Category Archives: Robotics

Were beyond thrilled to tell you that the fifth TC Sessions: Robotics returns this year as a live and in-person event! Its been far too long, and we cant wait to see you and plenty of robots on July 22 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Artificial intelligence has driven the rapid advancement in robotics technology, and robots are not only changing the way people work, theyre accelerating business competition across nearly every industry, from agtech, delivery and food service to warehouse fulfillment, construction and healthcare.

Robotics technology will continue to revolutionize the way humans live, work and play, and TC Sessions: Robotics 2022 is where youll learn about whats coming next from the experts who know and explore potential opportunities.

What better way to celebrate such an auspicious occasion than by offering a hefty discount? Were kicking off ticket sales with a 2-for-1 limited-time offer. Buy your TC Sessions: Robotics 2022 pass for $165 and get a second pass for free. Who doesnt love free?

During this day-long summit, the TechCrunch editorial team will go in-depth with the worlds leading founders, technologists, engineers, researchers and investors in robotics and AI. Youll learn about new technologies and emerging trends and hear where investors think theyll find the next generation of robotic unicorns.

Expect a full roster of 1:1 interviews, panel discussions, interactive breakout sessions with Q&As and smaller roundtables for deeper conversations on specific topics. And with more than 2,000 robotics movers, shakers and makers in attendance, be prepared to engage in some world-class networking.

Now for the really fun stuff robot demos. Youll find them on the main stage and, for hands-on demos, head over to the expo area. Thats where youll find dozens of exciting early-stage startups displaying their latest robotics tech.

Whether youre looking for technology and product insights, investment, engineering talent, new partners or all of the above, make it a priority to attend TC Sessions: Robotics 2022 in Boston on July 22. And take advantage of serious savings buy your 2-for-1 pass now before they sell out.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Sessions: Robotics 2022? Contact our sponsorship sales team byfilling out this form.

Read more:

Registration opens with 2-4-1 passes to TC Sessions: Robotics 2022 - TechCrunch

Talking Points: Rep. Ilhan Omar Urges Relief For Student Loan DebtProgressives in Congress met with President Biden recently to push federal student loan forgiveness, including Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

10 P.M. Weather ReportAnother messy weather system is moving towards Minnesota, which will bring a mix of rain and snow again mid-week, and possible severe weather.

After 7 Years, Prince Mural Finally Coming To Downtown Mpls.Minneapolis will soon shine purple, as a mural dedicated to Minnesota's most iconic resident will soon get underway in downtown.

Wolves Fans Pumped For Playoff ProspectsThe Timberwolves have wrapped up one of their best regular seasons in years and have their sights on the playoffs.

Easter Egg Event Raises Funds, Shows Support For UkraineHundreds packed the halls of St. Michael's and St. Georges Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Minneapolis Sunday, but not necessarily for Palm Sunday service.

Teen Hurt In North Mpls. Shooting Involving 20+ Rounds FiredMinneapolis police say a teen was hurt early Sunday evening in a shooting that involved the firing of more than 20 rounds.

Rising Home Costs Tighten Already Competitive MarketWhen everything from gas to groceries are more expensive with record inflation, now the cost of buying a home just got more expensive in an already competitive market.

WCCO Evening Digital Update: April 10, 2022Jeff Wagner has your latest headlines.

Sunday Evening Weather ReportAnother messy system is moving towards Minnesota, which will bring a mix of rain and snow again mid-week.

Ukrainian Church In NE Mpls. Raises Funds With Easter Egg FestivalMinneapolis' Ukrainian community plans to celebrate one of its most cherished Easter traditions today.

11 A.M. Weather ReportWe've got a warm, windy day on tap Sunday, but another round of storms is on the way.

1-On-1 With Republican Candidate For Governor Rich StanekThe former Hennepin County sheriff is one of nine candidates in the running for the GOP.

Rep. Ilhan Omar On Pausing Student Debt, UkraineMinnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is one of the lawmakers pushing for the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act.

Sunday Morning Headlines From April 10, 2022The Minnesota State Patrol is helping Burnsville police investigate a deadly car crash.

Minnesota Filmmaker Who Nearly Died Of COVID Now Volunteers With Other PatientsWalter Byrd returned to the very hospital where he was on life support to help others.

NE Mpls. Church Hosts Ukrainian Easter Egg FestivalLocals are getting creative to bring more humanitarian relief to the people of Ukraine.

How To Spice Up Your Next Date NightOur local expert offers some tips for those of you in relationships.

New Book Tells Bald Eagle's Redemption StoryThe history of the Bald Eagle -- as America's symbol, and as a species -- is being told in a different way thanks to a new book.

7 A.M. Weather ReportIt'll be warmer, but also windier, on Sunday, and there are more storms in the extended forecast.

WCCO Digital Update: Morning Of April 10, 2022Esme Murphy has the latest headlines.

Getting Wisconsin To Drink LessOne mom is on a mission to fix the state's problem with alcohol.

Amaya Battle Named Miss Basketball Minnesota 2022The Hopkins senior won the award after the Royals beat St. Michael-Albertville to earn the state title.

10 P.M. Weather ReportMeteorologist Lisa Meadows reports that another sloppy spring storm system is tracking toward Minnesota.

