Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.41
September 29, 2021
…incidences of crop, dairy, and meat waste during the COVID-19 pandemic.” “Second, the government is thinking of instituting new labor policies, because working in 110-degree temperatures is not sustainable,” she said. “The longer-term goal is for UGVs [unmanned ground vehicles] to gather data for crop metrics and to understand disease. With environmental sensors, there can be better use of resources, people, water, and pesticides.” Future Acres looks ahead Future Acres plans to conduct its first demonstration of its next-generation prototype at Sun World's International Center for Innovation during this year's harvest season. 'We're being realistic about the time needed to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
February 01, 2023
…was in 2018, just a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world and forced many companies to reassess the role technology plays in their operations. While Ally was just having initial discussions about bringing in automation at the time, the pandemic accelerated the company’s timeline, Davis said. It needed to start offering temperature screening, masks, and other tools to help ensure that people stayed far enough apart. Security robots answer the call The team decided to enlist Cobalt Robotics, a provider of security robots, to help it get the job done. The Fremont, Calif.-based startup had just recently…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
October 17, 2021
…is no exception—especially considering the e-commerce boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as retail is a massive industry, so is the retail automation market. As is illustrated below, the global retail automation market is projected to show significant growth. The market was already valued at $11.22 billion back in 2018 and is now expected to reach a value of $23.42 billion by 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7% between 2021 and 2026. Source: Statista, Meili Robots What is retail automation? Retail automation refers to the technologies that enable businesses — regardless of whether they are online…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
June 29, 2021
…2011, it added. “Even through the pivots resulting from COVID-19, this past year proved once again that whether you’re interested in robotic solutions that feed the world (agriculture), travel without a human driver (autonomous vehicles), innovate retail (logistics), or exploration to the moon (aerospace), you’ll find world-changing solutions being catalyzed right here in Pittsburgh,” stated Reed. Self-driving cars pioneers in Pittsburgh Pittsburgh has been dubbed as the birthplace of self-driving car development, which dates to CMU’s research in the 1980s, and it is home to Aurora, which recently acquired Uber’s Advanced Technology Group (ATG). “As a longstanding center of innovation,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
January 16, 2022
…robots received? Kim: It went well. Our team got COVID-19 tests every morning. In the demonstration at our booth, we let people plug in their mobile phones to control the NINA cobot in a “Make Your Own Movie” challenge. We have video of people dancing. Collaborative robots are finding more and more applications—how did you decide on NINA's target market? Kim: We wanted to expand the boundaries of cobots from the manufacturing industry into entertainment. That's why we started the NINA project. We've been in business for five years. Last year, we got No. 1 in cobot market share in…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
August 31, 2022
…include warehouse workers leaving the industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic, retiring Baby Boomers, a low U.S. birth rate, and a generational shift in what employees are looking for in their careers and workplaces, said Berkshire Grey. Turnover rates as high as 43% cost warehouses $8,500 to replace each worker, according to Kane Logistics. “Labor is a real challenge for retailers and 3PLs [third-party logistics providers],” said Kishore Boyalakuntla, vice president of products at Berkshire Grey. “More than 10 million jobs are available, but the reason for turnover is the nature of certain jobs.” “A human sorter has to move…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
June 12, 2021
…of a decline in automotive sales early in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some changes in demand helped nTopology, noted Scott. “Last year was an outlier, as machine sales in manufacturing dropped with supply chain problems and budget allocation fears,” he recalled. “But we didn't see slowdowns in design software. In the first quarter of 2020, we sold more licenses than we ever had before, and sales have grown continuously into 2021.” “One aspect of last year was that with a lot of engineers working from home, they had more time to learn new software,” he said. “nTopology is a new…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.40
July 15, 2022
…grinding metals, and sorting fish to PCR testing for COVID-19.” “We typically see three types of project teams,” he told Robotics 24/7 during a recent visit to ARM's headquarters in Pittsburgh. “There are the standard vertical teams, involving robotics vendors. Then there are the horizontal ones, such as aerospace manufacturers working on wire harnesses. Finally, there are the non-standard, pre-competitive ones, such as small startups or groups within universities and larger companies.” ARM project call includes new features The ARM Institute's latest project call is different from its predecessors, noted Livia Rice, senior outreach manager for the organization. Project teams…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.39
November 21, 2022
…more challenging than usual for the restaurant industry. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered restaurants, many of them forever. Online ordering, persistent staff shortages, and the need to maintain hygiene have led to an unprecedented interest in automation, noted Botrista Technology. The turnover rate for family-style restaurants is 32%, and employee training costs an average of $3,179 per person, according to the company. As much as 81% of restaurant operators say they are short at least one position, Botrista said. San Francisco-based Botrista provides beverage automation, which it says relieves human workers from tedious manual tasks. This allows them to be more…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.39
May 21, 2022
…are also playing roles in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the appeal of these robots lies in the fact that they are inexpensive and simple to implement. That said, AMR developers still have obstacles to overcome. “Typical challenges include extending the run time of battery-powered devices, robust designs that can contend with harsh environments, and accurate movement control—start/stop—for safe operation around humans,” said Julian DelCampo, business development manager at Portescap. To meet the requirements, mobile robots require motors to have more streamline form factors than their predecessors. This translates into compact and lightweight yet durable motors. AMRs…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.39
September 27, 2021
…Cave Circuit was shifted to virtual-only because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The final, four-day event tested qualifying teams on courses that incorporated relevant challenges from all three environments. Team CERBERUS deployed a diverse set of robots with the prime systems being four ANYmal C legged systems and aerial drones. In the Prize Round of the Final Event, the team won the competition and scored 23 points by correctly detecting and localizing 23 of 40 of the artifacts that DARPA had placed inside the environment. “We are delighted to have done so well,” said Prof. Maurice Fallon, lead of the Oxford…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.39
January 06, 2021
…underscored by the havoc wreaked this year by the COVID-19 global pandemic, is mounting pressure on societies, government and health care systems to innovate bolder, more patient-specific solutions more quickly than in the past. This push for heightened design innovation is tempered by the reality of skyrocketing development and clinical trial costs, which can make the journey of launching new devices increasingly unsustainable. That’s where simulation and modeling come into play. The technologies are already helping medical device manufacturers explore more design possibilities virtually, at less cost than building physical prototypes. New simulation modalities and multiphysics capabilities, coupled with the…
