Category Archives: Robotics

Robotics and AI have already begun to shape humanity, and even one of mans oldest industries, agriculture, is now being affected. What problems do farmers typically face, what robotic and AI solutions are currently under development, and how will they change agriculture in the future?

Of all the inventions and discoveries by man, agriculture was the most important of all. The invention of agriculture, whereby crops are planned, and animals are domesticated, meant that people could settle into strong communities, with well-defined borders that kept predators at bay. The creation of settlements also saw humans move away from their nomadic days, and this allowed for proper planning of food and supplies. The ability to store food also provided people with free time, and free time lead to thinking. Thinking lead to other discoveries, including metalworking, astronomy, and mathematics, and from there, the modern world was created. Agriculture is so vital for society to grow that most technological revolutions are as a result of a surplus of food. For example, the industrial revolution (which brought steam power), was only possible thanks to improvements in agriculture as well as ideal weather conditions in the UK.

The agriculture industry is faced with a wide range of problems, and yet it is amazing that the public never face most of these issues. To start, price volatility can cause issues with regards to profit margins, something that many farmers already struggle with to stay competitive. Secondly, agriculture practices are heavily dependent on weather conditions (a particularly dry season can kill off an entire crop). Thirdly, pests and disease can quickly rampage across whole lands, requiring the culling of crop and livestock.

While price volatility is more of an economic issue, environmental factors are a result of mother Earths mood and something that can be difficult to fight against. The mass use of pesticides can ensure that a crop remains undamaged by pests, but can also cause ecological harm by killing off useful insects such as bees, wasps, and spiders. Droughts can be fought off by watering, but the quantity of water used can be astronomical, and large portions of water can go into growing unwanted plants (such as weeds). Weeds can be removed using herbicides, but these again come with their faults. Some can be carcinogenic to life, while others may cause damage to the environment as they are washed into rivers and streams.

To make matters worse, increasing wages and living standards is increasingly making it harder to find workers for farms at profitable rates. While many argue that those working on farms should be paid decent wages, those same individuals would be upset to pay three times the amount on food than they already do. While one solution to ensuring fair practices is to accept that food should be more expensive than it currently is, another lies in the form of technology.

By removing the human element in farming, agriculture businesses can not only improve their yields, but they can also do it at a reduced cost. Despite large advances in robotics, the use of automated robotic systems in farming is far and few between. Reasons for this include the difficulty in penetrating the agriculture market (which itself may see resistance against modern technology) and the low-profit margins that make it difficult to invest in new technology. Robotic systems can be used to replace a wide range of tedious tasks that require manual work, including tiling of land, planting, watering, and harvesting. While not entirely robotic, a combine harvester is an example of machinery that can automatically cut wheat, and separate the grain from the stems.

The Ecorobotix is an example of a robotic system that is designed to minimise the usage of herbicides used by farmers. The drone is automated, solar-powered, and uses visual technology to identify individual weeds. Once identified, herbicides are directed towards the weed, instead of dusting the entire crop, and not only does this improve environmental safety, it also uses up to 90% less herbicide, thus making it 30% cheaper than traditional treatments.

The LettuceBot2 is a robotic attachment to a traditional tractor that utilises weed identification systems to minimise herbicides. The system also can thin out lettuce crop to ensure that each plant has the space needed to grow, and selective watering ensures that only lettuce plants are watered, leaving surrounding land difficult for weeds to establish themselves.

AI technology is often used hand-in-hand with robotic technologies as it allows for visual tasks to spot and catalogue plants. The ability to learn allows for such robotic systems to improve their performance over time, and eventually become entirely independent from human interaction. Not only can they learn about identifying plants, but they also can gather large amounts of data regarding water to yield ratios, temperature logging, precipitation rates, and soil nutrition. From there, AI systems could improve farm yield over time and help to reduce dependencies on fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides. The two previous examples, Ecorobotic and LettuceBot2, both integrate AI technologies to help identify weeds for precise farming methods. Thus, AI solutions often coincide with robotic developments as opposed to being stand-alone products.

There is no doubt that AI-driven robotic systems will become mainstream in the agricultural industry, and its introduction will significantly help to improve yields while also helping the environment. Climate change will bring about unpredictable weather patterns, including long droughts and extreme rain, thus potentially harming global food production. History tells us that an army marches on its stomach, and the same appears to be true for technology; after all, even engineers need to eat sometimes.

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How Robotics and AI will Change Agriculture - Electropages

VENTURA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Qobotix announced today the introduction of its new universal AI operating system to transform collaborative robots (cobots) into intelligent coworkers on the manufacturing floor. After two years of R&D, including active installations of the OS industrial appliance at major auto manufacturers, Qobotix officially unveiled its technology to make existing robots smarter and self-learning.

Click to see the media kit including a video on how Qobotix works.

Just as Android OS and Apple iOS offer application platforms that run on smartphones, the Qobotix OS platform coordinates industrial automation between manufacturers robotic capabilities. Powered by proprietary AI, machine vision, and kinematics, the Qobotix OSs agnostic plug and play technology enables intelligent factory applications to perform complex tasks that were considered only possible by humans. The company also offers complete robot stations, which are ready for immediate deployment on manufacturing lines with the flexibility to be deployed rapidly for different tasks.

With Qobotix OS, manufacturers can boost their manufacturing productivity, reduce costs and simplify manufacturing processes, such as precision inspection, picking, packing and assembly tasks. Qobotix Cloud provides a factory management platform with a centralized repository of work intelligence that can be shared between machines to manage production analytics and provide managers with deep analysis of robotic performance. Qobotix already has active OS installations in major auto manufacturing operations. The company is seeking early adopters of their technology and aims to distribute 20-50 robot stations in the first year with deployment, training and testing that can be done on the same day.

One of Qobotixs central innovations is that it enables robots to learn independently - humans can train robots by interacting with them and robots can learn from other robots, unlike existing industrial robots that are pre-programmed to perform only one task. This capacity enables robots to be programmed in hours or days rather than weeks. Companies can deploy their robots faster with greater flexibility to perform functions with accelerated human-machine collaboration, enabling humans to take on other roles.

