Category Archives: Robotics

A Japanese robotics company called Jizai Arms has engineered a system of spider-like robotic limbs consisting of six arms that can be controlled by the user wearing them. These robotic arms can be attached, detached, or even replaced altogether in order to redefine and revolutionize the way humans interact with robots and artificial intelligence (AI).

Half a century since the concept of a cyborg was introduced, Jizai-bodies (digital cyborgs), enabled by the spread of wearable robotics, are the focus of much research in recent times, states the companys website.

Jizai arms is a supernumerary robotic limb system consisting of a wearable base unit with six terminals and detachable robot arms controllable by the wearer. The system was designed to enable social interaction between multiple wearers, such as an exchange of arm(s), and explore possible interactions between digital cyborgs in a cyborg society.

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Spider-like robotic AI arms can be attached to and controlled by humans - Interesting Engineering

Israeli surgical robotics company Momentis, formerly Memic, is laying off 60% of its employees. Following the layoffs, only 50 employees will remain at the company, which until recently had 120 employees. Around 40 of the remaining employees are based in Israel, with the rest headquartered in the U.S.

Momentis, which develops robotic-assisted surgery solutions, announced in August 2021 that it reached an agreement to merge with MedTech Acquisition Corporation, a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) focused on medical technology.

The combined company was set to have an estimated pro-forma equity value of more than $1 billion. However, the SPAC was ultimately canceled in March of last year due to market conditions and a few months later the Israeli company rebranded as Momentis.

Momentis, which has raised $116 million to date, was founded in 2012 by Dvir Cohen and Peregrine Ventures, and initially operated in the Peregrine-run Incentive Incubator. Momentis has an R&D center in Or Yehuda and an engineering center in Acre where the robots are manufactured. Memic has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida which is in charge of global customer services, professional education, sales, marketing, and clinical research.

The companys first FDA approval was for use in single-site, natural orifice laparoscopic-assisted transvaginal benign surgical procedures including benign hysterectomies.

"The company made progress in launching its gynecological product in accordance with the plans and proved its clinical and economic value, which can be seen in the fact that leading hospitals in the U.S. are repeat customers of the company, said Cohen. The system has been getting better and better thanks to feedback from the field following close work with the customers and leading doctors. As a result, the performance specifications of the system, planned for reaching the market in 2025, have already been achieved, thus creating an opportunity for us to reach the main market of general surgery about two years before the planned time. Therefore, the company decided to focus on bringing to market a platform that serves a wide patient audience, both in gynecology and general surgery, and in order to promote market entry, we are currently focusing on regulatory efforts to obtain FDA approval for a product for general surgery in the coming year.

Due to the need to focus on the regulatory efforts, we have made the necessary business decision, with the broad support of the board of directors and all shareholders, to suspend production, marketing and sales efforts in the coming year. Therefore with great regret we say goodbye to approximately 70 out of the company's 120 employees, with the aim of slowing down the cash burn rate and to reach the market under optimal conditions at the beginning of 2024. This is a difficult day for me and it pains me to say goodbye to wonderful and dedicated employees who have come a long, long way with me."

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Surgical robotics startup Momentis cutting 60% of team one year after $1 billion SPAC fell through - CTech

CORVALLIS, Ore. Two Oregon State University researchers will lead a project to accelerate robotics research by making standardized humanoid robots available to the scientific community, according to OSU officials.

The college said that OSU College of Engineering researchers Bill Smart and Naomi Fritter will lead the $5 million National Science Foundations Computer and Information Science and Engineering Community Research Infrastructure program.

A big hurdle in robotics research has been the lack of a common robot to work with, Smart said. Its tough to compare results and replicate and build on each others work when everyone is using a different type of robot. Robots come in many shapes and sizes, with different types of sensors and varying capabilities.

The project will build and distribute 50 robots to be utilized as a standardized platform for researchers, OSU officials said. University officials said these robots feature such human characteristics as an expressive face, bowing spine and gesturing arms and are capable of both lab-based and real-world experimentation settings.

OSU will partner with University of Pennsylvania researchers as well as a Los Angeles-based robotics software specialist on the project, the college said.

