Category Archives: Robotics

Yesterday, enterprise computing corporation Zebra Technologies announced its plan to acquire Fetch Robotics. The San Jose-based startup has been a mainstay in warehouse and fulfillment robotics for a number of years, offering a modular system designed to automate companies behind the scenes.

The full deal is valued at $305 million, with Zebra acquiring the remaining 95% of the company for $290 million. It comes as interest in the category is at an all-time high, following widespread labor shortages during the pandemic.

After the news broke, we sat down with Fetch co-founder and CEO Melonee Wise to discuss the deal and the future of warehouse robotics.

Why was this acquisition the right move for Fetch?

When you look at it, over the last seven years, weve been building a pretty compelling cloud robotics platform. About two years ago, Zebra invested in Fetch, and we started working together through our partnership. One of the first things we did was integrating their mobile computing devices, for an out-of-the-box experience on our cloud robotics platform. When our customers got robots, they could take the hand scanner they already had today, scan a barcode and call a robot to them.

As we were fundraising for our Series D, this opportunity came out of that. I think when you look at it, over the last couple of years, weve had a good relationship with them. With the pandemic, theres been a huge draw for more and more automation technology. Before the pandemic, there were already labor shortages for warehouse and logistics, and the pandemic only exacerbated it. One of the other great things about us joining Zebra is they have a strong go-to-market engine, and they can amplify our sales capability. Theyre already in all of the customers we want to be working with. It helps us reach a much broader, wider and deeper audience.

Id assumed Fetch was a good potential candidate for an acquisition, but Id always imagined it would be something like a Walmart looking to compete with Amazon robotics. I suspect that youve been approached by companies over the years. Why does this kind of acquisition make more sense, ultimately?

I think the acquisition made sense because it aligns with more of our long-term vision. When we built our platform, we built it to be unifying. Not just our robots. Over the years weve been slowly bringing in other partners on the platform. We have a partnership with SICK, we have partnerships with other MWS providers like VARGO. That isnt going to change. Were still going to be partner friendly and were still going to bring other devices into the ecosystem. When you look at the options and the opportunities, this was a good opportunity and was well aligned with the team we wanted to build.

I know Zebra has developed their own robot and invested in other robotics companies. Are you the cornerstone of an ecosystem play? Is this Zebra building a a robotic retail and fulfillment ecosystem around Fetch?

Yes, that so far has been the discussion. Its still evolving. I dont have all the details for you, obviously. And of course, we still have 30 days or 35 days till closing, so were still operating as independent businesses. In terms of vision of how were thinking about it, Zebra is very excited to kind of make Fetch the centerpiece of this whole new offering that theyre building out. Its a high strategic priority for them.

Will the Fetch brand remain? Will the company stay in San Jose? Are you staying on board?

Fetch is not moving. Were kind of becoming the centerpiece, so they want to keep the team together, in San Jose. My plan is to stay. Were still working out the details [ ] Fetch has a very strong brand, and so how do we get the best of both worlds.

Is acquisition something that a company like Fetch works toward? Do you consider it to be kind of an inevitability?

I think its complicated. When I started the company, I never really planned on anything. I just wanted to go build something. I mean that in the most sincere way. I wanted to go build something and not fail. And the question is, what does not failing look like? I think the facts are that in the last 20-something years, almost no robotics company has IPOed. Now were starting to see SPACS, but there hasnt been a robotics company thats IPOed through the traditional route.

I would say that if you were to ask me on any given day, what I thought the probability of IPO versus acquisition, I probably would have said acquisition, because theres just not a history of robotics companies IPOing. Thats for lots of reasons. Its a hardware intensive business. It takes a lot of technology and investment. Typically, theyre held privately. Its hard for large corporate entities to have the P&L to invest in this deep technology. I think thats starting to change. And I think now that theres SPACs, youll see a lot changing in that regard. But I would say youre still going to see more acquisitions than youre going to see IPOs for the next 10 years.

Had you been approached about acquisition in the past?

Yeah. In the past we had been, but many times before it was just too early.

What does it mean to be too early?

It just didnt feel like the right time for lots of reasons. Some of it has to do with what I want. Some of it has to do with what the team wants. And some of it has to do with what our investors want. There are a lot of people at the table. This is always a hard question. Previously when those things had come up, the market was so undefined and so new, we just wanted to see where it went. Now were starting to see more structure to the environment, and were starting to see an inflection point.

