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From the Editor
Pizza May Be the “Killer App” for Robots – Making and Delivering
Pundits are always looking for the “killer app” that will revolutionize an industry and get more buy-in from regular folks. For the computer industry, it was the creation of the spreadsheet and word processing that launched PCs, for smartphones, it was the ability for vendors to create “apps” that personalized the devices for billions of owners. In the robotics space, it might be pizza. At least for this week. Companies have tried previously to build pizza-making robots, with some success, as well as some failure. Still, companies continue in both the making of the pizza (see this week’s news about Nana Robotics and Piestro), as well as the delivery of pizzas (Serve Robotics’ partnership with Piestro). Whether you get your pizza from a stand-alone robot machine or if your favorite restaurant is using automation to build the pie (I really like what Picnic is doing in this space), pizza may be the next killer app for robotics and help drive other food automation preparation and last-mile delivery companies (as if they needed another reason to grow).
– Keith Shaw, Managing Editor. |
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Smart Vision Lights Awarded Patent for DoAll Robotics Light
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Smart Vision Lights (SVL), which designs and manufactures innovative LED illumination sources, has announced it received a patent (U.S. 11,328,380 B2) for its latest machine vision light innovation, the DoAll Light. The new light adds to SVL’s portfolio of machine vision-related lighting technology. The DoAll Light is an all-in-one solution that provides flexibility for machine vision illumination applications. Within a single unit includes a dome light, two angles of dark field illumination, NIR and RGBW ring lights, along with a four-quadrant multispectral ring light. SVL said the light is useful for robotic and other flexible automation systems. |
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Sarcos Subsidiary RE2 Achieves Technical Milestone with Underwater Robotic Gripper
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RE2 LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp., has announced it achieved a significant technical milestone with its Strong Tactile mARitime hand for Feeling, Inspecting, Sensing and Handling (STARFISH). The underwater end-of-arm tooling project is being funded through the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research to develop an advanced gripper with tactile feedback for mine countermeasures and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) for the Navy. The company said it has successfully assembled and lab-tested a complete STARFISH gripper that can grasp and hold a variety of different objects. |
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Intel’s Mobileye Launches SDK for Driver-Assistance Systems
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Mobileye, an Intel company, has announced the launch of the EyeQ Kit, a software development kit (SDK) for the EyeQ system-on-chip that provides driver-assistance and future autonomous technologies for automakers. Leveraging the power of the upcoming EyeQ6 High and EyeQ Ultra processors, the EyeQ Kit lets automakers utilize Mobileye’s core technology while deploying their own differentiated code and human-machine interface tools. Through the software and hardware, automakers can access computer vision, REM crowdsourced mapping, and RSS-based driving policies. |
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Siemens, NVIDIA to Create Industrial Metaverse
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Siemens, which makes industrial automation and software, has announced an expansion of its partnership with NVIDIA to enable the industrial metaverse and increase the use of artificial intelligence-driven digital twin technology. The first step in the collaboration will connect Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform, with NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform for 3D-design and collaboration. The companies said this will enable an industrial metaverse with physics-based digital models from Siemens, and real-time AI from NVIDIA so companies can make decisions faster and with increased confidence. |
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Piestro Partners with Serve Robotics to Automate Pizza Delivery
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Piestro, which automates artisanal pizza creation within a few minutes, has announced a partnership with Serve Robotics, which develops autonomous sidewalk deliveries. The partnership aims to offer customers a contactless, end-to-end robotic pizza delivery experience. When a customer places an order, the Piestro scheduling system will notify Serve’s fleet and the nearest available robot will pick up the pizza for transport from a Piestro pod. The companies said the program will roll out in the coming months, as Piestro deploys units within Serve Robotics delivery areas. |
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Nala Robotics Teams With Slice Factory to Deploy Pizza-Making Robot
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Nala Robotics, which develops food robotics applications, has announced it will supply Chicago-based Slice Factory with its autonomous chef, Pizzaiola, a multi-cuisine, voice-controlled pizza-making robot that can also cook pasta, burgers, chicken wings and prepare salads. Nala said it will custom design and install Pizzaiola at Slice Factory’s newest locations to help fuel national expansion efforts. The pizza chain, which operates 12 locations in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, said its aggressive expansion plan heavily leverages Nala Robotics’ technology and automation expertise. |
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In Case You Missed It
BAE Robot Strikes Ground Target with Laser-Guided Rocket
BAE Systems has announced that its Robotic Technology Demonstrator (RTD) successfully fired laser-guided rockets at multiple ground targets, with a human decision in the loop, during a recent U.S. Army tactical scenario at the Dugway Proving Ground in Falls Church, Va. The test marked the first time an APKWS laser-guided rocket has ever been fired from a robotic combat vehicle, the company said. The autonomous RTD meets the Army’s needs for a RCV medium solution, BAE said. Capable of performing multiple missions, the RTD incorporates a hybrid electric drive and can be equipped with advanced payloads, including electronic warfare sensors, various gun systems, anti-tank guided missiles, and 2.75-inch rockets through BAE’s APKWS laser-guidance kit. BAE said it can also be fitted with loitering munitions to defeat armored and unmanned aerial threats. Read More |