OSU officials said their researchers will set up and maintain a network of resources for the robots use, as well as helping to provide beta testing.

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OSU to lead robotics research by making standardized robots ... - KEZI TV

Leadingdrone deliverycompany and longtimeWalmart aerial transportationpartnerDroneUp is partnering with Israeli startup Wonder Robotics in an effort to increase the autonomy and efficiency of its UAV operations.

DroneUps work with Wonder Robotics aims to augment the autonomy and fluidity of its drone delivery activities in ways that will permit the Virginia-based company to continue itsUS scalingand support itsexpansion internationally. Use of its partners proprietary WonderLand solution is also intended to reinforce the safety of DroneUp UAV flights.

A recent evaluation of Wonder Robotic tech aboardDroneUp delivery dronesproved so promising the companies say theyll pursue their integration work further. Use ofWonderLand on trial craft was described as having enabled precision autonomous landing, accurate winch delivery, and advanced contingency planning.

Just as notable, DroneUp said, was the Wonder Robotic application also allowing a single flight engineer to safely and autonomously oversee multiple drone deliveries at the same time a crucial factor inthe company scaling its USand international UAV business.

WonderLand enables vertical detect and avoid capabilities and robust precision landing. That allows several drones to operatesimultaneousbeyond visual line of sight(BVLOS) missions in urban environments by autonomously avoiding common obstacles like trees, buildings, and utility lines. Those self-navigating capacities of remote UAVs permit more efficient delivery of packages while increasing operational safety.

Our technology is aBVLOS scale operationenabler for scalable drone services allowing the service provider or mission manager to safely operate multiple drones per site, said Idan Shimon, CEO of Wonder Robotics. Wonder Robotics goal is to provide a reliable technology that will make drone services safe and economical and to help with future regulatory rules for scalable, safe drone delivery.

Based on the initially successful trials,DroneUpchief technology officerJohn Vernon says the company will press ahead with continued adaptation of Wonder Robotics tech into itsdelivery drone fleets.

Commitment to safe operation is our top priority, and exploring cutting-edge technology like WonderLand is so important to stay on that course, said Vernon. Not only does implementing this into our tech stack improve individual deliveries, but it also gives us a clearer path towards scaling our operation asdrone deliverybecomes more and more popular every year.

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DroneUp partners with Wonder Robotics to scale drone delivery - DroneDJ

Noah Medical, which has developed a robotics system for detecting lung cancer, recently raised $150M

The use of robots in medicine is not new: there will beover 1,500 surgical robots in use currently and the global healthcare robotics market is projected to reach $35.2 billion by 2023.

However, this technology is still emerging, meaning there will still be unmet need and problems not being solved. That is whereNoah Medicalcomes in: it works with clinicians to fill those gaps and develop robotics to help solve them.

The company's first robotic platform, the Galaxy System, is designed to improve location accuracy and successful diagnosis of lung nodules using its TiLT+Technology

Last month, itannounceda $150 million Series B funding round of funding last month led by the Softbank Vision Fund and the Prosperity7 Ventures, along with Tiger Global, and existing investors including Hillhouse, Sequoia China, Shangbay Capital, Uphonest Capital, Sunmed Capital, Lyfe Capital, 1955 Capital, AME cloud ventures, as well as undisclosed strategic investors.

Jian Zhang, PhD,NoahMedical founder and CEO, spoke to VatorNews about the gaps in the medical robotics space, why the company started with lung cancer, and how it will be using that $150 million in funding.

VatorNews: What is the problem that you identified? What led you to foundNoahMedical?

Jian Zhang:Noahwas founded in 2018 to provide better clinical value to customers who were unhappy or poorly served by the earlier generation of medical robots. We work with physicians to identify unmet needs and then create a next generation of medical robots using the latest technologies that specifically solve these problems. Our first robotic platform is the Galaxy System, designed to address current system shortcomings in diagnosing lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Data shows that ~2/3 of lesions are in the outer portion of the lungs, making them extremely hard to navigate and biopsy.