Is additional international expansion part of the plan?

Yeah. Were in several companies in Europe. Were in APAC and expanding in that region. Right now, we arent placing any large bets in any of those countries. Were waiting to see how the market develops, but were looking to expand.

See the article here:

Fetch Robotics CEO on the companys acquisition and the future of warehouse robots - TechCrunch

Lafayette Parish high school studentsbuilt a modified bike pedal, made sensorsand programmed a microprocessor to help a little boy with a prosthetic leg ride a bike like his peers, and now their idea has garnered global recognition.

Team 3616 Phenomena ranked as one of 20 robotics teams out of 870 worldwide with its Innovation Project, placing them in the top 2% in the world in the 2021FIRST Innovation Challenge.

"It's a bicycle add-on kit that allows children with an impaired leg or compromised leg to bike-ride like other kids," saidHailey Menard, recent graduate of Ovey Comeaux High School on the team.

The idea for the bike add-on started with teacher Lisa Ranney, who leads the team. She knew someone whose grandson who would benefit from such an invention. Her students jumped on the idea, brainstorming ways to make it happen with Ranney and local mentors like mechanical engineer Kevin Bollich.

"I assist the team with technical aspects," said Bollich, who has mentored the team for 11 years. "Mechanical engineering and computer science are my background. Robotics pulls that all together."

He encouragedthem to pursue their ideas and workedwith them to make them a reality.

"The students are really sharp," he said.

Together they figured out angles, wheel speed sensors and programming for a motor to provide low-speed assist until the rider can pedal on his own, making it different from an e-bike.

They manufactured everything in-house at the W.D. and Mary Baker Career Center and tried to think through every potential problem.The modified pedal has a safety feature that keeps the prosthetic or compromised leg secure but also releases the leg should the rider fall.

"How it works," Lafayette High senior Trinity LeBlanc began,"once they've put their foot on the pedal, they'll push off with their other leg and pressthe low-speed assistbutton, and from there the bike will actas a normal e-bike until they reach a comfortable speed where they can begin pedaling and then release the button."

But it doesn't stop there.The microprocessor and small, add-on motorwork with other sensors to determine whenthe prosthetic leg needs anextra push to maintain pedaling.

"From there, all the other sensors and the microprocessor will work together to make sure it's a smooth ride," LeBlanc said.

Bollich said the project became personal to the students, and the potential real-world impact of the bike kit made them want to work harder.

There's a business side to the challenge, too. That's where William Ness, chief information officer with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, came in this year.

"I helped primarily with the business pitch side of things," Ness said. "In addition to building the actual robot, for the FIRST Innovation Challenge students develop the robot as a sellable product."

They had to do their research to answer questions about market, costs, licensing, manufacturing and distribution for their report. Now they're putting that research into action, with plans to apply for a professional patent.

Once they've patented and licensed the technology, they hope to work with a nonprofit or other organization to make their bike kit available to more people in addition to giving itto the little boy who inspired the project in the first place, Ranney said.

"This has been a great opportunity to learn about patents andbusiness models, and we're also getting the chance to help someone," LeBlanc said.

"We're making a positive difference," Menardsaid.

More: Award-winning innovation: Lafayette robotics team develops valuable skillset through competition

Team 3616 Phenomena also earned other awards in this year's FIRST Robotics Challenge. The team also built a robot and programmed it to fulfill and compete in the global contest, and here the team also rankedin the top 20 worldwide, the only Louisiana team to do so.

Ranney said the students grew in self-esteem and confidence as well as their knowledge of robotics and potential career fields.

"This will have an everlasting impact on them," the teacher said.

Contact children's issues reporter Leigh Guidry at Lguidry@theadvertiser.comor on Twitter@LeighGGuidry.

Here is the original post:

'We're making a positive difference': Lafayette robotics students innovate to meet real-world needs - Daily Advertiser

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Christian Hubicki gives a talk on robotics to a group from the Boys and Girls Club inside the robotics lab in the AME building at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

More than 30 membersofBoys& Girls Clubs of the Big Bend got a behind-the-scenes tour of unique facilities at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering as part of a partnership between Prime Meridian Bank, FSUs Opening Nights and the college.

