Robohub.org
c-Industrial-Automation
The infrastructure of life part 2: Transparency
Alan Winfield
03 Feb 2017
Part 2: Autonomous Systems and Transparency
In my previous post I argued that a wide range of AI and Autonomous Systems (from now on I will just use the term AS as shorthand for both) should be reg...
How will farmers and robots work together?
John Payne
03 Feb 2017
Let's assume, for a moment, that the vision I've laid out in this blog is ridiculously successful, and, over the next few decades, robotic devices take over all aspects of tending land and crops and h...
The infrastructure of life part 1: Safety
Alan Winfield
26 Jan 2017
Part 1: Autonomous Systems and Safety
We all rely on machines. All aspects of modern life, from transport to energy, work to welfare, play to politics depend on a complex infrastructure of physical...
ep.
226
podcast
Toru Robots, with Dr. Moritz Tenorth
Ron Vanderkley
21 Jan 2017
In this episode, Ron Vanderkley spoke to Dr Moritz Tenorth, head of software development at Magazino, a Munich-based startup developing mobile pick-and-place robots for item-specific logistics. They d...
A Pepper-warm reception at Decos
Thosha Moodley
18 Jan 2017
Like some angular alien architecture, Decos' futuristic development lab appears freshly landed in a martian lanscape. Underneath the sharp geometry and vectors, inside, the highly innovative company...
Customer story: Deployable, autonomous vibration control of bridges using Husky UGV
Clearpath Robotics
05 Jan 2017
Sriram Narasimhan’s research team are shaking things up in the Civil Engineering Structures Lab at the University of Waterloo. The research, which is led by Ph.D Candidate Kevin Goorts, is developin...
De-automation is a thing
Alan Winfield
29 Dec 2016
We tend to assume that automation is a process that continues - that once some human activity has been automated there's no going back. That automation sticks. But, as Paul Mason pointed out in a rece...
Five applications for craft beer robots
Alex Owen-Hill and Robotiq Inc.
28 Dec 2016
What tasks in a craft brewery can you do with a collaborative robot? Here are five options to improve the efficiency, consistency and safety of manufacturing in the beverage industry....
ep.
223
podcast
Actuation for Robotic Fingers, with Edward Neff
Abate De Mey
11 Dec 2016
In this episode, Abate De Mey interviews Edward Neff, founder of SMAC Corporation. Mr. Neff discusses how breakthroughs in his company have allowed them to develop linear actuators compact enough to b...
Craft breweries and robots
Alex Owen-Hill and Robotiq Inc.
23 Nov 2016
Craft brewing could be the perfect industry for collaborative robots. But, does automation mean losing your artisan status? We find how craft breweries can use robotics to scale-up their business with...
Automation should complement professional expertise, not replace it
Frank Pasquale
19 Oct 2016
Will your next doctor be an app? A cost-cutting NHS wants more patients to act as “self-carers,” with some technologized assistance. A series of flowcharts and phone trees might tell parents whose...
From flying shuttles to rolling robots, automated supply chains are almost here
Wolfgang Lehmacher
02 Sep 2016
From Amazon’s delivery drones to self-driving cars, autonomous factory equipment to Elon Musk’s 760 mph vacuum tubes – automated vehicles are on the rise.
Even beyond the grounds of pri...
NPR podcasts discuss automation and the future of work
Robohub Editors
04 Aug 2016
National Public Radio (NPR) has published a series of stories about robots and the future of employment in the U.S. and abroad. It begins with the story about the Luddites war on industry and a more ...
How Industry 4.0 and Pokémon Go met halfway on the road to maximizing the IoT
Tyler Berryman and Robotiq Inc.
18 Jul 2016
You may be reloading this page trying to figure out if the title of this blog post got mixed up with something else. No, you read it correctly, I am going to outline similarities between Industry 4.0 ...
The Robot Afterlife: An exciting story about the post-factory years
Charlotte Shea and Robotiq Inc.
06 Jul 2016
Do you ever wonder what happens to those faithful working industrial robots when they retire? Whether they are stored in a closet, used for new manufacturing cells or turned into art, every robot has ...
Automatica’s exhibitors were trumpeting Industry 4.0. Is this the turning point for robotics?
SPARC and Adriana Hamacher
04 Jul 2016
Industry 4.0 - the fourth industrial revolution - was the main theme at the largest robot and automation fair in the world, Germany's AUTOMATICA, which took place in Munich throughout the last week o...
Robohub roundtable: Job loss through automation, Foxconn controversy
Robohub Editors
21 Jun 2016
Every few weeks, Robohub will post a roundtable chat and discuss an engaging topic relating to robotics. In this edition, we looked at the controversial job loss of 60K jobs by Foxconn. Is this substa...
