Category Robotics Classification

Telepresence robots help university students learning remotely to feel more a part of the class, new research by Oregon State University suggests.

Mole-bot, a drilling biomimetic robot designed by KAIST, boasts a stout scapula, a waist inclinable on all sides, and powerful forelimbs. Most of all, the powerful torque from the expandable drilling bit mimicking the chiseling ability of a mole's front teeth highlights the best feature of the drilling robot.

Mole-bot, a drilling biomimetic robot designed by KAIST, boasts a stout scapula, a waist inclinable on all sides, and powerful forelimbs. Most of all, the powerful torque from the expandable drilling bit mimicking the chiseling ability of a mole's front teeth highlights the best feature of the drilling robot.

S tudies show that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is readily destroyed when exposed to ultraviolet light and heat while on surfaces, such as countertops, chairs, walls and floors. This vulnerability sparked an idea in the mind of University of Virginia mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Tomonari Furukawa, who last year designed a roving robot to operate semi-autonomously in hazardous areas.

S tudies show that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is readily destroyed when exposed to ultraviolet light and heat while on surfaces, such as countertops, chairs, walls and floors. This vulnerability sparked an idea in the mind of University of Virginia mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Tomonari Furukawa, who last year designed a roving robot to operate semi-autonomously in hazardous areas.

Humanoid robots are gaining popularity as the human touch has to be reduced to prevent the virus from spreading. Hospitals in many parts of the world are using these robots for providing various services to COVID-19 patients.

Researchers at Konkuk University in South Korea recently created KUBeetle-S, a flying robot inspired by a species of horned beetle called Allomyrina dichotoma, which is among the largest insects on the planet. Allomyrina dichtoma weighs approximately 5 to 10 g and has a wing loading of 40 N/m2, which is remarkably high when compared to average insect wing loadings (typically around 8 N/m2).

An autonomous mobility system that works like a wheelchair without anyone pushing it is scuttling around a Tokyo airport to help with social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

After a weak 2019, we originally expected the 2020 robot market to recover strongly, but COVID-19 changed the market revenue growth forecast from 4.8% to -3.6%. In the long run, the pandemic will accelerate existing trends for industrial automation

The development of systems for robot-assisted surgery is difficult, with the need to meet stringent clinical requirements, get regulator approvals, and keep costs under control. Today, Titan Medical Inc. announced an agreement with Medtronic PLC to advance the design and development of surgical robots. The onetime rivals also signed a licensing agreement regarding some of Titan’s intellectual property.

Under the agreement, both companies can develop robot-assisted surgical systems in their respective businesses, while Titan will receive a series of payments that reach $31 million in return for Medtronic’s license for the technologies. The payments will arrive as milestones are completed and verified.

Milestones include fundraising

A steering committee including representatives from Toronto-based Titan Medical and Dublin, Ireland-based Medtronic will oversee work toward achievement of the milestones. One of them is for Titan to raise an additional $18 million in capital within four months of the development start date, which is expected to occur this month.

Titan has also received from Medtronic a senior secured loan of $1.5 million that will be increased increased by an amount equal to certain legal expenses related to transactions and intellectual property with an interest rate of 8% per annum. The loan is repayable on June 4, 2023, or upon the earlier completion of the last milestone.

Until the loan is repaid, Medtronic may have one non-voting observer on Titan’s board of directors. Charles Federico, who has served as the company’s chairman since May 2019, and John Schellhorn, who has served as a director since June 2017, have decided to retire from Titan’s board. The board will consist of three members, including David McNally; John Barker, an independent director; and Stephen Randall, Titan’s chief financial officer, while a search for additional independent directors is conducted.

Titan Medical pays $10M for Medtronic surgical robot licenses

Under the terms of the separate agreement, Medtronic has licensed certain robot-assisted surgical technologies from Titan for an upfront payment of $10 million. Titan said it retains the rights to continue to develop and commercialize those technologies for its own business.

“These agreements with Medtronic will allow Titan to continue to develop its single-port robotic surgical technologies while sharing our expertise and technologies with Medtronic,” stated David McNally, president and CEO of Titan Medical. “We are very excited about the opportunity to continue Titan’s pioneering work to bring new single-port surgical options to the market.”

These agreements are between Medtronic and Titan Medical, which is not affiliated with Titan Spine, which Medtronic acquired in 2019. They are another step in Medtronic’s effort to break into the robot-assisted surgery space, which remains dominated by Intuitive Surgical and its da Vinci SP.

