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Daily Archives: May 1, 2024
Nickelytics and Starship release robots at UCLA and Utah universities – Robotics and Automation News
Posted: May 1, 2024 at 11:21 am
Nickelytics, a venture-backed B2B adtech startup, announced a new partnership with Starship Technologies, the worlds leading provider of autonomous delivery services.
This new partnership expands the companys work in robotics by launching a transformative advertising campaign on two campuses where Starship operates, the University of Utah and UCLA.
This alliance paves the way for brands and advertisers to connect directly with the student population, integrating seamlessly into their daily lives, with the goal of expanding to all 50 campuses that Starship serves.
Starship Technologies operates at 80 global locations and has completed more than 6 million deliveries.
To pilot this partnership, Nickelytics and Starship are supporting the national Love, Your Mind campaign with a six-week deployment of autonomous delivery vehicles.
Love, Your Mind was developed by Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council to create a society that is more open, accepting, and proactive when it comes to mental health.
The campaign PSAs (public service advertisements) remind everyone to nurture their relationship with their mind, and direct to LoveYourMindToday.org for free mental health resources.
More than 60 percent of college students report experiencing mental health challenges, a significant increase since 2013.
The delivery of Love, Your Mind out-of-home (OOH) advertising through Nickelytics and Starships autonomous robots will reach students directly on campus to encourage them to prioritize their mental health.
Judah Longgrear, co-founder and CEO of Nickelytics, says: Our partnership with Starship Technologies marks a thrilling advance into the future of advertising.
This collaboration, especially with campaigns like Love, Your Mind, breaks the mold of traditional marketing. Were not just delivering ads were fostering meaningful connections and enhancing the student experience, particularly with such significant messages.
Chris Neider, VP of business development at Starship Technologies, says: We are excited to partner with Nickelytics on this important endeavor.
This collaboration is about creating meaningful interactions in the daily lives of students. The Love, Your Mind campaign aligns perfectly with our mission to leverage cutting-edge technology for socially impactful initiatives.
By integrating our autonomous delivery services with Nickelytics innovative advertising approach, we are setting a new standard for how technology can support mental health awareness and education in university communities.
We believe this partnership will open up new possibilities for how brands can connect with their audiences in deeply resonant and responsible ways.
Dr William A. Smith, professor, University of Utah College of Education and Huntsman Mental Health Institute, says: As part of the University of Utah, we are proud to share the resources of our Love, Your Mind campaign with our university community.
Whether we are students, faculty, or staff, our minds deserve our love and care, and this partnership will allow us to open up more conversations about mental health on campus and beyond.
Laurie Keith, VP, emerging media and technology at the Ad Council, says: This partnership is the perfect example of how the Ad Council taps the power of advertising, media and technology to take on the most critical issues facing our country.
Through the innovative use of robotics, were supporting students mental health by reaching them where they are and sharing our message in a memorable and unmissable way.
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Mission to ‘Holy Grail of Shipwrecks’ Will Employ Robotics – USNI News
Posted: at 11:21 am
The Colombian government announced in March that it will launch an expedition to recover priceless artifacts from what has been called the Holy Grail of shipwrecksthe Spanish treasure galleon San Jos, sunk by the Royal Navy in 1708 and discovered off Colombias Caribbean coast in 2015.
At the time of its discovery, then-Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said, This is the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity. According to current estimates, the shipwreck has a worth of some $17 billion.
The lost galleon long ago became the stuff of legend among treasure hunters, who sought the shipwrecks whereabouts for years. Its eventual discovery predictably set off a claims dispute. The U.S.-based Sea Search Armada, a wreck-diving company, asserted that it had been the first to discover the galleons location. Spain asserted its proprietary rights to the contentsafter all, the treasure lies below within a Spanish ship. Meanwhile, the indigenous Qhara Qhara nation of Bolivia pointed out the grim historical reality that, since the Spanish exploited the Qhara Qhara people and forced them to mine the precious metals of their native land, the treasure rightfully should be theirs. The United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration is currently reviewing the case.
Colombias recovery effort is being coordinated by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Knowledge; the Colombian National Navys General Maritime Directorate; and the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, according to a government press release.
The release also states, For the first time in history, a model of comprehensive public management of the archaeological site and asset of cultural interest, protected by regulations and public missionality, is advanced.
