Peloton Technology, a Silicon Valley startup providing truck platooning technology, got $17 million from some strategic investors after receiving $16M just a few months earlier in April. Denso Intl. was the lead investor in both funding rounds. Denso is a Japanese robot maker that also provides technology and components to the global auto industry. In…

Developing a new robot design for a specific task is a major challenge.  Combining traditional rotary motors and gear reducers will produce very limited results.  New robot mechanical solutions are the key to expanding robot capabilities.  The problem is that new mechanical solutions are hard enough to deal with, writing new control software for a […]

Bill 1328 just passed, making North Dakota the first state in the US to legalize police use of drones equipped with rubber bullets, pepper spray, tasers and more. The police, however, say they’ll only use the drones for search and rescue missions and to photograph crimes scenes. So, remind us again, why do we need weaponized drones?

A bicyclist recently had a two-minute standoff with a Google self-driving car at a four-way stop in Austin, Texas. So what happened? We explain.

Omron Automation and Safety offers the Sysmac Delta Robot Series to help machine builders add efficient pick-and-place capability to packaging and small parts assembly line projects. Omron’s integrated Sysmac robotics solution offers the capability to integrate machine control, motion, remote I/O, HMI, safety, vision and robotics all in one controller, over one network, using one […]

The number of research reports covering the robotics industry has quadrupled in the last three years. 38 have been previewed thus far in 2015. The latest batch of 15 new ones cover a wide range of segments as well as the overall industry. These 53 reports are costly but often valuable to VCs, companies and their engineering and marketing research…

The tiny drones build a map of a building’s environment to give first responders a look inside.

Open Bionics can 3D-scan an amputee and build them a custom-fit hand in less than two days. This is certainly much faster than most other prosthetics on the market, which can take weeks or months to make.

For people with sight, the necessary tasks associated with urban living – crossing the street, sorting bus tickets or finding a store – are accomplished without a second thought. Innovations using collaborative robots can make these tasks just as easy for the blind population.

Designing everything from driverless Uber-like systems to folding cars Scientist Kent Larson the fusion of computers, engineering, and robotics to get more living out of less space. His mission? To create technology so appealing, that it entices people to live more sustainable lifestyles. Larson and his team have designed “City Home,” a transformable apartment home […]

Valued at $1 billion, startup’s technology could be fast and strong enough to move 3D printing from prototyping to full industrial production.

The International Federation of Robotics reports another record year of robot sales in 2014.  225,000 robots were sold worldwide.  26% over the previous year.  The estimated inventory of working robots is now approaching 2 million and increasing dramatically.  The shipped value of the robots is in the range of $11 billion and the estimated value […]

NY Times tech writer John Markoff traces the origins of the AI embedded in today’s virtual and physical assistants and suggests a humane way to proceed. In a book released this week, Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots, by John Markoff (Ecco/HarperCollins), Markoff provides historical perspective for the long push for artificial intelligence,…

Irish researchers develop semi-autonomous sea drones that can be controlled from around the world.

by Andrew Waugh, Product Manager for Sensors and Safety at AutomationDirect.com Operator safety is a top priority for machine and robot installations, and safety switches help implement the desired level of protection. Protecting an operator from safety hazards should be at the top of the list for all designers of automated equipment such as machines […]

by Paul J. Heney, Editorial Director For the January issue’s Leadership spotlight, Editorial Director Paul J. Heney profiled master inventor and engineer Dean Kamen. Kamen is also well known for creating the successful FIRST program for inspiring kids to engineer solutions to problems, using everything from LEGOs to robots. Kamen invited Heney to the FIRST […]

Hailey Dawson, born with a rare congenital disease that affected the growth of her right hand, receives a custom Baltimore Orioles-themed prosthetic hand to throw out the first pitch at Camden Yards.

Atlas, a 6-foot, 2-inch humanoid robot from Google-owned Boston Dynamics, has drastically improved its walking ability since the DRC Finals. Watch it run through the woods and traverse rough terrain.

“The objective was to make sure he came across as being a young, male character. Someone who’s earnest and energetic. Helpful.”

Complexity in the controls world is expanding exponentially.  The amount of data necessary to describe the real world is staggering when fully considered.  Sensors and feedback devices of every imaginable type are providing many orders of magnitude of increased resolution to allow improved control over processes in all industries. The rotary encoder that was typically […]

Apple is looking for testing facilities for a self-driving car in the San Francisco Bay area, according to a report, which shows Project Titan is further along than anyone thought.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been more than 650 reports this year through Aug. 9 by pilots of drones flying near manned aircraft. There were 238 reported drone sightings in all of 2014.