Skyroot Aerospace Signs Pact with ISRO to Launch India’s First Private Rocket | The Weather Channel – Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com…

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Skyroot Aerospace's programme to launch India's first-ever privately-designed and developed rocket, Vikram-1, received a boost with the Department of Space entering into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the Hyderabad-based company building small satellite launch vehicles.

The NDA signed on Tuesday will enable the company, run by former ISRO scientists, to access the facilities and technical expertise available in ISRO centres to proceed with its launch vehicle development programme.

Indian Space Research Organisation's Scientific Secretary R. Umamaheswaran signed the agreement on behalf of Department of Space and Skyroot Aerospace CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana signed the agreement from the company's side.

Skyroot representatives also met ISRO chief Dr K. Sivan, who assured all support to Skyroot for testing and qualifying their launch vehicle.

Chandana told IANS that the NDA marks the formal beginning of their working with ISRO. "From this point onwards, we will exchange data and we will exchange technical expertise, especially from ISRO to us that will enable us to do our programme faster and more reliably because we will have ISRO's strength along with us now and we get to use all testing facilities including testing and launching," he said.

Chandana, a former ISRO scientist, pointed out that the national space agency has a committee which gives all approvals including for utilisation of test facilities. Chandana, who founded Skyroot along with former ISRO scientists Naga Bharath Daka and Vasudevan Gnanagandhi, said they plan to launch their first rocket by the end of 2021.

"We are planning to do a launch by the end of this year. For that, all hardware, propulsion will be tested at ISRO," he said.

The company's vision for Indian space is rapid development of complex aerospace systems with lean use of resources. "We are building the first private Indian launch vehicle to put a satellite in orbit and marching ahead to compete for a reasonable share in the international small satellite launch market which is estimated to be $16Bn in the next decade," says Chandana on the company website.

Skyroot is developing a family of rockets especially crafted for the small satellite market and named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space programme.

Built on a common architecture and covering a wide range of payloads, they offer the most affordable and on-demand ride to space. Vikram-I requires minimal range infrastructure and can be assembled and launched within 24 hours from any launch site.

Skyroot has already achieved a few milestones in its journey to launch the first rocket. It successfully test-fired its first solid rocket propulsion stage demonstrator. Named Kalam-5, it is first of the five engines the company plans to test. Backed by investors like Myntra founder Mukesh Bansal, the company has raised $4.3 million till now and plans to raise another $15 million during the current year.

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The above article has been published from a wire agency with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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The opportunities for Washington State aerospace suppliers in the space economy – Washington State Wire

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While Washington State has long been a leader in the space sector, honing in on the states strength in the sector has necessitated a change in thinking among industry advocates.

We really are a space state, but we are an entrepreneurial space state. There is no single standing federal or defense space presence like a Johnson Space Center, like what you would see in Texas or Florida or parts of Virginia, said Emily Wittman, President & CEO if the Aerospace Futures Alliance and Washington State Space Coalition. We are really entrepreneurial and are companies see themselves as closer to technology companies on the cutting edge of research and development, innovation and testing rather than a traditional large aircraft manufacturer.

Wittman provided an overview of the opportunities for aerospace suppliers in the space economy during a Wednesday work session in the House Community & Economic Development Committee.

According to data presented by Wittman, there are over 3,000 operational satellites in orbit and over 100 orbital launches per year. The US government spends about $50 billion per year for purposes related to space.

Within the broader space market, Washington State is on the forefront of the satellite manufacturing and launch ecosystem.

There are lots of opportunities in global defense, but where Washington State really shines is less in defense contracts and really in this entrepreneurial space ecosystem, said Wittman

For perspective, space related manufacturing has not reached the scale of commercial aerospace in terms of revenue. Global space satellite manufacturing revenue was about one quarter of Boeings commercial airplane revenue ($30 billion) in 2019.

Despite that small scale, Wittman said there are still plenty of reasons why aerospace employers should look to engage with the space industry. When surveyed, 16 aerospace companies Boeing was not among them reported a 47 percent single year loss in revenue in 2020. That computed to a 23% loss in total employment at those 16 companies, representing over 600 individuals who lost aerospace jobs in Snohomish County due to the pandemic.

A new industry like space manufacturing is one avenue for diversification, says Wittman.

Investing in aerospace and manufacturing is one of the five core recommendations for long-term economic recovery in Washington State listed by the Senate Committee on Economic Recoverys Blueprint for Recovery. Diversifying the aerospace manufacturing sector was cited as one of the specific solutions.

We need to think about incentives for manufacturing and explore other avenues. We need to think of our state not just as Boeing state, but as a potential aerospace hub, said Sen. David Frockt.

According to an AFA & WSCC survey of 40 space companies based in Washington State, the companies directly employ over 5,000 workers, a figure which Wittman says is growing.

Space is only one facet of Washingtons diverse aerospace sector, though it has been a historically significant part of the states economy.

In a presentation on the history of the space industry in Washington State, the Department of Commerce recounts that Boeing began building the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) at their Kent facility in 1969, and the first vehicle was delivered just 17 months after the contract was signed. Three LRVs remain on the moon, and were designated as Washington State Historic Landmarks in October 2020.

Looking ahead, Wittman underscored AFA & WSCCs support for a house bill that would direct the Department of Commerce to complete a study of public policies that might encourage development of the new space economy and the geographic distribution of space economy sector employment and training opportunities across Washington.

Public service journalism is important today as ever. If you get something from our coverage, please consider making a donation to support our work. Thanks for reading our stuff.

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Hill Aerospace Museum looks to expand community educational partnerships with a new aircraft restoration facility – Standard-Examiner

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HILL AIR FORCE BASE A new aircraft restoration and maintenance facility has recently been completed and turned over to the Hill Aerospace Museum.

This newly constructed building came about through the Falcon Hill enhanced use lease, or EUL, program and replaced the museums previous restoration facility, an old and weathered warehouse near the new Northrop Grumman facility located next to the bases Roy Gate.

The EUL program allows the Air Force to lease land to a developer to create and lease commercial space and infrastructure. The new facility will be used to care for the museums collection of aircraft and other artifacts while offering unique, real-world airframe work opportunities for local high school and college students, as well as base volunteers.

Museum aircraft are acquired from multiple sources and often arrive needing a significant amount of work, including corrosion mitigation to preserve the exterior and interior restoration before they are displayed.

Each project is very individual in nature and is accomplished by enlisting a large amount of volunteer help from across Hill AFB and the outlying community.

Many volunteers with prior airframe technical knowledge and experience donate time and provide invaluable skills with part fabrication and reconstruction know how.

Brandon Hedges, Hill Aerospace Museum restoration chief, said part of the volunteer restoration manpower is provided by local students.

One very exciting piece of our volunteer restoration program is the partner relationships we have with several local academic institutions, which allows students from the surrounding community to learn and work on real aircraft at our facility, said Hedges.

An existing memorandum of understanding has been in place for six years between the museum and the Utah Military Academy, a local charter high school, which benefits both students and the museum.

It allows junior and senior students enrolled in the academys basic airframes structure course, the opportunity to work on aircraft restoration projects of all different vintage, types and models.

Students are currently working on a B-29 Superfortress nose art display consisting of 15 four-by-four aluminum panels, each requiring up to three thousand rivets that will simulate the airframes fuselage skin depicting a variety of World War II nose art.

Throughout instruction students learn material identification and properties, how to form metal, as well as the importance of tool safety and control, which is modeled off of Air Force regulations.

Tools and equipment consist of metal cutting and forming tools and some wood working tools, which are required for work on some older wood platform aircraft, like the B-17 Flying Fortress

This program allows us to utilize students for restoration work on project aircraft, while providing them invaluable airframe experience as well as course credit hours, said Hedges. We are fortunate to have Darrell Gronau, aviation structures repair instructor and retired Air Force chief master sergeant, who volunteers through the museums education program and is teaching this course at our new facility.

In addition, a relationship was recently established with the Davis Applied Technology College for student work on the museums current F-117 Nighthawk project.

As with many modern aircraft received by the museum, the F-117 arrived missing parts such as leading- trailing edges and a nose cone, which were removed for security reasons.

In these type of situations, the museum staff is left to fabricate replacement parts in order to replicate the missing pieces.

Dimensions for replica parts were sent by the National Museum and Tonopah, but while researching restoration we decided to replace parts with fabricated composites, which will be similar to the original layout and design, said Hedges. For example, metal leading edges were recommended, but the original airframe edges were made of composite, so we ended up partnering with the DATC to create those for us, with college-level students preforming the work.

With volunteer support and community academic partnerships, the Hill Aerospace museum is able to fabricate almost all restoration parts in house, only outsourcing on rare occasion for very large projects such as an entire airframe.

Additionally, the museum offers paid annual college internships, six of which are hired out by the restoration department.

Interns receive meaningful experience that can later be applied in the real world, with a monetary amount paid to the students tuition school account by the museums Heritage Foundation for 200 hours of restoration labor.

Aaron Clark, Hill Aerospace Museum director, said that while he is excited how this new resource will improve collection care, he is most enthusiastic about exploring and hopefully developing additional school partnership opportunities in the future.

With this new facility and the amenities it offers, we now hope to partner with more neighboring high schools and colleges to develop an in-house airframe maintenance program to educate and inspire the Airmen of tomorrow civilian and military through the unique hands-on experiences they can get at this museum.

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Hill Aerospace Museum looks to expand community educational partnerships with a new aircraft restoration facility - Standard-Examiner

Former Boeing CEO’s start-up aims to invest in advanced aerospace technology – Flightglobal

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A new aerospace company led by former Boeing head Dennis Muilenburg has assembled an experienced management team and aims to advance technologies such as alternative propulsion, automation and manufacturing.

That is according to documents recently disclosed by Muilenburgs new venture a blank-check investment company called New Vista Acquisition.

Blank-check companies are publicly traded firms established for the sole purpose of raising money to acquire and bring public other companies.

When formed, blank-check companies do not disclose acquisition targets; they raise money based on the experience of their management teams.

We intend to focus our search for a target business operating in the aviation, aerospace and defence industries, New Vista says in a 1 February securities filing.

New Vista is eying companies that develop technologies related to electric and hybrid-electric propulsion, alternative fuel, electric power systems, advanced materials, manufacturing, computing, situational awareness, automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence, documents say.

