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From the Editor
Robotics Partnerships Show Advances in Innovation
There were two interesting pieces of news in the robotics space last week worth highlighting here. First, Berkshire Grey and Locus Robotics announced a partnership that will aim to advance warehouse automation efforts for e-commerce and fulfillment locations. The combination of Berkshire’s Robotic Put Wall, which automatically sorts items into bins, will likely combine with Locus’ mobile robots, allowing the robots to deliver items for the put wall (or move them after an order is filled) instead of having workers use manual carts. In another example of collaboration, ASI Logistics is working with lidar vendor SICK to create the ability for logistics yard trucks to reverse into a trailer autonomously, adding another component towards full automation. It’s partnerships like these that slowly advance innovation towards more complete automation, but it’s also a sign that a single company can’t (and shouldn’t) work alone to solve the many challenges around automation. – Keith Shaw, Managing Editor. |
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Ansys 2023 Release Amplifies Product Design and Engineering Success for Customers Across Industries
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The software and service improvements in Ansys 2023 R1 amplify the advantages that engineering simulation provides to multidisciplinary engineering and R&D teams. Ansys 2023 R1 enables organizations to accelerate past complexity and integration challenges to design the next generation of products by taking advantage of performance improvements, cross-discipline workflow integrations, and innovative capabilities. Ansys 2023 R1 includes updates to Ansys Fluent, featuring the full release of the multi-GPU solver for a broad spectrum of applications. |
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Harpak-ULMA Announces 2-in-1 Automated Gravity Case Packer
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Harpak-ULMA, the industry leader in smart, connected packaging solutions, announced the North American availability of its Gravity Case Packer, an end-of-line automation solution. The Gravity Case Packer may be used with a variety of products and is easily tailored to the needs of vertical bagging operations from meat and cheese to bakery operations. Its simplified, mechanical design allows Producers to easily switch between traditional tote loading of fresh goods or the corrugated cases typically used for frozen products. Two models are currently available: the GCP100 produces up to 60 products per minute, and the GCP200 is capable of 90 products per minute. |
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OffWorld Taking New Development Contracts for AI-Powered Mining Swarm Robots
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OffWorld is the global pioneer in AI-powered industrial Swarm Robotic Mining systems and is taking orders for delivery of robot deployments starting in 2024. The new line of robots is built for surveying environments on the surface and deep underground, performing precision excavation, and collecting, hauling, and processing material. The company is demonstrating that swarm robotic mining improves productivity and cost efficiency. The robots work in squads and can produce from hundreds of tons to well over one million tons of ore annually in a mining operation within months instead of years. They are rugged, autonomous, and can work around the clock. |
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Leonidas, Epirus Developing Microwave-Based C-UAS Air Defense against Drone Swarms
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Epirus, a high-growth technology company, announced today a $66.1 million contract award from the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) in support of the Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High-Power Microwave Program. The prototyping contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) solidifies high-power microwave (HPM) as an effective short-range air defense solution against swarming unmanned aerial systems (UAS). As part of the Other Transaction Authority, Epirus is collaborating with the RCCTO to rapidly deliver several prototype systems of Leonidas with options to acquire additional support services. |
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Jabil, OSRAM, Artilux Develop Next-Generation 3D Camera Prototype
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Manufacturing solutions provider Jabil has announced that its optical design center in Jena, Germany, is currently demonstrating a prototype of a next-generation 3D camera with the ability to operate in both indoor and outdoor environments up to a range of 20 meters. The prototype was the result of a combination of proprietary technologies from Jabil, ams OSRAM and Artilux. The technologies used included a 3D sensing architecture design, semiconductor lasers and germanium-silicon (GeSi) sensor arrays based on a scalable complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology platform. The 3D camera is able to operate in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range at 1130 nanometers. |
