Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

Features

Flying cars: A ‘near-term’ vision of a world where people get around in electric and autonomous cars and drones

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Airbus and the German car manufacturer Audi have teamed up to develop what they describe as “real, near-term urban mobility solutions”, which features electric and autonomous cars and drones – sometimes operating together as flying cars (main picture and video below).

Beginning this summer, Airbus – through its on-demand helicopter platform Voom – will partner with Audi to deliver an end-to-end transportation service, starting in São Paulo and Mexico City.

This partnership will provide premium ground transportation serviced by Audi vehicles and helicopter transport via Airbus’ Voom service, allowing customers to have a seamless and ultra-convenient travel experience.  [Read more…] about Flying cars: A ‘near-term’ vision of a world where people get around in electric and autonomous cars and drones

Cars of the future will be ‘self-driving and electric’

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NetworkNewsWire commentary

Self-driving and electric cars are poised to combine production efforts as both technologies mature.

Investment in self-driving vehicles is growing, leading to the emergence of specialist companies.

Electric cars are also on the rise, supported by the infrastructure of apps and charging points.  [Read more…] about Cars of the future will be ‘self-driving and electric’

New issue of ‘Sensor Readings’ magazine available early

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The new issue of Sensor Readings magazine is available a few days early, but only on our website, in our shop, at this link.

Sensor Readings is our monthly magazine, in which you will find a selection of articles from the website and some magazine-exclusive items.

It’s free and features an interesting mix of stories on subjects including farm automation and celebrities who could have robots made in their image in the future.

This new edition of the mag will also be available on Issuu.com in a few days. At the moment, past issues are available on the Robotics and Automation News Issuu page.

Note that while it’s now possible to download our magazine through Issuu.com, you can download it free in our shop, and make other purchases.

Market briefing: Performance of engineering and machinery stocks

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In this commentary, Stock Trader Report provides insight into recent movements in share prices of some engineering and machinery companies 

On Thursday, July 19, 2018, US markets saw five out of nine sectors finishing the day in red and four in green.

Benchmark US indices were bearish at the end of the previous day’s session:

  • Nasdaq Composite down 0.37% closing at 7,825.30;
  • the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.53% lower, finishing at 25,064.50;
  • and the S&P 500 ending at 2,804.49, down 0.40%.

Before the market opening today – July 20 – StockTraderReport.com scans the performance of the following four diversified engineering and machinery stocks:

  • ABB (NYSE: ABB);
  • Ametek (NYSE: AME);
  • Actuant (NYSE: ATU); and
  • Colfax (NYSE: CFX).

More detailed information about these and other companies can be found on the Stock Trader Report website, and the company is offering a free limited time offer.  [Read more…] about Market briefing: Performance of engineering and machinery stocks

Steel market: Automakers exploring new materials to make vehicles lighter

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Automotive manufacturers are exploring a variety of new methods and materials which will enable them to produce vehicles that are stronger, lighter, and more suited to what many believe will be an autonomous and electric driving culture of the future.

While many may have heard of carbon-fiber and similarly exotic-sounding and expensive materials, what is probably more likely is that heavier iron parts will be replaced with steel, and steel parts will be replaced with whatever is lighter than that – plastics, perhaps, or new, lighter types of steel.

One new type of steel that is currently being discussed widely is referred to as “advanced high-strength steel”, or AHSS.  [Read more…] about Steel market: Automakers exploring new materials to make vehicles lighter

Collaborative robotics evolving into billion-dollar market

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Cognitive systems are fueling the future of the robotics industry, while the collaborative robotics sector is “morphing into a billion-dollar market”, according to ABI Research.

There is a growing interest within the robotics industry as to the benefits of cognitive systems and how they can improve robotic solutions, both in the incremental sense of improving productivity and the strategic sense of adding entirely new capabilities that broaden the use-cases for robotics in the traditional parameters of the industry and beyond.

The innate value of cognitive systems run concomitant to the development of collaborative robotics, says ABI, which provides strategic guidance on transformative technologies.  [Read more…] about Collaborative robotics evolving into billion-dollar market

Hidden meanings: Using artificial intelligence to translate ancient texts

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The ancient world is full of mystery. Many mysteries, in fact. Many mysteries indeed. 

Who built the monolithic and megalithic structures found all over the world? Why did they build them? How did they build them? What technology did they use?

And perhaps most importantly from the point of view answering all the other questions: Where are the texts that the builders produced?

We assume that if the ancients were capable of building structures that modern humans cannot replicate even now with the latest technology, they must have been a literate civilization which recorded and stored information.  [Read more…] about Hidden meanings: Using artificial intelligence to translate ancient texts

HRG takes initiative in recruiting talent for robotics development

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It might sound strange to some people but some Chinese companies have difficulties finding enough skilled workers for certain jobs.

You might expect that would not affect manufacturing because many jobs in the sector may require minimal training.

But, in fact, many jobs in manufacturing involve complex tasks which often require learning new skills and thorough training.  [Read more…] about HRG takes initiative in recruiting talent for robotics development

Lightweighting: How GM and Autodesk are using generative design for vehicles of the future

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Autodesk and General Motors have been working together to develop new technologies for engineering design, as Bill Danon reports (see video below)

General Motors’ auto engineers have been heavyweights in vehicle lightweighting for years.

Just since 2016, GM has launched 14 new vehicle models with a total mass reduction of over 5000 pounds or more than 350 pounds per vehicle.

The lighter the car, the less fuel it uses, the less carbon it emits and the more money the driver saves. Pretty important stuff.  [Read more…] about Lightweighting: How GM and Autodesk are using generative design for vehicles of the future

Power grid: Integrating large-scale battery energy into the electricity network

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One of the most challenging issues for power grids is energy storage. The ability to store energy would enable the supply of uninterrupted electricity to customers, but battery technology has been too expensive or not good enough – until now, with all the electric cars on the roads. Claude Olsen, of Gemini.no, explains

Batteries have become so cheap that they can be used for more than just smartphones and electric cars. Now, national electricity network companies will use them to stabilize the power grid.

In the Norwegian city of Skien, the Odds football stadium Skagerak Arena will, next year, be almost self-sufficient with electricity from 5,000 square meters of solar cells on the roof.

However, since the big peak in power consumption is on the day of the match, the energy produced on the other weekdays must be stored in large batteries.  [Read more…] about Power grid: Integrating large-scale battery energy into the electricity network