Daily Archives: October 7, 2019

Robotics researchers from the Queensland University of Technology are working with a Brisbane-based technology company in order to advance the development of the worlds first remote-controlled load-management system, which removes human held taglines for crane operations.

According to a recent press release, the researchers will look at how robotics will transform the manufacture, operation and use of the companys R-Series load-management system.

This system is already being used for projects around the world.

About the initiative

The team is taking a multifaceted approach in identifying ways to further develop the systems.

The aim of the project is to make a traditional piece of equipment, like a crane, and turn it into a smart robot.

The new device will enable the wind farm industry to install wind turbine blades more safely and in more challenging environments.

Currently, it is not easy to install a blade, up to 100m in length, from a moving ship in high winds.

Professor Matt Dunbabin is working on the ways to improve the control system for the device.

Meanwhile, Dr Chris Lehnert is looking at how robotics can be used in the manufacture of the device and data analytics research.

Associate Professor Richi Nayak will be using machine learning to understand how the systems performance could improve, and the Institute for Future Environments will improve the energy use.

The CEO of the company shared that the two-year project will bring together experts in robotics and data analytics to further develop their R-Series systems.

To be involved in a project to adapt the development and manufacturing of the R-Series through the use of robotics is a compelling concept that has enormous potential.

Aside from enabling unprecedented safety for crane operations, the R-Series also improves efficiency and productivity.

The objective is for the product to be used all around the world. With the support and innovative expertise of the partners, the company is confident of achieving this goal.

Utilising technology

Digital transformation is the use of new, fast and frequently changing digital technology to solve problems. This includes Hybrid Cloud Computing in Internet of Things.

In this project, the researchers will be using sensors on the equipment, which will allow the performance of the cranes to be optimised.

This includes investigating ways to improve the energy management and storage capabilities of the device.

Industry 4.0 uses transformative technologies to connect the physical world with the digital world.

It is also characterised by the increased use of robotics, automation and data analytics, making it an exciting time to be involved in constructions and manufacturing.

By embracing digitalisation and integrating advanced manufacturing technologies such as smart robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT), the company will create and export new flexible load-management solutions that can be seamlessly integrated and applied across multiple sectors.

Together with the University, they will change industries because they see the benefits that their manufacturing research will create, not just for Australia but also globally.

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Robotics and IoT, key in optimising manufacturing's crane operations - OpenGov Asia

One University of Louisville study has found that robots can help autistic children with their emotions and behavior in the classroom. A new study aims to take that research several steps further.

Three UofL faculty Dan Popa, Karla Welch and Greg Barnes along with a researcher from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, have received a four year, $1.2 million award from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health to study robots impact on autistic kids. UofL is one of a handful of institutions to receive a joint NSF/NIH grant through a program called Smart and Connected Health.

Popa said the grant will allow his Next Generation robotics team and the UofL Autism Center to do three things:

Popa said the goal is to come up with a robot thats a diagnostic tool as well as a friend to kids with autism beginning at age six. Currently, Popa said, there is no objective, quantitative way to assess the severity of a childs autism. He thinks robotics and artificial intelligence could change that.

A robot could potentially be used in group and one-on-one therapy sessions with the child also taking their friendly, non-threatening partner home with them. The robot could continue to collect data on the childs behavior and cognition at home.

Studies show autistic kids interact with technology as well as non-autistic children by the time theyre 18 years old Popa said. If we give them a robot it could help them develop social skills comparable to the robot and, ultimately, other kids.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have too many connections between the part of the brain that controls their motor skills and the part that controls their sensory, social and emotional skills.

With the help of robot peers, we seek to understand not only how these areas influence motor actions but also how those connections influence the social skills, communication, perception of sensations and expression of emotions in people with autism, said Barnes, director of the UofL Autism Center. These advances will help us better understand how to design therapies, using technology, for people with ASD.

Check out the previous story andvideo about UofL research on robots and children with autism.

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UofL research on robots and autistic children expands - uoflnews.com

Osaro, a San Francisco startup developing AI-based solutions for industrial robots, today announced that its closed a $16 million series B funding round led by King River Capital (KRC), with participation from Alpha Intelligence Capital, Founders Fund, Pegasus Tech Ventures, GiTV Fund, and existing and strategic investors. It brings the startups total raised to $29.3 million coming after a $10 million series A in April 2017, which cofounder and CEO Derik Pridmore said will bolster Osaros hiring, international deployment, and R&D efforts.

Alongside the funding round, Osaro revealed that Applied Digital Access, Mahi Networks, and Calix veteran Kevin Pope has joined as VP of engineering. Chiefly, hell support the company in scaling its solutions worldwide.

A key element of our competitive advantage is Osaros deep learning algorithms, said Pridmore, an MIT computer science and electrical engineering graduate who cofounded Osaro in 2015 with a team hailing from UC Berkeley, Stanford, and the University of Massachusetts. These algorithms generalize picking tasks with minimal training data and no SKU registration for quick, scalable solutions. In addition, as a software company, we support a wide array of commodity hardware and robotic arms which lets our customers select options that best fit their needs.

