives boosts product testing with collaborative robots

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Invertek Drives, a designer and manufacturer of variable frequency drives (VFDs), has incorporated two Universal Robots UR5 collaborative robots into the testing phase of its production line.

Earlier this year, Invertek Drives opened the doors to its new 5,500 square metre global manufacturing and distribution facility in Welshpool, UK, enabling production of up to 400,000 VFDs a year.

Its VFDs are used to control electric motors in a variety of industrial, commercial and energy-saving applications, exporting to more than 80 countries. [Read more…] about Invertek Drives boosts product testing with collaborative robots

Cleveron delivery robot wins award

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Cleveron’s self-driving robot courier won the prestigious “Last Mile Delivery Innovation – The Journey” prize in the Parcel and Postal Technology International Awards 2019 at Parcel+Post Expo in Amsterdam.

This award recognizes companies who are leading the way in improving last mile delivery. Parcel and Postal Technology International is a recognised magazine in the postal technology sector and hosts the awards.

The nominated companies represent the most innovative companies in the post and parcel delivery market. [Read more…] about Cleveron delivery robot wins award

IFR report: Global investment in industrial robots reaches record $16.5 billion

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The new World Robotics report, released by the International Federation of Robotics, shows an annual global sales value of $16.5 billion in 2018 – a new record.

At least 422,000 units were shipped globally in 2018 – an increase of 6 percent compared to the previous year.

IFR forecasts shipments in 2019 will recede from the record level in 2018, but expects an average growth of 12 percent per year from 2020 to 2022. [Read more…] about IFR report: Global investment in industrial robots reaches record $16.5 billion