Qobotixs introduction comes right as the Covid-19 pandemic is shaking up supply chains to their core. Companies are re-examining their reliance on massive repetitive production offshore, and seeking more flexible, localized manufacturing options. Qobotix helps companies meet the challenge of becoming better equipped to meet these new conditions and move away from inflexible factory designs and manufacturing processes. With Qobotix, factories can use cobots to more easily switch between projects quickly, produce at a high volume for a shorter time, while keeping workers safe through social distancing.

Qobotix is the brainchild of Avi Reichental, a 3D printing pioneer and long-time industry veteran; Egor Korneev, a serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in the field of machine learning and vision systems; and George Votis, the Chairman, CEO and founder of Galt Industries, Inc.

During our many years involved in industrial manufacturing, we experienced robots that were meant to be collaborative and quickly concluded they were not like that at all - they couldnt see or hear, and they were very inflexible, said Reichental.

The team recognized a major gap in the market and decided to develop their own technology with the aim of bringing vision and intelligence to collaborative robots, freeing humans from repetitive tasks to enable them to achieve more complex and strategic roles.

Our aim is to take robotics out of the late 1990s with the Qobotix operating system, said Qobotix Co-founder and CEO Egor Korneev. In the early 2000s, hardware companies dominated the mobile phone and device markets and the mobile applications ecosystem was weak with no common OS options. The advent of iOS and Android led to an explosion in mobile software applications based on open OS platforms. We are now in a similar place with cobots with Qobotix offering a universal operating system for industrial robots driven by AI as a platform for automation applications.

Qobotix marks a milestone in the manufacturing and services industries, said Reichental. Qobotix changes the game for manufacturing and services by eliminating time-consuming processes such as programming to significantly lower costs and increase output. This presents a huge opportunity for all manufacturers in their everyday operations.

Qobotix offers a strong return on investment by freeing up people for higher level tasks, said Qobotics co-founder George Votis. With Qobotix, robots can more easily collaborate with each other, and allow manufacturers to deploy production stations within different production lines each day, saving time and costs while boosting productivity.

About QobotixQobotix delivers the most intuitive and cost effective industrial-grade factory automation solutions for manufacturers of all sizes. The companys integrated and collaborative robotics solutions are powered by a proprietary machine vision and intelligence technology and patented kinematics that together deliver manufacturing floor adaptability, utility and human and machine collaboration at a fraction of the cost and complexity of traditional factory automation. The companys solutions reduce the time and cost required to commission and run demanding multitasking manufacturing operations that include precision inspection, picking, packing and assembly tasks compressing the time, cost and complexity of manufactures final products. To learn more, visit http://www.qobotix.com.

About the Qobotix FoundersAvi Reichental, Co-founder and ChairmanReichental founded XponentialWorks in 2015, after serving as president and CEO of 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) for 12 years. Under his leadership, 3D Systems became a global leader, ranking second in Fortune Magazines list of the fastest growing tech companies in 2013, and 13th on Forbes Worlds Most Innovative Growth Companies in 2014. Reichental is a recognized Additive Manufacturing pioneer and a leading authority on tech convergence. He also served on the board of Harman (NYSE:HAR) till its successful acquisition by Samsung.

Egor Korneev, Co-founder & CEOKorneev is a serial entrepreneur and a pioneer in the field of machine learning and vision systems. He works to merge applied Artificial Intelligence research with practical needs to deliver effective industrial solutions to customers around the world. Korneev brings two decades of proven track record in successfully commercializing technologies at the edge of innovation. He is also founder and CEO of Ordinal Science, a company that is focused on developing impactful AI solutions that advance the capabilities of the industry.

George Votis, Co-founder and Board MemberVotis is the Chairman and founder of Galt Industries, a private family office with expertise in the consolidation of fragmented industries and, through Galt Ventures, is an active technology investor, incubator and founder of businesses focused primarily on industrial transformation. Votis is also the founder and former owner of Techniplas, a global tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry which was exited in the first half of 2020. He is a Global Leader for Tomorrow as nominated by the World Economic Forum and was an Innovation Board member of the XPrize Foundation. He has an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from Tufts University.

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New Universal OS Transforms Robots into Intelligent Collaborators that Interact and Learn from Humans, Other Robots - Business Wire

Debilitating diseases such as cancer and osteoarthritis could be identified and treated faster and more effectively, thanks to 1 of 6 projects benefiting from 32 million government funding.

As part of a keynote speech on research and development at London Tech Week 2020, the Science Minister Amanda Solloway will today (Monday 7 September) announce 6 new projects aimed at developing revolutionary new technological approaches that aim to transform care and treatments in the NHS by 2050, helping to improve peoples quality of life as they age.

InlightenUs, led by the University of Edinburgh, will receive 5.4 million to use a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and infra-red lasers to produce fast, high resolution 3D medical images, helping to identify diseases in patients more quickly.

Working with the universities of Nottingham and Southampton, the new research will initially be developed for use on hospital wards and GP surgeries, and by 2050 aims to scale up to walk through airport style X-Ray scanners, which will be able to pick up detailed images of structures often hidden within the human body that can reveal tumours.

Another of the 6 projects, emPOWER, will be led by researchers at the University of Bristol, and will receive 6 million to develop artificial robotic muscular assistance to help restore strength in people who have lost muscle capability. This could include patients who have suffered a stroke or are living with degenerative diseases such as sarcopenia and muscular dystrophy.

Using these highly targeted robotics will help overcome the limitations of current wearable assistive technology of regenerative medicine. Often, these technologies can be bulky and uncomfortable to wear, and can require 2 people to put on and take off. Users can also find the movements too slow. Through using robots, emPOWER will provide life changing benefits for sufferers, restoring their confidence, independence and quality of life, all while reducing the cost to the NHS.

Ahead of her keynote speech on R&D at London Tech Week, Science Minister Amanda Solloway said:

The pioneering projects we are backing today will help modernise healthcare, improving all of our lives now and into the future.

Todays announcement is part of our ambitious R&D Roadmap and underlines our commitment to back our incredible scientists and researchers and invest in ground-breaking research to keep the UK ahead in cutting-edge discoveries.

The funding is being delivered through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, through the Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 call.

As part of her speech, Minister Solloway will set out the governments ambitions for research to address significant issues such as advancing healthcare outcomes for patients and ensuring the UK is at the forefront of transformational technologies like artificial intelligence.

It follows the launch of the governments R&D Roadmap in July 2020 which detailed plans to make the UK the best place in the world for scientists and researchers to live and work, building on the governments commitment to increase R&D public spending to 22 billion per year by 2024 to 2025.