Today, most physicians rely on CT scans taken prior to a procedure as their primary source of lesion location information. However, there can be a significant divergence between the images on a scan and the location of the lesions in the body during the actual procedure. Additional advanced imaging technologies must be deployed during the procedure to help combat this problem.

Lastly, because of the complexity and cost of current systems for lung bronchoscopy and advanced imaging technologies, few clinics and hospitals can deploy these together.

VN: How are you solving that problem with the Galaxy System? What are you doing that others are not?

JZ:By integrating real-time navigation and using a novel tool-in-lesion technology, the system brings everything together in one easy to use, compact solution. Early animaldatapublished in March of 2023, suggests that the Galaxy System with its TiLT+Technology can achieve 100% successful navigation to lesion, 100% diagnostic yield and 95% tool-in-lesion accuracy, without the need for additional expensive imaging technologies. The Galaxy System is designed to allow physicians to find, biopsy and diagnose lesions with confidence

The Galaxy System also offers a single-use, disposable bronchoscope. This scope was designed to help reduce the risk of cross-contamination and patient infection, reduce reprocessing time and cost while also improving procedural workflow.

VN: Walk me through how pulmonologists use your platform.

JZ: A pulmonologist will use our system to navigate out to the periphery of the lung, where the lung nodule is located. Using TiLT Technology, the doctor will be able to get a real time update of the lesion to ensure they are in the correct location. They will then place their tool inside the lesion and use TiLT again to confirm that their tool is indeed inside. This is to help improve the chances that they will get lesion tissue in the tool and a positive diagnosis. Other current robots on the market do not have this advanced imaging technology built into their platforms and therefore would not be able to get these real-time image updates and confirmations without buying additional expensive imaging technologies

VN: Why did you start with bronchoscopy? What other indications can the Galaxy System potentially be used for?

JZ:Bronchoscopy was one of the more urgent needs for physicians we spoke with early in our development cycle and the problem of lung cancer is so pervasive. There were also clear gaps in the current technologies that existed on the market to biopsy and diagnose lung nodules.

We are developing endoluminal robotic products that fill other urgent and compelling gaps in the clinical market, but we cannot provide specifics at the moment.

VN: What kind of ROI have you seen so far from your first-in-human trials at Macquarie University Hospital? Do you have hard numbers you can share?

JZ:We cannot share the unpublished data at this time but hope to present and publish as soon as possible.

VN: How will you deploy this funding? Will it go towards hiring or product development? Please give as much detail as you can.

JZ:Noahintends to use the funds to expand adoption of their Galaxy System and accelerate R&D for other non-invasive platforms for patient diagnosis and treatment.

VN: What is your ultimate goal withNoahMedical? What will success look like for you?

JZ: Our mission is to deliver adoptable clinical solutions through innovative endoluminal technologies to enhance the quality of life for patients globally.

Our vision is to become the global leader in endoluminal innovation by improving outcomes for 500,000 patients by 2032. We want to buildNoahto thrive for over 99 years.

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An interview with Jian Zhang, founder of robotics company Noah ... - VatorNews

DHL Supply Chain, a global logistics provider, announced todaythe expansion of its partnership with Locus Robotics, aprovider of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), increasing its use of Locus AMR robotics within its supply chain operations. As part of this new partnership, DHL Supply Chain will deploy 5,000 Locus Origin AMRs across its global network of warehouses and distribution centers, representing the industrys largest AMR deal to date, according to the companies.

The expanded fleet of Locus AMRs will provide DHL Supply Chain with advanced automation technology to optimize its supply chain operations, and improve worker productivity, order accuracy, speed, and efficiency, the companies added. The robots will be deployed across DHL Supply Chain's global network, further enhancing its capabilities in e-commerce fulfillment, retail replenishment, and pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics.

An idea is only a good idea if it can scale, said Oscar de Bok, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Supply Chain. The flexibility and scalability of the Locus solution has been instrumental in helping us meet the evolving demands of the e-commerce landscape and leveraging cutting-edge technology to optimize our operations and deliver an even better experience for our customers.

