Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.79
July 10, 2020
…leaders, analysts and educators, the impact made by the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to realign the current third-party logistics (3PL) marketplace. But when it does, shippers may expect far greater reliance on innovative technologies requiring substantial capital investment. “Given the massive coronavirus windfall for omni-channel and e-commerce companies, some might think that 3PLs have a tremendous opportunity,” says Michael Gravier, associate professor of marketing and supply chain management at Bryant University. “Even before this disruption, the world was a volatile place with tariffs and raw material costs fluctuating as quickly in response to Twitter blasts. And it was pushing companies…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.27
July 09, 2020
…intralogistics keep growing quickly, given the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic? Unemployment has skyrocketed. Some manufacturers temporarily had to shut down sites, and many companies have tightened their budgets, at least in the short term. At the same time, e-commerce has spiked, especially in sectors like grocery. And while it may be too early to tally the impacts of the pandemic on robotics, in the long term, the technology’s ability to increase productivity with minimal added labor bodes well for the technology, says Rian Whitton, a senior analyst at ABI. “From what we’re seeing, there has been a huge increase…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.76
July 01, 2020
…being used on the front lines to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, companies are accelerating projects to autonomously clean facilities with ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light or hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) using robots. And AMRs are being used to help collect data for the Private Automated Contact Tracing PACT project that brings together top minds from prestigious organizations around the world to develop enhanced tracing techniques. In the healthcare field, robots are being called on to fill a variety of roles. Robots are being used to deliver food or paperwork to patient rooms, leaving nurses to do more essential tasks while…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.33
June 26, 2020
…could hamper effective and timely treatment of seriously ill COVID-19 patients. Essentium, an industrial scale 3D printer, recently shifted its Texas operations to manufacture protective face masks kits based designed approved by FDA for emergency use. The company is “now working with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas Military Department, and other groups at a State level,” according to its press release. “If the need arises, we have the capability to increase production of mask kits that can be delivered with reliable and repeatable quality, at scale. We are doing this with a skilled team of designers, engineers…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.62
June 26, 2020
…with masks and plastic face shields. Welcome to the post-COVID-19 industrial workplace While companies are wrestling with the question of when to re-open shuttered factories and distribution centers that were not deemed essential, the even bigger question is how to operate those facilities going forward. A very narrow aisle could take on a whole new meaning. Our industry has always looked for solutions to operate in an efficient and cost-effective way; now, it will also struggle with new issues related to preventing the spread of a virus - either COVID-19 or whatever is around the bend. They will largely be…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 0.57
June 26, 2020
…help safely speed development, especially in the world of COVID-19.” Ansys simulation solutions provide OEMs, automotive suppliers and mobility companies robust workflows for the design and validation of automated driving systems and components, including safety analysis, software and hardware development, simulation, data management, cloud computing and high-performance computing. As students master Ansys solutions throughout the competition, they will also develop highly sought-after skills in the workplace. “We're challenging students to develop autonomous vehicle software that can operate at speeds of up to 200 mph,” says Matt Peak, managing director of Energy Systems Network, a primary organizer of the IAC. “We…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.28
June 26, 2020
…the economy opens back up in the wake of COVID-19 shutdowns. The solution pairs Siemens’ SIMATIC Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) with its Xcelerator portfolio of engineering, operational, IT, IIoT, and cloud solutions to create a workplace distancing solution that helps minimize employee exposure risks while optimizing productivity. In what many are calling the “new normal” or “next normal,” companies are scrambling to figure out how to address physical distancing requirements as the workforce returns to work in the face of the on-going pandemic. Using Siemens simulation technologies and RTLS, companies can quickly and efficiently model employee interactions as well…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.15
June 25, 2020
…can help in the many hospital settings overwhelmed by COVID-19 infections. Robert Gao, Ph.D., is the Cady Staley professor and department chair, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, at Case Western Reserve University. “I think this is becoming increasingly feasible,” says Gao. “The key is to improve the level of ‘intelligence’ needed for accurate and foolproof ‘situational awareness,’ i.e., accurately and reliably recognizing the environment and people’s need or intention to guide the robot’s action.” Gao says intelligence development can be done in stages: first semi-autonomous, where the robot performs preprogramed jobs under the supervision of humans (nurses, nutritionists, caretakers, doctors), and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.43
June 24, 2020
…the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and unanticipated disruptions like COVID-19 – transforms supply chains everywhere.” As a maker of hardware for data capture and software for analytics, it was obvious for ProGlove to add new proximity sensing capabilities to its solution set in the wake of COVID-19. The ProGlove Connect app for Android pairs with the MARK wearable barcode scanners to bring proximity reminders right to the hands of workers. The app is already in use on ProGlove’s own production line and is offered at no cost to existing ProGlove customers equipped with Android devices in their operations. 2020 Tech…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.68
June 24, 2020
During its 8-week shutdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, two students enrolled in the eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI) secured CNC machining jobs with leading manufacturers, with other companies calling the school with plans to hire new graduates in the coming weeks. Director Kathy Walker sees this interest as an indication that US manufacturing will see a resurgence, with recent surveys showing nearly two-thirds of manufacturers in North American plan to hire domestically instead of sending jobs overseas. “There remains a strong demand for high-skilled positions in advanced manufacturing, particularly in automation and robotics,” said Walker, who founded the eKAMI…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.11
June 18, 2020
…events taking place in the fall of 2020. As COVID-19 continues to make it difficult or impossible to hold large gatherings, A3 is transitioning the following 2020 in-person conferences to virtual events as well as adding two new events: RIA Robotics Week: September 8-11 (new) International Robot Safety Conference: October 6-8 Autonomous Mobile Robot Conference: October 26-27 AI & Smart Automation Conference: October 28-29 (new) MCMA TechCon: November 9-10 The in-person Collaborative Robots, Advanced Vision & AI Conference is postponed until the Fall of 2021. However, A3’s Robotic Grinding and Finishing Conference, slated for December 2-3 in St. Paul, Minnesota,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.34
June 12, 2020
It is fair to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a jarring impact on retail supply chains in myriad ways, in terms of how retailers had to respond and react to a new way of handling their supply chain operations. That was made clear in the findings of a recent study published by Blue Yonder (formerly JDA), a provider of AI-driven and end-to-end supply chain management services, and WMG, an academic department at the University of Warwick, England that provides research, education and knowledge transfer in engineering, manufacturing and technology. Data and feedback in the study, which was administered…
