Waymo has been testing its self-driving cars in California for years. Now Alphabet’s self-driving car division has been granted a permit to carry passengers in the Golden State. Waymo is now part of California’s Autonomous Vehicle Passenger Service pilot program, joining Autox Technologies, Pony.ai and Zoox. The permit, which was granted by the California Public…
Cassie bipedal robot a platform for tackling locomotion challenges
What has two legs, no torso, and hangs out in the basement of the University of Pennsylvania’s Towne Building? It’s Cassie, a dynamic bipedal robot, a recent addition to Michael Posa’s Dynamic Autonomy and Intelligent Robotics (DAIR) Lab. Built by Agility Robotics, a company in Albany, Oregon, Cassie offers Posa and his students the chance…
Anki co-founder addresses consumer robotics company closing
The news just broke that Anki Co-Founder and CEO Boris Sofman is now leading Waymo’s autonomous trucking efforts. Sofman wrote a blog on LinkedIn announcing the move and said 12 other former Anki employees have already joined him at Waymo. In his blog, Sofman also finally addressed Anki shutting down. Sofman’s blog is reprinted in…
Waymo hires former Anki employees, including co-founder Sofman
In what is likely the final nail in the coffin, Waymo has hired 13 former Anki employees, including Co-Founder and CEO Boris Sofman. According to Sofman’s LinkedIn profile, he is now Director of Engineering, Head of Trucking, Waymo. Sofman wrote about the news in a LinkedIn post called “A New Adventure with Waymo.” Here’s part…
Apple acquires Drive.ai as self-driving car drama continues
Drive.ai had shut down, but Apple rode to the rescue, reviving the prospects for both Drive.ai’s technology and workers and its own self-driving car research.
Survey: biggest robotics stories during first half of 2019
It’s crazy to think about, but we’re just about halfway through 2019. And there’s been a lot to talk about. There’s been some bad news, of course. Companies such as Anki, Aria Insights (CyPhy Works) and others have closed their doors. But other companies such as Robust AI, which was founded in part by Rodney…
High torque retention knobs help reign in tooling budget
Boeing Profile Automotive industry manufacturers have basic requirements from their suppliers — on-time delivery, accuracy, and sufficient available stock. They want perfect parts, but they want them to be immediately available at a price they can control. Automotive industry suppliers need to have the ability to maintain production volume and quality, while maintaining a competitive…
Rockwell Automation opens electric vehicle innovation center in Silicon Valley
Rockwell Automation has opened a new 8,000 sq-ft Electric Vehicle (EV) Innovation Center at 111 North Market Street in San Jose, Calif., within its Information Solutions development facility. The center will provide live manufacturing demonstrations, hands-on trials utilizing new technology and events showcasing collaboration with industry experts and Rockwell Automation partners. Utilizing augmented and virtual…
North American machine vision sales down 4.5% in Q1
North American sales of machine vision (MV) components and systems that provide vision intelligence to robots and other machines declined 4.5 percent Q1 2019 when compared to the same period in 2018. According to statistics from the AIA, the industry’s trade group part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), financial transactions for the entire…
Robotics industry veteran Amy Villeneuve joins Humatics’ board of directors
Amy Villeneuve, helped Kiva Systems grow and led its integration as Amazon Robotics. She will help Humatics brings its microlocation technology for mobile robots in order fulfillment to commercialization.
