Editors’ Picks




Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.67
…growth of businesses. They don't have to be an Amazon or a Walmart. What are some of the advantages of automation for smaller companies? Martinelli: In a smaller company, there are fewer layers to sell through. If the CEO decides, it happens. Larger companies plan buildings over three to 10 years. RightHand, partners promise to ease robot adoption How have your partnerships helped widen robotics adoption? Martinelli: For example, our partnership with Element Logic brings design, installation, and support to 12 countries. Our guys support them with training. These things take time, but we're starting to see the fruit of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.66
…proponents. Next-day delivery, made omnipresent by leaders such as Amazon, grew to include same-day delivery in many markets. Consumers also showed an eagerness to capitalize on the convenience e-commerce offers in new sectors. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s latest survey estimates that e-commerce accounted for 14.5% of all retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2021 and that online purchases were $870.8 billion for the year, a 14.2% increase over 2020. The takeaway is clear: The pandemic prompted people to shop online, and many will continue to do so even after they return to brick-and-mortar stores. This is important for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.65
…robots (AMRs), said the company. Large customers such as Amazon.com Inc. can also use the board for sensor evaluation instead of development, noted Yeganegi. “It's not just another development board; it's so much more,” he said. “Depending on the SKU purchased, it comes with all the hardware, plus software libraries and ROS 1 and ROS 2 drivers in open-source format.” TDK's software also supports obstacle detection, floor and cliff detection, heading computation, and motor control application progamming interfaces (APIs), as well immediate responses to voice commands for “Hi, TDK, go,” “Stop,” “Left,” and “Right,” he added. For more commands, customers…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.64
…were used in robots and other systems. As with Amazon.com Inc.'s purchase of Kiva Systems taking Kiva's mobile robots off the market but creating opportunities for other companies, so too could the absence of Intel's RealSense help computer vision startups. In May, Orbbec said it was collaborating with Microsoft Corp. to develop new time-of-flight imaging products. Lidar, radar, and other sensors are a large part of the expense for robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles. There has also been some market consolidation, as seen in Ouster's acquisition of Sense Photonics. David Chen, co-founder and head of engineering at Orbbec, shared with…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.64
…variants. Stretar: Even if you're not competing directly with Amazon, we see pressure for speed to market and differentiation. We continue to see interest in some sectors, such as groceries. We have a couple of big retailers that are looking at G2P and AutoStore because trying to find land for new facilities is a long process. One electronics provider in the Columbus, Ohio, area wiped out 60% to 70% of a building for an automated storage and retrieval [ASRS] system, with a ton of success. Another client in Upstate New York, a sporting goods retailer, is looking at Brightpick. ROI…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.63
…52% savings off the MSRP of $2,499. After the crowdfunding, customers can purchase LUBA directly from Mammotion or via Amazon later this year. Mammotion said it expects to begin shipping LUBA later this month. LUBA will be available in the following countries: the U.S., Canada, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.61
…an open platform. AWS IoT RoboRunner Offers Central Repository Amazon Web Services recently announced AWS IoT RoboRunner, which collects and combines data from each type of robot in a fleet and standardizes data types like facility, location, and robotic tasks in a central repository. Developers can use AWS IoT RoboRunner's APIs and software libraries to build applications on top of the centralized repository for use cases such as task orchestration, space management, and robot collaboration. “With AWS IoT RoboRunner, enterprises can improve efficiency of robotics fleets and reduce costs of running robotic operations,” said AWS. “They want to be the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.55
The march of e-commerce now has Amazon advertising two-hour food deliveries in select cities. In this environment, more shippers face pressure to deliver goods at a faster pace, all while keeping costs under control. To cope, many organizations are pinning their hopes on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT). But when will these “emerging” technologies form practical applications that solve logistics pain points? To find out how these emerging technologies are evolving into logistics relevance, we talked to top consultants and analysts. We found that AI is already being…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.55
…future - for many businesses, it’s the present. While Amazon has been the front-runner in this field, they have kept most of their advances to themselves. Thankfully, numerous companies have stepped into the breach to develop similar autonomous robots and other automated systems, which shepherd pallets and individual items around the warehouse. The advantages of automation are numerous. Autonomous vehicles and robots can be more reactive, as they receive an order from a WMS and immediately know where to go to carry it out. They also present safety benefits, as they can support heavy loads and pose no risk of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.54
…this area. UberRUSH for parcels, Postmates, Deliv, Lynk and Amazon Flex provide spot-market deliveries by independent drivers are examples of the changing landscape. LSPs tender delivery jobs on their apps to alert drivers. Picking up and delivering ad hoc isn’t as efficient as delivering something where you have strong route management, with items in your truck and you know where you’re going. But technology overcomes this challenge to leverage vehicle utilization, and those with a bike who want to earn extra money can also do so. These services have limited geographic reach and are not yet widespread like the legacy…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.52
…ecosystem for people just getting started or for an Amazon or Procter & Gamble that is further along in their journey.” Standards and partnerships In addition to ease of use, standards for safety and interoperability are crucial to encouraging businesses to use robotics. “Safety is critical,” Burnstein said. “The Washington Post recently talked to me and Boston Dynamics, and it reported that one of the main barriers to robot butlers in the home is the technology for working in different environments is still not there yet.” “Standards are always going to be a critical issue,” said Burnstein. “We're working on…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.50
…chain space,” Saad said, referring to what is now Amazon Robotics. “6 River Systems was started by folks who were ex-Kiva, so again, they were coming the logistics space. Locus Robotics was started by Quiet Logistics.” ROI potential needs to be clear and customer feedback strong Neel Mehta Mehta said G2 Venture Partners focuses on companies that are in a growth stage—think Series B+ funding rounds—and have demonstrated a strong return on investment (ROI) for their customers. “A lot of our diligence as we get up to speed on companies, a lot of that comes from customer signaling,” he said.…