Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.35
…However, it didn't take long for companies such as Amazon and Tesla to realize that “lights-out” facilities are not necessarily as good as those with the right people. That’s why some design innovation experts are now saying that, in order for real progress to take place, businesses and societies must embrace strategies that allow robots and humans to collaborate to build a more sustainable workplace for the future. While human and AI-driven robots have been working together for a while now, today's AI capabilities weren't even on the radar in the earliest days of computing. The sweet spot of optimal…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.33
…jumped to nearly $30 trillion, led by Alibaba and Amazon. This shift in consumer behavior has accelerated the adoption of warehouse automation, as packaging systems are estimated to climb to $69 billion by 2025. At the center of this revolution are unmanned systems. Robots excel at dull, repetitive tasks like moving pallets. However, humans still exceed their mechanical counterparts in delicate creative tasks that require high levels of tactile dexterity. This paradox has led many roboticists to take a dramatically different approach to using mechatronics to streamline productivity. In place of traditional robots to augment labor, these innovators outfit workers…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.33
Amazon has received a lot of attention for its plans to use robotic drones to deliver packages, but there are other, potentially more economically feasible, uses for autonomous drones in the supply chain. Sabrewing Aircraft Co., for example, has developed a pair of cargo carrier drones designed for large payloads (up to 800 lbs.) that could be used to move goods in transportation hubs (like shipping yards or airports). The company recently received more than $2 million in funding from the Drone Fund, Idaten Ventures, and other investors to complete construction of a full-sized, pre-production prototype of its Rhaegal air…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.30
…the research alongside MIT CSAIL Ph.D. student Jie Xu and Agrawal. The research is funded by Toyota Research Institute, Amazon Research Award, and DARPA Machine Common Sense Program. It will be presented at the 2021 Conference on Robot Learning.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.29
…and pasta aisles? Really? It’s happening now. Of course, Amazon’s bots continue to proliferate to fill your e-commerce orders. Meanwhile, Ryder Systems is cycle counting in its smart warehouses with robots from Fetch Robotics. Hollar, which offers products starting at $1 online, has deployed inVia Picker robots at its new Cincinnati warehouse. Don’t overlook companies like family-owned national 3PL Barrett Distribution. It’s using Locus Robotics’ order picking robots to fill orders at its facility in Franklin, MA. “This most recent busy season we were able to utilize the bots to ship a record number of packages with less head count…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.29
…through initiatives such as the ARM Institute's RoboticsCareer.org and Amazon's Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship program. The U.S. Alliance of Robotics Clusters has also set onshoring as a priority. Its members—MassRobotics, Silicon Valley Robotics, and the Pittsburgh Robotics Network—have all pursued their own workforce development initiatives. 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.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.24
…development and testing of the standard version of the Retriever announced earlier this year. Labrador Systems’ investors include SOSV/HAX, Amazon’s Alexa Fund, iRobot Ventures, Grep VC and SkyRiver Ventures. Labrador was awarded a National Science Foundation Phase I SBIR Grant in 2021 and a Joseph F. Engelberger Foundation Robotics Grant for Elder Care in 2022.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.22
…happens, Locus Park will be next door to an Amazon facility. What will happen to your existing facilities? Faulk: The lease on our main building in Wilmington expires in Q1, so we'll be moving sometime in the spring [of 2024]. The other scattered leases will end in the next year or so, giving us the flexibility to get down to one facility. The new building is already going up near I-93. It's an eighth of a mile long, and we're making a lot of progress. We expect to open on time. The Massachusetts talent pool What's Locus Robotics' existing headcount,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.20
…and storage systems. Interroll counts leading brands such as Amazon, Bosch, Coca-Cola, DHL, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, Walmart, and Zalando are among its users. It had a global network of 35 companies with sales of CHF 664.4 million ($720.75 million U.S.) and 2,500 employees as of 2022. Interroll's two-floor facility in Ticino, Switzerland, specialized in techno-polymer injection-molded parts, presented a logistical challenge. Materials handling between production and the logistics area required manual labor because existing systems couldn't provide the necessary flexibility for multi-floor operations in a dynamic environment with people and other equipment moving around. Interroll wanted to increase…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.18
…necessary in SLAM line automation? Stretar: It's like the “Amazon effect”—SLA expectations for fulfillment are down from two days to hours, depending on micro-fulfillment centers and distribution networks. We want to take away as much manual intervention as we can, but there will always be some level of human support. The differentiation between “Can a robot make that decision?” and manual operation is real. I'll be speaking with [enVista] Senior Director Cal Petty at the Parcel Forum in September about the merger of automation and labor. Where would you like to see improvement? Andre: SLAM line automation is a blend…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.16
…her time as the former COO and president of Amazon Robotics. “I am very excited to join the team,” said Villeneuve. “RGo’s technology creates disruptive change in the industry. It reduces cost and adds capabilities to mobile robots in logistics and enables completely new applications in emerging markets including last-mile delivery and service robotics.” LogiMAT 2023 & Robotics Summit & Expo RGo will exhibit its technology at LogiMAT 2023, Europe's biggest annual intralogistics tradeshow, from April 25-27, in Stuttgart, Germany at Booth 6F59. The company will also sponsor and host the panel session “Unlocking New Applications for Mobile Robots” at…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.12
…to build new platforms. From Microsoft and Google to Amazon and Facebook, many companies are experimenting with these technologies. The role of the robot maker, then, is deciding what form factor makes the most sense, said Atkeson. “What you're basically asking is what kind of interface are people going to want to have,” he said. “The answer is a stunning diversity of them.” Atkeson said he believes Musk’s robotic endeavors will bring publicity to the robotics industry. That being said, he wouldn’t be surprised if what Musk’s demonstration isn’t very impressive. He commended Musk for being “technologically strong,” noting that…