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From the Editor
Robot Competitions Help Spur Innovations to Drive Market Forward
There were a lot of cool new products that debuted last week at CES 2022, despite the significant drop in attendance following concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19. But the highlight for me was seeing the results of the Indy Autonomous Challenge @ CES, in which autonomous race cars battled head-to-head at the Las Vegas Speedway. While it may be time before we see a field of robot cars racing each other (the next interesting challenge should pit a robot car versus a professional driver), lessons learned from these types of challenges spur the industry forward. Ever since the DARPA Grand Challenge in 2004, we’ve seen robot competitions that have improved the state of self-driving vehicles, subterranean robots and drones, and rescue robotics. Participants in those challenges have moved to form companies currently driving new robot innovations as we speak. I look forward to seeing how the lessons learned at last weekend’s final race will be applied to make regular self-driving vehicles safer and more likely to come to market. – Keith Shaw, Managing Editor |
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Brain, Tennant Add Inventory Scanning to Floor-Scrubbing Robot
Brain Corp and Tennant Company have announced the launch of Inventory Scan, a new data capture accessory that can be fitted onto its autonomous floor scrubbers to autonomously scan and report key details of in-store inventory. The companies said they will demonstrate the technology at the NRF 2022 show in New York, January 16-18. Utilizing a multi-purpose design, the new scanning accessory is fitted to Tennant’s line of autonomous floor scrubbers, which are powered by Brain’s BrainOS operating system. Once installed, the cloud-connected Inventory Scan tower can capture data as it moves autonomously around the store. Reports are delivered to store managers that provide insights. |
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Pudu Robotics Debuts Afra C1 Cleaning Robot
Pudu Robotics, which develops commercial service robots, has announced the new Afra C1 cleaning robot, marking its official entry into the commercial cleaning robot sector. The company said it seeks to explore applications of digital technology in hygiene and sanitation services. It showed off the robot at the CES 2022 event in Las Vegas. Afra C1 is designed for several cleaning scenarios, including scrubbing, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, automatic water refilling and debris discharge. In addition, the robot can drive autonomously, enter/exit an elevator automatically, go through electronic gates and automatic gate passages, and perform multi-floor operations. The Afra C1 is equipped with a built-in roller brush, squeegee and removable dust vacuum that lets it adapt to various floor types in buildings and residences, including hard floors and soft carpet. |
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Ambarella Announces AI-based Image Signal Processor
Ambarella, which develops artificial intelligence vision silicon, has announced its new Artificial Intelligence Image Signal Processor (AISP). The company is demonstrating this technology at this week’s CES 2022 event in Las Vegas, running on its CV2 edge AI perception systems-on-chip (SoCs). Developed from its CVflow AI engine, the new AI-based ISP architecture uses neural networks to augment the image processing done by the hardware ISP integrated into its SoCs, Ambarella said. This approach enables color imaging with low light at very low lux levels and minimal noise, which is a 10x to 100x improvement over traditional ISPs, and new levels of high dynamic range (HDR) processing with more natural color reproduction and higher dynamic range. |
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Innoviz Launches Next-Gen Lidar Sensor with 10x Performance
Israel-based Innoviz Technologies has announced the launch of its next-generation lidar sensor, the Innoviz360. The third-generation of its lidar sensor will be offered alongside Innoviz’s perception software, which converts the raw point cloud data into high-quality outputs for object detection, classification and tracking. Samples are expected to be available in Q4 2022. The company said its new Innoviz360 lidar sensor leapfrogs traditional, standard-resolution spinner solutions that are limited in performance, expensive, large, and unreliable. Unlike traditional spinner solutions that offer only up to 128 scanning lines, the new Innoviz360 lidar allows multiple scanning software configurations with up to 1,280 scanning lines, at a cost-effective and durable solution. |
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Lumotive, ZKW Show Vehicle Headlight With Integrated Lidar
