Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.83
April 19, 2022
…Waltham, Mass.-based company, best known for videos of its legged robots, is now working to address the needs of warehouses and distribution centers. Stretch joined the Atlas humanoid robot and the Spot quadruped for industrial inspections. “Stretch is really a first for us—it's the first robot specifically designed for the warehouse,” said Kevin Blankespoor, senior vice president and general manager of warehouse robotics at Boston Dynamics. “We took all of the technology that we've grown over the past several decades with Spot and Atlas, and everything that came before, and repackaged it for a purpose-designed solution for moving boxes.” Unloading…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 21.93
March 17, 2022
…mini-cheetah's strides. Their model-free reinforcement learning system helped the legged robot break the record for the fastest run recorded. The mini-cheetah has an indoor sprint of 3.9 meters per second (8.7 miles per hour), an outdoor 10-meter dash of 3.4 m/s (7.6 mph), and an indoor spin of 5.7 radians per second, according to the project's website. MIT News spoke to Gabriel Margolis, a Ph.D. student at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and Ge Yang, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of AI and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI), about just how fast the quadruped robot can run. Q:…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.00
January 30, 2022
…Dynamics Inc. is best known for videos of its legged robots, the company has continued to pursue commercial applications. DHL Supply Chain last week announced that it is investing $15 million in robots from Boston Dynamics to further automate its North American warehouses. According to their multiyear agreement, the companies will start with Stretch, a robot designed for unloading in distribution centers. “At DHL Supply Chain, we are committed to continuous innovation and digital transformation to optimize the end-to-end supply chain,” said Sally Miller, CIO of DHL Supply Chain North America. “Investing in warehouse automation plays an important role in…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 30.52
December 31, 2021
…robotic arm Z1, which it mounted on its AlienGo legged robot. “The robotic arm is currently in a stage of rapid development with the evolution and direction of technology,” stated Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics. “We hope that it will enter our lives immediately.” He acknowledged the challenge of building an affordable and commercially useful system. “The current problem is cost control and the improvement of intelligence,” said Wang Xingxing, who revealed his Xdog design in 2016. Unlike Boston Dynamics' Spot, which costs about $75,000 (U.S.) and are being trialed in applications ranging from construction to security, Unitree's quardrupeds…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.65
October 28, 2021
…configuration.” “For example, Boston Dynamics has been working on legged robots for 15 years, and it had to invent the motors for them,” he noted. “Now we're starting to see more dog-like robots and standardization of those components. It takes 10 to 20 years for each sector to generalize.” “To take a drone frame and make it work, we have to marry it with a base station, charging infrastructure, and unique communications solutions like Wi-Fi or radio,” Mozer explained. “We have our own proprietary, computer vision-based landing system. When moving from prototyping, remember there's no single airplane frame and no…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.33
October 11, 2021
…aerial robots and other types of flying vehicles. The team envisions that future Mars rotorcraft could be equipped with legged landing gear so that the body balance of these aerial robots can be maintained as they land on sloped or uneven terrains, thereby reducing the risk of failure under challenging landing conditions. The paper is titled “A bipedal walking robot that can fly, slackline, and skateboard.” Coauthors also include Alireza Ramezani, former Caltech postdoctoral scholar and currently an assistant professor at Northeastern University. This research was supported by the Caltech Gary Clinard Innovation Fund and Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.13
September 27, 2021
…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 University team that was part of CERBERUS. “Contributing to CERBERUS has really accelerated our research. After three years of preparation, it was fantastic to test it in the DARPA’s complex underground maze.” Systems Competition used…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.96
September 27, 2021
…logistics, warehouses, and factories, observed Unlimited Robotics. Humanoid and legged robots continue to garner interest, with Elon Musk recently announcing Tesla plans to release a Tesla Bot. In addition, Hyundai acquired Boston Dynamics, which has begun commercializing its Spot robotic dog, for $1.1 billion. Unlimited Robotics said its team hopes that its open-source platform will enable any developer who has an idea to build an app on it. The company expects that the product will do more than dance and look impressive, providing next-level solutions for home and business owners. The beta version of Ra-Ya is free, and developers can…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.47
September 24, 2021
…from bins. Source: SB Logistics If you use the three-legged stool analogy, two legs of the stool were the development of a cost-efficient, high-throughput facility that could provide same-day and next-day service across Tokyo in the most sustainable way, while reducing the reliance on people. As an example, the company is making efforts to reduce the size of shipping boxes by combining systems and packing machines. It uses almost no plastic cushioning material in packing. This leads to a reduction of packing materials and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The third leg, which is critical to the Japanese consumer,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 16.40
August 22, 2021
…difficult to replicate in robots. After years of development, legged robots are beginning to step out, with more in the works. However, decades of science fiction movies have shaped the public's view of robots, so it may be a while before the reality meets expectations. As the recent cessation of SoftBank's Pepper service robot line shows, most humanoids are not yet rugged, dexterous, or affordable enough to be commercially viable or useful for multiple tasks. Combining locomotion, a humanoid design, mobile manipulation, and a smooth user interface is a still a tall order. As with the concept of multipurpose household…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.36
July 27, 2021
…of performance. It’s incredibly exciting.” Cassie uses dynamic balancing Legged robotic locomotion has been limited to date, but Oregon State said its research has enabled multiple breakthroughs. ATRIAS, developed in the Dynamic Robotics Laboratory, was the first robot to reproduce human walking gait dynamics. After that was Cassie, followed by Agility’s Digit humanoid robot. With knees that bend like an ostrich’s, Cassie taught itself to run using a deep reinforcement learning algorithm. Running requires dynamic balancing – the ability to maintain balance while switching positions or otherwise being in motion – and Cassie has learned to make infinite subtle adjustments…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 27.92
June 27, 2021
…and valued at $1.1 billion. Createc learned about mobile, legged robots Createc employs nearly 30 technical experts in fields such as computer vision, robotics, nuclear measurement, and optics. The company said it can efficiently build prototype systems and develop them into full products. It noted that its N-Visage technology was used in the cleanup following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan. “My motivation comes from bringing something completely new to life which results in the world being a better place,” Mellor said. “We look at the way we can do something, not where we can do it. Seeing all…
