Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 24.48
May 13, 2022
…coverings, which include sensors to provide tactile awareness for humanoid robots and prosthetics. At less than 1 mm thick, RoboSkin fits robotic fingers, limbs, feet, heads, or torsos, to make robots “feel” better, said BeBop Sensors. RoboSkin’s advanced fabric-based sensor skin can be shaped to any surface, allowing quick tailoring to fit any robot, claimed the Berkeley, Calif.-based company. BeBob said its spatial resolution and sensitivity exceeds human abilities for collaborative applications. “I have been working with roboticists refining our RoboSkin for 10 years,” said Keith McMillen, founder and chief technology officer of BeBop Sensors. “We are pleased we can…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.41
May 13, 2022
…and place ripe fruits onto trays in the field. Humanoids: Humanoid robots have garnered huge interest in recent years owing to their human-like appearance and exciting capabilities. Companies such as Tesla, Toyota Research Institute, and Hanson Robotics have seen investments in developing the robots that have generated the buzz. The investment environment is also changing While the robotics space has been relatively healthy, we've seen reports on there being fewer early-stage investments, as well as some consolidation. Is that normal? Sharma: Any disruptive technology can undergo stages of development which are likely to impact the investment in the area. Robotics…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 20.43
April 22, 2022
Agility Robotics, which has developed the Digit humanoid robots to work alongside people in warehouses and logistics facilities, today said it has raised $150 million in Series B funding. The Corvallis, Ore.-based company said it plans to use the money to accelerate research and development and scale production. “Unprecedented consumer and corporate demand have created an extraordinary need for robots to support people in the workplace,” said Damion Shelton, CEO of Agility Robotics. “With this investment, Agility can ramp up the delivery of robots to fill roles where there’s an unmet need.” Agility Robotics said it has been developing robots…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.97
April 19, 2022
…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 trucks has been a challenge for short-staffed logistics providers, as well as robotics developers. Boston Dynamics announced the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 15.67
April 12, 2022
Pepper and Nao are among the best-known humanoid robots, and their maker is changing hands, demonstrating the challenges facing service robot vendors. United Robotics Group today announced that it has agreed to acquire SoftBank Robotics Europe SAS from SoftBank Robotics Group Corp. The transaction will result in United Robotics Group becoming one of the leading service robot providers in Europe, said the companies. As part of United Robotics Group (URG), the former SoftBank Robotics Europe (SBRE) will revert to the name “Aldebaran,” which developed robots for academic and customer-service use. URG offers robots including Pepper and Nao, Boston Dynamics' Spot,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.02
March 28, 2022
…conducts industrial inspections for enterprise asset management; Atlas, its humanoid robot; and Stretch. The company said its robots are equipped with advanced mobility, dexterity and intelligence, enabling automation in unstructured or hard-to-traverse spaces, from manufacturing plants and construction sites to distribution centers and warehouses. Stretch handles cases up to 50 lbs. Boston Dynamics described Stretch as a versatile mobile robot that unloads floor-loaded trailers and containers for safer and more efficient warehouse operations. The robot works with a wide range of package types and sizes, from standard brown to highly graphical boxes, and can handle cases up to 50 lb.…
Found in Robotics White Papers & Archives, with a score of 31.79
March 16, 2022
…the dystopian reality of the matrix or the docile-turned-destructive humanoids of I, Robot. But in today’s reality, AI is gaining traction for less sinister reasons. The real-world application of AI is, predictably, more practical. Businesses can think of AI as a great enabler, capable of automating processes that have long been targets for automation but presented too much complexity for contemporary technology. For example, past technology could successfully automate repetitive, predictable processes in manufacturing but struggled to be effective with the variety of workflows and items found in e-commerce distribution centers. By contrast, AI can provide visual perception to identify…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.79
March 04, 2022
…For example, if they see a human-like robot or humanoid robot, they are immediately interested in interacting with it, speaking with it, and asking the robot to do something for them, such as fetching a ball. This is definitely a different experience from observing industrial robots at work in factories. What are students most curious to learn? Al Nuaimi: In the robotics field, they are curious to find answers to how something happens. How to control the robot, build it, enable it to act like a human, or request it to carry out whole missions from A to Z with…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 15.69
March 03, 2022
…more safely, efficiently, and sustainably.” Sanctuary sets sights on humanoid robots Many companies are developing special-purpose robots and artificial intelligence to address specific tasks, noted Sanctuary Cognitive Systems. By contrast, the company said it is drawing from fields including cognition, computer vision, machine learning, theoretical physics, and quantum computing for a more general-purpose approach to both robotics hardware and software. Sanctuary is designing its robots to be humanoid in size and shape to operate in spaces designed for people. It added that it is cognitive architecture mimics the different subsystems in a person's brain. This approach allows the scope of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 23.51
February 14, 2022
…sensors can be integrated onto the fingertips of a humanoid sensing robot. The research was published in the journal npj Flexible Electronics from Nature Publishing Group. “Our origami-inspired dry electrode has unique characteristics such as suction for grasping and foldability inspired by nature,” said Kim, a professor and associate director of SFU's School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering. “In keeping with nature, we saw that in addition to the complex mechanisms of a leech's adhesive feature, these creatures have an expandable posterior sucker and body, while its organs expand and shrink appropriately to maintain better adhesion to its victim,” he explained.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.79
January 30, 2022
…which is available for commercial use, and the Atlas humanoid for research and development. Stretch advances technologies first developed in the Handle mobile robot over the past four years (see video below). “Stretch is Boston Dynamics’ newest robot, designed specifically to remedy challenges within the warehouse space,” said Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics. Hyundai Motor Group acquired the Waltham, Mass.-based company from SoftBank Group Corp. last year. Stretch is a “flexible, easily integrated solution that can work in any warehouse to increase the flow of goods and improve associate safety by taking over physically demanding tasks,” claimed Boston Dynamics.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.83
January 23, 2022
…at the Ecole Polytechnique, Nicolas Simon began working on humanoid robots in 2010. In 2012, Simon, Masselin, Jean-Louis Constanza, and Alexandre Boulanger founded Wandercraft. Constanza, chief business and clinical officer, worked to help his wheelchair-bound son walk. In 2017, the company began conducting trials of its exoskeleton prototype to aid paraplegic people. Global needs drive exoskeleton development While the technology for exoskeletons is advancing, the need is great. There were only 8,741 units worldwide in 2020, said Grand View Research, but more than 296,000 people in the U.S. alone suffer from spinal cord injuries, according to the National Spinal Cord…
