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Kollmorgen performs 5G tests with Ericsson to explore autonomous mobile robot capabilities

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Motion control solutions provider Kollmorgen is currently performing 5G tests with Ericsson to explore the future capabilities of autonomous mobile robot of the type used in an increasing number of warehouses around the world.

5G can enable new levels of AI and Machine Learning, simplify requirements for infrastructure, and increase network stability – which could dramatically increase performance and cost efficiency for Kollmorgen’s partners, that today include six out of the top 10 global players in material handling, such as Toyota Material Handling, Jungheinrich, and Mitsubishi Logisnext (Rocla).

Peter Bladh, director research and development, Kollmorgen, says: “We want to continue to push the boundaries of mobile robot applications with our NDC Solutions platform. [Read more…] about Kollmorgen performs 5G tests with Ericsson to explore autonomous mobile robot capabilities

BYD to mass manufacture Nuro’s electric autonomous delivery vehicle

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BYD, one of China’s largest automotive and technology companies, has agreed a partnership with autonomous vehicle company Nuro to begin producing the company’s third-generation electric autonomous delivery vehicle.

The partnership is expected to scale Nuro’s more affordable, eco-friendly, and convenient services to millions of people across the country.

Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD and president of BYD North America, says: “BYD will leverage the manufacturing capacity of our Lancaster plant by finishing assembly of globally sourced hardware components to support Nuro and bring more jobs to the community. [Read more…] about BYD to mass manufacture Nuro’s electric autonomous delivery vehicle

ExcelsiusGPS robotic system used for brain surgery

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Christus Health has become the first health provider to use a robotic system for brain surgery, describing the ExcelsiusGPS as “a world-class robotic guidance and navigation system”.

The ExcelsiusGPS system, built by Globus Medical, was used in the first Christus Ochsner Health case this week, setting a new standard for robotic neurosurgery procedures in Southwest Louisiana.

Bringing the ExcelsiusGPS to the region was made possible with the help of the Christus Ochsner Health Southwestern Louisiana Foundation and its generous donors who gifted more than $1.1 million to make the purchase possible. [Read more…] about ExcelsiusGPS robotic system used for brain surgery

Wandelbots raises $84 million in Series C funding round

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Wandelbots, a developer of software for industrial robots, has raised more than $84 million in a Series C financing round.

The round was led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors 83North, Microsoft, Next47, Paua, Atlantic Labs and EQT.

Wandelbots’ no-code approach brings automation to the next level by enabling application experts to teach their robots independently and become robot experts without the need for coding skills. [Read more…] about Wandelbots raises $84 million in Series C funding round

Agtonomy raises another $5 million to develop technology platform for local agriculture

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Agtonomy, a hybrid autonomy and tele-assist service platform, has raised an additional $5 million in Seed II funding from strategic and venture investors Toyota Ventures, Flybridge, Hampton VC, E²JDJ and Momenta, for a total of $9 million in seed funding to date.

The startup, which is developing a platform for local agriculture, raised $4 million in its seed round from Grit Ventures, GV (formerly called Google Ventures), and Village Global, the venture firm backed by some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs including Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Michael Dell, in September last year.

This latest round will be used to accelerate development and trials of the Agtonomy platform to address the growing labor and sustainability challenges facing local agriculture. [Read more…] about Agtonomy raises another $5 million to develop technology platform for local agriculture

Pony.ai unveils new autonomous computing unit built on Nvidia Drive Orin

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Pony.ai, an autonomous driving technology company, has developed a “complete autonomous computing unit” built on the Nvidia Drive Orin system-on-chip (SoC).

The company says this marks a “significant milestone” in its move from industrial-grade to automotive-grade hardware.

This autonomous computing unit powered by Nvidia Drive Orin will rapidly accelerate the roll-out of Pony.ai’s Level 4 capabilities. [Read more…] about Pony.ai unveils new autonomous computing unit built on Nvidia Drive Orin

FactoryFix raises $10 million in funding

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FactoryFix, a recruiting platform that helps manufacturing companies hire skilled workers, has announced a $10 million Series A financing.

Grotech Ventures led the round with participation from Capital Midwest, Great North Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Revolution Rise of the Rest, and JFF Labs. The company has raised $16 million to date.

This funding caps off a year in which the company saw revenue grow by more than 400 percent. FactoryFix now helps hundreds of industrial companies in sectors like automotive, food and beverage, packaging, and warehousing. [Read more…] about FactoryFix raises $10 million in funding

Cogniteam’s Nimbus supports cloud-enabled robot management powered by Nvidia Jetson

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Cogniteam is supporting the Nvidia Jetson edge AI platform into its cloud-based robotics development and deployment platform, allowing cloud-enabled deployments to use Nvidia technology for the first time.

More customers are moving over to Nvidia’s GPU-accelerated technologies that can be developed and deployed through the cloud.

This is made possible by Nimbus’s packaging of field-tested software, such as sensors and AI capabilities, based on over a decade of Cogniteam’s work with enterprise businesses. [Read more…] about Cogniteam’s Nimbus supports cloud-enabled robot management powered by Nvidia Jetson

Unity and Hyundai partner to build virtual twin of automotive manufacturing facility

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Unity, a platform for developing games and other 3D content, and Hyundai Motor Company have agreed a partnership to jointly design and build what they describe as “a new metaverse roadmap and platform for a meta-factory”.

The partnership will realize Hyundai’s vision of becoming the first mobility innovator to build a meta-factory, a digital-twin of the company’s physical plant, supported by a metaverse platform.

The introduction of Meta-factory, will allow Hyundai to test numerous scenarios virtually, in order to assess, calculate and create optimal operation conditions, without employees needing to be onsite. [Read more…] about Unity and Hyundai partner to build virtual twin of automotive manufacturing facility

Robotics data and operations startup Formant raises $18 million

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Formant, a robotics data and operations platform, has completed an $18 million series A funding round.

The investment was led by SignalFire, with participation from Hillsven, Pelion, Goodyear Ventures, Thursday Ventures, Ericsson, Picus Capital, and Holman Strategic Ventures.

Founded in 2017, Formant is a cloud-based platform for managing fleets of heterogeneous robots. [Read more…] about Robotics data and operations startup Formant raises $18 million