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.

The post Oxipital AI partners with Stäubli Robotics on food-safe picking appeared first on The Robot Report.

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.”

Register now

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.

The post AMP Robotics raises $91M to accelerate deployment of recycling systems appeared first on The Robot Report.

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.

Register now

The post COVAL releases MPXS, its smallest micro vacuum pump to date appeared first on The Robot Report.

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.

Register now

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.

The post AWS offers accelerated robotics simulation with NVIDIA appeared first on The Robot Report.

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.

Optimization evaluates multiple paths, sequences, poses, end-of-arm tool rotations, and interlocks for robots within a workcell. Source: Realtime Robotics.

Realtime Robotics, a leader in collision-free autonomous motion planning for industrial robots, last week named industry veteran Ville Lehtonen as its vice president of product.

Lehtonen brings experience in technology, product, and management, said Realtime Robotics. He most recently served as head of product at Pickle Robot Co., which he guided to a leadership position in the truck and container loading and unloading industry.

“Ville’s track record speaks for itself, and we’re confident he will be an excellent addition to the team,” said Kevin Carlin, chief commercial officer at Realtime Robotics.

“Our Optimization solution is already helping several manufacturing companies to reduce cycle times and improve productivity,” Carlin stated. “With Ville’s expertise, we can evolve to meet additional customer needs and expand its adoption throughout the manufacturing and logistics industries.”

Register now

Lehtonen expects ‘a massive gear change’

Prior to Pickle, Lehtonen was head of product for HighRes Biosolutions, a laboratory automation software company, and he was a co-founder and CEO of LabMinds Ltd., a laboratory automation company.

Lehtonen holds a BS and an MS in computer science from the Helsinki University of Technology and an MBA from Oxford University.

Ville Lehtonen. Source: LinkedIn

“I look forward to helping already highly automated production lines become even more efficient and cost-effective with the use of Realtime’s Optimization technology,” he said. “I am confident we can help manufacturers save tens of thousands of hours on their industrial robotics projects.”

“What Realtime is doing is a massive gear change in deploying automation,” Lehtonen added. “While this will be incredibly helpful for current manufacturers, the most exciting opportunities come from unlocking the economics for companies operating on a far smaller scale than the heavy users of robots. Realtime’s technology stack also can do for kinematics what real-time object-detection frameworks like YOLO [You Only Look Once] have done for computer vision, further lowering the barriers to entry in the robotics space.”

About Realtime Robotics

Boston-based Realtime Robotics said its technology generates optimized motion plans and interlocks to achieve the shortest possible cycle time in single and multi-robot workcells. The company claimed that its systems expand the potential of automation, empowering multiple robots to work closely together in unstructured and collaborative workspaces, reacting to dynamic obstacles the instant changes are perceived.

Realtime said its Optimization product uses a combination of proprietary software and experienced robotics and application engineering insights to drastically improve a manufacturer’s overall productivity. The system analyzes a customer’s existing digital twin, identifying bottleneck areas and recommending improvements based on desired parameters. 

Optimization can do all of this without interfering with ongoing production efforts, said Realtime Robotics.

The post Realtime Robotics appoints Ville Lehtonen vice president of product appeared first on The Robot Report.

The new MC600 is designed for reliable mobile manipulation, says MiR. Source: Mobile Industrial Robots

While humanoid robots are taking their first steps into industrial applications, ASTM International is working on standards for mobile manipulators. Its F45.05 Committee on Robotics, Automation, and Autonomous Systems is developing a standard designated as WK92144.

A mobile manipulator is broadly defined as an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) base with an attached multi-axis robotic arm. The ANSI/RIA R15.08-1-2020 standard defines a classification scheme for industrial mobile robots (IMR), which includes mobile manipulators as a class.

The goal of ASTM’s standard is to demonstrate the precision of a such a robot and provide a series of quantifiable tests for measuring the accuracy of the manipulator and mobile base’s movements. The research for the emerging testing standard is based on a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) paper.

Register now

Standards efforts focus on definitions, testing

“We started this standards effort in 2014 or 2015,” said Omar Aboul-Enein, co-author of the NIST paper and an F45 committee member. “In many cases, there’s noncontinuous performance. For example, the arm and vehicle don’t move simultaneously for machine tending or assembly tasks. We needed terminology for discrete pose-constrained tasks.”

