Daily Archives: June 2, 2023

Good afternoon.

This time last year, the quiet backstreets of Oxford saw something the rest of Europe had never seen before; a fully autonomous vehicle on public roads - without a single person on board.

This journey marked a milestone for Oxa, formerly Oxbotica, one of Britains most successful spinouts, in its mission to bring universal autonomy: the ability of any vehicle, of any size, in any place, to drive itself safely and sustainably.

Meanwhile, in the skies above Oxford, were planning on building highways of a different kind.

Project Skyway - with funding from our 125 million Future Flight Programme intends to build the worlds longest and largest drone superhighway, connecting the airspace above British towns and cities from Reading and Rugby to Coventry and Cambridge.

Not that thats the only thing happening up there in the air; British start-up, sees.ai, has just been granted permission to use its drones to inspect power lines beyond the visual line of sight.

Uniquely capable of close inspection, sees.ai can cut the need for helicopters and planes, making a dangerous job safer, cheaper and better.

Each of these 3 stories show the extraordinary pace of the robotics revolution since the millennium.

And they show that Britains boldest entrepreneurs are right at the forefront.

Thats just as well. Because we need innovation now more than ever.

From the net zero transition to the impacts of an ageing society, today we find ourselves facing challenges new and old.

For centuries, Britain has been defined by its ability to answer these kinds of big questions by rethinking, reimagining, and reinventing.

And if we are to shape the world in the same in the century to come, then we must once more be bold enough to do things differently.

Whether that means using robotics to help hard-working carers to make the lives of elderly people healthier and happier or applying automation to keep wind turbines turning far out at sea.

The robots you will have seen just next door are already changing the way we interact with some of the most dangerous environments on Earth and beyond.

From navigating nuclear decommissioning and exploring outer space, the 112 million we invested in the Robotics for a Safer World programme brought together our world-leading universities to create cutting-edge R+D in clusters across every corner of our country.

And British companies are making a difference in other impactful ways, too.

In Cambridge, CMR Surgical is using robotics to improve the safety, accuracy, and repeatability of keyhole surgery.

And, having joined Britains ever-growing list of unicorns, its technology is already transforming care far beyond Cambridge.

Its reducing waiting lists and speeding up recoveries everywhere from Edinburgh to India, Bangor to Brazil.

On every continent, then, British answers to those big questions are making our lives longer, healthier, and happier.

And to the scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors coming up with their own answers beyond our shores, I can tell you with confidence that Britain is open for business.

The opportunities here are extraordinary: our own statistics show that the productivity boost of robotics adoption in just 7 service sectors of our economy could be up to 150 billion in 2035 that is just short of the current GVA of the entire UK financial services industry!

But, of course, those opportunities come with risks.

And, to tackle those risks, weve got to get the regulation right.

So that, rather than stealing our jobs, robots can do the dull, dirty, or dangerous work that people cannot or do not want to do and improve the quality, safety, and productivity of the work we can and want to do.

Because my departments mission doesnt end with making Britain a science and tech superpower; we want to translate that superpower status into tangible benefits for the British people.

Thats regulation is right at the heart of my agenda.

Just last week, I met with the Prime Minister and CEOs from 3 of the worlds foremost AI businesses.

Together, we discussed how we can capitalise on Britains unique position of influence and shared a commitment to deliver on the agile approach to AI governance that we set out in our recent White Paper.

Because unlocking the potential robotics revolution requires public confidence that these technologies are being used in a safe and responsible way.

And we are determined to work domestically and internationally, as well as with many of you, to put the necessary guardrails in place.

Coming out of that meeting, I felt a renewed confidence.

That a government unafraid to look to the world beyond Whitehall to work together with industry and academia can get it right not just on regulation, but on skills and investment, too.

Whether you want to build self-driving cars, superhighways in the sky, or surgical robots in the operating room.

Together, we can make Britain the best place in the world to start and scale a safe and successful robotics business.

I wish you a safe and successful conference. Thank you very much for inviting me here to speak.

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Secretary of State's opening speech at Robotics and Automation ... - GOV.UK

MUKILTEO, Wash., June 1, 2023Mukilteo Robotics senior team Modulo, returned from Dallas, Texas in May, after competing against the top robotics teams from across the globe in the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship.

I am so proud of the hard work and dedication they put into earning their spot at this competition, Kamiak Principal Steven Shurtleff told the Lynnwood Times. Their creativity and teamwork are to be commended.

This year the VEX Robotics challenge was Spin Up which had over 11,500 teams from 40 countries competing for the top spot. Team Modulo finished 46 out of 79 in their division, winning a total of five of ten games. The primary objective of the game is to build a bot using approved materials that could shoot yellow disks into nets.

