Editors’ Picks




Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 13.00
…reported by Rob Smith, National Retail Reporter, CoStar Group, Amazon, the online innovator that changed retailing, now has plans for a futuristic airborne fulfillment center where it would use drones to deliver goods. The e-commerce giant was granted a patent for the concept last month, and it has another pending for a vertical warehouse that looks more like a skyscraper than a distribution center. The cutting-edge ideas show how far developers may have to go to address the growing demand for industrial space as more Americans shop online. Already, the first multistory warehouses in the U.S. are scheduled to open…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.68
…to begin food delivery in Virginia using the same drone technology it now uses in food logistics in Australia. Amazon introduced its Prime Air delivery drone last June, with the intent to deliver food from the Amazon platform. Finally, Uber Eats is testing the first ever commercial application of drone food delivery in high-density urban areas. The initial customer tests will showcase what the future of food logistics may look like for millions of consumers worldwide.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.67
Addverb today announced that it has partnered with Amazon Web Services to improve the efficiency of its warehouse automation solutions. The partnership with AWS will allow Addverb to leverage the cloud platform's machine learning, analytics, and Internet of Things, or IoT, connectivity capabilities to enhance the capabilities of its robotic solutions. Founded in 2016, Addverb offers AI-enabled fixed & flexible automation solutions. The company said its AI- driven solutions and software are designed specifically to serve the global e-ecommerce, warehouse distribution and manufacturing industries. Addverb is a global technology company with headquarters in North America, India, Netherlands, and Singapore. AWS…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.66
…former vice president and distinguished engineer in robotics at Amazon, today announced that he and his team have raised $10 million to launch Collaborative Robotics. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based startup said it will use the funding to quickly onboard strategic new hires, accelerate research and development, and build out its infrastructure. “There are more warehouse and manufacturing jobs than people willing to do them,” wrote Porter in a blog post. “Healthcare has experienced the type of spike that can only be handled with greater automation. In manufacturing, we’ve woken up to the urgent need to electrify everything and new companies…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.63
Leading into this week's re:Invent event, Amazon Web Services has announced the launch of AWS IoT RoboRunner, a new service intended to make it easier for companies to build and deploy applications for robotic fleets. The unit of Amazon.com Inc. also announced the AWS Robotics Startup Accelerator in partnership with MassRobotics. AWS re:Invent, which is being held this week in Las Vegas and virtually, is Amazon Web Services' annual event featuring numerous technology announcements and user workshops. Amazon said that the AWS IoT RoadRunner and the AWS Robotics Startup Accelerator reflect its ongoing commitment to helping robotics developers, including through…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.27
…going after commodity items like books and CDs like Amazon, Quiet decided to service companies with high customer expectations—like the Gilt Groupe—and specialize in processes that allowed e-tailers to provide a unique customer experience. But would they go with conventional processes with lots of touches and lots of flexibility, or go with a highly automated approach with terrific throughput, but less flexibility? “They decided that there had to be a better way,” says Trebilcock. “They wanted to create a shared asset/shared infrastructure fulfillment platform for piece picking, and they wanted a solution that allowed them to start small and scale…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.10
…all about the application, product, and market. Does the “Amazon effect” still apply? Amazon helped create the mobile robot category with its purchase of Kiva Systems in 2012, and its picking challenges advanced the state of the art for that task. Nieves: In addition to supporting their own operations, Amazon's advances serve to describe to the broader industry the art of the possible. For example, with its Cardinal project, Amazon showed loading and unloading of roller carts, which are like pallets with three walls. We're seeing a lot of interest in truck unloading at this ProMat, with four or five…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.70
…the bottom of this article, learn how SEQSENSE uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for capabilities such as connectivity, remote operation, and fleet monitoring. Let's dive deep into the robot's architecture and challenges that SEQSENSE solved with services from AWS. The cloud poses challenges Developing an autonomous robot is a complex and time-consuming task, requiring a wide variety of technologies from the device to the cloud. For example, securely operating and monitoring robot fleets requires collecting telemetry and video data for real-time dashboards. Robot developers can improve a robot's software by analyzing the collected data and providing over-the-air (OTA) updates through…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.57
…cobots to market.” Porter, a former vice president at Amazon Robotics, founded Collaborative Robotics in 2022 to “redefine the future of human-robot interaction.” Cobot Flywheel Program to transform industries In addition to its development of a practical cobot, Collaborative Robotics’ team has launched the Cobot Flywheel Program. The company said its intention is “to help the world’s most innovative companies in biotech, healthcare, and logistics drive ambitious operational transformation with advanced robotics solutions.” As part of its collaboration with Collaborative Robotics, Mayo Clinic has adopted the Cobot Flywheel Program to accelerate robotics initiatives. Mayo Clinic, which was among the company's…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.56
Amazon Robotic Fulfillment Center, North Haven, Connecticut Opened: June 2019 (watch video) Size: 855,000 square feet Dock Doors: 62 SKUs: 1 million + Throughput: 1 million + orders per day during peak Shifts: 2 10-hour shifts per day, with downtime for maintenance between shifts Employees: 2,500 full-time associates, each working 4 shifts per week Primary Material Handling Equipment: Goods-to-person picking on a four-level pick module enabled by Amazon Robotics; ten miles of conveyor and sortation; cubing and weighing, automatic labeling, spiral conveyors and trailer-loading conveyor Area of Coverage: The facility’s primary role is the fulfillment of Prime orders in southern…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.41
…really be, think about scanning packages in one of Amazon’s warehouses. Amazon’s Phoenix, Arizona fulfillment center, for one, is 1.2 million square feet – enough to house 28 football fields. As a solution, researchers at MIT propose using drones as a relay between RFID tags and an RFID reader, extending the RFID reading range substantially and allowing the drone to scan for signals that might even be hidden behind other objects. The paper details how researchers created RFly – a new system enabling drones to wirelessly detect and locate RFID-tagged packages for faster, smarter package cataloging and tracking. The RFly…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.21
…face of disruption or be limited with production setbacks. Amazon has increased capacity and demand planning to balance its customers’ needs with any possible occurrence of a supply chain disruption. In order to maintain its two-day delivery process, Amazon has prepared for the holidays with more planes, trucks, ships, vans, and added port capacity. Although Amazon employed more than 1.46 million full- and part-time workers as of Sept. 30, the retail giant plans to add over 120,000 seasonal employees in the U.S. and over 20,000 in the U.K. to keep warehouses well-staffed. Unfortunately, the addition of new hires and forms…