The 64-gun, three-masted San Jos was serving as flagship of the Spanish treasure fleet during the War of the Spanish Succession, when the fleet had a run-in with a Royal Navy squadron in 1708. The ensuing battle, known to history as Wagers Action (after Captain, later Admiral, Charles Wager), led to the defeat of the treasure fleet and the sinking of the San Jos. The galleon went down to her resting place off Cartagena with a cargo hold stuffed with gold, silver, and emeralds. The riches had been bound for Spain to help finance the war effort in Europe.
At press time, plans were for the expedition to begin in the AprilMay time frame The salvage operation will carry a price tag of approximately $4.5 million and will deploy a robot at a depth of nearly 2,000 feet. The robot will remove artifacts and relics but will not disturb the integrity of the wreck itself.
While the general location of the site is known, the precise coordinates are being kept secretto spare one of the greatest treasure-ship discoveries in history from the depredations of plunderers.
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Kiwibot acquires Auto Mobility Solutions Robotics & Automation News – Robotics and Automation News
Posted: at 11:21 am
Kiwibot, a start-up known for its AI-powered autonomous delivery robots on US college campuses, is to acquire Auto Mobility Solutions (AMS) a Taipei-based IC Chip developer for AI mobile self-driving core technology and robot cybersecurity.
This strategic collaboration marks a significant milestone in both companies journeys towards innovation and safeguarding privacy in the robotics industry, particularly for intelligent robots sourced from China and deployed in the Western markets.
Bringing AMS under its wing, Kiwibot gains a team renowned for its technological prowess and will have the right to use over 100 licensed patents in robotics.
Furthermore, Autos strategic locations in Taipei and Shenzhen amplify Kiwibots global footprint. This geographical expansion is a testament to the companys growing influence and enhances its capacity for collaboration and innovation.
Felipe Chavez, CEO and founder of Kiwibot, says: The acquisition of Auto is a game-changer for us, bringing a wealth of technological innovation and a strong patent portfolio that will significantly enhance our cybersecurity measures for AI-powered robotics.
This move not only strengthens our position in the market but also connects the manufacturing expertise from Asia with the AI development in the West securely.
Sming Liao, CEO of Auto Mobility Solutions, says: Becoming a part of Kiwibot opens up new avenues for our technologies and patents. Together, we are poised to redefine the landscape of autonomous delivery services, ensuring greater security and efficiency.
The acquisition by Kiwibot reflects a strategic move to lead the market in delivering secure, efficient, and innovative robotic solutions, meeting the evolving needs of consumers and businesses alike.
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Untethered soft actuators for soft standalone robotics – Nature.com
Posted: at 11:21 am
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Meet the `One Percenters’ – The Top Ranked Robotics Group from Franklin – Franklin Observer
Posted: at 11:21 am
Sense & Sound Robotics, a community based FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team in Franklin, competed at the FIRST World Championship in Houston April 17-20. Only 224 out of the approximately 8,000 FTC teams worldwide compete at Worlds. Sense & Sound won 8 out of their 10 qualifying matches, finishing in 5th place. The performance drives this FTC robot into the top 1% in the world. Judges also evaluate the robots from all aspects to find the best in many prestigious categories. Sense & Sound was awarded the 2nd place Control Award for software design.
The Control Award celebrates a team that uses sensors and software to increase the robots functionality in the field. This award is given to the team that demonstrates innovative thinking to solve game challenges such as autonomous operation, improving mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results, says the FIRST organization.
Each FIRST competition season, a different challenge is presented based on a new theme. This years challenge was STEAM-based, called CenterStage, highlighting theater arts. The robots were designed to complete a variety of tasks including moving multi-colored 6-sided pixels, which were picked up in the wings, then delivered to a mark, backstage, and backdrop, where they were placed in patterns. Other tasks included launching a paper airplane into a designated landing zone and suspending the entire robot from rigging on the playing field. The first thirty seconds of the match is an autonomous period, where the robots are programmed to complete these tasks without driver intervention, using only previously programmed code and sensors, followed by two minutes of driver control.
Adi Sharma, Lead Programmer for the team and a Senior at Franklin High School, explains the software design that led to their Control Award, saying we built our own original code library that allows us to define a variety of Java robot classes to control the drive, pixel intake, airplane launcher, and other mechanisms. Each of these classes have their own hardware and settings, which let us run complex, dynamic motions, such as driving to a specific position utilizing distance sensors and odometry to accurately localize position, while simultaneously running the pixel intake and checking sensors for the number of pixels held.
