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The daily dance of 2,000 robots at Seat’s Martorell facility

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A lot goes into making a SEAT vehicle, including an intricate dance routine. The show starts at five in the morning in the sheet metal workshop in Martorell, when 2,000 robots and 1,700 factory workers begin moving in unison to build a car body in just over one minute. This is how an Industry 4.0 choreography is performed.

Thousands of articulated mechanical arms weave in and out in synch to handle up to 2,300 parts daily. They work in harmony and in continuous movement for 24 hours on end. (See video below.)

Their abilities include welding different body parts, assembling car doors and verifying the geometry of the chassis with precision measuring instruments.

[Read more…] about The daily dance of 2,000 robots at Seat’s Martorell facility

IEC claims it has established the ‘first’ international AI standards committee for the entire universe

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By Antoinette Price, International Electrotechnical Commission

Information technology has become an integral part of our lives whether it be in the consumer, industrial or commercial aspects. It is hard to imagine life, work or entertainment without it. And artificial intelligence presents the next digital frontier of the IT evolution.

It is capturing the world’s attention and involves many stakeholders including research, academia, industry, practitioners, policymakers and ethics advocates. AI is expected to be one of the most crucial enabling technologies in our lifetime.  [Read more…] about IEC claims it has established the ‘first’ international AI standards committee for the entire universe

Kollmorgen launches new generation of Topline drives

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By Thomas Sautter, Kollmorgen

In the beginning, there is the pipe – and, at the Breyer machine factory, it comes endlessly out of the extruder.

If the singular for pipe in Latin is tubus, it is very easy to see why the technological origins of a tube are in a pipe.

Breyer is said to be one of the world market leaders in sophisticated extrusion systems.  [Read more…] about Kollmorgen launches new generation of Topline drives

Robotics-as-a-Service to reach $34 billion by 2026

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New research suggests ‘Robotics-as-a-Service’ (RaaS), where robotics providers rent or lease their products with solutions to customers as a full service, will be the next stage of market development.

ABI Research estimates that the installed base for RaaS will grow from 4,442 units in 2016 to 1.3 million in 2026. The yearly revenue from RaaS providers is expected to increase from US$217 million in 2016 to nearly US$34 billion in 2026.

“This will make the yearly revenue of RaaS providers (including all payments for services) greater than the shipment revenues for industrial robots, which currently accounts for the lion’s share of the robotics industry in terms of revenue,” explained Rian Whitton, Research Analyst at ABI Research.

[Read more…] about Robotics-as-a-Service to reach $34 billion by 2026

Nobody’s perfect: Future relationships with humanoid robots

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The concept of creating the perfect companion has probably been a central theme in works of science fiction since the beginning of science fiction. 

Although Frankenstein’s monster is not everyone’s idea of the perfect companion, Mary Shelley wrote the novel before 1818, when it was first published.

That’s at least 200 years since someone described a mad scientist who creates a human-like being in a lab using means other than natural procreation. [Read more…] about Nobody’s perfect: Future relationships with humanoid robots

South Korea tops ‘Automation Readiness Index’

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South Korea, Germany and Singapore are the world’s top-ranked nations in their preparations for smoothly integrating intelligent automation into their economies, according to an index and report released today by ABB and The Economist Intelligence Unit.

The report “The Automation Readiness Index (ARI): Who Is Ready for the Coming Wave of Innovation?” finds that even the best-prepared countries must develop even more effective education policies and training programs, as well as place a new emphasis on continual learning over the course of a career.

Those policies and programs, the report recommends, must ensure that the rapid adoption of automation technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) will not leave people unprepared for the new, more human-oriented jobs that will be needed as robots and algorithms take on more of the routine tasks that can be and will be automated.

[Read more…] about South Korea tops ‘Automation Readiness Index’

Drones are bridging the gap in US inspection technology

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Drones and non-destructive testing devices are shaping the future of bridge inspection and rehabilitation, by helping to improve project safety, reduce costs, and create more efficient and sustainable methods.

There are critical infrastructure needs across North America, especially when it comes to bridges. In the U.S., for example, over 54,000 U.S. bridges are structurally deficient, which is nearly 9% of all bridges across the country.

Not only that, but assessing the current state of bridge infrastructure requires an increasing amount of time and resources – and there are no shortage of safety concerns.

[Read more…] about Drones are bridging the gap in US inspection technology

Panasonic’s Air Inventions wins technology design award 2018 at Milano Salone

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Panasonic‘s “Air Inventions” installation, showcasing a range of Panasonic’s technologies in air conditioning, audiovisual, and lighting, at Milano Salone, won the Best Technology Award at the Milano Design Award 2018.

The Milano Design Award is an official competition of the Milano Salone produced by the Fuori Salone and hosted by other organizers.

In 2018, they added five awards in addition to the grand prize. The “Best Technology Award” that Panasonic won this year is given to extraordinary solutions and proposals that help address and resolve pressing social issues.

[Read more…] about Panasonic’s Air Inventions wins technology design award 2018 at Milano Salone

Shenyang city looking to attract top talent with ‘massive subsidies’ for starting business

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Shenyang, a city in northeastern China, is opening its arms wider to talents both at home and abroad.

The local government Communist Chinese municipality says it is looking attract “top talent with massive subsidies”.

On April 22, 2018, it announced an upgraded package of incentives in addition to a series of preferential policies introduced last year, including granting a maximum subsidy of 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) to top talents and “zero threshold” for graduates from Chinese and foreign universities to settle down in the city.  [Read more…] about Shenyang city looking to attract top talent with ‘massive subsidies’ for starting business

Automatica preview: Robotics innovations of today for the smart production concepts of tomorrow

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Automatica is probably the world’s leading showcase event for the robotics and automation industry.

This time around, Robotics and Automation News is highly pleased to announce that we are an official media partner for the biennial trade show.

Event organisers are previewing some of the main robotics innovations for smart production concepts that will be at the show next month.  [Read more…] about Automatica preview: Robotics innovations of today for the smart production concepts of tomorrow