We believe that our broad industry focus will provide for many potential targets that could become attractive public companies, the documents read. Potential acquisitions could range from high-growth, early-stage innovators to more-mature businesses with established franchises, revenue streams and cash flows.

New Vista, which is incorporated in the Cayman Islands but lists Chicago as its US base, declines to comment, saying it is now in a quiet period.

It expects to begin trading on the NASDAQ exchange imminently under the symbol NVSAU, and to raise $200 million through an initial offering of public stock.

New Vistas executive team includes CEO Muilenburg, chief operating officer Kirsten Bartok Touw and chief financial officer Travis Nelson.

Muilenburg, an engineer by background, was Boeing CEO from 2015 until leaving amid the 737 Max crisis in December 2019. He joined Boeing as an intern in 1985 and held several senior roles, including chief operating officer.

Under Mr Muilenburgs leadership, Boeings stock price increased significantly, its market capitalisation doubled and annual revenue exceeded $100 billion for the first time in company history, the filing says.

Boeings revenue did indeed hit $101 billion in 2018. But revenue sank to $77 billion in 2019 amid the Max grounding, and to $58 billion with the added pandemic pressure in 2020.

New Vista notes that Muilenburg, along with Boeing, were defendants in legal cases arising from two 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people. Boeing settled a case brought by the US Department of Justice.

Bartok Touw is managing partner of aerospace finance company AirFinance. She previously was vice-president of structured finance and corporate development at Hawker Beechcraft and has helped finance projects related to advanced air mobility, autonomy, machine learning and drones, according to New Vista.

Nelson has been a managing member of investment company Eclipse Investors and is former managing director at investment firm TowerBrook.

New Vista names several executives who have been nominated to become its directors.

Those include Marion Blakey, previous head of the Federal Aviation Administration, Rolls-Royce North America and the Aerospace Industries Association, Howard Lance, former CEO of space company Maxar Technologies, Christopher Lofgren, a logistics executive who isUS Chamber of Commerce board chair, and Stephen Wilson, aretired US Air Force general.

Advisers to New Vista include a number of former Boeing staffers. Among them are former Boeingcommunications and marketing executive Anne Toulouse, former Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy andformer senior vice-president of Boeings office of internal governance and administration Diana Sands, New Vista says.

Other advisers include former Google, United Technologies and Airbus executive Paul Eremenko, Uber Elevate head of business development Wyatt Smith, retired US Air Force general Maryanne Miller and retired US Army lieutenant general Herbert Raymond McMaster.

Our team has broad and significant relationships with domestic and international corporations, industry leaders and defence and security agencies, New Vista says.

Story updated on 2 Febuary to clarify which executives will be advisers to New Vista.

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Meet the team behind the brains: LoyolaMARS students talk all things aerospace – Los Angeles Loyolan

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While covering the LoyolaMARS initiatives, Loyolan copy editor Brynn Shaffer sat down with some of the members of the team to talk about the club, their aspirations and the future of aerospace.

Troy Womack-Henderson, freshman computer science major

What inspired you to join LoyolaMARS? How did you first hear about it and how long have you been a part of it? How active are you in the team?

LMARS is actually one of the reasons that I decided to apply to, and attend, LMU. When I first heard about it, when I was applying around this time last year, I just saw that they were really involved in aerospace research, not just building rockets, but also just teaching about the aerospace industry and rocketry which was really cool When I was researching schools and I was considering LMU, since I knew it was in this aerospace hub of Southern California, I remember seeing an article I believe done by Seaver News, and it did a special back in 2018 on the current team. It had their website, and it basically just introduced me to what they were doing, their group and their society and everything. It all sounded really, really interesting and I hadnt seen other clubs similar to it at any other universities, so that definitely motivated my decision to apply to LMU.

Are you interested in space exploration at all, like being an astronaut yourself, or are you more interested in the behind the scenes/mechanical part of aerospace engineering?

I would definitely say a little bit of everything. I think that the aerospace industry, especially now with the industry in the U.S. trying to make space flight commercial and accessible to everyone, [is] a really exciting industry, and its something Ive always wanted to do since I was little. I really want to be an astronaut because I love space and I love rockets, and I think to do scientific research in space and help space exploration and humanity would be a really great thing for me to do for my career.

Marina Aziz, sophomore, electrical engineering with an emphasis in computer engineering major

Can you name a role model of yours? Maybe you have one within the aerospace industry?

Within people I know, definitely Dr. [Claire] Leon. I could talk about her for literally days. I love her. I admire her so much, shes such an incredible person. And the fact that she did the things she did before women in STEM was really even a thing. She worked for Boeing for 35 years, and then the AirForce for five and now shes a professor at LMU, so can you imagine like 45 years ago, she was working at Boeing, she stayed at Boeing for 35 years, was a manager, big-baller, shes just really cool.

With COVID-19 and the transition to Zoom, what has that looked like for you and the team? Has it been an easy or hard transition? Maybe discouraging?

The e-board people, like the president Matt, they havent made it very public if theyre struggling or not, but I think they have definitely had a good transition in terms of shifting from more hands-on projects to more like focusing on our careers. Which I think is really cool, I think they definitely made the most out of the situation that we were put in. The whole point of the club is to build rockets. So, you would expect that when we go online, were not going to be doing anything, right? But, if anything, I think that I feel more involved in the club now than I did before just because you always have like a speaker to look forward to or like a CAD workshop. Theres just always something to do now, and its like right at your fingertips. They definitely made the most out of it.

Sabrina Colet-Ruiz, senior mechanical engineering major

Are you interested in space exploration at all, like being an astronaut yourself, or are you more interested in the behind the scenes/mechanical part of aerospace engineering?

Definitely more like behind the scenes, for sure. I like space applications for satellites and for studying the Earth, but Im actually not really keen on Elon Musk, like colonization of Mars and stuff, I think its kind of a little ridiculous. I just think theres a lot of money going into it, and I think its so weird that people would rather move to Mars and colonize Mars, than just take care of what we have here. So I totally like the idea of satellites and rocketry and stuff to study Earth and to help improve the Earth, but I just think its a little weird that you would want to start another world on another planet.

What is your favorite thing about LoyolaMARS? Could be anything.

Right now I really like our speakers that come in to talk to us. So like speakers or more opportunities to talk to professionals in a smaller context than if you went to a big presentation at LMU, which they do sometimes, like the Seaver spotlights.

Clare Galvin, junior mechanical engineering major, computer science minor

What inspired you to join LoyolaMARS? How did you first hear about it and how long have you been a part of it? How active are you in the team?

I joined LMARS freshman year because I heard it would be a good idea to join a project as an engineering major and be working on it. And I chose LMARS because they came to speak to all the freshmen and caught my eye. First semester, freshman year, all of the project leaders came to talk to us and I was the most interested in rocket club. Since then, Ive been on the team, so three years and now I am the treasurer, so Im trying to be a little more of a leader in the club. Were now participating in this dollar per foot challenge.

Can you name a role model of yours? Maybe you have one within the aerospace industry?

One of our professors actually is our club advisor, Dr. Leon, Dr. Claire Leon. And we share a first name so thats fun. She is really cool. She was, I think, a VP, or at least a manager, at Boeing and then went to lead a division at the AirForce as a civilian. And she helped me get my connections that led to my internship last summer, so shes just been a really helpful mentor and shes just really cool.

How do you think being a part of LoyolaMARS is benefiting you individually? Maybe in either personal or professional aspects of life, or maybe just to fulfill a hobby of yours?

Its definitely helpful professionally. Its hard to know what to talk about in a job interview, but a project is the best thing to talk about for an engineering student, especially one that can apply so directly to a lot of the companies that are around us since we are in such an aerospace-heavy part of the world. Its been super helpful for interviews for me.

Jesus Arzapalo, sophomore philosophy major

Can you name a role model of yours? Maybe you have one within the aerospace industry?

Theres this astronaut who used to be a navy seal and also a doctor, his name is Johnny King. Its pretty crazy to be a navy seal and then go to med school and then become an astronaut, a really difficult career.

Professor Leon told me about the weekly speaker series. What are your thoughts on them? Are they inspiring? Who has been one of your favorite speakers thus far?

Yeah, they are inspiring. Its great to hear from people in the industry in engineering; just right now I came from one, her name was Candace Givens, she works at Northrop Grumman. She was describing her career as she started as a systems engineer and then she went to LMU to get a masters and now shes been working there for a while. Its really interesting to hear how people find different career paths. So that is inspiring.

Jose Garcia, senior mechanical engineering major

What are your duties and responsibilities as VP of LoyolaMARS?

I do a lot of outreach. I work with the president to figure out what speakers we should have. I also teach a class through the club, so I use it as a platform to help give back to the community, the LMU community as much as possible.

How does aerospace and medicine fit together, since it seems like a very unconventional path?

Its very common for astronauts to be doctors because they have different missions that are required, depending on what the budget is, to do specific research. So very often, youll find astronauts who have a medical degree or they have a PhD in something, but theyll bring along a whole team with different strengths, and with that, Ill just have more strengths allocated.

Is there anything you think the team is lacking/could be improved upon?

Members! I feel like there are a lot of tools and opportunities that I feel that we provide that I wish more people took advantage of.

This article is part of a three-part package series on LoyolaMARS, in which Loyolan copy editor Brynn Shaffer investigates the club in-depth. Read more coverage with a news story on everything you should know about the club,and anopinion pieceon why space exploration is fundamental to societal advancement.

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Meet the team behind the brains: LoyolaMARS students talk all things aerospace - Los Angeles Loyolan

Leidos To Participate In The Cowen 42nd Annual Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference – WFMZ Allentown

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RESTON, Va., Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology company, will participate in the Cowen 42nd Annual Aerospace/Defense & Industrials Conference webcast.

Roger Krone, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a question and answer "fireside chat" on Thursday, February 11, 2021 at 11:00am ET.

A live audio webcast of the event will be available on the Leidos Investor Relations website at http://ir.leidos.com. A replay of the webcast will be available following the presentation at the same link listed above for 90 days afterward.

About Leidos

Leidos is a Fortune 500 information technology, engineering, and science solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 38,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2020. For more information, visit http://www.Leidos.com.