Lumotive and ZKW Group unveiled a functional demonstration of Lumotive’s lidar technology integrated with a ZKW vehicle headlight. The demonstration coupled Lumotive’s Meta-Lidar Platform with ZKW’s advanced vehicle lighting technology to produce a headline with superior road illumination capabilities while also providing 3D sensing for advanced safety and autonomy features. Compared with previous generation lidar systems that use mechanical spinning assemblies and are known for being bulky and expensive, the solid-state solution offered by Lumotive is tiny and scalable for seamless integration into mobility products such as vehicle lighting. The ZKW integration features a prototype of the Lumotive M30 module, which uses pulsed laser beams to measure distances between objects and the sensors around the vehicle. The Meta-Lidar platform can then generate accurate spatial data that can be used by a driver to avoid collisions or to further automate driving scenarios. |
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Quanergy Showcases EV Charging Robot for Smart City Applications
Quanergy Systems, which provides lidar sensors and smart perception solutions, has partnered with iCent (the company’s system integrator in Korea) to showcase a next-generation autonomous electric vehicle (EV) charging robot for smart city planning. The M-series 3D lidar sensors and advanced 3D perception software Qortex will be installed on the robots to provide them with advanced navigational capabilities. The robot is part of a smart city project aimed to increase the adoption of eco-friendly vehicles and reduce emissions in South Korea. The solution aims to address a key hurdle to widespread EV adoption – the lack of sufficient charging stations to support the growth. Quanergy said its lidar sensors and Qortex DTC software can be deployed by local Korean governments throughout the country, beginning at the end of 2022. |
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In Case You Missed It
5 Robotics Takeaways from CES 2022
CES is always one of the biggest trade shows of the year, where companies from all different sectors come to Las Vegas to show off their latest innovations. Companies that make robots, drones and self-driving cars are among those that have attended in recent years, and this year was no different. While several big companies pulled out of the show due to COVID-related concerns, there were still enough announcements in the space to make people talk about what’s coming next in technology. Here are my thoughts about what impressed me during this year’s show, based on press announcements from the show (we did not attend this year due to similar travel concerns): Read More |
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Featured Article
Goodyear, Starship to Test Airless Tires for Robots
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced it developed and is testing a custom-engineered non-pneumatic (airless) tire (NPT) to support delivery robots for Starship Technologies. The two companies are currently conducting in-field testing at Bowling Green State University in Ohio to evaluate vehicle and tire dependencies. Starship, which is a portfolio company of Goodyear Ventures, builds and operates a network of more than 1,000 last-mile autonomous robots that carry and deliver packages, groceries and food directly to customers. To address a request by Starship related to tire health and maintenance, Goodyear said it developed a specially engineered airless tire designed to extend tire life and reduce maintenance activities for the Starship delivery fleet. Read More |
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Industry News
- Team PoliMOVE Wins Indy Autonomous Race at CES
Team PoliMOVE, with participants from Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and the University of Alabama has won the Autonomous Challenge @ CES, a continuation of last year’s Indy Autonomous Challenge that pitted autonomous race cars in a head-to-head competition. Held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a field of five teams from five countries representing seven universities, PoliMOVE took home the $150,000 grand prize. TUM Autonomous Motorsport from the Technische Universitat Munchen (Germany) took home second place, earning $50,000. The TUM team was the winner of the $1 million challenge held in October 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- BD Uses Robotics to Automate Microbial Identification
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) which develops medical technology, has announced it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its BD Kiestra IdentifA system, which automates the preparation of microbiology bacterial identification testing. The company said identifying microorganisms that cause infection is a labor-intensive process. With the BD Kiestra IdentifA, a lab technician can use BD Synapsys informatics to select discrete bacterial colonies from a digital plate image, and then robotics can physically pick those organisms to prepare the sample for specific identification testing. BD said that by automating these cumbersome manual stps, the IdentifA “may reduce the potential for human error when preparing samples for bacterial identification and produce more accurate diagnoses for patients."
