Where Innovation Meets Imagination
Construction is on the cusp of transformation. Rising labor shortages, safety challenges, and cost pressures are propelling the integration of robotics into the field.
As automation evolves, robots are no longer confined to manufacturing floors – they’re becoming essential partners in building the future safely, efficiently, and sustainably. [Read more…] about Construction and demolition robots: Building the future
Companies in four key sectors of Ontario’s economy – advanced manufacturing, agri-food, mining and construction – have been given a significant boost, thanks to a $50 million funding and support program by the Ontario government, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI).
One year after its launch, OCI’s Critical Industrial Technologies (CIT) program – which includes up to $1 million for company collaborations and $100,000 for individual businesses to support research and development, equipment purchases, product testing, talent, upskilling and reskilling – has fast-tracked the commercialization of more than 100 emerging technologies that are helping to advance Ontario’s manufacturing competitiveness on the global stage.
OCI president and CEO Claudia Krywiak will highlight some of these success stories and unveil funding and support opportunities still available to Ontario manufacturers – both large and small – as a speaker at the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS) 2025, Canada’s national industry event which takes place at the Toronto Congress Centre from September 29 to October 2. [Read more…] about $50 million funding sparks ‘manufacturing technology breakthroughs‘ in Ontario
A new survey of more than 200 robotics product developers and industrial designers suggests the industry is at a turning point, with advances in autonomy, digital twins and humanoid robots balanced against persistent challenges around cost, safety and ethics.
The study, published by design firm StudioRed, found that robotics development is currently most concentrated in consumer electronics (55.7 percent), manufacturing (52.7 percent) and biotech (51.7 percent).
Respondents said robotics is moving beyond the assembly line, with applications in smart homes, logistics and life sciences. [Read more…] about Robotics survey highlights autonomy, digital twins, humanoids and ethics as key 2025 trends
ABB and Codelco are revealing details about their latest collaboration to optimize the Chilean state-owned copper mining company’s maintenance program.
With Chile currently the world’s largest copper producer, this latest long-term service agreement (LTSA) encompasses maintenance, remote diagnostics and skills training to enhance the performance of its gearless mill drive (GMD) systems.
Integrated into ABB’s advanced cloud-based platform, GMD Connect, this will support a combined copper production of around 400,000 metric tons per annum. [Read more…] about ABB to implement gearless mill drive service program at Codelco copper mines in Chile
Quality assurance in medical technology is undergoing a radical change: away from random sampling and toward automated 100 percent inspection.
This involves automated quality control of each individual part using AI-supported calculation of key product characteristics.
The inspection is based on data, such as cavity pressure, which is taken directly from the injection molding tool. Such innovations will be showcased by Kistler at K 2025 (Düsseldorf, October 8-15, hall 10 / booth F51). [Read more…] about Kistler to showcase AI-supported automated quality control in injection molding for medtech
By Shawn Vestal, WSU News
Strawberries are delicate and hard to harvest – easily bruised and often hidden under a canopy of leaves.
This creates headaches for scientists trying to design robotic harvesters. Now a Washington State University-led team has designed one that combines an artificial-intelligence vision system, soft silicone “fingers”, and a fan that gently move leaves out of the way to get at hidden fruit.
Experiments in the lab and in outdoor fields showed that the harvester correctly detected strawberries 80 percent of the time, on average, and could classify whether the berries were hidden 93 percent of the time. [Read more…] about WSU researchers design robot that can pick ‘hidden strawberries’
The latest in robotic solutions for planting, monitoring, spraying, and harvesting crops to improve yields and sustainability
Amid rising labor shortages, mounting input costs, and pressure to boost sustainable yields, agriculture is increasingly turning to robotics.
Operating in unstructured, outdoor conditions – from muddy fields to rugged orchard rows – robots are offering tangible operational and environmental benefits.
This article explores how robots are reshaping farming, delivering results that matter to both engineers and investors. [Read more…] about Agricultural robots: Precision farming and autonomous harvesting
The aCentauri Solar Racing Team completes the 3,000-kilometer race across Australia under challenging conditions / Logistics partner Gebrüder Weiss ensures smooth operations off the track
ETH Zurich’s aCentauri Solar Racing Team finished the World Solar Challenge in Australia in 11th place out of a total of 28 teams in the “Challenger” class.
The students covered the approximately 3,000-kilometre route from Darwin to Adelaide in six days, facing consistently challenging weather and road conditions during the Australian winter. Once again, Gebrüder Weiss served as the team’s official logistics partner.
Tracy van Arend, branch manager at Gebrüder Weiss Adelaide, says: “Placing 11th shows how well the team handled the challenges of this year’s race – a great achievement.” [Read more…] about ETH Zurich students and Gebrüder Weiss take part in World Solar Challenge 2025
Recirculate, a European Union-funded project focused on advancing innovations for second-life batteries, driving a more sustainable and circular battery economy across Europe, is developing a state-of-the-art EV battery disassembly system using AI and robotics.
The project has successfully completed its first phase: the creation of a set of tools and machine learning models for the robotized dismantling of an EV battery from pack to cell level.
This innovation addresses one of the battery industry’s most pressing bottlenecks: safe, efficient, and automated disassembly. [Read more…] about Recirculate pioneers EV battery disassembly system with AI and robotics
Artificial intelligence is now embedded in robots that are not only assembling cars or moving pallets, but also serving food, delivering parcels, assisting the elderly, and even teaching children.
As these systems grow more autonomous, the ethical stakes become unavoidable: what happens when a robot makes a decision that has moral, social, or legal consequences?
Robots powered by advanced AI are no longer passive tools. They perceive, interpret, and act in ways that increasingly resemble human decision-making. That raises pressing concerns about bias, accountability, and the broader societal impact of machines that operate with growing independence. [Read more…] about Robot ethics: Bias, accountability, and the impact of robots becoming more intelligent and more involved in human society
