Monthly Archives: May 2024

Sense & Sound Robotics, a community based FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics team in Franklin, competed at the FIRST World Championship in Houston April 17-20. Only 224 out of the approximately 8,000 FTC teams worldwide compete at Worlds. Sense & Sound won 8 out of their 10 qualifying matches, finishing in 5th place. The performance drives this FTC robot into the top 1% in the world. Judges also evaluate the robots from all aspects to find the best in many prestigious categories. Sense & Sound was awarded the 2nd place Control Award for software design.

The Control Award celebrates a team that uses sensors and software to increase the robots functionality in the field. This award is given to the team that demonstrates innovative thinking to solve game challenges such as autonomous operation, improving mechanical systems with intelligent control, or using sensors to achieve better results, says the FIRST organization.

Each FIRST competition season, a different challenge is presented based on a new theme. This years challenge was STEAM-based, called CenterStage, highlighting theater arts. The robots were designed to complete a variety of tasks including moving multi-colored 6-sided pixels, which were picked up in the wings, then delivered to a mark, backstage, and backdrop, where they were placed in patterns. Other tasks included launching a paper airplane into a designated landing zone and suspending the entire robot from rigging on the playing field. The first thirty seconds of the match is an autonomous period, where the robots are programmed to complete these tasks without driver intervention, using only previously programmed code and sensors, followed by two minutes of driver control.

Adi Sharma, Lead Programmer for the team and a Senior at Franklin High School, explains the software design that led to their Control Award, saying we built our own original code library that allows us to define a variety of Java robot classes to control the drive, pixel intake, airplane launcher, and other mechanisms. Each of these classes have their own hardware and settings, which let us run complex, dynamic motions, such as driving to a specific position utilizing distance sensors and odometry to accurately localize position, while simultaneously running the pixel intake and checking sensors for the number of pixels held.

The software was also designed to control our unique pixel placement system, says Anna David, Drive Team Coach and Lead Hardware Engineer for the team, another Franklin High School Senior. We designed and 3-D printed a unique plunger that picks up the pixels from the intake and accurately places them on the backdrop. A variety of sensors detect the color and quantity of pixels the intake has picked up and indicate this to the drivers, as well as sense how far the robot is from the backdrop for intelligent-controlled movement and automatic, accurate placement, among other things. In total, we utilized 16 sensors and a camera in our design, and I think the judges were impressed with how they worked in concert to make our robot both accurate and consistent.

The team was very pleased with how well they did at Worlds. Sense & Sound is made up of 7th through 12th graders from Franklin, Medway, and Milford, and also includes Zach Beaupre, Ajay Gulati, Tanish Asu, Jaswanth Bandaru, Aakash Vootla, Anjan Lakkadi, Elliott Knowlton, and Maxx Duffy. Team members built 2-3 days per week in a lab in Franklin, MA, where they were mentored by local engineers Tom Kroon, Leigh Knowlton, and Suresh Vootla. The students are responsible for all aspects of the robot design, build, and coding, including tracking their efforts in an engineering design notebook that is submitted for judging.

As a community-based team, Sense & Sound Robotics does not receive any funding from the school or town, and the team is grateful to the sponsors who helped make their bid for a world title possible, including Cold Chain Technologies, Carpe Diem Technologies, Hologic, Kumon of Franklin, MassMEP, Kelmar Associates, Nerds to Go, Blue Hill Plumbing, Representative Jeff Roy, Medway Cultural Council, Middlesex Savings Bank, The Curry House, and Combe Incorporated, as well as various private donations.

You can learn more about Sense & Sound Robotics at http://www.senseandsoundrobotics.org. You can read more about FIRST Tech Challenge at http://www.firstinspires.org.

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Meet the `One Percenters' - The Top Ranked Robotics Group from Franklin - Franklin Observer

Robotics company Boston Dynamics announced this month that it has retired its humanoid robot, known as Atlas. The 6-foot, 2,330-pound machine was considered a quantum leap in robotics and gained fame for its parkour stunts and awkward dance moves.