The middle and high school students toured a polysonic wind tunnel and robotics labs at the colleges Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy(AME)Building. Leading the tour was Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering ChristianHubicki, a robotics researcher who gained a national following after starring on the CBS reality show, Survivor.

Our students benefit greatly by seeing whats happening on college campuses in our community, said Kacy Dennis, Director of Operations for the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Bend. This kind of in-person educational programming enables our students to see how what they are learning in school can be applied to careers. It shows them whats possible and motivates them to keep learning to achieve their dreams.

The tour and lunch were sponsored by Prime Meridian Bank, a supporter of Opening Nights. As part of its mission, Opening Nights helps provide educational experiences for students of all ages.

Key to Prime Meridian Banks commitment to improving lives in our community is nurturing partnerships that offer experiences that inspire students, said Sammie Dixon, vice chairman, president and CEO of the bank. Education in the classroom is critical. Giving students exposure to what they can do with that education provides them with even more options for a bright future.

The AME building was formed to meet the needs of rapidly evolving and competitive fields in engineering. The building boasts multiple wind tunnels, including one that reaches Mach 5, that allow researchers to develop new aerospace technologies.

The facility is also home to the Center for Intelligent Systems, Control and Robotics (CISCOR). This center uses state-of-the-art technology to develop solutions to problems in systems, control and robotics. CISCOR researchers are developing robots that can maneuver over different types of terrain and even climb walls.

Michael Blachly, director of Opening Nights, said the organization was proud to provide educational opportunities for students in the Big Bend area.

Opening Nights is pleased to partner with our sponsor Prime Meridian Bank and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering to provide in-person educational programming for the Boys and Girls Clubs, he said. The magic of offering both arts and science programming helps students think creatively, strengthens their imaginations and develops different skillsets to become well-rounded individuals.

About Opening Nights at Florida State University

Opening Nights at Florida State University is the universitys official performing arts presenter, bringing world-class talent to campus and the surrounding region. The organizations mission is to present compelling and distinguished artists who provide extraordinary experiences that educate, inspire and connect diverse audiences on and off campus. For more information, visitopeningnights.fsu.edu.

About Prime Meridian Bank

Prime Meridian Bank is headquartered in Tallahassee, Floridas State Capital, and offers a broad range of banking services to the Tallahassee and Lakeland/Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA).The Bank serves clients in North and Central Florida as well as South Georgia and South Alabama and currently has four locations: two in Tallahassee, Florida, one in Crawfordville, Florida, and one in Lakeland, Florida. The Banks motto: Lets think of a few good reasons why it CAN be done. Learn more athttp://www.TryMyBank.com.

About Boys & Girls Club oftheBig Bend

The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Big Bend is, To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. By providing club members with academic support, extracurricular opportunities, and positive adult role models, they aim to break the cycle of poverty for future generations of North Floridians. At each of their 7 Clubs, children are given the confidence needed to stay out of trouble, make good decisions and to work toward a healthy adulthood. For more information, visitbgcbb.org.

See the original post here:

Magic of art and science: Boys and Girls Club experience robots, polysonic wind tunnel - Florida State News

Add Soft Robotics to the long list of automation companies that have seen a boost in investment interest amid the pandemic. The New England-based firm announced this morning a $10 million raise that serves as an extension of the $23 million Series B it announced in January of last year.

The extension was led by Material Impact, Scale Venture Partners and Calibrate Ventures and featured existing investors Tekfen Ventures and industrial robotics giant ABB. The latest round brings the companys total funding to around $58 million.

Founded in 2013, the company takes a novel approach to picking machines, with a soft, pneumatic-powered gripper thats ideal for fragile food stuffs that might otherwise be damaged by rigid robotics. Food, of course, has been a prime target for interest in automation during the pandemic, due to labor shortages and fears of disease transmission.

Todays industrial robots are unable to deal with product variability or unstructured environments typically found across the labor challenged food supply chain in areas such as agriculture, food processing and logistics, Soft Robotics COO Mark Chiappetta said in a release.

