Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) is reportedly refusing to sell any more of its da Vinci robot-assisted surgery platforms in Pakistan until the two it’s already got on the market there are brought back on line. The Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation in Karachi asked to acquire a da Vinci system, according to The News of Pakistan,…
Titan Medical closes $6m offering
Titan Medical (TSX:TMD) said today that it raised nearly $6 million in a public offering, with company insiders putting up another $166,000. Toronto-based Titan, which is developing the Sport robot-assisted surgery platform, had said it might float up to 100 million shares, which would have fetched $11.5 million. In the event the company floated nearly 48.4 million shares…
6 surgical robots that will surprise you
Researchers around the globe have created surgical robots for solutions to procedures that are generally invasive and time-consuming. Whether its eye surgery or even finding a vein to draw blood, healthcare practitioners face daunting tasks, but robots have made these procedures easier (as easy as the DaVinci makes it look when peeling a grape and…
DENSO awards Battle Creek student scholarships
DENSO Manufacturing Michigan (DMMI) in Battle Creek, the city’s largest employer and one of the top automotive thermal systems and component producers, today awarded scholarships to four outstanding students through partnerships with the Battle Creek Community Foundation (BCCF) and the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center (BCAMSC). Scholarship resources come from the DMMI Scholarship […]
Titan Medical looks to raise up to $12m for Sport surgical robotics platform
Titan Medical (TSX:TMD) said today that it plans to float as many as 100 million shares in a public offering that could fetch as much as $11.5 million for the Sport robot-assisted surgery platform it’s developing. The Toronto-based company said it will offer at least 46.7 million shares at 11.5¢ (C15.0¢) apiece, for minimum gross proceeds of…
Quiet inroads in robotics: 4 company profiles
Robots have been around for 50 years welding, painting, handling and performing herculean tasks in harsh environments. But in the last 10 years, service robots have emerged and are performing all sorts of lesser but equally valuable tasks. Consider MiR, MakeBlock, Grey Orange and Ocado and the inroads they are making into their respective industries. Each…
Bionik Labs and Wistron to partner on development of powered exoskeleton
Robotic developer Bionik Laboratories and tech service provider Wistron said today they are partnering to design, engineer and manufacture low-price lower-body assistive robotic technologies for the consumer medical device market. The companies said the new development will be based on Bionik’s currently-in-development Arke lower body exoskeleton, which is being designed for rehabilitation use, and will…
Cozmo Robot Now Teaches Kids to Code
The new Cozmo Code Lab uses drag-and-drop programming to teach kids how to code Anki’s adorable Cozmo robot.
SUNY Adirondack to launch new program in mechatronics
The Post-Star is reporting that SUNY Adirondack—a public college in Queensbury, N.Y. with 3,000 students—is planning to add associate degree programs in robotics and mechanical technology to meet the needs of local employers. The paper noted that the school’s board of trustees approved creating an associate degree program in mechatronics last week and that existing […]
DENSO Foundation awards nearly $1 million in grants
Supporting the communities DENSO serves and providing resources for the next generation of technical workers to succeed are core to DENSO’s success. To fulfill these promises, DENSO’s philanthropic arm—the DENSO North America Foundation (DNAF)—funds programs across the continent each year providing hands-on learning opportunities in areas from robotics and thermodynamics to design and materials development. […]
VBOTS announces new certified material developer program
New Valence Robotics (NVBOTS), the only provider of Built to Share automated 3D printing solutions, has announced the launch of the Certified Material Developers Program, which will enable material, polymer, and chemistry companies to test and develop new 3D printing materials. As a member of the Certified Material Developer Program, organizations can experiment with any […]
“I have accepted a group of investors’ request to step aside,” wrote Uber’s Travis Kalanick
Kalanick is still on Uber's board. He owns a majority of the voting shares. Some are already comparing this situation to Steve Jobs' ouster from Apple. It's possible Kalanick could someday return in a blaze of glory. But for now, he is out and Uber is searching for a new CEO. There is a reason this story is getting…
Answer: Fly your plane; Question: Who or what is CARNAC?
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is researching autonomous co-piloting so they can fly without a human pilot on board. The robotic system — called the Common Aircraft Retrofit for Novel Autonomous Control (CARNAC) (not to be confused with the old Johnny Carson Carnac routine) — has the potential to reduce costs, enable new missions, and…
Intuitive Surgical wins FDA nod for inguinal hernia repairs with da Vinci Xi
Update: Removed information claiming benefits of robotic hernia surgeries at request of Intuitive Surgical, which said that the data came from an inaccurate source and was not valid. Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) said today it won FDA clearance for inguinal hernia repairs with its da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system. Inguinal hernias occur when tissue presses through…
First Renishaw neuromate stereotactic robot installed in Canada
Renishaw is pleased to announce the first neuromate stereotactic robot in Canada has been installed in the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in London, Ontario. The first neuromate assisted neurosurgical procedure performed in Canada was a Stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) case, a procedure which uses intracerebral electrodes to measure electrical signals within the brain. The aim of […]
ReWalk debuts Restore soft-suit exoskeleton prototype
ReWalk Robotics (NSDQ:RWLK) today debuted the prototype of its Restore soft suit exoskeleton designed to aid stroke survivors. The company presented the prototype alongside collaborators from Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and said it would focus on the suit as a “core company goal” for the fiscal year. “We are thrilled with the…
Square pole technology boosts productivity in flat grinding
SCHUNK MAGNOS parallel pole, square pole, and radial pole plates ensure reliable workpiece clamping, quick workpiece changes, and particularly efficient processes in grinding applications. 200% increased productivity Among other things, SCHUNK MAGNOS square pole grinding plates boost productivity by up to 200%, compared to conventional setups using parallel pole technology. Movable pole extensions make such […]
Notes and pics from Xponential in Dallas, Innorobo in Paris and ICRA in Singapore
Conferences and trade shows, held in interesting locations around the world, can be entertaining, informative and an opportunity to explore new places, meet new people and renew acquaintances. Three recent examples: Xponential, the mostly defense-related unmanned land, sea and air show, held in Dallas; Innorobo, focused on service robotics, in Paris; and ICRA, the IEEE's premier robotics…
Titan Medical shareholders approve reverse split
Titan Medical (CVE:TMD) said today its shareholders approved a reverse stock split. The ratio of shares has yet to be announced, according to a press release, and will be determined by the board of directors of the company in its sole discretion. Toronto-based Titan Medical added that the range of post-consolidation shares will be a single…
Ready Robotics announces new affordable robots-as-a-service pricing
Ready Robotics has announced the first robots-as-a-service solution tough enough to handle real industrial tasks and flexible enough to be deployed in mere hours. Ready Robotics’ unique combination of plug-and-play tooling and easy programming interface makes the formerly expensive and complicated task of automation achievable for all manufacturers. Ready is also proud to announce its […]
Integrating robotics faster at ATX East
I had a great chat with the leadership team of Baltimore-based Ready Robotics at the ATX East show at New York’s Javits Center this week. Kel Guerin, the company’s CTO and Benjamin Gibbs, the CEO, described how Ready has built an easy-to-use platform for integrating industrial robots. “We basically take out the headache of setting up the tooling, […]
How Microsoft’s AI Mastered Ms. Pac-Man
A Microsoft AI system has set the all-time high score for the game Ms. Pac-Man with 999,990 points – the highest possible score in the game. The AI mastered Ms. Pac-Man by assigning a number of AI agents different tasks and having them work collaboratively.