Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.88
March 10, 2017
…seem ideally suited for unmanned aircraft, such as package delivery and aerial journalism. And most applications face steep hurdles in densely populated areas, where it would be virtually impossible to ensure that there was no one beneath an aircraft’s flight path. “What we can do at the test site is help provide the data that can inform that decision-making”Mark Blanks, the director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership “The majority of applications would be much more effective if they weren’t restricted from operating over people, but you have to demonstrate that it can be done safely,” said Mark Blanks,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 22.99
February 22, 2017
…with drones so far. It has implications for future deliveries, especially in rural locations where our package cars often have to travel miles to make a single delivery,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability. “Imagine a triangular delivery route where the stops are miles apart by road. Sending a drone from a package car to make just one of those deliveries can reduce costly miles driven. This is a big step toward bolstering efficiency in our network and reducing our emissions at the same time.” With ORION, UPS’s On-Road Integrated Optimization Navigation routing software,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.71
February 16, 2017
…Mississippi an OTTO 1500 self-driving vehicle for ground tire delivery in the Corolla assembly plant. “Toyota has set the standard in lean manufacturing principles and we’re very proud that OTTO has been selected as a means to drive lean, flexible material transport for the Mississippi plant,” said Simon Drexler, Director of Industrial Solutions at OTTO Motors. “We expect the implementation of the initial vehicle will yield positive results with regard to overall operating costs, and lead to further opportunities within the facility.” “Toyota has set the standard in lean manufacturing principles and we’re very proud that OTTO has been selected”Simon…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.63
February 13, 2017
…people, such as ride sharing, ride hailing or package delivery fleets. Ford will be the majority stakeholder in Argo AI. Importantly, Argo AI has been structured to operate with substantial independence. Its employees will have significant equity participation in the company, enabling them to share in its success. Argo AI’s board will have five members: Nair; John Casesa, Ford group vice president, Global Strategy; Salesky; Rander; and an independent director. The $1 billion investment in Argo AI will be made over five years and is consistent with the autonomous vehicle capital allocation plan shared last September as part of Ford…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.57
February 06, 2017
…small vehicles that could drive around neighborhoods and make deliveries without human drivers. Carter is responsible for setting the technology agenda across FedEx’s various operating companies, including its planes-and-trucks Express shipping service and office-and-home Ground delivery service, which operate in 220 countries. He recently told MIT Technology Review about some of FedEx’s emerging technology initiatives in artificial intelligence and robotics. The investments FedEx makes in these technologies could shape the multi-trillion-dollar logistics market, affecting everything from the way people send and receive parcels to the global movement of large fleets of vehicles. For example, someday you might be able to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.62
February 03, 2017
…optimized production to meet changing market demands and expedite delivery. The new robot was first used on an assembly line for manufacturing single-phase energy meters. They are now used at multiple workstations including loading electric meter boxes, PCBA loading and assembling, power testing and code scanning, and carrier loading and assembly. The robot features compliant motion control, which allows it to feel its way into precise and fragile fixtures, even if a part position changes. “We see smart manufacturing as a significant driver of our company’s growth,” says Liao Qianzhong, general manager of production center at Wasion Group Limited. “We…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.19
January 30, 2017
…guest speaker Dave Williams, director of software and solution delivery at Westfalia, recently hosted a webinar titled “Considering Automation? Analyze how your warehouse can be transformed with automation.” This webinar discussed how to analyze your warehouse data and how automation technology can be a solution for growing companies with more SKUs. During the webinar, Corcoran explained how to optimize space and increase efficiency for continued growth. He also analyzed three main challenges that manufacturers are facing today and provided solutions. Challenge: Higher consumer demand for product more frequently with more diverse SKUs Solution: Increase productivity and improve accuracy rates by…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.77
January 17, 2017
…the robot can choose the best option for each delivery. Software and hard changes Providing an operational view to each AGV is where increasingly intelligent software comes into play. When integrated with the enterprise resource planning system, the warehouse management system (WMS) or execution software, the AGV becomes the physical extension of the ambitions of the WMS, according to Bill Torrens, sales director for OTTO Motors. However, the “brains” inside each self-driving vehicle interpret real-time conditions to dynamically change its behavior, solving for all the potential variables between the A to B movement that was requested. Instead of a single,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.78
December 29, 2016
Amazon has been working on getting a drone delivery program off the ground for a while now, but some new patents show the company isn't out of wild ideas. As TechCrunch reports, Zoe Leavitt, an analyst for CB Insights, has discovered a recent Amazon patent for an “airborne fulfillment center utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for item delivery” - i.e., a giant flying drone mothership zeppelin warehouse. The patent envisions the airborne fulfillment center (AFC) in the form of a giant airship, that would fly at high altitudes of around 45,000 feet in the air, and would then deploy individual drones…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.90
December 19, 2016
…of all manufacturing supply chains will have the capability, either in-house or outsourced, to enable direct-to-consumption shipments and home delivery.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.24
December 18, 2016
…this year). Ecommerce’s popularity is upping the ante, with delivery playing out as one of the major battlegrounds. A full 50% of customers admit that delivery factors, like delays or costs, are enough to tank a purchase. As a result, two day, same day and then two hour delivery have gradually rolled out across the ecosystem, first as a benefit and increasingly as a bare minimum. Drone delivery is the next frontier, whether by air or land. Amazon first announced the concept of Amazon Prime Air leading up to 2013’s holiday season. While it seemed years away, this week the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 21.56
December 14, 2016
…is pushing forward with its plans for a drone delivery fleet. Today it announced that it’s begun deliveries to two customers in the UK, and will be expanding that to dozens, possibly hundreds, in the coming months. The service is restricted to small items for now, focusing on delivering packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less. On December 7th, 2016, Prime Air delivered its first order - an Amazon Fire TV and bag of popcorn - using a highly automated drone. According to a press release, it took 13 minutes from customer click to package delivery at…