How 4D radar could impact autonomous vehicles
Coke vs. Pepsi. Nike vs. Adidas. Great product innovation does not come without a debate, even more so when products or companies in question are closely aligned. As the discussion for the future of the autonomous vehicle sensors continues to evolve, discussions surrounding technologies become more intense. A recent stand-out was during Tesla’s Autonomy Day…
Image-grade LiDAR system enabled by dual rotating polygon design
Innovusion Inc. has announced the availability of its Cheetah system. Based on its innovative rotating polygon optical architecture, the system consists of proprietary detector electronics, advanced optics and sophisticated software algorithms to offer a system that has no equal in the long-distance, high-resolution LiDAR vehicle mobility system industry. Smart architecture, streamlined optics design, and integrated […]
Precision zero clearance, smooth sliding partial extension rails
As the exclusive distributor of SAIBO Linear Motion Systems in the US, LM76 is offering the SAIBO TPE28 and TPE43 series of Partial Extension Rails. These compact, precision, smooth sliding rails are assembled with a zero clearance. The TPE28 and TPE43 Partial Extension Rail series are created using a “C” shaped external rail and an […]
Gallery: Inside the Siemens Realize LIVE event
The recently concluded Realize LIVE in Detroit was billed as a premier industry solutions event for Siemens Digital Industries software users and partners. The keynotes, conference sessions, and expo were basically born out of Siemens combining its PLM Connection Americas event with other Siemens customer get-togethers. One of the big themes emphasized in Detroit was…
Sense Photonics raises $26M to expand depth perception for robots, self-driving cars
Sense Photonics has raised Series A funding for its modular, solid-state flash lidar systems, which operate like a camera and are scalable for industrial automation and autonomous vehicles.
Heavy-duty HEPA vacuum from EXAIR for 30-gallon drums
EXAIR’s new 30 Gallon Heavy Duty HEPA Vac is a powerful, HEPA quality, industrial vacuum cleaner. This smaller volume drum means that it will fit in tighter spaces and is suited well for less frequent or lower volume applications. The Heavy Duty HEPA Vac is designed to move more material with less wear. It has…
Cornell’s “Pseudo-LiDAR” Advances Vision-Based, 3D Object Recognition for Autonomous Driving
Cornell researchers develop a novel method employing low-cost, stereo cameras that allow autonomous vehicles to detect 3D objects with a range and accuracy approaching that of LiDAR. A group of Cornell researchers have published a paper demonstrating a new approach to object detection that shows potential to significantly reduce the cost of self-driving vehicle hardware.…
Robotics Summit & Expo: Your Guide to Day 1
The Robotics Summit & Expo, produced by The Robot Report, gets underway today at the Seaport World Trade Center. The two-day event will bring together 1,500-plus attendees to focus on the design, development, manufacture and delivery of commercial-class robotics and intelligent systems products and services. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect on Day 1.…
6 industries where demand for robotics developers will grow by 2025
Demand for robotics developers is likely to keep increasing, as seen in these five application areas.
Robotics investments recap: May 2019
May 2019 might have been a slow month for robotics transactions, but investors are still bullish on robots, autonomous vehicles, and AI for supply chain, healthcare, and food applications.
Electric motors, sensors, other motion components in off-highway and mobile robotics
Automated mobile equipment, which transports items in warehouses and freight centers as well as assembly operations, continues to boost demand for power-transmission and motion control systems. In fact, the worldwide mobile-robot market will reach nearly $15 billion by 2026, according to researchandmarkets.com. Almost all run off electric-motor drivetrains that are relatively expensive upfront but with […]
Army Turns to Smart Technology to Defend Against Threats to Installations
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Alex Beehler doesn’t need proof of threats to military and government installations. He is reminded every day. His office sits next to the point of impact where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the western side of the Pentagon nearly 18 years ago during the…
Win an autonomous vehicle ride at Robotics Summit & Expo
Optimus Ride, a leading autonomous vehicle technology company located in Boston, is raffling off three autonomous vehicle demo rides at the Robotics Summit & Expo. The demo rides, which will take place in Boston’s Seaport District, will be scheduled for a later date at a mutually convenient time. To enter the raffle, visit Optimus Ride in…
ETH Zurich researcher works to build human-machine trust, one robotic hug at a time
In the spirit of Ada Lovelace, one female researcher and entrepreneur is working to build a robot that provides positive human-machine interaction but does not replace the need for people.
Bringing human-like reasoning to autonomous vehicles
With aims of bringing more human-like reasoning to autonomous vehicles, MIT researchers have created a system that uses only simple maps and visual data to enable driverless cars to navigate routes in new, complex environments. Human drivers are exceptionally good at navigating roads they haven’t driven on before, using observation and simple tools. We simply…