Monthly Archives: January 2022

Warehouse automation and IntraLogisteX exhibitor Wise Robotics has partnered with vision-guided autonomous robotic forklift provider VisionNav, to accelerate innovation in UK warehouses.

The partnership will allow VisionNavs technology to be available as part of the Wise Robotics range.

This could help UK operators improve order fulfilment and reduce the ongoing costs associated with running a warehouse amid current supply chain challenges.

VisionNav supplies warehouse robots which use vision-based intelligence to automate the materials handling process, including storage and retrieval. This makes its automated forklift models more adaptable to a business existing warehouse layout, and easier to deploy than manual operations. Currently, the companys technologies are used by 150 businesses in eight countries across the globe.

VisionNav is at the cutting edge of vision-based autonomous robotic forklifts, and its technology is tremendously exciting, explained Joe Daft, Head of Robotics at Wise Robotics

He added: We know the demand for automation in the UK warehouse market continues to grow as businesses seek to find solutions to labour and order fulfilment challenges. This partnership between Wise Robotics and VisionNav enables us to work together with businesses to design robotics solutions that meet the needs of their warehouse operation.

Jason Zhang, Director of Sales at VisionNav added: The impact of the pandemic has prompted reforms in the logistics and supply chain fields.

Thanks to the extensive integration experience from Wise Robotics, who can reliably integrate our robots with their customers back-end systems to deliver a seamless, high-performing solution, the cooperation between the two parties is very promising.

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Wise Robotics and VisionNav partner to bring more innovation to UK warehouses - Logistics Manager

Researchers at UC Riverside have received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a robotic assistive device to help infants with movement difficulties. The soft wearable device will fit over little arms to support them or offer an extra boost in their movements.

The goal for the device is to provide as-needed assistance by autonomously yielding to the users intention, or applying assistive forces to help the user's arm reach the desired object, said Konstantinos Karydis, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering and grant lead researcher.

Neuromuscular disorders, such as muscular dystrophy, make movement difficult for infants, who often require motor training to help strengthen their movements and minimize developmental delays. The goal for the robotic device under development is to help infants perform and learn movements, similar to what they would do during a motor training session.

The device will perceive the intention of an infant to reach for an object and help their arm, but most of the work will be done by the infant, said Elena Kokkoni, an assistant professor of bioengineering and co-lead researcher on the grant.

The device will leverage soft robotics technology being developed in Karydiss lab, as well as an array of human-centered closed-loop control strategies by other UCR investigators. Salman Asif, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, will develop a lensless camera system to help users perceive the environment, such as the position of a target object. Bioengineering professor William Grover will help improve the safety and efficiency of the device via air-powered logic circuits that dramatically reduce the amount of electronic hardware required to control soft robots. And computer science and engineering professor Philip Brisk will help achieve real-time execution of the control, sensing and actuation via efficient distributed computation algorithms.

Once they have created a prototype, the team will test the device with neurotypical infants as well as infants with neuromuscular diseases of different severity levels, from those with fewer or lower quality movement to those that cannot move at all.

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Robotic assistive device will lend a helping hand to infants with movement difficulties - UC Riverside

Companies covered in robotics in shipbuilding market are Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (South Korea), RB3D (France), The Fanuc Corporation (Japan), READY Robotics Corporation (The U.S.) and other players profiled

Pune, India, Jan. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global robotics in shipbuilding market size was USD 581.3 million in 2020. The market is projected to grow from USD 616.8 million in 2021 to USD 1001.4 million in 2028 at a CAGR of 7.74% in the 2021-2028 period. This information is published by Fortune Business Insights in its report titled, Robotics in Shipbuilding Market, 2021-2028. According to our researchers, automatic robots are utilized in the shipbuilding sector for operation practices such as cutting, soldering and painting, among others. In the last couple of years, ship constructors have been ready to mechanize the shipbuilding procedure by applying robot technology, which is estimated to fuel the growth of automation in the shipbuilding market. For example, in 2018, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. initiated a committed robotics occupation to upsurge the production volume of marine ships.

Furthermore, the increasing demand for the expansion of minor robot systems, particularly for soldering in cramped spaces, is projected to drive the robotics in shipbuilding market growth during the forecast period.