With our revolutionary soft grasping, 3D perception and AI technologies, Soft Robotics unlocks robotic automation by augmenting widely available industrial robots with true hand-eye coordination allowing them to perform tasks that traditionally could only be performed by human workers.

The round also sees Tyson Foods investment wing, Tyson Ventures joining the fold. Tyson, which produces poultry, beef and pork in massive volumes, is an existing customer.

At Tyson Ventures, we are continually exploring new areas in automation that can enhance safety and increase the productivity of our team members, Tyson Ventures Rahul Ray said in the release. Soft Robotics best-in-class robotic technology, computer vision and AI platform have the potential to transform the food industry and will play a key role in any companys automation journey.

Read more here:

Soft Robotics raises another $10M, citing pandemic-related demand - TechCrunch

Forbes | THRIVE Future of Food

New York, July 1, 2021 - Today SVG Ventures and Forbes announced that Israeli-based Autonomous Pivot and US-based Bloomfield Robotics are the two winners of the Innovation Icon Award at the seventh annual Demo Day at the Forbes | THRIVE Future of Food Summit. During Demo Day, twelve global startups handpicked from an applicant pool of almost 700 companies across 78 countries pitched in front of a record-setting crowd of 2,500 top agriculture food and technology corporations, entrepreneurs, universities, and investors for startup funding.

Autonomous Pivot develops an intelligent platform for optimizing irrigation, fertigation, and crop-protection in fields irrigated by irrigation-pivot. Bloomfield Robotics' crop assessment services rely on a unique and cost-effective combination of ground-based image capture and deep learning-based processing to help farmers efficiently, effectively, and affordably assess crops. They will receive up to $250k in investment from SVG Ventures as the joint winners of the 2021 Forbes | THRIVE Innovation Icon Award.

Our Demo Day winners are a true reflection of how important sustainability, innovation, and geographical diversity are to disrupting the agrifood industry globally, said John Hartnett, Founder & CEO of SVG Ventures | THRIVE. This years cohort was fiercely competitive, which is why we shine a spotlight on them through the ForbesSVG Ventures partnership, and we cant wait to see how these companies will continue to transform our food supply.

Each year, Demo Day gathers rich ideas and transformative technologies from passionate and dedicated entrepreneurs, said Sherry Phillips, SVP of ForbesLIVE. We are delighted to be able to connect these ideas with an eager audience and look forward to continuing to amplify innovative technology solutions on a global scale with THRIVE.

The Demo Day judging panel comprising of executives from Valmont, Cavallo Ventures, Farm Credit Canada, Kubota, Trimble, and THRIVE thoroughly evaluated each of the finalists and the coveted 2021 Forbes | THRIVE Innovation Icon Award was presented to joint winners, Automonous Pivot and Bloomfield Robotics. The companies that competed at Forbes|Thrive Future of Food Summit were Arva Intelligence, Autonomous Pivot, Bloomfield Robotics, Foodlocker, Goanna Ag, Healthy Cow, Lucent Biosciences, Pheronym, Rubens Technology, Serket, Syocin Biotech, Transpirational.

The Female Leadership and Peoples Choice Awards were also presented at the Summit. Dr. Fatma Kaplan was the winner of the Female Leadership Award.She is the CEO and Co-Founder of Pheronym, a startup that uses pheromones for eco-friendly pest control solutions. The companys bio-control process improves plant health and crop yield using a new pheromone to control parasitic roundworms, control insect pests in the soil, and protect crop roots.

Nigerian-based Foodlocker was the Peoples Choice Award winner. Foodlocker is the operating system that optimizes the outcomes and yields of smallholder farmers by supporting and monitoring production activities and opening up big markets using their omnichannel distribution system.

For more information about the Forbes 2021 Forbes|Thrive Future of Food Summit and the speaker lineup, visit:Forbes 2021 Future of Food.

To join the conversation online, follow #FutureofFood.

SVG Ventures | THRIVE is the Founding Partner. Dollar General Corporation, Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and AgriNovus Indiana are the Presenting Sponsors and Wilbur-Ellis is the Partner Sponsor.

