3D Printing and Technology Fund Adds Robotics to the Mix
BY BRIAN KRASSENSTEIN for 3DPrint.com: There are several ways one can diversify their holdings within any market. An investor could simply research which firms are out there within a particular industry, like the 3D printing industry, and invest small amounts into each by purchasing shares. The easiest way, however, would be to find a fund that’s going to do all the work for you, managed by someone who likely has more experience in the market than you do. There is currently only one main fund which concentrates their efforts primarily on the 3D printing space, the 3D Printing and Technology Fund (TDPNX), managed by CEO Alan M. Meckler, and his son John M. Meckler.
While the fund is currently down approximately 13% YTD, it has outperformed the two largest pure play 3D printing stocks, 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) and Stratasys (NASDAQ:SSYS), significantly. 3D Systems is down over 44% on the year, and Stratasys down a staggering 58.5%.
Today the fund is making a major change, one that the Mecklers feel should increase opportunity for investors. Up until this point, the fund allocated at least 80% of their capital to what they defined as ‘3D printing companies’ and ‘technology companies’. Today this changed, along with the fund’s official name. The fund’s new name will now be ‘3D Printing, Robotics and Technology Fund,’ while going forward 80% of their capital will now be allocated to what they define as ‘3D printing companies,’ ‘robotics companies’ and ‘technology companies.’ Cont'd...
Seahorse Tails Could Inspire New Generation Of Robots
From Michael Porter at Clemson University:
Seahorse tails are organized into square prisms surrounded by bony plates that are connected by joints. Many other creatures, ranging from New World monkeys to rodents, have cylindrical tails.
Researchers wanted to know whether the square-prism shape gives seahorse tails a functional advantage.
To find out, the team created a 3D-printed model that mimicked the square prism of a seahorse tail and a hypothetical version that was cylindrical. Then researchers whacked the models with a rubber mallet and twisted and bent them.
Researchers found that the square prototype was stiffer, stronger and more resilient than the circular one when crushed. The square prototype was about half as able to twist, a restriction that could prevent damage to the seahorse and give it better control when it grabs things.
Both prototypes could bend about 90 degrees, although the cylindrical version was slightly less restricted... (cont'd)
Adept Technology Introduces New High-Speed Packaging Robot
Hornet 565 to Debut at CiROS Tradeshow in Shanghai July 8-11, 2015
High Performance Drive in a Small Package
Maxon sets new standards in micro drives.
Armed Forces Can Meet Congressional Mandate Deadline Of 1/3 Ground Operational Combat Vehicles Unmanned By 2015
Utah Company Kairos Autonomi Says The Technology Exists For Removing Warfighters From Dangerous Tasks …Now!
RobotShop and PulsedLight Announce Distribution Network Expansion
RobotShop.com, the worlds leading robot store for all your robotic needs, announced today that it has partnered with PulsedLight in order to become a master distributor of the popular LIDAR-Lite optical distance measurement sensor and future technology developed by PulsedLight.
Robotics Business Review Game Changer Awards Now Accepting Entries
The Game Changer Awards ceremony will take place September 23, 2015 at RoboBusiness in San Jose, CA.
How Does the Accident in Germany Affect Industrial Robot Safety?
by Patrick Davison, Director of Standards Development, Robotic Industries Association: Last week, an unfortunate fatality involving an industrial robot and a worker occurred at a Volkswagen plant in Baunatal, Germany. The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and its member companies express its deepest sympathies to the victim’s family, friends, and colleagues.
According to news sources, the worker was part of a contracting crew responsible for setting up the robot, and was working inside the safeguarded space when the incident occurred. A second member of the contracting crew was standing outside of the safeguarded space and was not harmed.
The international media response to the incident was aggressive, swift, and expounded on topics that were not relevant to the incident. AWashington Post article referenced the dangers of Artificial Intelligence and posed the question, “Should the world kill killer robots before it’s too late?” In another story, a Financial Times journalist with a name similar to a popular character in The Terminator franchise started a social media frenzy with a tweet. A video from Ireland expounds on random tweets regarding the incident with backdrop footage of the Honda ASIMO robot and manual automotive operations. Also, according to this article on an automotive news and gossip site, a Times of India article posted a photo of a gun-wielding toy robot beside the story. Cont'd...
China's Hunger for Robots Marks Significant Shift
By TIMOTHY AEPPEL and MARK MAGNIER for WSJ.com - Having devoured many of the world’s factory jobs, China is now handing them over to robots.
China already ranks as the world’s largest market for robotic machines. Sales last year grew 54% from a year earlier, and the boom shows every sign of increasing. China is projected to have more installed industrial robots than any other country by next year, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
China’s emergence as an automation hub contradicts many assumptions about robots and the global economy.
Economists often view automation as a way for advanced economies to keep industries that might otherwise move offshore, or even to win them back through reshoring, since the focus is on ways to reduce costly labor. That motivation hasn’t gone away. But increasingly, robots are taking over work in developing countries, reducing the potential job creation associated with building new factories in the frontier markets of Asia, Africa or Latin America. Cont'd...
FAA Approves Phoenix Arizona's First Complete Image Acquisition Drone Operation: HighGround Images, LLC
The Federal Aviation Administration has just approved the commercial use of drones for Phoenix Arizona based HighGround Images, LLC. The approval covers a broad range of UAS aerial image acquisition including: motion picture and television, real estate, short range inspection, mapping and survey, agriculture, and search and rescue.
Teledyne Increases Ownership Stake in Ocean Aero
Based in San Diego, California, Ocean Aero is designing unmanned surface vehicles that will also have the ability to descend subsea.
Robots 101 - Lasers
Almost all robots today use lasers for remote sensing. This means that the robot is able to tell, from a distance, some characteristics of an object.
2015 Festo Bionic Learning Network Developments Run the Gamut from Robotic Ants to a Flexible Gripper Inspired by a Chameleon's Tongue
Natural models provide fresh inspiration in automation technology
Deadline Is Here for 2001 Congressional Mandate to DoD: Have 1/3 of Operational Ground Combat Vehicles Unmanned by 2015
Utah Company Kairos Autonomi Has Worked Since 2006 To Answer The Call
Adept Technology to Demonstrate Latest Robot Technologies at China International Robot Show
Attendees Will Get First Look at New Robots and Applications at
Adept's Booth, A116, July 8-11 in Shanghai
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Industrial Robotics - Featured Product
Robotmaster® 2024
Program multi-robot cells and automatically solve robotic errors with ease. Hypertherm Associates announces a new version to its robotic programming software. Robotmaster 2024 addresses key market trends including the support for programming multiple robots in a single work cell and the demand for automatic trajectory optimization and robotic error correction.
