After decades of foot-dragging among brands hesitant to leap into Industry 4.0 and increased automation, the pandemic pushed an amazing number of manufacturers over the edge. First came robots that could work closely together without fear of contagion, then automation increased contactless delivery. As the pandemic settled and people came out of quarantine, labor shortages… Read more »
Hurricanes are called natural disasters for good reason. They’re getting worse, too, with more and stronger hurricanes every year powered by rising ocean temperatures. Climate scientists need more information on these superstorms to respond to them and help save lives and homes. But getting more information is tough. It’s not practical to step outside… Read more »
When it comes to dangerous, dull, and dirty jobs, the goal is to automate as much as possible. For some robots, though, the plan is to have robots help without taking over the entire job. Think about early cake mixes. By now, most Americans have never even eaten a from-scratch homemade cake. Cake mixes are… Read more »
Last year, we wrote about Clockwork, a company that was working on a robot manicurist. Other companies were racing toward market readiness at the same time, but now we see that Clockwork has outflanked the others and gotten their robot manicurists into Target. Would you let a robot do your nails? The robot manicurists don’t… Read more »
Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov established a set of rules known as The Three Laws of Robotics. A robot may not hurt a human, or allow a human to be harmed A robot must obey human given orders, except when those orders would violate the first law. A robot must protect its existence, except when… Read more »
Indramat made some of the best motion control systems on the planet, but they were acquired in the 20th century by Rexroth, and they no longer exist as a separate company. Indramat now is basically the electrical drive and control division of Bosch Rexroth. This means that you can’t exactly drive up to the… Read more »
Italian researchers conducted a study that involved having human beings watch movies with iCub, a humanoid robot. In some cases, the robot was programmed to make apparent eye contact with the people, to ask their names, and to respond to the videos with laughter or sounds suggesting emotional responses like awe. In other cases, the… Read more »
Working in the metaverse is becoming a hot topic. Manufacturers are increasingly looking at virtual reality as an option for training and remote assistance. Being able to use virtual workspaces for safety training or to guide onsite workers through repairs has plenty of appeal, especially right now with a serious and growing labor shortage. The… Read more »
1. Myth: Robots are expensive The up-front costs of automation have long kept small to medium sized businesses away from automation. A new industrial robot will typically cost $50,000 or more. Some now cost half that much, though, and it is anticipated that the price will be down to $10,000 by 2025. Robots —… Read more »
Robots have some real advantages over human workers. They can work for long periods of time without getting tired or requiring breaks. They can be more precise and accurate than human workers. They can be physically stronger than people, with greater capacity to lift heavy things without doing themselves harm. One thing they’re not good… Read more »