Category Archives: Robotics

Medtronic has announced that Ken Washington has been appointed chief technology and innovation officer.

Washington joins Medtronic from Amazon where he served as vice president and general manager of consumer robotics, and will lead technology development across industries including robotics, consumer products, automotive and space in a newly created role, Medtronic said in a press release.

This new leadership role will help Medtronic to harness the innovative spirit of our founders and ensure we are capitalising on our scientific and technological knowledge to invent, innovate and disrupt the healthcare technology market of the future, saidGeoff Martha, chairman and CEO, Medtronic. Dr Washington will help Medtronic expand use of our technology platforms across our portfolioincluding robotics, sensors, implantables and AIimproving our returns on investments in innovation and expanding our technological competitive advantage to drive durable growth.

Prior to his role at Amazon, he was chief technology officer at Ford Motor Company, overseeing development of the companys technology strategy including next-generation vehicle architectures, controls, and automated systems; and he spent seven years at Lockheed Martin in various leadership roles including chief technology officer, chief privacy officer and vice president, Advanced Technology Center, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.

Dr Washington earned a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M University (College Station, USA).

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Amazon executive joins Medtronic to spearhead development in ... - Vascular News

Armach Robotics, Hall D, D01-05 Armach Robotics (Armach) will be showcasing its innovative robotic hull cleaning service, EverClean. Identified as the solution to watch last year, Armachs technology has since successfully completed its proof-of-concept phase for the hull cleaning system by demonstrating the effectiveness of its robots to a select number of commercial ship operators, who have now entered into an early adopter phase with Armach. For more information, visit: https://www.armachrobotics.com

Representatives available for interview:

John Dunn Jr, Chief Operations Officer John holds a critical role in developing and overseeing Armachs ongoing business operations. Possessing over 20 years of previous experience in vessel engineering, vessel, and ROV management, his main focus at Armach Robotics is the strategic planning of the business and the operational infrastructure of its systems. John joined Armach because of the paradigm shift that intelligent, autonomous robots will bring to the ship-husbandry space, and the desire to help enable that change.

Rob Howard, Chief Growth Officer Rob joined Armach Robotics to be a part of revolutionizing ship husbandry through Armachs intelligence-based, proactive in-water hull cleaning service, and the change that will bring from a vessel efficiency and environmental standpoint to the maritime industry.

Alex Kern, Director of Sales and Marketing Alex Kern joined Armach Robotics as Director of Sales & Marketing, building upon his 10-year career in marine robotics. With a passion for marine robotics, Alex joined Armach Robotics for the opportunity to change the world for a more sustainable future.

Press Release

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Armach Robotics' To Showcase Their Novel Hull Cleaning Solution ... - Marine Insight

When AMP Robotics started in 2014, robots and artificial intelligence were still uncommon enough that recycling facilities often announced each new installation and even gave their robot a name.

Today, AMP still names the robots it builds, but thats mostly to help employees differentiate orders when managing the shipment of multiple similar-looking pieces of technology. To date, AMP has installed a fleet of almost 300robots in facilities around the world, and it has further plans to expand into the European market. The company says its AI-powered neural network, shared by all the robots, can recognize about 75 billion objects a year.

In November, AMP officially opened its nearly 84,000-square-foot headquarters in Louisville, Colorado, which the company says gives it the R&D, manufacturing and demonstration space necessary to carry out some of its long-term plans.Though AI-assisted robotic technology is still the companys focal point, CEO Matanya Horowitz has moved in recent years to expand its horizons, most recently by opening three company-run secondary sortation facilities:one a few miles away in Denver and two more in Cleveland and Atlanta. Breaking into that kind of operation is a fairly unique move among MRF equipment companies and within the industry in general.

In the near future, AMP aims get involved in building single-stream MRF facilities, Horowitz said. Details on what those MRF projects could look like, or whether AMP will operate them or partner with other waste companies on certain elements, are still in development. Yet Horowitz said its a logical next step for the company.

We think we have something very special when it comes to the whole facility, like the fact that you can be fully automated, said Horowitz. It really changes how you think about running 24/7. It really changes the economics of smaller recycling programs, changes the economics of where it's viable to put these facilities. We can start to see a path to making really substantive structural change in the industry.

Investors have recently put their faith in the company with new rounds of venture capital funding. AMP announced earlier in May that it received series C funding from the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, bringing in a total of $99 million for the round when combined with investments led by Congruent Ventures and Wellington Management.

The funding represents a major step forward from the early years of the company, when AMP received smaller contributions from the National Science Foundation and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade that at the time served as an important boost.

