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From The Editor
Aerial and Mobile Robots the Big Theme for 2022, Expect the Same in 2023
As we end the year in robotics, the big themes I’ve noticed are all around autonomy and mobility, whether this includes on-the ground mobile robots that help deliver items from point A to point B, or aerial robots (drones) that perform similar tasks in the air. I would expect to see the same in 2023, as autonomy software, algorithms and systems become even more intelligent in their abilities. While some companies have struggled this year to remain afloat (Argo and now TuSimple come to mind in the autonomous vehicle space), others continue to grow to perform their missions. Hopefully in 2023 we will continue to see more success than failure in this space. Thank you, dear reader, for continuing to support the Robotics-World newsletter and site (click on sponsor links!), and we will see you in 2023 (no newsletter next week).– Keith Shaw, Managing Editor. |
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ABB Launches New Industrial-Grade Cobot
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ABB has announced the SWIFTI CRB 1300, an industrial collaborative robot that aims to bridge the gap between traditional industrial robots and more collaborative “cobot”-style robots. The CRB 1300 combines speed, accuracy and the ability to handle loads up to 11 kg, and can perform tasks such as product handling, machine tending, palletizing and screwdriving. The SWIFTI CRB 1300 includes several features that aim to improve product efficiency by up to 44% compared to other cobots in its class, ABB said. For example, in a palletizing application t he speed and performance of the cobot lets it handle up to 13 boxes per minute, compared to nine boxes possible with other cobots. |
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Outrider Equips Robot Arms to Autonomous Trucks for Logistics Yards
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Outrider, which develops autonomous yard operations for logistics hubs, has announced TrailerConnect – a technology that robotically attaches needed brake and electric lines from yard trucks to semi-trailers and chassis. Based on deep learning technology, TrailerConnect is now available as part of the Outrider System, which automates distribution yards for large, logistics-dependent enterprises. The company explained that yard trucks transition trailers from dock doors to parking spots to public roads. In order to move these trailers, truck drivers connect pressurized brake lines to trailers to release the parking brake and move the trailers around the yard – a manual and often dangerous task that requires the driver to get in and out of the cab constantly. |
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Inuitive Introduces Sensor Modules for AMRs and AGVs
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Inuitive, a Vision-on-Chip processor company, has announced the launch of its latest sensor modules: the M4.5S and the M4.3WN. Designed to easily integrate into robots and drone systems, both sensor modules are built around the NU4000 Vision-on-Chip (VoC) processor and integrate depth sensing and image processing with AI and VSLAM capabilities to provide robots with what Inuitive characterizes as “human-like visual understanding.” The M4.5S provides enhanced stereo sensing depth along with AI-based obstacle detection and object recognition. |
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Swiss Startup LOXO Unveils Autonomous Delivery Vehicle
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Switzerland-based startup LOXO has unveiled its autonomous vehicle, designed for last-mile delivery. Developed and produced in Switzerland, the vehicle aims to be on public roads in spring 2023. In addition to Switzerland, LOXO said the vehicle will be aimed for roads in Germany and Great Britain. The company said the rapid growth of e-commerce and the need of customers to receive goods quickly has posed many challenges. In terms of home deliveries, this includes high costs, a lack of drivers, and poor environmental balance. LOXO said it aims to solve these problems with its new vehicle. |
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LG Innotek Develops Hybrid Lenses for Autonomous Driving
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South Korea’s LG Innotek has announced it has developed new types of high-performance hybrid lenses for autonomous driving that have reduced size and thickness, while increasing price competitiveness compared to existing products on the market. The company said it developed new lenses for its driver monitoring system (DMS) and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). LG Innotek said it cross-applied plastic and glass inside the lens, while other lenses use only glass to prevent structural deformation due to alteration in temperature or external force. |
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Product Profile: Physik Instrumente Motion Simulators
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Motion simulators (shakers) reproduce movements of test objects and the simulators have high motion dynamics requirements. For example, they may repeatedly perform defined motion cycles for quality assurance and function monitoring of products in mobile use. This includes a range of motions of different magnitudes that are generated, for example, by a moving car or trembling hands. The simulator reproduces these movements using sine curves and freely definable trajectories. To generate highly dynamic motions, hexapods with electromagnetic, brushless torque motors and an appropriate mechanical design of the drivetrain and sensor system can provide velocities of up to 25 mm/sec and accelerations of up to 2g. |
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In Case You Missed It
WPI Launches Autonomous Vehicle Mobility Institute
Faculty members Vladimir Vantsevich and Lee Moradi have established an Autonomous Vehicle Mobility Institute (AVMI) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute that is expanding the university’s interdisciplinary research into autonomous vehicle technologies and boosting educational opportunities for students. Professor Vantsevich and Professor Moradi are both in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Vantsevich and Moradi said they are building on their extensive experience managing multimillion dollar autonomous vehicle research projects and on WPI’s existing research to position the university as a major contributor to the fields of autonomous vehicles for land, sea, air, and space. Read More |
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Featured Article
Hyundai Launches Pilot Programs to Advance Last-Mile Robot Delivery
Hyundai Motor Group has started two pilot delivery service programs using autonomous robots based on its Plug & Drive (PnD) modular platform at a hotel and a residential-commercial complex located in the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea. The delivery robot consists of a storage unit integrated on top of a PnD driving unit. Alongside the loading box used to deliver items, a connected screen displays information for customers. The Group’s PnD modular platform is an all-in-one single wheel unit that combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware, including a steering actuator for 360-degree, holonomic rotation (a robot is holonomic if the controllable degree of freedom is equal to total degrees of freedom). It moves autonomously with the aid of lidar and camera sensors. The integrated storage unit lets the robot transport products to customers. Read More |
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Industry News
- Raven Advances Autonomous Agriculture with Two Raven Autonomy Product Debuts
Raven Industries debuted two new autonomous agriculture solutions at CNH Industrial’s Tech Day event in Phoenix, Ariz., in December 2022: the Driverless Tillage Solution and the Driver Assist Harvest Solution. These solutions aim to expand on the brand’s Raven Autonomy portfolio to provide additional support across the cash crop production cycle over multiple seasons. The new systems are the latest advancements in Raven’s Path to Autonomy program, which encourages customers to pursue more efficiency, profitability and sustainability by investing in increasing levels of farming automation, the company said. Integrated with CNH Industrial’s product development, Raven said it creates solutions that help customers prepare for full-scale autonomy in their operations.