Innovation minister Lord Bethell said:

Throughout this global pandemic, the NHS has continued to be there for us all and to treat cancer patients and those living with chronic illness as a priority.

These pioneering new projects will help us further improve care for patients and make life easier for NHS staff, cementing the UKs status as a world leader in research and technology and ultimately saving thousands of lives.

EPSRC Executive Chair, Processor Dame Lynn Gladden, said:

The projects announced today will develop new approaches which could become routine in the NHS and community and home care in the coming decades.

Harnessing the latest technologies and the UKs world-leading expertise will allow us to deliver a step-change in how healthcare is delivered and benefit millions of people, emphasising the critical role the UKs R&D sector plays in improving the health of the nation.

Led by Imperial College London, it will receive 5.5 million to develop a Non-Invasive Single Neuron Electrical Monitoring technology, which when combined with AI will allow researchers to monitor the brain in a way never achieved before. This will help scientists gain a better understanding of neurological diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers. Currently approaches to monitoring the brain are invasive and so this new method would enable new pharmacological and neurotechnology-based treatments to be developed which are far more effective than any current treatments.

Led by Edinburgh Napier University, it will receive 3.2 million, to develop hearing aids designed to autonomously adapt to the nature and quality of their surroundings. Currently only 40% of people who could benefit from hearing aids have them, while most current devices make only limited use of speech enhancement. These hearing aids would be able to adapt to the nature and quality of the visual and acoustic environment around them, resulting in greater intelligibility of noise and potentially reduced listening effort for the listener.

Led by the University of Glasgow, it will receive 5.5 million to develop a project which aims to create a home of the future, providing homeowners with feedback on their health and wellbeing. Bringing clinically approved sensors into the living environment will enable individuals, carers or healthcare professional to monitor blood flow, heart rate and even brain function, in the home. Monitoring physical and emotional well-being in the home will enable tailored programmes to be built for lifestyles improvement, as well as rehabilitation.

Led by Heriot-Watt University, in partnership with the universities of Bath and Edinburgh, it will receive 6.1 million to exploit new laser, optical fibre and imaging technologies, delivering therapy for bacterial diseases and viruses in confined regions of the body such as the lungs, catheters inserted into the body for prolonged periods and areas of the body that have been subject to surgical procedures. The platform will be able to cut out single cells leaving the cells around it undamaged in cancer surgery, aiming to offer a cure for currently unresectable tumours tumours that are too close to critical structures and cannot be cut away safely with current approaches.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), in collaboration with the Medical Research Council, will shortly be inviting proposals for adventurous projects as part of the second phase of the Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 call.

This call will target projects that that are guided by a longer-term vision to pursue new, high risk high reward ideas and develop thinking and approaches supported by the next generation of underpinning science, engineering and emerging technologies in the healthcare space. We seek and encourage adventurous ideas, new thinking and collaborations that have the potential to significantly improve healthcare delivery by 2050. Read further details.

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Walk-through cancer diagnoses and robotics muscles among groundbreaking projects backed by government - GOV.UK

The 1980s wasn't just the era of synthpop, bright clothing, and huge hairdos. It was also a time when the U.S. Army was thinking ahead of its time to develop new technologies to carry its troops to the next step, quite literally.

And so it worked on the development of a massive six-legged hydraulic robot truck that was operated by one person. It was called the Adaptive Suspension Vehicle(ASV) and it looked something out of the Star Wars movies.

The Army worked alongside Ohio State University (OSU) researchers to create the vehicle, along with a number of outside contractors.

The Drive published an extensive report on the vehicle.

SEE ALSO: U.S. NAVY MIGHT HAVE ROBO-SHIPS WAY TOO SIMILAR TO STAR DESTROYERS

The ASV was impressive in size and automation for its time, unfortunately, it was also very slow and couldn't carry a big payload. That said, it's still a rather impressive piece of engineering and robotics.

The project kicked off in 1981 and was led by Robert McGhee and Kenneth Waldron from OSU, and was developed over nine years, per the Drive's report.

At the time, it took 17 OSU computers to run the behemoth robot and ensure its operator wasn't exhausted from conducting six separate robot legs by the end of the day. The computers managed a number of tasks, such as cathode ray tube (CRT) displays in the cockpit, choosing the best footing, and analyzing the data brought together by the six feet.

All of the collected data was then processed by an operating software, which was written in Pascal and created 150,000 lines of source code.

The driver used a keypad and a joystick to select the vehicle's direction. As per the original article covering the ASV's capabilities, the end goal was to make it drive autonomously, however, that day never arrived.

The ASV was able to move thanks to a 900cc motorcycle engine placed in the center of the machine, offering 91 horsepower at its peak. There were a whopping 18 variable displacement pumps that were driven by a complex operating system.

The vehicle could move at 8 mph (13 km/h), and even though it was moving slowly, it wasn't a smooth ride. As per the original OSU article, the regular cruising speed was closer to 4 mph (6.4 km/h).

What was also cool was that it boasted six drive modes: utility, precision footing, close maneuvering, follow the leader, terrain following, and cruise.

It weighed 5,952 pounds (2,700 kg), and could only carry 485 pounds (220 kg) worth of payloads. It was 17 feet (5 meters) long, 7.9 feet (2.4 meters) wide, and went up 9.8 feet (2.9 meters). A pretty big truck unable to carry much payload or many people.

It could, however, walk over obstacles up to 6.9 feet (2.1 meters) tall, and stretch over trenches as wide as 23 feet (7 meters).Regardless of some of its impressive features, especially its time, the project was stopped in 1990, and the ASV has been lost out of sight.

Instead, the U.S. Armyand DARPA have been working on some other interesting projects.

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Ahead of Its Game, the US Army Developed Six-Legged Walking Robots in the 1980s - Interesting Engineering

Robots have been able to supplant humans to help stem the tide of coronavirus infections and artificial intelligence has been able to interpret data related to Covid-19 at alarming speed. While this might seemingly pose a threat to jobs, the disruption could actually help create new jobs, according to a Venture Beat article.

Contrary to some beliefs, I see robots as creating vast amounts of new jobs in the future, said Slamcore co-founder and CEO Owen Nicholson. Just like 50 years ago a website designer, vlogger, or database architect were not things, over the next 50 years we will see many new types of job emerge.