COVID-19 Pandemic has Undesirably Affected Shipbuilding Industry

The COVID-19 virus has shattered the global economy. The lockdown norms executed in the first and second quarters of 2020 resulted in a lack in annual incomes of several sectors that also involve the marine sector. Shipbuilding corporations, dockyards, and other contractors were required to embrace working methods affiliated with government limitations, resulting in the termination of shipbuilding procedures.

For example, Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy has entirely adjourned all production happenings since 12th March 2020 and up to the mid of April.

Story continues

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List of Key Players Covered in the Report

ABB (Switzerland)

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd (Japan)

KUKA AG (Germany)

The Yaskawa Electric Corporation (Japan)

KRANENDONK Production Systems BV (Netherlands)

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (South Korea)

Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. (South Korea)

RB3D (France)

The Fanuc Corporation (Japan)

READY Robotics Corporation (The U.S.)

Report Coverage

The report offers treasured visions attained by detailed revision done by our scholars. All-encompassing research was directed to offer the projected size of this market. The data executed to display the shares for multiple segments at the national, local, and international levels are attained from exhaustive interviews with several participants. Additionally, we have achieved admittance to numerous global and regional paid databases to provide accurate information to make business speculation decisions effortless.

Segmentation

By Type

Articulated Robots

SCARA Robots

Cartesian Robots

Cylindrical Robots

Polar Robots

Collaborative Robots

By Application

Cutting

Welding

Painting

Assembly

Inspection

Others

By Geography

North America (By Type, Application, and Country)

U.S. (By Type)

Canada (By Type)

Europe (By Type, Application, and Country)

U.K. (By Type)

Germany (By Type)

France (By Type)

Russia (By Type)

Rest of Europe (By Type)

Asia Pacific (By Type, Application, and Country)

Rest of the World (By Type, Application, and Sub-Region)

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/robotics-in-shipbuilding-market-103548

Drivers and Restraints

Augmented Practise of Robotics Technology to Fulfil Labour Gap Set to Boost Growth

The shipbuilding industry has been dependent on skilled laborers to accomplish responsibilities such as painting, soldering, and cutting, among others. Conservative approaches utilize a long time to accomplish the tasks. Therefore, shipbuilders are fixated on executing robot technology in order to decline the time as well as the price.

For example, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering applied a robotic arm called caddy, which weighed around 16 Kg to join steel parts. This robot facilitated Daewoo Shipbuilding to make savings roughly nearby USD 4.5 billion behind each vessel.

Shipbuilders are identifying the cost of progressive automation and are preventing people from doing unsafe and repetitive chores. Besides, robot technology is extremely resourceful and evidences fulfilling the labor gap in the shipbuilding sector.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific held the highest robotics in shipbuilding market share in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at an enhanced CAGR throughout the mentioned forecast period. The supremacy is on account of chief industrial robot producers such as Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the Fanuc Corporation, and many others in this region.

The market in Europe is estimated to grow considerably owing to the increasing capitalizations by shipbuilders in the European region for shipbuilding robots.

North America region is projected to grow owing to the growing research and development projects by the significant robot producers for artificial intelligence (AI)-based extremely proficient and minor robotic systems.

Competitive Landscape

Key Players Invest in Robot Manufacturing to Attain Reasonable Authority in Market

Key players such as Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. is a chief shipbuilding company that is concentrated on creating robotic solutions to reduce manufacturing charges.

For instance, in 2017, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. declared to set up its units into distinct companies. The robotics division was created into a distinct holding company called Hyundai Robotics, which would be completely concentrating on robotic technology.

Additional vital players are financing the research and development of progressive robotic technology by implementing artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and augmented reality (AR).

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Restraints

Market Opportunities

Key Insights

Key Industry Developments Key Contracts & Agreements, Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships

Latest technological Advancements

Porters Five Forces Analysis

Supply Chain Analysis

TOC Continued!

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Key Industry Development

October 2020: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) designed and created an A.I.-based hot processing automated machine named Goknuri. This robot applies artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to generate superior quality goods with the supervision of lesser skilled labors. The data extracted is valuable for the production of other ships as well.

