The nomination deadline for companies and groups to apply for the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards ends Friday, April 16, 2021. Categories include 1) Business and Management Innovation, 2) Technology, Services, and Research Innovation, or 3) Application and Market Innovation.

Editor’s Note: Robotics Business Review‘s coverage emphasizes innovation, including start-up companies (or ‘young’ companies). RBR “Start-Up Profiles” highlight individual start-up companies using a consistent, templated format that makes for quick, yet informed reading, that also simplifies comparative analysis. Sevensense Robotics – Company Profile City: Sevensense Robotics State: Zurich Country: Zurich # of Employees: 24 URL:…

The new ANSI/RIA R15.08-1-2020 (R15.08) standard for mobile robots provides updated, and formalized, definitions for AGVs, AMRs and other mobile robotics types. The revised definitions are critical for the proper application of R15.08, and as such it is critical that both users and developers of industrial mobile robots take note.

In this podcast, Enrico Krog Iversen, the CEO of end-of-arm-tooling company OnRobot, discusses EOAT innovation and his time as CEO of Universal Robots. Also featured is READY Robotics’ VP Juan Aparicio Ojea.

Celltrio CEO and robotics industry veteran Charlie Duncheon has advice for young robotics entrepreneurs, and they should take heed. He has decades of robotics start-up experience (and the scars to prove it).

Robotics OEMs, solution providers and others are increasingly utilizing services firms for the development of new technologies and products. In this RoboBusiness Direct session attendees will learn of the wide variety of services offerings that are available, as well as provider selection criteria, business models and more.

When IoT technologies, robots and humans interoperate, advanced robotic capabilities are enabled, along with novel applications, and by extension, new business opportunities. Interoperability challenges remain, but solutions are available to overcome them.

Programming industrial robots can be difficult, time consuming and costly. RoboDK addresses these challenges by providing an affordable, simplified simulation and programming platform that supports more than 500 robot arms, from 50 different robot manufacturers, for a wide range of applications.

RBR essential announcements for the interval ranging from March 19 – 26, 2021 include notices from Skycatch, ForwardX, ABI Research, Korber, Libiao Robotics, AVALON SteriTech, SoftBank Robotics, Hesai Technology, Kodiak Robotics, and Pison Technology.

BMW Group’s IDEALworks (IW) subsidiary stated goal is for IW to become a leading supplier of autonomous mobile robotics (AMRs) solutions in the logistics sector. BMW’s new initiative validates the AMR market, but also challenges existing AMR players.

The Robot Report’s Steve Crowe is joined by Kevin Dunlap, Managing Partner at Calibrate Ventures to discuss recent robotics investments including the Berkshire Grey SPAC and Locus Robotics’ $150 million Series E. Calibrate’s portfolio includes Built Robotics, Embodied, Farmwise, Misty Robotics, Soft Robotics, 3D Robotics and more.

Researchers, including Ken Goldberg’s team at UC Berkley, are hard at work developing robotic systems that assist surgeons by automating routine, often tedious subtasks common to all surgical procedures.

RBR essential announcements for the interval ranging from March 12 – 19, 2021 include notices from FORT Robotics, Piaggio Fast Forward, Trimble, Monarch Tractor, Cruise and AEye.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021 2 PM ET / 11AM PT Motion control is what makes robotics systems ‘robotic’, and it is advances in motion control technologies that have spurred a great deal of robotics innovation and a dramatic increase in the use of robotics technologies and products around the globe, including for healthcare applications. But…

Retailers and 3PLs are rapidly adopting a wide range of automation technologies – including robotics – to improve the operational efficacy and efficiency in warehouses and distribution centers. The primary demand driver is e-commerce.

In this podcast, Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics, discusses $150 million Series E and the company’s unicorn status. Also Wilder Systems’ cobots, NASA JPL’s Mars rovers and Waymo’s robotaxi.

RBR essential announcements for the interval ranging from March 5 – 12, 2021 include notices from Nimble Robotics, Axon, Skydio, Bedrock Ocean Exploration, Refraction AI, ForSight Robotics, GreyOrange and Vicarious.

TriVision’s machine vision based inspection automation solutions for the food manufacturing sector improve prodcut quality, but they also provide additional business benefits.

In this podcast, Helen Greiner, the CEO of Tertill, discusses the development of the company’s consumer class weeding robots. Also covered is Aurora’s partnership with Toyota to develop robotaxis.

Nominations are now open for companies and groups to apply for the 2021 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards. Categories include 1) Business and Management Innovation, 2) Technology, Services, and Research Innovation, or 3) Application and Market Innovation.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has found great success in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries, and robotics solutions are making AEC inroads. The two technologies can be synergistic, and when used together can deliver additional value to AECs.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to innovate, including utilizing workplace robots. From telepresence capabilities to UV disinfection, mobile robots empowered people and provided business value. But even as the infection fades, their use will continue and expand.

Tessella Automation’s PISMO platform and supporting technologies speed and ease the configuration and reconfiguration of collaborative robot production systems. The result? Reduced costs along with increased automation flexibility and business agility.

The next production revolution will be a boon for a global economy that is sputtering and experiencing lagging growth and investment. This new technology wave should lead to a virtuous cycle of increased investment, higher productivity, more spending, and more investment.

In this Robot Report podcast, Motiv Space Systems’ Tom McCarthy discusses the development of the robotic arm on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover and Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm. Solutions from Oxbotica and Boston Dynamics also reviewed.