"The addition of Locus Robotics AMRs to our network is a major milestone in our digitalization journey, and we are excited to partner with Locus Robotics to bring this technology to our operations," added Markus Voss, Global CIO & COO DHL Supply Chain. "By using advanced robotics and data intelligence, we can further improve our operational efficiency, reduce processing time, and continue to improve our customer experience."

"We are thrilled to be working in an expanded capacity with DHL Supply Chain to bring our industry-leading robotics technology to their global network," said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. "As the robotics industry continues to consolidate, Locus Robotics has emerged as the clear leader in the market, and we are poised for further significant growth. Our innovative technology and commitment to customer success have set us apart. With our expanding product offerings and growing customer base, Locus Robotics is well positioned to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities ahead."

DHL has now surpassed more than 250 million units picked using the LocusOne solution across its global sites. As DHL Supply Chain noted last June, it already uses about 2,000 of the robots. The deployment of the new LocusBots is expected to be fully integrated into DHL Supply Chain's operations by the end of the year.

Locus is helping DHL rapidly transform operations through a workforce empowered with the right technology at the right time, to deliver goods where they need to at the speed our modern markets demand, said Sally Miller, Global Digital Transformation Officer, DHL Supply Chain. Locus is a critical partner for us as we digitalize our warehouses, distribution and fulfillment centers to efficiently meet increasing order volumes, labor shortages, and rising consumer expectations.

DHL Supply Chain provides a global network spanning more than 220 countries and territories, offeringa comprehensive range of services across the entire supply chain, from warehousing and distribution to transportation and value-added services.

Locus Robotics supportsmore than 100of the worlds top brands and its AMRs are deployed at 250+ sites around the world.

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DHL Supply Chain expands global partnership with Locus Robotics ... - Modern Materials Handling

The All-India Robotics Association (AIRA) and the Telangana government will host a global robotics summit on July 21 and 22 in Hyderabad.

The event will be attended by investors, scientists and other ecosystem players from over 25 countries.

We are going to organise events around robotics for a year after the summit. It will provide a platform to ecosystem players to discuss a roadmap for the development of robotics, AIRA Chairman Kisshan PSV told businessline.

Besides panel discussions and keynote addresses by industry experts, the summit will showcase various robots, robotic technologies and AI systems.

We will set up a Centre for Advanced Robotics and Automation in Telangana to promote development of cutting-edge robotics technologies for healthcare, agriculture, space, and defence applications, he said.

On Tuesday, the association signed a memorandum of understanding with the Telangana government in this regard.

As part of the MoU, the association will collaborate with academic institutions, industry leaders, and government agencies to promote robotics in the state.

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Hyderabad to host global robotics summit in July - BusinessLine

Amp Robotics Corp., a Louisville, Colorado-based company focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies for the waste and recycling industry, has received financing from Microsofts Climate Innovation Fund.

According to Microsoft, its Climate Innovation Fund has made investment commitments to companies since its launch in 2020. The fund aims to invest in emerging climate technology solutions that have early commercial traction and need capital to scale the market as well as provide project financing to bring existing climate solutions to scale.

Amp Robotics says this latest investment brings its Series C funding round, led by San Francisco-based Congruent Ventures and Boston-based Wellington Management, to a total of more than $99 million.

With its Series C funding, Amp says it plans to scale its operations, deploying technology solutions to retrofit existing recycling infrastructure and expanding new infrastructure based on its application of AI-powered automation. Amp recently released a compact, AI-enabled automated sortation solution, the Amp Cortex-C, along with an integrated, standalone facility offering for recycling and waste management companies.

Weve been fortunate to attract world-class investors based on the proven viability of our AI platform as a category-defining technology application for the waste industry, and were grateful for the investment from Microsofts Climate Innovation Fund, says Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of Amp Robotics. With its deep expertise and innovation in AI and broad involvement in climate, Microsoft brings an unmatched perspective to our work here at Amp. This new funding will further our efforts to improve the economics and efficiency of recycling and transform our industrialized global economy into a more circular one.