AMP plans to eventually go public, but I wouldn't say that that's a near-term thing. Were not ready yet, Horowitz said. We have hundreds of robots out there. We have whole facilities now. And so bringing on additional capital to scale that further is really the goal.

Robotics and parts are stored at AMPs headquarters facility in Louisville, Colo.

Megan Quinn/Waste Dive

AMP has designed its headquarters facility to have space for all the innovations it hopes to build. In addition to providing offices for its 200 employees, the building is a demonstration center that allows customers like brands and packaging producers to test their materials on different machines or experiment with recent advancements.

The facility also houses the companys R&D functions and engineering lab, where AMP develops, tests and adjusts technology upgrades or brand-new designs.

On a recent day, Alex Kee, AMPs senior mechanical engineer, switched on one of the companys Cortex robotic sorting systems similar to the type installed in most customers facilities. Part of the companys business model is being able to upgrade fleet software with new features, such as one AMP is currently refining: an advanced targeting algorithm that helps make the robots grip more accurate.

Kee brought up a heat map on a large screen, which showed a crushed HDPE container on the belt. Glowing light-colored spots indicated ideal flat spots for the robot to grip, while darker areas showed folds and creases that would be tricker places to grab. Once optimized, the technology could increase pick precision for the material between 5% and 10%, he said.

Alex Kee,AMPs senior mechanical engineer, operates one of AMPs robots at the companys headquarters.

Megan Quinn/Waste Dive

In another corner of the lab, the companys new Cortex-C was sorting a sample set of bottles, cans and containers. The new sorter is a lightweight, belt-mounted version of the original Cortex.Although it operates about 20% slower than its larger cousin, Horowitz said it can replace at least one manual sorter and fit into tighter spaces at MRFs. AMP officially announced the new model at the beginning of May.

Another piece of equipment in the lab started as a bespoke R&D project: the Vortex, a sorter that hovers over the belt to suck up film plastic. It was originally developed as part of AMPs Customer Innovation Program, which works with industry stakeholders to build new technology.Engineers started thinking about how to use the Vortex to solve film contamination issues at AMPs own secondary sortation facilities, said Jake Fitzgerald, director of hardware engineering.

Some of the secondary facilities had up to 10% film in their input stream, an amount that would be catastrophic for a primary MRF, Horowitz said.We wanted [the Vortex] for ourselves pretty badly because were processing much more residue than a typical MRF, he said.

Only a few Vortex sorters have been deployed so far, including one at a Waste Connections facility in Pennsylvania, Fitzgerald said.Waste Connections announced last year that it had either ordered or deployed at least 50 AMP sorters in the last few years, making them AMPs largest customer.

Horowitz said the company is also positioning itself to capitalize on the industrys increased interest in film sortation, as companies like WM partner with Dow on curbside film collection and major plastic producers target film plastic as a possible chemical recycling feedstock.

AMP is a member of The Recycling Partnerships Film and Flexibles Recycling Coalition, which is working on ways to increase curbside recycling and find end markets for film and flexible products.

We're trying to solve a couple different things for people. One is the MRFs just want the film out of the system. Then there are the people buying the film who want high-quality film, Horowitz said.

At the same time, brands are using more flexible packaging than ever before. Theres a real need to make that compatible with the existing recycling industry, he said.

Whether a MRF treats items like flexible packaging as a commodity or as contamination, Horowitz wants AMP to be able to adjust the technology for either outcome. AMPs work in secondary sortation has already challenged the equipment to sort though dirtier and dirtier material. Its operationally challenging, but it also teaches the AI and robotics to work efficiently in harsh conditions. That could help other MRFs when handling periods of high contamination, he said.

Contamination can kill recycling programs, Horowitz said. You still want all the education programs to help, and you still want to have the value of the recyclables be as high as possible, but [the technology]can at least help you be a little bit more resilient if you don't get the material you want.

AI identification of materials on a conveyor belt

Permission granted by AMP Robotics

AI capabilities are at the heart of AMPs operations, but recent congressional hearings and discussions over how to regulate other forms of AI, like ChatGPT, have started national conversations about what role AI will play in the future.

Horowitz said AMP already facesU.S.export restrictions due to the AI it uses it cant ship to places like Iran and North Korea, for example but hes not concerned about the companys ability to continue developing and improving AI capabilities in coming years.

It's something we follow, but it's not going to substantially change our direction, and it certainly will not create any issues for the deployment of the technology, he said.It's actually a very exciting time to be in AI, and we're really well placed to take advantage of it.