In 2022, ASTM International expanded its scope to include robotics and automation, he told The Robot Report. “NIST had tested noncontinuous performance with multiple robots, such as AGVs [automated guided vehicles] and then experimented with continuous systems for large-scale manufacturing, like for aircraft wings, ship bows, and wind turbine blades.”

With R15.08, ASTM has focused on AMR testing, with task groups for mobile manipulation, grasp-type end effectors, and robotic assembly, Aboul-Emein explained. The mobile manipulation group has more than 30 members.

By supporting foundational tests for workpiece properties, ASTM wants to help industry create consistent documentation of robot configurations. Aboul-Emein described a configurable test apparatus for mobile manipulation that uses low-cost components and is designed to be easy to reproduce and allow for in-situ testing.

However, the new standards would not apply to end effectors, payloads, or fleet behavior. They could be used to develop simulations of robots and their behaviors, acknowledged Aboul-Emein.

“It definitely has potential, but there are always factors lurking in the real world, such as a dip in the lab floor or the weight of the arm when it’s fully stretched out to one side,” he said. “We’ve been working on items to assess mobile manipulators and measure their behavior, all based on consensus out of the committee. These standards are living documents.”

ASTM introduces testing table for mobile manipulators

The Robot Report also reached out to Aaron Prather, director of the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Program at ASTM International, for a more detail on the WK92144 standard and where it’s headed.

The organization‘s F45 committee is introducing a new testing table, a tool that helps show the precision of a mobile manipulator, linking its arm and base movements. The robot must try to maneuver around the table while its arm performs tasks on the surface. These tasks include tracking an S-shaped black area for welding or gluing and inserting pegs.

This image, provided by Prather, is an early prototype built by the F45 team to test the emerging standard. | Credit: Aaron Prather, ASTM

Operators can adjust the tabletop to stand at 90 degrees, tilt to 45 degrees, or lay flat at 0 degrees. To make the tests more challenging, they can attach a shaker that adds motion and vibrations.

“The table design will be standardized, and the committee will provide instructions on how everyone can build their table,” said Prather. “Several test standards are planned based on the table. The goal is to have NIST task boards and this new table be the basis for how we test new grasping/manipulation/assembly applications for accuracy and repeatability.”

“Also, expect to see our new Student Competition Challenges to use the boards and table,” he added. “This will help get students involved in how to use standards and send them out into the community with the knowledge on how to leverage these new test tools we are going to keep launching to ensure new robot systems can pass them.”

“Our hope is that we see humanoids and mobile manipulators having to show their results to help end users better understand capabilities and ensure they are getting the right system for their application,” Prather said.

The post ASTM developing testing standards for mobile manipulators appeared first on The Robot Report.

Renesas said the RZ/T2H MPU provides powerful application processing and fast real-time control. | Source: Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corp. this week launched the RZ/T2H, its highest-performance microprocessor for industrial equipment. Thanks to its powerful application processing and real-time performance, the RZ/T2H is capable of high-speed, high-precision control of industrial robot motors for up to nine axes, the company said.

As demand grows to augment scarce labor, manufacturers are deploying industrial automation such as vertically articulated robots and industrial controller equipment. Renesas claimed that the RZ/T2H microprocessor (MPU) combines all the functionality and performance needed for developing production applications.

Industrial systems traditionally required multiple MPUs or a combination of field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to control these applications. However, the RZ/T2H MPU offers the same functionality on a single chip, said Renesas. This can reduce the number of components and save time and cost of FPGA program development.

The MPU supports a variety of network communications including Industrial Ethernet on a single chip. It targets industrial controller equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), motion controllers, distributed control systems (DCSs), and computerized numerical controls (CNCs).

“We have enjoyed outstanding market success with RZ/T2M and RZ/T2L,” said Daryl Khoo, the vice president of the Embedded Processing 1st Business Division at Renesas. “The RZ/T2H builds on that momentum, allowing our industrial customers to leverage their existing design assets while addressing even more innovative, demanding industrial motor control and Linux applications. Our customers have been particularly impressed that the RZ/T2H enables them to implement a nine-axis motor control all on just one chip.”

