Through the US Army’s Combat Vehicle Robotics (CoVeR) program, Charles River Analytics Inc. has received funding to enhance its Modular Appliqué Enabling Natural Teaming with Autonomy (MANTA) system.
The goal of the CoVeR program is to develop technologies that support scalable integration of multi-domain robotic and autonomous systems. Along those lines, MANTA, described as a “platform-independent, natural control and autonomy robot appliqué,” allows a user to easily direct or more host platforms to perform various autonomous behaviors.
Robotics
Robotics
Tally robots seek to free up store associates to focus on customers in Giant Eagle stores
Food retailer and distributor Giant Eagle has unveiled a pilot program with automation technology provider Simbe Robotics to deploy an autonomous shelf auditing and inventory analytics platform called Tally in the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Akron areas.
Tally allows store associates to focus on customers instead of taking inventory by making sure that products are on shelves when and where customers expect them to be.
“When it comes to the food retail industry, shopper experience is everything. If a product is unavailable at the time our customer wants to buy it, we’ve missed an opportunity and disappointed our customer,” explains Giant Eagle spokesperson Jannah Jablonowski.
Amazon acquires warehouse robotics startup Canvas Technology
According to TechCrunch, Amazon has acquired Canvas Technology, a warehouse robotics startup based in Boulder, Colorado.
“We are inspired by Canvas Technology’s innovations, and share a common vision for a future where people work alongside robotics to further improve safety and the workplace experience,” an Amazon spokesperson says in a statement, via TechCrunch.
“We look forward to working with Canvas Technology’s fantastic team to keep inventing for customers.”
Sentient Blue takes top prize of GENIUS NY competition
A team from Italy called Sentient Blue is the winner of the $1 million grand prize from Round Three of the Genius NY accelerator.
“We at Sentient Blue are honored to have been selected as the winner of GENIUS NY 2019,” says Saif Akanni, CEO and CTO of Sentient Blue.
“This award is a real milestone for Sentient Blue; it will allow us to establish the company in Central New York and accelerate our growth and development.”
RightHand Robotics announces new autonomous piece-picking platform
RightHand Robotics, a provider of autonomous robotic piece-picking technologies, has released its next-generation, integrated software and hardware product platform, RightPick2.
RightPick2 is responsible for the core task of picking and placing individual items as part of a wide range of warehouse workflows and processes. The platform works in conjunction with logistics facility employees and existing manual or automated systems, to provide businesses with a “vital productivity boost as part of a lean and highly efficient material handling process,” RightHand Robotics says.
The latest generation of RightHand Robotics’ RightPick platform, RightPick2 combines new skills based on an AI-enabled vision and motion control software with deep learning known as RightPick.AI.
Boston Dynamics acquires robotics company Kinema Systems
Boston Dynamics recently acquired Kinema Systems, a company that uses deep learning technology to enable industrial robotic arms to locate and move boxes on complex pallets.
Kinema Systems’ initial product, Kinema Pick, uses a combination of vision sensors and deep learning software to work with commercial robotic arms to move boxes off pallets to conveyors or build stacks of boxes on pallets.
With Kinema Systems’ Pick technology, logistics, retail, and manufacturing companies “achieve high rates of box moving with minimal set up or training for both multi-SKU and single-SKU pallets,” Boston Dynamics says.
UAVOS releases advanced UAS communication system for unmanned systems market
UAVOS has released its pMDDLRadio Data Link, which the company describes as an advanced UAS communication system designed for the unmanned systems market.
According to UAVOS, the pMDDLRadio is an “easy plug & play device” that packages all UAS communication into a single RF channel, with the exception of using separate technologies for control, telemetry and payload, which reduces costs and weight.
The system, which uses open architecture, enables “full duplex wideband with cybersecurity protection, digital link, error correction techniques and high-rate communication in the Uplink (UPL) and Downlink (DNL) channels,” UAVOS says.
Brain Corp introduces AutoDelivery robot for retail facilities, warehouses and factories
Brain Corp has introduced a new proof-of-concept robot called AutoDelivery, which is powered by the company’s commercial operating system, BrainOS.
Described as an “autonomous tug” powered by BrainOS, AutoDelivery can operate across a number of different public environments, enabling the seamless transportation and delivery of goods from point A to B, Brain Corp says.
The robot can tow several common cart types, providing “easily customized, automated delivery solutions” for commercial and retail facilities, as well as warehouses and factories. According to Brain Corp, the robot will allow users to improve workflows, boost productivity, increase efficiency, and reduce interruptions.
Starship's delivery robots now operating on campus of Northern Arizona University
Just a few months after launching a robot food delivery service at George Mason University’s campus in Fairfax, Virginia, Starship Technologies and Sodexo Inc. have launched their robot food delivery service at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Flagstaff campus.