Debuting in 2013, Atlas was the product of a partnership with the Defense Department. It relied on hydraulic power, using pressurized fluid to generate movement, and could perform tasks that can be challenging for humans, like lifting heavy boxes.

As the older Atlas lives out its golden years, Boston Dynamics has introduced its successor a smaller version, with the same name, that runs on electric power.

Marketplaces Lily Jamali spoke with Brian Heater, hardware editor at TechCrunch, for a look back at the original Atlas and his take on how companies, and households, might make use of humanoids.

The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Brian Heater: Its big and hulking, its very top heavy. Its hydraulic powered, as all of the early Boston Dynamics robots are, which means, among other things, that its extremely loud. Youre in a room with it, its, like, almost deafening. You hear the gases passing as its moving.

Lily Jamali: Well, what was the response to it when it first came out in 2013?

Heater: The response isnt dissimilar from what it is now. And people were incredibly and rightfully impressed by the robot because for a lot of people it felt like a quantum leap over the technology that was out there. There was no bipedal robot that was capable of doing what it could do and it was very versatile. And youve got to be very versatile because it was a research robot. And you had all these teams, [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] and Carnegie Mellon and all these very smart researchers using them for these [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] challenges. It was leagues ahead of everybody else. And in a lot of ways, it feels like just about everyone else is continuing to still play catch-up with that technology.

Jamali: Well, so theres this new Atlas now, which is different. Its all electric. Its very fluid, the way that this thing moves, its almost terrifying. Ive seen it described as a sleek, swiveling nightmare that almost seems to defy physics. Whats a sentence you would use to describe what its like, this new one?

Heater: So the new one is considerably slimmer than the older version. Its much quieter, the movements are incredibly fluid. Because of the compact size, its really capable of doing a lot more in a far more confined environment. And I think because of that, its going to be much more capable of working alongside people. Thats the biggest concern with a lot of these robots. [They] traditionally had been very big and very heavy and therefore have been very prone to [injuring] people. This one is much smaller and capable of working alongside them. And its something as simple as a robot that looks like a human and perhaps has a face, its easier for us to understand its intentions.

Jamali: So what do we know about why Boston Dynamics is updating the robot?

Heater: Yeah. The simple answer is that the old robot just wasnt built for those things, it was built for research purposes. The technology is still extremely impressive, but in a lot of ways its a decade out of date. Its too large, its too loud, it probably needs to be tethered for the battery to operate. I believe its a lithium-ion battery, so its the same battery that you have on your phone or your electric car, so it could just go in and charge. And just the fact that its smaller, again, is a very key piece here in terms of actually being able to operate in the workplace and operate alongside people.

Jamali: Theres obviously plenty of companies in this space working on bipedal meaning walks on two feet humanoid robots. So theres Tesla, Agility Robotics, Figure, they all have robots in the works as well. Can you give me a brief temperature check on the industry?

Heater: So theres a lot of interest and theres a lot of money changing hands right now. Investors are incredibly interested in this space. People [who own] factories and warehouses are incredibly interested in deploying these systems. And everybodys promising this idea of generalized intelligence. Most people I talked to tell me that generalized intelligence is probably like five, maybe 10, years off, so were talking about a much longer timeline than I think a lot of people are anticipating right now. Ive been in this industry for a long time, and I think were in the middle of this hype wave right now. Theres going to be a lot of excitement and its going to cool down a bit. And thats going to be the period of time when these things are actually deployed and the testing happens.

Jamali: Wait a minute. Did you say hype in tech? Im sorry, I cant, I cant.

Heater: Its fun. Its fun, right? Its nice to have one of the categories that I cover being superhyped after watching, you know, like, crypto and AI. Obviously, theres a lot of overlap between the two. The hype is exciting. Its great that the world is, like, sitting up and seeing this stuff and seeing rightfully how incredibly impressive it is. But I used to say that my kind of loose definition of a robot was a really complex and impressive machine used to perform menial and boring tasks. And thats kind of what this is. Youre gonna be really blown away by the technology the first time you see it, and then if these things work out as planned, then theyre going to be just another kind of boring thing hanging around the factory. And that means that everythings working accordingly.