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Product Profile: Misumi’s Applied Robotics OG-A Pneumatic 2-Finger Toggle Gripper
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The Applied Robotics OG-A is a two-finger toggle gripper with a high grip force and non-reversible mechanism, suitable for heavy industrial applications. The 180-degree jaw opening allows for part clearance without having to back the gripper out of the workspace. The driving mechanism is guided along the entire stroke. The toggle mechanism provides non-reversible gripping in the opening and closing positions, even without air pressure. A special finger mounting system allows fine adjustment of the gripping point. It is mounted from two sides in two screw directions for flexible mechanical integration. Permanent magnets facilitate direct monitoring of piston movement. |
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In Case You Missed It
Scythe Robotics Raises $42M for Commercial Autonomous Mower
Colorado-based Scythe Robotics, which develops advanced commercial-grade autonomous systems for professional landscapers, has announced it raised $42 million in Series B funding. The company said it will use the funding to help meet demand for more than 7,500 reservations for its fully electric, fully autonomous M.52 mower. With the latest financing, Scythe Robotics has raised $60.6 million to date. Founded in 2018, Scythe is aiming to transform the $176 billion U.S. landscaping industry, which has been facing labor shortages and the need to transition to more environmentally sustainable operations. The M.52 enables landscape contractors to care for more green spaces and do so more sustainability. Read More |
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SPONSORED VIDEO
Oriental Motor's AZ Series mini Driver
The AZ Series mini Driver from Oriental Motor works with a variety of AlphaStep AZ Series, DC input products. This driver can be controlled using EtherCAT or RS-485 communication and daisy chained to maximize design, space and improve installation time. The mini Driver is also designed to be close to the motor, making it ideal for robotic applications. The elimination of switches and I/O connectors allows for a compact and lightweight design. Utilizes the MEXE02 Support Software, available for free download. Watch the video HERE. |
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Featured Article
ASI Logistics, SICK Tout Ability for Autonomous Reversing for Yard Operations
ASI Logistics and SICK, Inc., have announced a milestone in the development of autonomous yard truck operations, claiming that they have solved the issue of reversing into trailers autonomously. The two companies said this is one of the final steps for completing fully autonomous yard truck operations. ASI Logistics used its Vehicle Automation Kit (VAK) and SICK’s lidars to overcome this challenge, the companies said. In order to reverse into trailers autonomously, the trucks must know the position and height of the trailer’s kingpin that it is reversing into, SICK said. The kingpin is the mechanism under the trailer that connects to the truck’s fifth wheel and locks the trailer to the truck. The truck must be able to command the kingpin connection, and the truck must be commanded to reverse autonomously into trailers. Read More |
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Robotics News
- HELUKABEL Builds New German Facility to House Robotec, Drag Chain Systems
The HELUKABEL Group, which develops cable system solutions, has announced it will build a new facility in Haan, Germany, to house its robotic dress pack and drag chain system subsidiaries under one roof. The new building will also serve as the headquarters for its Rhine-Ruhr sales branch, with completion set for 2025. Robotec Systems’ core business is robotic dress pack solutions, and has been a subsidiary of HELUKABEL since 2012, operating out of Duisburg, a suburb of Dusseldorf in northwest Germany. EKD Systems, which recently joined the HELUKABEL Group in early 2022, specializes in developing and producing cable drag chains made of steel, stainless steel, and plastic.
- NASA to Launch New Mars Sample Receiving Project Office at Johnson
NASA announced Thursday its new Mars Sample Receiving Project office, responsible for receiving and curating the first samples returned from the Red Planet, will be located at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The safe and rapid release of Mars samples after they return to Earth to laboratories worldwide for science investigations will be a priority. The office will reside within Johnson’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science division, NASA’s organization with expertise in processing and curating extraterrestrial samples.
