The US’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is supporting small-to-medium manufacturers (SMMs) by researching ways to make robotics systems easier to program and use, as well as developing novel gripping and manipulation technologies.

Software and services provider PickNik Robotics leverages commercial and open source software, including Robot Operating, to provide its customers with advanced motion control and manipulation solutions.

FANUC, a global leader in industrial automation, has joined the $23 million round of funding for Soft Robotics.

How vision, AI, machine learning and simulation are getting us closer to closing the ‘lab to reality’ gap.

Upgraded system to be deployed to help pick more than 20,000 SKUs in new warehouse.

Gripper inspired by “origami magic ball” can grasp wide array of delicate and heavy objects.

Robotics industry pioneer Mick Mountz joins RightHand’s board of directors.

Data science is behind improvements in machine vision, gripping, and integration, which in turn allow robots to be smarter helpers in distribution centers.

NVIDIA research announced at CoRL this week puts smart picking within robotic grasping range.

There’s plenty of room for improvement in robot grasping, notes UC Berkeley Prof. Ken Goldberg. He gives a preview of his session, in which he will describes an approach with wide commercial application.

Cobot arms and end effectors at IMTS 2018 included products from Universal Robots, Yaskawa, and OnRobot.

A small startup is set to turn the market for hand prostheses on its head — with an innovative spirit, compact DC motors, and a touch function.

From gecko-inspired grippers to a growing ecosystem of developers and integrators, cobot makers had much to display at Automatica last week.

Consumers worldwide have different expectations for tabletop grapes than for wine grapes, so harvesting robots must use machine learning to pick the right ones and ensure quality.

At MODEX 2018, logistics businesses can learn about the latest in cobots, pickers, and autonomous mobile lifts. Here are some robot picks worth checking out.

Ocado Technology has partnered with researchers across Europe for the SecondHands project, which is developing a humanoid collaborative robot to work in the grocer’s warehouses.

Soft Robotics has developed compliant grippers that mimic biological designs. This approach to robot grasping is less complicated and more affordable than other methods.

UC Berkeley has developed a robotic learning technique that enables robots to complete tasks like a baby would — by playing with objects and then imagining how to get the task done.

What were the top 10 articles of 2017 on Robotics Business Review? We look back at our most popular stories, which drew reader attention for their coverage of developments in industrial automation, international policy, and emerging applications for robotics and AI.

For years, warehouse operations have dreamed of mobile piece picking robots that could alleviate worker shortages and turnover. In this video interview, IAM Robotics CEO Tom Galluzzo explains how improvements in computer vision are leading to new applications for industrial automation.

In this booth video from RoboBusiness 2017, a Schunk representative explains how collaborative robots are only as good as the quality of their end effectors.

With the first warehouse automation patent for the software guiding its robots, IAM Robotics’ innovation paves the way to full warehouse automation.

Pick and place for e-commerce order fulfillment has a new option, with RightHand Robotics’ RightPick system. The newly funded company combines gripper and sensor technology with machine learning to handle a wide range of items.

Robot hands are key to the supply chain and undersea exploration, among other uses. Soft robotics research is exploring different ways to make robotic grippers more responsive.

Gentle touch is a capability that Harvard University researchers are developing for undersea exploration, but it could be useful for numerous other applications.