Monthly Archives: April 2020

With a growing economy that has a higher demand for STEM fields, its important that the next generation learns how they can make a difference in their world. Thats why Engineering For Kids offers a variety of classes and workshops that kids of all ages can enjoy. Robotics camps and classes give students the opportunity to dive deep into the world of robotics and explore how computer programming and robot design can solve problems big and small!

Contact your local Engineering For Kids to learn more!

Not only do our robotics programs help to establish science, technology, engineering, and math concepts, they also work to build on students team-building skills as they work to complete fun challenges. These collaborative skills are essential for student success, no matter what subject they choose to pursue in the future.

Whether you have a son whos in preschool or a daughter thats going on six years old, Engineering For Kids offer robotics classes that children as young as pre-kindergartners can enjoy. Our junior robotics engineering classes use educational kits like LEGO WeDo Robots to create a perfect mixture of fun and imagination that can help expand your young childs creative mind. We introduce students to robot design and computer programming using basic machine principles to create robots capable of performing simple tasks.

Engineering For Kids is proud to offer a wide range of unique, educational, and stimulating robotics programs for young engineers ranging from 3rd grade to 8th grade. Putting the Engineering Design Process to work, students work in teams to plan, build, test, and modify their own robotic creations! We use LEGO EV3 or NXT, VEX IQ, and other educational kits that mirror programming language used by engineers and scientists to help creative minds put mathematical concepts to the test as they develop a better knowledge of robotics, computer programming, and teamwork.

To learn more about our robotics classes, dont hesitate to contact us!

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Robotics | After School Activities

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The robotics-engineering industry is a broad and changing field of study. To keep their knowledge and skills up to date, robotics engineers will need to read research and trade journals, attend professional seminars and conferences, and work with colleagues on cutting-edge research.

New robotics engineers often begin their careers as assistants or junior engineers at a robotics firm, under the supervision of an established colleague.

A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field is required for most entry-level positions in robotics engineering. Because robotics technology draws on the expertise of many different engineering disciplines, engineers who specialize in robotics often have degrees in mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, electronic, or industrial engineering. Some colleges and universities now offer robotics engineering degrees. Robotics courses typically include training in hydraulics and pneumatics, CADD/CAM systems, numerically controlled systems, microprocessors, integrated systems, and logic. It usually takes four to five years to earn a bachelor's degree in engineering. Some colleges offer work-study programs in which students receive on-the-job training while still in school. Most universities that offer robotics courses have well-equipped labs with lasers and CADD/CAM equipment.

For some positions, and to advance in the field, you need a master's degree or PhD. A PhD is required to teach in this field as well as for most high-level research positions. A master's degree requires one to two years of additional schooling, while a PhD takes three to five additional years in school.

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Robotics is a rapidly growing field that has applications in diverse industries. A robotics engineer designs robots, maintains robots, develops new applications for robots, and conducts research to expand the potential for robots. Robots can be used in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, aerospace, mining, and medicine. Robots are used to perform tasks too dangerous or dirty for humans to perform. Robotics engineers use computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems to perform their tasks. Robotics research engineers design robotic systems and research methods to manufacture them economically. Robotics engineers who work for robot manufacturers are sometimes called robotics test engineers or automation system engineers. These engineers apply the robotic system to a particular use on a manufacturing assembly line. They also create an integrated environment between people and machinery. Leaders in this field work on creating experimental mobile robots for space research (like the Mars rovers) and medical uses.

Robotics engineers must be familiar with logic, microprocessors, and computer programming so that they can design the right robot for each application. They must also prepare specifications for the robot's capabilities as they relate to the work environment. In addition, robotics engineers are responsible for developing cost proposals, efficiency studies, and quality-control reports.

Most robotics engineers are employed by private robot manufacturers or robot users. Some engineers work in military and space programs. Others work for colleges and universities or vocational and trade schools.

Most robotics engineers go to work in offices, manufacturing plants, or laboratories. Manufacturing plants maybe noisy, depending on the industry. They may also work on a factory floor where they monitor or solve on-site problems. Many robotics engineers work a standard 40-hour week. At times, deadlines or design standards may bring extra pressure to a job, requiring engineers to work longer hours.

Do you have a specific question about a career as a Robotics Engineer that isn't answered on this page? Post your question on the Science Buddies Ask an Expert Forum.

