Caja Robotics
The ability to control costs and quality is critical when manufacturing high volumes of engine components, according to Ultraseal International. One automotive manufacturer used robotic vacuum impregnation to seal porosity, minimize scrappage, and increase throughput, while also significantly reducing costs, explained Bob Remler, technical sales manager in North America for the Coventry, U.K.-based company. Trends and challenges Demand for die casting is on the rise, with the market projected to grow to $94.1 billion (U.S.) by 2025. In the U.S., the automotive industry is a major user of die casting, with a high proportion of components—including cylinder heads, engine blocks,…
The dearth of women and people of color in technology is well-documented, but there is progress in recognition of role models who can inspire current and future roboticists. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) today named Ayanna Howard, dean of the Ohio State University College of Engineering, as the 2021-2022 ACM Athena Lecturer. The organization cited her “fundamental contributions to the development of accessible human-robotic systems and artificial intelligence, along with forging new paths to broaden participation in computing through entrepreneurial and mentoring efforts.” Howard has conducted research on autonomous decision-making, developed robotic manipulation to aid people with disabilities, and…
Nordex Inc.
Orbbec 3D today said it is working with Microsoft Corp. to develop new products and technologies in the fast-growing 3D imaging category. The partners said they will combine Microsoft’s 3D sensor technology and Orbbec’s camera design know-how, manufacturing capabilities, and unique embedded computing technology. Founded in 2013 in Shenzhen, China, Orbbec said its Astra 3D cameras are designed to be affordable and that Orbbec Persee is “the world's first camera-computer.” The Troy, Mich.-based company said developers of robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer vision will be able to connecting its new sensor to Microsoft's Azure cloud platform for logistics, retail, healthcare,…
Nordex Inc., which manufactures precision electromechanical parts and assemblies, last week said that it has been certified to the AS9100D quality standard by the American Systems Registrar LLC. Brookfield, Conn.-based Nordex said that AS9100D is the “gold standard of quality certifications, building upon ISO9001:2015 to account for the high stakes involved in manufacturing for the aerospace industry.” “AS9100D certification is an important milestone for Nordex,” stated Dan Agius, Jr., co-owner and chief financial officer of Nordex. “We are ready to take our reputation for quality gears, machined parts, and assemblies to new heights by welcoming a wider range of clients…
Software for ease of use has become a differentiator for robots in manufacturing. READY Robotics Corp. today announced the launch of Forge/OS 5, which it described as “the first open, cross-brand operating system for industrial automation.” The Columbus, Ohio-based company said that its offering will enable machine builders and software developers to create applications that scale across robot and automation brands. “For robotics to reach the scale we need as a society, we must make it easier for end users, and we must make it easier for developers,” stated Benjamin Gibbs, co-founder and CEO of READY Robotics. “As we’ve seen…
As the open-source community has continued building on the Robot Operating System or ROS, it has also received support from major software vendors. Last month, Amazon Web Services Inc. announced support for ROS 2 Foxy Fitzroy, the latest long-term support release for ROS 2, as well as the Gazebo 11 simulation engine and the Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) operating system. Seattle-based Amazon Web Services (AWS) said that “ROS 2 Foxy is the most secure and reliable ROS distribution to date for production robotics application development.” While AWS RoboMaker no longer supports ROS Kinetic, its support of ROS 2 Foxy Fitzroy…
Assistive technology maker Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc. today said it has expanded its partnership with Kindred Healthcare LLC. Richmond, Calif.-based Ekso said it will supply its EksoNR to four of Kindred’s long-term, acute-care hospitals in Florida. The multi-unit order follows a successful pilot of the exoskeleton last year. “We are excited to expand our partnership with Ekso Bionics and build on our leadership position in acute patient services with the addition of these innovative EksoNR devices,” stated Mike Warrington, president of Kindred Healthcare’s Hospital Division. “The EksoNR, combined with its specialized gait training, has proven to deliver game-changing results in…
Distributed control and monitoring of autonomous and remote-controlled robots, drones, and vehicles must work even when connectivity is unreliable. This is critical for systems in mining, underwater, and aerospace applications. Real-Time Innovations Inc. today announced the release of RTI Connext 6.1, the latest version of its software framework for cyber-physical systems. Real-Time Innovations (RTI) said Connext shares data directly, connecting artificial intelligence algorithms to real-time networks of devices. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said its software has more than 1,500 designs and runs over 250 autonomous vehicle programs, coordinates combat management for U.S. Navy ships, and is used in medical robotics.…
Innovusion Inc. today said it has raised $64 million in Series B financing. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it will use the funding to increase its production capabilities, support supply chain partners, and expand its its research and development around advanced lidar (light detection and ranging) technologies. Innovusion said its sensors are widely used across autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and high-speed rail transit systems. The company's stated mission is to empower safer and smarter mobility through lidar technology research, product safety, and efficient cost structures. “I am optimistic about lidar’s role in the future of autonomous driving and automakers' adoption…
Ottopia Technologies Ltd. today said that its teleoperation software is now available on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform. NVIDIA DRIVE is an open, software-defined, end-to-end platform that the transportation industry is using to develop autonomous vehicles at scale. Mission-critical systems such power plants and aircraft require human supervision. Similarly, a human must be in the loop, or present, for most safe autonomous vehicle operations, said Tel Aviv, Israel-based Ottopia. “With Ottopia as an NVIDIA DRIVE ecosystem partner, developers can now access a universal teleoperation option for safe remote monitoring with tight integration to the DRIVE platform,” said Rammy Bahalul, director…