Rockwell Automation
Harmonic Bionics Inc., which is developing robotics technology for augmenting upper-body movement, today said it has secured $7 million in Series A funding. The Austin, Texas-based company said it plans to use the investment to continue its clinical research and ramp up product development as it brings its rehabilitation technology to market. “We have confirmation from many in the field of rehabilitation, from both clinics and research labs, that Harmony SHR brings a truly novel approach to assessing and improving upper-body movement,” stated Christopher Prentice, CEO of Harmonic Bionics. “Our unique robotic technology will first focus on assisting physical and…
One of the biggest challenges facing the growing robotics industry is connecting talent with the right opportunities. On Wednesday, May 19, 2021, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. (Eastern), MassRobotics and MassTLC are hosting a virtual career fair for those interested in careers in robotics and artificial intelligence. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are currently 132,500 robotics engineers in the U.S. Projections show a 9% job market growth from 2016 through 2026. The virtual career fair is intended for all industry job seekers, including both recent graduates and seasoned engineers, computer scientists, vision specialists, mechatronics experts, AI…
AeroVironment Inc., which makes robotic systems for military and public-safety applications, yesterday said it has completed its acquisition of Telerob GmbH for €37.5 million ($45.4 million U.S.). Telerob makes unmanned ground vehicles and other mobile systems. The German government approved the acquisition, which includes the payoff of about €7.8 million ($9.4 million) in Telerob’s debt. “Our acquisition of Telerob marks a significant expansion to our portfolio of intelligent, multi-domain robotic systems, from small and medium unmanned aircraft systems, to tactical missile systems, and now unmanned ground vehicles,” stated Wahid Nawabi, president and CEO of AeroVironment. “We welcome the talented Telerob…
JASCI LLC, which provides warehouse management software as a service, today announced that it has acquired NextShift Robotics, which makes autonomous mobile robots. Lowell, Mass.-based NextShift will operate as JASCI Robotics and said it will focus on warehousing and logistics. A purchase price was not disclosed. Scarcity of warehouse labor and the massive growth of e-commerce are driving interest in automation, said Elmsford, N.Y.-based JASCI. By 2025, as many as 4 million robots could be deployed in more than 50,000 warehouses to meet market demands, according to ABI Research. Over 50% of warehouses will have invested in robotics by 2025…
Software rather than hardware is increasingly becoming the differentiator in robotics applications. Symbio Robotics Inc. yesterday said that it has worked with Ford Motor Co. to deploy an AI-controlled robot at the automaker's Livonia Transmission Plant. The robot is programmed and managed with the SymbioDCS robot-agnostic platform to assemble transmissions for the Bronco Sport, Escape, and Edge vehicles, among others. Founded in 2014, Symbio Robotics said it applies artificial intelligence and automation to improve human-machine collaboration in manufacturing. The Emeryville, Calif.-based company claimed that SymbioDCS enables teams to quickly teach robots to execute tasks, increasing efficiency, improving quality, and reducing…
Precision.AI Inc., which is working on computer vision and robotics for sustainable agriculture, today said it has closed $20 million in equity and grant funding. The Regina, Saskatchewan-based company said it will use the financing to continue developing a precision farming platform that deploys swarms of drones to reduce the use of herbicides in row crop agriculture. “Farms of the future must be sustainable and produce healthier foods,” stated Daniel McCann, founder and CEO of Precision AI. “Using artificial intelligence to target individual weeds is a quantum leap in efficiency and sustainability over today's practices of indiscriminate broadcast application of…
The Kroger Co. and Drone Express today said they are collaborating on a pilot project to offer grocery delivery via autonomous drones in Centerville, Ohio. The partners plan to launch a second pilot at a Ralphs store in California this coming summer. “Kroger's new drone delivery pilot is part of the evolution of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business – which includes pickup, delivery, and ship and reached more than $10 billion in sales in 2020,” stated Jody Kalmbach, group vice president of product experience at Kroger. “The pilot reinforces the importance of flexibility and immediacy to customers, powered…
Path Robotics Inc., which has developed a robotic welding system, said today that it has raised $56 million in Series B funding. The Columbus, Ohio-based company said it plans to use the financing to help it address a shortage of skilled welders in the U.S. The number of people entering the welding workforce in U.S. continues to fall, while the average age of welders continues to grow, said Path Robotics. The demand for welders is increasing at 3% per year, while the supply is decreasing, creating a shortage in the American welding workforce of 400,000 skilled welders by 2024. This…
Investment activity in robotics and related technologies continued to be strong in April 2021, with more than $37.5 billion in recorded transactions. Even setting aside the two largest deals, which focused on artificial intelligence for voice interaction and autonomous vehicles, $7 billion is still significant. Robotics 24/7 tracked more than 70 transactions last month, a slightly higher number than the average for the first quarter of 2021. Companies developing self-driving cars and trucks raised more than $12 billion in April. Industrial automation vendors, which supply manufacturing and supply chain operations, were involved in close to $3 billion in transactions last…
After successfully completing its fourth historic flight on Friday, April 30, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has more plans for the Ingenuity robotic helicopter on Mars. The flight had been delayed because of a software problem, but it then successfully climbed to an altitude of 5 meters (16 feet) and flew about 133 m (436 ft.) and back toward the Perseverance rover for round trip of 117 seconds and 266 m (872 ft.). This flight surpassed the records set in the drone's third flight on April 25. NASA took more pictures with Ingenuity's black-and-white navigation camera and its color…
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