A problem-solving approach IT workers should learn from robotics engineers
Greg Nichols for ZDNet: Google-owned Boston Dynamics got some bad news in the final days of 2015. After years of development and intensive field trials, the Massachusetts-based robotics company learned that the U.S. Marines had decided to reject its four-legged robotic mule, Big Dog. The reason? The thing is too damn noisy for combat, where close quarters and the occasional need for stealth make excess machine noise a liability.
The setback reminded me of a story another group of robotics engineers told me about the development of their breakthrough machine, a robotic exoskeleton that enables paraplegics to walk and soldiers to hump heavy packs without wearing down. It also reminded me of a powerful approach to solving problems and dealing with setbacks that I've encountered again and again reporting on robotics.
Ekso Bionics, which went public in 2015, invented the first viable untethered exoskeleton, one that doesn't need to be plugged into an external power source. Their achievement rests on one engineering breakthrough in particular, and to arrive at it Ekso's engineers had to do something that's surprisingly difficult but incredibly instructive for non-engineers--they had to change the way they thought about their problem. Cont'd...
ATX West - America's Most Comprehensive Design & Manufacturing Event Welcomes Prolific Futurist, Legendary Disney Animator and Philanthropic Innovator to its Keynote Stage
Leading U.S. Event Hosts Expert Talks, Technology-Packed Exhibition Hall, and Unmatched Networking Opportunities
ROBOTIQ BRINGS A SENSE OF TOUCH TO UNIVERSAL ROBOTS WITH NEW 6-AXIS FORCE TORQUE SENSOR
Robotiq launches its newest Force Torque Sensor: the FT 300, bringing a sense of touch to robots. With plug and play integration on all Universal Robots, the Force Torque Sensor FT 300 makes automation of high precision tasks such as product testing, assembly and precise part insertion easy and fast to setup.
New Product - P-Rob 2 Second Generation of the Collaborative Robot
P-Rob 2 is an all-in-one robotic solution combining robot arm, sensor technologies and software including an embedded PC as control unit. So all that needs to be done is plug-in and run.
RENCO Launches Redesigned Website To Benefit Rotary Encoder Users
RENCO encoders have a new home online with the launch of a redesigned website at www.renco.com .
Association for Advancing Automation Announces Keynote Addresses for A3 Business Forum
500+ Automation Executive Attendees Marks The Largest Forum to Date
Factory Automation Will Speed Forward with A.I., Says Bernstein
By Tiernan Ray for Barron's: Bernstein Research’s Alberto Moel, who follows tech-industrial companies such as Corning(GLW) and AU Optronics (AUO), this afternoon offered up a thinks piece on robotics andfactory automation, arguing that some of the costs of automation beyond the basic cost of the robot are about to get dramatically cheaper, thanks in large part to artificial intelligence akin to what Alphabet (GOOGL) and others are doing.
Moel notes that the basic components of factory robots are only falling by perhaps 6% per year, their cost reduction bounded by things such as casings and servomotors and reduction gears that don’t rapidly fall in cost.
But, writes Moel, the cost to install and adjust these machines on a factory floor is ten times their component cost and that stuff can be reduced more dramatically:
How much this integration costs varies widely. An often-cited rule of thumb is that a $50,000 robot will need $500,000 of integration costs before it is all said and done. Of course, these integration costs can be amortized over many robots, so perhaps a better estimate would be 3-5x the robot cost [...] But I do believe we are at an inflection pointthat will materially increase the capability of automation systems and substantially reduce programming, setup, and fixturing costs which are the largest cost element in most automation efforts. So instead of a measly 6% YoY cost reduction , we get 25-30% YoY declines, and automation Nirvana. Cont'd.. .
Fetch Robotics Expands Executive Team
Executives from Magellan and Willow Garage Leadership Join Logistics Pioneer
Optical sensing and imaging community readies for SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing
Topics such as infrared, laser, terahertz, multi- and hyperspectral imaging, fiber-optic sensors, and wireless sensing help to drive innovation in sectors as wide-ranging as process monitoring, surveillance, oil and gas exploration, agriculture and crop optimization, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, homeland defense, terrorism countermeasures, robotics, and the Internet of Things. SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing will bring the global community together on these topics in April in Baltimore.
Most Popular Articles for 2015 - Did some of them predict the future?
Smart Homes, Robotics, Automation, Unmanned Vehicles, Solar and Wind Energy. Regardless of where you work or what you do, these topics are affecting your life and will continue to do so in the future.
ATX West - Tsugami/Rem Sales to Demonstrate LaserSwiss CNC Machine at MD&M West Show
Tsugami/Rem Sales, the exclusive North American importer of Precision Tsugami CNC machine tools, announced today that it will demonstrate its S206 LaserSwiss machine at the MD&M West show in Anaheim, CA in February.
RoboBusiness 2016 Call for Speakers Now Open
RoboBusiness is currently seeking qualified presenters for the conference program to be offered September 28-29, 2016 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA.
Allied Motion Technologies Announces Completion of Heidrive Acquisition
Allied Motion Technologies Inc., a global designer and manufacturer of motion control products, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Heidrive GmbH, a drive technology and engineering company for €20 million (approximately US$22 million). Allied Motion announced on December 23, 2015 that it had signed an agreement to purchase Heidrive.
Counting Photons…How Low Can You Go?
New program will plumb the fundamental limits of light detection to enable revolutionary new concepts, models and imaging devices
Motor vehicle construction benefiting from new laser joining processes
Lasers help when joining lightweight steel and aluminium structures / Laser welding profitable even with small batch sizes
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Industrial Robotics - Featured Product
ATI Industrial Automation - Manual Tool Changers
Simpler, stronger, and more precise. ATI Industrial Automation has developed a series of Manual Tool Changers that provides a cost-effective solution for quickly changing tools by hand. They feature a unique design that combines high strength, excellent repeatability, and a patent-pending screw-cam locking mechanism with multiple fail-safe features, which resists vibration and prevents loosening. These robust and compact Manual Tool Changers can handle payloads up to 80 pounds (36 kg) and pass pneumatics and electrical signals.
