The Save Mart Companies has announced launching a pilot program with Simbe Robotics to deploy several of Simbe’s autonomous inventory robots, known as Tally, in select Save Mart, Lucky/Lucky California, and FoodMaxx stores in the Modesto and East Bay areas of California.
Video of the Week: Researchers Give Robots Ability to Sense Hidden Objects
In recent years, robots have gained artificial vision, touch, and even smell. “Researchers have been giving robots human-like perception,” says MIT Associate Professor Fadel Adib. In a new paper, Adib’s team is pushing the technology a step further. “We’re trying to give robots superhuman perception,” he says. The researchers have developed a robot that uses radio waves, which can pass through walls, to sense occluded objects. The robot, called RF-Grasp, combines this powerful sensing with more traditional computer vision to locate and grasp items that might otherwise be blocked from view. The advance could one day streamline e-commerce fulfillment in warehouses or help a machine pluck a screwdriver from a jumbled toolkit.
Robotics-World News
Industry News for Robotics Makers
Vicarious Surgical, a robotics company that combines robotics with virtual reality, has announced a ...
Construction robotics startup Canvas has announced it raised a $24 million Series B funding round, ...
Amsterdam-based MX3D has announced raising €2.25 ($2.69 million U.S.) in new funding, which will be ...
MOVIA Robotics, which is developing systems and software to help children with autism and robots ...
Sarcos Robotics, which develops robots and exoskeleton systems that augment humans for productivity ...
Norway’s AutoStore, which develops global robotics and software for material handling, has ...
Plus (formerly Plus.ai) has announced it added $220 million in new financing, which will enable it ...
Ambi Robotics, which was previously known as Ambidextrous Laboratories, has emerged from stealth to ...
Tompkins Robotics and IAM Robotics have teamed up to create a new robotic application that ...
China’s ForwardX Robotics, which develops AI-powered autonomous mobile robots for warehousing and ...
Baton, which is developing a logistics technology platform to assist long-haul autonomous trucks, ...
Lightpoint Medical, which is developing miniaturized cancer detection tools for robot-assisted ...
Nuro, which is developing autonomous on-road delivery vehicles, has announced new investors as part ...
Robotics companies are expecting a 40% increase in employment during 2021, and revenue growth of ...
The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute has announced a collaboration with the Air ...
Monarch Tractor, which develops a fully electric, driver-optional, smart tractor, has announced ...
Robot density, measured as units installed per 10,000 employees, hit a new record for the U.S. ...
Driven by high injury costs and an aging and shrinking skilled workforce across sectors, the global ...
Local Motors, which develops the autonomous shuttle called Olli, has been granted a vehicle tag ...
Shenzhen, China-based Hai Robotics, which develops autonomous case-handling systems for logistics ...
OTTO Motors, maker of autonomous mobile robots for material handling tasks, has announced launching the next generation of its heavy-class AMR. The new OTTO 1500 is designed to autonomously move pallet-scale loads up to 1,900 kg (4,189 lbs) in factories and warehouses. With a top speed of two meters per second, the OTTO 1500 can swiftly and safely deliver more payload than any other AMR in its class, the company said.
Originally deployed in 2015, the OTTO 1500 has been deployed in Fortune 500 factories around the world, and has amassed more than 1 million hours of mission-critical material handling experience, OTTO said. The always-on AMR is most commonly used to connect existing automated processes, such as connecting machining centers, welding cells, packaging cells, palletizers, or stretch wrappers.
“Maximizing productivity in material handling is really about moving more materials, faster,” said Jay Judkowitz, vice president of product at OTTO Motors. “The new OTTO 1500 has been designed to provide the highest throughput; all without compromising safety. We analyzed every detail affecting AMR productivity and challenged ourselves to do more. We developed a patent-pending adaptive safety fieldset that improves average vehicle speed. We’ve designed superchargers to minimize time spent charging. We even made maintenance faster with easy access panels. Every detail of the OTTO 1500 has been crafted to maximize productivity.”
READ MORE HERE
Robotics Market: Materials Handling
SICK has announced the scanGrid2, a safe multibeam scanner that uses solid-state lidar technology designed for small autonomous and line-guided transport vehicles. Certified as a Type 2/SIL 1 safety sensor (IEC 61496-3), the scanGrid2 can protect hazardous areas up to performance level C, and works well for collision avoidance. An app and cloning function also ensure a high level of uptime and fast fleet deployment, SICK said.
“With this sensor, manufacturers of autonomous and line-guided autonomous vehicles gain a cost-effective safety solution that can boost the productivity of applications,” said Aaron Woytcke, market product manager of industrial safety at SICK USA. “Specifically, this means increasing the speed or payload of the vehicles, or being able to eliminate mechanical barriers like fences.”
Conventional safety laser scanners are often not suitable for simple and cost-effective small vehicles for economic reasons, the company added. Users end up choosing between limiting the speed or payload of the vehicle or avoid operating them in unfenced areas to minimize the risks associated with the vehicles. SICK said scanGrid2 now offers users new possibilities for successfully increasing the productivity of small autonomous and line-guided carts. Switching to a safety sensor is now a viable option, with initial installations showing productivity increases between 50 and 70%, the company added.
READ MORE HERE