It was fun to watch the Modulo team at Worlds, Mukilteo Robotics Coach Pete Stiles said. They never gave up on their robot, determined what could be done better and spent all their efforts to improve it.

In our final match, the bot was working reasonably well and we ended up beating one of the top teams, which was a nice accomplishment to finish VEX with, said Sean, the former club president and team leader of Modulo.

Team members Sean, Derek, Oliver, Scott, Vincent, and Long spent months preparing for the competition and constantly improving their bot for the challenge.

It was very fun and I got to talk with a lot of different people from around the world, said Derek, a team member on Modulo. [] I felt that it was a fulfilling

experience.

Though building and programming played a fundamental part of being in a robotics team, Derek shared that he believed being able to talk with other people, and communication with other teams were equally essential skills.

It was amazing to see all the robotics teams that were there. I have watched a lot of robot reveals and match videos on youtube so it was really cool to see those teams in person, said Sean.

Modulo, being a relatively new team, accomplished much in their two years in VEX.

Modulo is special because we exist solely because of the passion of our team, Sean told the Lynnwood Times. This organization had to be completely rebuilt after COVID, so it is impressive that we were able to produce a worlds-level robot, basically out of thin air. The hill we had to climb to get to worlds was much taller than other teams.

Mukilteo Robotics has consistently provided an inclusive environment, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds to learn how to overcome complex challenges. Both robot parts and field elements can be expensive, with this year alone costing Mukilteo Robotics over $11,000, and next years estimated cost being approximately $30,000. Many teams in Washington state require a membership fee upwards of several thousand dollars. Mukilteo Robotics, however, is free for all who are willing to put in the work and dedication.

This is made possible by the facility that ElectroImpact allowed the teams to use, along with their initial $3,000 donation, as well as contributions from Kevin Taylor, the owner of Fastest Labs in Texas, who provided the majority of funding for Modulos trip to worlds .

Stiles explains that he would like to gradually grow the club by welcoming newcomers, instructing them, and inspiring their enthusiasm to become competitive.

Aside from their senior team, Mukilteo Robotics also has a middle school team dubbed Liberi, a freshman team named Nox, as well as a high school team called Skill Issue.

This year, all four teams got invitations to the Washington State-level competition. Skill Issue was awarded Judges Award, an award that is given to a team that demonstrates communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, and a student-centered ethos.

The club president for the upcoming year, Rachel, alongside other board members, are determined in their commitment to advance a greater number of teams to both state-level and global competitions.

I hope that Mukilteo Robotics can send at least one team every year to worlds, affirmed Stiles.

Mukilteo Robotics plans to open another high school team, as well as add new members to its existing teams applications close on June 2.

Mukilteo Robotics gives you the freedom to build and design whatever you want,

Rachel told the Lynnwood Times. You have the freedom to build and design whatever you want, with the only limits being your imagination which is one of the reasons I love this club so much.

As a woman in the stem field, and the first female president of the robotics club, Rachel shares, The STEM field is competitive, and the imbalance between men and women in the STEM field leaves women feeling out of place. she said. But I hope to show young girls that they can have a successful career, even in a historically male-dominated field.

On Thursday, June 1, Mukilteo Robotics will be hosting an open house event, providing an opportunity for the public, parents, and sponsors to gain insight into the workings of the club. To learn more information about the open house, email hello@mukilteorobotics.org.

Robotics requires passion and experience. You need experience in order to know how to build an optimal robot and you need passion in order to make that into a reality, shared Sean.

The game for next years season, Over Under was announced during the 2023-2024 World Competition, a game where robots shoot acorns into nets and climb towers.

It looks really fun because it requires multiple components to be designed, built, and tested. It will be exciting to see teams test their acorn-shooting and tower-climbing robots, said Sean.

To learn more about Mukilteo Robotics visit https://mukilteorobotics.org/.

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Mukilteo Robotics team Modulo reflects on their World ... - Lynnwood Times

onurdongel

Re-shoring and automation are key takeaways for global companies following 2022's volatility. Uncertain geopolitical conditions and upheaval across parts of Asia and South America cast doubt on the previous multinational cooperation capitalists enjoyed in the 2000s and early part of the 2010s. Today, harnessing automation and investing in robotics, moving away from second and third-world labor markets and materials sources, are growing in importance.

I have a buy rating on the ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF (NYSEARCA:ROBO).

BofA Global Research

According to the issuer, the ROBO ETF invests in global companies that are driving transformative innovations in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (RAAI), including companies that create technology to enable truly intelligent systems that can sense, process, and act, and companies that apply those technologies to deliver RAAI-enabled products - including robots - to businesses and consumers.