Former Alexandria Police Chief Accused Of Swindling CityRichard Wyffels is accused of stealing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars during his tenure as the chief of Alexandria police.

View original post here:

Teams Face Off In Robotics Competition - CBS Minnesota

Robotics and automation have never been hotter. And its not hard to see why. Squeezed by the ongoing e-commerce boom and a nationwide labor crunch, companies are finding they need these technologies to boost fulfillment speed and accuracy at a time when adding people is no longer an option.

To learn more about the current state of the robotics market as well as what lies ahead, DC Velocity Group Editorial Director David Maloney gathered experts from companies that participated in DC Velocitys Robotics Forum at last months Modex show for a freewheeling discussion. Among the topics we address in Part One (Part Two will appear in our May issue) are recent advances in robotics technology, the different ways in which robots can help ease the DC labor crunch, and the future of robot design.

Roundtable Participants:

Q: What do you consider to be the most significant advances in robotics technology within the past five years?

Jeff Christensen Seegrid: The most important advancements today are in the development of intelligent autonomy technology. In order for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automation solutions to gain an extremely accurate understanding of their immediate surroundings, they need to see, collect, prioritize, and interpret a higher density of real-world live information. Any single sensor when used alone has its limitations. However, robotics companies that embrace sensor fusion will have solutions that offer an enhanced ability to perceive, plan, and control movement.

Matt Kohler Bastian Solutions:Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered vision is a game-changer for robotics. Robots have always been great at handling repeatable tasks, which has led to their widespread adoption in manufacturing, but not so much in distribution, primarily due to the wide variety of products you see in a distribution center. AI-powered vision helps fleets of robots learn how to handle the complexities involved in handling tens of thousands of SKUs and the random nature in which they are presented to robots.

Nicola Tomatis BlueBotics:One of the biggest changes in the last five years is that automated guided vehicles have become both the fastest-growing market and the largest market in service robotics. AGVs have overtaken both industrial robots and service robots working outside of industry.

Mike Futch Tompkins Robotics: Vision systems have made significant strides. Many picking software providers have made continual improvements in these systems. Two of the biggest hurdles that picking vision must overcome are the wide variety of items in warehouses and the unpredictability of what items are in a picking container. While human intervention is still required, picking vision has progressed to the point where the systems can economically replace or supplement manual labor in the warehouse environment.

Kevin Reader Knapp:Developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning have rapidly enhanced the capabilities of the latest generation of more capable robots, enabling them to perform more complex order picking tasks. At a time when labor shortages have risen to an unprecedented level of concern to supply chain practitioners, this category of robotics is moving from prototype consideration to the proven business case category.

Divya Prakash SICK:Simplification of user interfaces has opened up the robotics technology market to a much wider audience of end-users. Also, increased processing power enabled by GPUs (graphics processing units) and stronger CPUs (central processing units) better supports enhanced sensor capabilities.

Dan Coote Locus Robotics:The most important advancement in robotics technology lies in how robots are able to navigate around a warehouse. The granularity of a map within a warehouse along with the bots ability to navigate in a complex and convoluted environment both safely and efficiently have progressed by leaps and bounds. Its a combination of the physical hardware that goes into the bots (including LiDAR sensors) and enhancements in the back-end software tools.

Romain Moulin Exotec:Battery technologies have improved a lot in terms of efficiency, power density, and fast charging, which has allowed for new applications in mobile robotics.

Q: How can the increased use of robotics help distribution facilities cope with labor shortages?

Matt Kohler Bastian Solutions:We hear about labor challenges all the time, and of course, implementing robotics in a distribution facility will help reduce labor requirements. But it also allows companies to re-allocate that labor to more value-add areas of their operations. I believe that is important because it will help those employees become more engaged and [will] hopefully increase retention.

Mike Futch Tompkins Robotics: Robots have a bigger impact than just labor replacement. Consider that todays workforce seeks out technology. They would much prefer to work in an environment where they can interact with high-tech solutions over traditional manual processes or even traditional automation. Further, facilities are continuing to see positive impact by adding in gamification to their operations. Robotic solutions greatly enhance this ability.

Dan Coote Locus Robotics:Robotics reduces the requirements for the number of warehouse workers and increases productivity among the workers that a warehouse does have. During peak season, theres enormous demand for people, and the number of people available is dependent on where theyre located. To counteract this, botsand specifically RaaS (robots as a service) botsoffer the option of short-term rentals, which cuts down on the number of people required and provides the ability to [meet] your peak demands by augmenting throughput with a combination of people and robots. Also, the induction, training, and speed-to-competency times decrease with robotics.

Q: How will artificial intelligence and machine learning affect future robotic designs?

Kevin Reader Knapp:AI and machine learning solutions have the capability to impact a great many areas, from manufacturing through operations, delivery to customers, and beyond to our daily lives. But in a general context, there is consensus that the future of robotic design is not just driven by AI, but that cloud is the enabler, data is the driver, and AI is the differentiator.

Matt Kohler Bastian Solutions:The biggest impact will be in the sheer number of different robotic applications that those technologies enable. But from a robotic system design standpoint, I see the biggest impact being on end of arm tooling (EoAT) designs. AI will be able to evaluate products presented to the robot and determine how best to handle the product. AI can tell the robot to use only certain suction cups on a particular product surface or to only clamp a product in a certain location, or it may even tell the robot to swap out its current EoAT to use a different style of EoAT to handle a particular product.