Osaro works directly with partners to procure the machines with which it integrates its software, including those bound for grocery distribution centers, food packaging plants, and ecommerce fulfillment centers. Its machine learning algorithms which Osaro trains using reinforcement learning, a technique that employs rewards to drive software policies toward goals recognize, sort, kit, pack, and assemble objects even in the face of imprecise container placement, jumbled items, and variable lighting. Moreover, they tap a cloud-based and GPU-accelerated backend to self-improve, so that they become more robust over time.

Osaros flagship product, Pick, automates stationary picking stations in distribution centers. But the company intends to tackle more dynamic fulfillment scenarios in the future as it expands into industries like electronics, apparel, groceries, and pharmaceutical.

[Our] approach of developing hardware-agnostic AI software for industrial robotics allows us to work in close collaboration with our customers, integrating Osaro products for their specific use cases, with a focus on scalability and robustness, providing our customers with a long-term competitive advantage, said Pope. Our focus in the next year will be to increase our deployments in North America, Australia, Korea, China, Japan, and Germany.

King River Capital partner Megan Guy, who plans to join Osaros board of directors, added, We are very excited to be leading this funding round. It is rare and exciting to work with a team that has both world class deep learning talent and a highly commercial orientation. Osaros perception and control software enables full automation of some of the most difficult vision, picking, and manufacturing problems, and its ability to integrate with a wide range of robotics hardware means that it can be deployed not only in greenfield environments but also as a retrofit solution to transform industrial automation.

Investment in warehouse and logistics automation is anticipated to climb from $8.3 billion in 2018 to $30.8 billion by 2022, according to Tractica. Amazon acquired robotics company Kiva Systems for $775 million in March 2012, and last November, DHL announced it would invest $300 million to modernize its warehouses in North America with internet of things sensors and robots. Separately, startups like Attobocits and CommonSense Robotics have raised tens of millions of dollars for compact automated fulfillment centers that can slot into tight spaces like underground garages.

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Osaro raises $16 million to make warehouse robots smarter with AI - VentureBeat

Theres a new farmer in the cannabis industry and its faster, smarter and sleeker, thanks to artificial intelligence.

From small-scale home systems that take the guesswork out of growing for beginners to commercial operations and predictive software, the technology has the ability to change how the world grows, sees and uses cannabis, from hemp and CBD to marijuana, along with the other crops were more accustomed to like cucumbers and tomatoes. But we arent jumping into the future just yet.

Right now, its kind of an obscure topic, said Nathaniel Morris, founder of William Bond Ai in Ontario, which uses AI to train machines to grow cannabis. Its not going to be obscure for long. [Cannabis] is going to be one of the first industries to be disrupted.

Morris said AI imaging can find impurities in the plants, like mold, or a male plant that can impact the entire crop, better than the human eye, once trained to do so by an expert. The technology isnt really new but adapting it to fit the needs of cannabis growers is.

Morris uses the common agricultural robots from FarmBot, programming the devices to work specifically for cannabis. The technology is expensive, and often doesnt make sense for many farmers growing like tomatoes or cucumbers. But with cannabis, which is legal and booming in Canada, the price point is just right, Morris told NJ Cannabis Insider.

Here in New Jersey, AI is playing little role in agriculture and robotics are scare, too, said Peter Furey, the executive director of the state Farm Bureau.

Thats due largely to prohibitive pricing and a steady supply of labor, said A.J. Both, an extension specialist in controlled-environment engineering with Rutgers Universitys New Jerseys Agricultural Experimental Station.

Eventually, it will come here, too, Both said. Its a matter of time.

For now, theres some robotics in greenhouses, many of them have sophisticated control systems, allowing farmers to use their smartphones to get updates or updates throughout the day, he said.

Thats a similar method employed by Seedo, an Israeli-based company, sells hydroponic, automated grow boxes.

Customers can grow vegetables, herbs and cannabis, with medical cannabis coming in as the most popular, a spokesperson for the company said. Thats because growing at home gives customers more control over additives like pesticides and lowers costs.

To make that happen, theres huge appeal in the AI component Seedo is more than just a fancy, protective box with lights. The device monitors the plant and takes pictures, allowing it to identify changes in real time. It collects information on and controls temperature, humidity, water, lighting and nutrients.

And its all managed from a mobile app, which notifies the grower. Seedo sees this as the optimal way to grow. Its only getting better as the company gleans data from its machines.

The developments in AI helped Seedo become what it is now a leader in accurate agriculture, the spokesperson said. "The AI developments help Seedo truly optimize the entire grow process by processing data from our camera [and] sensors and thereby make the necessary changes to grow parameters.

But AI isnt just important in the growing process: Pot Bot is an app that makes personalized cannabis recommendations based on someones needs. It reads through medical journals and studies on cannabinoids, then pairs symptoms such as insomnia, asthma and cancer with branded marijuana strains to find type of weed is best suited to each.

And that could help build up the lack of research weve had so far on cannabis. Morris said studying cannabis in a lab hasnt proved the best fit. Its more effective, he said, to see how the full spectrum of cannabinoids impact users in their lives. Such a feat takes a lot of data, but AI could be the tool we need.

