Where Innovation Meets Imagination
Kuka’s new, lightweight collaborative robot has gone into series production, says the company.
The Kuka LBR Med – short for medical – is designed to be operated in the “immediate vicinity” of the human operator.
The robot maker sees the new cobot as having applications in the health sector, as “an assistant for tasks rehabilitation or in the operating room”. [Read more…] about Kuka’s new lightweight collaborative robot for medical applications goes into series production
ZF teams up with Nvidia on artificial intelligence system for autonomous cars, trucks and industrial applications
ZF says its ProAI system for automated driving is built on high-performance Nvidia Drive PX 2 AI computing platform, and will enable vehicles to “see, think, and act”.
ZF is one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers and a global leader in active and passive safety technology, and has been working with Nvidia to develop artificial intelligence systems for the transportation industry for some time.
The two companies are looking at various sectors, including:
The ZF ProAI for highway automated driving is ZF’s first system developed using Nvidia AI technology. [Read more…] about ZF unveils AI driving system which could be used for forklift trucks, while Toyota adopts the fuel cell
Daimler says it has agreed a deal with Uber that aims to bring more self-driving vehicles onto public roads.
The “general agreement” is intended to pave the way for the supply and operation of self-driving Mercedes-Benz vehicles on Uber’s network.
The two companies say they intend to cooperate on the supply and operation of self-driving vehicles.
Under the terms of the cooperation Daimler plans to introduce self-driving vehicles also on Uber’s global ridesharing network in the coming years.
Daimler is the first auto company to join with Uber as it opens up its platform for manufacturers to introduce their own self-driving cars. [Read more…] about Daimler does deal with Uber on autonomous vehicles
Woodside Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have launched a new collaboration program under which the Australian independent oil and gas company will develop applications for Nasa’s Robonaut in its own operations.
Under the partnership Nasa will loan Woodside an Anthropomorphic Robonaut System for a 60-month deployment in Perth. Together the two organisations will explore how the robotic technology could be used to improve safety, reliability and efficiency in the high-risk and remote environments where Woodside operates.
Woodside will contribute its advanced cognitive science technology, being developed in its Western Australian operations, and Nasa will share its expertise in Robonauts that are already being used for simple, repetitive, or especially dangerous tasks in places such as the International Space Station. [Read more…] about Woodside Energy to train Nasa’s Robonaut to work in oil and gas industry
The government of Slovenia has decided to back Yaskawa’s investment in the country with €5.6 million of public money.
Yaskawa is building a factory in the country and plans to invest a total of €25 million in the European nation of just over 2 million people.
Prime Minister Miro Cerar said at the time: ““I am very pleased that our efforts paid off and that the renowned Japanese company of Yaskawa Electric decided to invest in Slovenia.”
The Yaskawa investment is forecast to create more than 170 new jobs and the industrial giant is regarded as the “most important Japanese company” with assets in the country by the Slovenian government.
The US Senate has approved Elaine Chao to become the next secretary of transportation.
This means she will be in charge of the department at something of a crossroads in motoring history, with autonomous vehicles accelerating their way onto public roads faster than many had predicted, and with the steady growth of intelligent transport systems.
Chao – who has extensive links to the communist Chinese government – was approved by the Senate by a vote of 93 to 6 earlier this week. [Read more…] about US Senate approves Elaine Chao to steer driverless policy
Omron has unveiled a promotional website for the artificial intelligence-equipped autonomous vehicles for logistics.
The Omron Mobile Robot LD Series is a family of what the company calls “autonomous intelligent vehicles”, or AIVs, which it says is a “significant step towards achieving human-machine harmony in manufacturing”.
Since the LD Series was announced in October last year, customers from a number of industries, ranging from automotive and electronics to foods and pharmaceuticals, have begun deploying the mobile robots in their manufacturing facilities. [Read more…] about Omron launches website to promote AI-equipped mobile robots
By Naomi Tajitsu and Paul Lienert, Reuters
Honda and General Motors will jointly produce pollution-free hydrogen fuel cell power systems in the United States from around 2020, despite President Donald Trump’s promises to dismantle US environmental regulations intended to spur green car demand.
At a briefing in Detroit, GM executive Mark Reuss said the fuel cells could be used in autonomous vehicles, as well by ride-sharing companies, such as GM affiliate Lyft. He also said fuel cells could have aerospace and military applications.
The companies on Monday said they will invest $85 million to add a production line at a GM battery plant in Brownstown, Michigan, and create 100 jobs. The fuel cell production line will be partly automated and is designed to be quickly scaled up if demand warrants. [Read more…] about General Motors and Honda to jointly develop hydrogen fuel cell for autonomous vehicles
Pearson says its technicians have complete Fanuc’s extensive training program and earn a “hard-to-come-by accreditation” to perform robotic troubleshooting and repair work
Pearson Packaging Systems, a provider of automation solutions and longstanding Fanuc partner, has become a Fanuc-certified servicing integrator.
Pearson is now able to augment its service offering to customers by taking full responsibility for diagnosing issues and executing warranty repairs that would previously have required Fanuc-direct assistance.
The Fanuc seal of approval is “held by less than 5 per cent of all authorized system integrators nationwide”, accorind to Pearson, which claims to be the only integrator on the West Coast with such an accreditation. [Read more…] about Pearson becomes Fanuc certified servicing integrator
Honeywell says it has been contracted to provide its industrial internet-based Connected Performance Services to Al Waha Petrochemicals Company to explore possibilities of maximizing propylene production.
CPS is a key part of Honeywell’s Connected Plant initiative that helps manufacturers leverage the IIoT to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of operations across a single plant or several plants across an enterprise.
CPS integrates Honeywell UOP’s process and service expertise into the Connected Plant cloud platform. [Read more…] about Al Waha Petrochemicals to use Honeywell’s industrial internet to improve plant performance