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AMP Robotics breaks in Colorado headquarters as it eyes future ... - Waste Dive

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West Linn robotics team 2B Determined learns to lead and change ... - West Linn Tidings

Titan Medical is licensing out its IP to Intuitive Surgical, one of the largest players in the surgical robotics market. The move comes as Titan Medical is undergoing a significant change in its structure and leadership.

Under the agreement, Titan has granted Intuitive a non-exclusive license to all of Titans IP, with the exception of the IP that is exclusively licensed to another party under a June 2020 license agreement.

Titan said it retains ownership of the licensed IP, along with the associated rights including the right to continue to develop and commercialize the technologies covered by the licensed IP and the right to license the IP to other third parties.

The Toronto, Ontario-based company also said Cary Vance, its president and CEO will step down from the position. Paul Cataford, the boars chair will become interim president and CEO. The company said that Vance would still be on the board.

Titan Medical has been going through change since late last year, when it announced it would begin strategic alternatives, which included a potential merger or sale of assets. During this time, the company furloughed 40 of its employees. Titan would go on to layoff four members of its leadership team in February.

Titans first trouble first began bubbling up in 2019 when its announced it was delaying filing for 510(k) clearance of the single-port system called Sport.

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No Longer a 'Titan' in Surgical Robotics - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry

Revolutionary New GPT AI Integration Produces Unprecedented Acceleration of Verifiable Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Maneuvers and Behaviors

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Perrone Robotics, Inc. ("Perrone"), the industry's leading autonomous vehicle (AV) kit and turnkey AV solutions provider, is proud to announce a major breakthrough in the field of autonomous mobility with the integration of General Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) AI technology into its General Purpose Robotics Operating System, MAX. MAX is Perrone Robotics' software platform that forms the basis of the Company's vehicle agnostic TONY AV kit. This fusion marks a significant milestone in advancing the capabilities of autonomous vehicles, leading to a substantial increase in the number of vehicle maneuvers and expanding the operational design domains for autonomy.

The integration of GPT AI technology with MAX empowers the Company's TONY-based autonomous vehicles with the ability to evaluate a massive number of possible maneuvers to undertake at an unprecedented scale, enabling them to make fully informed decisions in complex and dynamic environments. By harnessing GPT AI's natural language processing and deep learning capabilities, MAX gains enhanced perception, reasoning, and planning capabilities, resulting in improved safety, efficiency, and adaptability.

One of the most remarkable outcomes of this fusion is the massive acceleration in the creation of autonomous vehicle maneuvers. The integration of GPT AI with MAX enables the unprecedented exponential generation of autonomous maneuvers, enhancing the vehicle's ability to navigate intricate scenarios with precision and versatility. This breakthrough sets the stage for a new era of fully autonomous operations, as Perrone Robotics' autonomous vehicles have become increasingly capable of adapting to a wide range of driving conditions and challenges.

What's more, given the patented configurable and modular MAX software platform, a practical means for verification and validation of newly created maneuvers was also discovered. This approach combined with Perrone Robotics' existing patented approach to safety verification of AVs, provides a new way for verifying, both offline and online, the safe operation of fully autonomous vehicle systems.

Paul Perrone, CEO of Perrone Robotics, shared his excitement about this pioneering development, stating, "The fusion of GPT AI technology with MAX represents a significant leap forward for autonomous vehicles. We are thrilled to witness the exponential expansion in possible operational scenarios and design domains, unlocking endless possibilities for autonomous mobility. This integration not only improves the maneuver generation capacity but also strengthens the overall autonomy of our vehicles, bringing us closer to a future of safe and efficient fully automated transportation."

About Perrone RoboticsPerrone is a leading provider of fully automated vehicle systems. The company delivers mobility excellence via TONY (short for "TO Navigate You"), a vehicle independent retrofit kit for use in the automated transit of people and goods in geo-fenced and localized operations. TONY embeds inside any vehicle type or model, for any job application to provide a complete "artificial driver" solution that brings full autonomy in a safety certifiable framework. Proven, piloted, and in commercial production, Perrone automated systems help commercial, municipal, and governmental customers increase transportation efficiencies, enhance safety, and accelerate zero-emission electric vehicle deployment. The company also offers a portfolio of existing turnkey automated shuttles and vehicles pre-integrated with the TONY AV-Retrofit kit.

MAX is patented in the U.S. (9,195,233, 9,833,901, 10,331,136, 10,379,007, 11,280,704, and 11,314,251). MAX' GPT AI integration is patent pending. Additional U.S. and International patents pending. MAX, Perrone Robotics, TONY, & Mobility of People and Things are trademarks of Perrone Robotics.