A global provider of microcontrollers, Renesas combines expertise in embedded processing, analog, power, and connectivity to deliver complete semiconductor solutions. The Tokyo-based company said its products accelerate time to market for automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Register now

RZ/T2H can generate robot trajectories

The RZ/T2H is equipped with four Arm Cortex-A55 application CPUs with a maximum operating frequency of 1.2 GHz. For external memory, it supports 32-bit LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM. Two Cortex-R52 CPUs with a maximum operating frequency of 1 GHz handle the real-time processing, with each core equipped with a total of 576 KB of high-capacity tightly coupled memory (TCM).

This allows high CPU- and memory-intensive tasks such as running Linux applications, robot trajectory generation, and PLC sequence processing to be executed on a single chip. At the same time, the RZ/T2H can handle fast and precise real-time control such as motor control and Industrial Ethernet protocol processing, said Renesas.

The RZ/T2H can control up to nine axes including three-phase PWM timers, delta-sigma interfaces for measuring current values, and encoder interfaces. It supports A-format, EnDat, BiSS, Hyperface DSL, and FA-CODER.

In addition, the company placed peripheral functions for motor control  on a low-latency peripheral port (LLPP) bus of the Cortex-R52 real-time CPU core, allowing high-speed access from the CPU.

The RZ/T2H has four Ethernet ports, three Gigabit Ethernet MAC (GMAC), plus an Ethernet switch. It also supports EtherCAT, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA, and the next-generation Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) standard.

The combination of these Ethernet switches and GMAC allows the MPU to support multiple Industrial Ethernet controllers and devices. Renesas said this allows the system to adapt to a wide range of controller requirements, such as upper-layer Ethernet communications.

Block diagram of new RZ/T2H SOC. Click here to enlarge. Source: Renesas

Renesas offers specialized boards and software

The RZ/T2H comes with the Renesas Flexible Software Package (FSP), the same as all Renesas MPUs, and a Linux package that comes with long-term support. An out-of-the-box, multi-axis, motor control evaluation system is available. It includes inverter boards for driving nine-axis motors, a multi-axis motor control software package, and Motion Utility Tool (a motor control software tool).

Renesas has also included sample protocols for industrial Ethernet and software PLC packages to kick-start system development.

The company offers a “9-axis Industrial Motor Control with Ethernet” solution that combines the RZ/T2H with numerous compatible devices such as the RV1S9231A IGBT Drive Photocoupler and RV1S9353A Optically Isolated Delta-Sigma Modulator.

It said the resulting products enable compatible devices to work together to bring optimized, low-risk designs to market faster. Renesas offers more than 400 of these combinations with a wide range of products from its portfolio.

The RZ/T2H is now available. Renesas said plans to release the new RZ/N2H device, which offers the same performance as the RZ/T2H in a smaller package, in the first quarter of 2025. It said this will be suitable for industrial controller equipment such as PLCs and motion controllers.

The RZ/T2H is managed under the Product Longevity Program (PLP) for industrial equipment that requires long life cycles.

The post Renesas launches its highest performing MPU for industrial equipment appeared first on The Robot Report.

Oriental Motor has launched its new OVR Series of small industrial robots, which features articulated, cartesian, and SCARA models. The robots are powered by the αSTEP Hybrid AZ Series step-servo motors. Oriental Motor said these versatile robots are poised to have a major impact on improving automation operations.

The OVR Series features three types of robots:

Oriental Motors’ OVR Series Articulated Robot Arm | Credit: Oriental Motor

Articulated robots
The OVR Series articulated robots come in 4-axis, 5-axis, and 6-axis options. Users can control these robots with the MRC Series controller and AZ Series motor drivers. The robots feature a payload capacity of 1-5 kg, a parallel link mechanism, and can be combined with an electric linear slide for horizontal travel (5-axis and 6-axis).

Oriental Motor new SCARA Robot. | Credit: Oriental Motor

SCARA robots
The OVR Series SCARA robot is a small, 3-axis horizontal transport robot features a simple mechanism that can be controlled and constructed cost-effectively. The SCARA robot can be controlled with the MRC Series controller and AZ Series motor drivers. It offers a maximum reach of 410 mm and a payload capacity up to 3 kg.

Oriental Motor’s new Cartesian Robot | Credit: Oriental Motor

Cartesian robot
Oriental Motor said its new cartesian robot comes in a 3-axis model that also can be controlled with the MRC Series controller and AZ Series motor drivers. It offers a payload capacity up to 2.5 kg and a moving range 300 mm × 300 mm × 100 mm (X-Y-Z).