- Intuitive Machines to Deliver AstroForge’s Asteroid Mining Payload to Deep Space
Houston-based Intuitive Machines has announced an agreement that will deliver Brokkr-2, a deep space vehicle from AstroForge, to deep space to observe one of AstroForge’s target asteroids. The vehicle is expected to launch during Intuitive’s second lunar mission in the second half of 2023. Intuitive Machines said it intends to deploy Brokkr-2 using the company’s excess launch capacity on an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) after the launch vehicle separates from the lunar lander. The agreement with AstroForge leverages the company’s Orbital Services business segment, which provides a low-cost rideshare opportunity to carry Brokkr-2 into space.
- Universal Robots Reports Record Revenue Despite Global Uncertainty
In 2022, Universal Robots launched the UR20 collaborative robot; a groundbreaking new cobot with 20kg payload, boasting an all-new joint design that increases all joint torques approximately 25% and joint speeds by as much as 65%. Despite its heavier payload and greater 1750mm reach, it’s the lightest robot on the market in its payload and reach class, weighing only 64 kg. Universal Robots, the Danish collaborative robot (cobot) company, has reported Q4 revenue of USD 85 million, bringing 2022 annual revenue to USD 326 million, up 5% on 2021. On a constant currency basis, growth over the year was 12%.
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Defense / Military
Blue Force Technologies Conducts Ground Test for Fury Uncrewed Fighter
Blue Force Technologies (“BFT”) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (“AFRL”) have successfully completed a ground test for a novel carbon fiber composite propulsion flowpath system for BFT’s Fury uncrewed fighter under the AFRL Bandit program. As announced in March 2022, BFT, an aerospace and defense company based in North Carolina, is maturing a high-performance uncrewed 5th generation fighter design that provides replication of pacing threats at a fraction of the cost of a crewed fighter. The air vehicle technology developed under Bandit supports uncrewed adversary air training objectives relevant to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps and can be adapted for other Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) mission areas. Read More |
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Wind River and Airbus Collaborate on Certification of Automatic Air-to-Air Refueling (A3R)
Wind River, a global leader in delivering software for mission-critical intelligent systems, announced it has worked with Airbus to support the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft for automatic air-to-air refueling (A3R). The MRTT aircraft is the world’s first tanker to be certified for automatic air-to-air refueling boom operations in daylight. Airbus uses VxWorks 653 for the A330 MRTT air-to-air refueling boom system (ARBS). This system is comprised of multiple ARINC 653-compliant applications running at multiple levels of safety-criticality and achieved DO-178C DAL A certification. The Airbus A330 MRTT A3R capability has been certified by the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), involving multiple ED-12C / DO-178C DAL A applications running simultaneously on multiple cores on a multicore processor. Read More |
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Partnerships
Berkshire Grey, Locus Robotics Partner on Warehouse Automation Solution
Berkshire Grey, which develops AI-enabled robotic solutions to automate supply chain processes, has announced a formal partnership with Locus Robotics, which develops autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for logistics and distribution warehouses. The two companies have unveiled a combined solution that integrates Berkshire Grey’s Robotic Shuttle Put Wall with the Locus Origin and Locus Vector AMRs. The new integrated solution is designed to deploy end-to-end robotic automation solutions for retail and e-commerce customers looking to maximize supply chain productivity and throughput while also addressing growing labor shortages, the companies said. Read More |
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Seed Group and Ryberg Partner to Bring AI-Assisted Disinfection Technology to the Middle East
Netherlands-based Ryberg combines the latest in computer vision, robotics, and infection prevention-technologies to deliver intelligence and efficiency in disinfection. Ryberg has developed Disinfection Robots, which are self-driving disinfection machines. Ryberg’s patented Disinfection Engine makes intelligent disinfection decisions, allowing the robots to disinfect spaces for up to 6 hours—to bring a layer of defense in the age of deadly viruses without the use of chemicals. As part of the joint venture agreement, Seed Group will help Ryberg offer its services to businesses and hospitals in the Emirates and the wider Middle East by helping it reach the right audience, access top decision-makers in the government as well as the private sectors, and contribute to strengthening the latest technological innovation landscape in Dubai. Read More |
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