Just last month Rod Brooks chided me that robotic vacuum cleaners were already mainstream in response to what I had written: that they had just recently moved from niche to mainstream partly because big consumer product companies were entering the market. Dyson and Samsung had just recently announced product launches and LG and Ecovacs were already…
Are ag robots ready? 27 companies profiled
Agriculture is one of our most important industries. It provides food, feed and fuel necessary for our survival. With the global population expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, agricultural production must double to meet the demand. And because of limited arable land, productivity must increase 25% to help meet that goal. Consider these factoids:…
Bringing Balance to the Force
There is a delicate balance between electric motors and the power electronics that control them. This is because semiconductors conduct electricity in a completely different way than wire wound inductors. Yet, they need to be designed to perform well together because, these days, almost all electric motor technology depends on the result of the two […]
UN discusses humanitarian uses of drones
At a recent meeting at the United Nations, UN and UNICEF officials met with NGOs including Red Cross, food and peacekeeping groups, to discuss setting up a network of humanitarian uses for drones and to inform, educate and expose all to possible uses. The UN meeting was initiated to show UN officials what is going on…
6-axis robot for sterile environments
DENSO Robotics announced introduction of its new compact, high-speed, VS-050 six-axis aseptic robot, which features an ISO 5 cleanroom rating and specially designed coverings, for applications where biocontamination control is required. “We created the VS-050 aseptic robot because of rapidly increasing demand in the pharmaceutical, medical and life sciences sectors,” said Peter Cavallo, robotics sales […]
ABB invests in AI startup Vicarious
ABB Technology Ventures, the VC arm of ABB, joins a long list of notables investing in artificial intelligence startup Vicarious Systems that include Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Vinod Khosla and Ashton Kutcher. Vicarious, a 2012 Union City, CA AI startup, has raised $72 million thus far according to Crunchbase.com. The current Series C round,…
Electric Motor Application
The electric motor is all about creating an inexpensive conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy possible. Being the “cheapest” often overrules being the “most cost effective” or “most efficient”. If the mechanism is cheap enough, it’s energy cost over time may not be a major consideration. Being the “most efficient” usually costs a lot […]
Latest research report shows 10.4% CAGR for robotics to 2025
Boston Consulting Group (BSG) recently released a global robotics market study which projects industry growth of 10.4% CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate). The BCG report, The Rise of Robotics, appeared on BCG Perspectives in late August. At the heart of the report is a very informative chart showing growth by each of the four robotic industry…
Design Integration
There are a number of definitions for the word ‘design’. A broad definition is based on conceiving or planning something. The object of the design could be anything, a building, a park, a homestead, an electric vehicle, you name it. Design can also include the process of fabricating the item, so all of the techniques […]
Robomow RM510
The Robomow RM510 Robotic Lawnmower is the smallest of the Robomow fleet, but it’s no less impressive.
Google news briefs
UPDATED 11-11-14: Andy Rubin leaves Google; Sundar Pichai promoted to #2 man at Google; Google invests in $542 million funding for Magic Leap; and commits $1.36 billion for NASA facility to house Google's robotics, space and flight technologies. Andy Rubin, the Google executive, who was in charge of the company’s robotics group and spearheaded the Android…
How to convert energy into mechanical work
By Leslie Langnau / Managing Editor Actuators for robots range from the “tried and true” to newer versions of actuator muscles. Here’s a look at your range of options. In robot design, electric, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators are the typical choices available when developing the means to convert energy into mechanical work. However, a couple […]
Robot uses piezo motors to work in tandem with MRI machines
Surgeons treating brain cancer face a conundrum: They can capture ultra-high-resolution images of the tumor using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or they can use ultra-precise surgical tools to remove the tumor, but they can’t do both at the same time. At least they couldn’t previously. Worcester Polytechnic Institute professor Greg Fischer is in the process […]
Two robotic start-up companies make news
Two robotic start-up companies, one in India and the other California, received favorable media attention recently. Gridbots Technologies, a start-up located in Ahmedabad, India, has focused their efforts on providing the power industry, particularly nuclear power companies, defense organizations and space agencies with robotics, AI and vision products. The company has grown to a team of more…
1 + 1 = 3
The business world sometimes likes to use the “1 + 1 = 3” for mergers and acquisitions where businesses seek to leverage the strengths of two complementary businesses. What is frequently missing in the current discussion about 3D printing is metaphorically the same thing; the ability of 3D to integrate shapes that were previously made […]
2013 Stats from the IFR; 3rd qtr results for 2014 set new records in US
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) recently released their annual statistical recap and four-year forecast for the robotics industry. The IFR produces two research books; one which covers industrial robots and the other for service robots. The two IFR books can be purchased and downloaded in PDF form for $728.00 by linking here. Industrial Robots In 2013, 178,132…
Seegrid files for Chapter 11 protection
Seegrid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this week. The bankruptcy judge authorized Seegrid to borrow from its lender and biggest shareholder, Giant Eagle, so that it could continue operations. Giant Eagle is a $9 billion supermarket and convenience store chain serving Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland. It has tested and used Seegrid AGVs in…
Google adding to UK DeepMind Acquisition
In January, 2014, Google acquired London-based DeepMind Technologies for $643 million. Now it is adding to that purchase with 2 more companies, 10 new hires and a substantial contribution to Oxford University. Google DeepMind was a British AI start-up with some high-profile investors and a whiz kid founder (Demis Hassabis) and their forte was smart recommendations…
The Robot Report’s 2014 Holiday Gift List
By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher, The Robot Report Product: mamaRoo robotic rocker Manufacturer: 4moms For: babies 0-6 months, gift for soon-to-be parents, baby shower gift Availability: Amazon Comment: A pioneer in duplicating the human parent motions of rocking, dancing, cradling and driving, the mamaRoo robotic rocker sets the standard for smart baby swings. Competitors…
Unmanned vehicle design considerations for civil and military applications
Guest blog by Michael Carter, CEO, IXI Technology As the adoption and use of unmanned vehicles (air, ground and undersea) continues to grow, the next five to eight years will see an acceleration of technology adoption across the board for military, security and commercial applications. However, with that, standards and safety regulations must catch up. […]
Medrobotics, Monsieur and Arago all get funding
Venture funding is continuing to flow. Three recent recipients: $20 million to Medrobotics, $2 million to Monsieur and $55 million to Arago AG. Medrobotics, a medical robotics start-up company, has raised $109.3 million in six rounds from a single venture fund: Hercules Technology Growth Capital. The most recent, a $20 million preferred stock financing, just…
Industrie 4.0 is really Work 7.0
Work is what we do to feed, clothe and house ourselves. Work in the last 100 years has changed so dramatically that it may not be recognizable as work. What started as simple mechanical automation to reduce the labor required to make things like clothing, has evolved over the years into the daydream of producing […]