Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.89
January 29, 2019
…legislation more challenging. Bipartisan cooperation could support a long-awaited infrastructure spending bill, but proposed legislation this year is still an unknown. 10. External “wild cards” will factor into capital spending decisions. While the outlook for capital spending remains generally positive, there are additional areas businesses will keep an eye on for the potential to impact their equipment acquisition strategies. Modest to moderate growth forecast for business investment could decelerate if trade tensions and tightening credit conditions continue to erode business confidence. The oil sector has exposure to uncertainty resulting from numerous factors, including falling oil prices, surging U.S. production and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.57
January 25, 2019
…a machine or as a coworker. Finally, processes and infrastructure will need to be updated to fully use robot capabilities. Automation eliminates tasks within a job but doesn’t necessarily eliminate the job itself. Humans still must perform some of the most important job tasks - primarily those that involve planning and analysis functions and contact with customers. Building designs and physical layouts will need to be modified to best accommodate the robots in a safe and effective manner. In the case of autonomous vehicles, roadways, intersections, pedestrian crossings, signal light, and signs must be updated so that robots can more…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.12
January 23, 2019
…companies will be investing in a new type of infrastructure. Some of these sensors will help use electricity more efficiently, while others will help robots navigate and get the information they need to help humans. Cameras will support precision and control tasks. Sensors such as laser scanners can also be used as virtual cages that can shut down robots before encountering humans. And capacitive, touch-sensitive skins can be wrapped around robots to stop robotic movement around humans, should that be necessary. 4) Logistics will continue to be a hot space. Many companies are developing promising products across all parts of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.18
December 27, 2018
…site, which includes 16 acres of roads and traffic infrastructure, Mcity is now broadcasting computer-generated virtual traffic elements to vehicles operating on its roadways using a patent-pending, secure wireless technology, the research paper stated. The test platform generates a virtual vehicle that creates some sort of dangerous situation and broadcasts it to the physical test vehicle in real-time using Dedicated Short-Range Communications. The test platform also uses data from the vehicles’ sensors and controllers to make adjustments to the simulated traffic scenarios, and researchers can measure how the physical test car responds to these scenarios, the paper explained. “This creates…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.88
December 19, 2018
…a single day without integration requirements or changes to infrastructure. Melonee Wise, CEO, Fetch Robotics: “We are committed to helping customers achieve their productivity goals by providing on-demand automation that enables a wide range of flexible and safe AMRs to be rapidly deployed. We fully expect our relationship with Honeywell Intelligrated to help accelerate the adoption of our cloud robotics solution within the logistics and manufacturing verticals.” Companies are increasingly turning to robotics to gain competitive advantage in the supply chain, with adoption expected to rise from 34 to 73 percent over the next five years, according to a survey…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.40
December 03, 2018
…years. DHL’s experience with these technologies stands to minimize infrastructure costs and maximize service levels. Another motivation is based on the workforce itself, which is widely regarded as one of the most significant challenges facing the logistics industry. Technology is one of the many levers DHL is utilizing to attract and retain its team. Tim Sprosty, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at DHL Supply Chain, said, “These technologies enhance the value of our people; they don’t replace them. Our team will be equipped with the most advanced technologies, trained on emerging ones and retained through a culture of innovation,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.06
December 01, 2018
…Sweden-headquartered company with offerings for the manufacturing, automotive and infrastructure industries, among others. The acquisitions of MSC Software and VIRES VTD in 2017, and AutonomouStuff this year complement Hexagon’s domain expertise in metrology sensors, GPS software, smart city and positioning intelligence software. The company believes its strategy and product line offer an edge in autonomous driving simulation and testing fields. More DE 2018 survey respondents chose simulation (46%) as the technology that will have the biggest impact on product design and development over the next five years than any other technology. VTD (Virtual Test Drive), originally developed by VIRES (pronounced…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.44
November 14, 2018
…and often the cost of testing for optimal location infrastructure deployment in dynamic industrial settings with changing obstacles and interference can be higher than the rollout of the infrastructure itself. It can also be very difficult to convince industrial customers to invest or accept new technologies. For customers with an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, introducing them to Bluetooth or other connected sensor devices can be challenging due to the additional infrastructure requirements, therefore a Wi-Fi sensor can often be an easier sell. ABI’s release states that emerging Bluetooth condition monitoring solutions from ABB and BluVision, UWB based RTLS deployments from Zebra,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.90
October 07, 2018
…and the XPO Connect digital freight marketplace with multimodal infrastructure. As reported by FreightWaves, XPO has worked with 29 robotics companies and deployed 79 different types of robots across its warehouses. Other XPO robotics vendors include Massachusetts-based 6 River Systems, which has deployed more than 100 robots for XPO; and KUKA Group's Swisslog, which is said to be providing the robotics for the digital warehouse XPO is building in the U.K. for Nestle. It was unclear whether the robots will be deployed in time for the holiday rush, which may be more challenging this year as logistics and order fulfillment…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.80
September 06, 2018
…drone.” Furthermore, drone-based technology has to work within existing infrastructure and labeling practices to lead to widespread adoption. PINC started developing PINC Air indoor inventory technology in 2014 based on its outdoor technology used for tracking inventory in equipment and storage yards. The technology operates autonomously, taking off and landing from the same location automatically, and avoids any obstructions in its flight path. It surveys large areas of densely packed assets for inventory reconciliation or to pinpoint the location of specific inventory. Download the White Paper: The Rise of the Digital Yard The system blends optical sensors and machine learning…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.37
August 07, 2018
…not controlled properly. I am sure we will identify more issues as we scale the technology up for large infrastructure projects.” “Additive manufacturing technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we do construction here on Earth, too,” noted Massimiliano Moruzzi, Autodesk’s computational science research group. “If we can repurpose plastic pollution and use readily available natural resources to robotically print houses on Mars, we can use the same approach to sustainably build streets, sidewalks, and even playgrounds here at home.”
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.66
July 13, 2018
…a human and you don’t have to change your infrastructure.” The solution came about by happenstance. “Our focus has always been inventory at rest, and in the context of trailers, about 80% of the time, they’re unhooked in a fenced-in environment. Initially, a few customers, especially in automotive, asked us to think about elevating our platform, and that got us to thinking about drones that could fly over the top and understand where everything is located,” Yearling says. That resulted in applying PINC’s patented technology to FAA certified drones in early 2014. Shortly thereafter, in the fall of 2014, many…