The ETF features a high 0.95% annual expense ratio, so I don't suggest owning this beyond an intermediate time horizon. With 79 equity holdings, net assets are more than $1.3 billion while the median 30-day bid/ask spread is a bit high at 0.15% - so, using limit orders during periods of light liquidity is prudent. Average daily volume is more than 100,000 shares, while the total dollar volume is decent at $6.2 million.

Digging into the portfolio, data from Morningstar show that ROBO is very much a growth-heavy fund. More than half the allocation is on the right side of the Style Box, with just 1% of ROBO in value. So, lower interest rates should generally help the ETF, but broader macro trends in favor of AI and automation have overtaken the rate-trade factor in recent months. With a high P/E ratio and low yield, this is not a fund for value and income-oriented investors, but earnings quality is high. It's also important to note ROBO's small-cap bent - being equal weight in nature means more SMID exposure versus cap-weighted funds.

Morningstar

ROBO is not a concentrated portfolio. Just 17% of the fund is invested in the top 10 holdings. Also, there is a diverse sector, industry, and geographic exposure, according to ROBOGLOBAL. Still, Industrials and Energy comprise most of the sector breakdown, while Healthcare has about a 13% weight in the ETF.

ROBOGLOBAL

For a check on seasonal trends, data from Equity Clock show a bullish stretch ahead for ROBO. After often notching a low in March, on average, the ETF steadily rises with higher highs and higher lows from Q2 through early Q4. The end of the year has typically featured a strong thrust. From the end of May into mid-October can be volatile, though.

Equity Clock

ROBO has some positive technical features. Notice in the chart below that shares has been working on a rounded bottom pattern. Just recently, the fund broke out from a symmetrical triangle consolidation formation, but there is still some resistance just above $55 to work through. I see the next resistance near the 2021 lows around $60 - that is also where a significant amount of volume by price enters the picture.

But with a now-rising 200-day moving average, the bearish trend has been reversed. Overall, I like the momo on ROBO, and see higher prices ahead. $50 appears as key support, so long here with a stop under that price point looks favorable.

StockCharts.com

Despite a high valuation and lukewarm seasonal trends, I like the emerging bullish trend in ROBO. Near-term upside is likely, but the low $60s to near $70 could be tougher to navigate through.

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ROBO A Buy Amid Robotics Optimism And Ongoing Re-Shoring ... - Seeking Alpha

The Covvi bionic hand will be remotely controlled by workers as it operates in hazardous nuclear environments

A bionic hand originally developed as a prosthetic device has been adapted to provide a robotic arm with near-human dexterity.

The new robotic system, which builds on Atkins work on collaborative robots (cobots) for the nuclear sector and prosthetic developer Covvis bionic hand, will be remotely controlled by workers as it operates in hazardous nuclear environments.

The partners, who announced the project yesterday (30 May), said the system will be used in glovebox operations that involve handling nuclear materials and waste, keeping the operator out of harms way.

The device could significantly increase durability and functionality compared to existing solutions, Leeds firm Covvi claimed, while also replicating human dexterity more closely.

The remote control of robotics (teleoperation) will reduce the presence of humans in hazardous areas and enable glovebox operations to continue over longer periods of time, reducing risk and speeding up project delivery, as well as freeing up time for site operators to focus on other high priority, skilled activity, the announcement said.

The two firms worked together for the last six months to integrate the robotic hand with collaborative robots such as Kinovas Gen3 arm, which Atkins uses to work in gloveboxes. Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, is also developing a digital twin to rehearse and pre-plan glovebox activity to increase efficiency.

Sam Stephens, head of digital for nuclear at SNC-Lavalin, said: Robotics hold huge potential for the nuclear sector and we expect their use to become increasingly common over the coming decade as the industry seeks to improve safety, increase efficiency and address increasing skills shortages.

Working with Covvi to reconfigure their bionic hand for teleoperation combines our knowledge of nuclear, digital and robotics capabilities with Covvis expertise and world-leading prosthetics. Its an example of how collaboration is crucial to help accelerate innovation and bring forward new solutions that address some of the sectors biggest challenges swiftly and cost effectively.

The new robotic hand has the potential to reduce risk and improve productivity for the nuclear operators that we work with in partnership around the world, and we look forward to seeing it deliver results soon.

Covvi and Atkins will now jointly develop and market a new variant of the Covvi Hand, optimised to meet the demanding requirements of the nuclear sector.

Simon Pollard, group CEO at Covvi, said: We are delighted to have finalised this partnership and share our plans to expand into the robotics market.

