Most of Finland’s robotics industry specializes in automation for small-series production—in line with a growing global manufacturing focus—according to a new report from HowToRobot in collaboration with the Robotics Society in Finland. Getting robots to work in a manufacturing environment with many variations and small production series can prove challenging. Yet, this is precisely what the robotics industry in Finland has specialized in, said HowToRobot. Seventy four percent of the robotics industry in Finland supplies to the metal and machinery manufacturing industry – often characterized by high-mix, low-volume production (HMLV). This is one of the main findings from the new…
In a PAVE panel today, two autonomous vehicle CEOs will explore the world of robot navigation. Aaron Nathan, founder, chief technology officer, and CEO of Point One Navigation, and Dr. Anuja Sonalker, founder and CEO of STEER Tech, will explain how the pieces of the autonomy stack work together, create redundancies, and provide autonomous vehicles with a full-picture view of the world. Humans use senses to navigate the world. Through sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch, people explore their surroundings, and these senses work together to help create a complete picture of our environment. How does an autonomous vehicle (AV)…
Promise Robotics, which is developing a industrial production platform for robotic construction and assembly, today announced that it has raised $15 million in Series A funding, bringing its total funding raised to date to $25 million. The Toronto-based company's stated mission is to enable the construction industry to harness automation to build more affordable and sustainable homes. Promise Robotics said it plans to use the funding to commercialize its platform and to continue expanding its intellectual property in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotic systems. The company claimed in a release that its proprietary, cloud-based software can manage the entire…
Nulogy Corp. and Formic Technologies Inc. this month announced a strategic partnership to jointly offer Nulogy's software-as-a-service and Formic's robotics-as-a-service, or SaaS and RaaS, products. The companies claimed that their technologies will enable customers to implement digital shop-floor systems “with speed, agility, and flexibility – without requiring outsized capital investment.” “As manufacturers and their supply chain partners continue to grapple with labor shortages, intense competition, and shifting customer demands, many businesses are turning to technology for a competitive advantage in cost, efficiency, and customer service,” they said. “Manufacturing cannot survive without automation, whether it's automated data flow or physical automation…
Skyline Robotics today announced that it has partnered with Principle Cleaning Services to bring its award-winning Ozmo cleaning robot to London. The companies said they plan to go beyond cleaning to provide data, insights, and analytics on the health of building facades. Skyline said in a release that it and Principle's ultimate goal is to deliver environmental, social, and governance (ESG) monitoring to building envelopes in London. “Having demonstrated Ozmo’s value in New York City, we’re excited to expand operations and partner with Principle to bring our robots to London,” said Michael Brown, CEO of Skyline Robotics. “London has more…
The Pittsburgh Robotics Network today announced the appointment of Jennifer Apicella as its executive director, effective immediately. Apicella has been serving as its interim executive director since May 2023 and previously held the position of vice president of partnerships and programs since February 2021. “Her dedication and proven leadership have been instrumental in advancing the mission of the PRN, which serves as the nexus for over 140 robotics organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh region,” said the organization in a press release. Apicella was previously interim executive director. Source: PRN “I am excited to be able to continue this work, steering…
NVIDIA Corp. is known for supporting simulation and artificial intelligence, and it has been touting its advances in robotics and machine learning. At the Conference on Robot Learning, or CoRL, next month, the NVIDIA Robotics Research Lab will present its latest findings. The company also described how scientists and engineers are collaborating to use NVIDIA Jetson in undersea research platforms. The Seattle-based NVIDIA Robotics Research Lab focuses on robot manipulation, perception and physics-based simulation. It is part of NVIDIA Research, which includes more than 300 people around the world researching topics such as AI, computer graphics, computer vision, and autonomous…
Aerobotix Inc. last week announced that it will demonstrate a new mobile mobile robot for the aerospace and defense industries at the WESTEC/AeroDef Manufacturing Conference from Nov. 7 to 9 in Long Beach, Calif. “As Aerobotix continues its groundbreaking work in mobile robots, we’re excited to bring this new technology to WESTEC/AeroDef,” said Josh Tuttle, Aerobotix business development manager, in a release. “Mobile robots are widely used in general manufacturing and warehousing but are still new to the aerospace and defense industries,” he added. “They support the ‘factory of the future’ concept and offer significant benefits in labor and cost…
Seurat Technologies today announced a $99 million Series C round. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company said it plans to deploy its 3D metal printing factories at or near customer sites around the world. By printing parts closer to where they are needed, Seurat said its technology can help reshore supply chains and reduce emissions from transportation and global logistics. “Our mission is to create a green manufacturing industry,” stated James DeMuth, co-founder and CEO of Seurat. “With our additive manufacturing technology, our print factories will provide our customers with clean manufacturing that can compete with the volumes, quality, and price points…
Technology continues to innovate various industries, but it comes with a mixture of enthusiasm and fear. Businesses are understandably excited about the prospect of greater efficiency, while some workers worry they'll be replaced by robots. The retail industry is a prime example. Who hasn't walked to the front of their local grocery or big-box store recently and been confronted with the option to do self-checkout? Retail has experienced some major forms of automation over the past several years, but that doesn't necessarily mean all workers will be shown the door. Make no mistake, the future of retail careers will be…