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Robotics Engineer | Science & Engineering Career

Shares of robotics manufacturers ABB (NYSE:ABB) and Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) both jumped Tuesday following so-so earnings reports during a trading session that was anything but decidedly bullish. Rockwell topped its sales and earnings estimates for the three-month stretch ending in March, but the bar was set low. Unlike ABB, Rockwell Automation managed to grow its top and bottom lines, yet each company cautioned investors that coronavirus-related shutdowns were already taking a financial toll on the quarter currently underway. The stocks rallied anyway.

That bullish interest may be rooted in an idea that's much bigger than last quarter or the present quarter, however.

While the sheer disruption caused by the coronavirus is making it difficult to "do" any sort of business, and the prospect of a recession is forcing some organizations to rethink spending plans, the COVID-19 contagion has exposed a weak link in the world's commerce engine -- people. If people can't or won't work, things don't get done. Robots, however, don't get sick.

Image source: Getty Images.

For its second fiscal quarter ending in March, U.S.-based Rockwell turned $1.68 billion worth of revenue into operating earnings of $2.43 per share. That was better than the $2.04 per share earned in the same quarter a year earlier when the company generated $1.66 billion worth of business. But, organic sales were flat, and Rockwell warned its shareholders that organic revenue looked as if it was going to slump between 6.5% and 9.5% this year.

Swiss automation company ABB fared worse in its first quarter of the year, with revenue of $6.21 billion sliding 9% lower compared to the year-earlier comparison of $6.85 billion. Operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) slipped 17% to $636 million, coinciding with a comparable decrease in profit margins.

The company didn't offer detailed full-year guidance, but CEO Bjorn Rosengren did comment, "In the second quarter, we expect ABB's operations to be significantly challenged by a sharp drop in demand due to lockdowns in many parts of the world."

So why the big advances for each? Most plausibly because investors know where the present global situation is leading.

GlobalData analyst Wafaa Hassan was the latest to chime in on the matter, commenting on Tuesday, "Robots have been replacing humans in certain jobs for some time, but the COVID-19 crisis is accelerating the process."

Hassan was responding to reports that robotics company Brain Corp. had secured new funding that will primarily go to expanding the use of its robots to scrub floors for companies that have been under shutdown orders for weeks now. Other floors have gotten use, like stores operated by in Walmart and Kroger, both of which already use Brain's cleaning robots. Walmart is buying another 1,500 robots in response to the COVID-19 contagion and the expanded need for cleanliness.

It was Hassan's broader assessment that points to the changing underpinnings of the industry's forward progress. He adds, "The COVID-19 crisis will ultimately increase the use of robotics across all industries."

He's not alone in his expectation. While almost all companies will have to fight to work past the temporary financial roadblock put in place by the coronavirus, manufacturing sites, processing plants, and other industrial companies don't want to be trapped in the same situation again. International Data Corporation's (IDC's) Jordan Speer wrote for IndustryWeek late last month that more than 70% of the companies participating in IDC's 2020 Supply Chain Survey said robotics will be important, or very important, to their organization within the next three years.Market research company Fact.MR now believes the robotic process automation market is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 33% through 2029 due to the adverse impact of COVID-19.

Rockwell Automation and ABB certainly aren't the only automation names that stand to benefit from the displacement of millions of workers. Fellow Fool Lee Samaha named 10 robotics stocks last year that may catch a nice tailwind as we move into the new normal of a post-coronavirus world.

Rockwell and ABB may be the easiest to own, however, due to their bigger size and more straightforward product lines. ABB makes total control systems for materials companies, auto manufacturers, paper companies, and food processors --just to name a few -- all hit hard by shutdowns. Rockwell makes servos, computerized motion-control systems, and the sensors that make them all work together properly, plus more.

Of the two, Rockwell Automation appears to be the lower-stress pick right now. Not only is it seemingly faring better than ABB in what's turned into a very uncertain environment, but there's also better visibility. While Rockwell knows revenue is apt to dip this year, at least it's been willing to suggest how much that's going to happen. And, analysts still expect a resumption of solid growth after this year.

