Boston Magazine Profiles Rodney Brooks of Rethink
Long article about Rodney Brooks co-founder of Rethink and former CTO at iRobot:
...Brooks cofounded the bedford-based iRobot in 1990, and his motivation, he explains, had something to do with vanity: “My thoughts on my self-image at the time was that I didn’t really want to be remembered for building insects.” Then he pauses for a moment and laughs. “But after that I started building vacuum-cleaning robots. And now there is a research group using Baxter to open stool samples. So now it’s shit-handling robots. I think maybe I should have quit while I was ahead. You know, that’s something no one ever says: ‘I hope my kid grows up to open stool samples... ( full article )
Rethink Robotics Introduces Industry-First Robot Positioning System
This disruptive technology enables Baxter to switch between tasks without retraining by using environmental markers, called Landmarks™, in conjunction with its existing, embedded vision system.
NEXCOM IoT Controller Solution Brings Intelligence to Manufacturing
In this white paper, NEXCOM will explain how the NEXCOM IoT controller NIFE 100 provides a unique open-architecture solution with the configuration flexibility to surmount communication barriers in building the Factory-of- Things and supporting the necessary data communications for connecting the enterprise domain and the operation domain.
Grabit Inc. Demos Electrostatic Gripper
From Grabit Inc.:
Enhanced Flexibility
Grabit technology eliminates the need for part-specific grippers and minimizes gripper changeover, dramatically reducing costs and downtime.
Gentle Handling
Grabit grippers offer scratch and smudge-free handling with its clean grasping and eliminates the need to remove residue left by vacuum cups. Grabit’s uniform grasping effect eliminates high “point stresses” on large format glass sheets.
Low Energy & Quiet Operations
Grabit products operate at ultra-low energy levels providing cost savings and enabling mobile robot applications, and also offer quiet operations improving factory conditions and supporting the adoption of collaborative robots... ( homepage )
Formosa Plastics Wins with Open Intel ® Architecture and Scalable Roadmap
Replacing legacy application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) with x86 architecture allows the company to deliver products just in time and to achieve about 20 percent of overhead in inventory.
Current Transducer Implementation Phenomena
Implementation of a current transducer is typically a straightforward affair. In the event that the output is not as expected, it must be understood that the source of the challenge may be rooted in the mechanical, magnetic or electric nature of the device.
At Japan Robot Week, Mechanical Barista Treats Visitors to Coffee
From Japan Times :
iRobot Unveils Its First Multi-Robot Tablet Controller for First Responders, Defense Forces and Industrial Customers
From iRobot:
The uPoint MRC system runs an Android-based app that standardizes the control of any robot within the iRobot family of unmanned vehicles. Utilizing the same intuitive touchscreen technology in use today on millions of digital devices, the uPoint MRC system simplifies robot operations including driving, manipulation and inspection, allowing operators to focus more on the mission at hand... ( full press release )
Integrated 2D Imaging Engine from Microscan Helps Improve Production Yield, Quality and Traceability at Each Step of the PCB Manufacturing Process
Case Study: Prodrive Technologies, The Netherlands
Robotics Design, Synthesis and Processing
The total process of building a robot is first to identify a need, then defining the problem that must be overcome to accomplish the need.
Collaborative Robot Development
Since the operator can work in the robots workspace even when the robot is still in motion at full speed, there is much more collaboration between the operator and robot.
Filling Without Spilling
Watching a form-fill-seal machine in operation is rather fascinating. It looks so easy, but the precision technology needed to ensure that bag after bag is being filled without breaking, or its intended content being misdirected and wasted, is far from simple.
7 Signs That Your Business is Ready for Automation
Investing in automation has to make financial sense for individual businesses, regardless of trends. Here are seven signs that could point to your companys need to automate.
The Hershey Company
Until 2005, everything at the Hershey plant was hand-palletized, resulting in low palletizing rates and high manual labor costs.
Top Six Trends in Industrial Robotics
Here are six emerging trends in the world of industrial robots that will likely have a big impact on a wide variety of industrial sectors, and provide benefits well beyond what was once imaginable.
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Factory Automation - Featured Product
The maxon IDX Compact Drive with Integrated Positioning Controller
The compact brushless EC-i motor combined with an EPOS4 positioning controller delivers a highly dynamic, powerful drive package with field-oriented control (FOC), high efficiency, and maintenance-free components in a high-quality industrial housing. The maxon IDX drives are suitable for use across the entire speed range (from standstill to maximum speed) and have an extremely high overload capability. Together with a positioning controller, the integrated sensor (single turn) enables absolute positioning.
