Kurt ToolBlox feature an open-cage design weighing 30% less than a solid tombstone with Aluminum subplates, making easier handling for the CNC machine table and shuttle systems. The ToolBlox class 30 Grey Iron iron construction continues to provide the vibration dampening for a rigid setup even compared to much heavier tombstone alternatives. Each Toolblox face […]
10-Gbit LAN transformers support PoE to 100 W and 1 A per channel
Würth Elektronik eiSos GmbH & Co. KG, manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components, is expanding the portfolio of their Ethernet modules with LAN transformers for speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s. The new transformers support Power over Ethernet (PoE) up to 100 W and currents up to 1 A per channel. Würth Elektronik eiSos is […]
iRobot’s $199 floor mopper designed for Chinese markets
iRobot has been streamlining its operations to focus on consumer products and enhancing shareholder value. Recent moves to divest their defense division, launch a low-cost Braava Jet floor cleaner, and investing in 6 River Systems all attest to their strategy. Divested Defense Division In a February transaction valued at $45 million, iRobot sold its Defense and Security division to Arlington…
The world’s first autonomous pizza delivery vehicle
On March 17, at a Domino's Pizza launch party, it was announced that the first delivery of a pizza by Domino's new DRU (Domino's Robotic Unit) had been successfully carried out in Hornsby, Australia, about 18 miles north of Sydney. Development started in 2015 by Domino’s Brisbane-based DLab. According to the promotional video shown below, the DRU uses technology developed…
How NVIDIA’s Jetson TX1 is Making Robots Smarter
Jesse Clayton, NVIDIA’s product manager of autonomous machines, joined the Robotics Trends Show to discuss why robots need to be smarter, the challenges involved in doing that, and how the Jetson TX1 can help.
Motor Changes
Electric motors are the workhorse of industry. Globally 20% of all energy generated is in the form of electricity. Electric motors consume 40% of all electricity. Electric motors are a big part of how things work, industrially and on the consumer level. Major and small appliance account for huge numbers of motors manufactured […]
3D Robotics undergoing layoffs and other challenges
3D Robotics is closing its San Diego facility, has reduced its staff at its Berkeley headquarters and in Austin, and acknowledged that co-founder and president Jordi Muñoz left the company at the end of 2015. The latest staff reductions follow more extensive layoffs that took place at the end of 2015 after 3DR shifted its manufacturing…
Flirtey Makes First Legal Urban Drone Delivery in US
Nevada-based startup Flirtey completed the first FAA-approved urban drone delivery in the United States, delivering a package that included bottled water, emergency food and a first aid kit to a residential area in Hawthorne, Nevada.
7 Million Drones Will Fly Over US in 2020, Says FAA
A new report from the Federal Aviation Administration says drones will be the most dynamic growth sector within aviation in the coming years.
Rollon launches new plug-and-play motion system (in form of Cartesian robot)
Rollon Corp. has launched Motion Box, a new pre-engineered cartesian robot system designed to deliver users six different motion profiles that can be setup and running in a couple of hours. Motion Box covers everything from the human-machine interface (HMI) on one side to the output of reliable motion on the other end. Even the […]
Watch Jibo Order a Pizza
Jibo orders a pizza and even reminds the user that her son is allergic to one of the toppings. The social robot’s pizza-ordering application was built by an internal developer using the Jibo SDK.
Microsoft’s Tay AI Bot Shut Down After Racist Tweets
Microsoft’s Tay.ai Twitterbot learned from its interactions with online users, and one of the first things it learned was how to be racist.
Machine throughput increases with next generation indexing table
ETEL’s RTMB high precision indexing tables have been a trusted solution for over 10 years, with thousands of products operating in a variety of industries including automation, electronics, and back-end semiconductor manufacturing. Now, ETEL is proud to announce the next generation of high performance indexing tables: the RTMBi. By combining ETEL’s high efficiency torque motors […]
Construction Robotics Fortunes Rise and Fall on Demand and Competition
Robotics startups easily attract investment, especially in construction, but layoffs at Harvest Automation and 3D Robotics show that innovation isn’t everything.
Stop talking about bringing jobs back from China
Ben Casselman, writing on the website FiveThirtyEight, says that manufacturing jobs are never coming back. He warns candidates to not inflame voters with empty promises and provides facts to prove his point. It’s understandable that voters are angry about trade. The U.S. has lost more than 4.5 million manufacturing jobs since NAFTA took effect in 1994.…
Matrox Imaging introduces next-generation smart cameras
Matrox Imaging today announced the Matrox Iris GTR smart camera. Smaller, faster and more cost-effective than its predecessor Iris GT, the new Matrox Iris GTR is designed for systems integrators, machine builders and OEMs of factory automation solutions. Iris GTR measures just 75mm x 75mm x 54mm allowing it to fit into tight spaces. It uses […]
Mazda Taps the Brakes on Self-Driving Car Hype
Mazda, which wants customers to celebrate driving, is working on assistive technology rather than full vehicle autonomy, but the debate around self-driving cars is far from over.
Top trends, new markets for industrial robots
We spoke with several robot manufacturers to get their thoughts on where the industry is headed and what new things to watch for. Where industrial robots have been Over the past several years, there’s been a trend of more small- and mid-sized companies adopting robot technology—not to mention a reshoring angle to the industry, said […]
Google, Boston Dynamics Part Ways: 5 Takeaways
Alphabet wants self-driving cars and AI, and Boston Dynamics has developed walking robots. Did they need more in common?
Google puts Boston Dynamics up for sale
The maker of advanced humanoid and 4-legged robots (BigDog and Atlas), Boston Dynamics, is up for sale. According to the Financial Times, “this is one of those discordant moments that makes you question easy assumptions… and the current state of Alphabet and of robots.” Google acquired Boston Dynamics in late 2013 as part of Andy…
Mechanics and Motion
Engineers with a mechanical engineering background typically have the best grasp of motion control. This should not be a surprise to anyone. Motion control is the science, sometimes the art, of moving mechanical loads. So the premise of any motion control problem statement is all about the mechanics. The basic mechanics of moving something boil […]
Deep Speech 2 from Baidu awarded as breakthrough technology
MIT Tech Review recently released its annual Top 10 Breakthrough Technologies list. Baidu’s Deep Speech 2 won in the “Conversational Interfaces” category. Reporter Will Knight in the MIT Tech Review wrote: “Voice interfaces have been a dream of technologists (not to mention science fiction writers) for many decades. But in recent years, thanks to some impressive…