Data source: Thomson Reuters/Refinitiv. Chart by author/

More than anything though, these are both names well suited to capitalize on a bigger theme -- robotics -- than a short-term cultural or societal tide. As an example, a biopharma company that comes up with a treatment for the coronavirus may do very well for a quarter or two, but there's no thrilling follow-up. The aforementioned IDC, conversely, believed earlier this year that the global robotics and drone market was poised to swell from $129 billion this year to $241 billion by 2023. The COVID-19 contagion likely dampened that expectation in the meantime, but Fact.MR's decade-long, double-digit growth expectation suggests the industry will push past what's only going to be a temporary headwind.

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Robotics Stocks Will Thrive in the Wake of COVID-19 - Motley Fool

Timing is everything. Robots, it seems, are lucky that way.

The global pandemic has sidelined workers across an unthinkable swath of sectors during a particularly tight labor market. Automation solutions that were unthinkable a twenty years ago have blossomed thanks to the convergence of technologies like machine vision, machine learning & AI, open-source robotic operating systems, and mobile components and sensors. A global problem, meet futuristic solution.

Even in a turbulent market (and maybe especially in a turbulent employment environment), investors seem willing to back robots. The latest example: ForwardX Robotics, a Beijing-based robotics firm specializing in logistics, just announced a new round of Series B+ funding in the amount of $15 million, bringing the company's total funding to more than $40 million.

There are plenty of other examples. SoftBank-backed BrainCorp, which makes robotic scrubbers for, among other applications, healthcare just raised $36 million.

"We are seeing huge challenges for supply chain leaders across the logistics and manufacturing industries, from growing labor shortages and consumer expectations to a greater need for flexibility," explains Nicolas Chee, founder, and CEO of ForwardX Robotics. "Our AI-based automation solutions allow our customers to adapt to a rapidly changing landscape and boost their productivity and efficiency three-fold. With the fallout of COVID-19 already here, enterprises will be looking to futureproof their operations and we're going to be there with them as they make the transition."

Overall, the market for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) is forecasted to generate over $10bn by 2023 according to Interact Analysis, and that prediction relies on data from before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This certainly didn't happen overnight. The seeds of a robotic revolution have been sprouting for over a decade, going back to research lab Willow Garage and the groundbreaking robotics research that began coming out of DARPA contests in the early-2000s. Collaborative robots, still a small fraction of the overall automation industry, have become insanely good at performing repeatable tasks around humans. Mobile robots are whizzing down logistic warehouse aisles and taking inventory of products at Walmart.

All the while the party line in the industry has been that the robots aren't meant to replace workers but to make work easier for talented professionals. Marketing professionals get oodles of money to sell that premise, and it's a palatable sales pitch, certainly easy enough to swallow in a labor crunch during a strong economy when the creep of automation is tough to quantify in terms of human toll.

The pandemic may change that. Workers are furloughed in all sorts of industries, companies are closing shop or tightening belts, and that deferential tone toward the worker, whom automation was touted as helping, has been replaced by another pitch: Automation can stand in where human workers have to stay home. No one's saying it, but investors might as well be with their wallets.

"Most of the automation equipment in the industry is used to replace manual labor in repetitive and simple processes. However, in the future, we believe collaborative robots will increasingly participate in complex production processes," says Felix Yang, Accelerated Digitalization Lead, Greater China at SF DHL China, a ForwardX customer and the largest third-party logistics provider in the world.

That's about the long and short of it. Workers are an uncertain bet in a world where every human might have to stay home for a few months to avoid transmitting an infectious disease. Like it or not, robots are primed to take up the slack.

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Robots are taking over during COVID-19 (and there's no going back) - ZDNet

ALEXANDRIA, VA Even in the midst of a pandemic, high school students across the country are finding ways to further their education and deal with the drastic changes. No where is this more evident than the students from Titan Robotics, the FRC Robotics team from T.C. Williams High School.

Marketing Lead Caroline Winakur says, Up until the moment competition was cancelled, our team was preparing and adapting, and while it was certainly sad that our season came to such an early and untimely end, the team handled it with grace and was still able to be proud of what we could accomplish in the time given.

Throughout the year, the student-run FIRST robotics team presents at many outreach events to share STEM with the community. Although they no longer attend these events in-person, they are continuing with their mission by creating a series of virtual outreach videos shared on their YouTube account and accessible through their website.