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Neil deGrasse Tyson to be Featured at Virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium – PRNewswire

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ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Neil deGrasse Tyson, head of the Hayden Planetarium and research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, will participate in the Air Force Association's 2021 virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium, Feb. 24 26, by hosting a fireside chat with Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, Chief of Space Operations.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Tyson, a brilliant astrophysicist, space advocate, and author to speak at one of the premier events for Airmen, Guardians, defense industry members, and aerospace professionals," said AFA President, retired Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright. "Dr. Tyson's passion for space and the universe is unrivaled and we look forward to his fireside chat with Gen. Raymond, our first U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations. AFA remains committed to further strengthening our support for the Department of the Air Force, including our growing focus on the Space Force and all things 'space.' Dr. Tyson's presence will certainly amplify that commitment and what our Air Force Association is all about."

This year's symposium theme, "Accelerate and Innovate: Actualizing the Nation's Need for Dominant Air and Space Forces" will feature 40 sessions, ranging from workshops to major addresses from Air and Space Forces leaders, industry experts, and aerospace professionals. More than half of the sessions will be live streamed each day, including Fireside chats from Gen Charles Q. Brown Jr., Air Force Chief of Staff and The Honorable John Roth, Acting Secretary of the Air Force.

Learn more and register for the 2021 virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

About AFA: The Air Force Association is a non-profit, independent, professional military and aerospace education association. Our mission is to promote dominant U.S. Air and Space Forces as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support our Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect our enduring Heritage.

Contact:Bridget DonguDirector, Communications[emailprotected]703-389-1905

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Howmet Aerospace Reports Fourth Quarter 2020 and Full Year 2020 Results – Business Wire

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PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Howmet Aerospace (NYSE:HWM) today reported fourth quarter 2020 and full year 2020 results. The Company reported fourth quarter revenues of $1.2 billion, down 29% year over year due to disruptions in the commercial aerospace and commercial transportation markets, primarily driven by COVID-19 and Boeing 737 MAX production declines, partially offset by growth in the defense aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets. Fourth quarter 2020 revenues increased 9% sequentially from the third quarter 2020.

Howmet Aerospace reported income from continuing operations of $106 million, or $0.24 per share, in the fourth quarter 2020 versus income from continuing operations of $118 million, or $0.27 per share, in the fourth quarter 2019. Income from continuing operations excluding special items was $92 million, or $0.21 per share, in the fourth quarter 2020, versus $164 million, or $0.37 per share, in the fourth quarter 2019. Income from continuing operations in the fourth quarter 2020 included a $14 million benefit from special items, principally related to plant fire insurance proceeds and tax related items, partially offset by restructuring and other charges.

Full year 2020 income from continuing operations was $211 million, or $0.48 per share, versus income from continuing operations of $126 million, or $0.27 per share, in the full year 2019. Full year income from continuing operations excluding special items was $354 million, or $0.80 per share ($0.77 per share including pre-separation allocations), versus $590 million, or $1.29 per share, in the full year 2019. Income from continuing operations in full year 2020 included a $143 million charge from special items, principally related to separation costs and charges associated with cost reduction initiatives.

Fourth quarter 2020 operating income was $221 million, down 22% year over year. Operating income excluding special items was $215 million, down 28% year over year. The year-over-year decline was due to significant disruptions in the commercial aerospace market, driven by COVID-19 and Boeing 737 MAX and 787 production declines, and the commercial transportation market, driven by COVID-19, resulting in unfavorable volume and product mix. The decline was partially offset by growth in the defense aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets, variable and fixed cost reductions, and favorable product pricing. Operating income margin, excluding special items, was up approximately 20 basis points year over year to 17.4%.

Full year 2020 operating income was $626 million versus $579 million in the full year 2019. Operating income excluding special items for full year 2020 was $809 million ($814 million including pre-separation allocations), versus $1,199 million in the full year 2019. The year-over-year decline was due to significant disruptions in the commercial aerospace market, driven by COVID-19 and Boeing 737 MAX and 787 production declines, and the commercial transportation market, driven by COVID-19, resulting in unfavorable volume and product mix. The decline was partially offset by growth in the defense aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets, variable and fixed cost reductions, and favorable product pricing.

Howmet Aerospace Executive Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer John Plant said, Howmet Aerospace continued to manage effectively through the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While fourth quarter 2020 revenues declined 29% year over year, driven by a 51% reduction in commercial aerospace revenues, results surpassed our outlook and included strong cash generation. We generated improved decremental margins, and our fourth quarter 2020 adjusted EBITDA margin of 22.8% was the same as the fourth quarter 2019 despite the 29% revenue decline and unfavorable commercial aerospace mix. We continue to be highly focused on all aspects of operational performance and cash generation as we manage through the effects of COVID-19 and the Boeing build rate reductions on commercial aerospace.

Mr. Plant continued, Turning to 2021, our defense aerospace, commercial transportation, and industrial gas turbine markets continue to be healthy and growing. Commercial aerospace has less visibility, though we expect increased aircraft build as we move into 2022. We are positioning the Company to emerge from the pandemic in a stronger, more profitable position.

Our liquidity position is strong as a result of our strict and disciplined approach to costs and spending. We ended 2020 with approximately $1.6 billion of cash. Our $1 billion revolving credit facility remains undrawn and our next significant debt maturity is not until October 2024.

Howmet Aerospace ended the year with a cash balance of approximately $1.6 billion. For the second quarter 2020 through fourth quarter 2020, cash provided from operations was $217 million; cash used for financing activities was $1.5 billion; and cash provided from investing activities was $260 million. Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the second quarter 2020 through the fourth quarter 2020 was $487 million, inclusive of an approximate $80 million reduction in our accounts receivable securitization program, $70 million impact from voluntary pension contributions, $46 million of cash severance payments, and $45 million tax refund.

On April 1, 2020, Arconic Inc. completed the separation of its business into two independent, publicly-traded companies: Howmet Aerospace Inc. (the new name for Arconic Inc.) and Arconic Corporation. The financial results of Arconic Corporation for all periods prior to April 1, 2020 have been retrospectively reflected in the Statement of Consolidated Operations as discontinued operations and, as such, have been excluded from continuing operations and segment results for all periods prior to April 1, 2020. Additionally, the related assets and liabilities associated with Arconic Corporation in the December 31, 2019 Consolidated Balance Sheet are classified as assets and liabilities of discontinued operations. The cash flows, comprehensive income, and equity related to Arconic Corporation have not been segregated and are included in the Statement of Consolidated Cash Flows, Statement of Consolidated Comprehensive Income, and Statement of Changes in Consolidated Equity, respectively, for all periods prior to April 1, 2020.

Fourth Quarter 2020 Segment Performance

Engine Products

Engine Products reported revenue of $555 million, a decrease of 33% year over year due to declines in the commercial aerospace market driven by COVID-19 and Boeing 737 MAX production declines, partly offset by growth in the defense aerospace and industrial gas turbine markets. Segment operating profit was $108 million, down 31% year over year, driven by volume declines, partially offset by variable and fixed cost reductions and favorable product pricing. Segment operating profit margin increased approximately 70 basis points year over year to 19.5%.

Fastening Systems

Fastening Systems reported revenue of $263 million, a decrease of 30% year over year due to declines in the commercial aerospace and commercial transportation markets, primarily driven by COVID-19 and Boeing 737 MAX and 787 production declines. Segment operating profit was $48 million, down 52% year over year, driven by volume declines and unfavorable product mix, partially offset by variable and fixed cost reductions. Segment operating profit margin decreased approximately 800 basis points year over year to 18.3%.

Engineered Structures

Engineered Structures reported revenue of $217 million, a decrease of 30% year over year due to declines in the commercial aerospace market, driven by COVID-19 and Boeing 787 and 737 MAX production declines, partly offset by growth in defense aerospace. Segment operating profit was $16 million, down 59% year over year, driven by volume declines and unfavorable product mix, partially offset by variable and fixed cost reductions. Segment operating profit margin decreased approximately 510 basis points year over year to 7.4%.

Forged Wheels

Forged Wheels reported revenue of $203 million, a decrease of 6% year over year due to declines in the commercial transportation markets, primarily driven by COVID-19. Segment operating profit was $62 million, up 3% year over year, driven by fixed cost reductions and maximizing production in low-cost countries, partially offset by volume declines. Segment operating profit margin increased approximately 290 basis points year over year to 30.5%.

Full Year 2020 Segment Performance

Segment performance in 2020 included the following:

2021 Outlook*

1Q 21 Outlook

FY 2021 Outlook

Low

Baseline

High

Low

Baseline

High

Revenue

$1.15B

$1.2B

$1.25B

$5.05B

$5.1B

$5.25B

Adj. EBITDA1

$245M

$250M

$265M

$1.07B

$1.1B

$1.15B

Adj. EBITDA Margin1

21.3%

20.8%

21.2%

21.2%

21.6%

21.9%

Adj. Earnings per Share1

$0.15

$0.16

$0.19

$0.75

$0.80

$0.89

Adj. Free Cash Flow

$350M

Excerpt from:

Howmet Aerospace Reports Fourth Quarter 2020 and Full Year 2020 Results - Business Wire

Firehawk Aerospace extends seed funding to $2.5 million with $1.2 million from Harlow Capital – TechCrunch

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Rocket fuel technology startup Firehawk Aerospace has added $1.2 million to its existing seed financing, bringing the full amount invested in the round to $2.5 million. The new tranche comes from Harlow Capital Management, a Dallas-based firm run by Colby Harlow, who will join Firehawks board of directors as part of the deal.

Firewhawk, which was a finalist in our first-ever all-virtual Startup Battlefield at TC Disrupt last September, has developed a new kind of hybrid rocket fuel that greatly enhances rocket launch safety, cost and transportation using additive manufacturing (basically, the grown-up version of 3D printing). Hybrid rocket fuel (which combines aspects of both liquid and solid propellants used previously) isnt new, but past technology has been unable to compete on cost and efficacy relative to existing nonhybrid alternatives.

The startups Chief Scientist Ron Jones was able to get around these limitations with two new approaches: Using a fuel with a hard polymer structure and producing it using additive manufacturing instead of casting via molds with a liquid that hardens.

Firehawk now intends to use its seed funding to test its technology in operational conditions and at the kind of scale required for commercialization, and to build out its partnerships and client list. The startup also intends to grow its R&D and manufacturing operations in both Texas and Oklahoma.