The robotics market continues to develop at pace as it becomes more affordable, scalable, and customisable. With over five years developing our own world leading, multi-articulated bionic hand, Covvi was Atkins preferred choice to partner with to introduce this state-of-the-art technology to the nuclear sector. We are excited about the opportunity to develop and implement innovative solutions to create safer, more efficient processes in hazardous environments intrinsic to the nuclear industry.

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? TheProfessional Engineeringnewslettergives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, clickhere.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

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Prosthetic hand adapted for robotic use in nuclear environments - Professional Engineering

SiteOneLandscape Supply announced its partnership with Automated Outdoor Solutions (AOS) to expand SiteOnes robotic mower product offerings and create a robust national model to provide aftersales and service support, installation, and financial solutions for robotic turf care equipment.

We are excited to build a great robotics program with AOS, said Nick Schomer, director of category management, equipment, at SiteOne. Their service and installation expertise will put SiteOne in a position to lead the market in the robotics lawncare space.

AOS supports automated mower brands such as ECHO Robotics, Husqvarna, MowFleet, and Ambrogio. The partnership expands SiteOnes robotic mower offerings and further solidifies its position as a knowledgeable supplier of robotic equipment. The partnership will also launch AOS Automated Ball Wash and Management System for golf course superintendents.

I believe automation will allow landscape professionals the opportunity to take the next step in providing the most customer-focused mowing solutions, said Joe Langton, CEO of AOS. We plan to assist professionals in the robotics journey by providing the aftercare that is needed for the successful deployment of these automated systems. It is important for professionals to understand AOS joined together with SiteOne because our values and visions are aligned.

The Integra Group, the creator of BOSS Software, not only aims to be impactful with the tools it provides its customers for their businesses but to have an impact on the community where it lives and works.

Since 2015, Integra Group team members have put aside their programming and client support responsibilities for a day and grabbed hammers and drills to help Habitat for Humanity St. Louis build new homes for families in need.

For the second year in a row, the Integra team put their time and talents to build the exterior framing on the ranch-style home in St. Louis Riverview/Glasgow Village neighborhood. A typical Habitat home is in the range of 1,200 to 1,500 square feet and features three to four bedrooms and one to two bathrooms. In most cases, our homes also have a full, unfinished basement and either a driveway or parking pad.

This project sustains The Integra Groups mission of community service through both time and treasure, with an eye toward long-term sustainable results. In addition to Habitat for Humanity, the company also works with Give Hope Global, Midwest Food Bank, and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity provides families the opportunity and possibility that decent, affordable housing represents, and we are proud to participate in such a worthy cause, said Mike Cossins, president and founder of The Integra Group. By coming together toward a common goal, we were able to make a tangible difference in the lives of others.

Habitat for Humanity offers a homeownership opportunity to families living between 25 and 50 percent of the area median income, who are generally unable to obtain conventional house financing. In addition to purchasing their home and paying an affordable mortgage, partner homeowners contribute 350 hours of "sweat equity" on the construction of their home or another Habitat Saint Louis home and take educational courses to help them succeed at owning a home. Since its inception, Habitat and its volunteers have brought nearly $60 million in affordable housing development to the St. Louis metro area.

BOSS

ASV,a manufacturer of all-purpose and all-season compact track loaders and skid steers, presents three dealers with Dealer of the Year Awards for 2022.Barda Equipmentis the Large Market winner,Butler Equipmentis the Medium Market winner, andDuffys Sales & Rentalis the winner of the Small Market category.

These three dealers stand out due to their commitment to ASV and excellent customer service standards, said Jeff Pate, director of sales for the ASV brand. We are proud to have them as our partners representing our brand in their communities.

Alberta-based Barda Equipment is ASVs 2022 Large Market winner. The multi-location dealer shares ASVs commitment to quality products and service. With a focus on the forestry, landscape, oilfield, and building construction industries, Barda Equipment has been a loyal representative of the ASV brand for over 35 years and was also awarded ASVs 2019 Dealer of the Year Award.

ASV

Butler Equipment is the winner of the 2022 Medium Market award. The Connecticut-based dealer serves a wide variety of customers and is committed to putting the needs of their customers first. This ideal has brought them success for more than 55 years. Butler has been an ASV dealer since 2002 and knows that the quality product the brand provides will lead their customers to a positive experience.

ASV

ASV selected Duffys Sales & Rental as the winner of the 2022 Small Market award. The Wisconsin-based dealer has served ASV customers since 1993, providing sales, rental, parts, and services for the construction, landscaping, and land-clearing industries. Their parts and service department is headed by the longest-tenured service representative of ASV equipment in the United States, cultivating a knowledge base at this dealer that is unparalleled.

