Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Abdul Montaqim

Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics. Now owns MiR and Universal Robots

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US industrial giant Teradyne has become a powerful force in the collaborative robotics sector with the purchase of Mobile Industrial Robots, the maker of warehouse robots.

The new acquisition adds to Teradyne’s existing purchase of Universal Robots, which is the leading supplier of collaborative industrial robotic arms. Teradyne, which specialises in supplying automatic test equipment, generated approxmately $2.2 billion revenue in 2017.

Teradyne announced the acquisition of privately held MiR of Odense, Denmark for €121 million ($148 million) net of cash acquired plus €101 million ($124 million at current exchange rate) if certain performance targets are met extending through 2020. [Read more…] about Teradyne becomes leading power in collaborative robotics. Now owns MiR and Universal Robots

Moving with the times: Exclusive interview with Mobile Industrial Robots CEO

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Judging by the number of people who visit this website to read about warehouse robots, the interest in the sector has grown dramatically over the past year.

Automated guided vehicles have been around for a long time, but they required markings and sometimes rails to be placed on the ground in order to inform of their route, and there was nothing autonomous about them.

They did their job of moving material from place to place within a facility effectively enough, but the new generation of machines are autonomous and allow for far greater flexibility. [Read more…] about Moving with the times: Exclusive interview with Mobile Industrial Robots CEO

Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

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This is the second time I have been to Hannover Messe and I thought I was better prepared for what is probably the largest industrial technology show in the world.

But even though I had a lot of ideas of what to cover, it turns out that Hannover Messe has many more ideas than I brought with me and has overwhelmed me again.

The basic numbers about the show are impressive enough — close to a quarter of a million visitors over the five days the show lasts in the German city of Hannover. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: An überwhelming experience

From zero to infinity: Exclusive interview with Geek Plus boss

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Exclusive interview with Lit Fung, Geek Plus Robotics general manager in Hong Kong

It’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of warehouses in the world operate in the traditional way, manually, with some automated technology, such as forklift trucks and conveyors. 

A small but growing proportion are either fully or partially roboticised.

Some might not need it, but in most cases, bringing in the robots and introducing the latest computer technologies would very likely lead to increases in efficiency and production.  [Read more…] about From zero to infinity: Exclusive interview with Geek Plus boss

Dynamic vision sensors and event cameras could reduce machine perception’s computing workload

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Rewired’s Santiago Tenorio and Jae Yong-Lee explain dynamic vision sensors and event cameras in this exclusive interview

Just about every machine that moves requires some sort of sensing technology which informs it of its exact location and its position within its environment and its proximity to other objects within that environment. 

One of the most well-known computational solutions for such sensing systems is called “simultaneous localisation and mapping”, or SLAM, which can be found in things like robotic vacuum cleaners, warehouse robots and other moving vehicles.

In recent years, another technology called “light detection and ranging”, or LiDAR, has also received much attention because it seems to be popular with automakers.  [Read more…] about Dynamic vision sensors and event cameras could reduce machine perception’s computing workload

ABB to invest €100 million in global innovation and training centre at B&R location

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One year after announcing its acquisition of Bernecker + Rainer Industrie-Elektronik, ABB is to invest €100 million in Austria to build a state-of-the-art innovation and training campus at the home of B&R in Eggelsberg, Upper Austria.

It is the largest organic investment in industrial automation in ABB’s more than 130-year history and lays the foundation for around 1,000 new high-tech jobs in Austria.

The new innovation and training campus will develop technologies for the factory of the future, based on ABB Ability, in which production will be undertaken autonomously by smart and cloud-connected machines and robots.  [Read more…] about ABB to invest €100 million in global innovation and training centre at B&R location

Exclusive interview: Sarcos Robotics aims to augment human strengths

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Exclusive interview with Ben Wolff, CEO of Sarcos Robotics

Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver is most famous for two things: one is making vests popular and the other is having an epic dust-up with a massive alien on the deck of a spaceship, toe to toe, mano-a-mano, or womano-a-womano, or womano-a-alieno, or whatever. 

In space, no one can hear you mangle the Spanish language.

The vest is of less interest to this website, but the battle suit Weaver wore to take on what is arguably the most terrifying alien in cinematic history is of great interest because it was an exoskeleton, although most people probably didn’t know what it was called at the time.

The film was, of course, Aliens, released in 1986, and in donning the exoskeleton, Weaver instantly acquired what seemed like hundreds of times her natural body strength.  [Read more…] about Exclusive interview: Sarcos Robotics aims to augment human strengths

At the centre of events worldwide

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Since RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com was launched a couple of years ago, we’ve learned a lot. 

One of the things we’ve learned is that there are many interesting trade shows around the world related to the industries we cover.

The technologies within robotics and automation are present in just about every industry and business sector on Earth, so our content could be highly diverse, but we tend to concentrate on manufacturing and logistics, although not exclusively – we do take a look at other areas part of the time.  [Read more…] about At the centre of events worldwide

Interview: A new type of networking that is claimed to be faster and more reliable

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In this exclusive interview, Todd Rigby of Rajant talks about a new type of networking technology that he claims is faster and more reliable 

A growing number of factories, warehouses and other industrial facilities are installing computer networks in order to make the most of the opportunities offered by the internet of things.

Typically, sensors are connected to traditional machinery, and then those sensors are connected to what are referred to as “gateway” devices, which are like routers.

This gateway can send the data collected and sent to it by the sensor either to a computer on-site or in the cloud through an internet connection.  [Read more…] about Interview: A new type of networking that is claimed to be faster and more reliable

Digitalisation and the greatest industrial show on Earth

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Hannover Messe is probably the largest and most important industrial technology show on Earth. 

The venue for the event spans an area the size of a small town and it takes several days to visit all of the most important areas you might be interested in.

Covering an event of that magnitude from a journalistic point of view can be difficult if you’re interested in too many things.  [Read more…] about Digitalisation and the greatest industrial show on Earth