Jeff Christensen Seegrid: Robot design will benefit from AI and machine learning as the software will increasingly take on decision-making. Industrial automation solutions will move from robots that have to do many things to robots that will be more task-specific. This specialization, along with coordinated flow and interoperability across these disparate robot types, will enable process innovation and ongoing AI-driven optimization. Not only will movement be automated through the robots, but the optimization of flow and continual improvement will also be automated.

Divya Prakash SICK:As artificial intelligence and machine learning advance, they will allow robots to complete more complex tasks in a shorter time. In the context of increased sensor capabilities, such as being able to localize mixed parts in a bin, this will lead to more advanced robot capabilities to support the additional sensor capabilities. Seven axis arms may become more common. More advanced flexible tooling (soft grippers) will come to market. Ease of use will need to be maintained or improved.

Romain Moulin Exotec:Artificial intelligence, coupled with new generations of sensors, allows robotics to tackle operations that once could only be done by human operators. Bin picking is still the most typical application.

Q: How has warehousing software evolved to make it easier tointegrate the robots that are taking on a growing role in fulfillment operations?

Jeff Christensen Seegrid: In the past, warehouse software interacted with automation such as AMRs and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), but had no visibility to the progress of work once it entered these systems. Tighter levels of integration through generic APIs (application programming interfaces) give todays warehouse software much better visibility into automation and robotic technologies. This also allows for changes to either system without time-consuming and costly integration changes.

Kevin Reader Knapp:As with most technologies these days, when it comes to warehouse and fulfillment operations, software is not stand-alone but rather, integrated across an array of areasfrom overall inventory management to sequencing, order picking, device control, and daily operation. One of the most significant improvements is the development of control tower technologies that focus on warehouse and fulfillment center management and are designed to manage overall resources. Best-of-breed warehouse management systems are also being re-architected for the real-time nature of the latest technology, including goods-to-person systems, robotic palletizers, and fully robotic order picking.

Nicola Tomatis BlueBotics:Software has improved in two key areas: human usability and machine interfacing. Warehouse software today is easier to use, while at the same time, it needs to interface with more vehicles and systems than ever before. It has improved, but a lot remains to be done.

Q: What will robotics look like by the end of the decade?

Nicola Tomatis BlueBotics:Two trends will define this decade in robotics: ease of use and interoperability. Robotic systems will be simpler to put in place and easier to use on a day-to-day basis. We will also see more and more different types of robotsand even brands of robotsworking together as interoperability becomes the default.

Romain Moulin Exotec:More and more operations associated with picking, packing, and loading/unloading will be fully automated.

Divya Prakash SICK:Themerging of sensors and robotic systems into a more cohesive, pre-engineered application-based product will allow for more advanced applications to be solved. Rather than customizing automation to existing processes, existing processes must mold to the needs of the automation system. Some of the newer tasks being attempted with automation are complex enough that there may only be one or two ways to solve them. This contrasts with the past in robotics, where there were many ways to solve an application and customize to the users existing processes.

Dan Coote Locus Robotics:By the end of the decade, it will be commonplace to have a multitude of bots performing various functions across the warehouse or [robots from] a multitude of vendors deployed within the warehouse.

Here is the original post:

An inside look at the robotic revolution and what it all means for you - DC Velocity

Robots are already adept at certain things, such as lifting objects that are too heavy or cumbersome for people to manage. Another application theyre well suited for is the precision assembly of items like watches that have large numbers of tiny parts some so small they can barely be seen with the naked eye.

Much harder are tasks that require situational awareness, involving almost instantaneous adaptations to changing circumstances in the environment, explains Theodoros Stouraitis, a visiting scientist in the Interactive Robotics Group at MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).

Things become even more complicated when a robot has to interact with a human and work together to safely and successfully complete a task, adds Shen Li, a PhD candidate in the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Li and Stouraitis along with Michael Gienger of the Honda Research Institute Europe, Professor Sethu Vijayakumar of the University of Edinburgh, and Professor Julie A. Shah of MIT, who directs the Interactive Robotics Group have selected a problem that offers, quite literally, an armful of challenges: designing a robot that can help people get dressed. Last year, Li and Shah and two other MIT researchers completed a project involving robot-assisted dressing without sleeves. In a new work, described in a paper that appears in an April 2022 issue of IEEE Robotics and Automation, Li, Stouraitis, Gienger, Vijayakumar, and Shah explain the headway theyve made on a more demanding problem robot-assisted dressing with sleeved clothes.

The big difference in the latter case is due to visual occlusion, Li says. The robot cannot see the human arm during the entire dressing process. In particular, it cannot always see the elbow or determine its precise position or bearing. That, in turn, affects the amount of force the robot has to apply to pull the article of clothing such as a long-sleeve shirt from the hand to the shoulder.