- Moog, Doosan Bobcat Create All-Electric Compact Track Loader
Moog Inc. has announced it partnered with Doosan Bobcat to help build the world’s first all-electric compact track loader. The Bobcat T7X, which does not use hydraulic parts or oil, is a zero-emission and all-electric machine with the power and performance of a diesel hydraulic machine but without the noise, emissions and hydraulic leaks. The system is also built with the expectation of adding autonomous features down the road. Moog’s intelligent machine electrification system includes an integrated software framework, an electric machine controller, lift and tilt electric cylinders, electric traction motors, and power electronics. The T7X aims to be a major step forward for the productivity, safety, and sustainability of construction machinery.
- Reliable Robotics Adds Team to Prepare for Automated Cargo Flights
Reliable Robotics, which develops automated aircraft systems, has announced the appointments of two leaders in preparation for commercial cargo flights. The company said it will continue to grow its airline team and operational experience as part of a phased certification approach to bring its remotely operated aircraft system and services to market. David DeRoise joins the company as director of finance, and Lee Tomlinson joins as the director of operations. The two join Jeff Drees, director of cargo strategy, to begin cargo services later this year.
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Robotics Funding
Formant Raises $18M to Expand Robotics Software Platform
Formant has announced it recently raised $18 million in Series A funding to help expand its robotics operations software, which lets companies observe, analyze and teleoperate robot deployments. The funding round was led by Signal Fire, with participation from Hillsven, Pelion, Goodyear Ventures, Thursday Ventures, Ericsson, Picus Capital, and Holman Strategic Ventures. The company said it will use the funding to fuel consumer acquisition growth and help them serve a growing number of customers and partners. In a blog post, CEO Jeff Linnell said the company plans to double the size of the team by the end of the year, as well as invest to make the platform more extensible, as well as partner with best-of-breed solutions to help robotics companies build out their stacks. Read More |
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Blue Ocean Robotics Raises $51M to Expand Service Robots
Denmark’s Blue Ocean Robotics, which manufactures service robots for tasks including telepresence and UV-C disinfection, has announced an investment of $51.1 million (335 DKK) by A.P. Møller Holding, a privately held investment firm in Denmark. The company said the new funding will enable the company to roll out its sustainable mobile robot solutions globally, which includes divisions such as UVD Robots (mobile disinfection), PTR Robots (mobile patient transfer and rehabilitation robot), and GoBe Robots (mobile telepresence). Read More |
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Drone News
Skydio Launches Drone Flight Feature for Autonomous Cinematography
U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio has announced a new autonomous flight capability, Skydio KeyFrame, that uses artificial intelligence to let users design and capture smooth, complex camera moves with just a few taps. Aimed at cinematographers, the KeyFrame capability can create camera motion that is smooth, precise, and repeatable. Skydio said manual drones are hard to fly, easy to crash, and unusable in environments that contain high GPS or compass interference. By choosing KeyFrames with just a few taps, the Skydio Autonomy technology can create a continuous, smooth camera path between them. Once the KeyFrames are set, users can play it back, forward or backwards, as many times as they want at whatever speed they choose. Read More |
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Zenith AeroTech, VIRTEX Team up to Scale Long-Endurance, Tethered Drones
Zenith AeroTech, which develops heavy-lift tethered aerial vehicles (TAVs), has announced a strategic partnership with VIRTEX Enterprises, an Austin, Texas-based electronics manufacturing service provider. The partnership will help the companies meet increasing demand for more TAVs in shorter timeframes and for the platforms to be NDAA compliant. Zenith AeroTech offers industrial, federal government, first response, telecommunications and military customers three different TAV platforms that can be customized: Hexa, Quad 8 and Quadro (pictured). Through Zenith’s Ground Power-Tether Management System, the TAVs can stay aloft for days at a time to deliver persistent surveillance. VIRTEX provides engineering services, design, system level integration and full life cycle management services for aerospace, military and commercial customers. Read More |
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