Robotics & Automation News

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E-mart introduces Eli autonomous shopping cart

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E-mart, a South Korean discount chain operator under retail giant Shinsegae, has unveiled an autonomous shopping cart for test operation.

For the first time in Korea, the autonomous cart was showcased at E-mart’s warehouse-style supermarket Traders in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, from April 17 to April 20.

The autonomous shopping cart, called Eli, has outstanding functions, such as navigation, following, avoiding obstacle, auto payment, with cutting -edge technologies.

Robotnik, in collaboration with Gaitech Robotics, developed this state-of -the-art autonomous shopping cart for E-mart.

Cobots as cheerleaders for Indian cricket team

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As cricket fever is spreading across India, VIVO Indian Premier League 2018 is taking the game and excitement to the next level by introducing collaborative robots to cheer Team RCB.

The Universal Robots cobots are engineered and programmed by MAC Machine Tools and Automation, a 27-year-old Bangalore-based firm.

Being synonymous with technological advancements and innovations, Bangalore has yet again proved that it is leading the technology space by integrating robots and entertainment seamlessly.

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Rethink Robotics presents new features for collaborative robot Sawyer

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Rethink Robotics presented its smart cobot Sawyer at this year’s Hannover Trade Fair last week, featuring new functionalities such as an Intera 5.2 software update for real-time production data visualization and easy external camera integration, and ClickSmart technology for easy changing of end-effectors.

Companies from numerous industries – including automotive, plastics, metalworking, electronics and co-packing – use Sawyer to complete tasks that cannot be automated with conventional industrial robots due to labour constraints, short product cycles or fluctuations in demand.

At the Hannover Trade Fair, Rethink Robotics provided demonstrations of manufacturing use cases from Germany, Europe and worldwide.

“With Sawyer, Rethink Robotics offers companies a smart, secure and quick-to-implement solution that allows them to automate manufacturing processes quickly and with the necessary flexibility,” says Darius Wilke, Director of European Business at Rethink Robotics.

New research: Robots create jobs

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New research from the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) suggests that the rapid spread of industrial robots hasn’t made a dent in employment figures, instead, new tasks have been created for the workforce alongside ones performed by machines.

At 309 units per 10,000 employees, robot density in German manufacturing industry is the third highest worldwide. At the same time, the number of people employed in Germany reached 44 million in 2017, the highest figure since reunification.

“The results of the ZEW study on the labour market confirm what we’re observing in leading industrial nations across the world,” comments Junji Tsuda, president of the International Federation of Robotics.

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ESMERA project to fund robotics innovation

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The European Commission has launched the project ESMERA (European SMEs Robotics Applications), a starting block for European SMEs designing and developing robotic solutions.

To unlock the innovation potential of these SMEs, ESMERA promotes applied robotics technology developed for industrial challenges set by key European companies, so the SMEs get a chance to realise new technologies that address real life problems and thus already have a market.

ESMERA offers direct financial support to the solution-providing SMEs, through a cascade funding mechanism.

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Husky UGV helps US grape growers conserve water

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A university project in California has developed a robotic system to help vintners manage their water systems, and implement precision irrigation across the vineyard.

The RAPID (Robot-Assisted Precision Irrigation Delivery) system was developed by Electrical Engineering and Computer Science professor, Stefano Carpin, with a team of researchers from University of California-Merced, Davis, and Berkeley.

By replacing an existing system with low-cost, plastic emitters that control the water flow, the team can send a Husky UGV, from Clearpath Robotics, to adjust them, and change the amount of water each plant area is receiving.

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World’s first 3D printed house built in days

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The world’s first house has been built by a robot 3D printer in Nantes, France. This 95m2 house has 5 rooms, rounded walls, windows and doors… a set of complex architectural forms, achieved by means of a revolutionary technology, on a site provided by Nantes Métropole Habitat.

This innovative project is led by a consortium of scientists, manufacturers, and public and socio-economic actors. The aim: to quickly build affordable, adaptable, and energy efficient housing.

This innovative system makes it possible to build the walls of a house by 3D printing, on the construction site itself and in just a few days.

Watch how they did it here

 

Construction robotics startup Kewazo raises €1m+ in seed funding

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Kewazo, a robotics start-up in construction, has successfully raised over 1 million euros of seed funding, led by MIG Fonds 14 and Business Angel Alfred Bauer.

The funding will enable Kewazo to bring its robotic solution for scaffolding assembly to the market and to establish the company’s sales and distribution network.

Kewazo GmbH has developed a smart robotic logistics system, which provides autonomous transportation of materials on construction sites.

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Starship Technologies launches autonomous deliveries on campus

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Starship Technologies is rolling out commercial autonomous delivery services for corporate and academic campuses across the U.S. and Europe, following continued growth in robotic food, grocery and parcel delivery in residential neighbourhoods.

The company claims it is the first large-scale deployment of autonomous delivery services, supporting campuses by implementing robots to assist in work and school environments.

The robots offer on-demand delivery anywhere on participating campuses via an app, offering employees food delivery when and where they want, eliminating unwanted errands or transporting items to and from other locations on campus.

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Houston Mechatronics raises $20m for sub-sea robot development

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Houston Mechatronics Inc. (HMI), has announced a Series B investment of $20 million from Transocean and existing investor Schlumberger, which led HMI’s Series A investment in 2015.

Much of the new funding will be directed towards the commercialization of HMI’s first product, Aquanaut, a sub-sea service robot that can perform complex tasks over low bandwidth networks, eliminating the need for surface ships.

Beyond Aquanaut, HMI intends to continue developing novel sub-sea capability and other robotic technology for use in oil and gas applications with an objective to increase reliability, efficiency, capability, and safety.

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