The human brain vs. the digital brain: A case for visual inspections
Robotiq Inc.
16 Jun 2016
by Audrey Boucher-Genesse
I was once at a conference on image processing and the speaker discussed the perception of color. He spoke about a conversation with a potential client who said, “well,...
Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Institute in planning for USA
Andra Keay and Silicon Valley Robotics
31 May 2016
The US just moved a step closer to building an advanced robotics institute modeled on the hugely successful Fraunhofer Institutes. The proposed ARM or Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Institute is one...
Photos from the Airbus Shopfloor Challenge
Ioannis K. Erripis
25 May 2016
Robohub covered the Airbus Shopfloor Challenge that took place during #ICRA16 in Stockholm. Below, you can see an extensive photo gallery as part of our coverage. Check it out!...
Chinese Midea makes $2.5 billion bid for up to 49% of KUKA
Frank Tobe
19 May 2016
In China’s relentless state-stimulated quest to grow their robotics industry, Midea Group, a Chinese appliance manufacturer which already owns 13.5% of KUKA’s shares, has offered to buy up to 49...
I am FRANKA: German collaborative robot can build itself
Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette and Robotiq Inc.
10 May 2016
The robotic industry is currently surfing on a new wave of collaborative robots. With several big companies trying to make their way into the market, there is still a huge effort from emergent compan...
China’s growing robot industry turns to acquisitions
Frank Tobe
25 Apr 2016
Paslin, a Michigan integrator of welding robots, automation systems, and tooling, was acquired by Wanfeng Technology Group for an undisclosed amount (but reported as $302 million i...
4 reasons why Industry 4.0 will leave AGVs behind
Clearpath Robotics
22 Apr 2016
By Paula de Villavicencio
Technology has been in development for the last decade and has now come to fruition in the form of self-driving vehicles. These vehicles are driving into industrial cente...
Industrial robot sales for 2015 set a new record
Frank Tobe
18 Apr 2016
In a flurry of press releases, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) revealed details of 2015 industrial robot sales of 240,000 units. This set a new sales record and reflected an 8...
Collaborative robots and breaking down evolving risk assessment
Alexandre Paré and Robotiq Inc.
14 Apr 2016
During the last 50 years, industrial robots have been increasingly used in manufacturing industries around the world. The technology has been evolving and adapting to the needs of its users. Over the ...
Filling the void left by Kiva Systems’ 2012 acquisition by Amazon
Frank Tobe
14 Apr 2016
In March 2012, in an effort to make their distribution centers (DCs) as efficient as possible, Amazon acquired Kiva Systems for $775 million and almost immediately took them in house.
There was c...
Smart Digital Factory Lab showcasing Industry 4.0
Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette and Robotiq Inc.
05 Apr 2016
We often see robotic or automated cells purposed to do a single motion or a very specific application. However, with all the new technology available in the market, it is interesting to see how each s...
Japan’s first 5-axis hybrid 3D printer
DigInfo TV
04 Apr 2016
In a collaborative research effort, Enomoto Kogyo, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, and software company C&G Systems have developed Japan’s first 5-axis hybrid 3D printer, capable of ...
ep.
205
podcast
Hadrian Bricklaying Robot, with Mark Pivac
Ron Vanderkley
02 Apr 2016
Transcript below.In this episode, Ron Vanderkley speaks with Mark Pivoc from FastBrick about Hadrian the bricklaying robot. Fastbrick is an Australian robotics firm aiming to disrupt the local bric...
Stop talking about bringing jobs back from China
Frank Tobe
27 Mar 2016
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 prov...
Why making robots is still hard
SPARC
23 Mar 2016
Making robots is no easy task. If you talk to roboticists, they will tell you that it took years before the last robot they built or programmed was any good at performing a specific task. And although...
5 innovation challenges in materials transport
Clearpath Robotics
18 Mar 2016
by: Meghan Hennessey
Walk into any manufacturing facility today. Forklifts and AGVs may be in operation serving specific parts of the manufacturing floor, but you’ll also see hundreds of people a...
Testing the lifetime of human-machine interfaces in a few days
Fraunhofer IPA and Martin Haegele
07 Mar 2016
Thousands of repetitions in the space of just a few days: while manually impossible, this can be accomplished by a newly developed robot system from Fraunhofer IPA. Whether it’s a matter of pressing...
Workshop robots controlled by touch
Horizon Magazine
29 Feb 2016
by Fintan Burke
The era of robots that can be controlled by designers rather than engineers will enable Europe’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to compete more effectively against oft...
SVR Case Studies: Fetch Robotics bringing warehouses to life
Andra Keay and Silicon Valley Robotics
19 Feb 2016
Fetch Robotics builds robot systems for the logistics industry. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Jose, CA. Unveiled in April 2015, the Fetch Robotics system is comprised of ...