Winakur says, The team was formed by Mr. Solomon in 2014 and this season was our sixth season. When we were first starting out, the focus was almost entirely on building a robot and then competing. However, in the past few years, we have made the shift from being just a robotics team to also finding ways to give back to our community and be sustainable. While the team is, of course, still largely focused on the robot, our team has realized that it can be so much more than that.

Titan Robotics hosted or participated in 39 community outreach events in 2019 and 10 events in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down for the year. At these events, the team does things such as demonstrate robots and allow kids to control it, offer STEM activities for kids to do, and answer any questions people may have about their robot or our team.

We are an FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) team, but there are other types of teams within FIRST for different age groups. These include FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge, 6th-12th grade), FLL (FIRST LEGO League, ages 9-14), and FLL Jr. (FIRST LEGO League Jr., ages 6-10). Our team has helped start many of these teams throughout Alexandria, often based in schools or community centers in order to make these teams accessible to all children. Our grouping of Titan Robotics and the FTC, FLL, and FLL jr teams we start is called Titan Robotics Coalition, and currently includes 26 teams, although we plan to continue expanding, Winakur adds.

In 2019 the team made it to the World Championship, held in Detroit, by winning a special award, Engineering Inspiration, at District Champs. This award recognized the team for their significant impact through their outreach, highlighting their nontechnical achievements over the past two years.

While learning and demonstrating, the team also bonds over their experience, Winakur says. Our robotics team is truly a community, and the friendships that are formed extend even beyond the team. Since the team includes 9th-12th graders, older team members can act as mentors to younger members, helping them not only learn skills for the team (which can also be applied to many areas of life) but also guiding and advising them in other areas, such as which classes to sign up for in school or helping them with difficult homework. This team provides an opportunity for students to meet people they may not have otherwise and build long lasting friendships. During build season, when we are sometimes in the shop for 9+ hours per day, we often have team lunches and dinners where food is supplied to all members and we eat together in a circle talking, de-stressing, and building team culture.

What is most timely is their virtual outreach video series that they made to stay connected with the community despite being in quarantine. Students write, film, and produce their own videos at home, usually in teams of two. Although they are working remotely, we are still encouraging students to collaborate on their projects because we want to continue to promote teamwork and communication even while social distancing, says Winakur.

She adds, Our goal is to provide entertaining and educational STEM content. While most of our content is targeted towards elementary schoolers, we try to make sure that our videos are engaging for students of all ages and their parents. We want to engage students and their families, whether that means doing one of our crafts or beginning to learn how to code in their free time.

Team members create lessons based on their strengths; for example, two of our programmers made a video about coding basics, the electrical team made a video about how our electrical board functions, and one of our members made a fun Tiktok video. We want this to be a fun project both for the kids who watch our videos and for the kids who make them.We post twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays) with bonus content on some Wednesdays and Sundays.

Despite the change in routine and a unique end to the school year, the team has adjusted. Our team has been working to adapt to change in positive ways by channeling time and resources to help our community through our outreach videos, using resources to help with COVID-19 efforts (some of our members have sewn masks or 3D printed headbands for face shields to donate to hospitals and community members), and continuing to learn (for example, through our design challenge).

Even with all that goes on, the T.C. Williams students remain focused on the important things. In order to keep learning new skills and teaching new members despite not being able to meet in person, our team decided to hold a design challenge.

We chose to focus on a skill that can be learned and practiced at home: computer aided design, or CAD for short. Each competition season, we begin by creating a CAD version of our robot early on in the design process in order to plan out our design and expand on our ideas. As such, this is a critical skill for all team members to have. Over the past few weeks, we had a mini competition within our team where anyone who was interested was assigned to a team and then worked together to create a CAD model of a robot. All of these robots were then judged to determine a winner, but the purpose of the challenge was to have fun and learn new things.

Watch their videos here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFikibzKA7Q&list=PLwYOGjxGOFGPVwwazCmtl_3I_Xeq33v8_

Visit their website for more information about their team and what they do athttps://frc5587.org

MORE: National Geographic Brought Famous Crittercam to T.C. Williams Before the COvid Shutdown

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TC Williams High School Robotics Team Connecting and Helping Others in Time of Covid - The Zebra

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing is a mixed bag of activity. Though some industries have been hard hit by stay-at-home and social distancing directives, essential businesses like food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and even the electronics needed to work from home are going like gangbusters. Meanwhile, some manufacturers have stepped up to retool their lines, ramping up production of the medical suppliesmasks, gloves, ventilators, hand sanitizers, and moreneeded to handle the coronavirus.

