Andy Weber, U.S. President Barack Obama’s former assistant secretary of defense, has joined the team at HowToRobot and Gain & Co as a board advisor. The sister companies said Weber brings a wealth of geopolitical and global supply chain knowledge that will be useful as the Danish companies just opened offices in Chicago. The robotics group said it supports North American and European manufacturing companies in transforming their operations with robot automation. In less than five years, the companies said they have established themselves as major intermediary between robot buyers and sellers globally. Gain & Co is a consulting firm…
Waymo LLC Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana announced this week that the autonomous vehicle technology company will soon start offering fully driverless rides in San Francisco with no safety driver on board. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company has been testing its Waymo One Trusted Tester program in the city since August. A selected number of San Francisco residents have been able to request rides in the Waymo Driver—a modified Jaguar I-Pace equipped with the company's fifth-generation self-driving technology. As part of the program, an autonomous specialist is along for each ride. “Product updates like these are the result of careful improvements we’ve…
Automobile Parts Producer Used Nipper AGVs to Meet its Resource Optimization Goals
As mobile robots make millions of trips across facility floors, the surfaces need to be durable and reliable. Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products LLC today announced that it has promoted Scott McGill to vice president of sales. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based company said the move recognizes McGill's talent and value to the organization. It also said the appointment reflects Cornerstone's growth in the material handling and supply chain industries. For more than 20 years, Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products has led research and development in the field of engineered wood floor panels. In 1994, Greg Doppler, founder and president of Cornerstone, invented the…
RE2 Robotics Inc. today announced that the Maritime Mine Neutralization System, or M2NS, has reached an “unprecedented” depth of more than 1 km (3.9 mi.) during a recent open-water demonstration for the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research, the project’s sponsor. “These tests allowed us to demonstrate the continuing success of the M2NS project for the U.S. Navy,” said Jack Reinhart, vice president of project management at RE2 Robotics. “The progress we made during these deep dives shows that we could successfully complete an underwater supervised autonomous mission at depths of more than 1,000 meters without any damage to the…
During MODEX 2022, RIOS Intelligent Machines Inc. is presenting a seminar, “Getting Started with Robots as a Service: Robotic Workcells to immediately Increase Productivity and Supplement Labor.” Mandy Dwight, vice president of business development, and Dr. Clinton Smith, co-founder and chief technology officer, will present RIOS's session on robotics-as-a-service (RaaS). Facilities and operations can gain insights on how to maximize profit streams with the RaaS model with no upfront costs or large, unforeseen maintenance fees. RIOS also said that attendees can learn how robotic workcells as a service is transforming businesses every day and increasing productivity, despite limited labor resources.…
Next week at the MODEX 2022 supply chain trade show, Universal Robots ApS will have several live demonstrations highlighting how its customers are using its collaborative robots. Odense, Denmark-based Universal Robots (UR) is the market leader in the cobot space, with a 44% to 47% market share. Cobots go to work depalletizing At Universal Robots' booth B2805, visitors will learn how automation company Mujin is using Universal Robots' UR10e for mixed case depalletizing. “Collaborative robots have completely changed the way industry utilizes robotics,” says Josh Cloer, director of sales at Mujin. “UR brings flexibility, ease-of-use and ready-to-deploy tools making it…
As e-commerce accelerates demand for warehouse automation, robots need to become more perceptive and smarter. At its Spring 2022 GPU Technology Conference, or GTC, NVIDIA Corp. today announced the availability of its Jetson AGX Orin developer kit and its Isaac Nova Orin architecture for autonomous mobile robots. “Modern fulfillment centers are evolving into technical marvels — facilities operated by humans and robots working together,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. He said new processors, software, and simulation capabilities will lead to “the next wave of AI,” including robots able to “sense, plan, and act.” NVIDIA claimed its invention…
Bosch Rexroth AG is planning to acquire a majority stake in Kassow Robots ApS to add collaborative robots to its portfolio. The Lohr a. Main, Germany-based automation machinery manufacturer said the Kassow cobots will be used in the company’s new technology focused factories that use robotics, artificial intelligence, 5G, and more to increase production. The companies call them “factories of the future.” “Collaborative industrial robots are another important building block for the versatile factory of the future,” stated Dr. Marc Wucherer, a member of Bosch Rexroth’s Executive Board who oversees sales and factory automation. “The lightweight robots from Kassow can…
As supply chains struggle with shifting consumer behavior and widespread labor shortages, robotics providers must demonstrate the value of their offerings. Berkshire Grey Inc. and Swisslog Holding AG today announced that they are partnering to help customers with automation, with an initial focus on the Americas. “Swisslog is excited to partner with Berkshire Grey,” stated Markus Schmidt, president of Swisslog Americas. “We view this as a first step in a fruitful relationship with Berkshire Grey. “Together, we will continue to shape the future of data-driven, robotic solutions by providing the next generation of warehouse automation and creating reliable and unparalleled…
Reaching your customer in 2022 Companies are looking at new ways to reach out to customers that will give them a chance to stay engaged direct to customers. This gives them a unique touchpoint almost akin to grasping the customers’ hand to feel the pulse. What better way than getting a touchpoint to improve the customer experience. Thanks to digital technologies and modern material handling techniques, companies can safely implement strategies that give its end customers a good feel of the order handling process of their suppliers. A good mix of hardware and software working in harmony and interfacing with…
To help it move and assemble 3D-printed parts, Ford is taking advantage of a cobot on wheels developed by KUKA Systems Corp. at its Ford Advanced Manufacturing Center in Redford, Mich. The company said the robot is always on time, precise, and only needs to take short breaks to recharge. Ford’s additive manufacturer operators even gave it a name – “Javier.” While the process itself is autonomous, Ford operators are responsible for uploading 3D designs to the printer and maintaining the machinery, and for engineering new ways to use the technology. All night long The KUKA robot lets Ford operate…