One example where employment opportunities could open up is via robot pilots. While robotic technology is advancing, humans still play an integral role in their optimal operation.

Ubiquitous, truly autonomous robots are still a long way from reality, so with semi-autonomous capabilities with humans in the loop, we can achieve much better performance overall and generate a brand-new job sector, he added.

The article mentioned that robots also have the ability to generate a significant amount of performance data, which is automatically compiled into reports that need to be interpreted, assessed, and analyzed to improve operation and fleet performance. While much of this work could be incorporated into existing roles, such tasks may eventually require dedicated employees, leading to the creation of new jobs.

Managers can view the routes being cleaned, take a look at quantitative metrics such as run time and task frequency, and receive notifications around diagnostics and relevant software updates, Brain Corp executive Michel Spruijt told VentureBeat. An understanding of these reports and how to successfully interpret and apply this data will be imperative in order to improve store operations using automated technologies.

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Exchange-traded fund investors can take advantage of the proliferation in robots and AI via the Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic ETF (NasdaqGM: BOTZ). BOTZ seeks to invest in companies that potentially stand to benefit from increased adoption and utilization of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), including those involved with industrial robotics and automation, non-industrial robots, and autonomous vehicles.

Additionally, BOTZ seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index. The index itself captures large and mid cap representation across 23 Developed Markets (DM) and 24 Emerging Markets (EM) countries.

For more market trends, visit ETF Trends.

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The Increased Use of Robotics and AI Can Help Create New Jobs - ETF Trends

East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute student Tim Miller poses for a photo while using READY Robotics software at eKAMI on Aug. 18.

PAINTSVILLE The new executive director of the East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute has announced a new way that the institute is preparing the Appalachian workforce for a transformative future through robotics programming.

New eKAMI Executive Director Barbie Bussey was handpicked by eKAMI Founder and CEO, Kathy Walker, and said that she is passionate about her work for the institute.

Ive been involved up here since the beginning as just a community partner as a volunteer, basically, Bussey said. After 20 years of being in the legal profession as a paralegal, I accepted the position to come up here and help make a difference for our area and continue the mission of eKAMI.

She continued, The mission of eKAMI is to reskill the talented workforce that we have here in Appalachia and to draw industry to our area, because we have the workforce that they need. Im excited. Its definitely something that Im passionate about.

Bussey said a company called READY Robotics is helping to shape the workforce for which eKAMI is responsible.

READY Robotics is an industry leading robotic arm developer, she said. They started from cutting edge research in robotics from Johns Hopkins and theyre headquartered out of Columbus. They are the creators of the worlds first universal operating system for industrial automation.

Bussey continued, This is now their third week here training our students as well as our instructors, because we are integrating this into the program. The eKAMI students will now not only receive their CNC certification, theyll also receive their National Institute of Metalworking Skills certification and theyll also receive their Haas certification in addition with their READY Robotics certification.

Were sending out people who are at the top of their game. Its amazing. Theyre integrating it to work with the CNC machines, she said with a smile.

Tim Miller, a student with eKAMI who has accepted a job with Hartland Automation upon graduating, shared Busseys excitement for the new program.

Robotics was new to me, said Miller. It was just amazing that anything a human can do you can program a robot to do. It still requires a human to program it, but it just shows how far technology has come and its just amazing to have this opportunity here at eKAMI.

Kaylee Maynard, another upcoming graduate of eKAMI from West Liberty, spoke highly of both the new robotics training and the opportunities that eKAMI creates for its students of all backgrounds, ages and genders.

I started eKAMI this last program and its been a wonderful career opportunity for me. I absolutely love it and enjoy it. The robots are awesome. I have so much fun with it. Now that were on our final week of training and were out here in the lab, the whole program has come together and to see the program finished and how it can work, its amazing to me that something can do that, she said. Im usually not nervous doing things that are typically considered a mans job because thats something Ive done all my life, but I was a little nervous to come in to a career thats typically for men. Coming in as the only female in this class, I feel like Ive held my own and Ive done well. I graduated top of the class. Its for anyone young or old, for any gender, for anyone to do. Ive watched so many people come here from different backgrounds and different ages. I think its cool that we can bring anyone here and we can all learn the same skill in such a short amount of time.

Maynard will be employed at Hartland Automation in Georgetown after graduating from eKAMI as a mobile robot installer, traveling across the United States to install robots at various manufacturing companies.

READY Robotics Cofounder Kel Guerin, who has been in Eastern Kentucky for the past several weeks training eKAMI students, said the program helps fill a gap between the needs of manufacturers and the available personnel.

If you look at the robotics space, a lot of it is very fragmented, so theres a lot of different robot brands and every robot brand has its own programming and language, Guerin said. So what we do is make a piece of software that enables anyone to program a robot very easily in a very simple, sort of drag and drop system, that runs on all different kinds of robots.

What that means is that in terms of upscaling, which is a huge thing of interest right now because theres a lot of people entering the job market who want to get into manufacturing, is that theres a huge skills gap, Guerin continued. Manufacturing cant find enough people with the knowledge to do the work. Thats a massive problem. Theres also a skills gap in the automation space, so its kind of a vicious cycle, because theres not enough people who know how to do manufacturing tasks and theres not enough people in automation who know how to program robots to do it instead.

Barbie Bussey, the newly-appointed executive director of East Kentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute, pictured above, spoke highly of the manufacturing institute's new robotics training program.

That, Geurin said, makes Eastern Kentucky an opportunity for the company.

We have the amazing raw talent that exists in East Kentucky, because people have been working in really intense industries like mining, they know how to problem solve and are really creative, Geurin said. They know how to dig in and fix things. They come to a place like eKAMI where theyre now trained with really hardcore CNC skills so that theyre able to do the manufacturing work, and then we come in on top of that. Because our software is so easy to use, we give them an additional skillset for manufacturing with robots as well. So now not only are they programming these manufacturing components, but theyre programming the robot to do the work to manufacture those components. The fact that theyre doing both is really whats transforming. Theyre able to use their CNC skillset that theyve learned from eKAMI with our easy to use software, so were kind of able to instantly, comparatively turn them into a robotics engineer, and now you see the result. Theyre standing here with little assistance from me and program the robot to build the part that they make.