The software was also designed to control our unique pixel placement system, says Anna David, Drive Team Coach and Lead Hardware Engineer for the team, another Franklin High School Senior. We designed and 3-D printed a unique plunger that picks up the pixels from the intake and accurately places them on the backdrop. A variety of sensors detect the color and quantity of pixels the intake has picked up and indicate this to the drivers, as well as sense how far the robot is from the backdrop for intelligent-controlled movement and automatic, accurate placement, among other things. In total, we utilized 16 sensors and a camera in our design, and I think the judges were impressed with how they worked in concert to make our robot both accurate and consistent.
The team was very pleased with how well they did at Worlds. Sense & Sound is made up of 7th through 12th graders from Franklin, Medway, and Milford, and also includes Zach Beaupre, Ajay Gulati, Tanish Asu, Jaswanth Bandaru, Aakash Vootla, Anjan Lakkadi, Elliott Knowlton, and Maxx Duffy. Team members built 2-3 days per week in a lab in Franklin, MA, where they were mentored by local engineers Tom Kroon, Leigh Knowlton, and Suresh Vootla. The students are responsible for all aspects of the robot design, build, and coding, including tracking their efforts in an engineering design notebook that is submitted for judging.
As a community-based team, Sense & Sound Robotics does not receive any funding from the school or town, and the team is grateful to the sponsors who helped make their bid for a world title possible, including Cold Chain Technologies, Carpe Diem Technologies, Hologic, Kumon of Franklin, MassMEP, Kelmar Associates, Nerds to Go, Blue Hill Plumbing, Representative Jeff Roy, Medway Cultural Council, Middlesex Savings Bank, The Curry House, and Combe Incorporated, as well as various private donations.
You can learn more about Sense & Sound Robotics at http://www.senseandsoundrobotics.org. You can read more about FIRST Tech Challenge at http://www.firstinspires.org.
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Atlas, forefather of humanoid robots, gives way to next generation – Marketplace
Posted: at 11:21 am
Robotics company Boston Dynamics announced this month that it has retired its humanoid robot, known as Atlas. The 6-foot, 2,330-pound machine was considered a quantum leap in robotics and gained fame for its parkour stunts and awkward dance moves.
Debuting in 2013, Atlas was the product of a partnership with the Defense Department. It relied on hydraulic power, using pressurized fluid to generate movement, and could perform tasks that can be challenging for humans, like lifting heavy boxes.
As the older Atlas lives out its golden years, Boston Dynamics has introduced its successor a smaller version, with the same name, that runs on electric power.
Marketplaces Lily Jamali spoke with Brian Heater, hardware editor at TechCrunch, for a look back at the original Atlas and his take on how companies, and households, might make use of humanoids.
The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.
Brian Heater: Its big and hulking, its very top heavy. Its hydraulic powered, as all of the early Boston Dynamics robots are, which means, among other things, that its extremely loud. Youre in a room with it, its, like, almost deafening. You hear the gases passing as its moving.
Lily Jamali: Well, what was the response to it when it first came out in 2013?
Heater: The response isnt dissimilar from what it is now. And people were incredibly and rightfully impressed by the robot because for a lot of people it felt like a quantum leap over the technology that was out there. There was no bipedal robot that was capable of doing what it could do and it was very versatile. And youve got to be very versatile because it was a research robot. And you had all these teams, [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] and Carnegie Mellon and all these very smart researchers using them for these [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] challenges. It was leagues ahead of everybody else. And in a lot of ways, it feels like just about everyone else is continuing to still play catch-up with that technology.
Jamali: Well, so theres this new Atlas now, which is different. Its all electric. Its very fluid, the way that this thing moves, its almost terrifying. Ive seen it described as a sleek, swiveling nightmare that almost seems to defy physics. Whats a sentence you would use to describe what its like, this new one?
Heater: So the new one is considerably slimmer than the older version. Its much quieter, the movements are incredibly fluid. Because of the compact size, its really capable of doing a lot more in a far more confined environment. And I think because of that, its going to be much more capable of working alongside people. Thats the biggest concern with a lot of these robots. [They] traditionally had been very big and very heavy and therefore have been very prone to [injuring] people. This one is much smaller and capable of working alongside them. And its something as simple as a robot that looks like a human and perhaps has a face, its easier for us to understand its intentions.
Jamali: So what do we know about why Boston Dynamics is updating the robot?
Heater: Yeah. The simple answer is that the old robot just wasnt built for those things, it was built for research purposes. The technology is still extremely impressive, but in a lot of ways its a decade out of date. Its too large, its too loud, it probably needs to be tethered for the battery to operate. I believe its a lithium-ion battery, so its the same battery that you have on your phone or your electric car, so it could just go in and charge. And just the fact that its smaller, again, is a very key piece here in terms of actually being able to operate in the workplace and operate alongside people.
