Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.37
May 19, 2021
…said. “I was in a factory in Germany before COVID-19, and the box to control a camera was locked. Posted was the phone number of the only staffer who knew the software. That's not a scalable approach.” “We dramatically reduce the cost with deep learning in the cloud and bringing it back to the camera,” said Montanari. “With dual Ethernet ports on the cameras, connected with the PLC [programmable logic controller], we can operate seamlessly in the cloud while also running inspections.” Zebra’s new portfolio includes seven fixed data-capture products. Businesses can upgrade at any time to add support for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.32
May 18, 2021
…attribute this growth to accelerated e-commerce demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, MassRobotics, a consortium dedicated to growing the Massachusetts robotics ecosystem, launched the AMR Interoperability Working Group. Its stated goal was to “improve the use and adoption of autonomous mobile robots” by enabling different robots from different vendors to share status information so they work together more efficiently. “The ability to have multiple robots from different vendors operating in the same environment—as the market matures, this is going to happen,” said Tom Ryden, executive director of MassRobotics. “If you have a robotic forklift and a floor cleaner, how…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.70
May 17, 2021
Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of e-commerce, but it has also increased demand for delivery robots. Starship Technologies said last week that its robotic deliveries have quadrupled globally since the beginning of the pandemic. “This past year has been a game changer for autonomous delivery, moving adoption ahead by years,” stated Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies. “When we launched commercial delivery three years ago, we didn’t expect to be at the point we are today.” “We marked the significant milestone of 1 million deliveries in January 2021, and we’ve since surpassed 1.5 million…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.30
May 14, 2021
…take off, right now might be it. With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating e-commerce demand for many types of goods, factories and fulfillment centers need to move a high volume of pallets to keep stores stocked and e-commerce order-picking systems or manual pick locations topped off with goods. Vendors say that return on investment (ROI) in two years or less is possible for automated lift trucks, but some complexities are involved, like knowing how to phase them into an operation and identifying automated or semi-automated applications that make the most sense. Robots as a share of lift-truck sales While the COVID-19…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.00
May 14, 2021
…Industry 4.0. It's also part of the Irish government's COVID-19 reconstruction plan. New possibilities with additive manufacturing When it comes to arc welding with robots, scientists and engineers are developing technogies that promise to improve production. 3D printing is no longer just for prototyping and has made its debut in the aerospace manufacturing and construction industries. Suppose we combined arc welding with additive manufacturing? It’s already happening around the globe. Doctoral students at University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, are working on the production of heavy parts using additive manufacturing and robotic welding. TiDA Ltd. is working with the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.61
May 13, 2021
…leader, especially amidst the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Mitsubishi. According to a recent report from Gartner, 87% of chief supply chain officers say they are planning to invest in resilience and agility over the next two years. Remote operation fuels enterprise-wide resilience, agility, and safety by allowing drivers to efficiently work across multiple disparate sites, said Mitsubishi, all with the click of a button and from the comfort of a distant office or even from their homes. Furthermore, remote operation is a necessary complement to AGVs and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), helping to address edge…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.41
May 09, 2021
…and re-engineer the entire logistics process. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce was a small but rapidly growing part of retail. Now, consumers have become accustomed to ordering everything from apparel and groceries to prepared meals, with the expectation of rapid and accurate fulfillment enabled by optimized systems. When a fulfillment center opens While brick-and-mortar stores have struggled, economic development authorities are always excited at the prospect of a new fulfillment center. For instance, Amazon is building another fulfillment center on 119 acres—about half the total floor space of the Pentagon— in Richmond, Va. The 650,000-sq.-ft. facility will be near…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.46
May 06, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic slowed the global economy over the past year, but robot orders in the first quarter of 2021 were 19.6% higher than in the same period last year, announced the Association for Advancing Automation today. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organization said that North American companies purchased 9,098 units valued at $466 million in Q1, with non-automotive companies purchasing 28% more robots over Q1 2020, and automotive OEMs and component suppliers combined seeing a 12% increase year over year. “Robot sales have increased considerably, as more and more companies in every industry recognize that robotics and automation can help…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.89
May 01, 2021
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is easing in the U.S. as vaccines are distributed and social distancing rules are relaxed, concerns for public health remain heightened worldwide. Early last year, before the novel coronavirus was recognized as a threat elsewhere, robots in China were starting to perform tasks to keep people out of harm's way. Mobile robots were pressed into service for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces as early as February 2020. As the pandemic spread, other nations followed suit. Companies that already provided disinfection robots hustled to meet demand, while many academic and startup platforms have attempted to join the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.54
April 29, 2021
…measures to strengthen manufacturing businesses during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,” stated Søren E. Nielsen, president of Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). “Consequently, many companies that successfully tested AMR solutions are returning for more and planning full-scale deployments of up to 50 robots to improve internal logistics and efficiency and enable their workers to focus on higher-value tasks.” Founded in 2013, Mobile Industrial Robots has developed and marketed collaborative autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). The company's customers include hundreds of midsize to large manufacturers and logistics centers such as Novo Nordisk, Ford, and Honeywell, as well as several hospitals. MiR has a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.32
April 28, 2021
…in-house AI capabilities. Attabotics responds to e-commerce shifts The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that the traditional supply chain is not sufficiently responsive to consumer behavior, according to Attabotics. Busineses need to integrate AI for transparency, predictive analytics, and network optimization, it said. “Materials handling was pretty old-school, with lots of conveyance and telemetry reporting used very reactively,” said Mark Dickinson, vice president of software solutions at Attabotics. “In the past five to 10 years, we've started to see a lot of ASRS from Europe and companies like us disrupting the market for automated operations.” “There has been a marked shift…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.33
April 27, 2021
…there.” Tapping the VC network Raising money during the COVID-19 pandemic can be challenging for robotics startups, with meetings curtailed and many companies chasing e-commerce order fulfillment. Fortunately, Plus One could rely on its experience and network of contacts. “Plus One has been around for a while—since 2016, with a seed round in 2017,” recalled Nieves. “We've had benefit of investors watching us for some time. You can only get so far on the hype of the team and the expected technology. You have to show that you're delivering.” “The venture capital network is its own ecosystem,” he said. “If…