To deal with the issue of obstructed vision, the team has developed a state estimation algorithm that allows them to make reasonably precise educated guesses as to where, at any given moment, the elbow is and how the arm is inclined whether it is extended straight out or bent at the elbow, pointing upwards, downwards, or sideways even when its completely obscured by clothing. At each instance of time, the algorithm takes the robots measurement of the force applied to the cloth as input and then estimates the elbows position not exactly, but placing it within a box or volume that encompasses all possible positions.

That knowledge, in turn, tells the robot how to move, Stouraitis says. If the arm is straight, then the robot will follow a straight line; if the arm is bent, the robot will have to curve around the elbow. Getting a reliable picture is important, he adds. If the elbow estimation is wrong, the robot could decide on a motion that would create an excessive, and unsafe, force.

The algorithm includes a dynamic model that predicts how the arm will move in the future, and each prediction is corrected by a measurement of the force thats being exerted on the cloth at a particular time. While other researchers have made state estimation predictions of this sort, what distinguishes this new work is that the MIT investigators and their partners can set a clear upper limit on the uncertainty and guarantee that the elbow will be somewhere within a prescribed box.

The model for predicting arm movements and elbow position and the model for measuring the force applied by the robot both incorporate machine learning techniques. The data used to train the machine learning systems were obtained from people wearing Xsens suits with built-sensors that accurately track and record body movements. After the robot was trained, it was able to infer the elbow pose when putting a jacket on a human subject, a man who moved his arm in various ways during the procedure sometimes in response to the robots tugging on the jacket and sometimes engaging in random motions of his own accord.

This work was strictly focused on estimation determining the location of the elbow and the arm pose as accurately as possible but Shahs team has already moved on to the next phase: developing a robot that can continually adjust its movements in response to shifts in the arm and elbow orientation.

In the future, they plan to address the issue of personalization developing a robot that can account for the idiosyncratic ways in which different people move. In a similar vein, they envision robots versatile enough to work with a diverse range of cloth materials, each of which may respond somewhat differently to pulling.

Although the researchers in this group are definitely interested in robot-assisted dressing, they recognize the technologys potential for far broader utility. We didnt specialize this algorithm in any way to make it work only for robot dressing, Li notes. Our algorithm solves the general state estimation problem and could therefore lend itself to many possible applications. The key to it all is having the ability to guess, or anticipate, the unobservable state. Such an algorithm could, for instance, guide a robot to recognize the intentions of its human partner as it works collaboratively to move blocks around in an orderly manner or set a dinner table.

Heres a conceivable scenario for the not-too-distant future: A robot could set the table for dinner and maybe even clear up the blocks your child left on the dining room floor, stacking them neatly in the corner of the room. It could then help you get your dinner jacket on to make yourself more presentable before the meal. It might even carry the platters to the table and serve appropriate portions to the diners. One thing the robot would not do would be to eat up all the food before you and others make it to the table. Fortunately, thats one app as in application rather than appetite that is not on the drawing board.

This research was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the Alan Turing Institute, and the Honda Research Institute Europe.

Read this article:

Robots dress humans without the full picture | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT News

Talking Points: Rep. Ilhan Omar Urges Relief For Student Loan DebtProgressives in Congress met with President Biden recently to push federal student loan forgiveness, including Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

10 P.M. Weather ReportAnother messy weather system is moving towards Minnesota, which will bring a mix of rain and snow again mid-week, and possible severe weather.

After 7 Years, Prince Mural Finally Coming To Downtown Mpls.Minneapolis will soon shine purple, as a mural dedicated to Minnesota's most iconic resident will soon get underway in downtown.

Wolves Fans Pumped For Playoff ProspectsThe Timberwolves have wrapped up one of their best regular seasons in years and have their sights on the playoffs.

Easter Egg Event Raises Funds, Shows Support For UkraineHundreds packed the halls of St. Michael's and St. Georges Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Minneapolis Sunday, but not necessarily for Palm Sunday service.

Teen Hurt In North Mpls. Shooting Involving 20+ Rounds FiredMinneapolis police say a teen was hurt early Sunday evening in a shooting that involved the firing of more than 20 rounds.

Rising Home Costs Tighten Already Competitive MarketWhen everything from gas to groceries are more expensive with record inflation, now the cost of buying a home just got more expensive in an already competitive market.

WCCO Evening Digital Update: April 10, 2022Jeff Wagner has your latest headlines.

Sunday Evening Weather ReportAnother messy system is moving towards Minnesota, which will bring a mix of rain and snow again mid-week.

Ukrainian Church In NE Mpls. Raises Funds With Easter Egg FestivalMinneapolis' Ukrainian community plans to celebrate one of its most cherished Easter traditions today.

11 A.M. Weather ReportWe've got a warm, windy day on tap Sunday, but another round of storms is on the way.

1-On-1 With Republican Candidate For Governor Rich StanekThe former Hennepin County sheriff is one of nine candidates in the running for the GOP.

Rep. Ilhan Omar On Pausing Student Debt, UkraineMinnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is one of the lawmakers pushing for the Student Debt Emergency Relief Act.

Sunday Morning Headlines From April 10, 2022The Minnesota State Patrol is helping Burnsville police investigate a deadly car crash.

Minnesota Filmmaker Who Nearly Died Of COVID Now Volunteers With Other PatientsWalter Byrd returned to the very hospital where he was on life support to help others.