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Firehawk Aerospace extends seed funding to $2.5 million with $1.2 million from Harlow Capital - TechCrunch

Military Aerospace Landing Gear Market (Covid-19 Analysis) SWOT Analysis, Key Indicators, Forecast 2028 | Liebherr Group, Aerospace Turbine Rotables,…

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According to Zeal Insider, the Military Aerospace Landing Gear market is estimated to rise at US$ xx million in 2028 at a CAGR of xx% throughout the forecast period from 2020 to 2028. The Military Aerospace Landing Gear market research report covers detailed information about market definitions and its classification, along with, global segmentation for Military Aerospace Landing Gear market, product overview, industry outline, raw material and cost structure. In addition, the research report offers critical analysis of market dynamics, detailed study of key regional trends, and further delivers country-level market scope and revenue of the Military Aerospace Landing Gear Industry. Moreover, the Military Aerospace Landing Gear market report embraces industry regulatory policies, drivers, restrains, opportunities, and challenges, which helps manufacturers to take their strategic decisions. The report includes current as well as forecast data for the period from 2020 to 2028, and also provides compounded annual growth rate (CAGR%), which is measured for regional markets and individual segment. Furthermore, the report includes profiling of key market players and its competitive landscape.

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Military Aerospace Landing Gear Market (Covid-19 Analysis) SWOT Analysis, Key Indicators, Forecast 2028 | Liebherr Group, Aerospace Turbine Rotables,...

ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market 2020-2027 with COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Analysis KSU | The Sentinel Newspaper – KSU | The Sentinel…

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ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter)

According to a latest report by Big Market Research, theERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market 2020 Industry Segment by growth, Applications, by Type, Regional Outlook, Demand, Share & Revenue by Manufacturers, Company Profiles, Growth Forecasts to 2027.

This report encloses comprehensive analysis on the market and are assessed through volume and value data validated on three approaches including top companies revenues. It concludes with precise and authentic market estimations considering all the parameters and market dynamics. Every crucial and decisive detail for the development and restriction of the market is mentioned in fine points with solutions and suggestions that may affect the market in near future. Segmentation of the market are studied specifically to give profound knowledge for supplementary market investments.

This market research report on ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry offers a broad-ranging coverage of the global market for this disease. It takes into account major geographical markets along with product-specific segmentation for a more detailed analysis. Major indications and reasons for their prevalence are discussed in depth.

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Top Key Players Covered inERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market are:MIE Solutions, Abas, Cetec ERP, E2 Shop System, Global Shop Solutions, Plex, Infor, Sage, Microsoft Corporation, Epicor, IQMS, IFS, SYSPRO, NetSuite

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ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Segment by Type:On-premise ERP, Cloud ERP

ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Segment by Application:Commercial, Civil

ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Outlook by Regions:

1) North America:-(United States, Canada)

2) Europe:-(Germany, France, UK, Italy, Russia, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium)

3) Asia Pacific:-(China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam)

4) Middle East & Africa:-(Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Israel, Egypt, Nigeria)

5) Latin America:-(Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru).

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What will the market growth rate of ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry?

What are the key factors driving the Global ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry?

Who are the key manufacturers in ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry space?

What are the market opportunities, market risk and market overview of the ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry?

What are sales, revenue, and price analysis of top manufacturers of ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry?

Who are the distributors, traders and dealers of ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry?

What are the ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the Global ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) industries?

What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by types and applications of ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Industry?

What are sales, revenue, and price analysis by regions of ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) industries?

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Table of Content

1) Market Overview

2) Global ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Competition by Types, Applications, and Top Regions and Countries

3) United States ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

4) Europe ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

5) China ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

6) Japan ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

7) Southeast Asia ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

8) India ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

9) Brazil ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

10) GCC Countries ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Analysis

11) Manufacturers Profiles

12) Marketing Strategy Analysis

13) Global ERP software in Aerospace (Helicopter) Market Forecast (2020-2027)

14) Research Conclusions

15) Appendix

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Universal Robots Safety Expert Recognized in 20 Exceptional Women in Robotics and Automation List by SME – Yahoo Finance

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Roberta Nelson Shea, Universal Robots Global Technical Compliance Officer, is celebrated today by SME, the professional association committed to advancing manufacturing. SME is recognizing 20 successful female leaders working to broaden the use of robotics and automation in the smart manufacturing market globally. Nelson Shea made the list based on a lifelong career furthering the belief that productivity and robotics safety can be combined.

The international group of remarkable women on SMEs list published today represent a comprehensive cross section of technologies in robotics and automation. The list was developed by U.S.-based Smart Manufacturing magazine published by SME in consultation with several leaders across the robotics and automation industries.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210204005733/en/

Roberta Nelson Shea joined Universal Robots as Global Technical Compliance Officer in 2016. She is recognized as a global authority on robotic safety standards and has long blazed the trail for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry. (Photo: Business Wire)

The list highlights the work of Roberta Nelson Shea, who joined Universal Robots (UR) as the companys Global Technical Compliance Officer (GTCO) in 2016. She has long blazed the trail for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry; Nelson Shea was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of Robotic Industries Association (RIA) where she also participates in mentoring diversity efforts to get women more involved and recognized.

"From an engineering and management standpoint, women were and continue to be in the minority in the robotics industry. Fortunately, we are starting to see this slowly changing," she says. "Since joining UR, I see more female engineers in software development, coding and user interface than I saw before."

According to Robert Willig, executive director and CEO of SME, the industry still has miles to go in balancing diversity in manufacturing. "Those with the knowledge, creativity and drive to raise the level of technology and innovation can achieve success," he says. "This group of women has not only the vision to create new products and in some cases even new product categories they also have the technological background and the business acumen to bring them to market and a willingness to teach others the processes necessary to make the next generations successful in our industry."

Story continues

Nelson Shea chaired the U.S. National Robot Safety Committee for 23 years, spent 40+ years within manufacturing automation, and is recognized as a global authority on robotic safety standards most recently as Convenor of the ISO working group for industrial robotic safety (ISO/TC 299 WG3).

Collaborative robots or cobots remain the fastest growing segment of industrial automation, projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 30.37% during 20202025. UR leads the cobot market, having recently celebrated the sale of its 50,000th cobot. The emergence of robots that work alongside human workers and their importance in advanced manufacturing has brought robotics safety into the spotlight, says Nelson Shea:

"Im deeply honored to receive this recognition from SME. Robotics safety might be regarded as sort of the ugly stepchild in the industrial automation industry. It was not as sexy or jazzy as artificial intelligence, neural networks and other developing technologies within robotics," she says. "UR changed this. When you have humans and robots working within the same space instead of separated as was the case with traditional industrial robot applications safety becomes much more complex and the nuances are very different. Safety now might mean that the robot slows or changes position compared to simply stopping. My overall mission is to demystify robotic safety and make sure the deployment barriers are broken down. I am an advocate of global harmonization of safety requirements to reduce costs of designs, manufacturing, and compliance."

At UR, Nelson Shea works closely with R&D colleagues in the safety aspects of new UR products and use scenarios. She also fields questions from customers wondering if UR cobots can be used in specific applications in accordance with the robotics safety standards. "I really enjoy working at UR, the caliber of their engineers is superlative. Its a very innovative environment where were constantly pushing the envelope to provide a better and easier-to-use robot."

Nelson Shea was previously honored by the American Society of Safety Professionals as being one of the top 100 Women in Safety over the past 100 years. "I deeply believe that automation can be done in a safe way that works well for the people interfacing with the equipment while having high productivity," she says. "Having a strong robot safety standard has contributed to the success of the industrial robotics market," she concludes citing a favorite quote from John Lizzi, executive director of robotics at GE Global Research: "We see robots, and specifically industrial robotics, as moving through three phases: robots as tools to robots as partners and, ultimately, to robots that sustain the things we care about."

Press kit

Download photos of Roberta Nelson Shea here.

About Universal Robots

Universal Robots (UR) was founded in 2005 to make robot technology accessible to all by developing small, user-friendly, reasonably priced, flexible collaborative robots (cobots) that can be safe to work side by side with people. Since the first cobot was launched in 2008, the company has experienced considerable growth with the user-friendly cobot now sold worldwide. The company, which is a part of Teradyne Inc., is headquartered in Odense, Denmark, and has regional offices in the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, UK, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Turkey, China, India, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Mexico. For more information, please visit http://www.universal-robots.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210204005733/en/

Contacts

Company contact: Joe CampbellSenior Manager, Strategic Marketing & Applications Developmentjoca@universal-robots.com 1-844-GO-COBOT

Media contact: Mette McCallMcCall Mediamette@mccallmedia.net +1-415-800-3517

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Universal Robots Safety Expert Recognized in 20 Exceptional Women in Robotics and Automation List by SME - Yahoo Finance

MiRoCLOUD is a simple to use AI robotics creative coding home learning tool for all – Yahoo Finance