Jamali: Well, I think the thing were all wondering is, you know, not in the factory, Im not so interested in that. When do I get to see it at my house? When are we going to get a real-life Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons or C-3PO? Does this new Atlas put us on that track?

Heater: Yes and no. You know, people often ask me when theyre gonna have a robot in their house, and my cheeky but very serious question back to them is, Do you have a Roomba or robot vacuum? And if you do, youve got a robot in your home. Those have been around for, I think the first Roomba came out 20-plus years ago, and we havent really seen a follow-up. Its a really difficult space to operate in for a number of reasons. One [is] very unstructured environments. Even if you keep your house pretty clean, you move things around, sometimes youll throw something on the ground. Houses arent really very uniform from one to the other. And then the other one is, as I mentioned earlier, is price, like the most advanced Roomba right now is something in the neighborhood of, like, $1,500. Like even that is like way more expensive than most people want to pay in the home. So the likeliest scenario is were not going to be seeing these robots in the home. But in the meantime, were going to see a lot of really cool and interesting technology and probably robots in the home that are in some ways a product of the research that went into these systems.

When Boston Dynamics announced Atlas would be retiring, the company published a blooper reel of the bots failed stunts through the years, including falls down stairs, an attempt to board an elevator and a particularly nasty tumble from a balance beam, which ends with Atlas clutching its knees in the fetal position. Id probably do the same in that scenario.

The robotics company also posted a video of its new electric bot, the so-called swiveling nightmare. Its hard to describe the Terminator-like ways the robot contorts its body. You should see it for yourself.

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Atlas, forefather of humanoid robots, gives way to next generation - Marketplace

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U.S. manufacturers have increasingly adopted automation, says the IFR.

Total installations of industrial robots rose by 12% and reached 44,303 units in 2023, as U.S. manufacturers invested heavily in more automation, reported the International Federation of Robotics, or IFR, today. The automotive industry is still the No. 1 adopter, followed by the electrical and electronics sector, according to the IFRs preliminary results.

The United States has one of the most advanced manufacturing industries worldwide, stated Marina Bill, president of the IFR. The first IFR outlook on preliminary results shows again strong robotics demand across all major segments of U.S. manufacturing in 2023.

Sales in the automotive segment rose by 1%, with a record 14,678 robots installed in 2023, said the IFR. This comes after installations in 2022 skyrocketed by 47%, reaching 14,472 units, noted the Frankfurt, Germany-based organization.

The market share of car and component makers reached 33% of all industrial robot installations in the U.S. in 2023. The U.S. has the second-largest production volume of cars and light vehicles worldwide after China.

Automotive manufacturers currently invest in robotics mainly to drive the electric vehicle transition and respond to labor shortages, Bill said.

Installations in the electrical and electronics industry rose by 37% to 5,120 units in 2023, said the IFR. This number almost reached the record pre-pandemic level of 5,284 units, seen in 2018.

The latest result represents a market share of 12% of all industrial robots installed in the U.S. manufacturing industry. Global installations reached record numbers in 2022, the IFR noted.

It attributed recent demand for industrial robots among U.S. electronics makers by efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains and projects toward clean-energy transitions.

Learn from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and many more.

Installation counts in other U.S. industries exceeding the 3,000-unit mark included metal and machinery (4,123 units, +6%) and plastic and chemical products (3,213 units, +5%).

They represent a market share of 9% and 7% of U.S. manufacturer robot installations in 2023, respectively, said the IFR.

Robot installation in Canada reached 4,616 units up 43%. The automotive industry accounts for 55% of the countrys robot installations. Sales to the automotive sector rose by 99% with 2,549 units installed in 2023. This is an all-time high.