NE Mpls. Church Hosts Ukrainian Easter Egg FestivalLocals are getting creative to bring more humanitarian relief to the people of Ukraine.

How To Spice Up Your Next Date NightOur local expert offers some tips for those of you in relationships.

New Book Tells Bald Eagle's Redemption StoryThe history of the Bald Eagle -- as America's symbol, and as a species -- is being told in a different way thanks to a new book.

7 A.M. Weather ReportIt'll be warmer, but also windier, on Sunday, and there are more storms in the extended forecast.

WCCO Digital Update: Morning Of April 10, 2022Esme Murphy has the latest headlines.

Getting Wisconsin To Drink LessOne mom is on a mission to fix the state's problem with alcohol.

Amaya Battle Named Miss Basketball Minnesota 2022The Hopkins senior won the award after the Royals beat St. Michael-Albertville to earn the state title.

10 P.M. Weather ReportMeteorologist Lisa Meadows reports that another sloppy spring storm system is tracking toward Minnesota.

Former Alexandria Police Chief Accused Of Swindling CityRichard Wyffels is accused of stealing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars during his tenure as the chief of Alexandria police.

Visit link:

Twin Cities Robotics Team Heading To World Championships - CBS Minnesota

The launch of Create 3 coincides with National Robotics Week, which began April 2 and runs through April 10, 2022. National Robotics Week, founded and organized by iRobot, is a time to inspire students about robotics and STEM-related fields, and to share the excitement of robotics with audiences of all ages through a range of in-person and virtual events.

"iRobot is committed to delivering STEM tools to all levels of the educational community, empowering the next generation of engineers, scientists and enthusiasts to do more," said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. "The advanced capabilities we've made available on Create 3 enable higher-level students, educators and developers to be in the driver's seat of robotics exploration, allowing them to one day discover new ways for robots to benefit society."

With ROS 2 support, forget about building the platform, and focus on your application:The next generation of iRobot's affordable and trusted all-in-one mobile robot development platform, Create 3 brings a variety of new functionalities to users, including compatibility with ROS 2,an industry-standard software for roboticists worldwide. Robots require many different components, such as actuators, sensors and control systems, to communicate with each other in order to work. ROS 2 enables this communication, allowing students to speed up the development of their project by focusing more on their core application rather than the platform itself. Learning ROS 2 also gives students valuable experience that many companies are seeking from robotics developers.

Expand your coding skills even further with Python support:iRobot also released a Python Web Playground for its iRobot Rootand Create 3 educational robots, providing a bridge for beginners to begin learning more advanced programming skills outside of the iRobot Coding App. Python, a commonly used coding language, enables users to broaden the complexity of projects that they work on. The iRobot Education Python Web Playground allows advanced learners and educators to program the iRobot Root and Create 3 educational robots with a common library written in Python. This provides users with a pathway to learn a new coding language, opening the door to further innovation and career development.

With more smarts, Create 3 lets you do more:As a connected robot, Create 3 comes equipped with Wi-Fi, Ethernet-over-USB host, and Bluetooth. Create 3 isalso equipped with a suite of intelligent technology, including an inertial measurement unit (IMU), optical floor tracking sensor, wheel encoders, and infrared sensors for autonomous localization, navigation, and telepresence applications. Additionally, the robot includes cliff, bump and slip detection, along with LED lights and a speaker.

A 3D simulation of Create 3 is also available using Ignition Gazebofor increased access to robotics education and research.

Create 3 Pricing and AvailabilityCreate 3 is available immediatelyin the US and Canada for $299 USD and $399 CAD. It will be available in EMEA through authorized distributorsin the coming months. Additional details can be found at https://edu.irobot.com/what-we-offer/create3.

iRobot Education Python Web Playground AvailabilityThe iRobot Education Python Web Playground can be accessed in-browser at python.irobot.com.

For more information:Create 3 photos, videos and information can be found at:http://media.irobot.com/media-kits.

Please join iRobot onFacebook,Instagram, TikTok,Twitter, andYouTube.

Follow iRobot CEO Colin Angle on Twitterand LinkedIn.

About iRobot CorporationiRobot, the leading global consumer robot company, designs and builds the world's most thoughtful robots and intelligent home innovations that make life better. iRobot created the home robot cleaning category with the introduction of its Roomba robot vacuum in 2002. Today, iRobot is a global enterprise that has sold more than 40 million robots worldwide. iRobot's product portfolio features proprietary technologies and advanced concepts in cleaning, mapping and navigation. Leveraging this portfolio, iRobot engineers are working to build an ecosystem of robots and smart home devices to help consumers make their homes easier to maintain and healthier places to live. For more information about iRobot, please visit http://www.irobot.com.

For iRobot InvestorsCertain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical information are forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating toiRobot Corporation'sexpectations concerning new product availability and new product features. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. iRobot undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by iRobot, see the disclosure contained in our public filings with theSecurities and Exchange Commissionincluding, without limitation, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

1Create 3 does not have vacuuming hardware.

SOURCE iRobot Corporation

Go here to see the original:

In Celebration of National Robotics Week, iRobot Launches the Create 3 Educational Robot - PR Newswire

Haptic technology: importance in robotics and VR explained

Artificial touch can introduce data to clients, assist them with finishing a job, expand or supplant different faculties, and add vividness and authenticity to virtual interaction. We analyze these applications with regard to various haptic technology and the structures that haptic gadgets can take.

