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From the Editor
Autonomous Trucks Keep on Truckin’…
When I was growing up there was a famous cartoon with the phrase “Keep on Truckin’ ” that popped up on T-shirts, posters and bumper stickers, based on an R. Crumb cartoon that had nothing to do with the trucking industry. But regardless, truckers began to adopt the phrase as well as Grateful Dead fans (you can read more about the history here). In the self-driving vehicle space, autonomous truck companies keep going with new partnerships to expand the routes they using to autonomously haul freight. In the past week, Kodiak Robotics announced another route in Florida that essentially creates a “coast-to-coast” autonomous route (segments from California to Arizona, across to Texas, and then to Florida). Aurora Innovation continues to pilot new routes with new partners – the most recent being Schneider National in the Dallas-Houston route. What’s interesting about these partnerships is that they are mainly in the south and west; a lot of these routes have yet to translate to the midwest and Northeast, where it’s likely that state regulators are either being more cautious, or the road conditions/traffic/etc., make it more difficult for these trucks. Given that these companies are using self-driving vehicles for the “long haul” portions of a route, it makes sense to use in those areas where highways seem to go on forever. The best indication about the future will be using self-driving trucks for those long stretches, with human drivers at both ends of the route for the shorter, more trickier driving such as in urban areas or in heavier traffic or poor road conditions. At least for the moment. Keep on truckin’! – Keith Shaw, Managing Editor. |
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ABB Launches 5-Axis Delta Robot for Speedy Picking, Packing and Reorientation
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ABB has announced an expansion to its FlexPicker Delta robot series with the new IRB 365. The five-axis robot can handle payloads up to 1.5 kg and is designed for reorienting packaged lightweight products such as cookies, chocolates, peppers, candies, small bottles and parcels, among other items. WIth the rise in e-commerce demand for shelf-ready packaged goods, the IRG 365 was developed for applications in the food & beverage, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods markets, where production line speed and adaptability are essential. |
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Xfuse Enters AI Vision Space with New Image Sensor
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Xfuse LLC, which develops customizable imaging and video technology, has announced it intends to deliver hardware and software tools to advance the next-generation of autonomous vehicles, robotics, and artificial intelligence applications. The company’s proprietary Phoenix HDR Image Signal Processing (ISP) technology supports multiple different sensor types simultaneously to fuse data-rich HDR video in real time, with minimal latency. The location-aware data streaming technologies offered by the Xfuse Phoenix HDR ISP offer tools to help rapidly advance self-aware robotics, autonomous vehicles, and machine vision applications. |
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China’s DEEP Robotics Launches Rescue Robot Dog System
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China-based DEEP Robotics, which is developing quadruped robots, has announced the release of the Jueying X20 hazard detection and rescue robot dog. The Jueying X20 is designed for detection and rescue services on the complex terrain of a post-earthquake landscape, the insides of vulnerable debris buildings, tunnel traffic accidents, as well as in toxic, hypoxia, and high-density smoke environments created by chemical pollution or a natural disaster event. The Jueying X20 can go deep into post-disaster outdoor and indoor high-risk areas where it can traverse over ruins, piles of rubble, stairwells, and other unstructured pathways. |
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Bobacino Partners With Boba Guys to Automate Robotic Boba Shops
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Bobacino, which is developing fully automated, small footprint boba shops, has announced a new research and development partnership with Boba Guys, a San Francisco-based chain of Boba cafes that offers milk tea drinks and snacks. The partnership aims to speed the development of Bobacino’s technology and explore future collaboration opportunities. Bobacino combines artificial intelligence, automation and robotics to automate the production of boba tea beverages for customers. |
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Husqvarna, GreenSight Team Up on Autonomous Mowing for Turf Management
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Husqvarna and GreenSight have announced a strategic partnership to combine their technologies in a comprehensive solution aimed at turf managers to enhance quality, use less natural resources, and reduce costs. The TurfCloud solution combines with the Husqvarna Automower to serve large-scale outdoor facilities such as golf courses and sports turf facilities to help create new efficiencies and reduce labor needs. Husqvarna is offering the Automower and CEORA robotic mowers, while GreenSight is utilizing daily drone imaging to support the TurfCloud management platform. |
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Product Profile: Oriental Motor's AlphaStep Hybrid Control Systems Mini Driver
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The AZ Series mini Driver works with a variety of AlphaStep AZ Series DC input products. The system is modular with customized options for a variety of fixed and mobile applications. This driver can be controlled using RS-485 communication and daisy chained. Because the mini Driver is designed to be close to the motor, it is ideal for robotics applications. The elimination of switches and I/O connectors allows for a compact and lightweight design, approximately 60 g (2.11 oz). |
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In Case You Missed It
NASA Finishes Review for Mars Sample Return Program
NASA has announced it finished the system requirements for its Mars Sample Return Program, which is nearing completion of the conceptual design phase. The program team evaluated and refined the architecture to return scientifically selected samples, which are currently in the collection process by NASA’s Perseverance rover in Mars’ Jezero Crater. The architecture for the campaign, which includes contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to reduce the complexity of future missions and increase probability of success. Read More |
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Sponsored Content
BLV Series R Type Brushless DC Motors
The new BLV Series R motors feature high power with reduced size and weight and are designed for battery-powered input type applications, such as automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots and conveyors. Read More |
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Featured Article
MiR, Modula Team for Fully Autonomous Storage, Picking, Handling Solution
Two companies in the robotics and automation space are collaborating to unveil a joint partial or fully automated solution for materials handling in warehouses, production and distribution centers. Maine-based Modula, which develops smart storage solutions, has teamed with Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), maker of autonomous mobile robots, in providing this new system. WIth support for several configurations, the solution aims to fully or partially automate material handling processes, the companies said. Workplace safety and employee satisfaction are among the primary benefits of the joint solution. Read More |
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Industry News
- Datanomix, Flexxbotics Team Up to Automate Production Monitoring for UR Cobots
Datanomix, which develops automated production intelligence software, has announced a partnership with Flexxbotics, which develops robotics process improvement technology. Together, the companies plan to extend the Datanomix automated production intelligence coverage to Universal Robot cells, in order to power lights-out and automated operations at precision manufacturers. As part of the partnership, Datanomix will gain access to real-time operational data for UR systems from Flexxbotics via their FlexxConnect platform.