About SVG Ventures | THRIVE

SVG Ventures | THRIVE is the leading global Agrifood investment and innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley, and comprised of top agriculture, food & technology corporations, universities, and investors. With a community of over 5,000 startups from 100 countries, the THRIVE platform invests, accelerates, and creates unparalleled access for entrepreneurs to scale globally to solve the biggest challenges facing the food and agriculture industries. SVGs existing global partners include Media Partner Forbes and leading government, agriculture, and technology corporations such as Corteva, Driscolls, FCC, CED, Gallo, Bayer,Kubota, Land OLakes, ICL, UFA, CSIRO, BayWa, Trimble, Taylor Farms, Valmont, Yamaha Motor Ventures, Wilbur-Ellis & Victoria Government.

Crunchbase recognizes SVG Ventures as the most active AgTech investor with a portfolio count of over 50 investments in the sector.

About Forbes

Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 140 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 32 licensed local editions in 71 countries. Forbes Medias brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit theForbes News HuborForbes Connect.

Media contacts:

Laura Brusca at lbrusca@forbes.com

Jocelyn Swift atjswift@forbes.com

More:

Two Companies, Autonomous Pivot And Bloomfield Robotics, Win The Innovation Icon Award At The Forbes | THRIVE Future Of Food Summit - Forbes

In full transparency, the following is a press release from American Robotics, submitted to SOURCE via its business wire service.

***

MARLBOROUGH American Robotics, a leading commercial developer of fully-automated drone systems, announced it will join the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to advance BVLOS drone operations at the request of the FAA.

As the first company to be authorized by the FAA for highly automated operations with no humans on-site, American Robotics holds a unique view on how to further advance and develop drone regulations to best support the $100 billion commercial drone industry. American Robotics will provide recommendations to normalize safe, viable and scalable BVLOS flights.

American Robotics is excited to participate in pushing forward BVLOS regulations alongside the FAA to develop safe integration of UAS into our National Airspace System, said Reese Mozer, co-founder and CEO of American Robotics. Our groundbreaking FAA approval in January 2021 was an important and significant step forward for the commercial drone community as a whole. We look forward to sharing our insights with the broader commercial drone community, and the FAA, and providing commercial users better access to the data and insights that are only accessible through an automated drone solution.

The commercial drone industry is growing quickly and providing significant benefits to the American public, but enabling expanded BVLOS operations is critical for the industry to truly take off. Automated BVLOS operations are particularly important to bringing the commercial sectors into the drone economy, including the oil and gas, renewable energy, infrastructure, and agriculture verticals. Key to these operations is the use, and FAA acceptance, of new and innovative safety technologies, such as long-range detect and avoid (DAA) sensors and software-enabled automation. The ARC will be a key step towards the future of the commercial drone industry.

See the original post here:

American Robotics Selected to Participate On New FAA Rulemaking Committee About Drone Operations - framinghamsource.com

Robots are everywhere in Pittsburgh. But except for the occasional self-driving car seen on the streets, people might not know how central they are to Pittsburghs current (and future) economy.

So the three top robotics communities in the world are Boston, Pittsburgh and the Bay Area, said Joel Reed, executive director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network. And Pittsburgh is either number one or two depending on about how the debate of MIT versus CMU goes.

At a Tuesday morning gathering on the rooftop deck of the TRYP Hotel in the middle of Robotics Row, the Strip/Lawrenceville tech cluster with a robot population that is rapidly approaching its human population the Pittsburgh Robotics Network began to flex its automated muscles to turn the city into the Robotics Capital of the World. Mayor Bill Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Martial Hebert, dean of the School of Computer Sciences at Carnegie Mellon, addressed a gathering of Pittsburghs major players in robotics.

The Pittsburgh Robotics Network celebrated reaching 100 members ranging from self-driving car giant Aurora to robotic arm developers RE2 Robotics and receiving a $125,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support its continued growth.

Photo courtesy of RE2 Robotics.

Since 2012, $3.3 billion in venture capital and private equity has been invested in Pittsburgh robotics firms, with nearly 600 patents filed. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network estimates that the regions robotics cluster supports 7,000 jobs, and more than 45,000 technology workers at large growing 300 percent since 2011.

Pittsburghs back on the worlds stage again, said Peduto. And its not because of robotics. Its because of innovation. It was technology that helped Pittsburgh be able to brush off the rust, to be able to stand back up.