Jamali: Theres obviously plenty of companies in this space working on bipedal meaning walks on two feet humanoid robots. So theres Tesla, Agility Robotics, Figure, they all have robots in the works as well. Can you give me a brief temperature check on the industry?
Heater: So theres a lot of interest and theres a lot of money changing hands right now. Investors are incredibly interested in this space. People [who own] factories and warehouses are incredibly interested in deploying these systems. And everybodys promising this idea of generalized intelligence. Most people I talked to tell me that generalized intelligence is probably like five, maybe 10, years off, so were talking about a much longer timeline than I think a lot of people are anticipating right now. Ive been in this industry for a long time, and I think were in the middle of this hype wave right now. Theres going to be a lot of excitement and its going to cool down a bit. And thats going to be the period of time when these things are actually deployed and the testing happens.
Jamali: Wait a minute. Did you say hype in tech? Im sorry, I cant, I cant.
Heater: Its fun. Its fun, right? Its nice to have one of the categories that I cover being superhyped after watching, you know, like, crypto and AI. Obviously, theres a lot of overlap between the two. The hype is exciting. Its great that the world is, like, sitting up and seeing this stuff and seeing rightfully how incredibly impressive it is. But I used to say that my kind of loose definition of a robot was a really complex and impressive machine used to perform menial and boring tasks. And thats kind of what this is. Youre gonna be really blown away by the technology the first time you see it, and then if these things work out as planned, then theyre going to be just another kind of boring thing hanging around the factory. And that means that everythings working accordingly.
Jamali: Well, I think the thing were all wondering is, you know, not in the factory, Im not so interested in that. When do I get to see it at my house? When are we going to get a real-life Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons or C-3PO? Does this new Atlas put us on that track?
Heater: Yes and no. You know, people often ask me when theyre gonna have a robot in their house, and my cheeky but very serious question back to them is, Do you have a Roomba or robot vacuum? And if you do, youve got a robot in your home. Those have been around for, I think the first Roomba came out 20-plus years ago, and we havent really seen a follow-up. Its a really difficult space to operate in for a number of reasons. One [is] very unstructured environments. Even if you keep your house pretty clean, you move things around, sometimes youll throw something on the ground. Houses arent really very uniform from one to the other. And then the other one is, as I mentioned earlier, is price, like the most advanced Roomba right now is something in the neighborhood of, like, $1,500. Like even that is like way more expensive than most people want to pay in the home. So the likeliest scenario is were not going to be seeing these robots in the home. But in the meantime, were going to see a lot of really cool and interesting technology and probably robots in the home that are in some ways a product of the research that went into these systems.
When Boston Dynamics announced Atlas would be retiring, the company published a blooper reel of the bots failed stunts through the years, including falls down stairs, an attempt to board an elevator and a particularly nasty tumble from a balance beam, which ends with Atlas clutching its knees in the fetal position. Id probably do the same in that scenario.
The robotics company also posted a video of its new electric bot, the so-called swiveling nightmare. Its hard to describe the Terminator-like ways the robot contorts its body. You should see it for yourself.
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U.S. manufacturers invested heavily in robotics in 2023, finds IFR – Robot Report
Posted: at 11:20 am
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U.S. manufacturers have increasingly adopted automation, says the IFR.
Total installations of industrial robots rose by 12% and reached 44,303 units in 2023, as U.S. manufacturers invested heavily in more automation, reported the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR, today. The automotive industry is still the No. 1 adopter, followed by the electrical and electronics sector, according to the IFRs preliminary results.
The United States has one of the most advanced manufacturing industries worldwide, stated Marina Bill, president of the IFR. The first IFR outlook on preliminary results shows again strong robotics demand across all major segments of U.S. manufacturing in 2023.
Sales in the automotive segment rose by 1%, with a record 14,678 robots installed in 2023, said the IFR. This comes after installations in 2022 skyrocketed by 47%, reaching 14,472 units, noted the Frankfurt, Germany-based organization.
The market share of car and component makers reached 33% of all industrial robot installations in the U.S. in 2023. The U.S. has the second-largest production volume of cars and light vehicles worldwide after China.
Automotive manufacturers currently invest in robotics mainly to drive the electric vehicle transition and respond to labor shortages, Bill said.
Installations in the electrical and electronics industry rose by 37% to 5,120 units in 2023, said the IFR. This number almost reached the record pre-pandemic level of 5,284 units, seen in 2018.