ASV

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Industry news roundup: SiteOne partners with Automated Outdoor ... - Total Landscape Care

TROY, Mich., June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --Orbbec, a pioneer in 3D visual perception technology, is making waves in the AI and robotics industry. Collaborating with NVIDIA and Microsoft, Orbbec has developed the Femto Mega RGB+Depth camera, a high-performance vision sensor that's transforming sectors like robotics, industrial automation, and healthcare.

Following NVIDIA's presentation at COMPUTEX 2023, where Orbbec's logo was featured, we are excited to announce that Orbbec is in the process of integrating the Femto Mega and other cameras with the ecosystem surrounding NVIDIA Omniverse, an open development platform for building and operating metaverse applications. This move will enable customers using NVIDIA Isaac Sim, a robotics simulation toolkit, to swiftly design their vision systems, enhancing the realism and precision of AI system design and testing.

Similarly, Orbbec is working on integrating its products into the NVIDIA Isaac ROSplatform, a comprehensive toolkit for AI-powered robots. Once completed, this integration will empower developers to build more capable robots using Orbbec's high-quality sensors.

Beyond the Femto Mega, Orbbec also offers industrial-grade RGB+Depth cameras to meet the stringent demands of industrial clients. These cameras deliver superior performance and reliability, making them ideal for a wide range of industrial applications.

In essence, Orbbec is not only a leading vision hardware supplier for intelligent robots but also working closely with the NVIDIA Omniverse platform to drive innovation in AI and robotics.

We invite tech enthusiasts and developers to explore the possibilities with Orbbec's advanced vision sensors. Visit our website to learn more about our products and how they can revolutionize your AI and robotics projects. With Orbbec, the future of AI and robotics is in your hands.

About Orbbec: Orbbec is on a mission to popularize 3D vision technology for the 3D world, create a full-stack platform for industry solution developers and build smart products with industry-leading performance and value. To learn more about Orbbec, visit us at orbbec3d.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT: Carly Lang [emailprotected]

SOURCE Orbbec

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Orbbec: Revolutionizing AI and Robotics with Advanced Vision ... - PR Newswire

Crown Point Community School Corporation's VEX Robotics teams have had a fantastic season, with many teams achieving outstanding results. This year, over 9,000 high school Vex Robotics Challenge (VRC) teams worldwide represented 50 nations, and 800 teams from 41 countries attended the World Championships in Dallas, TX. Among them were Crown Point Community School Corporation's teams, who have achieved more than a few feats throughout the season.

Indiana is one of the most competitive states in the country for robotics, with 226 high school VRC teams. Crown Point High School's VEX Robotics is currently the largest high school VEX organization in the state of Indiana, both in terms of student participants and individual sub-teams. At most regional tournaments, Crown Point High School represented more than 20% of the total number of teams in attendance.

CPHS robotics attended 10 regional, 2 signature, a state, and a world tournament this year. This means that the students who made Worlds spent a total of 21 days at some sort of tournament this season.

As a combined team, the students won nine regional tournament champion awards, five regional robot skills champion awards, 10 regional judged awards plus an excellence award, and all teams were in the top 25% of world skills rankings, with four teams in the top 10%. They also won one state judged award, one state divisional finalist award, one worlds divisional judged award, and one worlds divisional finalist award.

Crown Point High School had nine teams compete at state, the largest contingent from any one school or organization at the high school level. Of those, 24 teams were invited to the World Championships.

One of the most successful Worlds teams at Crown Point High School in at least 10 years was 1233W. The team members won two-time regional tournament champions, four-time regional robot skills champion, regional create and sportsmanship awards, and had a world skills ranking of 58. They were finalists at State and finalists in their division at Worlds, achieving 2nd place in their division.

Taft Middle School's Team 33334A, comprised of sixth-graders, worked hard and made it to Worlds. They ended the event 51st in their division. Team 33334E competed for the third time in middle school, ending their run 22nd in their division. Their scores put them within the top 6% and 3% in the world. Both Byting Bulldogs teams from Col. Wheeler Middle School had a great season, coming in 55th place in their respective divisions at Worlds.

The team from MacArthur Elementary sustained a broken robot during their competition, which placed them last in their division. However, the knowledge gained from the experience will undoubtedly have these students prepared to take on a successful robotics season next school year.

Crown Point Community School Corporation is incredibly proud of all its robotics teams and their achievements throughout the season.

CPHS robotics teams are listed below with their awards for this year.

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Crown Point Robotics Have Another Great Season - NWI.Life

Jeff Floyd,horticulturist

June 2, 2023

Jeff Floyd

If landscape maintenance robots ever become mainstream, what will that look like and who will adopt the technology?Believe it or not, some people and organizations are already putting robots to work on the lawn and on the farm.The good news is that few experts express any concern that a Terminator scenario will develop.