The company said the caretsian robot comes pre-assembled with three linear slides for simplified setup and reduced labor time.

The company said its MRCU Series Integrated Robot Controller combines the MRC01 controller and up to 6 AZ Series mini-drivers in a single compact unit, streamlining wiring and saving space. It supports EtherNet/IPTM or I/O connectivity, making it an ideal choice for the new OVR Series or AZ Series DC input actuators.

The key features of the MRC01-C Cartesian Robot Controller, Oriental Motor said, include a three-step programming process, direct EtherNet/IPTM control without ladder logic, and the ability to test using the free MRC Studio Simulator software.

Since its founding in Japan in 1885, Oriental Motor has been a world leader in motion control systems, concentrating for over a century on technological advancement and product design improvement.

The post Oriental Motor launches OVR Series industrial robots appeared first on The Robot Report.

In Episode 173 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-host Steve Crowe and I catch up on the news of the week, including several recent stories about mobile manipulators.

Featured interview with RGO Robotics and Wheel.Me

In the featured interview this week, I talk to Amir Bousani, CEO of RGO Robotics, and Jacob Petersen, chief commercial officer of Wheel.Me. We discuss the importance of perception for autonomous mobile robots, and discuss Wheel.Me’s decision to leverage RGO Robotics perception engine in its platform.

Show timeline

• 7:44 – News of the week
• 11:02 – Update on Proxie from Brad Porter, founder and CEO of Collaborative Robotics
• 24:15 – Interview with Amir Bousani, CEO of RGO Robotics, and Jacob Petersen, Chief Commercial Officer from Wheel.Me.

Register now

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 RGO Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics 

Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

RGo Robotics’ Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, The company’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler.

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGO’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

The post How AI, perception are shaping mobile robotics appeared first on The Robot Report.

Robot orders and shipments declined over the past year, reported A3. Source: Association for Advancing Automation

Like other industries, robotics has faced uncertainty around the economy and U.S. elections. The number of robots ordered and their total value declined in the first nine months of 2024, according to the Association for Advancing Automation, or A3.

From January through September 2024, North American businesses ordered 23,034 robots valued at $1.4 billion, a 1.9% decline in units and a 2.2% drop in revenue in comparison with the same period in 2023. A3 reported declines in semiconductors, electronics, and photonics of -32% and automotive components of -21%. Robot orders had already dropped 30% in 2023 from 2022.

The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organization attributed the slowdown to tight capital budgets, high interest rates, and slowed industrial output, particularly in electric vehicles. Also this week, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reported on global robot adoption, noting that the U.S. ranks 11th.

The dollar value of orders and shipments reportedly declined in 2024. Source: Association for Advancing Automation

A3 finds signs for hope

However, there were some positive signs, noted A3. Orders increased in food and consumer goods (+60%), life sciences/pharmaceuticals/biomedical (+43%), and metals (+8%).

In the third quarter of this year, North American companies ordered ordered 7,329 robots valued at $475 million, reflecting a 14.1% increase in units and an 8.8% rise in revenue compared with Q3 2023. While non-automotive orders accounted for 4,113 units or 56%, automotive component orders increased by 61%, even as automotive OEM orders contracted by 15%.

“Industry feedback suggests cautious optimism, with many companies forecasting a stronger rebound in 2025,” the association stated in its latest report.

Non-automotive orders surpassed automotive orders in the first three quarters of 2024. Source: Association for Advancing Automation

Burnstein posts open letter, discusses outlook

Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, posted an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, saying that automation is key to reshoring manufacturing to the U.S. He recommended that the federal government work with the robotics industry to develop a strategy to effectively compete economically and in national security.

The Robot Report spoke with Burnstein about his letter and A3’s latest report.

How do the latest quarterly statistics support your points?

Burnstein: We’re still seeing declines in robot orders, but they’re shrinking.

People in industry said once the elections are over, we’ll have clarity — we’ll see. It depends on industrial policy changes, such as support for electric vehicles versus internal combustion engines.

Your letter mentions the need for a national robotics strategy, as do A3’s advocacy principles. How would that mesh with the incoming administration’s stated goals of streamlining government?

Burnstein: They can happen at the same time. If the priority of the next administration is to bring back manufacturing, automation is necessary, regardless of whether it shrinks the federal government.