Haptics is the science and technology of sending and getting data through touch. At its generally essential, haptic amounts to something connecting with the feeling of touch. (Its gotten from the Greek word for contact.)

Haptic Touch is a particular type of haptic input that utilizes vibrations to imitate sensations like squeezing a button or looking at a rundown when you do it on your screen. For instance, assuming you hold your finger on an application symbol, youll feel a vibration as a menu opens.

Robots are able to do extremely exact movement, however, should be directed with accuracy to live up to their true capacity. A robotic surgeons arm can move more reliably and precisely than that of the best human surgeon. The key is to direct the robot surgeons arm with the human ability and furnish the specialist with shut circle movement control.

A new robot control technology called haptic technology is being created to give tactile input to the human surgeon while directing the automated movement.

Haptic technology gives tactile criticism to the controls and permits clients to actually contact, feel, and control three-layered objects. They can exactly control the placement of the robots end-effector (the finish of the robot arm that holds the device). Likewise, 3D limit data can be considered in the robots control profile to forestall movement into confined regions where it could really hurt, utilizing haptic controls ideal for automated medical procedure application.

Robotic movement inputs empower the administrator to make development inputs that are agreeable at a human scale while robotic operations on a lot more limited size. The technology likewise empowers the intensification, or scaling, of aspects between the mechanical finish of the framework and the human administrator. This ability has strong ramifications in the area of nanotechnology, including nanosurgery.

To find out about a genuine application for haptic robotic control technology, think about the field of automated medical procedures. Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and NASA collaborated to investigate doing a medical procedure in space. They were keen on evaluating a robot that it had created to do a medical procedure in conditions where the specialist would work careful apparatuses from a distance, and NASA was searching for a method for doing a medical procedure in a cleanroom climate on the International Space Station. In the past it automated medical procedures, technology can be utilized to control robots working in perilous regions (e.g., in mining activities), robots dealing with unsafe materials (e.g., atomic waste), or robots occupied with assembling nanoscale items, for example, micromachines for biomedical applications.

Submersion, cooperation, and a creative mind are three highlights of computer-generated reality (VR). Existing VR frameworks have genuinely reasonable visual and hearable inputs, and notwithstanding, are poor with haptic criticism, through which humans can see the actual world by means of plentiful haptic properties. Haptic showcase is a connection point expecting to empower respective sign correspondences among humans and PC, and in this manner to extraordinarily improve the submersion and association of VR frameworks.

Haptics in Virtual Reality (VR) offers an additional aspect by allowing clients to feel the virtual environment not just through faculties, for example, voice-based or vision-based connection in addition to the feeling of touch. It is basic to consider the drenching and connection parts of VR to get a sensible discernment of the fake world.

The majority of the examination in VR reproduction centers around the drenching part of VR. Nonetheless, the association part of VR that remembers Haptics has not been given it is not a kidding thought for Human-PC collaboration (HCI) studies, for the most part, because of the difficulties in building haptic-empowered VR frameworks. Particularly, post-COVID-19, there is a critical need to further develop clinical abilities preparing in emerging nations without compromising assistance conveyance. Giving reasonable and versatile answers to clinical experts for preparing for far-off careful necessities is fundamental.

VR can give you an environment where you feel the place as genuinely vivid and items as real. These items are bringing the VR world a bit nearer to accomplishing vivid encounters.

Gone are the days when haptic criticism was restricted to simply vibrating regulators and joysticks. As the innovation propels, the entirely different universe of VR haptic gadgets will be here to make your VR experience as flawless and vivid as can expect. Truth be told, certain individuals even accept that without Haptics, VR is only an image with sound.

Share This ArticleDo the sharing thingy

About AuthorMore info about author

Analytics Insight is an influential platform dedicated to insights, trends, and opinions from the world of data-driven technologies. It monitors developments, recognition, and achievements made by Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Analytics companies across the globe.

Read the original here:

Haptic Technology is the Next Big Thing in Robotics and VR - Analytics Insight

"What was considered in demand 10 years ago will probably not be in demand 10 years from now." Photo: Getty Images

The South African school curriculum is due to offer coding and robotics as its newest subjects, as the world shifts towards a more automation and digitisation.

The Department of Basic Education last year gazetted 18 schools across the country to trial the two subjects, with two in each province.

The 2023 academic year will see Grades R to 3, and Grade 7 being taught the subjects. Grades 4 to 6, and Grade 8 will pilot the subjects this year, followed by Grade 9, in 2023.

The implementation of these subjects aims to better equip pupils to enter the digital era, and prepare them for future careers.

What the experts say

No specific detail has been given as to how the subjects were piloted and what the curriculum would typically look like. However, Amir Patel, Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town's (UCT) programme convener for the research unit for robotics, welcomes the introduction of the subjects.

Neetu Ramsaroop a lecturer at the University of the Witswatersrands (Wits) school of Business Science suggests a better approach would be to expose pupils to the subjects as opposed to teaching them.

"I think that some subjects taught at school can be detrimental to the student wanting to do the same at university,' she said, speaking specifically about the challenges of unlearning bad techniques and habits.

