Gonzaga University senior Chris Birmingham won the prestigious Marshall Scholarship and plans to study robotics at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.
Energy
Energy is one of the crucial building blocks of an industrial society. We heat, we cool, we pump water and we move around our geography with relative ease. It’s hard to fully consider the subtlety of how energy costs influence our modern conveniences. We can talk about agrarian societies that are powered by animals which […]
Pics. Pics. And more pics: Top 2014 Robot Pictures
This is the time when many suggest their list of top 2014 robotic pictures in various settings. Drones, humanoids, telepresence, home robots, vacuums, toys and robotic camel jockeys! Good recaps and terrific pics. Top 10 Drone Stories: includes Facebook’s new Titan drones; Google’s Project Wing and DHL’s Parcelcopter delivery drones; ARS Electronica, Cirque du Soleil and…
Last post . . . .
I’m the guy on the right. I am discontinuing this blog because the format of The Robot Report now enables long and short articles whereas in the past, long articles went here and short ones there. PS: There are many very worthwhile articles in the archives of Everything-Robotic and they are staying online and available…
Man and Machines
Machines are systems that convert energy and do work. Machines come in large classes that can be sorted by industry and activity. Transportation systems such as cars, trains, buses, trucks and airplanes. Construction equipment. Farm equipment. Water treatment systems, power generation equipment, oil exploration, drilling and refining. Thousands of machines are necessary in order to […]
Husqvarna Automower 230 ACX
Husqvarna has added color to their state-of-the-art robotic mower Automower, giving homeowners the choice of four colors to match their garden, house or car.
2014 robotics in a word: MORE
The list of top stories in robotics for 2014 is a story of “MORE”: MORE uses of and for robots; MORE serious discussions about robots; MORE robots in unusual places; MORE news in the financial press; MORE funding, acquisitions and IPOs; and MORE choices. 2014 was the year when spectacular online sales drove companies like…
10.1% CAGR projected for material handling robots through 2020
Robots for palletizing, packaging, and speciality materials handling (e.g.: in life science labs and for pharma, food and beverage, semiconductor and electronics) are projected to grow at a 10.1% CAGR and reach $31.3 billion by 2020. The report projecting these figures was produced by London-based WinterGreen Research. 25 market leaders and an additional 40 market…
Rise of the Machines?
Artificial Intelligence is a major software technology that has been under development for decades. As with many forms of technology, the current hype around artificial intelligence doesn’t really come with all of the history that really belongs with it. At General Electric Locomotive Engine division artificial intelligence was used to develop a diagnostic program that […]
Bosch Indego
Mows all by itself, so you can enjoy other projects.
Series hybrid electric truck pushes mechatronic boundaries
by Steve Meyer, Contributing Editor Sometimes mechatronic challenges come in unexpected places. Heavy hauling trucks are the latest transportation segment where an electric makeover provides major benefits. For the world’s largest retailer, WalMart—with more than 11,000 store locations in the U.S.—getting products to customers is a major logistics challenge. The company executes its logistics with […]
Food delivery drones planned for restaurant chain and airport lounge
Planned to be deployed at Singapore’s Timbre Group 12-inch Pizza & Records restaurant in late 2015, these flying robotic waiters were recently presented to Singapore’s Prime Minister at the launch of National Productivity Month. Produced by Singapore start-up Infinium Robotics, their new Infinium-Serve flying robots use the space between ceiling and above human height to deliver…
Internet of Things Hype
The Internet of Things continues to generate a lot of “buzz”. One market research firm forecasts $1.9 trillion in revenue by 2020 in global economic value created by companies supplying IoT hardware and services. That’s a big deal. Information and communication are now independent of location. As long as there is a cellphone tower or […]
25% of KUKA shares trade hands
Voith GmbH, among the biggest family-owned businesses in Europe, acquired 25% of robot maker Kuka AG by buying the shares held by Grenzebach GmbH. The transaction was valued at €555 million ($683 million), based on Bloomberg closing share prices. KUKA has been active financially this last year: KUKA acquired the engineering services, toolmaking and integration divisions of US-based Utica Enterprises…
Christmas is orange at Amazon
15,000+ bright orange Kiva robots are operating across the US and at 10 Amazon fulfillment distribution centers this holiday season. Amazon has 109 shipping centers around the world of which 10 use the technology and robots acquired when Amazon purchased Kiva Systems in March, 2012. In these 10 fulfillment distribution centers new vision systems enable the unloading…
Agricultural technology making news
My November 18th article Are Ag Robots Ready was our most widely read 2014 posting to date. Now there are two new in-depth articles on the subject by the NY Times and San Jose Mercury News. All are informative and worth your time to read. Working the Land and the Data, a November 30th NY…
2014 Robotic Gift List
The Robot Report released its 2014 Holiday Gift List, a wide-ranging list of 15 of the latest robotics-related products for kids and adults of all ages. There are 15 toys, gift items and a DVD to choose from on the 2014 list and with our Amazon Store, there are over 85 items to choose from.…