Oxipital AI’s inspection and picking solutions and Stäubli’s hygienic robot were demonstrated at Pack Expo 2024. | Source: Oxipital AI

Oxipital AI, a developer of machine vision technologies for robotic automation and product inspection, is teaming up with Stäubli Robotics. Formerly Soft Robotics, Oxipital is targeting food processing, agriculture, and consumer goods production for its technology.

Stäubli Robotics’ product portfolio contains 4- and 6-axis industrial robots, cobots, mobile robots, and automated guided vehicles. The Duncan, S.C.-based company said its robots can work in a variety of industrial sectors, including automotive, metalworking, photovoltaics, food, pharmaceutical, and more. 

“Stäubli Robotics is honored to become Oxipital AI’s first Preferred Partner,” said Mathias Konne, North American business head at Stäubli Robotics. “This milestone recognizes the previous joint efforts and existing collaboration between our two industry-leading organizations while paving the way for an even brighter and bolder future. With this official recognition, and along with our common partners, we continue to deliver robotic systems offering the highest value and technological advancements to our clients.”

The companies said that by combining Stäubli’s hygienic robots and Oxipital inspection and picking solutions, the two companies can help ensure consistent and food-safe production without depending on human labor for profitability.

“This partnership with Stäubli solidifies our joint efforts in helping manufacturers overcome some of the most difficult challenges in food processing by utilizing AI-enabled vision solutions paired with hygienic, high-speed robotic solutions,” said Harley Green, VP of strategic accounts.

Oxipital AI spins out from Soft Robotics

In August 2024, Soft Robotics divested its soft robotic gripper business and spun off its mGripAI 3D vision and artificial intelligence technologies into Oxipital AI. Oxipital focuses on visual inspection tasks such as defect detection, volume estimation, SKU classification, attribute segmentation, and conveyor counting. It will also on robotic picking in various industries, starting primarily in the food business where Soft Robotics has built its reputation.

Last month, Oxipital AI launched its VX2 Vision System, which uses AI for inspection and high-speed picking applications across food-grade and industrial sectors. Built on the company’s proprietary Visual AI platform, the VX2 comes in a more compact package at a more accessible price than its predecessor.

The VX2 has enhanced capabilities for inspection, high-speed picking, and high-speed picking with inspection, said Oxipital. It asserted that the system ensures optimal efficiency and precision in a wide variety of environments.

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In Episode 176 of The Robot Report Podcast, we feature an interview with venture capitalists Juliette Chevallier, Principle at Scale Ventures, and Jasmeet Singh founder of JMOON Ventures.

It’s VC week here at the podcast.

This episode features interviews with Juliette Chevallier from Scale Ventures and Jasmine Singh from Jay Moon Ventures and covers investment trends in robotics, emphasizing the importance of execution risk over technical risk.

Juliette Chevallier, Principal, Investments, Scale Venture Partners

Juliette Chevallier has a background in autonomous vehicles and robotics, having previously worked at companies like Google Chauffeur (now Waymo) and MIT spinoff Optimus Ride. She joined Scale Venture Partners about 2 years ago to lead their investment thesis on robotics, AI applications, and cybersecurity. Scale Venture Partners’ approach focuses on investing at the point of execution risk rather than technical risk, looking for companies with a working product and proven product-market fit. Juliette emphasizes the importance of understanding the customer ROI and business model as key criteria.

In her role as a VC, Juliette prefers to have a deep, hands-on involvement with portfolio companies, acting as a strategic sounding board and collaborating closely with founders to work through tough problems. She sees her role as helping founders navigate the operational and go-to-market challenges. Juliette notes a renewed interest in robotics from VCs, though she is cautious about some “wild” valuations and funding rounds, preferring bottoms-up market analysis over top-down figures.

Juliette is bullish on the potential of robotics foundation models (RFMs) to drive transformation, emphasizing the need for more multi-modal AI models that integrate vision, action, and communication. She is excited about the possibilities of AI to enhance robotics, but cautions about the risks of AI development burning through funding. Overall, Juliette’s approach focuses on de-risking execution and operational challenges for robotics startups, leveraging her deep technical and business expertise to support founders.

Learn more at: www.scalevp.com/

Jasmeet Singh, Founder, JMOON Ventures

Jasmeet Singh has a diverse background spanning robotics engineering, founding startups, and investing since 2012. As an investor at J Moon Ventures, he focuses on “physical AI” startups – those combining hardware, electronics, and AI in areas like robotics, IoT, and 3D printing.

Jasmeet emphasizes the importance of solving real problems, not just building cool technology. He looks for startups with a strong understanding of the user and business model, noting operational challenges like scaling manufacturing and finding the right business model.
Compared to the more risk-averse Canadian market, Jasmeet sees the US as a better environment for robotics fundraising. He advises founders to target large, underserved problems and focus on customer service and support.

Some of Jasmeet’s investments include Orange Wood Labs, Brisk AI, and Rural Hologram. As he launches J Moon Ventures, he is particularly interested in opportunities in agriculture, construction, medical, and sustainability.

Overall, Jasmeet brings a unique perspective as an investor with deep technical expertise and operational experience in robotics. He is focused on backing founders solving real-world problems with innovative hardware-software solutions.

Learn more at: jmoon.ventures/

Show timeline

• 8:40 – News of the week
• 26:38 – Interview with Juliette Chevallier
• 1:03:00 – Interview with Jasmeet Singh, AKA The Bearded Maker

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News of the week

2025 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards open for nominations

You can now submit nominations for the 2025 RBR50 innovation awards. They will recognize technology and business innovations in the calendar year 2024, and the awards are open to any company worldwide that produces robotics or automation.

The categories include:

1. Technologies, products, and services: This category includes primary or applied research focusing on robotics and supporting technologies such as motion control, vision, or machine learning. It also includes new products and business, engineering, or technology services.
2. Business and management: This category covers initiatives positioning a company as a market leader or an organization as an important thought leader in the robotics ecosystem. Significant mergers and acquisitions are relevant, as are supplier, partner, and integrator relationships.
3. Applications and markets: The RBR50 will also recognize innovations that improve productivity, quality, and cost-effectiveness, as well as those that automate new tasks.

In addition, the 2025 RBR50 awards will celebrate the following:

• Startup of the Year
• Application of the Year
• Robot of the Year
• Robots for Good Award

The deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 20, 2024.

Podcast sponsored by FlexQube

The show this week is sponsored by FlexQube. Move material with any size, shape, and weight with the FlexQube Navigator AMR, the world’s first multi-purpose and non-load carrying robot.

The FlexQube Navigator AMR features a standardized coupling interface to connect with an ecosystem of different load carriers depending on the customer’s needs.

The system also features a safety-rated identification of load carrier footprint to secure a safe and efficient scale-up of different use cases in a factory or warehouse. 

FlexQube Navigator – robotics that delivers! 

To learn more about FlexQube’s solutions goto: https://www.flexqube.com 

The post Funding the next wave of robotics appeared first on The Robot Report.

Trexo Robotics helps children with a variety of needs, including cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, Rett syndrome and more. | Source: Trexo Robotics

Trexo Robotics has now helped children walk more than 100 million steps with its robotic brace. The device helps children with disabilities gain strength, endurance, and proper gait patterns. Trexo’s brace can help children with a variety of conditions, including cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, stroke, brain injury, hemi and paraplegia, spinal cord injury, Rett syndrome, neuromuscular conditions, and more. 

The Ontario, Canada-based company was founded in 2016 by CEO Manmeet Maggu and CTO Rahul Udasi to help Maggu’s nephew. Trexo said it customizes the gait of the brace to each user and adjusts this gait over time. The company can adjust the system to accommodate gait pattern changes, the speed of steps, the amount of weight bearing, and the level of support provided. It also offers two operating modes: endurance and strength training to match the child’s needs. 

“For many of these kiddos, they were told they would never take a step. Every single one of these 100 million steps tells a different story—one of courage, progress, and hope,” Maggu said. “This milestone is made up of countless special moments, each representing improved strength, better health, and brighter possibilities.”

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“The 100 million steps milestone was not something I thought about as a goal, we wanted kids to take as many steps as they could. It’s amazing, each kid starting with one step and going after their own goals, has added up to an unbelievable number,” Udasi said.

