OMEGA Engineering-sponsored Sim-City robotics team from Simsbury High School who ranked 19 out of the 68 teams in their division at the 4-day FIRST Robotics National Championship in St. Louis, Missouri from April 26 through April 29. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) runs the largest and oldest student robotics competition in […]
Eplan Data Portal migrates to Azure
Eplan Data Portal—previously hosted on servers in Germany—has now migrated to the Microsoft Azure Platform. Due to its exponential growth in the last years, the previous deployed solution had reached its limits. Explaining the decision to switch to Azure, Global Director Eplan Data Portal Stefan Domdey said: “Looking ahead to our international growth, we wanted […]
Human exoskeleton takes top manus award at Hannover Messe
At the 2017 Hannover Messe, plastic bearings expert igus announced the winners of its 8th manus awards for unique plastic bearing applications. An independent jury, with representatives from the research, business, and specialist media organization, awarded the 2017 golden manus trophy, along with a €5,000 prize to California-based Pathway LLC for its design for manufacturing […]
Cool robots you missed at Hannover Messe
Hannover Messe is always a great opportunity to see the newest, most exciting technology from the world of engineering. In recent years, robots have really taken over some areas of the show, and the 2017 event was no exception. But why should robots be limited to boring industrial tasks at the show? We found plenty […]
Harting cooperating with Robotation Academy in Foshan, China
The Harting technology group is cooperating with the Robotation Academy in Foshan in China. “This will give Harting access to almost every manufacturing company in South China, including IT manufacturers in Shenzhen,” said Dr. Ellen McMillan, General Manager of Harting China. Harting China will also be sending its employees to the Robotation Academy for training. In […]
FANUC America marks 35 years of manufacturing robots in U.S.
FANUC America has marked the 35th anniversary of manufacturing its line of painting robots at the company’s Rochester Hills, Mich., headquarters, a milestone in the U.S. robotics industry. Company President, Mike Cicco said, “We have dedicated ourselves to 35 years of product innovation and manufacturing efficiencies to provide our customers with the highest quality paint robots […]
First coding-free electronic building blocks unveiled
Boson Kit is the first coding-free set of modular electronic building blocks designed for young inventors and teachers. Created as a hands-on tool for STEM education in the classroom and beyond, Boson Kit is compatible with Legos, magnets, screws and Velcro, using its Internet of Things (IoT) module to allow everyday innovations to come to […]
FANUC introduces R-30iB Plus robot controller
FANUC introduced its new R-30iB Plus robot controller at an open house event this week at its headquarters in Japan. The new R-30iB Plus controller features a new iPendant with an enhanced screen resolution and processing capability. The user interface, iHMI, has an icon-based screen which provides a familiar and easy-to-use experience with intuitive guides for setup […]
ABB announces SafeMove2 is now available on IRB 1200
ABB Robotics has announced that SafeMove2 is now available for IRB 1200, the smallest ABB robot to feature its leading edge advanced safety-certified monitoring and control software. SafeMove2 enables people to work safely alongside ABB robots with payloads ranging from 6kg to 800kg without compromising productivity. It also provides an optimum level of collaboration and flexibility […]
ATI Industrial Automation breaking ground on operations expansion
ATI Industrial Automation will break ground on the expansion of its corporate and manufacturing headquarters on April 21. This expansion–the largest in ATI’s 28-year history–will increase the size of its Apex facility to 185,000 sq-ft. “Global demand for our robotic end-effectors continues to grow,” said ATI Chairman Keith Morris. “This latest major expansion, our second in […]
ROSIN project to work toward an EU digital industrial platform for robotics
Open-Source Software for robots is a de-facto practice in academia, and its advantages can also benefit industrial applications. The worldwide ROS-Industrial initiative has been using ROS, the Robot Operating System, to this end. To consolidate Europe’s dominance in advanced manufacturing, ROSIN with Fraunhofer IPA as one of the partners will push the role of the […]
Robotics startup Makeblock raises $30M in Series B funding
Makeblock Co. Ltd, the STEM education and robotics startup, today announced it has closed a $30 million Series B round at a $200 million valuation led by Evolution Media China and Shenzhen Capital Group Co., Ltd. The funding supports Makeblock’s expansion into new markets, further product development and diversification of STEM education hardware, software and […]
ABB sells its first robot manufactured in the U.S.
ABB has sold its first robot manufactured in the United States. The IRB 2600 robot is the first to be produced at the ABB Auburn Hills, Mich. facility, and was sold by CIM Systems Inc. to Hitachi Powdered Metals USA. The compact robot, which is painted with special commemorative red, white and blue paint, will be […]
Teledyne DALSA adds 16k CLHS model to its low-cost line scan camera series
Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company, announced the extension of its Linea family of low-cost, high-value line scan cameras with a new 16k CLHS model. The new Linea 16k CLHS camera delivers the exceptional performance and features found in the current lineup of high-end cameras at an unprecedented price point. Based on the most advanced CMOS […]
Dematic announces Egemin Automation integration plan
Following the acquisition by the KION Group, Dematic, a leading supplier of integrated automated technology, software and services to optimize the supply chain, announced today the plans for integrating Egemin Automation into its organization. The integration, which is targeted for completion by the end of calendar year 2017, will result in the world’s largest Automated […]
Machining simulator brings design/production training to classrooms
FANUC America has developed a new machining simulator that encompasses the complete manufacturing process from part design and engineering to CNC programming to virtual production simulation. The FANUC Machining Simulator features Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD/CAM/CAE software and a custom machining simulation program designed by ModuleWorks. The FANUC Machining Simulator comes with Fusion 360, a cloud-based […]
Should robots be taxed? Bill Gates thinks so, and now IFR weighs in …
Bill Gates’ latest idea to tax robots aims to solve a problem that does not exist: empirical analysis of economic data and forecasts shows that automation and the use of robots create new jobs by increasing productivity. This is in line with the historical experience of technological revolutions, last seen when computers and software automated […]
High-resolution 3D camera captures scenes and objects in real time
On the basis of the PMD technology the new 3D camera sees various scenes and objects in their spatial dimensions at a glance. The heart of this device from ifm electronic is a new image chip with 23,000 receiving elements. Output is done via a grey-scale value and distance image, evaluation is easily possible using […]
ST Robotics offers fast new robot arm
ST Robotics announced today the addition of the new ST R17HS—a high speed version of their five-axis vertically articulated R17 robot arm. The ST R17HS is one of the industry’s fastest robots: standard tool speed is over four times as fast as the nearest competitor, yet it’s less than half the price: Compare the R17HS to […]
Transcript: How mechatronics is taking additive manufacturing to the next level
I think you would have to live under a rock to have not been exposed to the term “additive manufacturing.” 3D printing, quite honestly, there was somewhat of a hype bubble that has burst, but the good news is the market is transitioning from that hype hangover and really getting down to business and getting […]
European Parliament’s motion on robotics regulation may bolster bureaucracy
The European Parliament’s resolution suggests a set of measures to the European Commission that should apparently overcome supposedly negative legal and ethical implications of robotics and artificial intelligence for the European citizens. EUnited Robotics urges all stakeholders to use the terms “robot” and “robotics” with greater precision rather than applying them to a wide range […]
Milwaukee Robotics Coalition hosting launch party
The Milwaukee Robotics Coalition is hosting a Launch Party on Saturday, February 25, 2017. The event will be held at 42 Lounge and is described as an evening of information, networking, and fun. Thanks to their generosity, MRC is able to offer free entry and dedicated televisions to watch and listen to the FRC Premiere Night stream! […]