Robot installations in Mexicos manufacturing industry remained almost unchanged, with 5,868 units in 2023. The countrys main adopter was the automotive industry, which accounted for 69% of the robot installations in 2023

The IFR said sales in Mexico reached 4,068 units (-0%) in 2023 the third best result since the peak level of 4,805 units, in 2017.

The IFR plans to post the presentation on preliminary figures held by Bill during the IFR Executive Roundtableon May 8. The federation said it will release final results of the latest World Robotics data on Sept. 24.

The organization will also be present at Booth 2790 at Automate in Chicago next week.

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U.S. manufacturers invested heavily in robotics in 2023, finds IFR - Robot Report

Swiss robotic navigation company BlueBotics has released a new version of its ANT server fleet management software, which can now control not only the 100+ ANT driven customer vehicles on the market, but also VDA 5050-compliant AGVs and AMRs.

BlueBotics whose ANT navigation technology drives over 5,000 AGVs and AMRs around the world says its new initiative expandS the scope of its ANT server mission and fleet management software by adding compatibility with the German AGV interoperability standard VDA 5050.

As a result, ANT server can now manage not only the 100+ ANT driven customer AGVs and AMRs currently on the market, but also VDA 5050-compliant AGVs and AMRs from non-ANT driven brands.

Dr Nicola Tomatis, BlueBotics CEO, says: With this evolution, the widest choice of interoperable AGVs and AMRs on the market just got even wider.

This product update further enhances the options of organizations that are looking to deploy or expand fleets of mobile robots.

By migrating to ANT server, organizations that already operate fleets of VDA 5050-compliant vehicles can now choose from an even wider choice of automated vehicles when growing their fleets.

Organizations that already operate fleets of ANT driven vehicles gain the option of adding VDA 5050 vehicles in future.

The interoperability of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) is expected to play a crucial role in the long-term adoption of these technologies.

BlueBotics and its vehicle maker partners are ideally positioned to facilitate this growth, since over 100 ANT driven models are already natively interoperable today when managed by ANT server.

Several vehicle interoperability standards are under development today. The German VDA 5050 AGV communication interface is currently the most advanced, ahead of equivalents such as MASS in the US and another in China.

Tomatis says: We are happy to bring this compatibility to ANT server.

Even if the functionality that VDA 5050 offers today remains below that of ANT server and its ecosystem of natively interoperable ANT driven vehicles, this evolution represents a valuable and necessary step in the direction of industry-wide multi-brand AGV operations.

BlueBotics says its Autonomous Navigation Technology (ANT) is the markets leading natural navigation technology for automated vehicles. To date, there are over 5,000 ANT driven AGVs in operation globally, with over 130 different models already on the market and more being launched every month.

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BlueBotics releases new version of its server fleet management software - Robotics and Automation News

Robot installations by manufacturing companies up 12%

Chicago Manufacturing companies in the United States have invested heavily in more automation: total installations of industrial robots rose by 12% and reached 44,303 units in 2023. Number one adopter is the car industry followed by the electrical and electronics sector. These are preliminary results, presented by IFR.

Preliminary results of robot shipments in 2023 in the US

The United States has one of the most advanced manufacturing industries worldwide, says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The first IFR outlook on preliminary results shows again strong robotics demand across all major segments of U.S. manufacturing in 2023.

Sales in the automotive segment rose by 1% with a record number of 14,678 robots installed in 2023. This comes after installations in 2022 skyrocketed by 47% reaching 14,472 units. The market share of car and component makers hit 33% of all industrial robot installations in the U.S. in 2023. The United States has the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles worldwide, following China.

Automotive manufacturers currently invest in robotics mainly to drive the electric vehicle transition and respond to labor shortages, says Marina Bill.

Installations in the electrical and electronics industry rose by 37% to 5,120 units in 2023. This number almost reached the record pre-pandemic level of 5,284 units, seen in 2018. The latest result represents a market share of 12% of all industrial robots installed in the U.S. manufacturing industry.

Demand for industrial robots in this segment is influenced by a trend to strengthen domestic supply chains and projects that drive the clean-energy transition.