The company is holding a celebration to mark this accomplishment in Toronto on Dec. 6, 2024. The celebration will honor the children, parents, and community members who have been instrumental. The celebration will include Trexo robotic legs walking on their own, heartfelt speeches, a special surprise from one of the Trexo users, and much more.

Looking ahead, Trexo has its sights set on future milestones. It hopes to reach 500 million steps, which it said is the equivalent of walking to the moon.

“These numbers are mind-boggling, and exciting because of what they mean for the kiddos,” said Jenn Horowitz, head of marketing, Trexo. “For now though, this moment is a time to pause, reflect, and celebrate.”

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Waymo is outsourcing its fleet operations, facilities, and charging infrastructure to its new partner Moove. | Source: Waymo

Waymo is bringing its robotaxis to Miami. In early 2025, the self-driving unit of Alphabet said it will begin testing its all-electric Jaguar I-PACEs on Miami’s streets. Through its new fleet partnership with Moove, Waymo said its Waymo One robotaxi service will be open to riders in Miami in 2026.

Waymo has previously tested its robotaxis in different parts of Florida, including Miami. The company said testing its robotaxis in Florida’s challenging, rainy conditions has been invaluable in advancing its autonomous driving technology. 

“Fully autonomous driving technology offers a safe and convenient option to the people of Miami. I’m so pleased to welcome Waymo to our city,” said Francis X. Suarez, Mayor of Miami. “Waymo’s commitment to sustainability with their all-electric fleet is the perfect mobility option to our city as we continue to prioritize low-cost, clean energy.” 

Waymo has spent 2024 expanding its robotaxis across multiple cities, including San Francisco and Phoenix, where it provides curbside service at Sky Harbor International Airport. It also released its 6th generation robotaxi, equipped with an optimized sensor suite for greater performance at a reduced cost. Waymo also has a robotaxi service in Austin, but there’s a long waitlist, and the service isn’t yet open to everyone.

Most recently, Waymo removed its LA waitlist and opened its service fully to the public. The change occurred eight months after Waymo launched its limited robotaxi service in Los Angeles. In that time, nearly 300,000 people joined its waitlist. In the city, its service area covers Santa Monica, Hollywood Boulevard, USC, and places in between. 

Waymo said it already provides over 150,000 trips per week across Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin.

Waymo partners with Moove

Moove is an African mobility fintech that offers vehicle financing to gig workers. This will reportedly be the first time Moove works both in the United States and with an autonomous vehicle company. Moove operates in various cities across Africa, the Middle East, India, and the U.K., and it has raised over $400 million.

Waymo said it will first collaborate with Moove in Phoenix. There, Moove will begin taking on the management of Waymo’s fleet operations, facilities, and charging infrastructure.

“We are excited to partner with Moove in Phoenix and later Miami, bringing together their mobility-focused fleet management experience with our growing Waymo One service,” said Ryan McNamara, VP of operations at Waymo. “Together, we will provide safe, seamless trips for riders, and scale faster and more cost-effectively over time, with safety continuing to lead the way.”

In both Phoenix and Miami, Waymo will continue to offer its service through the Waymo One app. It will also remain responsible for the validation and operation of the Waymo Driver.

“Ride-hailing has transformed urban mobility over the past 15 years, yet the core experience has largely remained unchanged,” said Ladi Delano, co-founder and co-CEO at Moove. “Waymo’s safe, reliable, and convenient Waymo One service leads in autonomous technology, and together, we’re driving a major shift in urban mobility. Moove is proud to partner with Waymo, bringing the operational expertise to make this transformation possible.”

More autonomous vehicle developments

Waymo isn’t the only company hoping to deploy its self-driving technology on U.S. roads. In November, Nuro expanded its driverless capabilities using zero-occupant vehicles with the Nuro Driver system. The company said this expansion covers multiple cities in two states and includes significant operational advancements.

The expanded deployment of autonomous vehicles demonstrates foundational technology for transporting people and goods, asserted Nuro. It plans to expand in Mountain View and Palo Alto, Calif., where the company increased its deployment area by 83%. Nuro also plans to increase its deployment area in Houston by 70%, in terms of linear miles. 

Additionally, Zoox recently expanded its operations in California and Nevada. The company is now testing its robotaxis in San Francisco and expanded its Las Vegas geofence. Zoox is not offering public rides in either city yet, but it hopes to launch its Las Vegas operation in early 2025. 

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In this special episode of The Robot Report Podcast, Steve Crowe and I talk to author and illustrator Peter Brown to discuss his children’s books series The Wild Robot.

Peter takes us through his creative writing process, the background research he did about robotics, and how he pulled the plot together for a robot named Roz that finds itself shipwrecked on an island filled with wild animals. He describes why he chose the specific characteristics of the robot in the story.

Peter also describes the experience of seeing his story adapted into an animated movie by DreamWorks. The Wild Robot movie, which is based on the first book in the series, has seen tremendous box office success. It earned more than $320 million worldwide and is on the top 100 list of the high-grossing animated films of all time.

Peter describes the process of working with movie director Chris Sanders to bring Roz to life on the big screen. 

To learn more about Peter go to: https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/

Below is a sample of our conversation with Peter Brown. To hear the conversation in its entirety, please listen to the podcast audio.

The Robot Report: For those who may not have seen the movie or not read the first book, the first book in the series deals with the adventures of a shipwrecked robot named ROZZUM 7134, Roz for short. And I know there are some tie-ins to a very famous play about 100 years ago that we can get into. The story starts when the robot is shipwrecked on a deserted island and then builds relationships with the local animals on this island while helping them navigate all sorts of different ordeals.

What has this whole experience been like for you? Is it true that DreamWorks, the studio behind the movie, optioned the film rights to The Wild Robot before the first book was even published in 2016? You’ve been living with this story for quite some time. What’s that been like for you?

Peter Brown is the author and illustrator of The Wild Robot series of children’s books. | Credit: Peter Brown Studio

Peter Brown: Well, it’s pretty surreal. I started tinkering with this idea about a robot learning to survive in the wilderness by studying and mimicking the animals that she comes across. The idea came to me in like 2008 or 2007. I drew a robot in a tree, which is what got the whole thing started.

I just love the idea of a robot climbing a tree. And I just started thinking, why would a robot be in a tree and how would a real robot react to the wilderness? What would wild animals think about a robot?

I’d been writing and illustrating picture books for years this was my first novel for kids which is a very different type of book so I had to kind of learn how to write a novel and you know, it was this long process and the book finally got published in 2016. DreamWorks has a team of people who are in the business of keeping an eye on the publishing industry to see what ideas, and books are out there that might be interesting for adaptation to film. And, somebody there got wind of this Wild Robot book, which I was still working on. So I got contacted out of the blue by a rep from DreamWorks who was very eager to see whatever I had.

I was pretty excited and I didn’t want to send them something unfinished. I told them, “Sorry, but you have to wait until I feel like this is up to my standard and up to the level of what I want it to be”. So they had to wait until I finished writing and illustrating the book. And then as soon as I was done, I sent it to them and they immediately made me an offer to get the film rights before the book was in stores. 

The first book was an instant bestseller and the sequels have all been bestsellers and the series is just selling like crazy around the world, translated into 30 languages or something, maybe more by now. It’s a pretty phenomenally successful book, which has been amazing in its own right. But then you add on top of that all the movie stuff. Eventually, they (Dreamworks) found a director. They went into production, and just a couple of months ago, the finished The Wild Robot movie came out. So it’s been a long journey and every step of the way, it’s just kind of gotten more exciting.

How did you come up with this initial design for Roz? How did you determine what she should look like, and what capabilities she should have?

Peter Brown: One of the very first things I had to do was figure out what she looks like because obviously her design will tell us what her capabilities are. And I was thinking about real science and engineering. I was reading a lot of books about the future of robotics and AI. I was watching documentaries and also reading and watching documentaries about the natural world, too, because that was what was fascinating to me was the sort of combination of what seemed like almost opposites.

Take a robot, put it in the most natural place you could imagine, like this sort of rugged Pacific Northwest wilderness, and see what happens. It’s like a thought experiment. But one of the key components was Roz’s design. 

I thought Roz should not look exactly like a person. There’s no point. That’s a lot of wasted effort if all her purpose is to do manual labor, more or less. There’s no need for all the extra bells and whistles, right? So let’s just streamline this robot. And I was thinking about that in terms of robotics and how in a lot of sci-fi movies and books, the robots look just like people.

