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From The Editor
At Your Service: Robots are Sorely Needed in Hotels and Restaurants
When I was in Atlanta for the MODEX show, I tried to order room service at my hotel and was told they didn’t offer it. Because of the pandemic, many hotels got rid of room service due to health concerns and the lack of hotel guests. With guests returning, many hotels are turning to service robots to help deal with worker shortages and non-contact methods of food delivery. Savioke, for example, announced deploying many of its Relay robots to a hotel chain in Southern California. Service robot companies are facing a big moment as people return to visiting hotels and other hospitality venues, including restaurants where labor shortages also exist with wait staff. China’s Pudu Robotics launched a new version of its service robot that includes a manipulator arm that can pick up and place food dishes. These seem to be more popular in Asia at the moment, but it’s only a matter of time before some restaurants or chains in the U.S. decide to try these out. – Keith Shaw, Managing Editor. |
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Pudu Robotics Adds Grasping Function for Restaurant Robots
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China-based Pudu Robotics, which develops commercial service robots for restaurants and mobile delivery tasks, has unveiled its PUDU A1 robot. The company calls the PUDU A1 a compound delivery robot, designed for restaurant settings. The robot employs technologies that include food recognition, positioning and grasping, laser SLAM and visual SLAM in order to help bridge the divide between the kitchen and dining table. |
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EPC Space Launches Power Device for Space Applications
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EPC Space, a division of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) that develops radiation hardened power devices for space and other harsh environments, has announced the EPC7019G, a 40-volt, 4 mΩ, 530 A-pulsed, radiation-hardened gallium nitride (GaN) transistor that costs less and is more efficient than comparable radiation hardened silicon MOSFET. Applications for the transistors include power supplies for satellites and space mission equipment, motor drives for robotics, instrumentation and reaction wheels, and deep space probes. |
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Kärcher, Brain Launch Professional Robotic Scrubber
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Kärcher has announced it is expanding its autonomous product line with a new professional robotic scrubber. The KIRA B 100 R, powered by Brain Corp’s BrainOS, aims to handle floor cleaning duties so staff members can tackle higher-value tasks. Kärcher said the KIRA acronym stands for Kärcher Intelligent Robotic Applications. The company said the new machine can safely navigate around people and obstacles via advanced artificial intelligence and a robust sensor system. An intuitive interface lets workers of any technical ability to teach and run cleaning routes. Additional features include a chemical metering system and indication lights. |
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ABB’s New Robot Alignment Software Aims to Increase Robot Speed, Accuracy
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ABB Robotics has announced a new software solution to transform speed and accuracy in electronics assembly. The High Speed Alignment software includes 50 years of software expertise, and is the first to offer manufacturers the ability to increase the speed of six-axis robots by 70%, and accuracy by 50%, ABB said. The PC-based software includes Visual Servoing technology using one or more cameras, combined with a computer vision system, to control the position of the robot relative to the workpiece. As the robot is moving, the cameras continuously capture image information that the computer vision system processes to cross check and adjust the robotic movements to deliver precision from 0.01 to 0.02 mm. The software is compatible with ABB’s IRB 1100 and IRB 120 industrial robots. |
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Case Study: Automating the Textile/Garment Sector in Europe
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The textile and garment industry is facing major challenges with current supply chain and energy issues. The future recovery is also threatened by factors that hinder production, such as labor and equipment shortages, which put them under additional pressure. The competitiveness of the industry, especially in a global context, depends on how affected companies respond to these framework conditions. One solution is to move the production of clothing back to Europe in an economically viable way. Shorter transport routes and the associated significant savings in transport costs and greenhouse gasses speak in favor of this. On the other hand, the related higher wage costs and the prevailing shortage of skilled workers in this country must be compensated. |
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Savioke Deploys Service Robots to Seaview Investors’ Hotels
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Savoike, which develops secure and contact-free service robots for room service and other deliveries, has announced that Seaview Investors LLC has added the company’s Relay Service Robot to each of its hotels. The autonomous mobile robots will perform deliveries, allowing staff to focus on high-value tasks and improving the guest experience. “The robots contribute to the forward-thinking approach each Seaview property represents to our guests and gives us a competitive advantage in the markets we serve,” said Bob Combie, senior vice president of technology at Seaview Investors. “As we recover from the pandemic, the robots also provide contact-free room service delivery, which many guests appreciate.” |
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In Case You Missed It
Opinion: Consumer Acceptance of Self-Driving Cars Still Struggles
Global consulting firm Simon-Kucher & Partners released results from its Automotive consumer Survey 2022, which showcased U.S. consumer attitudes around new mobility choices, technologies and their preferred buying experience. While much of the survey covered areas such as how much people dislike going to the car dealership or negotiating on price, the survey did tackle some questions around people’s attitudes towards autonomous vehicles. The survey showed that 45% of respondents indicated excitement about autonomous driving technology, while 32% admitted fear of autonomous technology. Reasons given for their concerns included system malfunctions, failure to react to human behavior, and the possibility of the car being hacked or externally controlled. Read More |
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Featured Article
Service Robots Will Secure a Spot in Tomorrow’s Smart Cities
Amidst the social and economic disruption caused by Covid-19, many organizations turned to automation to address new pandemic-related health and safety risks. China’s medical sector, for example, was quick to deploy service robots to deliver food and medicines in hospitals and execute enhanced cleaning protocols. This early experience proved the value of robots in alleviating the workload of overstretched staff and maintaining standards of patient care with social distancing. As pandemic mitigation measures have extended into community settings around the world over the past two years, so too have robot helpers. We are now increasingly seeing facility managers deploying robots in commercial and residential buildings, schools, airports, railway stations and more to help keep communities safe. Read More |
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Industry News
- TruWeather Partners With Iris Automation for Better Ground-Based Surveillance
TruWeather Solutions, which develops micro-weather data and analytics solutions, has announced a partnership with Iris Automation to integrate its micro-weather services and weather sensors into the Iris Automation Casia G ground-based surveillance system (GBSS). The combination and meshed network will provide real-time integrated communications, collision avoidance and micro-weather data to operators.