The reasons for the robotics boom are many, but all roads lead back to Carnegie Mellon University. CMU founded the worlds first doctoral program in robotics in 1988 and leads the worlds largest robotics research organization, the Robotics Institute, which includes the National Robotics Engineering Center. Research on self-driving cars began here in the 80s, which is the main reason why the city is a world-class hub for the technology today.

Aurora Driver integrated into a Chrysler Pacifica. Photo courtesy of Aurora.

Of course, there are a lot of cities that would like to be the robotics capital of the world.

There are other regions that are emerging, like Austin and Denver, and one that we respect a great deal is the country of Denmark, said Reed. But I think Pittsburgh stands out when you look at its breadth and depth Were all trying to develop the autonomous robot industry because it really is the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0.

Pittsburgh has 18 different industry robotics verticals, where it has grown specialties, including agriculture, mining and space exploration.

Self-driving car company Argo AI gets a lot of attention, employing 500 people in its Pittsburgh headquarters and 1,500 worldwide. But there are also less well-known anchors such as Omnicell, which supplies automation to pharmacies.

They also offer a great example of perseverance as a company, said Reed. They grew out of a company called Automated Healthcare, which was one of the first few startups to come out of CMU.

The robotics ecosystem in Pittsburgh has evolved enough that it doesnt just need specialized engineers from the University of Pittsburgh and CMU.

When I was at IAM Robotics, one of the hardest positions to hire for was a service technician, said Reed. We needed someone who could, you know, handle a wrench, but also work on a command line, and we need them to travel and thats really difficult to hire for. So we believe that with the growth of these kinds of jobs in service, assembly, sales, marketing all the functions that come on the commercial side, we really can create more opportunities for a broader percentage of the overall community.

As a group, theyre aware that not everybody benefits equally from the growth in robotics.

You know there are diversity challenges in technology in general, explained Reed. And robotics is not immune to that. That said, I can say sincerely that the leaders of our businesses care very deeply about this issue and maybe that sets Pittsburgh apart, quite frankly, because we are a smaller, tight-knit community.

The R.K. Mellon Foundation support is going to play a role in addressing that.

Not only for economic development but to start developing pathways for underserved populations where we have economic, gender and racial inequalities, noted Reed. We dont have all of the answers, I have to say. But what we are going to do from the start, is to talk to these communities, and try to get them involved with what were doing.

Could we have a future where people think of robots first, when they think of Pittsburgh (and not football)?

If you work in social media or internet technology, youre always going through the Bay Area once a year, said Reed. And it should be that if you work in robotics and autonomous systems, you should be coming through Pittsburgh once a year.

Pittsburgh is at the forefront. And just like we were in the first and second industrial revolutions, we are leading this one.

Carnegie Mellon UniversityNational Robotics Engineering CenterPittsburgh Robotics Networkrobotics

Here is the original post:

How Pittsburgh is transforming into the robotics capital of the world - NEXTpittsburgh

ThePittsburgh Robotics Network (PRN), a group dedicated to the growth of the regions robotics and artificial intelligence companies, announced this week that it has attracted more 100 members, making Pittsburgh home to one of the worlds most dynamic robotics ecosystems.At a June 29 celebration, the Richard King Mellon Foundation commemorated this milestone with a grant of $125,000 to support the continued growth of the PRN.

The alliance brings together leaders from top robotics companies, research institutions and universities in the Pittsburgh area, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and self-driving technology companies Aurora and Argo AI (co-founded by a Pitt alum), among many others.

The PRN was formed in 2016 to build a connected community and leverage shared resources. In 2020, the PRN expanded its mission to enhance Pittsburghs standing in the worldwide robotics community and advance robotics and artificial intelligence technologies globally.

The University of Pittsburgh plays an important part in that ecosystem by producing top engineers and scientific research from the Swanson School of Engineering and School of Computing and Information.

The research and innovation community at the University of Pittsburgh is excited to collaborate and learn from other members of the network, said Rob A. Rutenbar, senior vice chancellor for research. With our world-class engineering, computer science and information science capabilities, and our regions reputation as a global leader in the industry, this alliance will help us continue to drive innovation in robotics and build the economy of the future.