It’s fascinating, but you must’ve been a robotics engineer in another lifetime? Because so many of these things that you just talked about, intentional design and how the robot moves and battery life, there are so many synergies to real-life robotics. And those are some of the fundamental challenges that real-life roboticists are trying to solve. Did you talk to any actual engineers for feedback on the design?

Peter Brown: It was mostly from reading and my own research. However, I read all sorts of stuff. I spent a lot of time reading science fiction, authors like Isaac Asimov do a really great job of delving into the kind of nuts and bolts of robotics. He has a book called “The Complete Robot“, which is a collection of short stories, which I’ve read repeatedly over and over again because each short story explores a different type of robot.

And so I got a lot of inspiration from him and he really helped. Those stories helped me figure out the right questions to ask. But I did meet with some engineers, my dad is an engineer. He worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He just retired. However, he introduced me to the robotics department at JPL.

And I got to tour that department, long before I was working on the wild robot. He had me in and gave me a tour of the Mars Rover program. And so I got to see the Rover prototypes up close. I got to see Rovers and the terrain that they mock-up to be like the lunar or Martian surface.

The story is full of heartwarming moments as well as humor. As a children’s book author, I’m curious about your approach to incorporating humor into your stories that don’t involve bodily functions?

Peter Brown: Well, there’s a little bit of that too, but a lot of the humor bubbled up naturally from the story. It’s a fish-out-of-water story. Roz is a robot who’s where she doesn’t belong and she’s time and again encountering stuff that she doesn’t know how to handle. It is as simple as walking away from the waves.

The story begins with her in a crate that washes onto the shore of the island. And she eventually pries herself out of this crate and she sees these waves coming and she doesn’t know she’s booting up. She started powering on for the very first time, looking at the world for the very first time. And these waves are tumbling towards her. And, you know, she sort of takes a step back, but doesn’t judge things properly. And all of a sudden, this wave crashes over her and slams her to the ground. And that’s sort of her introduction to the world. Then she has to climb the sea cliffs up, and climbing sea cliffs is a pretty tough thing to do for rock climbers, let alone for a robot who’s just waking up for the first time. And these moments end up being funny.

It’s hard to care about her because she seems an all-knowing, omnipotent, know, invincible character. And so I started thinking, well, what would she come pre-programmed with? She’s a factory-issued robot, like a laptop that you get, you know, delivered to your house. You have to install software for it to reach its full potential. I sort of thought, well, this robot probably needs software installed to reach her full potential. So what is the basic programming that she comes with? What if it doesn’t have all the information on the eating habits of geese? Maybe that’s believable. And so I had to sort of justify the gaps in Roz’s knowledge to make those scenes work for me.

What was it like to see Roz come to life on the big screen? What influence did you have  working with the team at DreamWorks to make that happen?

Peter Brown: Yes, well, I met regularly with the director, whose name is Chris Sanders, and the producer, who is Jeff Herman. And so we would meet on Zoom every couple of months. It takes like four years to make an animated film. So we had quite several meetings.

In the beginning, they were picking my brain, trying to understand why I made certain decisions, and asking questions about certain moments in the book and details. And then as the months went by. And their story started coming together. They would start running things by me and asking what I thought about this character design or this moment in the story.

I was never in the studio working on the movie but we had these Zoom calls pretty regularly so I got to see the evolution of the project over time which was pretty exciting. Yeah, they made some changes. I knew they were gonna make changes. The story needs to be streamlined. A movie seems like a big story but it’s a pretty short story you know.

It’s hard to cram a whole lot into an hour and a half. Compare that to a series on Netflix where maybe there are 10 one-hour episodes. You’ve got 10 hours to tell a story versus an hour and a half. And so I knew they were gonna be making lots of cuts and tweaking things. And so none of that surprised me. But they managed to keep the spirit of the story. The relationship between Roz and her son, Bright Bill, is the main component that drives the story. There’s a lot of emotional depth in the movie.

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]]> https://www.therobotreport.com/the-wild-robot-author-peter-brown-on-robots-nature-storytelling/feed/ 0 https://www.therobotreport.com/amp-robotics-raises-91m-accelerate-deployment-recycling-systems/ https://www.therobotreport.com/amp-robotics-raises-91m-accelerate-deployment-recycling-systems/#respond Thu, 05 Dec 2024 15:14:19 +0000 https://www.therobotreport.com/?p=581856 AMP Robotics will use its latest funding to deploy AMP ONE system, which is designed to improve sortation of municipal solid waste.

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AMP ONE is designed to capture billions of dollars in value otherwise lost to landfills or incineration annually. Source: AMP Robotics

AMP Robotics Corp. today said it has  has raised $91 million in corporate equity in a Series D financing. The Louisville, Colo.-based company plans to use its latest funding to accelerate deployment of its AMP ONE systems, which uses artificial intelligence and robotics to sort municipal solid waste, or MSW.

“Recycling rates have stagnated in the United States, despite the positive benefits recycling offers local economies and the environment,” said Matanya Horowitz, founder of AMP. “This latest investment enables us to tackle larger projects and deliver real outcomes for waste companies and municipalities – by lowering sortation costs, capturing more material value, diverting organic waste, and extending landfill life – all while helping the industry optimize its strategic assets.”

Founded in 2014, AMP Robotics said its AI platform has identified 150 billion items and guided the sortation of more than 2.5 million tons of recyclables. The company said its technology can help modernize and change the economics of resource recovery. It has three full-scale facilities and more than 400 AI systems deployed across North America, Asia, and Europe.

From sortation to AMP ONE

AMP Robotics said its AI uses deep learning to continuously train itself by processing millions of material images into data. The software uses pattern recognition of colors, textures, shapes, sizes, and logos to identify recyclables and contaminants in real time, enabling new offtake chemistries and capabilities, it added.

The company noted that its first products were a series of sorting robots deployed with minimal retrofit into existing recycling facilities. AMP then developed facilities that it claimed involve almost no manual sorting, are reliable, and provide “pervasive data.”

“These facilities make the recovery of commodities safer and more cost-effective than ever and have grown to encompass MSW sorting, an offering out of reach to the industry prior to the advent of AMP’s technology,” it said. “AMP ONE provides a full-scale facility solution to sort various material streams and capture more of the billions of dollars in value otherwise lost to landfills or incinerated annually.”

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AMP Robotics marks recent deployments, new CEO

Recycling and Disposal Solutions demonstrated AMP ONE’s ability to cost-effectively sort MWS at its facility  in Portsmouth, Va. It has processed 150 tons per day of local waste with more than 90% uptime, said the company.

Last month, AMP Robotics entered into an agreement with Waste Connections Inc. to equip and operate one of Waste Connections’ single-stream recycling facilities in Colorado. 

“AMP provides meaningfully lower-cost, higher-performance systems to recover commodities and increase landfill diversion, and we’re uniquely positioned to reshape the waste and recycling landscape at a critical time,” said Tim Stuart, CEO of AMP. “We’re grateful to our longstanding and newest investors for their support in helping us chart a new path for sustainable materials management and resource efficiency.”

AMP last month augmented its leadership team with the appointment of Stuart, former chief operating officer for Republic Services Inc. Horowitz transitioned from CEO into the role of chief technology officer.

Congruent Ventures leads round

Congruent Ventures led AMP Robotics’ Series D round. Current and new investors participated, including Sequoia Capital, XN, Blue Earth Capital, Liberty Mutual Investments, California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), Wellington Management, Range Ventures, and Tao Capital Partners.

“AMP’s AI sortation systems enable consumers to recycle both with and without curbside separation and communities to benefit from the recovery of recycled commodities while reducing dependence on landfills,” added Abe Yokell, co-founder and managing partner of Congruent Ventures. “AMP is an example of the real-world impacts of AI; solutions like AMP’s will divert billions of tons of recyclable material from landfills while reducing emissions.”

Congruent Ventures is a leading early-stage venture firm focused on partnering with entrepreneurs to build companies addressing climate and sustainability challenges. The firm has more than $1 billion in assets under management across early-stage climate tech funds and 59 companies in its portfolio.