- ABM Deploys Knightscope Autonomous Robots in Major Parking Facility
Knightscope, Inc., which develops advanced physical monitoring technologies to enhance U.S. facility operations, and ABM, a leading provider of integrated facility, parking and transportation solutions, and electric vehicle (EV) charger installations, announced the deployment of three autonomous robots at a U.S. international airport parking facility. The Knightscope self-driving robots will navigate and monitor ABM’s parking facilities without human intervention to gather and deliver data and actionable intelligence so the airport operations team can make smarter, safer, and faster decisions. Able to see 360-degrees in lit or dark environments, stream video to airport staff, and keep a high-definition record of observations for 30 days, the robots can detect a person that the human eye may not be able to. Each robot also features a sensitive 16-microphone array with two-way audio, allowing airport staff to have a live conversation using the robot.
- Clevon Completes First North American Autonomous Delivery in Fort Worth
Clevon, a global autonomous delivery innovator founded in Estonia, performed its first U.S. autonomous delivery with CLEVON 1, the company’s flagship multi-platform all-electric robot courier at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) in Fort Worth. This comes less than three months after the company moved its U.S. headquarters to the MIZ. CLEVON 1, working with real-time obstacles, delivered gourmet meals from O’Neill’s Inflight Catering to Alliance Aviation Services team members in the new, fixed-based operation (FBO) facility at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The robot courier traveled along the 3.6-mile route adjacent to I-35W traveling along Eagle Parkway, turning southbound on Heritage Parkway before arriving at its destination, 13901 Aviator Way.
- DOD Awards $50M to Kodiak Robotics for Autonomous Army Ground Vehicles
Kodiak Robotics, Inc., which develops self-driving trucking technology, announced it has been awarded a $49.9 million, 24-month U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) agreement to help automate future U.S. Army ground vehicles led by the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. This effort will be in support of vehicles designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and other high-risk missions. Through this award, which started in October 2022 and was awarded by DOD’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on behalf of the Army’s RCV program office, Kodiak said it will leverage its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for driverless vehicles that further strengthen national security. Kodiak will also develop autonomous vehicle technology for the Army to navigate complex terrain, diverse operational conditions and GPS-challenged environments, while also providing the Army the ability to remotely operate vehicles when necessary.
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Aerial Robotics
ASL Aviation Holdings, Reliable Robotics to Develop a New Autonomous Aircraft Program
Global aviation services provider ASL Aviation Holdings and Reliable Robotics, which develops autonomous aircraft systems, announced a collaboration to explore the use of automated aircraft. The companies said they will select a suitable aircraft for Reliable’s Remotely Operated Aircraft System with initial focus on large twin engine turboprop freighters. ASL and Reliable said they will jointly assess the demand for remotely operated aircraft in Europe. Both companies are part of the ASL CargoVision Forum, which brings together those engaged in the development of sustainable aviation technologies. Read More |
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Matternet Launches World’s Longest Urban Drone Delivery Route Connecting Hospitals and Laboratories in Zurich, Switzerland
Matternet, which develops drone delivery systems, has begun test operations on a five-kilometer BVLOS (beyond-visual-line-of-sight) route over the city of Zurich, Switzerland. The company said the route is the world’s longest drone delivery route over a major city and will be used to transport diagnostic samples between the Triemli and Waid Hospitals – both a part of Stadspital Zürich, a municipal central hospital owned by the city of Zurich. Read More |
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FulcrumAir Uses Heavy-Lift Drone to Construct Powerlines
Canada’s FulcrumAir, which develops heavy-lift unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and aerial robotic devices, has announced it is offering slinging operations to assist in powerline construction and maintenance with its E7500 system. The company said work was recently done with K-Line Line Maintenance and Construction on a 138KV line being reconstructed for one of the leading power providers in Canada. K-Line worked with FulcrumAir to sling over difficult terrain, cross arms, insulators, tools and other components that weigh up to 120 pounds per trip. Overall, 19 trips were made, and 1,800 lbs of material was slung in six hours of flight time over 16 hours in the field, FulcrumAir said. The work was completed over top of sensitive wetland areas, wildlife habitat and a farmer’s field, which minimized the impact of trucks and other vehicles. With the E7500, the work also eliminated the need for a helicopter. Read More |
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H3 Dynamics and Carbonix Partner to Build Hydrogen-Electric VTOLs in Australia
H3 Dynamics and Australian UAV producer Carbonix have announced development of the first Australian hydrogen-electric VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Carbonix is an Australian UAV manufacturer with expertise in advanced composite manufacturing, aerostructure design and VTOL control. H3 Dynamics has been developing hydrogen UAV technology for more than 15 years. Compared to batteries, hydrogen electric systems significantly increase flight duration, appropriate to the Australian continent, its low population density, and for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) commercial drone operations, H3 said. Hydrogen-enabled range will support Carbonix’s long distance inspection applications for grid lines and pipelines, mining industry mapping and surveying across large expanses of land, which continue to rely on the use of costly helicopters and light aircraft. Read More |
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