Have a Look at Related Research Insights:

Industrial Automation Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Component (Hardware (Sensors; PLC; HMI; Servo; Motor; Drive; Laser Markers; Safety Light Curtain; Robots), and Software), By Industry (Discrete Industry (Automotive; Electronics; Heavy Manufacturing; Packaging), and Process Industry (Oil & Gas; Chemicals; Pulp & Paper; Mining and Metals; Health Care), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028

Industrial Robots Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Robot Type (Articulated, SCARA, Cylindrical, Cartesian/Linear, Parallel and Others), By Application (Pick and Place, Welding & Soldering, Material Handling, Assembling, Cutting & Processing, and Others), By Industry (Automotive, Electrical & Electronics, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverages, Rubber & Plastic, Metals & Machinery, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028

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Robotics in Shipbuilding Market to Reach USD 1001.4 Million by 2028 | Robotics in Shipbuilding Industry Size, Share, Company Profiles, Economic...

News / Metro / Manilas cutting-edge Physical Therapy and Robotics Center inaugurated

The Manila city government inaugurated the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Medicine and Robotics Center in Sta. Ana Hospital on Monday, Jan. 17.

The newest facility will focus primarily on providing physical therapy and rehabilitation to patients suffering paralysis.

In the middle of this Omicron surge, the Sta. Ana Hospital is about to launch our newest service, our robotics program, said Sta. Ana Hospital director Doctor Grace Padilla during the inauguration.

Padilla explained that the hospitals newest facilities and technology are essential steps in incorporating cutting-edge technology in patient treatment, especially in providing physical therapy to those suffering paralysis and weakness as a result of brain injuries.

Hybrid Assistive Limb or the HAL is a robotic exoskeleton device that can help people who have various neurological issues, including those patients who have stroke or cerebro-vascular accident, patients with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or other issues of the brain and neuro-muscular system that cause weakness and paralysis of both the upper and the lower extremities, said Padilla.

Filipino medical technology group Robocare Solutions provided the rehabilitation equipment to be used in the new facility.

Present at the inauguration were Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso, Vice Mayor Doctor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, and Manila 3rd District Representative Yul Servo-Nieto.

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Manilas cutting-edge Physical Therapy and Robotics Center inaugurated - Manila Bulletin

Nearly a half-foot of snow was dumped on Minot on Friday, but that wont stop kids and their robots from competing in the 2022 Minot Regional Lego Robotics Tournament today at Minot State University.

Allison Auch, the executive director for Full STEAM Ahead, said MSU has done a good job of clearing away snow from the parking lots.

The competition, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the second-floor gymnasium in MSUs Swain Hall today from 1 to 3 p.m.

Seth Finley, 13, one of the competitors, is a seventh-grader this year at Bishop Ryan Catholic School.

I first experienced Lego Robotics in the Hostfest in the Schools program and really liked it, Finley said in an email to The Minot Daily News this week. So, I was excited to join my schools Lego Robotics team when I was old enough (4th grade). Our Lego Lions team won the state competition that year, so we got to travel to Detroit, MI to compete at the international competition! It was amazing! This is my 4th year on a team. I love doing the programming the most, and want to learn coding too. Im learning to work as part of a team, to work towards a goal, to compromise with my teammates. Because of what Ive learned in Lego Robotics, I want to become a computer programmer.

Finley explained that this years competition is called Cargo Connect. The objective is to create better ways to transport goods, he said. Each team built a robot with a Spike Kit that contains all of the parts needed to build the robot, such as the Legos, a brain, and wheels.

We use a battery brick and a micro USB to charge the brain, said Finley. The brain runs the motors and the sensors. This year were using the Spike App to program the brain from a computer. We write programs to make the robot complete assigned tasks. There are at least 13 different tasks that we can try to complete. Some of the tasks are: 1) Bridge (we have to knock down both sides of the bridge to earn points) 2) Engine Flip (theres a gray & blue lever that we need to flip) 3) Helicopter (theres a lever on the bottom that we have to push forward to drop a crate onto the other teams board.) Each task is assigned a certain number of points. The goal is to earn as many points as possible. We can also lose points by getting penalties. Examples of penalties are picking up your robot from outside of the home area, touching something that is outside the home area, & having too many team members at the board at one time. We also earn points from doing our presentations to the judges. We explain how we designed our robot and why, were judged on how well our team works together, and we also do a presentation on how we would solve the assigned problem (transporting goods). We should be exhibiting the core values at all times (discovery, inclusion, teamwork, impact, innovation, & fun).