Installation counts in other industries exceeding the 3,000-unit mark in the U.S. are: metal and machinery (4,123 units, +6%) and plastic and chemical products (3,213 units, +5%). They represent a market share of 9% and 7% of industrial robot installations in 2023, respectively.

Robot installation in Canada reached 4,616 units up 43%. The automotive industry accounts for 55% of the countrys robot installations. Sales to the automotive sector rose by 99% with 2,549 units installed in 2023. This is an all-time high.

Robot installations in Mexicos manufacturing industry remain almost unchanged with 5,868 units in 2023. The countrys main adopter is the automotive industry which accounted for 69% of the robot installations in 2023: sales reached 4,068 units (-0%) in 2023 the third best result since the peak level of 4,805 units, in 2017.

Final results of the new World Robotics data will be released by IFR on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

Meet the IFR staff and members at North Americas largest robotics and automation event:The Automate Show. This is the place for anyone looking for automation solutions. With over 800 exhibitors, the show floor hosts leading automation solutions from around the world. IFR booth #2790 at McCormick Place.

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U.S. Companies Invest Heavily in Robots - IFR Preliminary Results EMSNow - EMSNow

Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) has launched its MiR1200 Pallet Jack autonomous mobile robot (AMR).

With advanced artificial intelligence (AI) pallet detection, powered by NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack uses 3D vision to identify pallets and do pick up and pallet delivery with unprecedented precision, says the company.

Mads Paulin, vice president of R&D at MiR, says: The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is our latest effort to push the boundaries in autonomous material handling.

We believe that the built-in AI detection system is a significant improvement over older detection technologies.

Our approach will reduce pick-and-place cycle times, deliver best-in-class pick accuracy and allow us to continuously deliver advanced, AI-based functionality and value to our customers.

Designed to integrate seamlessly into existing MiR AMR fleets and interoperate with MiRs deck load AMRs, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack is a perfect match for large-scale enterprise customers who typically operate more complex workflows with larger fleets and multiple sites.

These customers can now turn to MiR as a one-stop shop for material handling.

Jean-Pierre Hathout, president of MiR, says: As the latest addition to MiRs wide range of AMRs, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack adds a new application area to our existing solutions for transportation scenarios from small to heavy loads, pallet transportation, and more.

All robots can be seamlessly managed and integrated via our industry leading fleet management tool, MiR Fleet, and monitored and optimized using MiR Insights.

Thanks to its 3D vision capabilities, the MiR1200 Pallet Jack addresses the challenges many enterprises face with resource-intensive material handling, especially in complex environments that make automation difficult and where automation is needed due to increasing labor shortage.

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack can dynamically modify its route to avoid obstacles such as loose objects on the floor or overhead obstacles.

It processes a large number of cameras and LiDAR data in real time by accelerating the full stack on the GPU and several other processors built into the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module.

The MiR1200 Pallet Jacks ability to navigate effortlessly in tight spaces with minimal changes to the existing infrastructure makes it the perfect fit for optimizing logistics efficiency and ensuring timely delivery of pallets.

Hathout says: With MiR1200 Pallet Jack, we have developed a rugged AMR pallet jack that will work in existing customer sites that present unique environmental challenges for automation.

In the design of this robot, we have leveraged the accumulated expertise in software from MiR, and high-payload AMRs that are the result of MiRs 2022 merger with AutoGuide, another Teradyne-owned company.

In addition, the MiR1200 Pallet Jacks robust tricycle drive system is developed through a partnership with Logitrans, which has 80+ years of experience with material handling.

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack is not only about speed and efficiency. Safety remains a top priority.

Hathout says: Safety is in the DNA of every MiR product.

The MiR1200 Pallet Jack complies with the latest product safety standards, including ISO3691-4. The fusion of multiple sensor platforms and top-tier safety features provides a much safer alternative to traditional forklifts, pallet trucks and manual pallet jacks.

Key features of the MiR1200 Pallet Jack include:

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MiR launches new autonomous mobile forklift-type robot - Robotics and Automation News

It has been a year of firsts for Rutland Area Robotics.