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]]> https://www.therobotreport.com/amp-robotics-raises-91m-accelerate-deployment-recycling-systems/feed/ 0 https://www.therobotreport.com/study-finds-robot-assisted-surgeries-ar-surgeries-enable-high-precision/ https://www.therobotreport.com/study-finds-robot-assisted-surgeries-ar-surgeries-enable-high-precision/#respond Wed, 04 Dec 2024 21:42:24 +0000 https://www.therobotreport.com/?p=581850 The study included 212 adult spine surgery patients who had a total of 1,211 pedicle screws placed using either robotics or augmented reality.

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An HSS study tested the effectiveness of robot-assisted and augmented reality surgeries. | Source: Adobe Stock

A study at the Hospital for Special Surgery, or HSS, comparing robot-assisted navigation to the use of augmented reality in spinal surgery found that both techniques demonstrate excellent accuracy and safety for pedicle screw placement.

More than 1.2 million spinal surgeries are performed in the U.S. each year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Many of these procedures involve implants called pedicle screws to stabilize the spine, and precise positioning is critical for a successful surgery.

“Compared to conventional free-hand techniques, both robotic-assisted navigation [RAN] and the use of augmented reality [AR] have demonstrated superior accuracy,” said Darren R. Lebl, M.D., MBA. “Our study is the first to directly compare RAN to AR with respect to screw placement precision.”

Lebl is a spine surgeon and director of research at HSS, plus principal investigator of the study. The research was published online in the journal Spine.

HSS is a leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. Founded in 1863, the New York-based healthcare provider claimed it has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, as well as some of the lowest infection and complication rates.

In addition to patient care, HSS said it supports research, innovation, and education. The HSS Research Institute includes 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on advancing musculoskeletal health through the prevention of degeneration, tissue repair, and tissue regeneration.

Darren R. Lebl is a spine surgeon and director of research at HSS. | Source: Hospital for Special Surgery

Robot-assisted surgery and AR offer aid

Over the past decade, numerous robot-assisted navigation and augmented reality systems have emerged for spine surgery.

“In addition to enhanced accuracy, the potential advantages of both technologies include reduced radiation exposure and provide for improved safety in spine surgery,” noted Dr. Lebl. “A growing number of major medical centers nationwide are using at least one of these technologies.”

RAN involves robotic guidance of surgeon-operated instruments. A robotic arm, along with 3D images of the patient’s anatomy and navigation technology similar to GPS, enables the surgeon to perform a minimally invasive procedure that is planned ahead of time on advanced software.

AR-assisted spine surgery superimposes 3D images of a patient’s anatomy onto the surgeon’s visual field during surgery via a headset. A preoperative CT scan of the patient’s spine is used to plan and perform the surgery.

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Study analyzes spinal surgeries

The HSS study included 212 adult spine surgery patients who had a total of 1,211 pedicle screws placed between June 2020 and October 2023. It followed 108 people who received 827 screws using robots and 104 patients who received 384 screws with augmented reality.

They underwent surgery in the lumbar and/or sacral spine for degenerative spinal conditions. One experienced surgeon performed all of the robotic cases, while two other experienced spine surgeons used the AR system.

The position of each pedicle screw was assessed after surgery based on either CT scan or 3D fluoroscopy using the Gertzbein-Robbins classification system, which assigns a grade of A, B, C or D to evaluate accuracy. The HSS researchers considered Grades A and B to be acceptable.

The A rating is assigned to screw placement completely within the pedicle, a bony structure on the vertebra that protects the spinal cord. Grade B, still acceptable, is assigned to a screw that is 2mm (1/16 inch) outside of the desired location. In the study, any screw with a Grade C or D would be deemed unacceptable.

After surgery, two independent spine surgeons assigned a grade to all the pedicle screws. The study found no significant difference between robot-assisted and AR screw placement in terms of accuracy, with 99.6% of RAN screws rated as Grade A or B, and 98.7% of AR screws classified as A or B. Overall, 92.6% of the screws achieved the top Grade A rating.

“Our results confirmed excellent accuracy for both techniques, making both robotics and AR safe tools for accurate positioning of lumbosacral pedicle screws,” Dr. Lebl said. “However, a higher rate of Grade A screws was seen in the RAN group, potentially highlighting superior precision for robotics.”

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]]> https://www.therobotreport.com/study-finds-robot-assisted-surgeries-ar-surgeries-enable-high-precision/feed/ 0 https://www.therobotreport.com/coval-releases-mpxs-smallest-micro-vacuum-pump-to-date/ https://www.therobotreport.com/coval-releases-mpxs-smallest-micro-vacuum-pump-to-date/#respond Wed, 04 Dec 2024 18:27:15 +0000 https://www.therobotreport.com/?p=581847 With a width of just 12.5 mm and a weight of only 87 grams, the MPXS is the smallest vacuum pump designed by COVAL.

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The MPXS micro vacuum pump puts the features of COVAL’s intelligent vacuum pumps into a smaller physical space. | Source: COVAL

COVAL SAS, a designer, producer, and marketer of vacuum components and systems, has released its latest micro vacuum pump, the MPXS. The Montélier, France-based company said it designed the pump to be pilot-controlled, ultra-compact, and equipped with high-performance communication capabilities. 

The new MPXS series is intended to provide manufacturers with an efficient tool for handling non-porous parts at high speeds on robots or automated systems, said COVAL. The micro vacuum pump follows the design principles of the company‘s intelligent vacuum pumps, which COVAL said are energy-efficiency, high-performance, and communications I/O.

With a width of just 12.5 mm (0.4 in.) and a weight of only 87 g (3 oz.), the company said the MPXS is the smallest vacuum pump it has created. This size means it can be installed as close as possible to suction cups or inside restricted spaces for reduced pick-up time with no loss of load, guaranteeing high speeds.

COVAL is an ISO 9001 V2015-certified company that specializes in vacuum handling systems for multiple industries. It has clients in fields including packaging, automotive, food processing, plastic processing, and aeronautics. COVAL markets its products and services internationally through its subsidiaries and its network of authorized distributors.

More details about the MPXS

Thanks to single-stage Venturi technology, MPXS series micro vacuum pumps can quickly reach a maximum vacuum of 85%. This makes it suited to dynamic applications requiring very short cycle times. 

COVAL said the two power levels of 0.53 and 0.92 SCFM add to the system’s versatility and enable it to adapt to the needs of each application.

The MPXS also provides the user with useful information at every stage of operation. COVAL said it equipped the system with a human-machine interface (HMI) that makes it easy to read operating, diagnostic, and maintenance information. It also enables rapid parameter setting.

In addition, the integrated IO-Link communication interface supports fast, cost-effective installation, continuous diagnostics, centralized parameter setting, and efficient communication with higher-level protocols such as EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, and EtherCAT.

MPXS micro vacuum pumps feature air-saving control (ASC) technology. COVAL said it intelligently regulates vacuum generation, enabling energy savings of 90% on average by stopping air consumption once the desired vacuum level has been reached.

The modularity of the MPXS series offers a wide choice of configurations, ensuring flexibility during installation and use. It is available as stand-alone modules or in islands of up to eight modules, with standard or powerful adjustable blower options.

COVAL said the MPXS micro vacuum pump’s small size, high performance, and wide range of functions and configurations make it suitable for industrial applications requiring high speeds. These include high-speed pick-and-place systems, robot manipulators, and automated production. It is especially useful for the plastics, electronics, and pharmaceutical industries, according to the company.

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]]> https://www.therobotreport.com/coval-releases-mpxs-smallest-micro-vacuum-pump-to-date/feed/ 0 https://www.therobotreport.com/beyond-ground-transportation-the-rise-of-drone-logistics/ https://www.therobotreport.com/beyond-ground-transportation-the-rise-of-drone-logistics/#respond Wed, 04 Dec 2024 13:38:01 +0000 https://www.therobotreport.com/?p=581790 Drone logistics promises to transform the industry, as Research Nester examines innovations, key players, and future trends.

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Wing says its drone logistics systems are lightweight, lab-tested, and real-world approved through 350,000+ commercial deliveries across three continents. | Source: Wing

In a world where convenience and promptness are crucial, customers expect quicker deliveries. Consequently, businesses have been compelled to reconsider their plans to find more economical and effective methods, including drone logistics. 

In addition, a recent survey found that 80.5% of companies reported enhanced revenue figures after implementing same-day delivery. 

Drone integration into distribution and transportation systems is one of the most exciting developments in this field. The way businesses transport their goods could be drastically changed by these autonomous flying machines, particularly in the last mile, which can account for as much as 50% of overall logistical expenses.

