Elsevier has released a couple of new books that take deep dive into the programming of robots. [Read more…] about Books: Journeys into the minds of robots
robotics
World Economic Forum selects robotics and automation companies in its ‘Technology Pioneers 2017’ list
The World Economic Forum, the global nonprofit foundation whose annual meeting in Davos is attended by global leaders from business and politics, has published a list of companies which it considers to be the most pioneering in the field of technology.
In publishing its Technology Pioneers 2017 list, WEF has chosen 30 different companies to highlight from a variety of industries including biotechnology, agriculture, energy, transport, as well as a number of companies from the robotics and automation sector.
One of them is Horizon Robotics, a Chinese company which develops computer infrastructure to enable artificial intelligence computing and real-time decision-making, mainly aimed at enhancing self-driving vehicle safety. [Read more…] about World Economic Forum selects robotics and automation companies in its ‘Technology Pioneers 2017’ list
Ready Robotics launches ‘first’ robotics-as-a-service solution
Ready Robotics has launched what it claims is the first robots-as-a-service solution, detailing its pricing, along with some IP54-rated TaskMate Hardware, at ATX East.
The company says it is a “plug-and-play robotics platform” which brings industrial automation to tasks at a fraction of the cost in less than a day.
Ready Robotics says this is “the first robots-as-a-service solution tough enough to handle real industrial tasks and flexible enough to be deployed in mere hours”. [Read more…] about Ready Robotics launches ‘first’ robotics-as-a-service solution
ABB’s YuMi collaborative robot rings opening bell at Nasdaq stock market
Collaborative robot YuMi was the – arguably oblivious – guest of Robo Global, creator of the world’s first robotics and automaton investor index series
ABB’s YuMi dual-arm, collaborative robot rang the opening bell today at the Nasdaq MarketSite Studio in Times Square in New York City to start the trading day.
YuMi was a guest of Robo Global, which offers The Robo Global Robotics and Automation Index Series, the world’s first benchmark index series to track the global robotics and automation market.
Greg Scheu, president of the Americas region for ABB, joined YuMi and Robo Global executives at the podium for the ceremony. [Read more…] about ABB’s YuMi collaborative robot rings opening bell at Nasdaq stock market
Opinion: North America and its chief robotics officers will drive ‘Industry 5.0’
By Matt Rendall, CEO and co-founder of Otto Motors, and host of the forthcoming Drive Manufacturing Summit
Manufacturers in North American know robotics and automation; they have studied and put into practice the Ford Production System and the Toyota Production System to continuously improve operations, with much of those improvements made by the use and integration of automation.
As such, the sector has traditionally been one of the first industries to grab hold of burgeoning robotics technologies and incorporate them into process.
This said, something has changed in the last 10 years – while manufacturers have focused on continuous improvement within their space, the technology sector has also been making leaps and bounds in innovation, with new capabilities spanning cloud computing, big data, and mobile computing. [Read more…] about Opinion: North America and its chief robotics officers will drive ‘Industry 5.0’
Chinese government’s plan to grow robotics and automation industry seems to be working
China’s plan to expand the nation’s robotics and automation industry seems to be working, according to a new survey by TheRobotReport.com.
The website tracks robotics companies worldwide and editor Frank Tobe says he wrote about 194 robot companies in China in 2015, but now that number has more than doubled to greater than 500.
The Chinese government launched a “robot revolution” as part of its Made in China 2025 program a couple of years ago, partly because it has become the world’s biggest buyer of robots and would like some of those robots to be made by domestic companies. [Read more…] about Chinese government’s plan to grow robotics and automation industry seems to be working
SoftBank to buy Boston Dynamics, the maker of those unnervingly realistic humanoid and canine robots
SoftBank, the maker of the Pepper and Nao humanoid robots, has reached a deal to buy Boston Dynamics, the robotics business owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
Boston Dynamics has been building a wide range of robots, some of which are humanoid, others canine and one or two wheeled – or a hybrid of these structures.
But whatever robots the company has made, they’ve been widely acclaimed as having some of the most realistic movements and best balance of any robots made anywhere – watching them move can be quite unnerving because they move almost exactly like humans or canines. [Read more…] about SoftBank to buy Boston Dynamics, the maker of those unnervingly realistic humanoid and canine robots
Honeybee Robotics wins Nasa funding for six spacecraft projects
Honeybee Robotics has received four Nasa Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I awards and two Nasa Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award to develop new spacecraft systems and enabling technologies.
The awards will allow Honeybee to analyze concepts for advanced future planetary exploration, sampling, in-situ resource utilization, and on-orbit operations. [Read more…] about Honeybee Robotics wins Nasa funding for six spacecraft projects
What’s in the stars for manufacturing in India?
Exclusive interview with Sharmila Annaswamy, India-based consultant specialising in industry
Apple recently established a manufacturing facility in India, through Foxconn, the Taiwanese company which makes its iPhones, iPads and other devices.
For Sharmila Annaswamy, a Frost & Sullivan consultant specialising in industry, the tech giant’s decision is one of the “remarkable achievements” of the government’s Make in India campaign.
As well as Apple and Foxconn, a number of Chinese companies have set up manufacturing facilities in India. Huawei, for example, plans to make smartphones in the country.
In an exclusive interview with RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com, Annaswamy says: “Apple and other large companies moving into India is one of the good things that is happening with the Make in India campaign, which the government has been promoting on a large scale. [Read more…] about What’s in the stars for manufacturing in India?
RoboMotion and SoTec demonstrate cloud robotics solution using Kuka Agilus
Industrial automation integrator RoboMotion and software company SoTec have demonstrated a robotics solution which enables users to control an industrial robot through their smartphones.
The two companies say they have developed an integrated solution which enables “robot control from the cloud”, and used the system to control an industrial robot made by Kuka.
The solution essentially eliminates the need to use a programmable logic controller, or PLC, which is basically a computer attached to robotics and automation hardware systems to program and control their movements. [Read more…] about RoboMotion and SoTec demonstrate cloud robotics solution using Kuka Agilus