Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, is a busy man. In early May, over 40,000 people descended on Chicago’s McCormick Place for Automate 2024, one of the world’s largest trade shows for robotics and automation. Burnstein recently spoke to Robotics 24/7 about the show, and the state of the robotics industry as we turn the corner into the second half of 2024 and look forward to 2025. Automate 2024 recap What were your general thoughts about Automate 2024 in Chicago? It seemed like a very lively crowd with a lot of enthusiasm. Burnstein: It was our best show ever. It was…
Early-stage robotics, automation, and industrial AI venture capital firm Cybernetix Ventures recently announced a strategic partnership with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN), as part of the firm’s long-term robotics cluster engagement efforts. The partnership is a joint initiative to set up Pittsburgh’s robotics startups for success, and bring more of the cluster’s investable robotics opportunities to global markets, the firm said. Founded in 2021, Cybernetix said it works with robotics clusters around the world to elevate robotics founders and startups to the global stage, connecting them to the firm’s ecosystem of potential customers, later stage investors, financial institutions, and acquirers.…
Intralogistics warehouse automation and software provider Swisslog recently announced Walmart will install a Swisslog automation system within its Robinson, Texas facility. Swisslog said Walmart’s new system has the potential to enable seamless material flow and increase uptime. Walmart is planning to break ground on the milk processing facility later this year, with the facility scheduled to open in 2026. The Robinson location is Walmart’s third milk processing facility to deploy Swisslog’s automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) featuring SynQ software and Vectura cranes. Walmart worked with Swisslog in 2018 to open its first milk processing facility in Fort Wayne, Ind.…
The global collaborative robot (cobot) market topped $1 billion in revenues during 2023, according to new data from market intelligence research firm Interact Analysis. The cobot market growth comes despite overall demand recovering more slowly than expected post pandemic. Looking to the future, Interact Analysis predicts the global market for cobots will see a 22% increase in shipments during 2024 and anticipates similar levels of growth (>20%) each year through to 2028. Strong financial returns on cobots Annual revenue growth for cobots was around 11.9% in 2023, despite a challenging year for manufacturing, tough economic conditions and supply chain issues.…
Many companies focus their attention on the hardware aspects of robotics systems - that’s what you can easily see. But equally important is the software side of the equation, from navigating integration with WMS and ERP systems to designing and optimizing workflows, orchestrating fulfillment processes, and innovative use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. There have been dramatic advances in the past two years in terms of warehouse robotics software. This broadcast will provide a non-commercial look at those advances, how they impact use cases and deployment, and where robotics software is headed. What do organizations need to know to…
Motor and drive designer and manufacturer Akribis Systems recently announced a new addition to its motion control product line. The company’s new RDM-A series rod motors are designed for space-constrained applications requiring high motor forces and smooth linear motion. Akribis said its RDM-A series rod motors are compact in size and feature a tubular design to distribute magnetic flux evenly along the circumference of the stator. With this approach, the motors can achieve continuous forces from 2.1 to 137.8 Newtons - about 0.5 to 31 pounds force - and peak forces from 6.2 to 413.4 Newtons - about 1.4 to…