Earlier this month, RARs high school level robotics team, the IBOTS, competed in the FIRST World Championships Einstein finale tournament after successfully winning their individual division. Both achievements are a first for the team.

The IBOTS and their alliance of three other teams ultimately placed fourth in a field of more than 600 teams.

We are very proud of the skills and passion that our team brought to the playing field. Our goal is to create excitement for science, technology, engineering, and math. Robotics team members are our future engineers, the people that will meet the challenges of an ever-changing demand for a highly skilled workforce, one that will drive the success of families, communities, and the economy, stated Rutland Area Robotics President and lead mentor Dan Roswell in a press release.

This year is the third in a row the IBOTS qualified for the international competition, which took place from April 17-20 in Houston, Texas.

FIRST, also known as For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a nonprofit organization that hosts a series of robotics competitions across the globe each year, all of which require competing teams to build a robot that can accomplish several tasks in a game setting.

Margo Thompson, a Rutland High School senior and IBOTS team member, shared that her team is the first in Vermont to reach the Einstein finale tournament playing field.

Last year, her team placed 15th in their world championship division, which did not qualify them for the finals.

If you dont get selected, your journey ends there, she said. Its a different environment when youre in that playoff bracket. Everything gets taken up a notch. The competition is now at its max stress level. Everythings really amped up. The crowds are going crazy. Every single match feels like the final match.

But it wasnt an easy road getting to the World Championships, according to Thompson. She noted that the team had to overcome setbacks and challenges throughout their FIRST journey.

Thompson said there was a moment of shock and awe when her team found out theyd be playing Einstein field, adding that even the announcer reading the names of states moving on to the finals seemed surprised when saying Vermont for the first time.

Its still unbelievable. If you think about it, a little small Vermont team (was able to) make global strides and rock the waves of the world. Its truly crazy, she said.

Despite the challenges, this year also marked the first that a Vermont team received the prestigious Impact Award while competing at the district and regional level.

The award recognizes the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the mission of FIRST, which involves positively impacting ones community and promoting STEM education.

In addition to the hard work of her own team, Thompson credited the alliances success and enjoyment to their collaboration with other teams.

We were one big family, Thompson said. Not only did we have so much fun playing with teams from all over the world, but we were a part of something that felt truly special. Thats a huge part of robotics, especially with wanting to learn and progress. If youre not having fun while doing it, thats going to pose a challenge.

Both Thompson and RAR mentor Matt Riley highlighted the dedication and effort of Roswell, noting that though he doesnt often take the spotlight, he more than deserves it.

(This program) would not exist without him, Riley said. Its Herculean. And hes got a very special type of personality that is detail-oriented and keeps him pushing forward. Without him, the robot doesnt get built (and) the accommodations dont get booked. Hes got his finger in all of it.

Though the IBOTS have wrapped up the FIRST season for now, it wont be long until RAR is back on the field.

RARs FIRST Lego League team, the Robo-Rattlers, will compete at an invitation in Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 18 and 19. The IBOTS will also participate in an off-season FIRST event at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in June.

Were showing everyone that Vermont is very capable. Were playing at the same caliber as everyone else. Were truly impacting everyone, even though theres only six (Vermont teams). We may be small, but we are mighty, she said.

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Rutland Area Robotics' IBOTS compete in FIRST World Championships finals for first time - Rutland Herald

The mechanization of agriculture during the industrial revolution and later in the mid-20th century Green Revolution dramatically shifted the capabilities of an individual farmer and how much land they could manage, according toAgritecture. From the cotton gin to tractors and combines, mechanization plays a major role in the abundant food systems we benefit from today. In outdoor agriculture nearly every process in growing is done using highly mechanized systems and increasingly are upgrading to more intelligent robotic systems.

Robotics, broadly defined, involves the use of machines capable of performing a wide variety of tasks and actions automatically. This includes machines that navigate spaces and manipulate objects often using sensors, actuators and computational systems that process the information and act on it.