The [White House] Office of Science and Technology Policy could put more emphasis on robotics and automation.

With Tesla‘s Optimus, Elon Musk is a notable proponent of humanoid robots, and he has been named co-leader of the new Department of Government Efficiency. Do you think he’ll be helpful to the industry?

Burnstein: I don’t know exactly what his role will be, but you’d think that with somebody who knows and has applied the technology, he’s understand the robotics industry quite well.

New robot orders by types of application. Source: Association for Advancing Automation

Policy recommendations include more federal attention

Do robotics R&D and workforce development require more federal funding and coordination?

Burnstein: We’re trying to point to general principles. There should be someone in the government — a “robotics czar” — focused on how robotics, AI, and automation can make America more competitive. It is a priority in other countries.

If the priority is to create more jobs, then these fit together. One way is to automate; the other is to train the workforce. We have to have more state programs and coordination at the national level.

What are A3’s stances on issues like deregulation, tariffs, and tax cuts, which are mentioned in A3’s principles? How might they help or hurt the U.S. robotics industry?

Burnstein: On tariffs, I can’t comment yet. We have an advocacy committee meeting, chaired by Brendan Schulman of Boston Dynamics, in January.

On taxes, there should be incentives for companies that automate and expense it upfront.

We see a real need for looking at how we speak about automation and robotics. The last National Robotics Initiative was during the Obama administration. We can debate about whether investments were too focused on basic research, but coupled with tax incentives, it was a start.

As regulations go, there are some that if changed, they could help companies adopt automation. We’d need to explore that more closely, but A3 has pointed out that robots are a job creator, not a destroyer.

Now that the elections are over, what’s the status of the Congressional Robotics Caucus? Do you know any incoming members of Congress?

Burnstein: U.S. Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Rep. Robert Latta of Ohio are the co-chairs. I’ve heard that McGovern was very strong about wanting the caucus to be more active.

I appeared before the Senate AI Caucus, and there’s a growing awareness that AI and robotics go together, so I’m hopeful.

Do you expect a response to your letter from the White House?

Burnstein: We got a response that they received it, and I’m hopeful for outreach to work with A3 and other organizations. The National Association of Manufacturers [NAM] sent letters before and after the election, and a lot of people signed them.

A3’s advocacy principles. Source: Association for Advancing Automation

A3 to work with lobbyists, other organizations

Are A3’s principles in line with Henrik Christensen‘s National Robotics Roadmap? 

Burnstein: We are generally aligned, I participated in putting it together. I think there are other like-minded organizations, such as NAM. We want to focus on all industries that robots and automation can assist.

How can the robotics industry elevate its profile in Washington?

Burnstein: For the first time, we’ve hired a lobbying group, which will begin on Dec. 1. We think there’s a good opportunity, and both sides of the aisle are interested in the same things: bringing back jobs, keeping the U.S. competitive, and not falling behind in a whole bunch of areas, not just manufacturing.

Does A3 have plans to work with other organizations, such as the ARM Institute or robotics clusters, to advocate for the industry?

Burnstein: I haven’t seen much activity lately from the National Alliance of Robotics Clusters, but there will be coordination with similar groups.

As I said, our advocacy committee will meet right before the inauguration. At A3’s Business Forum in January, we may also talk with various groups.

Right now, we’re outlining general principles of working with the next administration on taxes, workforce development, and other issues.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated with a link to A3’s full report, released today.

---

Register now

---

The post A3 calls on incoming administration to support robotics, as Q3 stats show slowdown appeared first on The Robot Report.

Robot density in the manufacturing industry in 2023, according to the IFR. | Source: IFR

Factories worldwide are continuing to adopt more robots, according to the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR. The new global average robot density reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023 — more than double the 74 unit average measured only seven years ago.

The Frankfurt, Germany-based IFR noted the growth in its “World Robotics 2024″ report.

“Robot density serves as a barometer to track the degree of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world,” stated Takayuki Ito, the IFR’s new president. “This year’s runner-up is China, which ranks third worldwide behind Korea and Singapore, but right up with Germany and Japan.”

Europe leads in regional robot density

When breaking these numbers down by region, the European Union had the highest robot density, with 219 units installed per 10,000 employees. This is an increase of 5.2% from 2022, with Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Slovenia in the global Top 10. 

North America followed with 197 units per 10,000 employees, up 4.2% from 2022.

