Utilities

Spot Release 3.0 enhances its data collection capabilities to improve ease of use and efficiency for facility inspection.

The Puck is a compact LiDAR sensor that provides a 360-degree view with real-time 3D data and a 100 meter range.

The soft robot uses pneumatic artificial muscles that mimic the muscular structure and function of the earthworms.

Canadian underwater robotics company Kraken Robotics Inc., announces that it has acquired 13 Robotics Ltda of Brazil in a deal worth $220K.

Kespry said its Kespry Perception Analytics cloud-based system is designed for industries including chemicals, pulp and paper, energy, food and beverage, and ports.

In September 2020, healthcare robotics, drones for inspection, and industrial automation received funding, but transactions slowed for autonomous vehicle developers.

Skyward, a Verizon company, has received an FAA waiver for beyond visual line of site operations, enabling staffers to remotely pilot inspection drones during wildfires in Washington state.

ANYbotics is partnering with maxon, which will provide drives for its ANYmal quadruped robot, while ANYbotics provides access to global robotics markets.

In August 2020, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation for manufacturing and supply chains, and healthcare robotics continued to receive funding.

SPX is adding ULC Robotics, which provides inspection robots as a service, drones, and software to utility companies, to its location and inspection portfolio.

PrecisionHawk, which provides drone and data services to the energy and other industries, has received two patents for UTM, or a unified traffic management system for aircraft and drones.

In July 2020, autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, and surgical robots continued to receive funding at steady levels in comparison with the same period last year.

MFE Rentals, which provides inspection equipment, is an official rental and resale partner of Sarcos Robotics for its Guardian S robot, which is designed to remotely communicate from a variety of environments.

When off-the-shelf robotics is insufficient, Dutch company Avular turned to HP 3D printing for modular drones for a variety of demanding applications.

Drone services are becoming increasingly important to the oil and gas and utilities industries, says PrecisionHawk, which has seen inspections grow as a share of its business.

RMUS, or Rocky Mountain Unmanned Systems, will distribute, integrate, and service Sarcos Robotics’ Guardian S robotic crawler system. The mobile robot is designed to be a rugged platform for industrial inspection, public safety, and more.

Toyota AI Ventures has renewed its call for innovative startups to submit technologies that solve urban challenges for up to $2 million in funding.

As part of our ongoing coverage of robotics applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, we look at more uses in healthcare, transportation, and utilities.

The Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and NASA have been conducting drone tests to see if autonomous systems can enable drones to avoid other air traffic.

AI vision company Neurala and drone services provider AviSight are combining efforts to enable AviSight’s Live Look Fault Vision to inspect critical infrastructure.

DroneDeploy has updated its software offerings, entered into international partnerships, and raised funding for drone inspections.

The Sprint Robotics Awards, presented at a conference in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, recognized three leaders in developing inspection and maintenance robotics systems.