People have been dabbling with automated mowing machines since before the first 4-H robotics student wondered if a mower could be steered across the lawn remotely.Manufacturers of todays mowing robots say their goal isnt to take away jobs.But they do take away jobs, and thats not necessarily a bad thing.Many of the jobs in the lawn and agricultural industries are boring, uncomfortable and dangerous. Freeing up employees to perform more critical tasks than robots is one goal of manufacturers.

Early adopters of these odd machines are looking for ways to solve problems.For example, robot mowers are a practical way to control vegetation on solar farms. The panels on these farms are too short for people to efficiently maneuver equipment around them.Remotely controlled robots can mow under the panels with ease.

Steep berms are another location where robots will be useful.Robot mowers are generally lower in height than standard mowers.This low profile increases their stability and makes them a good choice for mowing berms without placing people at risk of injury.

As soon as residential robotscan spray weeds, mow the lawn, and edge and blow sidewalks, their adoption will explode among homeowners. And demand will drive supply which will bring the costs within reach of the typical landowner.

Farmers are constantly looking for ways to reduce costs. Robots are promising but not yet worth the investment in most agricultural circumstances.However, you can be sure producers are keeping an eye on advancements.Robot accuracy in weed control, nutrient delivery and harvesting efficiency is not enough to cause them to budge much beyond their current production methods. Producers are a practical lot.Once expenses drop below the current costs to get their products to market gainfully, farmers will adopt robots into their operations. But theyll keep a close eye on them.After all, you'renotthe only one concerned about Terminator.

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Could more landscape maintenance robots be put to work? - Midland Reporter-Telegram

For a technology writer, spending a couple of days at the Automate show is like being a kid in a candy store. There are industrial robots, collaborative robot (cobot) arms, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and plenty of exhibitors with warehouse robotics solutions.

The annual eventput on the Association for Advancing Automation (A3)has evolved to include solutions of value to multiple industries and processes. These days, its not just a show about industrial robots used to make or assemble goods in factories. There are many exhibitors offering materials handling solutions, ranging from palletizing, to order fulfillment of finished goods in warehouses. Just a few of the exhibitors I spoke with and who offer robotics used for fulfillment processes include AutoStore, Exotec, ForwardX Robotics, Plus One Robotics, and the Raymond Corporation.

My overall take on the industry is that its in a good place. Although the latest data on sales of industrial robots released shortly before the show by A3, and during the show in preliminary 2022 data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) indicates there is some cooling of the industrial robotics market after record growth in 2022, the long-term outlook for robotics uptake remains bullish. Its worth noting that A3s data is based on orders, while the IFR data is based on installations, so there is a lag effect when examining these reports, in that installs/shipments trail orders.

The consensus is that over the shorter term, macro-economic factors like inflation and higher interest rates have slowed the industrial robotics market growth somewhat, though the automotive sector remains strong. Whats more, the long-term outlook remains strong. The challenge of finding and retaining enough labor to stick with manual processes is a long-haul challenge, so companies will continue to look for processes they can automate with robotics. In warehousing, tough physical tasks like truck unloading or palletizing and depalletizing are likely applications, as well as smart piece picking robotics.

In the automotive sector, use of robotics has been strong because carmakers and their suppliers are retooling for electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and all the components that go into EVs. Another widely noted growth driver for robotics is nearshoring and reshoring in the wake of the massive supply disruptions experienced during the pandemic. The thinking is that more supply chains will mitigate risk by sourcing components or products within North America, and to keep this supply base cost competitive, increased use of robotics will be in order.

On the exhibition hall floor, a few trends were apparent that should help the robotics market grow across multiple industries, including fulfillment centers and warehousing. These include:

Heres a deeper look at these trends:

Cobots gain power, keep simplicity

A traditional strength of cobot arms is that they are relatively simple to deploy. The vendors in the cobot space often provide graphical, easy to use software for devising applications like end of line palletizing. They dont require a costly enhancement of a facilitys electrical infrastructure, because many can run on standard 120-volt outlets, or 220-volt power. Moreover, cobots dont need to be walled off by a fixed cage system, because they have safety sensing built in.

The downsides of cobots have been payload and speed versus their larger cousins. Cobots just havent been able to lift heavier loads like industrial robots can, and cobots have operated at slower speeds for safety reasons, so they can work alongside a human and still stop immediately when touched or obstructed.