Medtronic completed a $1.7 billion purchase of Mazor Robotics in December 2018. A month later, the company launched its Mazor X Stealth robotic-assisted spinal surgical platform in the U.S. In September 2019, Medtronic unveiled its new Hugo system that is set to rival the da Vinci SP.

Editor’s note: For more about this and other medical device deals, visit our sibling site, MassDevice.

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Pick-by-Vision adds to smart technology because smart glasses learn manufacturers’ parts; they memorize the visual appearance including robots and bin locations. Pick-by-Vision predicts and prevents mis-picks and decides the best part to pick next.

A scurrying robot dog named K9 dispenses hand sanitizer to curious children and wary shoppers—one of the more unexpected measures Thai malls are taking as the kingdom relaxes virus restrictions.

This itsy-bitsy robot can't climb up the waterspout yet but it can run, jump, carry heavy payloads and turn on a dime. Dubbed HAMR-JR, this microrobot developed by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, is a half-scale version of the cockroach-inspired Harvard Ambulatory Microrobot or HAMR.

Researchers at Seoul National University have recently developed a compact and lightweight origami structure inspired by ladybird beetles. In a paper published in Science Robotics they show how this structure can be used to build a winged jump-gliding robot. Jump-gliding is a specific locomotion style that combines gliding and jumping movements.

Autonomous and semi-autonomous trucks promise to help an industry facing a shortage of drivers and increasing e-commerce demand, but they need to demonstrate efficiency for logistics adoption. Einride AB, which has been developing electric and autonomous trucks, today launched its Intelligent Freight Mobility Platform. The system is intended to help logistics fleet managers and drivers plan routes and loads, track shipments, and monitor energy efficiency.

In February, Einride began recruiting the first remote operators for its trucks. The Stockholm-based startup also announced the beta of the Intelligent Freight Mobility Platform. In April, Einride demonstrated remote control of multiple vehicles at once.

The global market for semi-autonomous trucks will grow from 948,000 units to 3.2 million units by 2025, predicted Research and Markets. “Autonomous last-mile delivery trucks can help companies save 40% of the total cost,” and the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating development of such technologies, said the Dublin-based firm. It also said that North America will be the largest market for autonomous trucks and Asia-Pacific will be the fastest-growing market.

Apps offer live insights for maximum efficiency

Einride said its Intelligent Freight Mobility Platform is designed to provide real-time data on loads, location data, energy usage, emissions, and more. It can provide shippers with daily freight planning through a dedicated app, intelligent routing for transport networks, and data for environmental impact auditing.

“The benefits are clear: Electric road-freight solutions account for over 90% fewer CO2 emissions and other harmful airborne pollutants, while autonomous transport is safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective,” stated Robert Falck, founder and CEO of Einride. “However, autonomous electric transport will not reach its full potential without intelligent planning and optimized vehicle networks. Our platform sets the foundation upon which the freight solutions of the future are built.”

The platform can provide specific recommendations on how to improve cost-effectiveness and sustainability with electric vehicles, according to Einride. It uses machine learning to offer implementation insights, such as how to best use existing charging infrastructure or plan new stations. The system can also make recommendations for how to optimize charging, loading, and driving schedules for maximum efficiency, said Einride.

In addition, the Intelligent Freight Mobility Platform includes an app to give drivers and operators route updates; emissions and efficiency data; and vehicle information such as charge level, range, and battery status.

“Without intelligent planning, electric and autonomous vehicles will be a patchwork solution,” said Falck. “The transport networks of the future cannot reach maximum cost and energy efficiency without recommendations on where electrification and automation will make the most impact, and how exactly to get there. That’s what our platform does for every shipment in your network.”

Intelligent Freight Mobility Platform works with all vehicles

The Intelligent Freight Mobility Platform can work with existing trucks, but it is optimized to work with electric and autonomous vehicles, noted Einride.

“While the platform is optimized to work with electric and autonomous vehicles outfitted with Einride-specified telematics, it is able to track, gather, and report data on any type of vehicle — diesel, electric, and/or autonomous,” a company spokeswoman told The Robot Report. “So while users will get more insights and more accurate recommendations from Einride-sourced vehicles, any future autonomous vehicle should be able to interface with our system.”

The company said trucks incorporating its system will be available from certain manufacturers, and customers such as logistics providers Lidl and Oatly will be the first to use it in Sweden.

“We are pleased with the progress our Pod has made in testing at customer sites such as with DB Schenker, and we are continuing to expand both its autonomous and remote-drive capabilities at our test sites in southern Sweden,” said the spokeswoman. “Later this year, we will have more news about our plans for the Pod.”

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