Security robot maker Knightscope, Inc. this week announced that it has entered into a $100 million common stock purchase agreement with B. Riley Principal Capital. The committed equity facility provides Knightscope with the right, without obligation, to sell and issue up to $100 million of its Class A Common Stock over a period of 24 months to B. Riley at Knightscope’s discretion, subject to certain limitations and conditions. Further details will be contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by Knightscope with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “One of the reasons to publicly list Knightscope was…
Developers are taking more steps toward “lights-out” warehouses that operate autonomously 24/7. Konoike Transport Co. and OSARO Inc. today said they collaborating on a new project at the Konoike Institute of Technology Innovation Center, or KITIC. They said it will showcase Japan’s first prototype of warehouse operations where mobile robots will work with picking robots optimized for e-commerce applications that involve large SKU inventories. “We are honored to be the first in Japan to conduct a demonstration prototype of an OSARO picking solution with an AMR [autonomous mobile robot],” stated Tadatsugu Konoike, director and senior managing executive officer at Konoike…
A new automated vehicle system for your customers is a big project, and getting it wrong could prove to be an expensive exercise. With this in mind, below are five things to consider before adding an automated vehicle to your portfolio. 1. Automate an existing manual vehicle or build an automated one from the ground up? The first thing to consider is whether to automate an existing manually-driven vehicle or create a new automated vehicle from the ground up. There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. Adding automation to an existing vehicle may be more cost-effective than creating a…
Overwatch Imaging, an aviation company, today announced the close of an $11.15 million Series A round. The company said it designs and manufactures precision imaging systems with custom onboard AI software for large-scale, time-critical special mission and civil applications. Founded in 2016 by UAS and airborne imaging experts, Overwatch Imaging designs and manufactures precision imaging systems with custom onboard AI software for large-scale, time-critical special mission and civil applications. It is based in Hood River, Oregon. Specific uses of Overwatch Imaging systems include automated land surveillance, maritime patrol and search, and linear infrastructure inspection. “We have extremely ambitious growth goals…
Sea Machines Robotics Inc. announced today that it and Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC have collaborated on three new ship automation products that will improve safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The companies first announced their collaboration at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2021. “This continued partnership is significant because it brings together a foremost marine power and propulsion solutions provider and the leading developer of advanced and AI-based vessel-control systems,” stated Michael G. Johnson, founder and CEO of Sea Machines. “Our alliance not only increases access to intelligent technologies that can positively impact operators’ bottom lines, productivity, eco-stewardship, and safety, but…
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Last week, Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp. announced it was purchasing RE2 Robotics Inc. for $100 million. Sarcos provides commercial exoskeletons and teleoperated manipulation systems for the utilities, defense, and other industries. The Salt Lake City-based robotics company said it was buying Pittsburgh-based RE2 to expand into new markets. RE2 was formed out of Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center in 2001. The company makes robotic arms that are used in the defense, medical, construction, energy, and undersea industries. Purchase nearly doubles Sarcos engineering team By acquiring RE2, Sarcos said it hopes to be able to broaden its customer…
Excavations are often necessary for utility inspection and maintenance, but they can disrupt traffic, be labor-intensive, and damage adjacent structures and plant life. ULC Technologies today said that it has successfully completed a stakeholder demonstration of its Robotic Roadworks and Excavation System, which has made its U.K. debut. The demonstration was the final milestone of a project with gas distribution network SGN. The U.K. Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, or Ofgem, funded the three-year project. “I'm feeling great. It's been a couple of years that we've been doing this development, and finally seeing the system in action in its…
Geekplus Technology Co. today announced its cross-docking system for autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, in grocery supply chains. The Beijing-based company said it will enable operators to get goods with short shelf lives out to stores more quickly. “AMR-driven cross-docking is a major boon to supermarket operations everywhere,” stated Kai Liu, co-founder and vice president of picking and smart warehouse at Geek+. “By entrusting this crucial step of the supply chain to robotics technology, we can minimize the time foodstuffs spend in storage and maximize the time they are on the shelves where people can enjoy them. This is another…
All societies are looking for innovative solutions. Diversity in workforce is an essential part of developing new technologies, as it brings different perspectives based on experience and education. Relying on a homogeneous engineering team can limit innovation. Women and men have different viewpoints, which is why a gender-diverse workforce enables better problem solving in general. Diversity also refers to other things than sex such as age, ethnicity, socio-economic background—in G100, we look at gender diversity and the role of women in society. In many countries, there are initiatives to increase equality between women and men, but in the tech industry,…
OK, I was a skeptic. Boy, was I wrong! I arrived in Atlanta last week with memories of MODEX 2020 dancing in my head. As anyone who was there remembers, attendance was sparse on the busiest of days. Having attended one event this past January with light traffic, and reading accounts of other events that have struggled to get people in the door, I didn’t know what to expect. Well, MODEX 2022 was perhaps the best trade event I’ve attended in many years. The mood was exuberant, the crowds were there from Monday afternoon through the end of the day…
Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the way business is conducted around the world, including a significant shift toward automation in many industries. With the first quarter of the year behind us, Meili Robots has compiled a list of some of the most noteworthy robotics trends for the rest of 2022. Will robotics hardware become commoditized? The answer is debatable, but software and artificial intelligence promise to make automation more flexible, even as new business models could make robots more affordable. Larger fleets of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), collaborative robots, and new…