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Sponsored Content
BLV Series R Type Brushless DC Motors
The BLV Series R Type brushless DC motor (BLDC motor) speed control system offers the design of motor and driver significantly reduced in size and weight, yet high-power, and contributes to the battery driven automation. Read More |
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Featured Article
CMR Surgical Reports 5,000 Surgeries Completed with Versius Robot
CMR Surgical, which develops the Versius Surgical Robotic System, has announced that the robot has been used in 5,000 surgical procedures around the world. The 5,000th procedure was performed at Argenteuil Hospital, a public health center in Paris, where Dr. Patrick Bagan and his team performed a successful lung bi-segmentectomy for cancer. The company said Versius is now routinely used by surgeons across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America to perform routine and complex procedures across a range of specialties, including gynecology, colorectal surgery, thoracic surgery, general surgery and urology – from hernia repairs and hysterectomies to radical prostatectomies and lower anterior resections. Read More |
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Industry News
- Audience Raises $10M to Further Develop Handwriting Robots
Audience, which develops a robot-powered marketing platform, has announced raising $10 million in Series A funding, led by Next Coast Ventures. The new capital will allow the company to fast-track itsd platform for direct mail marketing for businesses and professionals. The Audience platform allows businesses and individuals to send personalized messages “written” by a robot that can better generate leads and boost return on marketing investment by up to 380%, Audience said. The new funding brings the total raised for Audience to $12.8 million since its 2019 founding. Headquartered in Miami, the new capital will help improve its customer relationship management functionality, create a more robust user platform across new verticals, and new robot optimization and app abilities with unique add-ons.
- Segway Robotics, DriveU.Auto to Develop Last-Mile Delivery Robots
Segway-Ninebot, a developer of short-distance transportation and service robots, has announced a partnership with DriveU.auto, developer of a software-based connectivity platform for robots and autonomous vehicle teleoperation. The collaboration will see Segway integrating the DriveU.auto remote operation platform into its robots, creating a first-of-its-kind joint offering for the last-mile delivery robots market. The smaller form factor, electrically powered and slower-moving robot is ideal for rapid, cost-efficient, safe and green deliveries within dense urban areas, Segway said. Such robots can be fully autonomous, semi-autonomous, or remotely driven by a human operator.
- AMP Robotics Expands Partnership with Waste Connections
AMP Robotics, which develops robotics and infrastructure for the waste and recycling industry, has announced an expansion of its partnership with Waste Connections, Inc. (WCI), its largest customer. Since late 2 020, WCI has booked or deployed 50 of AMP’s high-speed robotics systems on plastic, fiber, and residue lines. “It’s gratifying to reach this milestone with a leader in resource recovery like Waste Connections,” said Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of AMP Robotics. “We’ve worked tirelessly to deliver AI and robotics systems that modernize today’s recycling operations by increasing productivity, stabilizing costs, and improving the quality and value of recycled commodities. We remain committed to the continuous enhancement of our AI and automation solutions to stay ahead of industry challenges, exceed customer expectations, and support the industry’s sustainability and climate goals.”
- Velodyne Lidar Inks Multi-Year Agreement with Boston Dynamics
Velodyne Lidar has announced a multi-year agreement for its lidar sensors with Boston Dynamics, makers of the mobile robot Spot and other robotics systems. The company chose Velodyne’s sensors to provide perception and navigation capabilities for its mobile robots, which aim to tackle the toughest robotics challenges. Velodyne said its lidar sensor solutions enable mobile robots to operate autonomously and safely, without human intervention. The sensors provide 3D perception data for localization, mapping, object classification and object tracking. Power efficiency on the sensors support autonomous mobile robots in several challenging indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, including varying temperature, lighting, and precipitation.
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Drone News
Guardian Agriculture, Wilbur-Ellis Partner to Develop Autonomous Aerial Sprayers
Guardian Agriculture, which develops a fully autonomous crop protection aircraft system, has announced a multi-million-dollar partnership with Wilbur-Ellis, a distributor and manufacturer of agricultural products, specialty chemicals, and animal feed. The partnership will allow Wilbur-Ellis customers the opportunity to access Guardian’s aerial technology for precision aerial application in agriculture. Guardian Ag’s fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) system delivers precision application of crop protection in a fraction of the time and cost of other vehicles, the company said. It can carry multi-hundred-pound payloads and address several application spray volumes and application needs for growers. The aircraft features four six-foot propellers and an overall 15-foot aircraft width, and can cover 40 acres per our of full-field crop protection to growers. Read More |
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XAG Deploys P100 Agriculture Drone to Vietnam
China’s XAG, which develops agricultural robots and drones, has officially launched its large-capacity agricultural drone P100 in Vietnam to help support farmers to transform into more productive and sustainable farming modes. The multifunction P100 can autonomously implement precision spraying, fertilizing, and sowing across multiple crops, including rice and fruit trees. The company said its use around the farm is expected to boost yields while cutting chemical and water use, reducing the stress and fatigue of small farming operations coping with a huge spike in fertilizer costs. The P100 is crafted in a modular, detachable structure that can fully separate the flying platform from task systems. XAG said this results in the drone being able to flexibly switch between the spraying and spreading modules. Read More |
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