While the subjects have clear advantages, it is crucial that the government ensures that schools are well-resourced and that teachers are well equipped to teach them, Patel said.

In itsplan, the basic education department says it will up-skill teachers to teach the new subjects, which it plans to do in collaboration with higher education institutions.

Patel said robotics was a good vehicle to show pupils what they can do with maths and science and said it was important for the government to strengthen mathematics and science in schools.

In addition to maths and science, English should also be improved, said Ramsaroop.

For students at the Wits faculty, it's unlikely that a career in coding could be a "springboard" into a specific career, programming would more likely to lead students into Business Analysis, says Ramsaroop.

These are the careers you could find yourself in with a coding background, besides your typical careers in computer programming or app development.

Robotics can get you into any career that requires automation. It could be designing and making self-driving cars, programming washing machines, or working with airplanes.

A lot of students from the Engineering school of Mechatronics graduate and are employed in the finance and banking sector, with a handful working in insurance.

Mechatronics at UCT has the largest intake in their engineering faculty, with many high school students applying for the course.

The job opportunities are endless, and some yet to be discovered in coding and robotics; the exciting thing about them is that they are continuously evolving. Per Indeed, the robotics field has had increasing growth in the past 10 years, with multiple industries taking an interest in the field.

Robotics careers can lead you into sectors such as medicine, manufacturing, military and more.

Visit link:

Coding and robotics become school subjects in 2023. These are the careers they open. - Business Insider South Africa

Digital retail giant Amazon has over 200,000 robots helping deliver more than 350 million different products in an unceasing flood of billions of deliveries. Its fulfillment machine with both free and fast shipping has become a key competitive moat against other retailers: free shipping and 1-day or 2-day shipping is why Amazon customers chose Amazon.

So how can other retailers, whether giants like Walmart or smaller brands, compete? One way is by stealing a march on the e-commerce behemoth and automating themselves.

This surge in automation, driven by our on-demand economy, is boosting growth of the warehouse robotics space more than 15% every year and and causing the ecosystem to more than double in size by 2027, hitting over $23 billion in value. Plus, according to industry experts, its also boosting productivity 200-300%.

Sometimes in simpler ways than you might think.

EASTVALE, CA - AUGUST 31: A robot sorts and stacks bins at Amazon fulfillment center in Eastvale on ... [+] Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda/MediaNews Group/The Press-Enterprise via Getty Images)

Locus Robotics is a seven-year-old logistics automation startup with $300 million in funding thats on track to pick a billion items this year. And boosting productivity isnt always about the biggest, smartest, most capable robot that can go anywhere, find anything, take it off the warehouse rack, and bring it where it needs to go. Sometimes its just about lending a helping hand, and letting humans do what they do better.

I recently talked to Locus Robotics CMO Karen Leavitt on the TechFirst podcast.

Our robots know what the item is, nobody has to look at a list. The robots go to the location where the item is being stored, and then a worker meets the robot there, Leavitt says. By doing it that way, we are doubling or even tripling the productivity of the humans in that warehouse, and we're cutting down on the amount of walking that they do by probably 75 or 80%. These are people who, without the robots, would be walking 10 to 15 miles a day. And now they're down to just a few miles a day because they're interacting with the robots.

In other words, warehouse robots dont necessarily need to do all of the job. Getting variably-shaped objects of variable weight off shelves of variable height and depth is a challenging robotic endeavor. Humans do it much better at least right now. Robots, however, are much better at wheeling around a multi-hundred-thousand square foot warehouse and saving humans all that walking.

The problem? Almost all warehouses today do this entirely manually, Leavitt says.

95% of all of those warehouses do this process entirely manually, where it's a person pushing a glorified shopping cart through the aisles walking ... a dozen or more miles a day.

Locus ships robots via what we might call robots-as-a-service model, adding extras during busy times like holidays. Training time for a new robot is essentially zero: connect then to the robotic network and theyll be assigned tasks and integrated into the flow of work immediately.

The robots also reduce training time for workers. Instead of two or three weeks to learn all the tricks of the logistics trade, they can essentially hang out in a specified area of the warehouse. As a robot comes up and flashes some information to them, they can grab the right item and give it to the robot.

That makes the humans more productive, Leavitt says.

It reduces injuries, too. Leavitt says one customer reported an 80% reduction in injuries, plus better job satisfaction due to less fatigue.

Of course, two things are happening there. The humans are essentially becoming part of a command-and-control network run by a warehouse or logistics operating system which I suppose has always happened in some form or another, even pre-digital days and are basically being told what to pick, when and where, by the robot who comes up for the next item. And secondly, as robots get better, smarter, more capable, and cheaper, eventually the robots will be able to add the picking part of the job as well.

Or, Locus and other robotics manufactures will create a class of robots that doesnt just move product but essentially replaces the picking people in the warehouse racks, so that one robot moves the product while another robot gets it.

That may be a ways off, but it seems inevitable. It doesnt seem to be something that any robotics company wants to admit, however.

Three, four years ago, I worried about that tension, but we haven't seen it, Leavitt says. And the reason we haven't seen it is because the growth rate in the fulfillment warehouse area has just been so strong that the ability to find, hire, and retain labor is still the biggest challenge warehouse operators face.

