TM Robotics has released its new TS5000 robot controller. The company says the launch follows several years of development. The new controller forms a launch pad for the next generation of industrial robots from Shibaura Machine – formerly known as Toshiba Machine. TM Robotics says the TS5000 has

ABB has unveiled a new 3D inspection robot cell which it claims makes quality control testing “10 times faster”. The industrial automation giant says its 3D quality inspection (3DQI) robot cell is “capable of detecting defects of less than half the width of a human hair and imperceptible to the na

To fly autonomously, drones need to understand what they perceive in the environment and make decisions based on that information. (See video below.) A novel method developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers allows drones to learn perception and action separately. The two-stage approach o

Flylogix and Cambridge Consultants have agreed a collaboration that will use Iridium’s satellite communications to safely control unmanned aerial vehicles from a central control hub. This will enable Flylogix to move from local drone piloting at the airfield to centrally controlled operations, mas

A startup company called Xwing has completed what it says is the “world’s first fully autonomous air cargo flight” using a classic Cessna plane. (See video below.) Aerospace experts at the company are working with the FAA to unveil pilotless plane technology for short-distance regional air transpo

iRobot, maker of robotic floor cleaners for the home, is unveiling new ways to clean with the launch of its iRobot Genius Home Intelligence. (See video below.) The company describes the new system as a “powerful new robot platform” that unlocks an expansive range of digital features and experience

Quality control inspection is one of the most crucial parts of the manufacturing process for most of the companies and industries. Especially if a small error in the production can result in a massive loss for the company, it becomes imperative to invest in better quality control systems. A non-a

More than 30 hospitals and public venues in six major Chinese cities have been using Cheetah Mobile’s robots for epidemic prevention and control. (See video below.) The locations include Wuhan’s Huoshenshan Hospital, the emergency specialty field hospital that was built in 10 days in response to t

Mitsubishi Electric has launched what is believed to be its first series of collaborative robots, which the company has named “Melfa Assista” (main picture). The “RV-5AS-D” model of the cobot has a 5 kg load capacity and 6-axis movement. The company says the robots can work collaboratively with h

The industrial section plays a central role in air quality management following the Clean Air Act (CAA) and its amendments. Therefore, a re-evaluation of the effectiveness of the strategies must be done before implementing air quality to meet federal, state, and local government agencies’ r

Rethink Robotics’ Sawyer robot has been carrying out the automated quality control of components at ASM Assembly Solutions. Rethink, now part of the Hahn Group, says the ASM setup was simple and the operation enabled Sawyer to “quickly achieve high levels of acceptance among employees”. The task o

A Swiss company called BHS Technologies has unveiled a specially designed robot to assist surgeons, claiming it to be a world first. “A high-precision robot, a high-resolution 3D camera and an innovative head-mounted display – the world’s first RoboticScope has arrived on the market,” says the com

Acquisition ‘strengthens JTEKT’s global ECU development capabilities’, says company Koyo Canada, a subsidiary of automotive technology company JTEKT, has acquired the assets of a Halifax, Nova Scotia research and development facility previously owned by KSR International, a Canadian company. The a

By Ondřej Krajíček, chief technology strategist at Y Soft Since the world was turned on its head as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, organisations in all sectors have been forced to transform the way they work, speed up their digital transformation projects and rapidly innovate their processes i

SICK has shrunk its versatile, high-performance PowerProx sensor into a space-saving miniature housing to reach the longest distances ever achieved with such a compact device. The tiny SICK WTT4SL PowerProx Mini photoelectric sensor measures just 12.2 x 41.8 x 17.3 mm yet delivers outstanding perf

Using the UR10e, the company says it has eliminated the tedious and physically taxing tests manually conducted by employees Universal Robots says GÖPEL electronic, a manufacturer of testing and inspection systems for electronic assemblies and printed circuit boards, has developed a revolutionary,

Agriculture in the future will see increasing use of scientifically precise farming techniques, where automated “agro-bots” monitor, treat and work the land, using advanced technology designed to help maximise yields and minimise disease.  With its extensive experience in automation and agricultur

Omron is making available its Sysmac Studio 3D simulation software available to industrial companies. (See video below.) The company says it will be the first in the industry to provide such a system, which “can integrate and verify the movements of robots and peripheral devices that make up facil

Universal Robots has launched a new interface which it says enables faster implementation of injection molding applications. With the Injection Molding Machine Interface (IMMI), Universal Robots says it has launched a “user-friendly and quick solution” for plastics manufacturers to integrate Unive

By Barry Weller, product manager at Mitsubishi Electric In order to remain competitive, it is generally accepted that industries should adopt lean manufacturing strategies to improve process efficiency. A key action can be to reduce part count, that is to say the number of components in an assembl