Robot orders in Q1 2021 were up 20% over the same period in 2020, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). There were substantial increases in purchases coming from non-automotive industries, including metals (up 86%), life sciences/pharmaceutical/biomed (up 72%), food & consumer goods (up 32%), and others (12%). The post Robot orders for non-automotive […]
This quadruped, called Dyret, automatically adapts its morphology to different conditions in unstructured outdoor environments. The four-legged robot Dyret can adjust the length of its legs to adapt the body to the surface. Along the way, it learns what works best. This way it is better equipped the next time it encounters an unknown environment. […]
Yaskawa announces the availability of two new 4-axis palletizing robots that extend the range of payloads for the Yaskawa PL (palletizing) product line. The Yaskawa PL190 has a 190 kg payload capacity and the Yaskawa PL320 has a 320 kg payload capacity. All of the other technical specifications and dimensions of the PL190 and PL320 […]
Researchers fitted exoskeleton users with cameras and are optimizing computer software to process the video feed to recognize stairs, doors and other surroundings. | Photo Credit: University of Waterloo Robotics researchers are developing exoskeletons and prosthetic legs capable of making control decisions on their own using sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The system combines computer […]
An operator remotely driving a forklift using technology from Phantom Auto. | Photo Credit: Phantom Auto As the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred warehouse and logistics operators all over the world to implement social distancing policies, the work-from-home trend is spreading to an unlikely occupation – material handlers. The post Scaling teleoperation of next-gen material handling […]
The new mobile collaborative robot from Desmasa enables placement of a cobot arm anywhere within a facility | Photo credit: Desmasa Spanish automation integrator Desmasa launched a mobile manipulator platform that it described as a “mobile collaborative robot” (MCR). The design enables the movement of the entire platform so that a collaborative robot (cobot) arm […]
This quadruped relies on a series of valves that open and close in a specific sequence to walk. | Credit: UCSD Engineers at the University of California San Diego have created a four-legged soft robot that doesn’t need any electronics to work. The quadruped only needs a constant source of pressurized air for all its […]
Woodside Energy’s Ripley robot uses reinforcement learning to perform manipulation tasks. | Credit: Amazon Amazon launched SageMaker Reinforcement Learning (RL) Kubeflow Components, an open-source toolkit designed to help manage robotics workflows. SageMaker RL is designed to make it faster to develop machine learning capabilities for everything from perception to controls and optimization. The post Amazon […]
OnRobot’s VGP20 electric vacuum gripper can be used in palletizing applications. | Credit: OnRobot After a busy year product-wise in 2020, OnRobot today released its first new end-of-arm tool (EOAT) for 2021. The VGP20 is an electric vacuum gripper that can handle payloads of 20kg (44.09lbs). OnRobot said the VGP20 is “compatible with all leading […]
Loop-X is a fully robotic mobile intraoperative developed by Brainlab. | Credit: Brainlab The recent availability of these robotic medical devices is bringing a futuristic vision of the modern digital operating room closer to reality supporting surgeons in their day-to-day work and bringing benefits to their patients. The post Brainlab receives FDA clearance for surgical […]