- FAA Awards $4.4M in Drone Research Grants to 7 Universities
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced awarding $4.4 million in drone research, education and training grants to seven universities. The research will focus on three areas – electromagnetic compatibility, detect-and-avoid classifications, and cybersecurity oversight. Universities receiving grants are University of North Dakota, University of Kansas, Drexel University, The Ohio State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Mississippi State University and Oregon State University.
- Researchers Develop Joystick-Operated Robot that Could Help Surgeons Treat Stroke Remotely
MIT engineers have developed a telerobotic system to help surgeons quickly and remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm. With a modified joystick, surgeons in one hospital may control a robotic arm at another location to safely operate on a patient during a critical window of time that could save the patient’s life and preserve their brain function. The robotic system, whose movement is controlled through magnets, is designed to remotely assist in endovascular intervention — a procedure performed in emergency situations to treat strokes caused by a blood clot. Such interventions normally require a surgeon to manually guide a thin wire to the clot, where it can physically clear the blockage or deliver drugs to break it up. View Video
- Locomation Analysis: Convoy Tech Can Displace Emissions of 2M Passenger Vehicles
Locomation, which is developing autonomous trucking technology, has announced a new analysis that shows a major reduction in CO2 through the adoption of the company’s Autonomous Relay Convoy (ARC) system. The report, by Boundless Impact Research and Analytics, says that even a conservative adoption of ARC on just 25,000 Class 8 trucks running on the company’s 68 Autonomous Relay Network interstate highway segments by 2030 would yield savings equal to the amount of CO2 emitted by 2 million passenger vehicles annually.
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Robotics Funding
NODAR Raises $12M to Advance Multi-Camera 3D Vision System
NODAR, which is developing long-range 3D vision technology, has announced it secured $12 million in Series A funding, led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) with participation from existing investor Rhapsody Venture Partners. Funds will be used for research and development and further productization of NODAR’s core technology, as well as expanded sales and marketing. The company’s long-range, high-resolution, real-time camera-based software is used in the development of driver-assisted and fully autonomous vehicles, bringing advanced performance at a competitive price point to the mainstream vehicle market. The flagship product, Hammerhead, leverages advances in processing, computer vision algorithms, and camera technology to produce 3D point clouds from two or more cameras. Read More |
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Israel Innovation Authority Allocates $20M for Next-Gen Human-Robot Interaction Research
The Israel Innovation Authority has announced it allocated $20 million towards building a consortium of Israeli robotics companies to develop next-generation human-robot interaction (HRI) capabilities. Utilizing the Nimbus cloud robotics platform for managing and deploying new capabilities, the consortium will include private and academic organizations. The authority said most of today’s robots are built for single-mission tasks. Looking at the future, robots are expected to engage with humans or conduct their work amongst greater populations, which will require them to assess social situations and converse via gesture languages for appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication with the people around them. For example, a robot might need to ask for human assistance after diagnosing that its camera is blocked, or getting directions from a human for the first time. Read More |
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Robotics News
Addverb, Davinci Micro Fulfillment Team up to Expand Operations
Davinci Micro Fulfillment and Addverb Technologies have announced a strategic partnership that pairs Addverb’s automation technology with Davinci’s specialization in micro-fulfillment solutions. The plan is to launch and expand micro-fulfillment centers across North America, with an estimated 750 to 1,000 centers by 2030 in order to offer brands and retailers expanded operations to reach customers with Same Day, Next Day or 2nd-Day services. Read More View Case Studies |
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Virtual Incision Earns Approval to Complete Clinical Study for Miniaturized Surgery Platform
Virtual Incision Corporation, which is developing a miniaturized robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) platform, has announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) supplement. This will complete the final stage of its clinical study analyzing the MIRA Platform in bowel resection procedures. Virtual Incision said the approval was supported by a favorable interim clinical study report on the safety profile of MIRA. The company said the IDE supplement approval puts it on track to obtain the clinical evidence needed to bring innovation to the soft tissue surgical robotics industry, which has been historically dominated by a single company. Results of the study will support MIRA’s upcoming FDA De Novo application for market authorization, Virtual Incision said. Read More Request Demo |
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