Asia has 182 units per 10,000 people employed in manufacturing — an increase of 7.6%. The economies of Korea, Singapore, mainland China, and Japan were among the top ten most automated countries in 2023.

Founded in 1987, IFR aims to connect the world of robotics around the globe. It’s institutional members come from the robotics industry, national or international industry associations, and research and development institutes. The non-profit organization directly represents more than 90 members from over 20 countries.

Register now

IFR lists countries that are top robot users

The Republic of Korea was the world’s No. 1 adopter of industrial robots in 2023, with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees. Robot density has increased by 5% in the country on average each year since 2018.

With a world-renowned electronics industry and a strong automotive industry, the Korean economy relies on the two largest customers for industrial robots, said the IFR.

Singapore followed with 770 robots per 10,000 employees. It is a small country with a very low number of employees in the manufacturing industry, so it can reach a high density with a relatively small operational stock.

China took third place in 2023, surpassing Germany and Japan for the first time. It has been heavily investing in automation technology in recent years. This investment seems to have paid off, the IFR noted, as the People’s Republic of China reached a high robot density of 470 robots per 10,000 employees, compared with 402 units in 2022.

“China’s massive investment in automation technology has achieved this high robot density despite a huge manufacturing workforce of around 37 million people,” Ito said. “Robot density serves as a useful barometer for comparing the level of automation in manufacturing between countries.”

Germany and Japan followed China, in fourth and fifth place respectively. Germany has 429 robots per 10,000 employees, and its robot density has grown by 5% CAGR since 2018.

Japan is close behind with 419 units. The robot density of the world’s predominant robotics manufacturing country has grown by 7% on average each year from 2018 to 2023.

The U.S. reached 295 units per 10,000 employees in 2023, falling just outside of the top 10 by ranking eleventh in the world. While it has been increasing its robot density, the U.S. had 285 units per 10,000 robots installed in 2022. 

The U.S. hasn’t been able to keep up with the rest of the world’s pace. In 2022, it was the 10th most automated country worldwide, and in 2021, it was the ninth most automated country. 

The post In just seven years, the global robot density in factories has doubled, IFR finds appeared first on The Robot Report.

The path toward general-purpose robots is being paved by software to accelerate application development. Flexiv last week launched Elements Series 3, the latest version of its adaptive robot control system to makes programming faster and easier.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said its engineers have simplified the user experience, focusing on human-centered design and semi-automated features.

Founded in 2016, Flexiv said it is dedicated to developing and manufacturing adaptive robots. The company said it has integrated industrial-grade force control, computer vision, and artificial intelligence to deliver “turn-key automation” that can enhance efficiency while reducing operational costs and environmental impact.

Register now

Teach pendant plus simulation

Flexiv asserted that its new, ruggedized Teach Pendant and intuitive software allows programmers of any skill level to easily create and manage robotics applications, whether they’re in an office or on the production-line floor.

In addition, the Elements Studio 3D simulation tool allows users to design, test, and refine their applications before deploying them in the real world.

Fully compatible across PCs, the Teach Pendant, and all Flexiv robots, Elements Studio can reduce deployment time and minimize risk by allowing thorough testing in a virtual setting, claimed the company.

Source: Flexiv

Flexiv redesigns Motion Bar

As part of the newly released Elements hardware, the Motion Bar has also been redesigned. Based on user feedback, it now includes a status-indicator light and dedicated buttons for mode switching, Freedrive, and Jogging.

Flexiv said operators can use the Motion Bar independently or docked to the Teach Pendant for convenient robot control.

When coupled with the ability to build applications by physically moving a robot into position in Freedrive mode, the need for complex and time-consuming programming is removed. This hands-on approach means anyone can quickly and efficiently build, test, and perfect their application.

Source: Flexiv

Elements 3 supports more motion

Flexiv said it has enabled support for multiple external axes, bringing users seven-plus degrees of freedom (7+N DoF) motion control, making the software suitable for complex tasks involving dual-axis rotary platforms or linear guide rails.

Elements 3 also features additional enhanced drag-and-drop function blocks — known as primitives—to accelerate programming and application building. Flexiv recently helped a seafood producer develop a fish fillet-shaping application with its Rizon 4 collaborative robots.

The company said its updated hardware and software are fully compatible with all of its robots, including the newly released Moonlight Adaptive Parallel Robot.

