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634AI and InOrbit collaborate to bring ‘more efficient’ AMR fleet management to US

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634AI, the developers of Maestro, an AI-enabled control tower for streamlining the management of industrial indoor mobility, has agreed a collaboration with InOrbit, a cloud-based management platform for robot operations at scale.

The joint solution is designed to enable a deeper understanding of the flows on industrial and warehouse floors, to support the easy integration of AMRs on work floors and optimize their activity.

Maestro is an AI powered centralized Control Tower that enables effective and harmonized indoor operations, from tracking of raw material movements and real time safety alerts for man driven vehicles, to navigation and fleet management of AMRs. [Read more…] about 634AI and InOrbit collaborate to bring ‘more efficient’ AMR fleet management to US

TTTech Auto and Infineon design new chip architecture for highly automated driving

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TTTech Auto and Infineon Technologies have developed key components for a fail-operational electronic architecture for highly automated driving of SAE Level 3 and 4.

This enables the safe and reliable processing of, for example, radar or LiDAR camera sensor data and is targeting car and technology manufacturers. The fail-operational architectural concept and its key components ensure the safe operation of highway pilot functions, valet parking and autonomous truck driving in case individual functions fail.

The joint research contributed to the successful completion of the European PRYSTINE (Programmable Systems for Intelligence in Automobiles) project. With a budget of about €50 million, PRYSTINE aimed to realize safe automated driving by fail-operational urban surround perception. [Read more…] about TTTech Auto and Infineon design new chip architecture for highly automated driving

Software that is Helping the Development of Robotics

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Are robotics something to get excited about?

When we think of robotics, we think of terminator, C3PO, and Wall-E, but there is so much more to it than just our beloved fictional characters, with developments in robotics having real-world consequences. Over the past few decades, the explosion in robotic technology has meant that we have been able to put a rover on Mars and send probes into deep space.

These robots of the future are not your stereotypical robots from pop culture, but they are incredible nonetheless and will change the world we know forever. We have passed the point of no return, and with the development of AI coming along too, things are really heating up. [Read more…] about Software that is Helping the Development of Robotics

Symbio Robotics unveils software update to ‘further modernize manufacturing assembly’

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Symbio Robotics, the provider of a platform that enables AI-powered automation solutions, launched SymbioDCS 2.0, which the company describes as “a major update” to the company’s flagship middleware and python programming framework.

With a streamlined automation solution development and deployment process, the updated platform contains a series of breakthrough features to support accelerated electric vehicle timelines and emissions-reduction goals by automakers through real-time robot-controlled apps such as insertion, fastening, and moving lines.

Max Reynolds, Symbio CEO and co-founder, says: “The demand for Symbio’s technology continues to increase as mounting pressure on automotive companies to change their factory footprint and increase production of EVs grows. The recent Ford and GM announcements to put billions into EV-focused factories is hard evidence of this. [Read more…] about Symbio Robotics unveils software update to ‘further modernize manufacturing assembly’

Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

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By Skip Snyder, senior partner, IBM Consulting and Mike Pollitt, chief sales officer, Boston Dynamics

The demand for AI-driven robotics is increasing in operations like those in manufacturing and warehouse settings to help organizations with data and analytics that identify problems in real time, improve decision making, and perform tasks more efficiently. But to experience the true benefits, these operations need AI as close to the origin of the data as possible.

According to an IBM Institute for Business Value survey, 56 percent of manufacturers have implemented AI-driven robotics to make autonomous decisions, while 83 percent agree intelligent automation will help their organization meet strategic challenges and improve business results. However, businesses point out that most edge and IoT devices today are stationary, inflexible and often incapable of responding to rapidly changing environments.

To address this challenge, IBM and Boston Dynamics have announced a new alliance focused on delivering data analysis at the edge to help industrial companies improve worker safety, optimize field operations, and boost maintenance productivity in environments like manufacturing facilities, power plants, warehouses and more. Enabled by AI and hybrid cloud innovations from IBM Research, IBM Consulting will develop edge payloads that integrate with Spot, the agile, mobile robot from Boston Dynamics. [Read more…] about Boston Dynamics and IBM partner to bring mobile edge analytics to industrial operations

ABB launches Genix management system for industrial equipment

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ABB says it is bringing artificial intelligence to asset performance management for improved efficiencies and increased uptime across industries in the form of something Genix.

The launch of ABB Ability Genix Asset Performance Management Suite “brings next-generation AI-based predictive maintenance, asset reliability and integrity insights to process and utility industries”, says the company.

Genix APM is described as an enterprise-grade application to monitor assets, prescribe maintenance actions, improve equipment utilization, and support lifecycle analysis and capital planning. [Read more…] about ABB launches Genix management system for industrial equipment

Sfera Labs unveils ‘first’ industrial programmable I/O module based on new Raspberry Pi microcontroller

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Sfera Labs has introduced the first industrial product based on the new Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller chip – a few months after its release.

The Iono RP is a compact programmable I/O module that combines the ease of use of the Raspberry Pi with a wide choice of digital and analog input and output interfaces.

The result is a rugged, safe, reliable, and easy-to-connect module – fully CE, FCC, and IC compliant – suited for installation in industrial and residential environments. [Read more…] about Sfera Labs unveils ‘first’ industrial programmable I/O module based on new Raspberry Pi microcontroller

Innodisk unveils first industrial-grade PCIe 4.0 SSDs turbocharging 5G and AIoT

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Innodisk has unveiled what it says is “the first industrial-grade PCIe 4.0 SSDs turbocharging 5G and AIoT”.

5G and AIoT need more speed and more capacity, and PCIe 4.0 delivers, doubling the speed of PCIe 3.0 and providing the much-needed performance boost to keep pace with innovation and industry trends.

Not only speed and capacity, but tolerance of wide-range temperature is also crucial. Consumer-grade products aren’t tough enough to withstand the high temperatures of outdoor and industrial settings, so Innodisk is introducing the first industrial-grade PCIe 4.0 SSDs built to handle those challenging conditions. [Read more…] about Innodisk unveils first industrial-grade PCIe 4.0 SSDs turbocharging 5G and AIoT

Digital manufacturing needs Time-Sensitive Networking

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Thomas Burke, Global Strategic Advisor at the CC-Link Partner Association, looks at why TSN is the future of industrial communications

Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a game-changing technology that can substantially reshape industrial communications and factory operations.

By enhancing the capabilities of conventional industrial Ethernet and providing new functionalities, TSN can truly support futureproof digital manufacturing. Because of this disruptive potential, businesses should implement TSN now.

TSN is an innovative technology defined by IEEE 802.1 standards that resides at the Layer 2 (Data Link) of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model for communications. It ultimately makes Ethernet deterministic by design, thus improving data transfer accuracy and reliability. [Read more…] about Digital manufacturing needs Time-Sensitive Networking

Software AG helps automate OEE calculation with new app for Cumulocity IoT

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Software AG has launched an app to automate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) calculation for its Cumulocity IoT platform.

The new app will enable manufacturers of any size to collect and process key data as it’s created and quickly understand production effectiveness.

By monitoring production line availability, performance and quality, organizations can be more responsive to inefficiencies in their operations, enabling them to avert problems and capitalize on opportunities to be more effective. [Read more…] about Software AG helps automate OEE calculation with new app for Cumulocity IoT