The number of packages delivered by drone increased by more than 80.1% from the year 2021 to 2022, reported McKinsey & Co. It said they reached almost 875,100 deliveries globally. 

Drones can enhance the logistics and transportation sectors, where efficiency, speed, and cost-effectiveness are paramount. Traditional trucks often struggle with last-mile delivery, facing bottlenecks in urban areas, costly infrastructure, and supply chain delays.

However, drones promise rapid, direct delivery of goods to remote or hard-to-reach locations. For robotics developers, this represents an opportunity to create cutting-edge autonomous systems that can help solve to age-old problems like congestion, delays, and high operational costs. 

These drones use advanced AI, machine learning, and GPS technology to navigate and deliver packages autonomously. Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) reaching up to 80 kph (50 mph) are cutting down delivery times from hours to mere minutes.

What makes drones particularly innovative is their ability to operate in complex environments. They can fly over traffic jams, reach isolated rural locations, and even work in adverse weather conditions, all while providing real-time tracking and monitoring of goods in transit. This not only reduces the time and cost of last-mile delivery but also enhances the accuracy of deliveries, increasing customer satisfaction. 

Applications in drone logistics and transportation

1. Last-mile delivery: Companies like Wing and Flytrex are focusing on autonomous drones for last-mile delivery in urban and suburban settings. Drones are capable of delivering small packages, food, and even medical supplies. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2030, last-mile deliveries could rise by 78% worldwide.
2. Healthcare logistics: Innovators such as Zipline have already demonstrated the success of drones in delivering medical supplies, including vaccines, blood, and medication, in remote regions. Drones can also deliver small packages or food. Zipline said that millions of patients benefited from the tens of millions of medical supplies it has delivered in the last three years alone. Zipline has made more than a million autonomous commercial flights that covered more than 145,000,000 km (90,000,000 mi.).
3. Warehouse automation: Operations are using drones from providers such as those of Gather AI for inventory management and transportation of goods across large facilities. Such businesses have reported inventory accuracy rates of above 99%, according to Research Nester. Robotics suppliers are creating systems that can pick up and transport packages autonomously, improving warehouse operations and reducing human labor costs. 
4. Freight transport: Matternet has been developing drone systems for larger-scale freight transport, allowing for intercity and even cross-border deliveries. This can significantly reduce the cost and time associated with traditional ground transportation. 

On all these factors, the drone logistics and transportation market is experiencing rapid growth driven by advancements in autonomous technologies and the increasing demand for efficient, cost-effective deliveries. This market spans various sectors, including retail, e-commerce, healthcare, and industrial logistics, including drones for last-mile delivery, medical supply transport, and inventory management. 

Research Nester estimated the size of the drone logistics and transportation market at $1.3 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $275.8 billion by the end of 2037, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 51% from 2025 to 2037. 

The integration of drones into supply chains can reduce delivery times, lower costs, and address logistics challenges in remote or congested areas. With supportive regulatory developments and technological innovation, the market is poised to transform global transportation and logistics networks.

According to a PwC survey, 79% of consumers are likely to select drone delivery due to its effectiveness and quickness, indicating that this technology is becoming more widely accepted.

Robotics development for the future of drone logistics

For robotics developers, the drone logistics sector presents an exciting frontier. The future of drone transportation hinges on further advancements in AI, sensor technology, and autonomous flight systems. Developers are tasked with improving:

• Autonomy and navigation: AI algorithms must continue to evolve to handle increasingly complex environments. Drones will need to navigate dynamic, high-traffic areas with minimal human oversight. 
• Battery efficiency: Longer flight times and more substantial payload capacities are critical. Future drone systems will need innovations in battery technology to handle heavier loads and cover greater distances. 
• Regulatory compliance: The evolving regulatory landscape poses a challenge. Developers must ensure drones are a challenge. Developers must ensure drones comply with FAA regulations, including beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) and operational safety standards. 
• Swarm technology: The ability to have multiple drones communicate and work together as a swarm opens up the potential for large-scale logistics operations. Swarm technology could allow for a more synchronized delivery system, expanding to industrial and city-wide transportation systems. 

The drone logistics and transportation market is at the intersection of cutting-edge robotics development and the logistics industry’s need for speed and efficiency. The market is evolving quickly, and vendors like Zipline, Wing, and Matternet are already demonstrating how drones can revolutionize supply chains, healthcare delivery, and urban transportation.

For robotics developers, this market presents opportunities to push the boundaries of AI, autonomy, and flight technology. As regulatory challenges are addressed and technology continues to mature, drone logistics looks set to redefine the way goods are transported worldwide, offering immense potential for developers, suppliers, and end users alike.

About the author

Deboleena Dutta currently works as a junior content writer at Research Nester. A biotech engineer by training, she ventured into the field of writing and has enhanced her skills in business writing, research, and editing. Being a bibliophile has helped her play with words in her profession as a content writer.

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CEO Julia Astrid Riemenschneider (left) and COO Franziska Lorenz of Rethink Robotics. | Source: Rethink Robotics

Six years after closing its doors, Rethink Robotics Inc. relaunched in September with a new line of collaborative robot arms, autonomous mobile robots, and a mobile manipulator. Today, the company unveiled its new leadership team. Effective immediately, Julia Astrid Riemenschneider has been appointed chief executive officer, and Franziska Lorenz is chief operations officer.

Top priorities for Riemenschneider and Lorenz will include delivering innovative technologies in collaborative robots, overseeing the installation of Rethink Robotics’ North American headquarters, and expanding the team. By the end of 2025, the company plans to triple its team size, open a U.S. headquarters, and relocate robot production from Europe to the U.S.

“There is huge opportunity for our products in the North American manufacturing market, and we are excited to be working on our first installations as we grow our network of partners, distributors, and integrators,” said Riemenschneider. “I am honored to be in the position to lead a team that will challenge the status quo, help manufacturers solve challenges through automation, and empower our business partners for sustainable growth.”

In the 10 years Rethink Robotics was in operation before it shut down in 2018, it raised $150 million and released the well-known Baxter and Sawyer cobots. After shutting down, German automation and robotics specialist HAHN Group acquired the IP and trademarks for Rethink’s Sawyer cobot and Intera software.

Now, Rethink is under the United Robotics Group umbrella of HAHN Group.

The company’s newly introduced product line includes collaborative robots in payloads ranging from 7 to 30 kg (15 to 66 lb.), two autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and a mobile manipulator robot (MMR). Rethink said it designed the robots for increased precision, speed, and reliability, making them highly capable for industrial applications.

Riemenschneider and Lorenz take the reins at Rethink 

The new Reacher collaborative robot arms from Rethink Robotics. | Credit: Rethink Robotics

As CEO, Riemenschneider, M.Sc., is responsible for managing all customer-facing related departments, including marketing, sales, business development, product development, and application engineering. She brings more than 10 years of business development experience in industrial automation.

Prior to Rethink Robotics, Riemenschneider grew the business-development organization for United Robotics Group in Europe and the U.S. She previously worked in the U.S. for an international sensor manufacturer. This followed Europe-based business-development roles with a machine vision manufacturer and collaborative robot market leader Universal Robots.

Lorenz was previously responsible for corporate development and compliance at HAHN Automation Group, United Robotics Group, and Schenck Process Group. She holds a master’s degree in international business administration. Lorenz said she brings extensive international experience from her studies and professional work in Italy, Spain, and Mexico.

“With Rethink Robotics being based in the U.S., we are excited to create high-tech American jobs,” stated Lorenz. “It is our goal to provide opportunities for motivated and experienced talents to rethink and employ collaborative robots to help solve today’s manufacturing challenges.”

She recently spent 18 months at Robotnik, a manufacturer of indoor and outdoor mobile robots in Valencia, Spain. Lorenz managed its integration into United Robotics Group. She has managed numerous company acquisitions and is an expert in developing strategies and implementing organizational structures.

In addition, Rethink said Lorenz brings extensive administrative expertise to her role. In her new role as chief operations officer, Lorenz will be managing the company‘s human resources, finance, production, and service units. She said she is “looking forward to creating a diverse team as the foundation of success.”

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Sperm whales spend, on average, 10 minutes of every hour on the surface, presenting challenges for researchers studying them. | Source: Amanda Cotton/Project CETI

In the chilly waters off the New England coast, researchers from the Cetacean Translation Initiative, Project CETI, can spend hours searching and waiting for an elusive sperm whale to surface. During the minutes the whales spend above water, the researchers need to gather as much information as possible before the animals dive back beneath the surface for long periods.