There are nine other kids on Finleys team. Each team can have as many as 10 kids competing. Competitors are between the ages of 10 and 14. Auch said there will be 10 teams competing today from across the region. Past events have had as many as 22 robotics teams competing. She said coaches are teachers, parents, and community volunteers.

Dusty Lawson, who coaches his son Ethan and other kids, said its a great opportunity for kids to learn about not just robotics but also about teamwork. Participating in the activities through Full STEAM Ahead are free or have a minimal charge for the kids. Lawson said Auch has done a great job of finding sponsors and grant funding for the activities in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Yes, the kids learn coding/programming/engineering, said Auch in an email. But one of the fun aspects of this completion that Lego really enforces is the core values. Teamwork, Gracious Professionalism and fun!! We are really working on exposing kids to challenges individually and as a team to help them learn how to fail. To know that they must keep trying. That things will not always work out the first time but they cannot give up, they need may need to adjust their angle or ask for help, but to just keep trying. I believe these kids do take more of an interest in computer science and robotics opportunities at the high school level. We have not been around long enough with full steam ahead robotics to see the impact at the collegiate level, but are excited to track that!

Full STEAM Ahead was launched to run the LEGO robotics program teams in the community. Younger kids in the group called FLL Explore are coached by MSU education majors, said Auch. These teams dont compete but learn the fundamental of robotics, coding, and teamwork.

FULL STEAM Ahead is also involved in other programming. Auch said she also coordinates theatre, coding camps, after school enrichment programs, persuasion/rhythm classes, chess camps, kickball, T-ball and other activities.

Winners at the robotics competition today will go on to compete at the North Dakota State Tournament at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks on Feb. 12.

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Snow won't stop the robots | News, Sports, Jobs - Minot Daily News

When Maxwell Lee took over as the general manager of Autel Robotics, his family-owned business, in 2020, he knew there would be challenges. What he didnt expect was that he would be navigating a period of historic tech innovation, speckled by a pandemic, major leadership changes, and supply chain crisis.

In a candid and wide-ranging interview with DroneDJ, Lee talks about the evolution of Autels multirotor platforms, acknowledges the increasingly fragile nature of drone businesses, and credits rival DJI for building a multibillion-dollar industry from scratch.

Autel Robotics is the drone unit of Autel Intelligent Technology, a manufacturer of automotive electronic components and diagnostic equipment. Explaining why his family decided to enter the drone industry, Lee says, The drone subsidiary was the brainchild of founder Frank Li and Gary DeLuca, who was heading Autel Intelligence at the time. They knew theres only so much growth an automotive diagnostic equipment maker can achieve, given the inevitable global transition toward green energy. They decided to bank the future on robotics, and picked drones as their platform of choice.

Lee, a Boston University graduate, came on board just before the release of the EVO II drone to do some serious restructuring and oversee the day-to-day operations at the companys Seattle office. In terms of international growth, the US is the single most important market for Autel Robotics, Lee explains. Consumers here are excited about drone technology and have a lot of buying power. If you can succeed in the US, you can succeed in the rest of the world.

This is why the companys product focus today is starkly different from its early X-Star days. Ill be the first to admit that from a consumers point of view, that was not a very good product, Lee shrugs. In fact, after it was released, we fired the entire R&D team.

And then, the EVO platform was conceived. EVO I was affordable and compact. In a way, it was the X-Star without the performance. But it was just an okay drone, nothing really out of the box. We had to let go of that R&D team as well.

The third team that was brought on to develop the EVO II platform gave Autel Robotics the solid foundation it was looking for. So, Lee beams when he says: This is a pretty successful product. It has done well on all fronts consumer, enterprise, prosumer. With EVO II, we have reached that critical level of technology that allows us to branch out. Using this platform, we can make smaller drones, bigger drones, more affordable drones whatever the market demands. The new EVO Nano and EVO Lite drone series are offshoots of the same platform.

