Drones

Consolidation continues in the surgical robot space, and aerial drone makers have one of those good news, bad news moments.

In an exclusive Q&A, CEO Oren Elkayam shares Mobilicom’s successes in commercial and industrial drone deployments.

While the jury is out on the effects of Chinese tariffs and South Korean AI investments on U.S. automation, robotics companies and customers must be ready for changes.

Not only can persistent drones such as PARC relay communications during emergencies; they are also serving security and commercial needs now, explains CyPhy Works CEO Lance VandenBrook.

Startups in the AI, robotics, and unmanned system space all saw financing in recent weeks.

Training employees on complex processes in manufacturing and assembly is a good use case for augmented reality and virtual reality. Here are some innovative AR/VR providers.

AI and robotics are becoming sophisticated enough that they can help solve world problems such as hunger, alternative energy, disease, and crime. But we need to be realistic about the work still needed to develop them.

Military and commercial spending on autonomous vehicles continues, and investments in AR, robotics and AI companies highlight the week in funding.

Growing demand for commercial drone pilots leads to growth in education programs for workforce training companies and community colleges.

The July 4 holiday week saw funding for companies developing self-driving capabilities for vehicles, robots, and other devices.

The U.S. needs help with inspecting and repairing its aging pipes, power lines, and other utilities. Providers are turning to infrastructure robots and aerial drones.

Medical robots including surgical systems and AI, delivery robots, and commercial drones highlighted the week of robotics and AI investments

While the U.S. military has historically been a leader in the development of swarm robots, universities are also significant. Costs, controls, and applications offer opportunities for business.

Swarm robotics can provide an agile way to gather large amounts of environmental data and coordinate operations of multiple devices. The U.S. military has been a key backer.

FedEx has been pushing the development of robots for multiple aspects of its operations, as e-commerce demands outstrip the available workforce. Ted Dengel gives a preview of his session at the Robotics & AI Summit & LiveWorx ’18.

Industry 4.0 is here, so let’s survey all the ways industrial automation is evolving with it. The promise of robots that can learn, share information, and adapt to changing demand is finally being realized.

Hoping to develop commercial drone applications, some leading-edge companies plan to provide blueprints for BVLOS operations and new flight software for drone makers.

Scientists have been copying nature to develop pollination drones that can assist real bees and human farmers.

AI funding takes the top seed this week, but self-driving cars and drones stay in the game.

The Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE has announced the nine finalists in its three-year competition to develop unmanned deep-ocean mapping using a variety of technologies.

Agricultural drones include heavy-lift ones for crop dusting, drones with multispectral sensors for surveying crop health, and new ways of monitoring crops and livestock. This infographic from Dronefly looks at the state of agricultural drones.

Drone threats, the ongoing race to develop autonomous vehicles, and the effects of job concerns on national policies are all part of this week’s global robotics roundup.

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820E is designed to provide a high degree of integration and processing capability for next-generation computer vision.

We can see clearly now that automation transactions in early 2018 will build on a familiar pattern of investment in AI, the mobility market, and industrial automation. The question remains as to which companies will lead and which will be absorbed or fall behind.

China’s aggressive investments in robotics and artificial intelligence have led to warnings of an AI bubble. The week, we also take a look at how quickly drone deliveries could spread across the U.S., a New York City bill to study the use of AI in the courts, and more.