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TipRanks

Lets talk about risk and the big picture. Its an appropriate time, as the big risk presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is finally receding thanks to the ongoing vaccination program. COVID is leaving behind an economy that was forced into shutdown one year ago while in the midst of a great expansion, boosted by the deregulation policies. While the new Biden Administration is busy reversing many Trump policies, at least for now the economy is rebounding. And this brings us to risk. A time of economic growth and rebound is a forgiving time to move toward risk investments, as general economic growth tends to lift everything. Two strategists from JPMorgan have recently chimed in, promoting the view that the markets fundamentals are still sound, and that small- to mid-cap sector is going to keep rising. First, on the general conditions, quant strategist Dubravko Lakos-Bujas wrote, Although the recent technical selloff and short squeeze is receiving a lot of attention, we believe the positive macro setup, improving fundamentals and COVID-19 outlook, strength of the US consumer, as well as the reflation theme remain the bigger forces at play. Not only should this drive further equity upside, but it remains favorable for continued rotation into economic reopening Building on this, Eduardo Lecubarr, chief of the Small/Mid-Cap Strategy team, sees opportunity for investors now, especially in the smaller value stocks. We stick to our view that 2021 will be a stockpickers paradise with big money-making opportunities if you are willing to go against the grain Many macro indicators did fall in January but SMid-Caps and equities in general continued to edge higher, Lecubarr noted. And if you are prone to look at high-risk, small- to mid-cap stocks, youll find yourself drawn to penny stocks. The risk involved with these plays scares off the faint hearted as very real problems like weak fundamentals or overwhelming headwinds could be masked by the low share prices. So, how should investors approach a potential penny stock investment? By taking a cue from the analyst community. These experts bring in-depth knowledge of the industries they cover and substantial experience to the table. Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks database to find two compelling penny stocks, according to Wall Street analysts. Both tickers boast a Strong Buy consensus rating and could climb over 200% higher in the year ahead. CNS Pharmaceuticals (CNSP) We will start with CNS Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with a focus on the treatment of glioblastomas, a class of aggressive tumors that attack the braid and spinal cord. These cancers, while rare, are almost always terminal, and CNS is working a new therapy designed to more effectively cross the blood-brain barrier to attack glioblastoma. Berubicin, CNSs flagship drug candidate, is an anthracycline, a potent class of chemotherapy drugs derived from the Streptomyces bacteria strains, and used in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. Berubicin is the first drug in this class to show promise against glioblastoma cancers. The drug candidate has completed its Phase 1 clinical trial, in which 44% of patients showed a clinical response. This number included one patient who showed a Durable Complete Response, defined as a demonstrated lack of detectable cancer. Following the success of the Phase 1 study, CNS applied for, and received, FDA approval of its Investigational New Drug application. This gives the company the go-ahead to conduct a Phase 2 study on adult patients, an important next step in the development of the drug. CNS plans to start the mid-stage trial in 1Q21. Based on the potential of the companys asset in glioblastoma, and with its share price at $2.22, several analysts believe that now is the time to buy. Among the bulls is Brooklines 5-star analyst Kumaraguru Raja who takes a bullish stance on CNSP shares. Until now, the inability of anthracyclines to cross the blood brain barrier prevented its use for treatment of brain cancers. Berubicin is the first anthracycline to cross the blood-brain barrier in adults and access brain tumors Berubicin has promising clinical data in a Phase 1 trial in recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) and has Orphan drug designation for treatment of malignant gliomas from the FDA. We model approval of Berubicin for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in 2025 based on the Phase 2 data with 55% probability of success for approval. We model peak sales of $533 million in 2032, Raja opined. CNS pipeline also includes WP1244 (novel DNA binding agent) that is 500x more potent than daunorubicin in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation is expected to enter the clinic in 2021 In vivo testing in orthotopic models of brain cancer showed high uptake of WP1244 by brain and subsequent antitumor activity, the analyst added. To this end, Raja rates CNSP a Buy, and his $10 price target implies room for a stunning 350% upside potential in the next 12 months. (To watch Rajas track record, click here) What does the rest of the Street have to say? 3 Buys and 1 Hold add up to a Strong Buy consensus rating. Given the $8.33 average price target, shares could climb ~275% in the year ahead. (See CNSP stock analysis on TipRanks) aTyr Pharma (LIFE) The next stock were looking at, aTyr Pharma, has a focus on inflammatory disease. Its leading drug candidate, ATYR1923, is a Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) agonist, working through the receptor proteins expressed by the NRP2 gene. These pathways are important for cardiovascular development and disease, and play a role in the inflammatory lung disease pulmonary sarcoidosis. In December, the company reported that the drug candidate had completed enrollment of 36 patients in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial, testing the drug in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Results of the current study are expected in 3Q21, and will inform further trials of ATYR1923, including against other forms of inflammatory lung disease. On a more immediate note, in early January the company announced top-line results of another Phase 2 clinical involving ATRY1923 this time in the treatment of patients hospitalized with severe respiratory complications from COVID-19. The results were positive, showing that a single dose of ATYR1923 (at 3 mg/kg) resulted in a 5.5-day median recovery time. Overall, of the patients dosed in this manner, 83% saw recovery in less than one week. Covering LIFE for Roth Capital, 5-star analyst Zegbeh Jallah noted, We like the risk profile here, with two shots on goal, and updated data details from the COVID study is expected in the coming months. Also announced recently, is that data from aTyr's Pulmonary Sarcoidosis program, will be reported in 3Q21 the success of either of these studies could result in a doubling or more of the market cap as these opportunities appear to barely be accounted for by investors. In line with his optimistic approach, Jallah gives LIFE shares a Buy rating and his $15 price target suggests an impressive 277% potential upside for the coming year. (To watch Jallahs track record, click here) Other analysts are on the same page. With 2 additional Buy ratings, the word on the Street is that LIFE is a Strong Buy. On top of this, the average price target is $13.33, suggesting robust growth of ~236% from the current price of $3.97. (See LIFE stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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MiRoCLOUD is a simple to use AI robotics creative coding home learning tool for all - Yahoo Finance

Twenty women making their mark in robotics & automation – Advanced Manufacturing

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One woman set up the Australian Centre for Robotic Visionthe worlds first such centerand then led efforts to create Australias first Robotics Roadmap. One co-founded a robot vacuum cleaner company and changed housework forever. Another, in Stockholm, is working with the United Nations in disease and natural disaster response. Yet another is helping close the skills gap in manufacturing. If there is a common thread found in the women Smart Manufacturing identified as making their mark in robotics and automation, it is a heightened awareness of the impact humans have on the planet without trying, as well as the positive impact we can have with concerted efforts. They see robots and drones as Jills of all trades that serve as helpful companions in education, health care and aging, as eyes that open new worlds in ocean depths, as positive-impact devices and as what (when paired with other automation technology) can enable indoor farming and sustain the things we care about. The 20 women profiled here are helping create a better world. On behalf of humanity, the magazine thanks them for their hard work, sharp minds and true grit. Because community building is so important, we are thrilled to see that Amy Elliott, Gillan Hawkes, Elena Messina, Roberta Nelson Shea and Nicole Renee Williams are members of SME.

Le Matre was inspired to become an engineer while reading The Mysterious Island, a Jules Verne tale of American Civil War escapees who used teamwork, scientific knowledge, engineering and perseverance to build a colony from scratch on an uncharted Pacific island. This was an interesting metaphor of how people are able to change the world and make it a better place by engineering new devices, she said. Making the world better is a theme that permeates her thinking: I strongly believe that as engineers, we have a moral obligation to change the world to make it a better place. As humans, by design, we have a negative impact on earth. Therefore, it is our duty to build things that may balance that. I believe that by focusing on Green IT, clean data centers, energy-efficient components, we can create positive-impact devices and make the world a better place. Unfortunately, the first positive-impact device she built, a retail and hospitality robot named Heasy, lived a short life before a fire destroyed the business in October 2019.

Yakoob was inspired to pursue a career in robotics and automation by the Daleks, an extraterrestrial race from the British television program Dr. Who, and by R2-D2 and C-3PO from the Star Wars movies. Since then, my fascination and curiosity have always steered methrough high school and beyondin identifying and selecting subjects and courses that brought me closer and closer to understanding the workings of my childhood robotic heroes. Having been in the field, shes eager to dispel the thought that robotics and automation are fields only for men. The skills required to be successful can be attained irrespective of what gender you are, she said. Yakoob sees a role for herself and her robots beyond manufacturing, including health care, hospitality and farming: I would like to contribute toward applying robotics in assistive technologies, such as smart prosthetics, in improving the quality of life for the increasingly growing senior population and applying robotics and automation in enabling indoor farming, making healthy, affordable food available to all.

Nelson Shea lives by advice that is helpful to anyone: Get involved in trade organizations. For her, becoming involved in developing standards for robotics safety provided terrific networking opportunities. Clearly a joiner, Nelson Shea is a lifetime member of SMEand enjoys benefits like great conferences, networking, and speaking opportunities, she said. Partly through her efforts, Nelson Shea said the United States took the lead on robot safety. I was part of a team of people who deeply believedthat automation could be done in a safe way that would work well for the people interfacing with the equipment while having high productivity, she said. I believe that having a strong robot safety standard contributed to the success of the industrial robotics market. There is more to come, she said, citing a quote from John Lizzi, executive director of robotics at GE Global Research. We see robots, and specifically industrial robotics, as moving through three phases: robots as tools to robots as partners and, ultimately, to robots that sustain the things we care about.

Hawkes spotted the shift to people ordering online for home delivery early. She knew it would be a major growth area. That allowed her to leverage my path to go into supply chain management, but traditional tactics werent exciting, she said. The innovation was happening in robotics and automation. I wanted to be a part of that. Hawkes joined 6 River Systems (6RS) in 2018 and got to work improving its services and warehouse products. This made 6RS well positioned to support its customers when the pandemic hit. I am proud to have contributed to not only improving efficiencies but maintaining safety in our customers workplaces and keeping the supply chain moving, she said. Next, Hawkes would like to democratize robotics and automation in the marketplace. If 6RS could have touchpoints in large fulfillment centers, shopping centers and even in small local businesses, she said, I would consider that a massive achievement.

About eight years ago, Lau began looking for more impactful work. Inspired by a project at Willow Garage that enabled people with quadriplegia to program robots, Lau joined the robotics research lab for about a year and subsequently turned her professional attention to robots. She started a service robot company with several Willow alum and then established her own firm. While I had spent my life up to that point developing software, I realized that robotics had immense potential to improve peoples lives on a daily basis, she said. Unlike software, which is confined to a screen, robots live out in the human world. Today, Laus robots provide mistake-free, data-driven layout at construction sites that is derived from building information modeling software, improving productivity and the lives of workers, designers and engineers. Our next milestone is truly scaling up our robotics product to get it on every commercial construction site in the U.S., she said. Scaling a robotics product requires a different set of skills, and a different organization versus building the first prototype.

Wises entry into the robotics industry was serendipitous. She joined a team sponsored by Willow Garage founder Scott Hassan building an autonomous vehicle for the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007. After the vehicle did an autonomous lap around the parking lot of the robotics R&D firm, Hassan soon offered her a job. That kind of real-world demonstration echoes in Wises career accomplishment: building autonomous mobile robots at her company, Fetch Robotics, that function in factories and high-volume distribution centers. In robotics, you can do almost anything one time in a lab and make a video of it, she said. The real challenge is making it work 24/7, with a 99.99 percent reliability rate. Thats what customers want, and thats really hard to do. Her advice to the next generation of female roboticists is to learn to program and join a startup. Women have very difficult career paths in front of them, and they need to put themselves in environments where they have an opportunity to excel outside of regular corporate structures, she said.

