Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.32
June 15, 2023
While the COVID-19 pandemic increased interest in robots for disinfection and social distancing, robots also promise to help shorthanded hospital staffs diagnose patients while reducing the spread of pathogens. Touchlab yesterday said that a hospital in Finland is using its Välkky system, which is designed to give remote clinicians a sense of touch. “In the past, telerobots have been limited to being able to see, hear, and speak on behalf of the people using them,” stated Dr. Zaki Hussein, CEO of Touchlab. “Now, thanks to our innovative e-skin technology, robots like Välkky can ‘feel’ too—and not only on their fingertips.”…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.23
June 07, 2023
…advice We've seen macroeconomic headwinds including trade conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and now inflation and less-available venture capital. How can startups proceed? Singh: We invest for long-term trends, but they have to be mindful of the need to raise money every 18 to 24 months. We continue to look for new approaches and make investments, but we need to make sure there's demonstrable success in the short term. It's harder to raise money for people already in the middle of it. Their companies might have raised funding four to six years ago but didn't have technical proof or…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.34
June 05, 2023
…partly in response to travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They allowed 31 teams from 40 universities across four continents to test their artificial intelligence drivers and determine their readiness to compete in on-track competitions. The IAC said it plans to re-launch its simulation races with AWF “to expand the number of university teams developing and training novel AI driving algorithms.” The SIM races widen access for teams to participate in autonomous racing by reducing the barriers of funding or physical car availability, noted the organizations. “We worked closely with IAC to enable the reference autonomy software on the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.24
May 26, 2023
…faced financial challenges after the e-commerce boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, the largest AMR and ASRS providers still had a strong presence, such as Locus Robotics, Mobile Industrial Robots, and AutoStore. The trends toward heavy-duty mobile robots for palletizing, such as those from Zebra Technologies, and robots for reaching high storage, such as from Hai Robotics and Exotec, were also in evidence. “So much education still has to happen,” said Jennifer Samples, vice president at AMR provider ForwardX Robotics. “We have three levels of clients: people who know they need automation but don't know where to begin, others…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.71
May 24, 2023
…2022. North American industrial robot sales rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on image to enlarge. Source: IFR Automate will return The IFR released its North American robotics report during Automate, which the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) claimed is “the largest robotics and industrial automation trade show in North America.” A3 last week reported that North American robot orders declined in the first quarter of 2023. Automate will return in 2024 and then continue annually. McCormick Place in Chicago will host next year’s event from May 6 to 9, and in 2025, the event will be back in Detroit.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.67
May 12, 2023
…for more efficient warehouse operations has continued as the COVID-19 pandemic abated and in spite of recessionary fears. For example, DHL Supply Chain this week said it will be growing its fleet of autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, from Locus Robotics. At the same time, some AMR users faced more uncertainty with the news of Shopify Inc.'s layoffs and sale of 6 River Systems to Ocado Group PLC. According to industry observers, relatively few mobile robot suppliers are profitable, but most agreed that Locus is one of them. DHL Supply Chain said it plans to deploy Locus Origin robots across…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.38
May 12, 2023
…of an Existing Product.” Pandemic poses competitive lessons The COVID-19 pandemic provided many lessons on how to manage facility development and how to reduce the risk of entry during periods of economic uncertainty, said Hai Robotics. Back in 2020 to 2021, many businesses held off purchasing robots and automation, it recalled. Then, when those businesses returned to their advancement plans after the initial COVID recession, material and equipment backlogs were at an all-time high, said the company. Lead times exceeded 12 months for certain systems. Businesses that were desperate to speed up plans that were already delayed by spending pauses…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.31
May 08, 2023
…reduced their workforces, as e-commerce growth slowed because the COVID-19 pandemic abated. Examples included Seegrid and IAM Robotics. In January, 6RS announced integrated offerings with Soft Robotics, Fast Lane and Packout. Source: 6 River Systems Experts react to 6 River Systems news Robotics 24/7 asked the following experts about their thoughts on 6 River Systems changing hands and trends in the wider mobile robotics market. Fady Saad, general partner, Cybernetix Ventures Ash Sharma, managing director, Interact Analysis Oliver Mitchell, partner, ff Venture Capital Did this come as a surprise to you? If not, why not? Saad: In a sense, yes,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.71
May 04, 2023
…in 2019 to 14.9% at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it fell to 12.2% in 2021, according to the International Monetary Fund. As a result, both online retailers and robotics suppliers have had to diversify income sources. 6 River Systems welcomes new owner Ocado Founded in 2015, 6 River Systems (6RS) has developed the Chuck autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) that work with human pickers in warehouses. The Waltham, Mass.-based company provides its collaborative AMRs and software to the logistics and non-grocery retail sectors. “Ocado has been delivering innovative solutions for over two decades and shares 6RS’s passion for our…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.19
April 04, 2023
…first big trade show after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely the result of recent layoffs and the meltdown of Silicon Valley Bank earlier in March. However, there were still many booths worth seeing, and we saw prospects from major consumer packaged goods, third-party logistics providers (3PLs), and the world’s largest e-commerce retailers on the show floor. Robots could be seen throughout the 562,000-sq.-ft. exhibition space, from autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) to truck-unloading robots and automated lift trucks. Customers in warehousing are increasingly turning to automation, and the companies that…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.20
March 28, 2023
…since that last live ProMat, dominated first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then followed by the war in Ukraine and rising geopolitical instability. Since last spring, rising inflation and interest rates have been on consumers' and businesses' minds. As a result, companies aren’t just out to automate select tasks; they are also after greater operational agility and real-time analytics to help contain costs while hitting service levels. And exhibitors all around ProMat talked up integrated robotics as a way to speed up material flow and improve order-fulfillment efficiencies in distribution centers (DCs). Mobile robots roll on For sure, the market…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.27
March 18, 2023
…among retailers and warehouses. The trend up to the [COVID-19] pandemic was just-in-time inventory and to store as little as possible. The assumption was that manufacturers could pump out products and get them to customers as fast as possible. When the pandemic hit, not only were manufacturers struggling to ramp up to meet demand, but they needed overflow space. It changed customer behavior, and they had to pay a bunch more for warehouse space. Does this mean that good data visibility and analytics are as valuable as space? Oliaro: Most of the customers we work with don’t do a good…