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eKAMI boasts new executive director and robotics training program - Appalachian News-Express

The Boston Mechanical Dog has recently been the talk of the robotics industry for a number of reasons. Huawei, a company that is leading in smartphone innovations, has also come up with its own version of a robotic dog. Huaweis robot dog is very similar to that of the Boston team.

The news came to the surface after a digital blogger wrote about Huaweis interesting robot product on August 23 at the offline store of Huawei in Shenzhen. According to the blog-post of the blogger, offline communication activities at the Shenzhen Huawei Store, Huawei Central Research Institute, put up an AI robot dog intelligent technology. It is the brainchild of both Huawei and Yushu Technology for a full-scene AI technology solution.

As exciting as that sounds, the blogger was quick to mention that the new robotic dog is not yet up for the personal consumer terminal but mad for a mechanical device for enterprises. If Huawei robotic dog is used in certain scenarios such as intelligent recognition and target positioning then the robot can achieve dynamic multi-target tracking and active target following with full technological content.

Huaweis robot dog makes use of Huaweis AI technology which includes leading-edge AI technology exploration, mature AI technology application, and full-scenario AI technology solutions. The design team at Huawei too made the end product one of its kind. The dog is designed in such a way that it is very flexible and can even perform forward somersaults.

In contrast, there had been years of research and development behind the success of the Boston mechanical dog. The technology behind the Boston Mechanical dog has not matured, and now it can function tasks such as maritime patrolman, frontline anti-epidemic assistant, park security, and herder. Moreover, the Boston mechanical dog has been released to the public. Since Huaweis robotic dog is very similar to that of Bostons, it should go public soon too.

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Huawei is soon to launch its dynamic tracking Robotic dog - TechGenyz

The Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) is a rapidly evolving technology. In just a few decades, industrial robots have become commonplace in factory settings across the world, and they only continue to gain popularity for their productivity and profitability.

The Internet of Robotic Things: How IoT and Robotics are Evolving to Benefit the Supply Chain

Stefan Spendrup, Vice President of Sales Northern and Western Europe | SOTI

Robotics have created a revolution in manufacturing. The cooperation between robots and IoT technology have enhanced supply chain operations, reducing the challenges of rising e-commerce demands and warehouse worker shortages, and streamlining industry processes in a more efficient and cost-effective way.

Robotics have long been successful in several structured industrial applications, due to their high level of accuracy, precision, endurance and speed.And while robotics have largely become more affordable in recent years, during the early stages of implementation in the supply chain, there was a high cost factor, which meant robotics needed to be evaluated and integrated correctly to avoid jeopardising their value.

In order to achieve the best possible return on investment (ROI), at the fastest rate, businesses must have a strategy to integrate any new robotics technology with all other IoT endpoints to ensure the entire supply chain is secure and operating seamlessly, to avoid system interruptions or loss of revenue, and gain valuable data insights.

The proliferating trend of automation sweeping across the globe has meant that from 2020 to 2022, almost two million new units of industrial robots are expected to be installed in factories around the world. In fact, Europe has the highest robot density globally, with an average value of 114 units per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry alone.[1]

The supply chain IoRT revolution

IoRT is a concept in which intelligent technology can monitor and manipulate the events happening around them by fusing their sensor data and making use of local conditions to decide on a particular course of action of how to behave or control objects in the physical world.

Manufacturing and transportation and logistics companies have been pioneers of todays IoRT revolution, leading the way to connect and automate industry operations. Given the complex nature of the supply chain, the use of robotics helps to streamline operations by developing process-driven automated functions, simplifying processes and working at a tireless pace to meet ever-increasing demands. Whats more, they are not restricted by the weight capacity of humans, nor do they have a limit to their energy levels. With todays trend of fast delivery services and an influx of increasing e-commerce traffic, robotics is a smart way for businesses to keep up with current consumer demands and expectations.

Today, most tasks that are crucial to the supply chain, including the movement of products from within a warehouse or distribution centre, rely heavily on robotic technology to achieve the maximum level of efficiency and accuracy needed to meet demands. An example of this would be Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), which are quickly becoming a staple in supply chain warehouses. Portable, automated and sensor driven machines, AGVs work to navigate the warehouse floor at a faster rate than any human worker, and they can work around the clock, seven days a week. By speeding up operations and removing the chance of human error, the integration of robotic technologies like AGVs is fast becoming the key to increased supply chain productivity.

Implementing robotics for a ROI

Supply chain businesses have been implementing and actively exploring IoRT transformation initiatives for some time, and research shows this uptake will only continue to grow in the future.

In the supply chain, the deployment of robotics focuses mainly on increasing productivity and lowering operational costs. However, in order to gain the highest value, supply chains must optimise their robotic systems as part of an all-encompassing supply chain strategy, not just in silos.

IoRT operations become most powerful when they are seamlessly connected to a centralised supply chain management system that connects the responsibilities of employees; aligning both managers and the IT departments to manage and optimise the use of all supply chain technologies and systems, including robotics.

When properly integrated, all supply chain business teams have access to real-time visibility of all connected endpoints and a wealth of data insights from the entire supply chain, including the performance and accuracy of the IoRT. This helps to enhance the use of robotics alongside other technologies and to rapidly uncover any robotics technical issues or inefficiencies. It allows technical support staff to act at the earliest possible opportunity, and in turn minimise the impact of costly slowed productivity or complete outages. Real-time insights provided by an integratedmobility and IoT management platformcan help reduce the overhead costs of tasks, such as maintenance and program updates, by identifying system problems before they happen.

By enabling predictive maintenance for IoRT technology, it also becomes possible to make an evaluation on whether they are effectively achieving a decent ROI for the business.

There is no doubt that the use of robotic automation in the supply chain can boost both productivity and revenue. However, to guarantee the highest value from robotics investments, businesses must effectively converge business-critical IoRT and other IoT endpoints into a holistic and secure supply chain management ecosystem.

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The Internet of Robotic Things: How IoT and Robotics are Evolving to Benefit the Supply Chain - Robotics Tomorrow

LOS ANGELES, United States:The report titled Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market is one of the most comprehensive and important additions to QY Researchs archive of market research studies. It offers detailed research and analysis of key aspects of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market. The market analysts authoring this report have provided in-depth information on leading growth drivers, restraints, challenges, trends, and opportunities to offer a complete analysis of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market. Market participants can use the analysis on market dynamics to plan effective growth strategies and prepare for future challenges beforehand. Each trend of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market is carefully analyzed and researched about by the market analysts.The market analysts and researchers have done extensive analysis of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market with the help of research methodologies such as PESTLE and Porters Five Forces analysis. They have provided accurate and reliable market data and useful recommendations with an aim to help the players gain an insight into the overall present and future market scenario. The Logistics and Warehouse Robots report comprises in-depth study of the potential segments including product type, application, and end user and their contribution to the overall market size.