At Automate 2023, however, there was a blurring of the lines between these traditional strengths and tradeoffs, with larger cobots that boast the simplicity and quick deployment of a cobot, but can lift larger payloads, which is a good thing for applications like end of line palletizing, especially for lower volume operations that want to build single SKU pallets or relatively simpler patterns. Its all relative, however; for the highest throughput, heavier payload applications, industrial robots still rule. Additionally, when it comes to dealing with high SKU variability or discerning the orientation of SKUs/units that need handling but arent in a predictable location, or have uneven edges like parcels, robots doing pick and place tasks typically need a layer of sophisticated vision and artificial intelligence (AI) software to provide the robot with the necessary smarts to handle what the vision sees, on the fly.

But the bigger cobots are here and were on display at Automate. At ABB Robotics, I took a look at the companys new SWIFTI CRB 1300, a cobot with a payload of up to 11 kilograms (KGs). The cobots safety sensing makes use of a safety laser scanner from SICK that automatically detects people within the cobots operating area in what amounts to invisible graduated rings of safety. If you cross the outer range it will slow, and if a person (like an editor) unwittingly wanders way too close, it will stop completely. This allows the cobot to operate safely alongside people without physical barriers.

Users can set up a palletizing application with the new SWIFTI robot by either physically guiding it through a process (lead-through programming), or through ABBs Wizard Easy Programming software, which is based on simple graphical blocks.

At the Yaskawa booth, one of the displays was for its new HC30PL collaborative palletizing robot, which boasts a payload of 30KG, which allowing for end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) weight, means it can easily palletize cartons or cases in the 22-25 KG range, using wizard-like software to design pallet patterns and in effect configure, rather than program a solution, says Chris Caldwell, product manager with Yaskawa Motoman.

While there are robotics applications with high variability that call for advanced vision software from partners, says Caldwell, using a cobot to palletize and leveraging simple software for setup can fit the needs of many small-to-medium enterprises looking to step into automated palletizing with robotics. We believe robotics should only be as complicated as it needs to be to get the job done, says Caldwell.

Similarly, at the Universal Robots booth, the cobots are gaining payload capacity, while keeping the simplicity of easy-to-use software to configure an application. UR works with systems integrators to bring solutions to market, while also leveraging software from partners, such as Pally palletizing software from RocketFarm, and its cloud-based digital twin software MyRobot.cloud, used by integrator partners to quickly verify application feasibility.

At the UR booth, I visited with UR partners including Columbia/Okura who discussed how palletizing solutions can be configured easily using UR cobots and supporting software, making solutions easy to verify, configure, and run. In the video here

shot at the UR booth, you can see a demo of Columbia/Okuras miniPAL palletizing solution running in the background, with the software used to create the application, on the tablet in the foreground. This demo makes use of the UR10e cobot arm, but a big brother option called miniPAL+ which makes use of URs new UR20 cobot, was available for preorder at Automate. The bigger cobot, which starts shipping this summer, features a 20KG payload.

Robots and people, in sync

Another key trend at Automate 2023 was integration, and how it can drive further value. For example, autonomous mobile robot (AMR) vendors are increasingly focused on integration, including Locus Robotics, whose mobile robots could be found not just at its booth, but also at other exhibitor booths. For example, at the Fanuc booth, a live demo had two of Fanucs CRX-10iA cobots working in unison with AMRs from Locus Robotics, to automate an order fulfillment process. A short clip of part of the demo can be seen here.

This demo made use of various technologies including vision sensors on the Fanuc cobots, QR codes on the bins, and RFID scans of tagged product items via the vision sensing, as well as communication between the cobots and AMRs, to facilitate accurate, automated order picking and handling of bins.

But it wasnt just robots integrating with robots on view at Automate-- there also were exhibitors stressing the synchronization of robots with human labor. At the Zebra Technologies booth, which acquired AMR vendor Fetch Robotics in 2021, the company was demonstrating how its wearable devices make working with Fetch AMRs more efficient. Not only do the wearables keep the associates hands-free when they are next to an AMR executing picks to bins on the robot, once work is complete with one bot and it goes to packout or some other downstream location, the devices show an associate where the next set of picks will be, and where the next mobile robot will be, says Matt Wicks, senior director of product management with Zebra.

Zebras integration between its wearables and AMR technology, Wicks explains, helps reduce wasted time between sets of picks when associates are picking to AMRs, especially when the next mobile robot isnt visible within the same aisle. It coordinates the robots and the people, so that when the system directs an operator to the next pick location, the operator can go start that process and the robot will meet the operator at that spot, Wicks says. There isnt this hunting around and wasted time for the operator.

Even small incremental time savings add up when you have a team of associates working all shift with a fleet of assistive picking mobile robots, Wicks says. It adds up to increased operational efficiency and throughput, says Wicks. Workforce availability is limited, so the more productivity you can get from your available workforce, the better.