And what about EVO III?

Oh, EVO III is still a ways out. It got leaked pretty early, but those are not the final specs. Were still playing around with technology Micro Four Thirds sensors, mechanical shutter Were still flexible. The EVO III will come out, but not any time soon. So, if you like the Mavic 3, Id say go for it. I wouldnt stop you from buying it.

With the conversation getting unexpectedly steered toward DJI, it has to be asked: Does Autel Robotics hope to dethrone the world leader in drone technology one day?

Lee flashes you a bright smile before responding, Thats the dream, yes. Then he pauses and reconsiders his words, offering a more straightforward answer this time.

I really respect DJI for what they have done for the drone community. They may not be the first ones to introduce drones, but they certainly are the first to popularize them and bring them into the mainstream. DJI has created the commercial drone industry from scratch. Just look at their work in the public safety domain which police department was using drones before DJI showed them the good an eye in the sky can do? And lets not forget a large portion of the domestic drone industry in the US is built on DJI products; they depend on their hardware. Youve got to give credit where credit is due.

And Lee is not the one to shy away from giving credit. His list of drone companies I admire includes Skydio for elevating the bar of drone autonomy, and Parrot for supporting open-source architecture and harnessing the power of 4G for drones. I respect innovators, he emphasizes.

Lee is also quick to point out that its a big pie; theres enough for everyone. And lobbying, in-fighting, and politics arent doing anyone any good.

Our industry is still more fragile than most people would think, he says. Globally, flying drones is becoming more restrictive, and in many places, drones are getting banned left, right, and center. The consumer market is also reaching a plateau with Remote ID coming out and more areas getting looped into No-Fly Zones. The last thing I want for this industry is over-regulation and getting pushed to a side.

And this explains why drone manufacturers including Autel strive to showcase how drones are helping people and improving communities. If you think about drones as a robotics solution, the possibilities are really out there.

It also explains the growing focus of drone makers on the enterprise sector, with consolidation being the key phrase. We positioned the EVO II as a bigger Mavic Pro but a smaller M300; it can fulfill the requirements of both consumers and professional users. DJIs product line in recent times is also witnessing a similar kind of consolidation, in my observation, Lee says.

They stretched out a lot with the Tellos and the Minis and the Airs and the Mavics and the Inspires. But now look at the Mavic 3; it can potentially do mapping, can be used for public safety, and is also a fantastic prosumer drone. Perhaps even the commercial market is not growing nearly as fast as DJI would have liked to dedicate a product line to a single market vertical.

Meanwhile, Autels growth is something Lee is fairly optimistic about. And thats because the companys single-minded focus on perfecting its products is about to fill some very critical gaps in the market, he says.

Also read: New Autel Sky app available to download for iOS and Android

Take the new EVO Nano, for example. As Lee puts it, The other sub-250-gram drones in the market may be lightweight and compact, but they are not professional tools.

The EVO Nano+ is the only drone in its category to feature a 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor with an RYYB color filter array design that gives photos more contrast and dynamic range.

Our internal tests have shown that this sensor can perform on par with some of the other 1-inch sensors that are available in the market right now. This alone transforms the Nano from a very consumer level, affordable drone to something thats more enthusiast/prosumer level, Lee maintains, adding that hes expecting to ship at least 1,000 units of the Nano every day in the first couple of months of the drones market release.

In the meantime, the EVO Lite series is set to ensure that the consumer side of the business does not get chipped away by Autels competitors on the back of the price to performance ratio. The EVO II is not cheap. So, the Lite series has been developed as its slimmed-down version, roughly 30% lighter than the EVO II but featuring similar payloads and new chips that would deliver better processing performance.

Between the two drones, Autel Robotics has added 28 new SKUs to its core business unit. A logistical nightmare, no doubt. And a curious decision by a company that has struggled due to chip shortages and supply chain problems.