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In addition, market revenues based on region and country are provided in the Logistics and Warehouse Robots report. The authors of the report have also shed light on the common business tactics adopted by players. The leading players of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market and their complete profiles are included in the report. Besides that, investment opportunities, recommendations, and trends that are trending at present in the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market are mapped by the report. With the help of this report, the key players of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market will be able to make sound decisions and plan their strategies accordingly to stay ahead of the curve.

Competitive landscape is a critical aspect every key player needs to be familiar with. The report throws light on the competitive scenario of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market to know the competition at both the domestic and global levels. Market experts have also offered the outline of every leading player of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market, considering the key aspects such as areas of operation, production, and product portfolio. Additionally, companies in the report are studied based on the key factors such as company size, market share, market growth, revenue, production volume, and profits.

Key Players Mentioned in the Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Research Report: ABB, Fanuc, Kuka, Yaskawa Electric, Omron Adept Technologies, Aethon, GreyOrange, Dematic, Bastian, Amazon Robotics, Vanderlande, Hitachi, IAM Robotics, Fetch Robotics

Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Segmentation by Product: Parallel RobotsArticulated RobotsCollaborative Robots

Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Segmentation by Application: AutomotiveE-CommercePharmaceuticalsFood and BeveragesElectrical and ElectronicsOthers

The Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market report has been segregated based on distinct categories, such as product type, application, end user, and region. Each and every segment is evaluated on the basis of CAGR, share, and growth potential. In the regional analysis, the report highlights the prospective region, which is estimated to generate opportunities in the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market in the forthcoming years. This segmental analysis will surely turn out to be a useful tool for the readers, stakeholders, and market participants to get a complete picture of the global Logistics and Warehouse Robots market and its potential to grow in the years to come.

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Table of Contents:

1 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Logistics and Warehouse Robots1.2 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Growth Rate Comparison by Type 2020 VS 20261.2.2 Parallel Robots1.2.3 Articulated Robots1.2.4 Collaborative Robots1.3 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Segment by Application1.3.1 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption Comparison by Application: 2020 VS 20261.3.2 Automotive1.3.3 E-Commerce1.3.4 Pharmaceuticals1.3.5 Food and Beverages1.3.6 Electrical and Electronics1.3.7 Others1.4 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market by Region1.4.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Size Estimates and Forecasts by Region: 2020 VS 20261.4.2 North America Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.4.3 Europe Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.4.4 China Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.4.5 Japan Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.5 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Growth Prospects1.5.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Revenue Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.5.2 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.5.3 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Estimates and Forecasts (2015-2026)1.6 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Industry1.7 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Trends

2 Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity Market Share by Manufacturers (2015-2020)2.2 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2015-2020)2.3 Market Share by Company Type (Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3)2.4 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Average Price by Manufacturers (2015-2020)2.5 Manufacturers Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites, Area Served, Product Types2.6 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.6.1 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Concentration Rate2.6.2 Global Top 3 and Top 5 Players Market Share by Revenue2.6.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion

3 Production and Capacity by Region3.1 Global Production Capacity of Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)3.2 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Revenue Market Share by Regions (2015-2020)3.3 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)3.4 North America Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production3.4.1 North America Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Growth Rate (2015-2020)3.4.2 North America Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)3.5 Europe Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production3.5.1 Europe Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Growth Rate (2015-2020)3.5.2 Europe Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)3.6 China Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production3.6.1 China Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Growth Rate (2015-2020)3.6.2 China Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)3.7 Japan Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production3.7.1 Japan Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Growth Rate (2015-2020)3.7.2 Japan Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)

4 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Regions4.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Regions4.1.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Region4.1.2 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption Market Share by Region4.2 North America4.2.1 North America Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Countries4.2.2 U.S.4.2.3 Canada4.3 Europe4.3.1 Europe Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Countries4.3.2 Germany4.3.3 France4.3.4 U.K.4.3.5 Italy4.3.6 Russia4.4 Asia Pacific4.4.1 Asia Pacific Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Region4.4.2 China4.4.3 Japan4.4.4 South Korea4.4.5 Taiwan4.4.6 Southeast Asia4.4.7 India4.4.8 Australia4.5 Latin America4.5.1 Latin America Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption by Countries4.5.2 Mexico4.5.3 Brazil

5 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production, Revenue, Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Market Share by Type (2015-2020)5.2 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Revenue Market Share by Type (2015-2020)5.3 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Price by Type (2015-2020)5.4 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Share by Price Tier (2015-2020): Low-End, Mid-Range and High-End

6 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption Market Share by Application (2015-2020)6.2 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2015-2020)

7 Company Profiles and Key Figures in Logistics and Warehouse Robots Business7.1 ABB7.1.1 ABB Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.1.2 ABB Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.1.3 ABB Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.1.4 ABB Main Business and Markets Served7.2 Fanuc7.2.1 Fanuc Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.2.2 Fanuc Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.2.3 Fanuc Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.2.4 Fanuc Main Business and Markets Served7.3 Kuka7.3.1 Kuka Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.3.2 Kuka Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.3.3 Kuka Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.3.4 Kuka Main Business and Markets Served7.4 Yaskawa Electric7.4.1 Yaskawa Electric Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.4.2 Yaskawa Electric Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.4.3 Yaskawa Electric Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.4.4 Yaskawa Electric Main Business and Markets Served7.5 Omron Adept Technologies7.5.1 Omron Adept Technologies Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.5.2 Omron Adept Technologies Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.5.3 Omron Adept Technologies Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.5.4 Omron Adept Technologies Main Business and Markets Served7.6 Aethon7.6.1 Aethon Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.6.2 Aethon Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.6.3 Aethon Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.6.4 Aethon Main Business and Markets Served7.7 GreyOrange7.7.1 GreyOrange Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.7.2 GreyOrange Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.7.3 GreyOrange Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.7.4 GreyOrange Main Business and Markets Served7.8 Dematic7.8.1 Dematic Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.8.2 Dematic Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.8.3 Dematic Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.8.4 Dematic Main Business and Markets Served7.9 Bastian7.9.1 Bastian Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.9.2 Bastian Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.9.3 Bastian Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.9.4 Bastian Main Business and Markets Served7.10 Amazon Robotics7.10.1 Amazon Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.10.2 Amazon Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.10.3 Amazon Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.10.4 Amazon Robotics Main Business and Markets Served7.11 Vanderlande7.11.1 Vanderlande Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.11.2 Vanderlande Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.11.3 Vanderlande Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.11.4 Vanderlande Main Business and Markets Served7.12 Hitachi7.12.1 Hitachi Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.12.2 Hitachi Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.12.3 Hitachi Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.12.4 Hitachi Main Business and Markets Served7.13 IAM Robotics7.13.1 IAM Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.13.2 IAM Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.13.3 IAM Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.13.4 IAM Robotics Main Business and Markets Served7.14 Fetch Robotics7.14.1 Fetch Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Sites and Area Served7.14.2 Fetch Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Product Introduction, Application and Specification7.14.3 Fetch Robotics Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Capacity, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2015-2020)7.14.4 Fetch Robotics Main Business and Markets Served