Masciantonios work focuses on closing the skills gap in manufacturing. Using ARM-determined competency building blocks, skills profiles and career pathways, she is working to create a nationwide system that matches the competencies and roles required by manufacturers to the education programs and career pathways of the workforce. With ARMs system, students can determine where their strengths are and which capabilities they need to acquire for a successful career in manufacturing. The next step, to be delivered later this year, is to include capabilities to test and certify workers in robotic career pathways. We will create mechanisms for creatively observing and testing their mastery of the competency building blocks, according to ARMs Industry 4.0 Competency Framework, she said. This will facilitate matching between the job seeker and employer. It feels great knowing that the work we accomplish each day helps to strengthen the U.S. economy, serve our warfighters and bring our national manufacturing capabilities to higher levels of maturity, she said.

Caron has worked and studied in French, English and Czech. But impossible to automate doesnt seem to be in her lexicon. In fact, her teams most recent accomplishment was a breakthrough in inspection and removing tedious tasks that others thought were impossible to automate. That recent achievement may help in her teams goal of having all GE Aviation sites think of automation and robotics whenever they introduce a new part or process. That would accelerate their adoption and help maximize their potential impact. We are involved in enabling the sites to reliably and efficiently build and maintain engine components using the latest technology, and we are opening up new possibilities for engineering to refine their designs, she said. Having the sentiment that we are contributing to the advancement of the technology that has an impact on so many people is very rewarding. Looking ahead, she has great hope for AI. It will solve complex issues that are preventing automation and robotics from being suited for the challenges, she said.

Moneza is so fascinated by machines that she finds her thrills by scrutinizing the workings of her ride at Universal Studios rather than passively enjoying it. I try to look through the darkness and see what type of robot they are using and try to understand the rail and the projection systems that make the ride exciting, she said. It genuinely interests me, and I like seeing how things work. Is it any wonder, then, that she sees new opportunities for automation in the aerospace industry for repetitive tasks like drilling, painting, composite fabrication and ultrasonic inspection? She also wants to see more automation in data collection and interpretation. This will allow us to make informed decisions in a timely manner and make changes to design and processes where it is necessary, she said. Even with her fervor for automation, she sees a downside in the workers left behind when machines become automated. This is something that needs to be addressed so we can continue to compete and be at the cutting edge of manufacturing technology, she said.

As a girl, Keay did not envision a career in techeven though her family acquired their neighborhoods first PC. Now, she wants to see a thriving and sustainable robotics industry in Australia. This means not only supporting creators of robotics and robotics-related technologies but also supporting government and corporates to adopt robotics, she said. Robotics is part of the broader AI and technology sector and cannot succeed unless we have support for both AI and the tech sector more broadly. Six years ago, she set up the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, the worlds first such center. She led efforts to create Australias first Robotics Roadmap in 2018 and last year established a firm to represent the industry sector. In 2019, she made it her mission to bring the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing to Australia as the Hopper Down Under. She now leads her Australian states AI hub.

Laudas career path demonstrates the value of internships. In high school, her math teacher encouraged her to become an engineer. But it wasnt until she apprenticed for a diesel engine maker that the assembly line and CNC machines sparked her interest. I went back to college a few years later. I was eager to become a manufacturing engineer, she said. During her career at agriculture machinery and equipment maker AGCO, she led a small team of engineers that created a tool to allow manufacturing engineers at plants in the U.S., Italy and Brazil to collaborate remotely in creating a Manufacturing Bill of Materials, the Bill of Process and the electronic work instructions for a new harvesting combine. Many steps within that tool are fully automated, and the concept reduced the planning efforts at the sites up to 80 percent, she said. The next big goal is to generate a true digital twin of our factories, by merging the virtual with the real operations, and collect smart data that can instantly be turned into higher productivity, safety and quality, she said.

When Greiner saw the original Star Wars movie in 1977, she was immediately smitten. The object of her interest was not Luke Skywalker or Han Solo; It was R2-D2. The girl who drew her inspiration from one of director George Lucas leading actor bots would grow up to be a pioneer in developing robots that can take over mundane or dangerous tasks from humans. She is now the CEO of a weed-controlling, solar-powered robot startup. She previously co-founded iRobot and co-designed its Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. Roomba has captured about 20 percent of the North American vacuum market. Other Greiner accomplishmentsthe Packbot military robot and the persistent aerial reconnaissance and communications tethered drone systemhave been credited with saving the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. Greiner predicts we will see robots taking over home maintenance jobs, such as lawn mowing, leaf collecting and snow removal. I see continued adoption of robots, driving the virtuous cycle of invention, development and manufacture, she said.

Samsioe sees untapped potential in drones to help solve real-life challenges in natural disasters, disease outbreaks and other situations. For example, GLOBHEs network of crowddroning pilots provide aerial images that, once analyzed, help track mosquito-breeding sites in Malawi for malaria-mitigation efforts. An advanced unmanned aerial vehicle pilot with a masters degree in international disaster management, Samsioe cites as her companys most significant accomplishments its work with the United Nations in disease and natural disaster response and a recently signed contract with a global telecom company. The telecom-related work is to inspect communication towers, helping to keep communities connected as a result. Clearly owning her own success, she said, While many wait for the future to happen, I tend to create the future and get partners and clients onboard the journey. Her frustration is with progress that happens slowly. For example, shes pushing and waiting for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights to become legal at scale so drones truly can provide additional value for societies.

As an If/Then Ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Elliott is featured in original entertainment and media content. She was overall runner-up in The Big Brain Theorys one-season run on the Discovery Channel. She was an on-camera science expert for the Science Channels Outrageous Acts of Science. And she was featured in a 2012 Wired article about a 3D-printing vending machine she and her team designed and configured while studying at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The machine, DreamVendor, included four MakerBot Thing-o-Matic printers that printed users uploaded design files. Of course, it being a first-generation design, there were several kinks in the system, Elliott said. However, it was a really fun project, and it proved the concept. She has since earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering and wants to bring automation and robotics to additive manufacturing. Even though the machines can build amazing things, there is still quite a lot of manual labor required after the part is built, she said.

For Ciprian, working in robotics means solving an evolving, thought-provoking engineering problem. It is always exciting because youre constantly doing something new, she said. The field is very dynamic, which makes it fun. It is also productive: She led the electrical design of an automated guided vehicle/industrial robot, which took a year from start to finish. Having fun at work is a bonus for her on top of being able to work in such a multidisciplinary field. For example, the power architecture is tightly involved with the mechanical loads of the robot, she said. Also, losses, emissions, temperature profiles and communication robustness are all interrelated. Moreover, it is a field where I can see our contributions to humankind happening in real time. The future of industry will include fleets of robots working collaboratively with humans, she believes, with AI playing a more involved role in tasking. Her advice to other female engineers is to be generous: Socialize your achievements and those of your female colleagues, she said.

Messina is rooted in measurement science and its role in driving research and engineeringand from there her vision for the future of robotics takes off. She wants to see the paradigm of robots as partners and assistants to humans extended and expanded versus seeing them as worker replacements. For this to happen, the world needs more intuitive interaction mechanisms for programming, coordination and communicating status, as well as greater intelligence and dexterity on the part of robots. Robots will no longer need to be taught every move, but rather can be instructed at a high level, similar to how humans who collaborate together agree on a joint task, she said. Similarly, robots will be able to execute their tasks either independently, able to detect changes or failures and recover from them on their own, or, if working jointly with humans, able to safely perform the tasks through observing the humans status, understanding verbal and non-verbal cues. The ultimate result will be the democratization of the use of robotics among enterprises, she said.

When she had two years left to finish her masters in engineering and technology management, Spiten began taking extra courses in entrepreneurship and robotics to figure out where she was headed career-wise. I found the [masters degree] curriculum to have too little hands-on training, she said. How would I know what to specialize in without trying out, and applying theory onto, real problems? She enrolled in a program that included an internship with a startup making underwater drone kits. She wrote her thesis on environmental ocean monitoring with the use of drones, and her career took shape. I started Blueye Robotics with three co-founders, to make the ocean available in new waysand to everyonedriven by the belief that you only take care of what you know and care about, she said. She is now advising the World Wildlife Fund on ocean plastics. As Sir David Attenborough once told me, she said, its not about whether we will survive, but what kind of world we will survive in.

Having earned a masters in manufacturing engineering, Williams has a wealth of book knowledge. But since at least her undergrad years, her education also included practical experience. It was some of that experience, specifically programming a robot in V++ to perform a simple shape-sorting task, that got Williams her first job at Boeing and ignited her passion for working with robotic and automation systems. My first job was programming and supporting a gantry robot doing automated fiber placement that used an Adept [Controls] control, she said. This was very exciting. Although her work focuses on controlling robots, shes also focused on people, including colleagues and the next generation of techies. She has participated in many leadership programs at Boeing, including the Employee Mentoring and Robotics Club. Outside of work, shes been a FIRST Robotics Competition volunteer for 10 years. Her message to girls in FIRST is to get involved early, stay active and embrace every learning opportunity. Its the hardest fun youll ever have, she said.

Breazeal once dreamed of being an astronaut. But she instead chose academia where she could continue to push the envelope in robotics and AI research. Her work is about autonomous robots as a ubiquitous, human-centered technology. I want to contribute the reality of a robot in every home that delivers meaningful value and delight to families, she said. Her biggest accomplishment to date is Jibo, the first social robot featured on the cover of Time. Jibo has since been acquired by another firm. There is tremendous opportunity for social robots as personalized, helpful companions in education, healthcare, aging and wellness. These are areas where emotional engagement, humanized social support and decision support in a personalized way could help address challenges of scalable, affordable, effective interventions for human users that can augment and extend what human professionals provide, she said.

Curry appeared headed for a career as a chemist, but as she worked in the lab, she realized fixing broken equipment was more to her liking than running analyses. So she returned to school for industrial electronics. I was accepted into an internship program at a pharmaceutical nutritional company, which is how I began my career in manufacturing, she said. I have been exposed to various types of automation, including robotics, and have enjoyed working in manufacturing for all of my career. At the pharmaceutical nutritional company, Curry and her team automated hard-wired relay circuitry to PLC systems. This helped improve troubleshooting and reduced repair time. It was amazing to be part of what was emerging technology at the time, she said. The fun didnt stop there. At Toyota, we have teams working on AI and augmented reality to help improve efficiency and eliminate redundant and non-value-added work, she said. I believe this type of technology can be coupled with robots to improve the efficiency of work for employees.