Source: Flexiv

The post Flexiv releases Elements Series 3 to simplify robot simulation, programming appeared first on The Robot Report.

The M-950iA is designed to deliver a wide range of motion with precision—even in tight workspaces. | Source: FANUC

FANUC yesterday introduced the M-950iA industrial robot, which is capable of lifting heavy items including automotive components, construction materials, and electric vehicle battery packs. Fitting between FANUC’s M-900iB and M-1000iA families, the serial-link structured M-950iA/500 offers a wider range of motion than standard parallel-link robots. This offers adaptability for tight workspaces and variable layouts, said the company.

“We’re thrilled to introduce our new robot to the market,” said Eric Potter, general manager of FANUC America Corp.’s Robot Application Segment. “Its design is perfect for rapid and robust performance in heavy part lifting, palletizing, and demanding material-handling tasks.”

“With its exceptional strength and versatility, the M-950iA is set to become a powerhouse for customers seeking adaptable solutions in challenging industrial environments,” he added.

FANUC touts M-950iA agility and accuracy

A high-rigidity design makes FANUC’s latest robot capable of handling payloads up to 500 kg — and its reach of 2,829.5 mm is paired with a broad range of motion on the robot’s J3 axis, allowing it to flip over backward. The system can handle large and heavy workpieces thanks to its ultra-strong and powerful wrist.

The M-950iA is also available with stiffness options to maintain high accuracy even under the external force. FANUC said this makes the robot suitable for friction stir welding, drilling, and riveting applications. 

Features and benefits of the system include:

• 6 controlled axes
• 500 kg (1,102.3 lb.) maximum payload
• A 2,829.5 mm (111.4 in.) reach
• Serial link design with a wide J3 axis motion range
• High-performance servomotor drive system offering positioning repeatability of ±0.08 mm
• User-friendly FANUC iPendant teaching device and R-30iB Plus controller connectivity
• Accuracy and stiffness enhancement options are available for high precision or where external forces may act on the robot

Robot maker expands in Michigan

FANUC America, a subsidiary of Japan-based FANUC Corp., is a world leader in robotics, factory automation, CNC systems, and ROBOMACHINEs. The company said its innovative technologies and proven expertise help manufacturers maximize efficiency and maintain a competitive edge.

In July, FANUC unveiled its 650,000-sq.-ft. (60,386-sq.-m) West Campus in Auburn Hills, Mich. It said the facility expands its total footprint in Michigan to more than 2 million sq. ft. (185,806 sq. m) and is part of its strategic investment to advance industrial automation in North America.

The company‘s new facility includes advanced product manufacturing and customized automation, as well as warehouse space for more than 6,000 quick-delivery robots and tens of thousands of parts.

Register now

The post New FANUC heavyweight industrial robot can lift up to 500 kg appeared first on The Robot Report.

In Episode 172 of The Robot Report Podcast, co-hosts Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman catch up on the news of the week, including several recent stories about self-driving vehicles. We also catch up with Yoshi Umeno and learn how Kollmorgen helps clients design and build surgical robots.

Featured interview with ABB

In the featured interview this week, Oitzman catches up with Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics, to learn how the company is using artificial intelligence to make robotics easier to program and deploy.

Show timeline

• 7:50 – News
• 22:22 – Kayleen Brown interviews Yoshi Umeno from Kollmorgen (sponsored by Kollmorgen)
• 29:50 – Interview with Marc Segura, president of ABB Robotics

Register now

News of the week

Schaeffler plans global use of Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid

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 RGO Robotics

The show this week is sponsored by RGO Robotics 

Is your autonomous mobile robot (AMR) struggling in dynamic environments? Is your business stuck because it takes months to commission a new site?

RGo Robotics’ Perception Engine is revolutionizing the AMR business through advanced Vision AI perception technology. Unlike traditional solutions, The company’s software enables AMRs to adapt to changing environments and navigate complex spaces with unprecedented accuracy and the commissioning process is shorter and simpler.

Leading AMR companies are enhancing their fleets with RGo’s AI-powered perception, enabling their teams to accelerate use of advanced AI capabilities like foundation models and digital twins.

Don’t let outdated navigation hold your business back.

To learn more about RGO’s solutions, go to: https://www.rgorobotics.ai/

The post The ABB Edge: Using AI and robotics to transform industries appeared first on The Robot Report.