These machines are classified based on their operational roles, including but not limited to:

The global agricultural robotics market is projected to grow significantly, from $13.4 billion in 2023 to an estimated $86.5 billion by 2033, indicating a compound annual growth rate of 20.5% over the forecast period. This growth is driven by the increasing demand for automation in agriculture, rising labor costs, and the need to meet escalating food production demands. The integration of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics in agricultural robots has led to the development of more sophisticated and intelligent farming solutions.

For more, continue reading at Agritecture.com.

Consider a Synergistic Approach To Disease Control in Peaches

Agritecture strives to provide expert advisory and technology solutions focused on enhancing food system resilience through climate-smart agriculture. See all author stories here.

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Robots on a Roll: The Future of Farming Is Here Now - Growing Produce

AI software company Micropsi Industries has launched MIRAI 2, the latest generation of its AI-vision software for robotic automation.

Building on the success of its predecessor, MIRAI 2 comes with five new features that enhance manufacturers ability to reliably solve automation tasks with variance in position, shape, color, lighting or background.

Available immediately, the latest release offers users even greater reliability, easier and faster deployment, and robot-fleet scalability.

Gary Jackson, CEO of Micropsi Industries, highlights the companys dedication to innovation through close collaboration with partners and customers across various sectors such as automotive, electronics and home appliances.

Jackson says: By integrating new features and capabilities into our offerings, we can address the unique challenges faced by these industries even more effectively.

In addition to new features, the company has introduced dedicated service teams to further strengthen its commitment to customer success.

Jackson adds: Recognizing the complexities of implementing advanced AI in robotic systems, weve assembled expert teams that combine our in-house talent with select system integration partners to ensure that our customers projects are supported successfully, no matter how complex the requirements.

MIRAI is an advanced AI-vision software system that enables robots to dynamically respond to varying conditions within their factory environment, including variance in position, shape, color, lighting and background.

What sets MIRAI apart from traditional vision solutions is the ability to operate with real factory data without the need for CAD data, controlled light, visual-feature predefinition or extensive knowledge of computer vision.

MIRAI 2 offers customers improved reliability thanks to the ability to detect unexpected workspace situations; a new, automated way to collect training data, and the option to run the software on the highest industry-standard PCs, resulting in higher dependability in rough factory conditions.

The new feature, which assists in recording the required data for training the robot, also means that training and deploying MIRAI 2 is easier and faster. In addition, with MIRAI 2 a force-torque sensor is no longer required for most applications, which means lower cost and more robust performance.

Moreover, MIRAI skillstrained guidelines that tell robots how to behave when performing a desired actioncan now be easily and quickly shared with an entire fleet of robots.

Five new functions available with MIRAI 2

The five new features that will be available to MIRAI 2 users are:

Robot skill-sharing: This new feature allows users to share skills between multiple robots, at the same site or elsewhere. If conditions are identical (lighting, background, and so on), very little or no additional training is required in additional installations.

MIRAI can also handle small differences in conditions by recording data from multiple installations into a single, robust skill.

Semi-automatic data recording: Semi-automatic training allows users to record episodes (of data) for skills without having to hand-guide the robot, reducing the workload on users and increasing the quality of the recorded data.

MIRAI can now automatically record all the relevant datausers only need to prepare the training situations and corresponding robot target poses.

No F/T sensor: Training and running skills is now possible without ever connecting a Force/Torque sensor. This reduces cost, simplifies tool geometry and cabling setup, and overall makes skill applications more robust and easier to train.

Abnormal condition detection: MIRAI can now be configured to stop skills when unexpected conditions are encountered, allowing users to handle these exceptions in their robot program or alert a human operator.

Industrial PC: The MIRAI software can now be run on a selection of industrial-grade hardware for higher dependability in rough factory conditions.

Ronnie Vuine, founder of Micropsi Industries and responsible for product development, says: MIRAI 2 is all about scale: Its MIRAI for more powerful robots, larger fleets of robots, and tougher physical environments, and it brings more tools to prepare for changes in the environment.

