Robotics & Automation News

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Drones

Drone market forecast to grow to $123 billion by 2030

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The drone economy is set to soar, with unprecedented growth on the horizon. According to global intelligence firm ABI Research, civil and commercial applications of Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), aka drones, will expand dramatically, rising from just 8 percent to an impressive 32 percent of the total market by 2030.

In this timeframe, annual drone shipments will more than double from 1.5 million units in 2024 to 3.32 million, fueling an ecosystem poised to quadruple in value.

By the decade’s end, the sector will generate $123 billion in annual revenue, marking a transformative shift in the commercial and civil drone landscape. [Read more…] about Drone market forecast to grow to $123 billion by 2030

Airbound secures $1.7 million to make drone delivery economically viable ‘everywhere’

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Airbound, a drone technology startup, has closed a $1.7 million seed round led by Lightspeed to build “the world’s most efficient delivery drone”.

With its proprietary blended wing body tailsitter design, called TRT, Airbound aims to transform logistics, reducing delivery costs by two orders of magnitude compared to traditional options.

Historically, the drone delivery industry has faced challenges due to regulatory complexity and high per-mile costs, which have prevented drones from becoming the default solution for last-mile logistics. [Read more…] about Airbound secures $1.7 million to make drone delivery economically viable ‘everywhere’

Gremsy and HHLA Sky partner to offer industrial inspections with drones

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Gremsy, a provider of advanced gimbals and payloads, and HHLA Sky, a mobile robot management and automated drone inspection solutions company, have agreed a strategic partnership in the are aof industrial inspections.

By combining Gremsy’s state-of-the-art Pixy LR S-Port gimbals with HHLA Sky’s outstanding Integrated Control Center (ICC) and Sony’s digital imaging solutions, the collaboration significantly enhances efficiency and precision in industrial inspection processes.

HHLA Sky, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), has been at the forefront of automating drone inspections. With the incorporation of Gremsy’s Pixy LR S-Port gimbals equipped with Sony’s ILX-LR1 cameras, HHLA Sky takes drone inspections to new heights. [Read more…] about Gremsy and HHLA Sky partner to offer industrial inspections with drones

Corvus Robotics brings drone-based autonomous inventory management system to lights-out warehouses

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New funding round brings total company investment to $18 million

Corvus Robotics, a provider of autonomous inventory management systems, has released an updated version of its Corvus One system that brings, “for the first time”, the ability to fly its drone-powered system in a lights-out distribution center without any added infrastructure like reflectors, stickers, or beacons.

The newest generation product is supported by an $18 million Series A round and seed funding led by S2G Ventures and Spero Ventures. [Read more…] about Corvus Robotics brings drone-based autonomous inventory management system to lights-out warehouses

Matternet enters home delivery market with first drone delivery in Silicon Valley

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Matternet, a developer of urban drone delivery services, is entering the home delivery market with the launch of the first-ever drone delivery service in Silicon Valley.

Matternet’s technology platform will enable ultra-fast, zero-emissions delivery of food and commercial items to consumers’ homes.

The company has been running an initial pilot since August 30, and now will expand its service in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. [Read more…] about Matternet enters home delivery market with first drone delivery in Silicon Valley

Red Cat and Palladyne embed AI into drones to enable autonomous operation

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Palladyne AI, a developer of artificial intelligence software for robotic platforms, and Red Cat Holdings, a drone technology company, are partnering to enhance the autonomous capabilities of all Red Cat’s Teal drones using Palladyne AI’s Pilot software.

Leveraging its years of innovative development work for US Government customers, Palladyne AI is developing an artificial intelligence platform for unmanned systems to enable persistent detection, tracking, and classification of objects of interest by synthesizing multi-modal sensor fusion data in real-time.

The AI product for mobile systems, known as “Palladyne Pilot”, will facilitate shared situational awareness across multiple drones and autonomous navigation when integrated with drone autopilot systems. Palladyne Pilot is expected to be made available for all Teal drones, including those already in the field. [Read more…] about Red Cat and Palladyne embed AI into drones to enable autonomous operation

5G technology ‘can contribute to the integration of drones in airspace’, says Genius

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If drone technology is to really take off, it requires that drones are integrated into the airspace and can fly alongside manned aviation. In the research project GENIUS, researchers from SDU (University of Southern Denmark), along with DTU (Denmark Technical University), companies and organisations have shown how 5G technology could be part of the solution.

There are high expectations for the future uses of drones. From flying taxis and healthcare drones to infrastructure monitoring, rescue operations, and the transportation of spare parts to offshore wind farms.

There’s just one problem. [Read more…] about 5G technology ‘can contribute to the integration of drones in airspace’, says Genius

Nokia unveils new system for monitoring warehouse inventory with drones

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Nokia has launched what it says is an “industry-first, true inventory counting capability” for Nokia Autonomous Inventory Monitoring Service (AIMS), enabling warehouse operators to utilize autonomous drones to individually count items, such as eaches, cases or cartons, in any racked inventory location accurately and efficiently.

Nokia points to statistics showing warehouse shrinkage can account for 3-5 percent of a company’s revenue and 25 percent of shrinkage is due to administrative errors.

This, combined with continued pressure to fulfill orders rapidly, has pushed warehouse operators to a tipping point of futureproofing and automating operations to gain a business edge.

The new inventory counting capability adds to Nokia AIMS’ current features of finding misplaced and lost inventory, as well as empty bin detection. [Read more…] about Nokia unveils new system for monitoring warehouse inventory with drones

HHLA Sky technology supports automated drone flights at dronePORT Hamburg

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As part of the recent dronePORT opening in Hamburg, HHLA Sky, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA), presented its solutions for efficient drone operations in Hamburg.

The dronePORT Hamburg is the first location for unmanned aviation and mobile sensor technology and was opened today by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), the Hamburg Police and Hamburg Aviation. The dronePORT is the first ground infrastructure of its kind in Europe.

HHLA Sky provides drones for inspecting the Port of Hamburg and shipping lanes as well as the technology required for automated drone control and management of the drone fleet: the Integrated Control Center. [Read more…] about HHLA Sky technology supports automated drone flights at dronePORT Hamburg

Airobotics and HHLA Sky partner to offer drone services for terminal operations and critical infrastructure in Germany

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Airobotics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ondas Holdings, a provider of wireless networks and autonomous drones and automated data solutions, and HHLA Sky, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, a European port and transport logistics company, have entered a strategic partnership to offer advanced drone services to protect and support terminal operations, critical infrastructure and industrial operations in Germany.

This collaboration will leverage the cutting-edge autonomous drone technologies of Airobotics and HHLA Sky’s Integrated Control Center, UTM platforms and footprint in the German market, bringing “a new level of automation and precision to critical drone operations”, according to the companies.

Eric Brock, CEO of Ondas Holdings, says: “We are thrilled to partner with HHLA Sky as we enter the European market with our automated drone platforms. [Read more…] about Airobotics and HHLA Sky partner to offer drone services for terminal operations and critical infrastructure in Germany