Through all of this, as manufacturers figure out how to keep their workers socially distanced on the factory floor, robotics have come to the fore, making continued production not only possible but safer and more efficient.

Im actually quite proud of the industry itself because I think the amount of innovation were seeing by leveraging technology such as to repurpose or retool lines really quickly to deal with demands and the requirements out therewhether its PPE [personal protective equipment], or testing kits, or whatever it might be. I think its phenomenal, said Jrgen von Hollen, president of collaborative robot (cobot) manufacturer Universal Robots. From that perspective, people are understanding how important technology and automation is to their industriesperhaps more than ever before.

While robotics companies were trying to figure out if they should be among those businesses considered essential during the pandemic, customers were insisting that they were, said Milton Guerry, president of Schunk, which makes robotic grippers. They wanted to know what Schunk and others were doing to be ready. That shows to me that robots, at least in our own sphere, we know what we can do to help, added Guerry, who also serves as president of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). I think we have a real opportunity to bring robots to the forefront. We all see the restrictions. Automation and robots have a way to bridge this gapnot only in crisis time, but in good times.

A few key robotics CEOs got together (virtually) recently to talk specifically about how COVID-19 is impacting the robotics industry. In a webinar put on by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) and moderated by Robert Huschka, director of education strategies at A3, executives discussed not only what theyre seeing in their own companies but along the supply chain as well.

I think this is bringing a big awareness to how much robots and automation are in our manufacturing companies certainly around the company and around the world, said Mike Cicco, president and CEO of robot manufacturer Fanuc. Every time you go to a grocery store and you are hoping that toilet paper is on the shelves or that Clorox wipes are there or that theres foodyou should really stop to think about how robots and automation play a factor in helping those things get into those stores.

A lot of my calls and time in the first couple weeks has been talking to end users, ensuring that were going to be there to make sure those robots are still up and running, Cicco added. Robotics and automation are playing a critical role. It allows people to be separated, it reduces crowds on the manufacturing floor. And as manufacturers struggle to continue producing everything they need to produce, robotics and automation play a key role in making sure machines stay running, he added.

They also play a key role in disinfecting the workspaces. Theres been a lot of interest around disinfection capabilities of robots, according to Melonee Wise, CEO of Fetch Robotics, which is focused on autonomous mobile robots. Whether its chemical disinfection or UV disinfection, we are probably fielding 10 or 20 leads a day on just how do we get people back to work in these facilities safely, she said, noting that they are looking to Fetch to provide a mechanism to autonomously disinfect their facilities. Its very unique to mobile [robots] right now. Theres a lot of demand there.

>>Read more about how COVID-19 provides use cases for mobile robotics.

Flexibility in robotics

Wise called attention to the benefits of some technology decisions Fetch has made early onparticularly its more digital approach to robotics and their cloud capabilities. In the face of social distancing demands, Fetch has been able to roll out robotics to its customers with a minimal amount of interaction.

Because were in the cloud, weve been able to continue to deploy systems without having people on site, Wise said. This is showing not only the value of automation but also the value of cloud paired with automation. Its definitely been extremely important for a lot of customers. Weve been able to help them very easily remotely reconfigure this system.

Fetch is somewhat of an outlier, Wise pointed out, because it has been so cloud-centric from the beginning, which has made it easier for the company to weather some of the transition. We immediately started enabling remote deployment. Weve been deploying robots over Skype, she said. We will probably continue with that. Its been going pretty well.

Universal Robots has been seeing similar trends, von Hollen said, including remote proof of concept and remote deployment of robots. Those will continue, he added.

Flexible automation has also been instrumental in helping customers retool their operationsin some cases to better distance staff members and in some cases to make a switch to the products that are needed to combat the coronavirus. Most systems deployed right now have definitely been reconfigured for different shifts and different applications, Wise said.

Wise expects a continuing trend toward flexible automation after the crisis rather than rigid repetitive automation.

Lasting impact on supply chain

Some of the changes that robotics manufacturers are seeing in their own operations and their customers operations might very well be here to stay. But with the landscape still changing rapidly, that can be hard to predict.