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WSU partners with Netherlands, Washington growers to improve orchard robotics, automation | WSU Insider | Washington State University – WSU News

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In development at WSU's Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems, robotic pruners, pickers, and other high-tech automated tools are among objectives of the newly announced international collaboration.

By Seth TruscottCollege of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

Washington State University scientists are joining forces with researchers, fruit growers, and technology companies in the Netherlands and Washington State to solve major tree fruit challenges through orchard automation and robotics.

On Feb. 3, 2021, Andr-Denis Wright, dean of WSUs College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, joined representatives from the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Wageningen University & Research, and other partners in a virtual signing of the Fruit Orchard of the Future Collaboration Agreement.

The agreement helps establish a public-private consortium speeding new tree fruit technologies using an industry-developed concept called Next Fruit 4.0. Its part of a broader AgFoodTech collaboration between the Netherlands, California, and Washington State, which aims to get innovations to market faster and meet high-level goals in health, sustainability, and prosperity.

Automation and robotics could help tree fruit growers in the U.S. and the Netherlands address the challenges from an increasingly hard-to-find orchard labor force, as well as greater demand for sustainability, environmental health, and food safety.

Our College is proud and excited to partner with Washington tree fruit growers and our counterparts in the Netherlands in bringing new technologies to fruition, Wright said. Globally, producers face many of the same hurdles. The practical solutions being developed through this international coalition hold promise for more robust, healthy, and efficient industries in both countries.

Technology implementation into orchards has to accelerate to enable our states tree fruit industry to remain viable and prosper into the next decade, said Ines Hanrahan, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission executive director.

We view international public-private partnerships, such as the Orchard of the Future collaboration, as essential building blocks to successfully develop orchards for the future, added Commission Chair Jim Doornink.

Additional partners to the agreement include the Dutch Fruit Growers Association, Dutch technological association FME, Oregon State University, and more than a dozen Dutch and U.S. companies and organizations.

The Fruit Orchard of the Future collaboration aims to connect universities in both nations for joint programs, create a network of local field labs and testing grounds, set up exchanges for education and research, connect companies and growers, and build access to funding.

Participating scientists will develop prototypes including a robot for pruning and harvesting pears, a precision sprayer for fruit crops, sensors and algorithms to collect data on apples and pears, and decision models for apples and pears based on collected data and expert knowledge.

The project draws on the knowledge and resources of WSU Extension, WSUs Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center (TFREC) at Wenatchee Wash., the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center (IAREC) and Center for Precision & Automated Agricultural Systems (CPAAS) at Prosser, Wash., and WSUs AgWeather Network.

WSU Associate Professor Manoj Karkee, a Prosser-based specialist in field robotics and automation, said the partnership will help build expertise and knowledge from a variety of perspectives, while making the team of scientists more competitive for U.S. and European research funding.

A range of geographic and environmental variations provided by the collaboration will also help the team maximize experimental window for specific crops and cropping systems, Karkee said. Such a wider infrastructure helps ensure that the tools, technologies and systems we develop will be versatile, reliable, and practically adoptable.

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NTHU Researchers Take Robotics to the Next Level – Yahoo Finance

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TipRanks

Lets talk about risk and the big picture. Its an appropriate time, as the big risk presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is finally receding thanks to the ongoing vaccination program. COVID is leaving behind an economy that was forced into shutdown one year ago while in the midst of a great expansion, boosted by the deregulation policies. While the new Biden Administration is busy reversing many Trump policies, at least for now the economy is rebounding. And this brings us to risk. A time of economic growth and rebound is a forgiving time to move toward risk investments, as general economic growth tends to lift everything. Two strategists from JPMorgan have recently chimed in, promoting the view that the markets fundamentals are still sound, and that small- to mid-cap sector is going to keep rising. First, on the general conditions, quant strategist Dubravko Lakos-Bujas wrote, Although the recent technical selloff and short squeeze is receiving a lot of attention, we believe the positive macro setup, improving fundamentals and COVID-19 outlook, strength of the US consumer, as well as the reflation theme remain the bigger forces at play. Not only should this drive further equity upside, but it remains favorable for continued rotation into economic reopening Building on this, Eduardo Lecubarr, chief of the Small/Mid-Cap Strategy team, sees opportunity for investors now, especially in the smaller value stocks. We stick to our view that 2021 will be a stockpickers paradise with big money-making opportunities if you are willing to go against the grain Many macro indicators did fall in January but SMid-Caps and equities in general continued to edge higher, Lecubarr noted. And if you are prone to look at high-risk, small- to mid-cap stocks, youll find yourself drawn to penny stocks. The risk involved with these plays scares off the faint hearted as very real problems like weak fundamentals or overwhelming headwinds could be masked by the low share prices. So, how should investors approach a potential penny stock investment? By taking a cue from the analyst community. These experts bring in-depth knowledge of the industries they cover and substantial experience to the table. Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks database to find two compelling penny stocks, according to Wall Street analysts. Both tickers boast a Strong Buy consensus rating and could climb over 200% higher in the year ahead. CNS Pharmaceuticals (CNSP) We will start with CNS Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with a focus on the treatment of glioblastomas, a class of aggressive tumors that attack the braid and spinal cord. These cancers, while rare, are almost always terminal, and CNS is working a new therapy designed to more effectively cross the blood-brain barrier to attack glioblastoma. Berubicin, CNSs flagship drug candidate, is an anthracycline, a potent class of chemotherapy drugs derived from the Streptomyces bacteria strains, and used in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. Berubicin is the first drug in this class to show promise against glioblastoma cancers. The drug candidate has completed its Phase 1 clinical trial, in which 44% of patients showed a clinical response. This number included one patient who showed a Durable Complete Response, defined as a demonstrated lack of detectable cancer. Following the success of the Phase 1 study, CNS applied for, and received, FDA approval of its Investigational New Drug application. This gives the company the go-ahead to conduct a Phase 2 study on adult patients, an important next step in the development of the drug. CNS plans to start the mid-stage trial in 1Q21. Based on the potential of the companys asset in glioblastoma, and with its share price at $2.22, several analysts believe that now is the time to buy. Among the bulls is Brooklines 5-star analyst Kumaraguru Raja who takes a bullish stance on CNSP shares. Until now, the inability of anthracyclines to cross the blood brain barrier prevented its use for treatment of brain cancers. Berubicin is the first anthracycline to cross the blood-brain barrier in adults and access brain tumors Berubicin has promising clinical data in a Phase 1 trial in recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) and has Orphan drug designation for treatment of malignant gliomas from the FDA. We model approval of Berubicin for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in 2025 based on the Phase 2 data with 55% probability of success for approval. We model peak sales of $533 million in 2032, Raja opined. CNS pipeline also includes WP1244 (novel DNA binding agent) that is 500x more potent than daunorubicin in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation is expected to enter the clinic in 2021 In vivo testing in orthotopic models of brain cancer showed high uptake of WP1244 by brain and subsequent antitumor activity, the analyst added. To this end, Raja rates CNSP a Buy, and his $10 price target implies room for a stunning 350% upside potential in the next 12 months. (To watch Rajas track record, click here) What does the rest of the Street have to say? 3 Buys and 1 Hold add up to a Strong Buy consensus rating. Given the $8.33 average price target, shares could climb ~275% in the year ahead. (See CNSP stock analysis on TipRanks) aTyr Pharma (LIFE) The next stock were looking at, aTyr Pharma, has a focus on inflammatory disease. Its leading drug candidate, ATYR1923, is a Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) agonist, working through the receptor proteins expressed by the NRP2 gene. These pathways are important for cardiovascular development and disease, and play a role in the inflammatory lung disease pulmonary sarcoidosis. In December, the company reported that the drug candidate had completed enrollment of 36 patients in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial, testing the drug in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Results of the current study are expected in 3Q21, and will inform further trials of ATYR1923, including against other forms of inflammatory lung disease. On a more immediate note, in early January the company announced top-line results of another Phase 2 clinical involving ATRY1923 this time in the treatment of patients hospitalized with severe respiratory complications from COVID-19. The results were positive, showing that a single dose of ATYR1923 (at 3 mg/kg) resulted in a 5.5-day median recovery time. Overall, of the patients dosed in this manner, 83% saw recovery in less than one week. Covering LIFE for Roth Capital, 5-star analyst Zegbeh Jallah noted, We like the risk profile here, with two shots on goal, and updated data details from the COVID study is expected in the coming months. Also announced recently, is that data from aTyr's Pulmonary Sarcoidosis program, will be reported in 3Q21 the success of either of these studies could result in a doubling or more of the market cap as these opportunities appear to barely be accounted for by investors. In line with his optimistic approach, Jallah gives LIFE shares a Buy rating and his $15 price target suggests an impressive 277% potential upside for the coming year. (To watch Jallahs track record, click here) Other analysts are on the same page. With 2 additional Buy ratings, the word on the Street is that LIFE is a Strong Buy. On top of this, the average price target is $13.33, suggesting robust growth of ~236% from the current price of $3.97. (See LIFE stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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NTHU Researchers Take Robotics to the Next Level - Yahoo Finance

Students find virtual robotics opportunities during the pandemic – Wicked Local

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Olivia Crisafi, Victor Han, Erin Crisafi and Camille Gammack| Special to the Concord Journal

In a traditional season, the GearTicks, Lincolns high school robotics team, meet nearly every day in their coachs basement: designing the robot in CAD software, programming the robot in Java and organizing outreach events with our community. This year, they have been forced to adapt to new methods of sharing ideas, working together and designing, all from home.

One solution they figured out was fairly simple. Three times a week, during their usual scheduled in-person meeting times, the GearTicks all join a Google Meet and discuss their ideas, progress and goals. Different parts of the robot come together at different team members' homes, and gradually their robot starts to resemble a robot built any other year.

