The Toyota Research Institute, or TRI, has developed soft grippers for domestic robot hands and today said it is sharing the design source files and full build instructions to help advance the technology. It is offering the materials on Punyo.tech so research institutions and aspiring roboticists can build their own Punyo Soft Bubble Grippers. “The soft robotics community is small, and the visuotactile sensing community is even smaller,” said Alex Alspach, manager of the Robotics Tactile Team at TRI and the lead developer of the Punyo Soft Bubble Gripper. “By sharing the blueprints for this gripper with the world, we…
WiBotic Inc. and Clearpath Robotics Inc. today announced the availability of wireless charging kits for the Jackal and Husky unmanned ground vehicles. The kits can either be installed on new robots before they are shipped or retrofitted to existing robots with standard tools and simple instructions, the companies said. “Clearpath has been revolutionizing autonomous robotics for over a decade,” stated Ben Waters, CEO of WiBotic. “Their robots operate across a wide array of rugged environments, from construction sites to oil refineries, to railroad tunnels. With WiBotic technology built into their new wireless charging kits, the Jackal and Husky robots can…
Aerial drones were initially associated with military applications, but they can also be used in disaster recovery. Airwayz today announced that Ayalon Highways Co., an Israeli governmental company, has awarded it a contract to provide drones for investigating missile damage to civilian buildings and infrastructure in two towns. Airwayz claimed that it will be the first time that multiple drone fleets operate in the same urban airspace. The fleets will be managed by Airwayz unmanned traffic management (UTM) and use its unmanned aerial systems (UASes) as a service. The Israeli civil defense, fire, and police services will use drone footage…
Mobile Industrial Robots ApS today announced a strategic collaboration with Koch Industries that includes global evaluation of autonomous mobile robots. Guardian Industries, a subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., began working with Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) last year. It had tested different systems for automating in-house transportation to optimize productivity and internal workflows. A cross-functional effort led by the company's Manufacturing Transformation Team allowed to deploy MiR robots in pilot projects at two sites in the U.S. The success of these pilot projects resulted in the agreement between Koch Industries and Mobile Industrial Robots. “We have entered into this strategic agreement…
Among the challenges facing factories and warehouses as they adopt robots is the use of unique or proprietary operation systems, navigation systems, and fleet management software. An interoperability layer is emerging, with several software vendors, standards groups, and integrators taking on the challenge of getting equipment and systems to communicate. Real-Time Innovations today announced that 634AI Ltd. has selected RTI Connext DDS to connect its MAESTRO and autonomous mobile robots. “The motivation for creating our MAESTRO system was helping our customers transform the way they fulfil everyday indoor tasks,” stated Onn Fenig, CEO of 634AI. “RTI Connext DDS helped us…
Flytrex Aviation Ltd. today said it is expanding its drone delivery service in Fayetteville, N.C., after receiving approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate its drone systems above people. The Tel Aviv, Israel-based company said the FAA waiver will allow it to make the largest-scale backyard drone deliveries to date. With more than 50 years of aerospace and defense experience, Flytrex claimed that its direct-to-consumer service lets retailers and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) cater to a wider customer base with faster, safer, and cheaper deliveries than ever before. The company added that it is helping to set new drone safety…
Seegrid Corp. today announced the creation of its Blue Labs internal research and development group. The Pittsburgh-based robotics supplier said it expects the group to build on its proprietary, artificial intelligence to accelerate its expansion in the manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics sectors. Seegrid provides autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), the Fleet Geek and Supervisor software, and services for connected materials handling automation. It also offers product design, deployment, change management, user training, and data consultation services. “Blue Lab’s team of talented researchers anticipate quickly revealing additional pathways to transform material handling for incorporation into Seegrid AMR and software solutions,” stated Todd…
Applied Manufacturing Technologies, an automation engineering company supporting manufacturers, robot companies, systems integrators, line builders, and automation users worldwide, today announced a strategic partnership with robotic tooling and software manufacturer Soft Robotics Inc. “We have seen a sharp uptick in requests to provide specialized material handling solutions for a variety of industries,” stated Rick Vanden Boom, vice president of sales at Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT). “We are excited to partner with Soft Robotics as a preferred system integrator to best take advantage of their unique gripping technologies and software.” Founded in 1989, Applied Manufacturing Technologies said it has more than…
End-user
One set of robotics applications that benefits the most from increasing levels of autonomy is drone inspections. Exyn Technologies has been developing autonomous aerial drones for complex, GPS-denied environments. The Philadelphia-based company is a spin-out of the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP Laboratory and said it suppports the mining, logistics, and construction industries with its “full-stack solution.” In March, Exyn Technologies announced that it had expanded its strategic partnerhsip with Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions to integrate Exyn's data with Sandvik's OptiMine analytics and process optimization suite. The partners said mining companies can use the ExynAero drone with ExynAI-powered onboard mapping…
Machine vision firm SiLC Technologies Inc. today announced a $17 million Series A funding round. The Monrovia, Calif.-based company said it plans to use the investment to expand operations and accelerate design and development in preparation for production and product launch. SiLC was founded in 2018 by a team with more than 25 years of experience in photonics, product development, and manufacturing. The startup said it uses a proprietary, silicon-based semiconductor fabrication process to manufacture its chips at scale. SiLC said its standard, automated integrated circuit-style assembly enables robust, cost-effective, and compact optical components. The company claimed that it has…
Last week, CUREXO Corp. announced that its independently developed CUVIS-spine spinal surgery robot has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Seoul, South Korea-based company noted that it is the third license it has acquired, in addition to Korean approval in 2019 and European CE certification last year. CUREXO was founded in 2006 and acquired the assets of U.S.-based ISS in 2007. It claimed to have developed the “world’s first fully automatic surgical robot.” In addition, the company said it took over the healthcare services sector of Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. as part of its efforts to…