With one of the widest global distributions of any marine mammal species, these whales are difficult to track down, and even more difficult to learn from. Project CETI aims to use robotics and artificial intelligence to decode the vocalizing of sperm whales. It recently released research about how it tracks down sperm whales across the wide ocean.

“The ocean and the natural habitat of the whales is this vast place where we don’t have a lot of infrastructure, so it’s hard to build infrastructure that will always be able to observe the whales,” said Stephanie Gil, an assistant professor of Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and an advisor on the project.

The project brings together some of the world’s leading scientists in biology, linguistics, robotics, and more. The founder of Project CETI, David Gruber, estimated that it’s one of the largest multi-disciplinary research projects active today.

“Project CETI was formed in March 2020, and we’re now over 50 scientists across eight different disciplines,” he said. “I think we’re over 15 institutions, which I believe puts us as one of the most interdisciplinary, large-scale science projects that’s ever been conducted. It’s incredibly rewarding to see so many disciplines working together.”

Project CETI shares latest research

The researchers at the nonprofit organization have developed a reinforcement learning framework that uses autonomous drones to find sperm whales and predict where they will surface. The paper, published in Science Robotics, said it’s possible to predict when and where a whale may surface using various sensor data and predictive models of sperm whale dive behavior.

This new study involved various sensing devices, such as Project CETI aerial drones with very high frequency (VHF) signal sensing capability that use signal phase along with the drone’s motion to emulate an “antenna array in the air” for estimating the direction of pings from CETI’s on-whale tags.

“There are two basic advantages of [VHF signals]. One is that they are really low power, so they can operate for a really, really long time in the field, like months or even years. So, once those small beacons are deployed on the tag, you don’t have to really replace the batteries,” said Ninad Jadhav, a co-author on the paper and a robotics and engineering Ph.D. student at Harvard University.

“The second thing is these signals that these tags transmit, the VHF, are very high-frequency signals,” he added. “They can be detected at really long ranges.”

“That’s a really huge advantage because we never know when the whales will surface or where they will surface, but if they have been tagged before, then you can sense, for example, simple information such as the direction of the signal,” Jadhav told The Robot Report. “You can deploy an algorithm on the robot to detect that, and that gives us an advantage of finding where the whales are on the surface.”

Sperm whales present unique challenges for data collection

From left to right: Stephanie Gil, Sushmita Bhattacharya, and Ninad Jadhav. | Source: Stu Rosner

“Sperm whales are only on the surface for about 10 minutes every hour,” said Gil. “Other than that, they’re diving pretty deep in the ocean, so it’s hard to access information about what the whales are actually doing. That makes them somewhat elusive for us and for science.”

“Even we humans have certain patterns day to day. But if you’re actually out observing whales on a particular day, their behavior is not going to exactly align with the models, no matter how much data you’re using to make those models right. So it’s very difficult to really predict with precision when they might be coming up,” she continued.

“You can imagine, if [the scientists] out on the water for days and days, only having a few encounters with the whales, we’re not being that efficient. So this is to increase our efficiency,” Gruber told The Robot Report.

Once the Project CETI researchers can track down the whales, they must gather as much information as possible during the short windows of time sperm whales spend on the surface.

“Underwater data collection is quite challenging,” said Sushmita Bhattacharya, a co-author on the paper and a computer science and robotics Ph.D. student at Harvard University. “So, what is easier than underwater data collection is to have data collected when they’re at the surface. We can leverage drones or shallow hydrophones and collect as much data as possible.”

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Developing the AVATARS framework

At the center of the research is the Autonomous Vehicles for Whale Tracking And Rendezvous by Remote Sensing, or AVATARS framework. AVATARS is the first co-development of VHF sensing and reinforcement learning decision-making for maximizing the rendezvous of robots and whales at sea.

“We tried to build up a model which would kind of mimic [sperm whale] behavior,” Bhattacharya said of AVATARS. “We do this based on the current information that we gather from the sparse data set.”

Being able to predict when and where the whales will surface allowed the researchers to design algorithms for the most efficient route for a drone to rendezvous with—or encounter—a whale at the surface. Designing these algorithms where challenging on many levels, the researchers said.

“Probably the hardest thing is the fact that it is such an uncertain problem. We don’t have certainty at all in [the whales’] positions when they’re underwater, because you can’t track them with GPS when they’re underwater,” Gil said. “You have to think of other ways of trying to track them, for example, by using their acoustic signals and an angle of arrival to their acoustic signals that give you a rough idea of where they are.”

“Ultimately, these algorithms are routing algorithms. So you’re trying to route a team of robots to be at a particular location in the environment, in the world, at a certain given time when it’s necessary to be there,” she told The Robot Report. “So this is analogous to something like rideshare.”

Before bringing the algorithms into the real world with real whales, the team tested them in a controlled environment with devices the team put together to mimic whales.

We mimicked the whale using an engineered whale,” recalled Bhattacharya. “So basically we used a speed boat, and it had a loud engine. We used that engine noise to mimic the whale vocalization, and we had it move to mimic whale motion. And then we used that as our ground test.”

Project CETI tests AVATARS in the real world

A customized off-the-shelf drone flying to deploy a whale tag developed by Project CETI researchers. | Source: Project CETI

“Every day was a challenge when we were out on the boat, because this was for me, and my co-author Sushmita, the first time we were deploying real autonomous robots from a boat in the middle of the sea trying to collect some information,” Jadhav said.

“One of the major challenges of working in this environment was the noise in the sensor,” he continued. “As opposed to running experiments in the lab environment, which is more controlled, there are fewer sources of noise that impact your experiments or your sensor data”

“The other key challenge was deploying the drone itself from the board,” noted Jadhav. “I remember one instance where this was probably the first or second day of the second expedition that we went on last November, and I had the drone ready. It had the payload. It was waterproof”

“I had already run experiments here in Boston locally, where I had an estimate of how long the drone would fly with the payload. And then we were out on the boat running some initial tests, and the drone took off,” he said. “It was fine, it was doing its thing, and within a minute of it collecting data, there was a sudden gust of wind. The drone just lost control and crashed in the water.”

The team also had to try to predict and react to whale behavior when performing field tests.

“Our algorithm was designed to handle sensor data from a single whale, but what we ended up seeing is that there were four whales together, who were socializing,” Jadhav said. “They were diving and then surfacing at the same time. So, this was tricky, because then it becomes really hard for us on the algorithm side to understand which whale is sending which acoustic signal and which one we are tracking.”

Team tries to gather data without disturbing wildlife

While Project CETI works closely with sperm whales and other sea life that might be around when the whales surface, it aims to leave the whales undisturbed during data collection.

“The main concern that we care about is that even if we fail, we should not harm the whales,” Bhattacharya said. “So we have to be very careful about respecting the boundaries of those animals. That’s why we are looking at a rendezvous radius. Our goal is to go near the whale and not land on it.”

“Being minimally invasive and invisible is a key part of Project CETI,” said Gruber. “[We’re interested in] how to collect this information without interacting directly with the whale.”

This is why the team works mostly with drones that won’t disturb sea life and with specially developed tags that latch onto the whales and collect data. The CETI team eventually collects these tags, and the valuable data they contain, after they fall off the whales.

“A lot of times, people might think of robotics and autonomy as a scary thing, but this is a really important project to showcase that robots can be used to extend the reach of humans and help us understand our world better,” Gil told The Robot Report.

Project CETI aims to decode whale communications

This latest research is just one step in Project CETI’s overarching goal to decode sperm whale vocalizations. In the short term, the organization plans to ramp up data collection, which will be crucial for the project’s long-term goals.

“Once we have all the algorithms worked out, a future outlook is one where we might have, for example, drone ports in the sea that can deploy robots with sensors around the clock to observe whales when they’re available for observation,” Gil said.

“We envision a team of drones that will essentially meet or visit the whales at the right place, at the right time,” Jadhav said. “So whenever the whales surface, you essentially have a kind of autonomous drone, or autonomous robot, very close to the whale to collect information such as visual information or even acoustic if the drone is equipped with that.”

Outside of Project CETI, organizations could use AVATARS to further protect sperm whales in their natural environments. For example, this information could be used to reroute ships away from sperm whale hot spots, reducing the odds of a ship colliding with a pod of sperm whales.