At the Big Joe Forklifts booth, the focus was on a live demo of its recently launched Pallet Mover AMR developed in partnership with Thoro.ai. The autonomous unit is easy to deploy with some mapping with the AMR and setting up of zone drops on the units tablet, explained Bill Pedriana, Big Joes CMO. The aim, he adds, is to make pallet moving automation quick to deploy and completely user directed via the AMRs tablet, to bring robotics efficiency to moves between work cells, or other pallet moves in a facility, with no need to integrate the AMR to a backend system. This also frees up lift truck operators for more complex workflows, or keeps skilled machine operators from having to halt value-added work to move a pallet with a pallet jack.

Platforms and speed to market

Vendors also see product platforms that speed up solution delivery as a way to grow the market. For example, Beckhoff Automation was demonstrating several solutions at its booth, as well as celebrating 20 years EtherCAT, its industrial Ethernet system used for high performance industrial networking, including to support automation used in warehousing and intralogistics.

One of Beckhoffs featured products at Automate was its ATRO system, which takes a modular approach which allows robotics integrators to easily assemble optimal robot structures for different applications. At the show, Uwe Bonin, product manager for robotics at Beckhoff, explained that ATRO's overall benefit is that it speeds up time to value in that integrators can basically assemble a robot that is fit for purpose, rather than wait for a robot OEM to build one. The target market is integrators, though its possible some advanced end users might tap ATRO for simpler projects.

ATRO is more than a set of robot mechanical parts, Bonin explained, in that the modules encapsulate the communications and controls technology a robot needs, with the associated software generating a kinematic model for the robot. That means you can do your own robot, and can be something like your own robot manufacturer, because you just assemble the robot the way you need it, Bonin says.

In attending the Automate show, one can see the ecosystem of partners that work together to create solutions, with plenty of specialization and alliances. There are exhibitors known for EOATs, for example, so that robot OEMs dont necessarily have to develop their own grippers or other tooling.

Another type of specialist is ROEQ, a Danish company focused on top modules for AMRs. ROEQ is known for its mobile robotic equipment or MRE for larger format AMRs from Mobile Industrial Robots (MIR). At Automate, ROEQ was demonstrating its new ROEQ TMC130, a top module and cart system for the OMRON LD-90x that increases payload from 90kg (198lb) up to 130kg (287lb). ROEQ also offers a top module the larger OMRON LD-250 robots.

These MREs are part hardware, but they need software and digital communication to work well with the AMR, a function supported by ROEQs ROEQ Assist installation software. This software permits easy and consistent set-up with the mobile robot, explained Carsten Sorensen, partner and head of sales and support with ROEQ.

At Mujin, which was demonstrating robotic case palletizing and depalletizing at Automate, the platform approach is key to the companys value add, in that warehouse systems integrators dont need to cobble together solutions elements like articulating arms, vision, or mobile robots to move pallets. The overall theme for us is showcasing our robotics platform and how it simplifies solutions delivery for our integrator partners, says Josh Cloer, director of sales at Mujin. If you were to do this in the traditional way, taking an industrial robot from one leading provider, and vision and sensing from other providers, and mobile robots from another provider, and then trying to integrate it all together, thats just really hard. You need a lot of expertise to do that, and its going add cost for you as an integrator, and its going to be costly for the end customer. Thats why Mujin created a platform to control all these elements in real time, with an easy-to-use interface. The platform simplifies solutions.

Even with technology advancements, leaders in the robotics industry believe it will take a comprehensive education effort spanning robotics companies, industry end users, and educators, to build up the pool of talent its going to take to support further uptake for robotics.

At Tuesdays executive roundtable at Automate, The Future of Robotics & Automation in North America, the panelists noted that trends like electrification and EV manufacturing, nearshoring, and policies including the Inflation Reduction Act will all play a role in robotics industry growth, but that ultimately, the industry needs to attract more young people into robotics at all levels, as engineers with vendors, into the ranks of systems integrators, and as operators of solutions.

We need to train our next generation of workers, says Mike Cicco, president and CEO of Fanuc America, one of the speakers on the panel.

To build this workforce will take collaboration with educators, Cicco added, which is why Fanuc sponsored the shows education pavilion which featured participation from several technical colleges. He also encouraged systems integrators and end users to reach out to local educators, even at the secondary education level, to advocate for robotics as a career path. As Cicco told the Automate crowd, If there are any manufacturers or any other end users out there, the best thing you guys can do is go to your local school, and say, I want to partner with you to try to bring kids into my workforce.

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Automate 2023 analysis: Simplicity and speed will further robotics ... - Modern Materials Handling