The greater challenge came with switching community STEM events to a virtual setting. In previous years, the GearTicks held STEM nights, created and mentored FIRST teams of other levels and attended STEM events. With every traditional option indefinitely on hold, the GearTicks began to plan ways to make STEM accessible even during the pandemic.

One of our favorite outreach events every year is our Legopalooza, said Prerna, a junior on the team. We love the opportunity to share our love for STEM with the students and see the work theyve done throughout their season.''

The Lincoln Legopalooza has been a space to celebrate STEM learning for the towns FLL Explore robotics teams. In past years, the event has been held in the Brooks Gym, and Lego robotics teams from Lincoln and surrounding towns gather to present their Lego models to a group of reviewers, and win custom laser cut trophies. Just as the GearTicks have been able to move online, they have carried one of their favorite events online with them. This year, the GearTicks third annual Lincoln Legopalooza will be held virtually at the beginning of April. Teams will be able to virtually present their Lego models and participate in fun virtual activities!

The Lincoln Legopalooza is the culmination of the FLL Explore season. FLL Explore is a fun, easy-to-run program that introduces young children to the world of robotics. FLL Explore teams, composed of two to six kids ages 6 to 10, build a model out of Legos and program a moving component with simple block programming. A full, easy-to-understand curriculum is provided by FIRST, so the program can be run by a mentor (a parent, grandparent, etc) with no technical background. FIRST provides meeting guides for coaches and workbooks (engineering notebooks) for team members.

FLL Explore is a great opportunity for children to learn teamwork skills, build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while having fun! This program is perfect to run as a family, with a group of close friends, or even virtually following in the GearTicks footsteps.

If your child is interested in FLL Explore, contact the GearTicks; there is still time to participate in FLL Explore and the Legopalooza! The GearTicks have experience with the FLL Explore program and have offered mentorship for anyone interested in starting a team. They can be contacted at hello@gearticks.com. More information about FLL Explore can be found at http://gearticks.com/fll-explore, https://youtu.be/Sq6w3jYVR8k and http://firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/explore/challenge-and-season.

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A robotic dog that can learn points to the future – Yahoo Finance

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The robotic dog had to learn how to recover from a fall

First the dog is kicked over, then pushed over, then shoved with a stick. Each time it gets back to its feet.

But don't rush to call the animal welfare authorities - it's a robotic dog undergoing training at Edinburgh University.

Alex Li is the Head of the Advanced Robotics Lab at the university and is among those leading the way in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to robotics.

The AI that controls his dog can cope with situations it has never seen before, like slippery surfaces or stairs.

And if you have ever watched internet footage of robots falling over, then you will appreciate how difficult that is to achieve.

So how did Mr Li and his team train their dog, called Jue-ying, or at least the AI that controls it?

Mr Li likens the process to the way young children are taught to play football. First, they will probably be taught individual skills like passing, dribbling and shooting.

Once they have mastered those basics then they might be let loose in simple matches, where they will learn how to put those skills together to win a game.

That way of learning, which is so natural to humans, is something that companies and researchers are trying to replicate in machines.

The robotic dog was initially taught two skill sets - fall recovery and trotting and walking, and each of those was developed in a different artificial neural network.

Neural networks rely on layers of thousands or millions of tiny connections between nodes, clusters of mathematical computations and can adapt as they are trained.

Those first two skill sets were used as the basis to create others - in total eight neural networks.

If those eight are the players in a football team then the final task was to create a coach - an AI which could bring their skills together to solve certain problems, like getting up from different positions and walking to a target.

The beauty and potential usefulness of the technique is that the robotic dog could be introduced to completely new scenarios, like navigating stairs or a rocky surface, and could make lightning-quick adjustments to stay upright and continue to its goal.

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It might not sound like much but, Mr Li hopes the method can be developed so that robots can complete much more complex tasks.

"Of course locomotion is cool, you can see the robots running around getting kicked in and getting up. But by the end of the day, you want the robot to do something useful for you," he says.

That will require the addition of features like vision systems and robotic hands, which adds many levels of complexity.

Mr Li's work builds on research by DeepMind Technologies, an artificial intelligence unit of Alphabet (the owners of Google) and based in London.

They have been leaders in a technique called deep reinforcement learning, by which neural networks learn from experience.

Using that technique, DeepMind has developed AI that has beaten human masters at chess and Go as well as becoming a top player at the computer game Starcraft.

Raia Hadsell is the director of the Robotics Laboratory at DeepMind. She says that combining AI and movement has been a different challenge.

"Your actions change the world," she points out. So unlike an AI that, for example, plays chess, a robot doing tasks around the home would have to cope with a shifting environment - imagine a robot doing the washing up and using the last of the washing up liquid.

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But if this approach can be successfully developed the rewards could be enormous.

"I think that you will start to see robots being used more with humans in a safe way, because you'll be able to interact with these robots a little bit more. So they start to be more capable with doing tasks in the home," she says.

"But probably more significantly, used in parts of industry, agriculture, construction. Imagine being able to enable a farmer with a robot that has general purpose, and could imitate different types of behaviours."

However, don't think you can give up ironing just yet.

"I don't think this is in the next couple of years, but maybe, you know, the next 10 years," Ms Hadsell says.

Mr Li's robotic dog senses the world using feedback from its joints and motors - a relatively simple set of inputs. The outputs are just as simple - the dog walks or trots towards a target.

Nathan Lepora is professor of robotics and AI at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. He has also been training an AI to move, but not a robotic dog, instead a robotic hand that has a sense of touch.

His AI can recognise objects using an artificial sense of touch. While still in its early days he thinks that training AI to sense its environment and move around is potentially very powerful.

"The AI opens up much more general ways of learning how to control rather than, if you like, handcrafting simple controllers. That's the difference. And that's what the deep reinforcement learning opens up.

"And deep reinforcement learning also gives the capability to use much more complex sensory inputs as well, for that control."

However, it's not going to be easy to train an AI that can control a humanoid robot, equipped with all sorts of different sensors.

"The level of mechanical engineering [involved in] building these robots has kind of gone past our capability to control them, because they're so complicated. And that's the problem that's getting cracked at the moment," says Prof Lepora.

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Company Aims to Produce Thousands of Humanoid Robots in 2021 – VOA Learning English

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A Hong Kong-based robotics company says it plans to mass produce thousands of humanoid robots in 2021.

Hanson Robotics says four different humanoid models will start leaving factories during the first half of the year. One of the four is a robot named Sophia, which has received worldwide attention in recent years for looking and speaking in a very human-like way.

The companys founder and CEO, David Hanson, told Reuters the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for robots designed to assist and engage with humans. The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe.

He noted that in the past, many of the companys robots were built by hand. But now, Hanson Robotics is beginning to expand its manufacturing operations.

Hanson said there are currently 24 models of Sophia, which will be used as a basis for creating many other kinds of models. While not providing an exact number, Hanson said the company aims to sell thousands of robots by the end of 2021.

The company says it plans to market its humanoid robots as helpful assistants in the healthcare field. For example, they can be used to take temperature readings to identify possible sickness or perform physical exercises with older people.

Such social robots are powered by machine learning methods and artificial intelligence (AI). They use cameras and sensors to recognize human faces and activities. The robots are built with tools to help them develop their own form of social and emotional intelligence over time.

During a demonstration at the companys lab, one of the Sophia models identified some of the activities it could assist humans with.

Social robots like me can help take care of the sick or elderly in many kinds of healthcare and medical uses.

Hanson said he believes robotic solutions to the pandemic are not limited to healthcare. He said the companys robots are so human-like, they could also serve the public in retail settings or in the airline industry.

The humanoids can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated, Hanson said.

I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations.

Johan Hoorn is a social robotics professor at Hong Kongs Polytechnic University. His research has included work on Sophia. He said that, although the technology is still developing, the pandemic could speed up relationships between robots and humans.

I can infer the pandemic will actually help us get robots earlier in the market because people (will) start to realize that there is no other way, Hoorn said.

Products from other major developers in the industry are helping fight the pandemic as well. SoftBank Robotics humanoid robot Pepper was deployed in Europe to identify people who were not wearing face coverings. In China, robotics company CloudMinds helped set up a robot-run field hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan.

The use of robots was already on the rise before the pandemic. The International Federation of Robotics said in a report last year that worldwide sales of professional-service robots had jumped 32 percent between 2018 and 2019.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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engage v. to get and keep someones attention, interest, etc.

automate v. to use machines and computers instead of people to do work

artificial intelligence n. the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior

retail n. the activity of selling products to the public in shops and on the internet

sensor n.

isolate v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others

therapy n. treatment for a physical or psychological condition

stimulation n. the act of making some feel interested and excited

infer v. to guess that something is true because of information that you have

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Company Aims to Produce Thousands of Humanoid Robots in 2021 - VOA Learning English

Advanced Automation: Enter the World of Simulations and VR in Robotics – MarketScale

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The place: Webster, New York, home of Calvary Robotics and Christopher Grieve, Manager Simulations/VR, Lead Technical Artist, Sales & Marketing, at Calvary.

While Grieve grew up in Webster, hes felt fortunate to call Calvary Robotics his home for the past six years, where he runs the virtual reality and simulation department. Grieve gave host Joe Gemma, Global VP, Sales & Marketing at Calvary Robotics, a rundown of what his department does.

Grieve always loved mechanical drawing and pursued drafting/CAD and technical illustration in college. But, throughout his time in the industry, Grieve learned to apply and blend his expertise with the artistic, technological innovations happening in robotics. The path eventually led to Calvary with VR and simulations.

Simulations is where we create our animated videos, Grieve said. We take the 3D models from engineering, and then well build the geometry in the computer. From there, we can leverage all the work weve done animating and bring it into a video game engine to create VR applications.

From a customer perspective, what are the value adds of simulation and VR capabilities? Grieve said the videos his team generates allows a client, especially one unfamiliar with technical drawings, to gain a hyper-real perspective of how a machine runs at the rate that its supposed to and doing every process that it needs to.

They can see what it is they are going to buy before its engineered and designed. While a customer would need to be onsite at Calvary to experience the VR capabilities, Grieve believes VR is an excellent tool in the arsenal.

It provides clients with a real feel for every aspect of the machine they are purchasing and allows them to make tweaks before a finished product rather than making revisions after the fact.

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Advanced Automation: Enter the World of Simulations and VR in Robotics - MarketScale