“The idea is that if we understand more about the wholes, more about the whale communities, more about their social structures, then this will also enable and motivate conservation projects and understanding of marine life and how it needs to be protected,” Gil said.

In addition, the researchers said they could apply these methods to other sea mammals that vocalize.

“Here at Project CETI, we’re concerned about sperm whales, but I think this can be generalized to other marine mammals, because a lot of marine mammals vocalize, including humpback whales, other types of whales, and dolphins,” Bhattacharya said.

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AWS and Isaac Sim can help accelerate robotics development, says NVIDIA.

NVIDIA Corp. today announced at AWS re:Invent enhanced tools for robotics developers, as well as the availability of NVIDIA DGX Cloud on Amazon Web Services and offerings for artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

The company said that NVIDIA Isaac Sim is now available on NVIDIA L40S graphics processing units (GPUs) in Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2) G6e instances. It said this could double scaling robotics simulation and accelerate AI model training. Isaac Sim is a reference application built on NVIDIA Omniverse for developers to simulate and test AI-driven robots in physically based virtual environments.

With NVIDIA OSMO, a cloud-native orchestration platform, developers can easily manage their complex robotics workflows across their AWS computing infrastructure, claimed the company.

“This combination of NVIDIA-accelerated hardware and software — available on the cloud — allows teams of any size to scale their physical AI workflows,” wrote Akhil Docca, senior product marketing manager for Omniverse at NVIDIA.

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What is ‘physical AI?’

According to NVIDIA, “physical AI” describes AI models that can understand and interact with the physical world. The company said it “embodies the next wave of autonomous machines,” such as self-driving cars, industrial manipulators, mobile robots, humanoids, and even robot-run infrastructure like factories and warehouses.

With physical AI, developers are embracing a “three-computer solution” for training, simulation, and inference to make breakthroughs, NVIDIA said. Yet physical AI for robotics systems requires robust training datasets to achieve precision inference in deployment. Developing such datasets and testing them in real situations can be impractical and costly.

Simulation offers an answer, as it can accelerate the training, testing and deployment of AI-driven robots, the company asserted.

L40S GPUs in the cloud offer to scale simulation, training

Developers can use simulation to verify, validate, and optimize robot designs as well as the systems and their algorithms before deployment, said NVIDIA. It added that simulation can optimize facility and system designs before construction or remodeling starts for maximum efficiencies, reducing costly manufacturing change orders.

Amazon EC2 G6e instances accelerated by NVIDIA L40S GPUs can double performance over the prior architecture, while allowing the flexibility to scale as scene and simulation complexity grows, NVIDIA said. Roboticists can use these instances to train many computer vision models that power AI-driven robots.

This means the same instances can be extended for various tasks, from data generation and simulation to model training. NVIDIA added that OSMO allows teams to orchestrate and scale complex robotics development workflows across distributed computing resources, whether on premises or in the AWS cloud.

NVIDIA said Isaac Sim can foster collaboration and critical workflows, such as generating synthetic data for perception model training.

A reference workflow combines NVIDIA Omniverse Replicator, a framework for building custom synthetic data generation (SDG) pipelines and a core extension of Isaac Sim, with NVIDIA NIM microservices. With it, developers can build generative AI-enabled SDG pipelines, it said.

These include the USD Code NIM microservice for generating Python USD code and answering OpenUSD queries, plus the USD Search NIM microservice for exploring OpenUSD assets using natural language or image inputs.

The Edify 360 HDRi NIM microservice can generate 360-degree environment maps, while the Edify 3D NIM microservice can create ready-to-edit 3D assets from text or image prompts. Generative AI can thus ease the synthetic data generation process by reducing many tedious and manual steps, from asset creation to image augmentation, said NVIDIA.

• Rendered.ai’s synthetic data engineering platform is integrated with Omniverse Replicator. It enables companies to generate synthetic data for computer vision models used in industries from security and intelligence to manufacturing and agriculture.
• SoftServe Inc., an IT consulting and digital services provider, uses Isaac Sim to generate synthetic data and validate robots used in vertical farming with Pfeifer & Langen, a leading European food producer.
• Tata Consultancy Services is building custom synthetic data generation pipelines to power its Mobility AI suite to address automotive and autonomous use cases by simulating real-world scenarios. Its applications include defect detection, end-of-line quality inspection, and hazard avoidance.

NVIDIA, AWS help robots learn in simulation

While Isaac Sim enables developers to test and validate robots in physically accurate simulation, Isaac Lab, an open-source robot learning framework built on Isaac Sim, provides a virtual playground for building robot policies that can run on AWS Batch. Because these simulations are repeatable, developers can troubleshoot and reduce the number of cycles required for validation and testing, said NVIDIA.

The company cited robotics startups that are already using Isaac Sim on AWS: 

• Field AI is building robot foundation models to enable robots to autonomously manage a wide range of industrial processes. It uses Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab to evaluate the performance of these models in complex, unstructured environments in construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, and more.
• Vention, which offers a full-stack cloud-based automation platform, is creating pretrained skills to ease development of robotic tasks, noted NVIDIA. It is using Isaac Sim to develop and test new capabilities for robot cells used by small to midsize manufacturers.
• Cobot offers Proxie, its AI-powered collaborative mobile manipulator. It uses Isaac Sim to enable the robot to adapt to dynamic environments, work alongside people, and streamline logistics in warehouses, hospitals, airports, and more.
• Standard Bots is simulating and validating the performance of its R01 robot used in manufacturing and machining setup.
• Swiss-Mile is using Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab for robot learning so that its wheeled quadruped robots can perform tasks autonomously with new levels of efficiency in factories and warehouses.
• Cohesive Robotics has integrated Isaac Sim into its software framework called Argus OS for developing and deploying robotic workcells used in high-mix manufacturing environments.
• Aescape’s robots are able to provide precision-tailored massages by accurately modeling and tuning the onboard sensors in Isaac Sim.

NVIDIA made other announcements in addition to the availability of Isaac Sim 4.2 on Amazon EC2 G6e Instances powered by NVIDIA L40S GPUs on AWS Marketplace.

It said that NVIDIA DGX Cloud can run on AWS for training AI models; that AWS liquid cooling is available for data centers using its Blackwell platform; and that NVIDIA BioNeMo NIM microservices and AI Blueprints, developed to advance drug discovery, are now integrated into AWS HealthOmics.

The company also said its latest AI Blueprints are available on AWS for video search and cybersecurity, the integration of NVIDIA CUDA-Q with Amazon Braket for quantum computing development, and RAPIDS Quick Start Notebooks on Amazon EMR.

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The Husky A300 is designed to be tougher and have longer endurance than the A200. Source: Clearpath Robotics

Developers of robots for indoor or outdoor use have a new platform to build on. In October, Clearpath Robotics Inc. released the Husky A300, the latest version of its flagship mobile robot for research and development. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said it has improved the system’s speed, weather resistance, payload capacity, and runtime.

“Husky A200 has been on the market for over 10 years,” said Robbie Edwards, director of technology at Clearpath Robotics. “We have lots of experience figuring out what people want. We’ve had different configurations, upgrades, batteries and chargers, computers, and motors.”

“We’ve also had different configurations of the internal chassis and ingress protection, as well as custom payloads,” he told The Robot Report. “A lot of that functionality that you had to pay to add on is now stock.”

Husky A300 hardware is rugged, faster

The Husky A300 includes a high-torque drivetrain with four brushless motors that enable speeds of up to 2 m/s (4.4 mph), twice as fast as the previous version. It can carry payloads up to 100 kg (220.4 lb.) and has a runtime of up to 12 hours, said Clearpath Robotics.

The company, which Rockwell Automation acquired last year, noted that the platform can integrate third-party components and accessories including depth cameras, directional lidar, dual-antenna GPS, and manipulators. Husky A300 has an IP54 rating against dust and water and can withstand industrial environments or extreme temperatures outdoors, it said. 

“Before, the Husky was configured on a bespoke basis,” said Edwards. “Now we’re off at a more competitive price, which is great for our customers, and it now comes off our production line instead of our integration line.”

Founded in 2009, the company has tested its hardware and software near its office in a wide range of weather conditions.

Clearpath’s integration with Rockwell has gone smoothly so far, with Rockwell’s procurement team easing access to components and manufacturing, said Edwards. He observed that some of Rockwell’s customers in mining or other industrial automation could find new use cases in time.

