Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.54
…automation and workforce evolution within the industry.” “Like many industries, the solar construction industry is experiencing significant worker shortages post-COVID and has not yet recovered,” said Laura Peterson, interim president and CEO of Sarcos. “Our autonomous robotic solar construction system is expected to ease these workforce challenges while improving overall safety and speed in the solar installation process.” Sarcos said it designs, develops, and manufactures mobile robots and software to enable the safest, most productive workforces in the world. The Salt Lake City-based company said its systems can operate in challenging environments for aviation, marine, and solar applications.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.42
…their operations. “Demand is not down,” Koffarnus said. “The [COVID-19] pandemic, if anything, increased demand to a new level. We still need to move the same amount of goods with less labor, and you have to rely on technology to be able to do that. There’s no other way to do it.” Augmenting labor top of mind for food and bev The food and beverage market is growing fast. In the “Food and Beverages Global Market Report 2023,” The Business Research Co. said it expects it to reach to $9.23 billion by 2027. To keep up with this demand, deliver…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.74
…China, helping prepare orders for delivery within 42 hours. Post-COVID, we're seeing more “buy online, pick up in store,” shifting distribution. Some operators are looking to turn stores into large warehouses, increasing efficiency without increasing staff. We're expanding in the U.S. to address widespread labor shortages. What mobile robots has ForwardX displayed at recent trade shows? Guan: At ProMat, we showed three types of AMRs. The smaller Flex has capacity up to 661 lb. for piece picking. The Max is a pallet-size AMR with 1,322-lb. capacity. Other robots can only handle small unit picking, but the majority of warehouses need…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.71
…full employment. The trillions injected into the economy during COVID-19 led to an inflationary effect, which could become intrinsic, but the central banks will have to see. Was Shopify's sale of mobile robot company 6 River Systems to Ocado (itself said to be up for purchase by Amazon.com) a sign of weakness in certain segments? Sharma: Supply chain issues were a big problem during the pandemic, as well as high demand from consumers. Home delivery had become critical, and then there were shortages on the worker side. You'd think that supply chains and warehousing would already be automated, but at…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.00
While the COVID-19 pandemic increased interest in robots for disinfection and social distancing, robots also promise to help shorthanded hospital staffs diagnose patients while reducing the spread of pathogens. Touchlab yesterday said that a hospital in Finland is using its Välkky system, which is designed to give remote clinicians a sense of touch. “In the past, telerobots have been limited to being able to see, hear, and speak on behalf of the people using them,” stated Dr. Zaki Hussein, CEO of Touchlab. “Now, thanks to our innovative e-skin technology, robots like Välkky can ‘feel’ too—and not only on their fingertips.”…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.69
…advice We've seen macroeconomic headwinds including trade conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages, and now inflation and less-available venture capital. How can startups proceed? Singh: We invest for long-term trends, but they have to be mindful of the need to raise money every 18 to 24 months. We continue to look for new approaches and make investments, but we need to make sure there's demonstrable success in the short term. It's harder to raise money for people already in the middle of it. Their companies might have raised funding four to six years ago but didn't have technical proof or…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.54
…partly in response to travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They allowed 31 teams from 40 universities across four continents to test their artificial intelligence drivers and determine their readiness to compete in on-track competitions. The IAC said it plans to re-launch its simulation races with AWF “to expand the number of university teams developing and training novel AI driving algorithms.” The SIM races widen access for teams to participate in autonomous racing by reducing the barriers of funding or physical car availability, noted the organizations. “We worked closely with IAC to enable the reference autonomy software on the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.40
…faced financial challenges after the e-commerce boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, the largest AMR and ASRS providers still had a strong presence, such as Locus Robotics, Mobile Industrial Robots, and AutoStore. The trends toward heavy-duty mobile robots for palletizing, such as those from Zebra Technologies, and robots for reaching high storage, such as from Hai Robotics and Exotec, were also in evidence. “So much education still has to happen,” said Jennifer Samples, vice president at AMR provider ForwardX Robotics. “We have three levels of clients: people who know they need automation but don't know where to begin, others…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.72
…2022. North American industrial robot sales rebounded after the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on image to enlarge. Source: IFR Automate will return The IFR released its North American robotics report during Automate, which the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) claimed is “the largest robotics and industrial automation trade show in North America.” A3 last week reported that North American robot orders declined in the first quarter of 2023. Automate will return in 2024 and then continue annually. McCormick Place in Chicago will host next year’s event from May 6 to 9, and in 2025, the event will be back in Detroit.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.21
…for more efficient warehouse operations has continued as the COVID-19 pandemic abated and in spite of recessionary fears. For example, DHL Supply Chain this week said it will be growing its fleet of autonomous mobile robots, or AMRs, from Locus Robotics. At the same time, some AMR users faced more uncertainty with the news of Shopify Inc.'s layoffs and sale of 6 River Systems to Ocado Group PLC. According to industry observers, relatively few mobile robot suppliers are profitable, but most agreed that Locus is one of them. DHL Supply Chain said it plans to deploy Locus Origin robots across…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.35
…of an Existing Product.” Pandemic poses competitive lessons The COVID-19 pandemic provided many lessons on how to manage facility development and how to reduce the risk of entry during periods of economic uncertainty, said Hai Robotics. Back in 2020 to 2021, many businesses held off purchasing robots and automation, it recalled. Then, when those businesses returned to their advancement plans after the initial COVID recession, material and equipment backlogs were at an all-time high, said the company. Lead times exceeded 12 months for certain systems. Businesses that were desperate to speed up plans that were already delayed by spending pauses…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.18
…reduced their workforces, as e-commerce growth slowed because the COVID-19 pandemic abated. Examples included Seegrid and IAM Robotics. In January, 6RS announced integrated offerings with Soft Robotics, Fast Lane and Packout. Source: 6 River Systems Experts react to 6 River Systems news Robotics 24/7 asked the following experts about their thoughts on 6 River Systems changing hands and trends in the wider mobile robotics market. Fady Saad, general partner, Cybernetix Ventures Ash Sharma, managing director, Interact Analysis Oliver Mitchell, partner, ff Venture Capital Did this come as a surprise to you? If not, why not? Saad: In a sense, yes,…