8 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Manufacturing Cost Analysis8.1 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Key Raw Materials Analysis8.1.1 Key Raw Materials8.1.2 Key Raw Materials Price Trend8.1.3 Key Suppliers of Raw Materials8.2 Proportion of Manufacturing Cost Structure8.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Logistics and Warehouse Robots8.4 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Industrial Chain Analysis

9 Marketing Channel, Distributors and Customers9.1 Marketing Channel9.2 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Distributors List9.3 Logistics and Warehouse Robots Customers

10 Market Dynamics10.1 Market Trends10.2 Opportunities and Drivers10.3 Challenges10.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis

11 Production and Supply Forecast11.1 Global Forecasted Production of Logistics and Warehouse Robots (2021-2026)11.2 Global Forecasted Revenue of Logistics and Warehouse Robots (2021-2026)11.3 Global Forecasted Price of Logistics and Warehouse Robots (2021-2026)11.4 Global Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production Forecast by Regions (2021-2026)11.4.1 North America Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production, Revenue Forecast (2021-2026)11.4.2 Europe Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production, Revenue Forecast (2021-2026)11.4.3 China Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production, Revenue Forecast (2021-2026)11.4.4 Japan Logistics and Warehouse Robots Production, Revenue Forecast (2021-2026)

12 Consumption and Demand Forecast12.1 Global Forecasted and Consumption Demand Analysis of Logistics and Warehouse Robots12.2 North America Forecasted Consumption of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Country12.3 Europe Market Forecasted Consumption of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Country12.4 Asia Pacific Market Forecasted Consumption of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Regions12.5 Latin America Forecasted Consumption of Logistics and Warehouse Robots13 Forecast by Type and by Application (2021-2026)13.1 Global Production, Revenue and Price Forecast by Type (2021-2026)13.1.1 Global Forecasted Production of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Type (2021-2026)13.1.2 Global Forecasted Revenue of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Type (2021-2026)13.1.2 Global Forecasted Price of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Type (2021-2026)13.2 Global Forecasted Consumption of Logistics and Warehouse Robots by Application (2021-2026)14 Research Finding and Conclusion

15 Methodology and Data Source15.1 Methodology/Research Approach15.1.1 Research Programs/Design15.1.2 Market Size Estimation15.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation15.2 Data Source15.2.1 Secondary Sources15.2.2 Primary Sources15.3 Author List15.4 Disclaimer

About Us:

QY Research established in 2007, focus on custom research, management consulting, IPO consulting, industry chain research, data base and seminar services. The company owned a large basic data base (such as National Bureau of statistics database, Customs import and export database, Industry Association Database etc), experts resources (included energy automotive chemical medical ICT consumer goods etc.

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Logistics and Warehouse Robots Market Growth, Projections, Analysis, Trends and Forecast 2026 | ABB, Fanuc, Kuka - Scientect

A decline in global investment did not directly affect robotics transactions in July 2020. In spite of the novel coronavirus pandemic and trade disputes, robotics companies raised more than $1.9 billion in funding last month. Autonomous vehicle companies received the most funding, followed by aerial drones, industrial automation, and healthcare systems.

Second-quarter venture funding reportedly declined in North America, and some regions, such as Southeast Asia, may have a lag before they feel the full effects of macroeconomic slowdowns. However,Robotics Business Review tracked a total of 47 transactions in July 2020, close to the 49 transactions worth about $1.9 billion last month and the 49 transactions worth $1.1 billion in July 2019. Shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have eased in some parts of the world, and investor interest in automation remained steady.

Here are the robotics companies that received funding last month, in millions of U.S. dollars, where amounts were publicly available.

The table below lists the five mergers and acquisitions from July 2020, in comparison with seven in June 2020 and eight a year ago. Amounts were not specified.

Autonomous vehicle technologies raised more than $533 million in July 2020. The largest single robotics transaction of the past month wasthe $500 million Series C round of Guangzhou, China-based Xiaopeng Motors Technology Co., also known as Xpeng Motors. The maker of electric and self-driving cars had raised $400 million in November 2019 and also announced a $100 million U.S. initial public offering (IPO) in August 2020.

Adam Neumann, founder of WeWork, led Series B investment of $19 million in GoTo Global. Formerly known as Car2Go, Tel Aviv, Israel-based GoTo Global offers ride-sharing services and is supporting autonomous vehicle research. Suzhou, China-based iMotion Automotive Technology Ltd. raised $14 million toward ramping up to mass production of automated driving systems.

Vehicle manufacturer Navistar International Corp. has partnered with TuSimple LLC, which has been developing self-driving trucks. It also invested an unspecified amount in San Diego-based TuSimple, but TechCrunch had noted that the company was looking for $250 million to scale up production.

Companies supplying robots for manufacturing and supply chain applications raised more than $325 million last month, as automotive demand began to rebound from pandemic shutdowns. Nanjing, China-based Estun Automation Co., which supplies industrial controls and welding robots, last month said it is raising $143 million.Wuhu, China-based Efort Intelligent Equipment Co. filed for an initial public offering (IPO) of $118 million with the Shanghai stock exchange for the STAR Market. Also in China, Standard Robots in Shenzhen raised Series B funding of $14.3 million for mobile robotic systems for logistics and inspection.

