Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.33
…one of 21 winners of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge, which aims to boost economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The collaborative was awarded a $62.7 million grant to fund five regional projects focused on robotics adoption and commercialization and related workforce development. Together, these projects are designed to provide long-term opportunities for individuals, businesses, and communities in southwestern Pennsylvania to participate in its growing robotics and automation sector. The collaborative is led by a governing board co-chaired by Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University, and Stefani Pashman, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.58
…often pause before putting it into production. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe a lot of companies bought what they could because of supply chain challenges, knowing they might not need it right away. Another factor was that a lot of non-automotive customers are pretty new to robotics. They're figuring out how to successfully apply automation and get ROI [returns on investment]. It may take them a while to implement robotics, but as they get more comfortable, they'll eventually purchase more. Speaking of non-automotive robot usage, do you expect that to continue growing as a portion of total sales? Burnstein:…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.02
…Reshoring and nearshoring After trade conflicts with China, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other supply chain challenges, the U.S. and other countries have encouraged the production of automobiles, processors, and other goods closer to home. The CHIPS Act and Build Back Better Act have directed federal funds to reshoring for the computer and infrastructure industries, respectively. More than half of U.S. manufacturing CEOs said they intended to reshore some production, found a survey conducted by Xometry with Forbes and polling firm John Zogby Strategies. At the same time, “nearshoring” efforts will also add automation and jobs. “In fact, we're more likely…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.00
…of membership and business intelligence at A3. ”After this post-COVID surge, however, we’re seeing a drawback in purchases, exacerbated by the slow economy and high interest rates,” he added. “While many companies continue to automate, others just don’t have the capital to invest right now, despite their struggle to find workers willing to do many of the dull, dirty and dangerous jobs that remain unfilled.” The ongoing labor shortage remains a key driver of automation, especially in manufacturing, which was down another 2,000 jobs in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An increasing trend towards reshoring tasks…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.61
…staffers have come under tremendous stress, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. German Bionic today officially introduced its Apogee+ powered exoskeleton to the North American healthcare market. The company said it designed the technology as a “personal lift assist.” “With its full range of features, our new Apogee+ power suit is designed to help ease the extremely demanding working conditions in these system-critical professions, making the jobs safer and more sustainable,” said Armin G. Schmidt, founder and CEO of German Bionic, in a release. “Based on our early success in the European market, we firmly believe that our smart companions will…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.75
…purchasing efficiencies and manage supply pipelines, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the adoption of robotics at the distribution center, the order-picking process involved team members pushing carts weighing nearly 300 lb. up and down each aisle, guided by voice technology through headsets. While software already helped make picking routes efficient, the heavy carts limited speed and made the picking process physically taxing for team members, explained Celiberti. BISC benefits from collaborative mobile robots With its newly implemented process, the days of team members pushing heavy carts across the warehouse are gone, said BayCare. The robots are being deployed in…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.14
…billion in fiscal year 2022, began to answer before COVID-19. That’s when it launched the reinvention of the supply chain that largely supports the Macy’s brands. One metric for the company is the “inventory productivity,” according to Dennis Mullahy, chief supply officer at Macy's. “If I can generate the same amount of sales with the least number of inventory receipts and fewer moves, I can maximize inventory productivity,” he said. Macy's strategy demonstrates that supply chain innovation can have a positive impact on an organization’s bottom line. In its financial report for the fourth quarter of 2022, Adrian Mitchell, Macy’s…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.45
…have sent people who walked on the moon. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unexpected reduction in the budgets allocated by many countries for space programs in 2021, but the reduction wasn’t very significant for any of them. Click on image to enlarge. Source: Euroconsult Still, the opportunities for space robotics to grow are huge. In fact, the market for space robotics could grow from $3.16 billion in 2023 to $4.75 billion in 2027, according to a report by Stratview Research. Due to factors both economic and experiential, not many private-sector players have made significant progress in this field. Even…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.63
From trade conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic to chronic labor shortages, supply chains have been under stress for the past few years. CloudSort Corp. claimed that it has “reimagined” how to move packaged goods, starting with the middle mile between distribution centers and warehouses. The Seattle-based company said its cloud-based network can optimize shipping operations through its partnerships with carriers and warehouses to sort cargo and increase its density, as well as more efficiently use warehouse space. Founded in 2019, CloudSort said it challenges the conventional “hub and spoke” transportation model, which is expensive to build and maintain and closed…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.22
…long been a concern for older adults, but the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the epidemic of isolation, according to a recent advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General. Over the past year, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and Intuition Robotics have provided ElliQ to more than 800 New Yorkers to determine the efficacy of artificial intelligence in providing companionship to older adults. The goal was to combat loneliness, foster engagement, improve health and wellness, and support aging in place. ElliQ engages older adults Intuition Robotics said it has designed ElliQ to be “a proactive care companion for older…
Found in Robotics White Papers & Archives, with a score of 9.97
…long is of much greater importance. On top of COVID-related challenges, other major changes in the market are afoot too. These include so-called ‘masscustomization’ which, for warehouses, means that the product lines they have to store and deliver are liable to change size and shape at short notice. As well as demands for ever more rapid delivery. An AMR solution usually presents several major benefits compared to fixed automation: it is more cost-effective, it is faster to deploy, it is more flexible, and it is easier to scale. New mobile robot solutions are enabling robots to select individual totes and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.84
…their industrial computing technology and AMR software, respectively. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing labor shortages have created a surge in demand for mobile robots, which offer operational efficiency and flexibility, noted MOV.AI. AMR shipments increased by 53% in 2022 and could grow at an annual rate of about 50% through 2027, resulting in a total of 4 million installed units, according to Interact Analysis. In addition, the analyst firm predicted that revenue could grow by 30% to 40% annually between 2022 and 2027. With only 14% of warehouses having adopted at least one order-fulfillment AMR as of 2021, “the potential…