We were forced to change the chip on the EVO II because the original manufacturer simply stopped producing chips. And chipsets take months to optimize properly. A single chip or two allows the drone to function as a mini-computer taking care of everything from coding video, processing and transmitting the footage, autonomy features, obstacle avoidance, and just keeping the aircraft afloat. So, switching from one chip to another takes a lot of time.

Admitting that the company was facing chip shortages with the EVO II Enterprise Series up until last month, Lee assures that similar problems wouldnt arise for the Nano and Lite series at least. The manufacturing facility has kept backup options this time.

So, as we enter 2022, Lee has high hopes for Autel Robotics, and he lays out his plans. We will continue to develop the EVO III drone and possibly some heavy-lift platforms to make our ecosystem more robust. The same goes for the Dragonfish series, whose multiple platforms will continue to be nurtured. Were getting requests from pretty much every direction to expand our offerings, but one big technology that were looking into is autonomy systems. Im particularly inclined toward autonomous drone swarm technology for security applications like border security, patrolling, site monitoring, etc.

Lee sums up the conversation by circling back to the idea of a product-first approach. In the end, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to making the best products we can, because it will always be about the end users for us. Theres no dearth of smokes and mirrors in the drone industry. A lot of companies come, show great marketing videos, and then just disappear. But were in this for the long haul, were sticking around.

Read more: Autel video shows EVO Nest automatic drone charging station features

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How Autel Robotics hopes to shape the future of drone industry - DroneDJ

Researchers at MIT have developed a new fabrication technique for more efficient 'muscles' in tiny, insect-like flying bots. This comes alongside news surrounding China's introduction of explosion-proof refuelling robots. So it looks like our future overlords are getting some strength upgrades... but on a serious note, let's talk robotic innovation.

MIT has been working on flying insect robots, also known as diminutive drones, for ages. They work, according to the MIT News article, using soft actuators that are "like artificial muscles that rapidly flap the robots wings." These soft actuators also give the bots a better chance to withstand and recover from running into obstacles.

The soft actuators they used to fly had always needed "much higher voltages than similarly-sized rigid actuators," the article explains. Essentially they were unable to carry enough charge to work efficiently.

In their next evolution, these agile flying bots have received some Stonefly-reminiscent upgrades, and can now run on "low-voltage, power-dense, high endurance soft actuators." The new fabrication technique means they can now use "75 percent lower voltage than current versions while carrying 80 percent more payload," the article reads.

The bot now weighs less than a gram, and can hover quite stably for 20 secondswhich is actually the longest flight ever recorded by a sub-gram robot.

They're nifty little creatures, for sure, but they come with some major limitations at the moment. One day, they might be used to "pollinate a field of crops, or search for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building," but right now there's still work to be done.

The issue faced currently lies in how thin the team can make the actuator layers, due to dust in the air. But soon they'll be building actuators in an MIT.nano clean room, in order to eliminate issues posed by pesky dust particles.

At the other end of the robotic weight-class spectrum, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) recently rocked up with "the country's first high-altitude outdoor explosion-proof refuelling robot."

The company had already introduced a non-contact refuelling service back in 2020, which lets customers use an app to order fuel so they don't have to speak to an attendant. Another refuelling robot was introduced in October of last year, and this explosion-proof version is just the next step in making the process safer, more efficient, and user-friendly.

Just look at his little robot face: What a good bot.

On the reddit post that brought the bot to our attention, one reply to the top comment goes into the projected logistics a little. It claims that, due to the robot's total cost equating to maybe ten years of cheap human labour, "There is 0 chance this makes financial sense."

I'm sure CNPC didn't make the decision to invest heavily in robotics equipment without first consulting a financial advisor, but you never know. What's important to note is that people (in case anyone needs reminding) are not explosion-proof, and tend to demand things like wages and holidays.

Sure, it'll be in need of the odd repair here and there, but it'll probably last longer than ten yearsmeaning the cost effectiveness for CNPC will only get better in the long run.

Of course, we're hoping always for the advancement of humanity through automation and higher efficiency tech. Let's just hope that, now that it's explosion-proof, it doesn't go i-Robot and turn against us.

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Robots are getting stronger muscles and explosion-proofing - PC Gamer