That makes sense, but as we see Amazon start to use robots like the Fanuc 6-axis robot that can lift 1,200 kilogram pallets high into the air, and other smaller robots with dextrous fingers, for lighter and more delicate items, you have to think the days are approaching when all the jobs in shipping and fulfillment can be done by robots.

And, of course, managed by complex software to optimize timing and productivity.

We're really turning these warehouses into digital command centers, Leavitt told me. We put up monitors everywhere that that create dashboards. And we see not just the supervisors and the executives looking at these dashboards, but the workers looking at them: they can see how their actions are contributing to the output in the warehouse. And they can take action as a result of that.

With Amazon and Walmart nearly tied in their percentage of US retail sales and hundreds if not thousands of other retailers struggling to compete, that kind of automation is not just critical for Walmart to achieve in order to compete, but any other retailer as well.

Locus Robotics just added two new robots to its fleet last month which will handle heavier loads as well as pick products at the case and pallet level but not yet individual items. Both are available with its robots-as-a-service model.

Global logistics giant DHL says theyre working:

Locuss innovative multi-bot solution has helped DHL to consistently double our workers productivity all around the world, Adrian Kumar, and executive with DHL, said in a statement. This new robot lineup with the different form factors all working together as a coordinated fleet means we always assign the right robot, even as our needs change dynamically throughout the work day.

Competitors include Fanuc, with a long list of robots for warehouses as well as production and industrial use, OTTO, Grabit, Fetch Robotics (acquired by Zebra), and more.

Subscribe to TechFirst here, or get a full transcript of our conversation.

View post:

Keeping Up With Amazon: How Warehouse Robots Are Revolutionizing The On-Demand Economy - Forbes

Due to continuous advancement in AI technology and research robots are now getting the unique sixth sense

What is sixth sense technology?

Some experts believe that humans are born with a sixth sense. Its the sense of proprioception, which is the perception or awareness of ones own bodys position and movement. This sensation aids in the coordination of our motions.

Solid-state sensors, which have historically been utilised in robotics, are unable to record the high-dimensional deformations of soft systems, making this sophisticated sense difficult to replicate in robots. Embedded soft resistive sensors, on the other hand, have the ability to solve this problem. With the rapid advancement in AI technologies and researches, the discovery of new methodologies involving a variety of sensory material, and machine-learning algorithms, scientists are getting closer to conquering the difficulty of using this approach.

The generic coding for the integration of sixth sense technologies on the robot is done by multiple software. Sixth sense technology is a view of the notion of augmented reality. Sixth Sense recognises the items in our environment and presents information about them in a real-time context. The user can interact with the content through hand movements thanks to the sixth sense technology. When compared to text and graphic-based user interfaces, this is a much more efficient method.

After the robot is built and the sensors are installed, the next step is to integrate digital information into the actual world by programming the robot to take image recognition inputs, transforming it into a sixth sense robot and Python was used in conjunction with code from the Arduino IDE to complete this task.

In the sense of smell and taste, robots with chemical sensors could be far more precise than humans, but building in proprioception, the robots awareness of itself and its body, is far more challenging and is a big reason why humanoid robots are so tough to get right.

Tiny modifications can make a big difference in human-robot interaction, wearable robotics, and sensitive applications like surgery.

In the case of hard robotics, this is usually solved by putting a number of strain and pressure sensors in each joint, which allow the robot to figure out where its limbs are. This is fine for rigid robots with a limited number of joints, but it is insufficient for softer, more flexible robots.

Roboticists are torn between having a large, complicated array of sensors for every degree of freedom in a robots mobility and having limited proprioception skills. This challenge is being addressed with new solutions, which often involve new arrays of sensory material and machine-learning algorithms to fill in the gaps.

They discuss the use of soft sensors spread at random through a robotic finger in a recent study in Science Robotics. Rather than depending on data from a restricted number of places, this placement is similar to the ongoing adaptation of sensors in humans and animals.

The sensors enable the soft robot to respond to touch and pressure in a variety of locations, creating a map of itself as it contorts into difficult poses. A motion capture system observes the finger as it travels around, and the machine-learning algorithm interprets the signals from the randomly scattered sensors. After training the robots neural network, it can link sensor feedback with the motion-capture systems detected finger position, which may then be discarded. The robot watches its own movements to figure out what shapes its soft body can take and then translates those shapes into the language of these soft sensors.

The benefits of this approach include the robots ability to predict complex motions and forces experienced by the soft robot (which is impossible with traditional methods) and alsothe fact that it can be applied to a variety of actuators and sensors.

The application of machine learning allows roboticists to create a reliable model for this complicated, non-linear system of actuator motions, which is difficult to achieve by just calculating the soft-expected bots motion. It also mirrors the human proprioception system, which is based on redundant sensors that fluctuate in position as we mature.

Machine learning techniques are revolutionising robotics in ways that have never been seen before. Combining these with our knowledge of how humans and other animals perceive and interact with the world around us is pushing robotics closer to being truly flexible and adaptable, and eventually omnipresent.

Share This ArticleDo the sharing thingy

Read more from the original source:

Robots Developing the Unique Sixth Sense, Thanks to Advanced Research - Analytics Insight