Also in July 2020, Dexterity Inc. in Redwood City, Calif., obtained $56.2 million in Series A funding as it emerged from stealth with its full stack for robotic picking and packing. Somerville, Mass.-based gripper maker RightHand Robotics Inc. secured $6 million in financing.

Guldford, U.K.-based collaborative robot maker Inovo Robotics received $1.89 million, while both Santa Clara, Calif.-based automation provider Flexiv Ltd. and Shenzhen-based machine vision firm Seizet obtained unspecified Series A funding.

Suppliers of robots and drones for agriculture, energy, and military uses raised close to $1 billion in July 2020. FLIR Systems Inc. announced a notes offering of $494 million. The Arlington, Va.-based company makes a variety of airborne, ground-based, and marine systems for the public safety, defense, and utility industries.

Andreessen Horowitz led $200 million in Series C funding for Irvine, Calif.-based Anduril Industries Inc., which provides surveillance technologies, including aerial drones. Redwood City, Calif.-based Skydio Inc., which makes consumer, enterprise, and public-sector drones, raised $100 million in Series C funding to accelerate product development and market growth.

Also in the national security space, UAS Drone Corp. acquired Duke Robotics Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for an undisclosed amount.

Ecoppia in Herzeliya, Israel, got investment of $40 million for its solar panel-cleaning robots. CMG has acquired shares in AMBPR, a startup in Saint-Gaudens, France, developing autonomous robots for infrastructure inspection and cleaning of ship hulls.

Tel Aviv, Israel-based Taranis-Visual Ltd., which analyzes drone data for agriculture, raised $30 million in Series C funding in July 2020. Petronas Ventures led an unspecified investment in agbotics developer Braintree Technologies Sdn. Bhd., its first in Malaysia. Denver-based Propellor Aero received $18 million in Series B funding for mine-mapping drones.

Beijing-based marine robotics maker Tianjin Deepinfar Ocean Technology closed a $17 million Series B+ round. Also in nautical systems, Huntington Ingalls Industries led the $14.9 million in Series B funding for Sea Machines Robotics Inc. in Boston. Ifremer acquired Paris-based Forssea Robotics for an unspecified sum.

Despite a decline in medical device deals, healthcare robotics companies reported more than $61 million in funding last month. Boston-based Activ Surgical Inc. raised $15 million in venture funding as it commercializes its ActivEdge surgical platform. TransEnterix Inc. in Research Triangle Park, N.C., offered $13 million in stock as it continues work on its vision-guided surgical system.

Yokneam, Israel-based exoskeleton maker ReWalk Robotics Ltd. raised $9 million in July 2020. Back to surgical robots, NDR Medical Technology Pte. Ltd. in Singapore received $5.76 million in Series A funding, and MastOR SAS in Paris raised $3.37 million for its laparoscopy assistance system.

Beijing-based orthopedic surgical robot firm Rosenbot Technology Co. raised unspecified Series A funding, while Medtronic PLC invested in Huake Precision Medical Technology Co., also known as Sinovation Medical. Medtronic also acquired Lyon, France-based spinal surgery company Medicrea and Menlo Park, Calif.-based medical device maker Intersect ENT.

Robotics components providers raised nearly $90 million in July 2020. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) sold $46.29 million in shares, and Zhaogun Electronics received $43.05 million in funding. Both companies make processors for artificial intelligence and are based in Shanghai.

LeddarTech acquired fellow automotive perception provider VayaVision in Tel Aviv for an unspecified amount. Similarly, Graf Industrial Corp. acquired lidar sensor maker Velodyne Lidar Inc. of Morgan Hill, Calif.

South Korean sensor company Adin Robotics obtained seed funding, and New York-based emotion chip company Emoshape Inc. received unspecified funding.

Baidu Ventures led Series A+ funding for Lightelligence, which is working on optical chips and has offices in Shanghai and Boston. Beijing-based radar firm Qinglei Technology reportedly closed multimillion-yuan angel funding in July 2020.

On the software side, InOrbit Inc. in Mountain View, Calif., said it raised seed funding of $2.6 million. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company provides a cloud-based robot fleet-management platform.

In addition, Guangzhou, China-based Chenjing Technology raised angel funding for its spatial intelligence software. Santa Monica, Calif.-based mvmtAI raised pre-seed funding as it develops machine vision technology.

Service robots, from automated wait staff to cleaning robots, raised about $22 million in July 2020. Shenzhen-based indoor delivery robot maker Pudu Technology Inc. closed a Series B round of $15 million. London-based greeter robot firm BotsAndUs raised $5.96 million in Series A funding and partnered with Heathrow Airport and British Airways.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has increased interest in cleaning and disinfection robots. New York-based Somatic obtained $125,000 in seed funding for its bathroom-cleaning robots, and Swiss floor-scrubbing robot maker Kemaro AG raised unspecified Series A funding for European expansion.

Editors note:What defines robotics investments? The answer to this simple question is central in any attempt to quantify them with some degree of rigor. To make investment analyses consistent, repeatable, and valuable, it is critical to wring out as much subjectivity as possible during the evaluation process. This begins with a definition of terms and a description of assumptions.

Investors and investingInvestment should come from venture capital firms, corporate investment groups, angel investors, and other sources. Friends-and-family investments, government/non-governmental agency grants, and crowd-sourced funding are excluded.

Robotics and intelligent systems companiesRobotics companies must generate or expect to generate revenue from the production of robotics products (that sense, analyze, and act in the physical world), hardware or software subsystems and enabling technologies for robots, or services supporting robotics devices. For this analysis, autonomous vehicles (including technologies that support autonomous driving) and drones are considered robots, while 3D printers, CNC systems, and various types of hard automation are not.

Companies that are robotic in name only, or use the term robot to describe products and services that that do not enable or support devices acting in the physical world, are excluded. For example, this includes software robots and robotic process automation. Many firms have multiple locations in different countries. Company locations given in the analysis are based on the publicly listed headquarters in legal documents, press releases, etc.

VerificationFunding information is collected from a number of public and private sources. These include press releases from corporations and investment groups, corporate briefings, industry analysts, and association and industry publications, including PitchBook and Tracxn. In addition, information comes from sessions at conferences and seminars, as well as during private interviews with industry representatives, investors, and others. Unverifiable investments are excluded.

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July 2020 Robotics Transactions Remain Steady Year Over Year - Robotics Business Review