Cam followers are power-transmission devices with a rotary bearing core that bears load while serving as the interface between independently moving machine sections. Applications include those on rotary indexing tables and turntable conveyors, long-stroke robot transfer units (RTUs), and an array of highly customized machinery. The outer diameter (OD) of the cam-follower bearing assembly is […]

Robots aren’t all humanoid and SCARA; some take the form of linear-motion arrangements. In fact, we’ve covered how Cartesian arrangements in particular offer better energy efficiency and price points than more stereotypical robotic arrangements. You’ll get copious amount of information on such linear designs and technologies at the 2019 Robotics Summit (on commercial-robotics design, development, […]

Despite a few high-profile failures, robotics investments kept going strong in April 2019, with funding flowing to companies working on self-driving cars, supply chain automation, and robots in healthcare.

Ava Robotics, which is building autonomy and high-definition teleconferencing into its telepresence robots, has raised funds as analysts expect the market to grow.

Locus Robotics plans to use its latest funding to expand its sales and distribution worldwide and further scale up production.

WALTHAM, Mass. — 6 River Systems today announced general availability of Mobile Sort, a new system to enable warehouse operators to intelligently generate and fulfill batched orders using its robots, mobile sort stations, and cloud-based software enhanced with machine learning. The company will debut Mobile Sort on April 8 at ProMat 2019. E-commerce and retail…

Wider industry trends towards more customized offerings from component manufacturers are also driving gearmotor designs. Manufacturers are offering designers more customized solutions via more in-house engineering resources, simplifying the design process. More custom solutions also mean greater integration with other components in a design, better connectivity and fewer compatibility issues. For example, Gabriel Venzin, President […]

By Michael G. Giunta • National sales manager | Macron Dynamics Uninitiated laymen might assume today’s cannabis is grown through traditional farming — over horizontal outdoor spaces in natural environments managed by Mother Nature. But large-scale cannabis farming is typically indoors and highly automated. That’s for a couple reasons: • Security is a major concern […]

BOSTON — The Mass Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC) today announced the winners of the 5G Robotics Challenge, sponsored by Verizon and Ericsson. This first-of-its-kind challenge asks teams to develop 5G-powered robotics technologies that will transform modern industry. The winners include teams from Northeastern University and University of Massachusetts, Lowell, as well as five start-ups: 6 River Systems Inc.,…

The robotics industry is poised to be a major beneficiary of 5G, the fifth generation of wireless communication. If 5G meets its advertised median speeds of 1 Gbps, 5G will have a speed 20 times faster than 4G. Combine that increased speed with lower latency (about 1ms) and next-generation, 5G-powered robots should be more reliable…

Robotics investments in October 2018 totaled at least $1.24 billion worldwide with a total of 22 verified investments. Unverifiable robotics investments, including several in China, have been excluded from this analysis. There are several robotics investments in which the amounts and/or rounds were not disclosed. If we verify those amounts and/or rounds, we will update…

The US warehouse robotics market is expected to surpass $20 billion by 2024, according to a recent study by Global Market Insights. And GreyOrange warehouse robots are joining the mix. GreyOrange, a leading warehouse automation company based in Singapore, is opening its US headquarters in Atlanta, an R&D office in Boston, and a US-based manufacturing…

inVia Robotics, a Los Angeles-based maker of warehouse robots for e-commerce fulfillment centers, raised $20 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Point72 Ventures along with ongoing investments from Upfront and Embark Ventures. inVia Robotics raised a $9 million Series A round in February 2018, bringing its total funding to date to $29 million.…

E-commerce sales for 2017 were $453.5 billion in the U.S. and $1.1 trillion in China, an increase of 16.0% and 32.6% respectively over 2016. This upward trend is projected to continue for the next many years. Consequently flexibility and an ability to handle an ever-increasing number of parcels is of concern to warehousing, fulfillment and…

Global warehouse automation specialist Swisslog recently worked with KUKA to strengthen its AGV-based CarryPick system — namely by bringing mobile goods-to-person systems in-house. CarryPick is an automated storage and order fulfillment system. It works as a flexible and scalable asset for supporting multi-channel fulfillment operations. The CarryPick system’s new KMP600 AGV was developed in an…

MODEX, ProMat and CeMAT are the biggest global material handling and logistics supply chain tech trade shows. But as I walked the corridors of this year’s MODEX in Atlanta, I was particularly aware of the widening disparity between the old and new. Stats: Material Handling and Logistics The 2018 MHI Annual Industry Report found that…

Twenty-four startups were funded in March raising a combined total of $350 million. That brings the 3-month total to $1.5 billion! There was an additional funding of $2.5 billion to JD Logistics, an 81.4%-owned spin-off that is the logistics arm of JD, China’s 2nd largest online retailer. Funding came from Hillhouse, Sequoia, China Merchants, Tencent,…

Nineteen different startups were funded in February raising $377 million; a substantial two-month start for the new year. Five acquisitions were reported during the month while the IPO front had no activity whatsoever. CB Insights said that China dominated the funding of AI-related startups during 2017. So far in 2018, the China funding percentage appears…

One trend in the area of logistics is tighter integration of warehousing and assembly — a trend that’s especially evident in the automotive industry but on the rise elsewhere too. That’s according to Maurizio Catino, industry sales manager at Interroll, a material-handling technology supplier. “Traditional facilities have a warehouse (from which parts originate) and an […]

Motion controllers are pieces of electronics (and in an increasing number of integrated cases, electrical supplies) that run software to command movements on automated pieces of machinery. For more information on this, visit motioncontroltips.com/motion-controller. Motion controllers are designed to regulate the specific actuator type on the axes they’re commanding. That means these controllers include intelligence […]

When it comes to automated warehouses, precision is key. Hundreds of shuttles and miles of conveyors must all work together to ensure products are transported successfully to their designated location for storage or delivery. Of all the components that play a role in the precision of these systems, don’t forget about couplings and locking devices—both […]

The Swift, a fully autonomous mobile picking robot from IAM Robotics, is designed for supply chain and warehouse logistics operations. The robot is a key part of a complete order fulfillment solution, which includes IAM Flash, a 3D item scanner, and SwiftLink fleet management software. “Properly executed robotic picking is a game changing technology for…

Automated storage and retrieval systems are a key enabler of the next-day delivery we’ve come to expect from online retailers. But like other types of automation, AS/RS equipment must meet the customer’s objectives for safety, footprint, and energy efficiency. It used to be that as you drove through industrial suburbs, just beyond cities such as […]

New technologies boost the reliability and efficiency of vertical motion designs (including an array of lifts and hoists) for setups of various sizes. In the feature, we get input from one industry expert on the subject and then outline five key parameters that dictate what makes linear actuators suitable for lifting. Mounting orientation — especially […]

Cimcorp North America of Murata Machinery (Muratec) will supply an installation for end-to-end material handling to Giti Tire at a new South Carolina manufacturing facility. Scheduled for completion in 2019, the turnkey Cimcorp system is called a Dream Factory and will include all the facility’s automation equipment and system control, project management, and integration. Singapore-based […]