In the past five years, the technology talent pool in Pittsburgh has grown by 20 percent, with more than 45,000 workers in the industry; in the citys robotics sector, employment has grown by 300 percent since 2011. Pittsburgh overall offers a robust talent pool with 12,000 technology degrees and certificates awarded annually, ranking as one of the top five cities in the United States for college students.

We have created one of the worlds largest platforms where top robotics and AI companies work together. Were a community of innovators, builders and makers determined to solve the worlds toughest problems, said Joel Reed, executive director of the Pittsburgh Robotics Network, at the June celebration. The PRN bridges this community to growing pools of worldwide talent, emerging industry networks, investors and users of autonomous solutions.

Since 2012, $3.3 billion in venture capital and private equity has been invested in Pittsburghs robotics firms and nearly 600 patents have been awarded for robotics-based innovation.

Pittsburgh itself has been dubbed as the birthplace of self-driving car development and is home to Aurora, which acquired Ubers Advanced Technology Group, and Argo AI.

As a longstanding center of innovation, we are proud to call Pittsburgh home and to work alongside the regions diverse talent and technology industry leaders to create real value for everyday applications, including mobility and transportation, said Peter Rander, co-founder and president of Argo AI, which is working with Ford and Volkswagen to launch autonomous ride-hail and goods delivery services.

Co-founder and CEO of Argo AI, Bryan Salesky(ENGR 02),is himself a Pitt alumnus. The autonomous vehicle technology company has grown its team to more than 500 in Pittsburgh and 1,300 worldwide since it was founded in 2016.

Nearly 100 leaders from top robotics companies, government officials, research institutions and universities in the Pittsburgh area convened to officially launch the PRN at the event. Speakers included Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, Reed, Rander and others.

The Pittsburgh Robotics Network will help position Pittsburgh as a national and worldwide robotics centerhelping to attract new businesses, create new jobs and connect diverse talent pools to those new opportunities, Sam Reiman, director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation, said.

Go here to see the original:

Making Pittsburgh the Robotics Capital of the World - University Times

When NVIDIA started to move aggressively toward autonomous cars, they also built a foundation for autonomous robots of every kind.

At Dell Technologies World a few years back, they had a session on the future, and robotics was expected to be one of a few very disruptive changes the market was expected to go through this decade.

We now have robots being developed for manufacturing, telepresence, military use, law enforcement use, security, such as in malls and large buildings and event centers, and digital helpers for the disabled.

But our road to robotics is rocky. From actuators to cameras, to power, to simply getting the things intelligent enough, there have been huge impediments to advancement. Most of which we have worked through, but one problem remains.

That problem is how to train them effectively without having to walk them through every task physically. The fix was to use simulation where days of training could be done in minutes, because you can speed up the simulation to machine speeds and well past what a physical construct could do.

But all simulations were not created equal, and while the use of gaming-based simulations looked promising, that promise didnt translate well into practice. The simulation, to work correctly, has to reflect through the virtual cameras to the virtual robot the full richness of the physical world. Otherwise, the robots training will be faulty.

For instance, gaming-based simulations for training resulted in weird anomalies when the robots were programmed with what was learned. Theyd do things like think shadows were solid objects and route around them, dramatically reducing the robots efficiency and productivity, while creating potential hazards as the robots attempted to dodge the non-material shadows of objects.

The solution, designed to work with NVIDIAs Jetson Xavier robotics platform that 800K developers have embraced across 120 ecosystem partners for 3K customers, is becoming one of the de facto robotics solutions.

Isaac Sim was developed to solve this problem. It is a simulation built on the Omniverse platform of digital twins, which provides a realistically accurate virtual representation of the natural world, allowing the importation of various object types, including CAD files, to generate a simulated environment logically indistinguishable from the real world.

You can then alter elements and test for virtually anything you could imagine, from power outages and weather events to alien and zombie invasions if you want. You can adjust for camera and sensor suits, adjust the size and nature of the virtual robot being tested, and even create the elements using elements that may only be theoretical if you can define the attributes of those theoretical elements.

While this does use synthetic data, which requires a process to assure that simulated data is consistent with the world you are emulating, this level of flexibility is critical to creating the next generation of robotics at scale.

One thing that struck me was that this solution could be used in an exciting game that, in turn, could be used to develop skills with the platform.

