By Frank Tobe, editor/publisher, The Robot Report Yesterday was the launch of Rethink Robotics’ Baxter shop assistant robot. Many reporters, including myself, saw Baxter at Rethink’s headquarters in Boston in the past two months but were embargoed from writing about it until today, the launch date. Looking at the stories – as they appear all…
Companies Transitioning from Industrial to Service Robots
A version of this post originally appeared on Singularity Hub, June 6, 2012. By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher The Robot Report Robot manufacturers are beginning to shift theirattention from industrial to service robots. The robotics industry is on the cusp of a major transformation. Today’s factory robots are solitary precision instruments, mimicking the repertoire…
Lots of robots coming onboard in 2013, 2014 and 2015
Pure science is an integral part of robotics and often leads to solutions for strategic needs for an audience of willing buyers. Here are a few examples of that process from companies with products scheduled to hit the marketplace in the next four years. Harvest Automation Servicing ornamental horticulture market ($35 billion industry) Focused on…
China’s Mammoth Intro to Robotics
by Frank Tobe and Manoj Sahi According to Xinhua, the official press agency of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn will deploy 1 million robots over the next three years to improve efficiency and reduce labor for tasks better suited to a robot. The robots will be used…
Pres. Obama Launches AMP with $70 million for Robotics
Manufacturing is not merely about giving people jobs. The next generation of technological innovations is intimately tied to production processes. (MIT Technology Review) This new partnership will make sure that tomorrow’s breakthroughs are America’s breakthroughs. (President Obama at CMU) With much fanfare, and a trip to the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute, President Obama launched a…
Manufacturing With Robots: Prospects and Problems Ahead
2011 is a pivotal year for industrial and service robots. In fact, we may see the marriage of industrial with service robots to be used as assistants in manufacturing. The recent launches in Europe of pi4-robotics’ workerbot and Japan’s Motoman’s two-armed headless robot, and the anticipated 2011 launch in the U.S. of Heartland Robotics’ factory…