The latest result represents a market share of 12% of all industrial robots installed in the U.S. manufacturing industry. Global installations reached record numbers in 2022, the IFR noted.
It attributed recent demand for industrial robots among U.S. electronics makers by efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains and projects toward clean-energy transitions.
Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.
Installation counts in other U.S. industries exceeding the 3,000-unit mark included metal and machinery (4,123 units, +6%) and plastic and chemical products (3,213 units, +5%).
They represent a market share of 9% and 7% of U.S. manufacturer robot installations in 2023, respectively, said the IFR.
Robot installation in Canada reached 4,616 units up 43%. The automotive industry accounts for 55% of the countrys robot installations. Sales to the automotive sector rose by 99% with 2,549 units installed in 2023. This is an all-time high.
Robot installations in Mexicos manufacturing industry remained almost unchanged, with 5,868 units in 2023. The countrys main adopter was the automotive industry, which accounted for 69% of the robot installations in 2023
The IFR said sales in Mexico reached 4,068 units (-0%) in 2023 the third best result since the peak level of 4,805 units, in 2017.
The IFR plans to post the presentation on preliminary figures held by Bill during the IFR Executive Roundtableon May 8. The federation said it will release final results of the latest World Robotics data on Sept. 24.
The organization will also be present at Booth 2790 at Automate in Chicago next week.
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BlueBotics releases new version of its server fleet management software – Robotics and Automation News
Posted: at 11:20 am
Swiss robotic navigation company BlueBotics has released a new version of its ANT server fleet management software, which can now control not only the 100+ ANT driven customer vehicles on the market, but also VDA 5050-compliant AGVs and AMRs.
BlueBotics whose ANT navigation technology drives over 5,000 AGVs and AMRs around the world says its new initiative expandS the scope of its ANT server mission and fleet management software by adding compatibility with the German AGV interoperability standard VDA 5050.
As a result, ANT server can now manage not only the 100+ ANT driven customer AGVs and AMRs currently on the market, but also VDA 5050-compliant AGVs and AMRs from non-ANT driven brands.
Dr Nicola Tomatis, BlueBotics CEO, says: With this evolution, the widest choice of interoperable AGVs and AMRs on the market just got even wider.
This product update further enhances the options of organizations that are looking to deploy or expand fleets of mobile robots.
By migrating to ANT server, organizations that already operate fleets of VDA 5050-compliant vehicles can now choose from an even wider choice of automated vehicles when growing their fleets.
Organizations that already operate fleets of ANT driven vehicles gain the option of adding VDA 5050 vehicles in future.
The interoperability of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) is expected to play a crucial role in the long-term adoption of these technologies.
BlueBotics and its vehicle maker partners are ideally positioned to facilitate this growth, since over 100 ANT driven models are already natively interoperable today when managed by ANT server.
Several vehicle interoperability standards are under development today. The German VDA 5050 AGV communication interface is currently the most advanced, ahead of equivalents such as MASS in the US and another in China.
Tomatis says: We are happy to bring this compatibility to ANT server.
Even if the functionality that VDA 5050 offers today remains below that of ANT server and its ecosystem of natively interoperable ANT driven vehicles, this evolution represents a valuable and necessary step in the direction of industry-wide multi-brand AGV operations.
BlueBotics says its Autonomous Navigation Technology (ANT) is the markets leading natural navigation technology for automated vehicles. To date, there are over 5,000 ANT driven AGVs in operation globally, with over 130 different models already on the market and more being launched every month.
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U.S. Companies Invest Heavily in Robots – IFR Preliminary Results EMSNow – EMSNow
Posted: at 11:20 am
Robot installations by manufacturing companies up 12%
Chicago Manufacturing companies in the United States have invested heavily in more automation: total installations of industrial robots rose by 12% and reached 44,303 units in 2023. Number one adopter is the car industry followed by the electrical and electronics sector. These are preliminary results, presented by IFR.
Preliminary results of robot shipments in 2023 in the US
The United States has one of the most advanced manufacturing industries worldwide, says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The first IFR outlook on preliminary results shows again strong robotics demand across all major segments of U.S. manufacturing in 2023.
Sales in the automotive segment rose by 1% with a record number of 14,678 robots installed in 2023. This comes after installations in 2022 skyrocketed by 47% reaching 14,472 units. The market share of car and component makers hit 33% of all industrial robot installations in the U.S. in 2023. The United States has the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles worldwide, following China.