Weve let our most demanding automotive OEM customers drive the requirements for this version without sacrificing the simplicity of the product.

It still wraps immensely powerful machine learning in a package that delivers quick and predictable success and is at home in the engineering environment its being deployed in.

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Micropsi Industries introduces new AI-vision software Robotics & Automation News - Robotics and Automation News

Further enhancing the ease of designing, programming, and deploying robot cells while also equipping advanced users with more powerful programming tools.

MONTREAL , May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Vention, the cloud robotics company, released today a suite of AI-powered capabilities to its Manufacturing Automation Platform (MAP). These new capabilities, available immediately to the more than 4,000 manufacturers already using Vention, strengthen the company's position as the only end-to-end platform to design, automate, order, deploy and operate automated equipment and robot cells in the cloud.

MachineBuilder capabilities enhanced for robot cell design

The latest version of MachineBuilder, Vention's cloud-based 3D design software, brings forward the most comprehensive suite of enhancements over the past 36 months with more intuitive and smarter design tools.

Specific product capabilities include:

Robotic programming capabilities pave the way for complex cloud applications

The release of Vention's MachineLogic new code-free programming instructions further simplifies how users program robot arms and all adjacent devices in a robotic cell. Combined with the new scene asset functionality, developers can leverage their digital twin to accelerate the deployment process. Users can now program their robot in the cloud and deploy it directly to the factory floor.

Specific product capabilities include:

Instantly and securely deploy robot cells from the cloud to the factory floor

The inclusion of a new instant deployment functionality empowers robotic developers to transfer programs and machine configurations from a digital twin to a physical machine directly in the web browser. This new feature integrates with Vention's ISO 27001 and NIST-800-171 certified MachineCloud infrastructure, expediting deployment processes and facilitating a seamless redeployment from the digital twin to the real world without disrupting production.

Enhanced user interface authoring added to the cloud robotics platform

Vention adds web development tools and workflows to its cloud-based robot programming platform, enabling advanced users to create and simulate robot applications that contain feature-rich operator interfaces. This new release confirms Vention's commitment to providing an extensible platform that strives to meet the robotics industry's and its practitioners' evolving needs.

In addition, as a continuation of its commitment to the needs of its industry, Vention will publish the second edition of its State of DIY Industrial Automation Report on May 6 . Following its success in 2023, the company has decided to survey their clients again to understand better the trends unveiled last year, such as the emergence of Advanced Manufacturing Teams, the importance of platforming industrial automation and the preference for self-service and self-design.

Quote

"Th ose release s are all about the intersection of robotics and AI-driven design capabilities. Unlike traditional 3D design and offline programming software, Vention's Manufacturing Automation Platform is poised to leverage AI to simplify the design-to-deployment experience. With a dataset comprising over 365,000 automated equipment and robotic cell designs, each labeled with rich geometric data and metadata, and continuous investment in Vention's Geometric Reasoning Engine and Graph Neural Networks, the task of designing, automating, ordering, deploying, and operating robotic cells in the cloud has never been more seamless. And this is just the beginning." Etienne Lacroix , founder and chief executive officer, Vention.

More information at Automate 2024

From May 6 to 9 , visit Vention's booth No.2813 to see six machines in action and attend software demos and educational animations.

Company Founder and CEO Etienne Lacroix will speak twice on May 6 :

About Vention

Vention helps some of the most innovative manufacturers automate their production floors in just a few days through a democratized user experience. Vention's manufacturing automation platform allows clients to design, automate, deploy and operate automated equipment directly from their web browsers. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada , with one office in Berlin , Vention's 300 employees serve 4,000+ customers in five continents and across 25 manufacturing industries.

For more information, visit vention.com or follow us on LinkedIn .

*MachineBuilder, MachineLogic, MachineCloud, and Vention are trademarks of Vention Inc.

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Vention Launches New Cloud-Robotic and AI Capabilities to Accelerate the Design and Deployment of Robot Cells - InvestorsObserver