Artificial intelligence is the first time weve had a tool worthy of the challenge of studying cannabis, he said.

AI and robotics will likely make their way to Jersey farms as they become more affordable. But with that leap will come the concerns that plague AI: what will people do for jobs?

At some point, we need to come to a realization that as a society if we focus on robots, we make sure that doesnt displace paying jobs for people," Both said. "Its a challenging point, and something that we will have to face.

This story first appeared in NJ Cannabis Insider.

NJ Cannabis Insider is produced by NJ Advance Media, which also provides content for NJ.com, The Star-Ledger and other affiliated papers. Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider.

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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These robots are learning to grow weed. Yes, theyre pot bots.' - lehighvalleylive.com

Although automation of aircraft maintenance is expected to be a gradual, limited process--aircraft production should see much faster and further-reaching gains.

Consultancy Roland Berger predicts that aerostructures production will move from 35% to around 65% automation within 10 years, a view that has been bolstered by lastweeks opening of Airbusnewest assembly line in Hamburg.

With a special focus on manufacturing longer sections for the A321LR, the new facility features 20 robots, a new logistics concept, automated positioning by laser measurement as well as a digital data acquisition system.

For initial section assembly, eight robots drill and counter-sink 1,100-2,400 holes per longitudinal joint. In the next production step, 12 seven-axes robots join the centerand aft fuselage sections with the tail, drilling, counter-sinking, sealing and inserting 3,000 rivets per orbital joint.

Increasing the level of automation and robotics enables faster, more efficient manufacturing while keeping our prime focus on quality, said Michael Schoellhorn, Airbuss chief operating officer.

Perhaps in a nod to the production problems at Hamburg that have caused delays to A321neo deliveries, Schoellhorn added: We now need to deliver in line with our commitments made to customers while ensuring overall competitiveness.

As Airbus notes, the digitalization that accompanies robotic automation is also an important step, and it will be interesting to see how much the former can improve supply chain and logistics processes going forward.

For the robots themselves, further advances beyond welding, drilling and fastening might prove incrementally tougher to achieve, with Roland Berger estimating that one-third of production work will remain with touch labor the foreseeable future.

The remaining 35% is very difficult to automate unless you completely revolutionize the production system which is something that would take decades, Roland Berger partner Holger Lipowsky has told Aviation Week.

See the article here:

Airbus Unleashes The Robots In Hamburg - MRO Network

07 Oct 2019 - 8:16

Young adults during an interactive session of Fun Robotics at Qatar National Library.

A group of young adults enjoyed an interactive session of Fun Robotics at Qatar National Library on Saturday. A hands-on introduction to robotics, the Internet of Things, and coding let enthusiastic participants do robotic coding with the aid of drag-and-drop functionality. After this brief introduction, the group solved a daily life issue using robotics.

The program is designed to enable young students to eventually address other real-time problems using the same strategy, applying collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and complex problem-solving.

A participant at the workshop, Sanad Joudeh, a robotics enthusiast who regularly attends competitions in Qatar and the region, said: This event is brilliant. It introduces new concepts in robotics and provides incredible learning materials to participants. The world of robotics is advancing very quickly, so it is always valuable to learn something new about this field. I have been practicing coding and robotics for the last two years, and Im thankful to have been part of a major robotics competition that brought the first cup to Jordan.

Sessions continue every Saturday throughout October. As the course progresses, the level of problems identified and the complexity of programming used to solve them will increase. A mini-challenge day will be held in November, when participants will exhibit their creations.

Zakariya Muhamed, who also took part, said: I am happy that the Library is organizing informative events for youth, and especially for those with an interest in computer science and information technology. Robotics teaches students how to solve complex problems and work together with other students. The lecture today helped me understand the different types of robot sensors and how they function.

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Youth have fun with robotics, coding at Qatar National Library - The Peninsula Qatar

A New Zealand designed and built robotic system is set to transform dairy-herd testing in this country.

LIC machine testing milk samples. Photo: Supplied / LIC

Herd improvement co-operative, LIC, collects about 11 million milk samples from farms every year and until now the samples have been manually tested.

The tests, carried out four times a year on farms help farmers judge the performance of each cow and also test the disease status of each animal.

LIC has been doing the work for the last 50 years.

This has involved a team of about 70 people who manually weighed each sample of milk and then took a small sub-sample which was then analysed in the lab.

It has now installed machines to automate the weighing and sampling process at its Hamilton and Christchurch laboratories.

The custom designed machines have been developed over the last three years by LIC staff and Intellitech Automation.

Chief executive Wayne McNee said LIC has been trying to automate the process for many years.

He said robotic testing is both quicker and more accurate and that the machines do not spill or contaminate samples.

Mr McNee said five robotic machines will be working, while cows are being milked during the season running from July through to April.

He said the main benefit for farmers is a more efficient operation.

LIC has invested $3.2m in developing the machines and it expects to pay the cost off within two years with the savings made.

Mr McNee said seasonal staff will not now be required to do the testing.

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Robotics to transform dairy herd testing - RNZ