The Husky A300 can withstand dust and temperature variances. Source: Clearpath Robotics

Clearpath includes ROS 2 support with A300

Husky A300 ships with Robot Operating System (ROS) 2 Jazzy plus demonstrations of Nav2, MoveIt 2, and other developer utilities.

“Over the past two years, there was a big push to get all Clearpath products to ROS 2 Humble because its configuration management system made life easier for our integration team and customers,” recalled Edwards. “We also provide support for simulation, and URDF [Unified Robot Description Format] is configured.”

Many of Clearpath’s R&D customers were familiar with ROS, C++, and Python, so it offered visualization and simulation tools in addition to the ROS stack, he added. However, as the company got non-expert customers, it wanted to enable them to also work with Husky.

“Academics who aren’t roboticists but want to do data collection can now do so with a simple Python interface, without learning ROS,” Edwards said. “We’ve maintained a level of flexibility with integrating different payloads and compute options while still giving a pretty good price point and usability.”

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Husky AMP a ‘turnkey’ option

Clearpath Robotics is offering a “turnkey” version of the robot dubbed Husky AMP, or autonomous mobile platform. It comes with a sensor suite for navigation, pre-installed and configured OutdoorNav software, a Web-based user interface, and an optional wireless charging dock.

“Robotics developers can easily integrate payloads onto the mounting deck, carry out a simple software integration through the OutdoorNav interface, and get their system working in the field faster and more efficiently,” said Clearpath.

“We’ve lowered the barrier to entry by providing all software function calls and a navigation stack,” Edwards asserted. “The RTK [real-time kinematic positioning] GPS is augmented with sensor fusion, including wheel odometry, and visual and lidar sensors.”

“With a waypoint following system, the robotics stack does the path planning, which is constrained and well-tested,” he said. “Non-roboticists can use Husky A300 as a ground drone.”

More robot enhancements, use cases to come

Clearpath Robotics is considering variant drive trains for the Husky A300, such as tracks for softer terrain as in agriculture, said Edwards.

“Husky is a general-purpose platform,” he said. “We’re serving outdoors developers rather than end users directly, but there’s a lot of demand for larger, high-endurance materials transport.”

For the A300, the company surveyed its client base, which came back with 150 use cases.

“I’ve seen lots of cool stuff — robots herding animals, helping to grow plants, working in mines, participating in the DARPA Subterranean Challenge in fleets of Husky and [Boston Dynamics’] Spot,” Edwards said. “Husky Observer conducts inspections of sites such as solar farms.”

“The benefits for industrial users also help researchers,” he said. “Making the robot cheaper to deploy for faster time to value also means better battery life, weatherproofing, and integrations.”

Edwards added that Clearpath has received a lot of interest in mobile manipulation with its Ridgeback omnidirectional platform.

“This trend is finding its way outdoors as well,” he said. “On the application engineering side, developers have put put two large Universal Robots arms on our Warthog UGV [uncrewed ground vehicle] for things like changing tires.”

The Husky A300 can carry different sensor payloads or robotic arms. Source: Clearpath Robotics

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Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in the past month. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter and listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay up to date on the robotics developments you need to know about.

10. Europe has a key role to play in the development of robots, humanoids

While headlines often spotlight U.S. and Asian companies in the humanoid robotics race, startups in the tech hubs of Europe are making strides in developing human-like robots. From Norway to Switzerland, innovative European firms are pushing the boundaries of robotics technology, creating machines that can sense, feel, and interact with their environments in increasingly human-like ways. Read more.

9. Moxi reaches milestone of 100,000 autonomous elevator rides in hospitals

As development continues on humanoid robots, one mobile robot is already at work in hospitals. Diligent Robotics announced that its Moxi robot has completed 110,000 autonomous elevator rides at health systems across the U.S. The mobile manipulator has a single arm for opening doors and pushing buttons to operate elevators. Read more.

8. AeroVironment acquiring BlueHalo for $4.1B to boost defense tech

Defense contractor AeroVironment has agreed to acquire BlueHalo in an all-stock transaction worth approximately $4.1 billion. BlueHalo is best known for its drone swarm and counter-drone technology. The acquisition, which has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors, is expected to close in the first half of 2025. Read more.

 7. Kassow Robots’ new cobots designed for mobile manipulation

Kassow Robots in November 2024 introduced a new line of compact collaborative robots designed to integrate with mobile robots. The new Edge Edition cobots are smaller robot arms designed for mobile manipulation applications. They feature a direct DC connection from battery power, enabling them to operate while mounted to a mobile robot. Read more.

6. Collaborative Robotics unveils Proxie mobile manipulator

Collaborative Robotics Inc. unveiled its Proxie mobile manipulator publicly for the first time. The startup has been secretive about the design of the robot since Brad Porter founded the company in 2022. Porter has hinted at the design of the robot by alluding to the importance of a mobile manipulator for applications within the warehouse, with a kinematic that could be better suited for warehouse workflows than a humanoid. Read more.

5. Physical Intelligence raises $400M for foundation models for robotics

Foundation models promise to give robots the ability to generalize actions from fewer examples than traditional artificial intelligence approaches. Physical Intelligence it has raised $400 million to continue its development of artificial intelligence for a range of robots. Read more.

4. Schaeffler plans global use of Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid

Schaeffler AG, a global leader in motion technology, is making a minority investment into Agility Robotics and buying Digit humanoid robots for use across its global plant network. The companies did not disclose the size of the November 2024 investment, the number of humanoids being purchased, or what they will be used for. Read more.

3. Pickle Robot gets orders for over 30 unloading systems plus $50M in funding

Robotic truck unloading fits the classic definition of dull, dirty, or dangerous jobs worth automating. Pickle Robot has raised $50 million in Series B funding and said that six customers placed orders during the third quarter for more than 30 robots to deploy in the first half of 2025. The new orders include pilot conversions, existing customer expansions, and new customer adoption. Read more.

2. Chicago’s South Suburbs see the future of manufacturing as American and robotic

For decades, the Chicagoland area has played a pivotal role in American manufacturing capability. Unfortunately, the once-strong bastion of manufacturing and fabrication has lost much of its fervor following years of economic stagnation, outmigration, and a declining tax base. However, as the global marketplace continues to evolve, U.S. manufacturers must contend with an aging ownership base, greater competition, and a severe labor shortage. Read more.

1. Red Cat wins U.S. Army next-gen drone contract over Skydio

Red Cat Holdings Inc. announced that it won the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance, or SRR, program-of-record contract. The company replaced Skydio on this contract. The U.S. Army set an initial acquisition target of 5,880 systems over a five-year period. Read more.

The post Top 10 robotics developments of November 2024 appeared first on The Robot Report.

UFR has developed autonomous systems for multiple industries. Source: Universal Field Robotics

Sandvik AB today said it has acquired Universal Field Robots, or UFR, a developer of autonomous systems for the surface and underground mining markets. UFR will report to Digital Mining Technologies, a division within the Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions business area.

“Universal Field Robots is an important strategic addition to Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, which will strengthen our growth potential and provide key capabilities in the development of our mining automation solutions portfolio going forward,” stated Stefan Widing, president and CEO of Sandvik, when the company first announced its intentions in August.

Stockholm, Sweden-based Sandvik provides technologies for the mining, manufacturing, and infrastructure industries. As of 2023, the company had about 41,000 employees, sales in 170 countries, and revenue of SEK 127 billion ($11.5 billion U.S.).

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Universal Field Robots to widen equipment compatibility

Universal Field Robots has approximately 40 employees and is headquartered in Eagle Farm, near Brisbane, Australia. The company‘s systems are built on a common autonomy platform, including OEM-agnostic products for trucks, loaders, and auxiliary equipment. 

Sandvik said UFR’s technology complements its own automated offerings. “The acquisition will help to increase the addressable market for Sandvik and further strengthens the market position of Sandvik AutoMine — the world’s leading mining automation platform,” it claimed.

The companies said the acquisition will expand the number of third-party equipment types that can integrate with AutoMine.

In the financial year that ended in June 2024, Universal Field Robots generated revenue of approximately SEK 80 million ($7.2 million). Sandvik said the purchase will have a limited effect on its earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization (EBITA) will be limited. It added that the impact on its earnings per share, excluding non-cash amortization effects from business combinations, will be positive.

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