RELATED: Amp Robotics opens new headquarters

Investment in AI and robotics technologies reflects growing demand for automation in the waste industry, Amp reports on this latest investment from Microsoft. In addition to improving material recovery by boosting productivity, reducing contamination and addressing labor shortages, advanced technology is key to meeting brands sustainability commitments. Additionally, policy and legislative tailwinds create new opportunities for recycling as more states pass laws that raise waste diversion goals and establish extended producer responsibility programs.

Theres an urgent need for solutions and ongoing innovation to address our critical waste crisis," says Brandon Middaugh, senior director of the Climate Innovation Fund at Microsoft. "Amp provides a powerful and scalable application of AI-enabled automation to help meet the world's imperative climate objectives by extending the circular economy.

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Amp Robotics receives financing from Microsoft Climate Innovation ... - Waste Today Magazine

Plus One Robotics and Yaskawa Motoman provide parcel handling solutions that allow for more efficient movement of parcels and palleted shipments.

Plus One Robotics, a provider of advanced AI vision software and solutions for robotic parcel handling, today announced new customer programs using Yaskawa Motoman robots. These customer deployments are for Plus One's induction and mixed depalletizing solutions.

"The technology in these depalletizing arms helps us move certain shipments that would otherwise take up valuable resources to manually offload," said Brian Marflak, FedEx vice president of Global Engineering, Research and Technology. "Having these systems installed allows team members to perform more skilled tasks such as loading and unloading airplanes and trucks. This has been a great opportunity for robotics to complement our existing team members and help them complete tasks more efficiently."

"We're proud that the Plus One solutions not only achieve the throughput necessary to fill the workforce gap experienced by all distribution centers, but do so with near 100% fulfillment accuracy," said Plus One CEO and co-founder, Erik Nieves. "This not only keeps the operations running 24/7, but also provides benefits like ergonomics, safety, and the flexibility to handle the variance associated with seasonal shipping schedules."

Key to Plus One Robotics' effectiveness is its remote supervision software, Yonder. Utilizing human-in-the-loop capabilities employees, or Crew Chiefs, can supervise multiple robots from any location allowing robots to handle a pick exception and return to autonomous operation within seconds. Utilizing Crew Chiefs to remotely supervise the robots helps organizations reduce downtime and creates a workforce multiplying effect that keeps parcels moving while freeing up on-site employees for other higher-value work. The software then uses this data to improve the machine-learning model for future picks.

"With Plus One's incredibly fast image acquisition and processing, Yaskawa robots can achieve maximum production potential," stated Doug Burnside, Yaskawa Motoman Vice President of North American Sales and Marketing. "This, combined with the intuitive Yonder remote supervisor support helps to efficiently and accurately manage robot operation for more fluid production."###

About Plus One RoboticsPlus One Robotics provides the industry's fastest and most reliable parcel-handling robotics platform. Founded in 2016 by computer vision and robotics industry experts, Plus One's intelligent solutions combine computer vision, AI, and supervised autonomy to pick parcels for leading logistics and e-commerce organizations in the Global 100. Plus One is headquartered in San Antonio with offices in Boulder, Pittsburgh, and The Netherlands. Visit http://www.plusonerobotics.com for more information, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

About Yaskawa MotomanFounded in 1989, the Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. is a leading robotics company in the Americas. With over 540,000 Motoman robots installed globally, Yaskawa provides automation products and solutions for virtually every industry and robotic application; including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal, packaging, palletizing and spot welding. For more information please visit our website at http://www.motoman.com or call 937.847.6200.

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Plus One Robotics Utilizes Yaskawa Motoman to Expand Its ... - Robotics Tomorrow

Long Beach Poly Rabbotics team won the Aerospace Valley Regional, qualifying to go to championships in Houston in April. (Photo courtesy of Poly Rabbotics)

The robotics team at Poly High School dubbed the Poly Rabbotics recently made campus history.

Thats because Poly Rabbotics won a regional competition for the first time, which sent them to Houston for the 2023 FIRST Robotics Competition championships. FIRST means, For inspiration and recognition of science and technology.

The regional title was the programs first since it began in 2018. The recent trip to Houston represented the teams second appearance in the championship competition.