The process of creating a robot that would fight monsters, zombies, or space aliens is potentially the exact process needed to create a robot that will do more menial tasks. If you can make something fun, more people will pick up the skills needed to use the tool.

Imagine how much fun it would be to use a realistic location like, say, your home or office building, and then build a robot, or a team of robots, to defend it from zombies autonomously? You could also have virtual robot wars and battles, while learning the necessary fundamentals to design, build, and train real robots.

I think NVIDIA is on the cusp of something exciting, and they have relations with most of the primary game companies that could help make this theoretical game possible.

As we scaled to robotics, and AI for that matter, the critical problem with training became visible.

At least with robotics, a solution was to use the Omniverse platform to create a digital twin of the places you needed to train the robot and then move to a training solution that worked at machine speeds.

That solution is called Isaac Sim, and the next phase is to train the next generation of trainers on this tool to speed the time to market the robots weve been promised. I think the tool also lends itself to gamified training, and I expect, eventually, this may be how most of us become familiar with the tool.

In any case, the creation of Isaac Sim helps confirm that Dell Technologies talk from years ago, making it more certain the next big technology wave, at least concerning hardware, is likely to be robotics.

Follow this link:

NVIDIA's Isaac Sim: Preparing for the Coming Age Of Robotics - Datamation

Dive Brief:

The pandemic has worsened what has been a long-running labor deficit in the meat processing industry.

With up to 20% of Tyson's 120,000-member workforce not showing up on some days for a variety of reasons, automation is "one of our solutions to what we are experiencing today,"Hector Gonzalez, Tyson's senior vice president of human resources,told Food Dive in a recent interview.

Most recently, Tyson has focused on refining its use of automation and robotics so it can move product more precisely.Some tasks require the ability to sort through differently shaped cuts of protein, or demand a delicate touch. According to Soft Robotics, its SoftAI software can bring the finesse of a human hand to applications as diverse as shifting chicken breast tenders to packaging soft marshmallow Peeps.

"We are continually exploring new areas in automation that can enhance safety and increase the productivity of our team members," Rahul Ray, senior director of Tyson Ventures, said in a statement. He noted the transformative potential of Soft Robotics' robotic technology, computer vision and AI platform.

Demand for Soft Robotics' automation technology has been so robust due to the ongoing labor crisis that the company said it recently experienced two of its largest sales quarters in its seven-year history.

For Tyson, the Soft Robotics technology is yet another tool in its technology toolbox. In 2019, the pork, beef and chicken processor built a manufacturing automation centernear its headquarters in Arkansas to develop and test automated and robotic technologies that do everything from detecting product defects to stacking pallets.

Investing in automation is key for Tyson following a surge in protein demand by consumers as they look to have a balanced diet, satisfy hunger throughout the day and build muscle.

In the company's second-quarter earnings call, the company noted how volumes were under pressure despite surging demand for meat because of COVID-19-related production inefficiencies. Tyson's then-CEO Dean Banks pointed to high employee turnover and absenteeism.

Tyson is investing in automation and technology "to try to alleviate these more difficult and higher turnover jobs," and to reclaim some of the efficiencies and profitability it has lost, Banks said.

Other meat producers also are investing heavily in automation, including Pilgrim's Pride, the second-largest poultry producer that is majority owned by Brazilian meat giant JBS.

"We continue implementing a long-term strategy of introducing more automationin our operations to reduce operational challenges to labor and again in the future," Fabio Sandri, the CEO of Pilgrim's Pride, said in the company's first-quarter earnings call.The Colorado-based firm plans to spend more than $100 million on automation during the next year, which it believes will help it trim 5,600 positions.

Automating meat factories has long been a difficult feat because it is costly and carcasses come in varying sizes so it can be hard for robots to cut and work with all types accurately. But as the coronavirus ravaged meat plants, forcing many to temporarily shutteras thousands of workers got sick, more companies accelerated their plans for automation. Meat and poultry companies also are automating certain tasks that can be repetitious or prone to injury, such as moving or loading boxes.

Tyson's investment in Soft Robotics, and the hundreds of millions of dollars it has spent on technology and automation, is likely just the beginning as the meat and poultry giant joins other competitors in making their businesses more efficient and predictable.

Read the original:

Tyson invests in AI-enabled robotics firm to boost worker productivity - Food Dive