- Kassow Robots Partners with Industrial Control to Strengthen Factory Automation Options
Kassow Robots, which develops seven-axis cobots for machine tending, material handling, and other applications, has announced a partnership with Michigan-based Industrial Control, a factory automation distribution specialist. The combination of Kassow’s KR series of seven-axis cobots and Industrial Control’s solutions will allow humans and robots to work together to more efficiently complete repetitive tasks, and those that require high accuracy, such as quality assurance.
- Welding Demand Helps Drive $83M in Q2 Revenue for Universal Robots
Denmark-based Universal Robots, the leader in collaborative (“cobot”) robots, has announced Q2 revenue of $83 million, highlighted by strong growth in global welding demand as a key success driver in the first half of this year. “In headline terms, second quarter revenue is up 8% on the same period last year, but in local Danish currency the company has seen growth of 22% for Q2,” said Kim Povlsen, president of Universal Robots. When measured this way, UR said it has seen 30% growth across the first two quarters of 2022 compared to the first half of 2021.
- Aquiline Drones Wins Contract with Connecticut Colleges and Universities
Aquiline Drones, which develops drones and associated technologies, has announced a multi-year agreement to offer its entire online drone pilot certification curriculum through the 17 institutions in the Connecticut State College and University system (CSCU). The online training program includes two semester-length courses, including preparation for students to take the exam required to become licensed FAA-certified drone pilots.
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Autonomous Trucks
Kodiak Robotics Expands Autonomous Freight Trucking to Florida
Kodiak Robotics, which develops self-driving trucking technology, has announced it expanded its autonomous freight service to Florida by partnering with 10 Roads Express, a provider of time-sensitive surface transportation for the U.S. Postal Service. Kodiak said it completed a round trip consisting of four commercial deliveries, including a coast-to-coast commercial run. A Kodiak autonomous truck carried 10 Roads Express freight nearly 5,600 miles from San Antonio, Texas, to the San Francisco Bay Area, to Jacksonville, Fla., and then back to San Antonio. The route was completed in just 114 hours, and Kodiak said it mapped more than 5,400 new miles in a single mapping run to bring the new route online. Read More |
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Aurora Teams With Schneider for Texas Autonomous Freight Hauling
Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation has announced a multiphase commercial pilot to haul freight for Schneider National, which provides transportation services. The agreement will have Aurora haul freight for Schneider’s customers with the Aurora Driver autonomous technology. Schneider hauls freight on more than 9.3 million miles a day for America’s largest companies, creating an attractive value proposition for autonomous trucks that can haul freight 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, Aurora said. The Aurora Driver will begin weekly autonomous hauls this week between Dallas and Houston, with Aurora vehicle operators on board. Read More |
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Pony.ai, SANY Create Joint Venture to Develop Next-Gen Autonomous Trucks
Pony.ai, which develops autonomous driving technology, has announced a strategic joint venture with SANY Heavy Truck, a China-based heavy equipment manufacturer. The companies will collaborate to create a new autonomous truck brand. The partnership will integrate Pony’s “virtual driver” with SANY’s technical accumulation in the field of wire-controlled chassis and vehicle development to jointly develop high-end heavy trucks that are automotive-grade and have Level 4 (L4) class redundancies. The joint venture will start small-scale deliveries of the robotic trucks in 2022 and 2023, with mass production of the L4 truck expected in 2024, with a goal of reaching an annual production of about 10,000 trucks. Read More |
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Partnerships
Cogniteam, AAEON Partner to Make Robotics Integration Easier
Israel-based Cogniteam, which develops the Nimbus drag-and-drop robotics operating system, has announced a partnership with AAEON, a designer and manufacturer of industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and edge AI solutions. The partnership will develop ready-to-build robotic hardware with full Nimbus no-code integration, allowing companies to quickly develop and deploy advanced GPS, light and other sensors using field-tested software solutions. Read More |
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SICK, Aeva Partner on 4D Lidar for Industrial Sensing Apps
Aeva, which develops next-generation sensing and perception systems, has announced a strategic multi-year collaboration with SICK AG. The collaboration will bring Aeva’s Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) 4D lidar to several industrial sensing applications, including long-range sensing with its Aeries II sensor. Aeva said its FMCW 4D lidar provides unique perception advantages over other sensing technologies, such as cameras and legacy 3D lidar sensors. This includes better dynamic range performance to perceive low and high reflectivity targets within the same measurement without edge effects, which allows automated machinery to transition more easily from indoor to outdoor operation. Read More View Videos |
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