Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 20.70
April 19, 2017
Amazon was awarded a patent yesterday for an on-demand manufacturing system designed to quickly produce clothing - and other products - only after a customer order is placed. The computerized system would include textile printers, cutters and an assembly line, as well as cameras designed to snap images of garments that would provide feedback on alterations needed in subsequent items. In order to increase efficiency, the goods would be manufactured in batches based on factors such as the customer shipping address, the patent says. Once various textile products are printed, cut and assembled according to the orders, they can be…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.38
April 13, 2017
…Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported that “Plug Power granted Amazon the right to buy up to 20 percent of its shares” based on meeting contract goals. While Kion, Intelligrated and Toyota are taking different approaches to the market, in conversations with their executives, they each predicted an increase in R&D spending that will benefit their individual companies but also the industry – and increase the clockspeed. New business models: The traditional industry business model is that a company builds a DC and then buys, installs, operates and maintains solutions provided by equipment, technology and software suppliers. These are still emerging,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.92
March 23, 2017
…and forecasting data, as well as overviews of some of the world’s leading e-commerce businesses, such as Alibaba and Amazon. Download Now! Precise Cross-Belt Sortation: Unlocking Efficient E-Commerce Distribution In the burgeoning e-commerce market, speedy delivery and diverse offerings are customer expectations, and the ability to deliver these via a seamless customer experience will increasingly separate leaders from laggards. Download Now! Five Ways to Optimize Your Distribution Center For E-Commerce Fulfillment Today’s challenge has now become how to manage fast-moving inventory with enough precision to meet the expectations for prompt shipment of multiple small orders. Download Now!
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.96
March 10, 2017
…swarm the U.S., regulators need convincing before they give Amazon, Google, and others permission for expanded use. Bloomberg Technology has a fascinating article titled “Crashing Drones Into Test Dummies for Safety” which clearly identifies how the small- and medium-sized drones flooding the U.S. market can seriously injure or even kill someone. Researchers at Virginia Tech - home to both a Federal Aviation Administration-designated test site for unmanned aircraft systems and a world-renowned injury biomechanics group - are developing methods to evaluate the risk posed by small unmanned aircraft to anyone on the ground. This research is key to enabling flights…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.81
February 08, 2017
…the Americas for Intelligrated, Dematic and Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics) and has extensive experience in logistics software consulting and sales. He has developed innovative hardware and software systems, sold complex supply chain solutions, cultivated long-term client relationships and managed multi-national strategic sales teams. “This new position underscores our laser focus on rapidly growing our automated storage and retrieval system business,” said Brian Urban, SencopWhite CEO. I am confident Chis will leverage his experience in logistics software consulting and sales to drive exceptional growth for White Systems.” Initially, Lingamfelter will focus on growing White Systems’ industrial storage and retrieval hardware…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.92
February 06, 2017
…to initiate a FedEx shipment by talking to your Amazon Echo or Google Home virtual assistant device. “FedEx is considering vehicles that could drive around neighborhoods and make deliveries without human drivers”Rob Carter, FedEx’s chief information officer Carter says that FedEx has created an AI-enabled Alexa app that would eventually understand commands like “Alexa, prepare a shipment.” “You [will be able to] just talk your way through and [Alexa will] ask the right questions to make sure you’ve completed the work and then you can expect a truck to roll up to the front door of your office, pick up…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.25
January 17, 2017
…are benefiting the makers of driverless industrial vehicles. Already, Amazon is poised to become one of the biggest users—and suppliers—of automatic guided vehicles in the warehousing and distribution space. But AGVs aren’t just for those with big budgets and massive operations. In fact, AGVs aren’t even always AGVs. The “guided” part of that acronym, familiar from decades of autonomous vehicles designed to follow magnetic tapes, wires and other fixed paths, is now just one of a growing number of form factors. For the purposes of this story, AGV is an umbrella term including self-driving vehicles, autonomous mobile robots, vision-guided vehicles…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.91
December 29, 2016
Amazon has been working on getting a drone delivery program off the ground for a while now, but some new patents show the company isn't out of wild ideas. As TechCrunch reports, Zoe Leavitt, an analyst for CB Insights, has discovered a recent Amazon patent for an “airborne fulfillment center utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for item delivery” - i.e., a giant flying drone mothership zeppelin warehouse. The patent envisions the airborne fulfillment center (AFC) in the form of a giant airship, that would fly at high altitudes of around 45,000 feet in the air, and would then deploy individual drones…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.92
December 19, 2016
…breakout sessions at the event, featuring industry experts from Amazon, Microsoft, and other leading vendors and analysts. Topics include: ● The future of electric vehicles and their impact on automation industry ● Industrial operability from sensor to cloud ● Why intuitive, friendly robots are critical for team adoption Executives will discuss innovations, analyze how to apply automation breakthroughs, share common challenges and develop strategies to overcome them through discussions on automation, robotics, economics, business transformation, and sales. “The Forum highlights key trends and issues defining our market,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “We provide an invaluable resource that helps…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 16.74
December 18, 2016
Business Insider’s scoop on Amazon creating an Uber for Trucking app isn’t a surprise. LogTech venture capital investments have been growing rapidly these past years, as recently reported by CB Insights. What’s more, Alibaba founder Jack Ma announced earlier this year that the Chinese giant would invest nearly $16 billion dollars in logistics over the 5 to 8 years, while a Chinese logistics provider in which it invested $256 million dollars is contemplating an IPO. To top it off, Uber’s own Uber for Trucking app was soft launched just weeks ago. The takeaway is clear - companies that have focused…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.89
December 14, 2016
Amazon is pushing forward with its plans for a drone delivery fleet. Today it announced that it’s begun deliveries to two customers in the UK, and will be expanding that to dozens, possibly hundreds, in the coming months. The service is restricted to small items for now, focusing on delivering packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less. On December 7th, 2016, Prime Air delivered its first order - an Amazon Fire TV and bag of popcorn - using a highly automated drone. According to a press release, it took 13 minutes from customer click to package delivery…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.50
October 04, 2016
…chain stakeholders, when it comes to global e-commerce bellwether Amazon, continues to be just how far it will spread its wings in terms of expanding its logistics and supply chain operations and processes. Regardless of what people say or think, there are very real signs that Amazon is not going to sit on the sidelines and let logistics come to them, as, conversely, in many cases, it is really coming to logistics. Two quick examples of this include its 2012 $775 million acquisition of Kiva Systems, a developer of mobile-robotic solutions that automate e-Commerce order fulfillment and warehouse operations, and…
