Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.19
Much of North America's freight travels by tractor-trailer truck on highways, but the addition of autonomy, modularity, and electrification to locomotives could give the older transportation mode new life. Parallel Systems last week came out of stealth and announced that it has raised $49.55 million in its Series A round. The Culver City, Calif.-based startup said it plans to use the funding to build a fleet of rail vehicles, conduct testing, and grow its team. “We founded Parallel to allow railroads to open new markets, increase infrastructure utilization, and improve service to accelerate freight decarbonization,” stated Matt Soule, co-founder and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.98
…this year, with funding flowing to developers of autonomous trucks. Robotic Research OpCo LLC today announced that it has raised $228 million in Series A funding. The Clarksburg, Md.-based company said it will use its first outside capital to drive further innovation and expand its RR.AI division, which is focused on commercializing autonomous driving systems for commercial truck, bus, drayage, and logistics vehicles. “This investment reflects our success in developing autonomous solutions for our U.S. government customers, and [it] will provide the resources needed to meet our growing commercial customer demand and the expansion of our commercial efforts,” said Alberto…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.75
…electric passenger and utility vehicles, and a line of yard trucks for logistics, said the companies. “Perrone aims to deploy its kit at fleet-scale for shuttles, low-speed electric vehicles, cargo vans, and large logistics trucks for municipal, governmental, and commercial customers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia,” said Paul Perrone, CEO of Perrone Robotics. “We needed a lidar partner that could meet demand as we scale production models with our TONY AV retrofit kit. Ouster stood out for its performance characteristics, top-notch support team, and the ability to scale for fleet-level AV deployments.” “We’re excited to partner with Ouster to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 34.07
Embark Trucks Inc., which is developing autonomous technology for the trucking industry, last week announced that it has partnered with Ryder System Inc. The companies plan to launch a nationwide network of up to 100 Embark transfer points, where Ryder will provide yard operations, maintenance, and fleet management to support a seamless coast-to-coast autonomous network for Embark fleet partners. “A fully developed transfer point has to include autonomous truck maintenance services and efficient yard operations,” said Alex Rodrigues, CEO of Embark. “By working with Ryder to offer best-in-class truck services throughout our transfer point network, we’re laying the groundwork for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.71
In addition to autonomous trucks on highways, self-driving cars for urban ride-hailing, and robotic delivery services, autonomous vehicle technology is emerging for yard operations. Unikie is developing and testing a logistics system at Valmet Automotive's automotive factory in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The Automated Factory Parking technology is designed to provide valet parking for cars that do not have autonomous features. “Valmet Automotive is interested in new technologies as a way to gain competitive advantage through improved efficiency and safety for our processes, and it has been interesting to see how the system can manage a production environment,” said Sami Kunvik, manager…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 54.22
Outrider Inc., a provider of autonomous yard trucks for logistics hubs, today said it is the first company to offer advanced, automated tractor-trailer hitching capabilities. This patent-pending technology is now available as part of the Outrider System, which automates distribution yards for large enterprises. More than 10 billion tons of freight moves across the U.S. annually, and most of that freight passes through distribution yards in trailers, said the Golden, Colo.-based company. “Nearly all the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the materials we use are transported by trucks and trailers,” said Andrew Smith, founder and CEO of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.96
…pallets on dunnage. “It's like moving around an industrial yard with heavy lift capacity,” Gordon told Robotics 24/7. “But there are mobility issues—rough terrain is different from most commercial spaces. The APL will bring supplies or equipment to outdoor servicing environments.” The APL prototype builds on Stratom's previous work with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and the U.S. Army on the eXpeditionary Robotic-Platform (XR-P) and eXepditionary Robotic-Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply (XR-FAAR) vehicles. “The XR-P was the first program to show the potential of autonomous loading in and out of aircraft,” said Gordon. “The APL will have similar capabilities in a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 25.42
…mobile robots have been entering facilities for several years, yard trucks are just beginning to benefit from investments in autonomous vehicles. Founded in 2017, ISEE was developed on AI research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The startup asserted that its AI can anticipate unexpected behaviors better than any other system on the market. ISEE said its system provides flexible autonomy so machines can understand human decision making and deliver the versatility needed to automate operations seamlessly. It works alongside human distribution workers to enhance driving capacity, optimize throughput, and improve predictability, said the company. As a result, operators can…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.65
…mission control and took shortcuts. Instead of localization for trucks on screen, they put bells at intersections.” “The mobile robot makers don't always sell their own software, so there's the fear that the installers aren't doing it to the vendor's standard,” he claimed. “The robot manufacturers say, 'We want to sell more robots,' so they see us as a complementary solution.” “Business processes are unique to an organization, so if you define jobs to be done in someone else's software, you're locked in,” said Rocos' Inggs. “By abstracting a mission or a job, we can call a Boston Dynamics robot…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.46
…Houston-based group's portfolio spans five brands – Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Cat lift trucks, Rocla AGV Solutions, UniCarriers Forklifts, and Jungheinrich warehouse and automation products. All products are backed by an extensive dealer network for customer service and product support. Remote ops enable supply chain flexibility Worker safety, availability, and retention are top of mind for every supply chain leader, especially amidst the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Mitsubishi. According to a recent report from Gartner, 87% of chief supply chain officers say they are planning to invest in resilience and agility over the next two years.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.98
…exist 30 feet inside the dock area and also yard management systems (YMS) for the outside activities,” says Pilgrim. “However, that transitional area at the loading dock, and 30 feet inside the door, has basically been left to fend for itself.” Making the grade While some companies continue to rely on Excel spreadsheets, clipboards and verbal communications to manage their docks, others are deploying smart controls, Cloud technology, and data to streamline this area of their operations. To accommodate these needs, Systems LLC began Wi-Fi-enabled smart controllers that companies can use to manage dock operations. “That was the catalyst behind…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.47
…North America, comprising 50 million square feet Assets: 3,000 trucks and 12,500 trailers, including more than 750 temperature-controlled trailers Employees: 13,100+ “Questions about innovation are in every bid we do now,” notes Darin Richards, regional vice president of operations for privately held NFI, a New Jersey-based 3PL operating 50 million square feet of warehouse space in 350 locations around the country, along with a dedicated fleet of more than 3,000 trucks and 12,500 trailers. “For the last two to three years, it’s come up in every quarterly business review with a customer. Everyone is pushing the envelope and asking what…