Editors’ Picks
![](http://scg-robotics.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/2024-08-26_Slamcore_MODEX_Warehouse_Don_Halsing_Robotics247_350_180_60_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.jpg)
![](http://scg-robotics.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/Yale_Reliant_object-detection_350_180_60_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.jpg)
![](http://scg-robotics.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/Rapid-Robotics_RapidID_machine-vision_350_180_60_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.jpg)
![](http://scg-robotics.s3.amazonaws.com/images/made/images/article/2024-08-16_Seegrid-AMR-fleet-1_Robotics247_350_180_60_bor1_b9b3be_s_c1.jpg)
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.70
…and cost. In the realm of ecommerce, pioneers like Amazon relentlessly favored speed. That worked fine for brick-and-mortar retailers when their ecommerce volumes were in the single digits as a percentage of sales. However, given that today’s order volumes are likely here to stay, profitability is a mandatory consideration from here on out. Last-Mile Delivery A simple, back of the envelope SWOT analysis will tell you that retailers with brick-and-mortar stores have an obvious advantage over their direct-to-consumer (D2C) counterparts: their physical store footprint. Several last-mile delivery innovations have spawned from this advantage, including buy online, pick-up in-store and buy…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.26
…suffered hard under the crisis, leading online marketplaces like Amazon and Alibaba were able to expand their market shares during the lockdown and increase online sales during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other e-commerce peak seasons around the globe. China’s online giant, the Alibaba Group, generated a growth merchandise volume (GMV) of $74.1 billion during the 11-day “Global Shopping Festival” campaign in November, an increase of 26% compared to the same timeframe in 2019. In the meantime, Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, processed more than 2.32 billion delivery orders during the same period. Alibaba’s revenue for the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.07
…The team was one of 10 finalists in the Amazon Alexa Prize 2019-2020 for their efforts to build dialog systems that conduct engaging conversations with users. “We believe this approach can be particularly impactful in a variety of user-facing applications, such as recommendation engines in product marketplaces, ad-targeting systems and customer support,” says McAuley. “For these applications, we must provide explanations that are interpretable by laypeople, and those explanations should be personalized to each individual user. Conversational frameworks increase accessibility, facilitate new forms of interaction and make recommender systems more empathetic.” Team: Minghua Liu (Ph.D 2024) and Xiaoshuai Zhang (Ph.D.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.95
…e-commerce and logistics providers, including UPS, FedEx Ground and Amazon. “We are thrilled to have Material Handling Systems join us in South Central Kentucky. Their operations will bring diversity to our manufacturing sector as a leading provider of material handling systems that support a portion of the world’s e-commerce infrastructure,” said Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Ron Bunch. “We look forward to working with them for years to come.” This week’s announcement comes just two weeks after MHS announced plans earlier this month to acquire Michigan-based TGW U.S. Conveyors, formerly Ermanco, Inc., a division of TGW…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.10
…leaders that are setting the pace, like Walmart and Amazon. They are setting the bar on service when they do things like moving from two-day to one-day shipping or Walmart doing same day delivery for groceries, he notes. “As a result, new last-mile fulfillment models are taking shape, such as ship from store and drone delivery.” Pointing out that the future of delivery revenue goes beyond just shipping and delivery cost, Amling says smart companies are “playing offense,” versus attempting to defend their territory. “This is the era of organizational velocity,” he adds, “which is the ability to observe, accept…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.40
…mind, especially as cases spread in high-profile operations like Amazon. However, the impact of the pandemic has also prompted renewed assessments of DC operations on everything from the degree of automation and advanced software necessary in a warehouse today to the importance of building size, work area design and location. The pandemic underscored the growing prevalence of e-commerce fulfillment and the increasing need to mitigate labor and productivity risks through providing a safer, less congested work environment largely enabled through increased automation. It’s important to keep in mind that systems and automation capabilities were developing rapidly before the pandemic. However,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.09
…labor rates as part of what some call the Amazon effect, that makes the return on investment timeframe shorter for robotic lift trucks, down to two years or less for multi-shift operations,” says Paramore. “As a result of all these trends, we expect to see sales of robotic lift trucks increase going forward into the remainder of the year and into 2021 and beyond.” Companies considering robotic trucks do face a much higher price tag for a robotic unit versus a conventional equivalent, but in effect, it’s unrealistic to compare unit costs, explains Paramore, since robotic units are a system…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.61
…one of the official channel partners, which include 3D Printlife, IT-Works 3D, Makerwiz, Midwest Technology, Printed Solid, Mouser and Amazon. SynDaver’s synthetic humans, animal models and task trainers simulate the anatomy of live patients in detail, including individual muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, nerves and organ systems. The company’s synthetic tissues are made of water, fibers and salts, and each has been validated against the relevant living tissue for mechanical and physical properties.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.17
…with FedEx to develop services that could compete with Amazon. A first step was putting in place processes so orders could be picked and shipped the same day they were ordered; that was followed by weekend pickups and then seven-day-a-week deliveries. Instead of positioning inventory in multiple facilities around the country, “one central U.S. distribution center is viable for us.” The subscription model creates more predictable demand and reduces the number of rush orders. Over time, the company outgrew four facilities before the new DC went live in March 2020. The immediate predecessor was an 86,000-square-foot facility located about 10…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.23
…Future by Andrew Yang, Hachette Books (2018). Related Article: Amazon Acquires Autonomous Technology Company Zoox Related Papers Managing the Transition to Driverless Road Freight Transportation This report sets out the findings of an ITF project on managing the transition to driverless road freight transport, directed by José Viegas and managed by Daniel Veryard. Download Now! TuSimple’s Self-Driving Safety Report This Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment describes TuSimple's safety processes and features as well as the progress they’ve made implementing them. Download Now! Bringing Long-Haul Electric Trucks into China This paper addresses two main questions; What are the potential impacts on carbon emissions…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.18
…with FedEx to develop services that could compete with Amazon. A first step was putting in place processes so orders could be picked and shipped the same day they were ordered; that was followed by weekend pickups and then seven-day-a-week deliveries. Instead of positioning inventory in multiple facilities around the country, “one central U.S. distribution center is viable for us.” The subscription model creates more predictable demand and reduces the number of rush orders. Over time, the company outgrew four facilities before the new DC went live in March 2020. The immediate predecessor was an 86,000-square-foot facility located about 10…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 14.79
Amazon Prime Air as an “Air Carrier” As reported by Bloomberg, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated Amazon Prime Air as an “air carrier,” the company said Monday. That allows Amazon to begin its first commercial deliveries in the U.S. under a trial program, using the high-tech devices it unveiled for that purpose last year. Amazon and its competitors must still clear some imposing regulatory and technical hurdles before small packages holding the likes of cat food or toothpaste can routinely be dropped at people’s homes. But the action shows that they’ve convinced the government they’re ready to operate in…