Canada’s Hamilton Mohawk College introduced six industrial robots into its robotics lab, becoming the first Canadian school to host robots in a classroom without protective barriers. The $3 million robotics lab is equipped with robots costing $25,000 apiece and more from Japanese company Fanuc. It allows students to practice working with the collaborative machines. “They…
SCHUNK ROTA-S Flex chuck maximizes potential of milling and turning machines
The ROTA-S flex chuck is a flexible manual chuck for machining myriad workpieces on milling and turning machines. The ROTA-S flex has all the same beneficial features as the ROTA-S plus in addition to extended guideways — transforming it into a large, versatile, lightweight chuck. More specifically, the weight of the ROTA-S flex is approximately…
Furhat Robotics raises $2.5 million in investments
Furhat Robotics, a company working to combine conversational artificial intelligence with robotics technology to develop social robots, secured $2.5 million in seed funding from venture capital investors Balderton Capital and LocalGlobe. “This funding will provide us with the muscle to bring Furhat to a new level and engage in substantial commercial partnerships with industry leaders…
Medtronic, Mazor Robotics close $40m round
Mazor Robotics (NSDQ:MZOR) said today that closed the third, $40 million tranche of a deal with Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), which is due to take on exclusive global distribution rights for the Mazor X robot-assisted surgery device. It’s the third investment in the Israeli surgical robotics concern for Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic, taking its total investment to $72 million, 10.6% stake in…
Mind melding robots merge to work together
These mind-melding robots can work autonomously, merge to operate as one and even self-heal by replacing malfunctioning pieces. Researchers at Université libre de Bruxelles developed this series of small robots that are controlled by a single brain and mergeable nervous system. In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers explained how the system consists of a…
Reactive Robotics receives second round funding
Munich-based company Reactive Robotics GmbH secured a second seven-digit funding round to continue its work in rehabilitation robotics development. Investors included new lead investor Dr. Doll Holding GmbH and existing investors MTIP MedTech Innovation Partners AG, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital and TQ-Group. Reactive Robotics intends to use the funds to further market entry in Germany…
Investors merge firms, raise fund to support AI
Investors Jennifer Gill Roberts and Kelly Coyne are merging their respective companies, seed-stage investment firm Grit Labs and go-to-market firm Pitch, under the name Grit Labs to invest in and guide companies performing research in artificial intelligence and robotics. They have also created a $30 million fund to focus on B2B robotics powered by AI…
DOT updates driverless vehicle guidelines
This week, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced updated safety guidelines for driverless vehicles while visiting a testing facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. The new document outlining the guidelines, Automated Driving Systems (ADS): Vision for Safety 2.0, is published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website and shares industry best practices and voluntary safety assessments companies…
Johns Hopkins researchers set medical drone delivery record
With a 3-hour, 161-mile flight across the Arizona desert, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine completed a record-distance medical drone delivery. During the flight, the drone’s payload system maintained the temperature of the human blood samples stored in a temperature-controlled chamber onboard, keeping them viable for lab analysis, according to the findings…
Yaskawa MLX300 software for programming robots with PLC language
The MLX300 software option is the newest generation of integration for Yaskawa robots and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). The MLX300 lets operators control and program Yaskawa robots in a standard PLC programming environment, eliminating the need to learn a specific robot-programming language. All program execution is performed by the PLC; the motion control is handled…
Researchers complete automated crop plant and harvest
A team from Harper Adams University and agricultural solutions company Precision Decisions successfully planted, tended and harvested a crop of barley using only autonomous machines, a project they called Hands Free Hectare. “This project aimed to prove that there’s no technological reason why a field can’t be farmed without humans working the land directly now…
Study: artificial ‘skin’ could improve robot sensing
Researchers have found a material that can mimic human skin and improve robots’ sensing capabilities. Usually rigid semiconductor materials that create robots’ circuits limit the machines’ movement or sensing, either because they are not flexible or don’t permit electrons to flow efficiently. But the rubber electronics and sensors tested by a University of Houston team…
Corindus launches post-approval study for CorPath GRX coronary system
Corindus Vascular Robotics announced the first patient enrollment in a post-market study of its second-generation CorPath GRX System, a robot-assisted system for percutaneous coronary interventions such as stenting. “Enrollment of the first patient in the Precision GRX registry is a major milestone for the company and we look forward to the participation of leading centers…
Avitas uses AI to make industrial inspections quicker, safer
General Electric subsidiary Avitas Systems is using artificial intelligence technology from AI company Nvidia to automate industrial inspections, reducing costs, turnaround time and risk. Using a team of drones, crawlers or wheeled robots and autonomous underwater vehicles, Avitas performs inspections at sites in the energy, transportation and oil and gas sectors, such as power plants,…
New Amazon facility combines man-power with automation
Amazon opened a new fulfillment center in Staten Island where employees and robots will interact to carry out operations, creating 2,250 full-time jobs. “We are excited to bring our first fulfillment center to New York and work alongside the state’s incredible workforce,” customer fulfillment VP Sanjay Shah said in a press release. “The support of…
Polar Capital to launch AI, automation fund
Polar Capital said it plans to launch an automation and artificial intelligence fund to support companies worldwide working in industrial automation, AI, robotics and advanced materials. “Technology is changing the world we live in and the pace of disruption is accelerating – knowledge of technology is becoming critical for all investors,” CEO Gavin Rochussen said…
Drones conduct cell tower inspections following Hurricane Harvey
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the New Jersey Innovation Institute Defense & Homeland Security Innovation Lab is working with engineering firm Maser Consulting to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to inspect cell towers in Houston. “We have teamed with Maser Consulting to have two crews on site in Houston to conduct video inspections for several…
FIRST Tech Challenge reveals season adventure theme
This year’s FIRST Tech Challenge for students in grades 7 to 12 grade will see participation among 60,000 students on 6,000 teams in 25 countries. Founded in 1989, FIRST builds student interest in science, technology, engineering and math through a series of robotics competitions for K-12 students. “The true value of FIRST Tech Challenge is…
NASA funds next phase of robotic satellite assembly project
The National Air & Space Administration awarded the next phase of funding to Space Systems Loral, a spacecraft systems provider, modifying their contract to continue work on the Dragonfly on-orbit satellite assembly program. The partnership between NASA and SSL intends to create a semiautonomous robotic system to assemble satellites in space. The software to run…
California lawmaker pushes robot tax
A California lawmaker wants to use a tax to reduce the possible consequences of robots sucking up jobs as automation becomes more widespread. San Francisco city supervisor Jane Kim launched a campaign in August called Jobs of the Future Fund to study how a statewide tax, essentially an income tax, on robots that displace employees…
Japan company testing robots to counter childcare shortage
Japan is in the throes of a childcare crisis as more mothers go to work, childcare staff are overworked and facility waitlists skyrocket. One child- and elderly-care company is testing out robots as a way to fill the gaps. Global Bridge Holdings, which runs 27 childcare centers in Tokyo, is working with Gunma University to…
IBM and MIT partner on AI research lab
IBM and the Mass. Institute of Technology plan to expand their ongoing partnership to create the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab to perform research on artificial intelligence. IBM is making a 10-year, $240 million investment to establish the Cambridge, Mass. center. The lab will harness the work of 100 scientists, professors and students to develop AI…