What I felt today is not what I felt yesterday or the week before. I think peoples feelings are changing really on a daily basis, Cicco said. I think were going to have to continually worry about global pandemics. I think this is going to end and were eventually going to get past it. But this is going to be one of those things that has a lasting impact on us and the way we do business and the way supply chain works.

Comparing the current situation to the recession in 2008-09which he noted had an effect but didnt change much in how business operatesCicco contends things will be different this time. That was just something that happened to our economy, he said of the past recession. This is going to have a lasting effect in terms of how we fundamentally behave. And itll be interesting to see what comes out of it and what changes.

Von Hollen nodded his head as Cicco spoke, following up with, For the first time, in our company, weve moved away from supply chain robustness or vitality to business continuity. Its much more for us about, for us, how do we ensure that we can get product to the customer.

The coronavirus pandemic has required Universal Robots to institute a two-hour meeting every day with all departments to make sure resources are optimized and work remains effective and efficient, von Hollen said. What we see here in this pandemic is having everybody sitting at the table because everybodys impacted in some way, shape or form, he added. Its not just one department or one process; its everything at once.

Though Guerry predicts that many of us are likely to change the way we work even after the pandemic is over, he is not sure how far that will go. Were all doing what it takes to get things done right now, he said. But I still really believe in collaboration. People need to be with people.

Both von Hollen and Cicco expect that their habits of spending 80-90% of their time traveling will likely not come back after the pandemic. That will change, von Hollen said, noting that the company will likely continue to leverage videoconferencing tools instead. Were trying to be more effective. We will rethink about how to get efficiency up.

Cicco, who commented that Fanuc went from a couple VPN connections to more than 1,000 overnight, added, I think the new normal is going to be an enhanced level of teamwork. Im really proud at how the level of communication has increased.

Companies will need to take a long look at their supply chains and where investments most make sense, Guerry said.

Preparing for post-pandemic

Eventually, manufacturers will have to find their new normal as restrictions are lifted. We think that coming out of the transition and into the new normal, theres going to be a significant uptick in demand, Wise commented. Some customers have time now, during decreased production activity, to lay out new technology projects. Were telling them to start focusing on that now so that they can get ready to go when the lockdown is done.

Wise suggests reaching out now to your supplier of choice. Theres going to be a long line of people to start automation projects, she said. Now is the time to get started because the line is getting longer. You dont want to have to wait six months because you joined the line late.

Guerry is concerned about the difficulty that industry already faced finding the employees it needs and what that means for the future. We were already starved for enough talent to make sure wed fulfill the potential of the industry, he said. We will operate differently. But we have to look at ways to keep our teams engaged and focused. We need to make sure they know there is a bright future of robotics and automation.

The new normal, von Hollen contends, is being flexible enough to deal with crises in general. We have to be out there not just as one company but as a group, supporting each other, supporting customers, he said. The flexibility and the speed of that is absolutely critical for any company out there.

Flexibility is key because of the ever-changing landscape, Cicco said. Were prepping now, preparing for what the new normals going to be, he added. Were in the midst of our getting-back-to-work plan. Were looking at what does that mean for bringing people back into our facility and the safety of our employees when they enter other peoples facilities.

>>More on COVID-19 developments:

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COVID-19 Brings Increased Visibility to the Role of Robotics - Automation World

In 1969, Victor Scheinman invented the Stanford arm, the first all-electric, six-axis articulated robot the predecessor of the robot arms that we use today. Here, EU Automation's Jonathan Wilkins discusses three ways that robots have diversified in the five decades since.

With more than 384,000 industrial robots installed globally in 2018, according to the International Federation of Robotics, robots are growing in popularity.

In fact, they have become ubiquitous in industrial facilities and theyre not just used for the applications youd expect.

One innovation in the field of robotics is an electronic skin that gives robots a sense of touch.

Known as Wootzkin and developed at the University of Edinburgh, the electronic skin is made up of nanostructures and includes underlying electronics that can be used in targeted drug delivery or in gripper technology.

Like human skin, it can give the robot feedback on force, pressure, temperature and humidity, making it easier for robots to complete tasks that require a high level of dexterity.

The sensitive area size can be changed, between 50 microns and 12 inches, tailoring the robot to the specific needs of the application.

Wootzkin operates in temperatures from 0 180C, which means that a robot can perform dextrous tasks under conditions that humans cannot endure, while maintaining a delicate approach to fragile items.