Automotive manufacturers currently invest in robotics mainly to drive the electric vehicle transition and respond to labor shortages, says Marina Bill.
Installations in the electrical and electronics industry rose by 37% to 5,120 units in 2023. This number almost reached the record pre-pandemic level of 5,284 units, seen in 2018. The latest result represents a market share of 12% of all industrial robots installed in the U.S. manufacturing industry.
Demand for industrial robots in this segment is influenced by a trend to strengthen domestic supply chains and projects that drive the clean-energy transition.
Installation counts in other industries exceeding the 3,000-unit mark in the U.S. are: metal and machinery (4,123 units, +6%) and plastic and chemical products (3,213 units, +5%). They represent a market share of 9% and 7% of industrial robot installations in 2023, respectively.
Robot installation in Canada reached 4,616 units up 43%. The automotive industry accounts for 55% of the countrys robot installations. Sales to the automotive sector rose by 99% with 2,549 units installed in 2023. This is an all-time high.
Robot installations in Mexicos manufacturing industry remain almost unchanged with 5,868 units in 2023. The countrys main adopter is the automotive industry which accounted for 69% of the robot installations in 2023: sales reached 4,068 units (-0%) in 2023 the third best result since the peak level of 4,805 units, in 2017.
Final results of the new World Robotics data will be released by IFR on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Meet the IFR staff and members at North Americas largest robotics and automation event:The Automate Show. This is the place for anyone looking for automation solutions. With over 800 exhibitors, the show floor hosts leading automation solutions from around the world. IFR booth #2790 at McCormick Place.
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MiR launches new autonomous mobile forklift-type robot – Robotics and Automation News
Posted: at 11:20 am
Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) has launched its MiR1200 Pallet Jack autonomous mobile robot (AMR).
With advanced artificial intelligence (AI) pallet detection, powered by NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack uses 3D vision to identify pallets and do pick up and pallet delivery with unprecedented precision, says the company.
Mads Paulin, vice president of R&D at MiR, says: The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is our latest effort to push the boundaries in autonomous material handling.
We believe that the built-in AI detection system is a significant improvement over older detection technologies.
Our approach will reduce pick-and-place cycle times, deliver best-in-class pick accuracy and allow us to continuously deliver advanced, AI-based functionality and value to our customers.
Designed to integrate seamlessly into existing MiR AMR fleets and interoperate with MiRs deck load AMRs, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack is a perfect match for large-scale enterprise customers who typically operate more complex workflows with larger fleets and multiple sites.
These customers can now turn to MiR as a one-stop shop for material handling.
Jean-Pierre Hathout, president of MiR, says: As the latest addition to MiRs wide range of AMRs, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack adds a new application area to our existing solutions for transportation scenarios from small to heavy loads, pallet transportation, and more.
All robots can be seamlessly managed and integrated via our industry leading fleet management tool, MiR Fleet, and monitored and optimized using MiR Insights.
Thanks to its 3D vision capabilities, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack addresses the challenges many enterprises face with resource-intensive material handling, especially in complex environments that make automation difficult and where automation is needed due to increasing labor shortage.
The MiR1200 Pallet Jack can dynamically modify its route to avoid obstacles such as loose objects on the floor or overhead obstacles.
It processes a large number of cameras and LiDAR data in real time by accelerating the full stack on the GPU and several other processors built into the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module.
The MiR1200 Pallet Jacks ability to navigate effortlessly in tight spaces with minimal changes to the existing infrastructure makes it the perfect fit for optimizing logistics efficiency and ensuring timely delivery of pallets.
Hathout says: With MiR1200 Pallet Jack, we have developed a rugged AMR pallet jack that will work in existing customer sites that present unique environmental challenges for automation.
In the design of this robot, we have leveraged the accumulated expertise in software from MiR, and high-payload AMRs that are the result of MiRs 2022 merger with AutoGuide, another Teradyne-owned company.
In addition, the MiR1200 Pallet Jacks robust tricycle drive system is developed through a partnership with Logitrans, which has 80+ years of experience with material handling.
The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is not only about speed and efficiency. Safety remains a top priority.
Hathout says: Safety is in the DNA of every MiR product.
The MiR1200 Pallet Jack complies with the latest product safety standards, including ISO3691-4. The fusion of multiple sensor platforms and top-tier safety features provides a much safer alternative to traditional forklifts, pallet trucks and manual pallet jacks.
Key features of the MiR1200 Pallet Jack include:
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MiR launches new autonomous mobile forklift-type robot - Robotics and Automation News
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