Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.34
The drive to add automation to warehouses, distribution centers, and order-fulfillment facilities is not just a matter of deploying some mobile robots. Operations must understand their processes, choose the best people or robots for certain tasks, and deploy the right software to manage multiple systems. The need for efficiency has never been greater, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and retailers deal with back-to-school sales and the approaching holiday season, according to GXO Logistics. “When we talk about warehouse automation, it's clearly an ecosystem,” explained Sandeep Sakharkar, chief information officer at GXO Logistics. “We've evaluated automation across the board—not just robotic…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 59.41
Renesas Electronics Corp. yesterday announced that it has worked with eProsima to port the micro-ROS development framework into its Renesas Advanced microcontroller units, or RA MCUs. The Renesas EK-RA6M5 Evaluation Kit for RA MCUs is the official supported reference platform for micro-ROS, they said. The goal is to ease development of professional robotics applications, said the companies. “Robotics is becoming increasingly important as Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT gain steam,” said Roger Wendelken, senior vice president in the IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit at Renesas. “The performance and feature set of the RA family make it the best choice for…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.52
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle-based lifestyle retailer evo faced several challenges in responding to the growth in e-commerce demand. They included the difficulty in finding temporary and seasonal workers, as well as the need to improve productivity in its order-fulfillment operations. Körber and Locus Robotics ultimately helped evo with a multi-robot solution. “The automation solution from Locus Robotics and Körber was one of the first technologies that I have seen come into the warehouse where the team was excited from the get-go,” said Chris Christiansen, outbound manager at evo. “The improvement of speed and efficiency is impressive, allowing us to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.22
Velodyne Lidar Inc. and MOV.AI today announced that they are collaborating to provide robot manufacturers with systems for mapping, navigation, obstacle avoidance, and risk avoidance. The MOV.AI Robotics Engine Platform, combined with Velodyne’s Puck lidar sensors, will meet the growing demand for automation in dynamic collaborative environments such as e-commerce, logistics, manufacturing, and hospitals, they said. “MOV.AI’s mission is to simplify collaborative robot development and to provide AMR [autonomous mobile robot] manufacturers and integrators with everything they need to develop and operate great robots,” said Motti Kushnir, CEO of MOV.AI. “Through the collaboration with Velodyne, we are able to offer…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 45.09
…sq. ft. The Urbx Micro system is designed for micro-fulfillment in urban neighborhoods. It starts at 32 GridBots, 54 TowerBots, and 1,512 totes, and occupies 1,800 to 5,400 sq. ft. The company claimed that its Urbx Tower system is “ideal for high tote requirements in cities,” at 120 ft. in height. It has a similar footprint to the Micro but can have up to 72,576 totes. In addition, Urbx offers curbside store fulfillment with a footprint of 720 to 900 sq. ft. Attorneys represent Attabotics Spencer Chimuk of McLeod Law LLP and David C. Van Dyke of Howard & Howard…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.18
Schnuck Markets Inc. last week announced that it will expand its deployment of Simbe Robotics Inc.'s Tally mobile robots to all 111 of its locations across the U.S. The St. Louis, Mo.-based company claimed that it will be the first grocer in the world to use artificial intelligence-powered inventory management technology at scale. “We are facing a ‘new normal’ in the grocery industry, and Tally has been instrumental to ensuring we continue to provide an exceptional store experience while rising to meet new operational challenges,” stated Dave Steck, vice president of IT infrastructure and application development at Schnuck Markets. “By…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.73
Warehouse operators are gearing up for peak season and face higher shipping volumes driven by increased consumer demand. To build more resilient, efficient supply chains, warehouse operators are adding automation to keep up with demand while mitigating labor shortages. To that end, Motion Controls Robotics Inc. (MCRI) yesterday said it is joining Plus One Robotics Inc.’s integrator program. “By adding the Plus One product line to our existing end-of-line solutions, fulfillment, and distribution center automation efforts, along with our Industry 4.0 connectivity packages, it gives us a unique advantage in the industry”, said Scott Lang, president and CEO of MCRI.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 16.16
Perrone Robotics Inc. yesterday said that it and Local Motors Inc. have signed an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement. The companies plan to develop next-generation autonomous shuttles that will integrate Perrone's autonomous vehicle technology into Olli, the shuttle designed and manufactured by Local Motors. “This new OEM agreement is an important step in expanding our current customer base while enhancing the vehicle experience for passengers,” stated Vikrant Aggarwal, president of Local Motors. “Our ability to meet evolving customer needs depends on our ability to work with partners with proven track records and the ability to scale.” Perrone and Local Motors…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.46
As more shoppers continue to buy online and as businesses prepare for what is expected to be a record-breaking holiday season, retailers and warehouse operators are turning to automation to meet growing demand and mitigate labor shortages. Locus Robotics, which supplies mobile robots for fulfillment centers, today announced that it has surpassed the milestone of half-a-billion units picked. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company said this achievement occurred just 94 days after it reached the 400 million level. “Reaching our half-billion-pick milestone this quickly underscores the critical business value that Locus's proven technology brings to our customers around the world as they…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.90
OSARO Inc., which develops and deploys software-defined automation for logistics, last week announced that it has raised $30 million in Series C fuunding. The San Francisco-based company said it plans to use this latest investment to enhance its core technology capabilities. OSARO also said it will apply its machine learning platform to new applications, expand its global marketing and support, and hire more employees. “This new funding will allow OSARO to expand our solution set and accelerate delivery to our customers,” stated Derik Pridmore, co-founder and CEO of OSARO. “With dozens of customers on five continents, OSARO has built a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.38
The warehousing industry has ramped up its automation efforts in response to the increased order volumes and labor shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ABI Research. Technologies such as augmented reality-powered smart glasses and handheld devices with enhanced capabilities are addressing productivity. In addition, autonomous, collaborative, and mobile robots are the most popular and fastest-growing systems in the warehouse workspace. “Mobile robots are at the heart of the warehouse robotics market and account for most shipments and revenue,” stated Adhish Luitel, an analyst for supply chain management and logistics at ABI Research. “These robots, made up of autonomous guided…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.82
Not only is Rapid Robotics ready to work, but it is also quickly raising funding for its robotic machine operator. In its third fundraising in less than a year, the San Francisco startup today announced a $36.7 million Series B round. The company said its Rapid Machine Operator enables manufacturers to deploy a pretrained collaborative robot in hours without any specialized skills, systems integration, or programming. Since emerging from stealth in late 2020, Rapid Robotics said it has addressed the needs of American manufacturers as they face a labor shortage aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a recent study…