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Startup company Sea Machines developing self-driving technology for which can be added to traditional boats

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Boston-based startup Sea Machines is developing autonomous technologies that will enable traditional boats to become self-driving vessels. 

The company says its development heralds a smarter, safer and more efficient era of marine operations brought forward through self-aware and self-driving boats and ships.

With autonomy readily making its way into many traditional land-based and airborne sectors, the massive marine domain is even better suited for autonomous systems with fewer barriers to entry, a high risk operating environment, and an accommodating regulatory space.

More than 20 million vessels are plying the world’s waters including 15 million recreational boats and 100,000 cargo ships; Sea Machines foresees autonomy disrupting this largely manual sector and rapidly developing into a $60 billion space.  [Read more…] about Startup company Sea Machines developing self-driving technology for which can be added to traditional boats

US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google

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rights for robots

Consumer Watchdog has called on US President Barack Obama to hold expected autonomous vehicle policies and stop the administration’s undue haste to get autonomous vehicle technology on the road after newly released documents showed “an inappropriate and possibly unethical relationship between Google and key members of your administration involved in developing autonomous vehicle policy”. 

In a letter to Obama, John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director, writes: “The new revelations make it even more imperative that any such NHTSA policy statements be delayed until adequate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering autonomous technologies are implemented through a public rule-making process.”  [Read more…] about US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google

Advanced driver assistance systems trump driverless cars by stealth

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While everyone seems fascinated by driverless cars brought to us via Silicon Valley, established suppliers of advanced driver assistance systems are quietly doing a roaring trade 

The automotive industry is going through some fundamental changes, mostly because of computer technology. 

The changes include higher levels of computer processing, fully driverless vehicles, greater levels of autonomy, internet connectivity, and the switch from petrol-powered combustion engines to electric.

It’s probably inevitable that the combustion engine will be gone from most mass-manufactured cars within a couple of decades, and will eventually only be seen in antique cars and supercars, although even some supercars are going electric.

Which means the road-going vehicle of the near-future will essentially be computers with wheels, connected to the cloud, and largely autonomous – or, in other words, a robot. In fact, this is what is already happening because of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS.  [Read more…] about Advanced driver assistance systems trump driverless cars by stealth

Open Source Robotics Foundation teams up with Toyota Research Institute for software research

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Tools for robotics and autonomous vehicles central to the two organisations

The Open Source Robotics Foundation and the Toyota Research Institute are to work together on developing new robotics and automation technologies. 

In addition, TRI has made a charitable contribution of $1 million to OSRF to support the organization’s goals to develop and promote the growth of the open source robotics community and to support the development of the Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo.

 

Gill Pratt, TRI CEO, says: “I’ve witnessed first-hand the value of the Open Source Robotics Foundation. Of the 23 teams that competed in the Darpa Robotics Challenge 18 used ROS and 14 used Gazebo.

“Through this charitable contribution, TRI will support efforts to grow the capabilities of ROS and Gazebo, not only for TRI, but also for the hundreds of thousands of members of the open source robotics community.”  [Read more…] about Open Source Robotics Foundation teams up with Toyota Research Institute for software research

Ansible Motion developing defence against motion sickness for autonomous cars

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autonomous cars

With more people set to be reading or using screens in their autonomous cars, Ansible Motion’s simulation technology could highlight what features could prevent sickness from happening

When self-driving cars become the norm, we’re going to have much more spare time, as we’ll no longer be chained to the steering wheel with our eyes locked on the road ahead.

This is brilliant news as we’ll have more time to read, work and play driving games on our phones instead. But it could have one downside: Motion sickness.

Motion sickness is already a problem for many passengers – and when we all become passengers, it seems inevitable that it’ll get worse. In fact, experts are already predicting that between 6 per cent and 12 per cent of Americans can expect to get sick travelling in an autonomous vehicle.  [Read more…] about Ansible Motion developing defence against motion sickness for autonomous cars

Autonomous Tractor boss says new technology can help farmers halve their costs

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The Autonomous Tractor Corporation is close to launching a range of new technologies which it says will help farmers halve their equipment costs. 

In exclusive comments to Robotics and Automation News, Kraig Schulz, CEO of ATC, says the company’s latest eDrive system would cost between $250 and $500 per horsepower.

This is approximately half the cost of a new tractor, which costs anywhere between around $750 and $1,000 per hp.

Schulz says: “The system costs will obviously depend on configuration, horsepower, and so on, but we can have a retrofit eDrive system for a 325 hp sprayer done, installed, ready to go for about $75,000 which is a little less than having the whole thing rebuilt with hydrostatic drives – about $80,000. [Read more…] about Autonomous Tractor boss says new technology can help farmers halve their costs

Volvo claims to be ‘first in the world’ with self-driving truck in underground mine

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Swedish automaker determined to take the lead in autonomous car technology

Volvo’s fully autonomous truck is the first in the world to be tested in operations deep underground in the Kristineberg Mine, in Sweden, according to the company.

The self-driving truck is part of a development project aimed at improving the transport flow and safety in the mine.

The truck will cover a distance of 7 kilometres, reaching 1,320 metres underground in the narrow mine tunnels.  [Read more…] about Volvo claims to be ‘first in the world’ with self-driving truck in underground mine

Industrial Internet: Ubisense launches new tracking solution for logistics

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Ubisense has released a new version of its “precision zone tracking product”, AngleID, with a range of additional features including the ability to network multiple readers.

These updates increase the area that can be covered to whole buildings and enable even more sophisticated zones to be created.

AngleID was launched in May to offer real-time precision zone tracking, offering a completely new product that sits between passive RFID proximity tracking and real-time location systems (RTLS) exact location tracking.  [Read more…] about Industrial Internet: Ubisense launches new tracking solution for logistics

Robots planning to defend world’s oceans against alien invasion

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A US non-profit company has designed an innovative method of controlling the spread of lionfish threatening to devastate fish stocks and coral reef ecosystems in warmer ocean waters.

Robots In Service of the Environment (Rise) joined deep ocean research charity, Nekton, on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic to test a prototype being developed to operate remotely in deep water to locate and deliver a fatal electric shock to the invasive species.

Nekton’s research vessel was off the Bermudian coast conducting the XL Catlin Deep Ocean Survey, a pioneering multi-disciplinary marine research programme assessing the health and resilience of the deep ocean.  [Read more…] about Robots planning to defend world’s oceans against alien invasion

Be part of our new publication: Industrial Internet

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Contribute articles and advertise in our new digital publication

Robotics and Automation News is planning a new ebook with the working title Industrial Internet.

The digital publication will be distributed through Apple and Amazon stores. Moreover, advertisers and commercial partners will have their content featured on the RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com website and Sensor Data, the accompanying newsletter.

The publication is planned to contain features about the following subjects:

  • Industrial Internet of Things
  • Machine-to-Machine Networks
  • Industrial Networks
  • Wireless Networks
  • Industrial Computers
  • Human Machine Interface
  • Control Systems
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
  • Ethernet
  • Programmable Logic Controllers
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Deep Learning
  • Machine Learning
  • Manufacturing
  • Smart Factories
  • Transportation
  • Logistics
  • Cyber Security
  • Data Management

These are the subjects which are planned. However, it partly depends on you. If you are interested in other subjects we have not listed, contact us and let us know.

If you would like to be featured within any of the features listed or any new ones we develop in co-operation with you, we can agree a structure for a commercial partnership.

An example of a typical partnership would be: Article and Advertising package – from $500.

For more information, contact us: sales[at]roboticsandautomationnews.com