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have produced a kit that can be used to construct a variety of robots using only a handful of components.

Professor Neil Gershenfeld was intrigued by the fact that all living things are made of 20 amino acids placed into a myriad of combinations and wanted to implement this concept into robotics.

The kit consists of five different components, including rigid and flexible components, a coil, electromagnetic parts and a magnet, at the five millimetre-scale. The parts can be assembled into different shapes, such as a tiny walking motor and a gear turning robot.

The research groups goal is to expand to a purpose-built manufacturing robot built out of standard components that can be easily disassembled and repurposed.

Robotic innovation is taking place in fields as well as factories. Strides have been made with the creation of the Global Unmanned Spray System (GUSS), for example, an unmanned, fully automated vehicle to spray orchards with pesticides. T

he system is helping to bridge the shortage of workers and is reportedly more efficient than spraying manually.

GUSS creates a safer environment for workers, by reducing their exposure to the potentially harmful chemicals used in pesticides. It uses lasers and touch sensitive bumpers that allow the robot to be aware of its surroundings and immediately stop when it detects an object, eliminating the potential damage to produce and people.

During the creation of GUSS, the largest issue was that GPS didnt consistently work under the tree canopies.

To overcome this, sensors and software, such as cellular connectivity, were implemented to supplement the GPS. Cellular and radio signals are transmitted to the control vehicle, operated by a person, allowing multiple robots to relay position data, statistics and a live stream from its front mounted camera.

GUSS also gives farmers the ability to analyse all pertinent information, such as the volume of pesticides used on each plant, which can be helpful when marketing crops to buyers. Those using autonomous machines, like GUSS, will see fewer mistakes made, leading to less lost time and an increase in cost savings.

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Three innovations in industrial robots - The Manufacturer

Jacques Bonfrer

A digital marketplace for robotics and AI services has completed a six-figure equity funding round.

Bot-Hive connects SMEs with the best automation technology for their business and shows them how to introduce robots to their workflow processes.

The round was led by new investor the Development Bank of Wales with an investment of 250,000 - with continued further investment from its pre-seed lead investor Britbots, a specialist robotics, artificial intelligence and automation business investor.

Six new angel investors also participated in the round.

Bot-Hive has used the funding to open its headquarters in Cardiff on Wellington Road. Three existing staff, along with three new hires will be based in its new offices.

The start-up also uses a hot-desking facility at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory at the University of West England and has a European presence in Amsterdam.

Chief executive and co-founder Jacques Bonfrer said: "We are delighted to have closed this round of fundraising and very pleased to welcome the Development Bank of Wales, as well as the new angel investors.

"We've worked closely with them all over the last few months and they have shared our excitement as we demonstrated how we intend to provide a unique platform for all those consumers in the robot industry."

Funding for this equity round came from the 20m Wales Technology Seed Fund.

Sarah Smith, technology investment executive for the Development Bank, added: "Automation and robotics have a crucial role in the future of multiple industries not only in Wales, but throughout the UK and globally. Bot-Hive is a conduit between the automation industry and businesses.

"The Bot-Hive team is ideally placed to play an influential role in this sector over the coming years. They have a clear growth strategy and industry knowledge and we are delighted to be able to support them through the Wales Technology Seed Fund."

Dominic Keen of the Britbots Sidecar Fund said: "We are delighted to be able to continue to support Bot-Hive's roll-out. They have an extremely important role to play in the post-pandemic economy with the increasing importance of higher levels of automation."

See the article here:

Robotics and AI specialist completes funding round - Insider Media

As the coronavirus began to spread through Japan in March, workers at a warehouse in Sugito that processes millions of personal care products each day were overrun by a spike in demand for masks, gloves, soap, and hand sanitizer.

To prevent workers from spreading the deadly virus, the company that operates the center, Paltac, introduced temperature checks, masks, and regular decontaminations. In coming weeks, it plans a more radical solutionhiring more robots.

We have to consider more automation, more use of robotics, in order for people to be spaced apart, says Shohei Matsumoto, deputy general manager of the companys R&D division. There are going to be fewer opportunities for humans to touch the items.

Read all of our coronavirus coverage here.

The coronavirus pandemic has cost millions of jobs. Now, it may transform work in other ways. As manufacturers and ecommerce companies struggle to adapt to social distancing, regular cleaning, and a potential shortage of workers because of quarantines, some may invest in robots.