Poly Rabbotics Team 7042 is a student-led team with about 40 members. In recent years, the team has sent a robot to the Del Mar Regional where it won the Judges award and the LA and OC regionals; it was the Rookie Inspiration Award in Los Angeles in 2018.

And then, late last month, the team made it to the FIRST Championship for the second time. It was made it in 2019.

The contests are organized by FIRST Robotics Competition, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring students to study science, technology, engineering and math. Each year, teams composed of high school students, coaches and mentors work during a six-week period to build game-playing robots designed for the competition.

Wyvern is the name of Long Beach Poly High School robotic teams robot. (Photo courtesy of Poly Rabbotics)

Long Beach Poly Rabbotics team won the Aerospace Valley Regional, qualifying to go to championships in Houston in April. (Photo courtesy of Poly Rabbotics)

Long Beach Poly Rabbotics team won the Aerospace Valley Regional, qualifying to go to championships in Houston in April. (Photo courtesy of Poly Rabbotics)

Long Beach Poly Rabbotics team won the Aerospace Valley Regional, qualifying to go to championships in Houston in April. (Photo courtesy of Poly Rabbotics)

Long Beach Poly Rabbotics team won the Aerospace Valley Regional, qualifying to go to championships in Houston in April. (Photo courtesy of Poly Rabbotics)

More than 600 teams, split into eight divisions, competed in Houston from all around the world, split into eight divisions.

Poly Rabbotics division featured nearly 80 teams some from Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, Australia and Canada in the fight to make the playoffs, said Sydney Chaikittirattana, a Poly senior and the teams operations director.

During our time at the FRC World Championship, our team spent time both preparing our robot for some of our seniors final matches, she said, and exploring the competition and learning from our peers.

Their robot, named Wyvern, was designed to play this years game, Charged Up, which required robots pick up cones and cubes, and score them in goal areas.

At the end, there is a big platform that shifts so you have to drive your robot onto it and balance, said Lauren Higuchi, the Long Beach teams co-captain. This year was a little bit more simple functions but still a very complex game.

Higuchi managed the construction and design of the robot. After three years of being on the team, the senior said, she was excited to make it to the championships.

The team had come a long way from the start of the year, she said.

Our first regional, we did not have a good showing, Higuchi said. It was the first time we hadnt even made it to playoffs at that regional; we were at an all-time low.

As the team went into the Aerospace Valley Regional in Lancaster, she said, the first couple of days felt as if everything was going wrong.

At the end of the day of competition, our prospects were not looking good, Higuchi said. We all thought that we might not even make it to eliminations again and for me and I know the other seniors as our last year on the team we were all saying, It cant end like this.

But when the top eight teams at the regionals picked other groups with which to ally going into elimination rounds, Poly Rabbotics was picked by the first-place crew, Team 7157 Botics, from Brea. That allowed them to claim a spot for the finals, alongside Team 4414 HighTide, from Ventura.

Alliances are formed between three teams for the elimination rounds. Poly Rabbotics and the two other teams got through the quarterfinals, semifinals and then the finals as the winning alliance.

Two alliances competed in the best-of-three final round during the Lancaster regional, Chaikittirattana said with a spot in Houston on the line.

Polys alliance won.

This was the first time Poly Rabbotics made it to the FIRST championship because it won a regionals competition.

The team was excited to reach a point they never had before and to once again learn from the best teams worldwide, Chaikittirattana said.

At the championships, which took place from April 19 to 22, Wyvern fought hard and won some crucial matches, Chaikittirattana said but it also took some brutal damage in the process.

However, our team was always quick to bounce back and we didnt miss a single match, Chaikittirattana said. Despite smoking motors, bent titanium and programming errors, we ended our last match stronger than ever.

Even though their championship run ended earlier than the team had hoped they finished 47th in the Curie Division the students remained in high spirits, and supported their favorite teams in the finals. They watched their friends from Team HighTide, in Ventura, become World Champions in the Hopper Division.

We went from the lowest of lows at the beginning of the season, Higuchi said, to it all coming together at the end and it was all worth it.

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Poly High robotics team made it to world championships in Houston - Long Beach Press Telegram