Paltac already uses robots from the US company RightHand Robotics to pick objects from bins and assemble orders. Matsumoto says it should be possible to expand the use of these robots with software updates, allowing them to recognize and grasp a new object or retrieve items from new types of bins. Many industrial robots, including those found in car factories, take hours to program, cannot easily be moved, and blindly follow precise commands. The flexibility offered by these newer robotic systems makes it possible to redeploy them quickly.

Not every factory or warehouse will be able to use robots. In some ways, the coronavirus crisis has only highlighted how limited most workplace robots still are. They typically lack the ability to sense, respond, and adapt to the real world, so humans are still crucial even in the most automated facilities.

But the return to work may accelerate adoption of more flexible, cloud-connected collaborative robots with basic sensing capabilities. That might lead to more automation of work involving picking, packing, and handling products and components.

Robots at Japan's Paltac pick items from bins to assemble orders.

If you have to space out the people throughout your facility differently than you used to for manufacturing, or even picking, then you can't keep the automation in the same places, says Melonee Wise, CEO of Fetch Robotics, which makes wheeled robots capable of ferrying items around factories and warehouses.

Fetch is working with a large US ecommerce company to reprogram its robots to adapt to staggered shifts with fewer workers to allow for social distancing. It is also working on versions of its robots that can autonomously disinfect workplaces.

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As Workers Spread Out to Halt the Virus, Robots Fill the Gaps - WIRED

Combining Roborock's Advanced Laser-Navigation Technology with a Stereo Camera for the Ultimate Navigation Robot Experience

HONG KONG, April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Roborock, developer of ultra-intelligent vacuum cleaners, today introduces its latest product innovation, the Roborock S6 MaxV. This premium addition to the company's S-Series lineup is the first Roborock vacuum to include a stereo camera, allowing advanced obstacle avoidance technology called ReactiveAI. In addition, it's the first product to be powered by a Qualcomm APQ8053 processor chip from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. giving the MaxV cutting-edge on-device AI and connectivity performance. Its ReactiveAI enables the vacuum to not only recognize, but also avoid a range of common robot trapping obstacles, meaning people, especially parents and pet owners, can run their robotic vacuums with fewer worries than ever before.

Roborock S6 MaxV Robotic Vacuum

"The seamless integration of ReactiveAI with our advanced laser technology allows the Roborock S6 MaxV to estimate the size and location of common obstacles and the best way to clean around them, setting the standard for our smartest navigational robot vacuum yet," said Richard Chang, CEO of Roborock. "The powerful image processing technology behind it has led us to work with Qualcomm Technologies for the first time, a journey we are delighted to begin as we continue to imagine the next generation of robotic vacuums to navigate today's world."

This vision is echoed by Dev Singh, senior director of business development and head of autonomous robotics, drones and intelligent machines at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "The advancements that Roborock has made in the Home Robotics industry these past years are remarkable," said Singh. "We're thrilled to work with Roborock on their first product to launch with a stereo camera and a Qualcomm APQ8053 heterogeneous processor powering the MaxV with cutting-edge on-device computation performance plus long-lasting battery life - in an effort to bring the next generation of innovative robot vacuums to life."

Advanced Obstacle Recognition and Avoidance

Roborock's Most Powerful Robot Vacuum Yet

Beyond Hardware

The Roborock S6 MaxV will be available in the US at the end of Q2 for $749 RRP. In addition, the company also added the Roborock E4 to its E-Series lineup today. The robotic vacuum, available on Amazon for $299, features precision sensors and an internal map, enabling it to know where it has cleaned and what areas still remain.

For more information on either product visit us.roborock.com.

About Roborock

Roborock specializes in the research, development, and production of robotic home cleaners and other cleaning appliances. It develops and produces robot vacuums under its Roborock brand, as well as creating robot vacuums for one of China's largest technology companies, Xiaomi. Each robot it builds is designed to fulfill a singular purpose: To give people more time to spend on the things they love. Currently, Roborock is available in 40 countries, including the U.S., Germany, France and Spain. The company operates out of four locations, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.

Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries.

Qualcomm APQ8053 is a productof Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

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SOURCE Roborock

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The New Roborock S6 MaxV Sets Innovative Navigation Standard in Home Robotics - Yahoo Finance