Media Contacts:

Perrone Robotics

Nick Pilipowskyj Vice President Business Operations [emailprotected]

SOURCE Perrone Robotics Inc

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PERRONE ROBOTICS UNVEILS GROUNDBREAKING FUSION OF ... - PR Newswire

This week Belgian-Spanish startupuWare Roboticshas secured 500,000 in seed funding from Semper Amplifi.

uWare Robotics is aiming to revolutionise underwater data gathering for marine conservation and blue industry.

Using proprietary technology, the company has developed the uOne, an accessible autonomous underwater drone capable of highly detailed, geolocalised and synchronised data gathering.

The uOne collects data at speeds vastly exceeding divers, currently mapping up to 5000m2 in a 2 hour dive interval, with the ability to cover vast areas by itself, eliminating the risk to human life.

Using AI technology, the underwater robot rapidly gathers data such as high-resolution RGB imagery, temperature and depth readings to monitor coastal ecosystems and related infrastructure. uWare then has the algorithms available to create 2D and 3D maps as well as to automatically analyse them.

A user can single-handedly program the mission in minutes and then deploy and retrieve the drone from a small vessel or shore without entering the water, reducing the environmental impact of a monitoring operation.

The underwater robot is particularly relevant to any scenario where standardized, repeatable and accessible data gathering is needed, enhancing what is currently done with divers and small ROVs.

This can be anything from mapping and monitoring a seagrass meadow for marine conservation management to creating and updating digital twins of ports, ships and other infrastructure for maintenance purposes.

The company will utilise the funding to enhance market validation and expand partnerships, such as its nascent collaboration with Fraunhofer research group Smart Ocean Technologies lab, and position the company to impact underwater inspection and conservation significantly. According to Jann Witte, from the research group:

Fraunhofer SOT is interested to work with the uOne for the frequent monitoring of our artificial reefs at the DOL because of its capabilities in autonomous gathering of geolocalized benthic habitat pictures with synchronized data points.

So far, this monitoring occured previously with scientific divers and we intend to build on this experience for a use case on autonomous ecosystem monitoring for reefs.

The newly added focus on dual-use technology is a nascent strategic decision to support NATO and its allies in securing our critical underwater infrastructures.

uWare is now preparing its growth round, which will be used to prepare the production phase and the team for international commercialization.

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uWare robotics map what lies beneath the ocean with its ... - Tech.eu

Good afternoon.

This time last year, the quiet backstreets of Oxford saw something the rest of Europe had never seen before; a fully autonomous vehicle on public roads - without a single person on board.

This journey marked a milestone for Oxa, formerly Oxbotica, one of Britains most successful spinouts, in its mission to bring universal autonomy: the ability of any vehicle, of any size, in any place, to drive itself safely and sustainably.

Meanwhile, in the skies above Oxford, were planning on building highways of a different kind.

Project Skyway - with funding from our 125 million Future Flight Programme intends to build the worlds longest and largest drone superhighway, connecting the airspace above British towns and cities from Reading and Rugby to Coventry and Cambridge.

Not that thats the only thing happening up there in the air; British start-up, sees.ai, has just been granted permission to use its drones to inspect power lines beyond the visual line of sight.

Uniquely capable of close inspection, sees.ai can cut the need for helicopters and planes, making a dangerous job safer, cheaper and better.

Each of these 3 stories show the extraordinary pace of the robotics revolution since the millennium.

And they show that Britains boldest entrepreneurs are right at the forefront.

Thats just as well. Because we need innovation now more than ever.

From the net zero transition to the impacts of an ageing society, today we find ourselves facing challenges new and old.

For centuries, Britain has been defined by its ability to answer these kinds of big questions by rethinking, reimagining, and reinventing.

And if we are to shape the world in the same in the century to come, then we must once more be bold enough to do things differently.

Whether that means using robotics to help hard-working carers to make the lives of elderly people healthier and happier or applying automation to keep wind turbines turning far out at sea.

The robots you will have seen just next door are already changing the way we interact with some of the most dangerous environments on Earth and beyond.

From navigating nuclear decommissioning and exploring outer space, the 112 million we invested in the Robotics for a Safer World programme brought together our world-leading universities to create cutting-edge R+D in clusters across every corner of our country.

And British companies are making a difference in other impactful ways, too.

In Cambridge, CMR Surgical is using robotics to improve the safety, accuracy, and repeatability of keyhole surgery.

And, having joined Britains ever-growing list of unicorns, its technology is already transforming care far beyond Cambridge.

Its reducing waiting lists and speeding up recoveries everywhere from Edinburgh to India, Bangor to Brazil.

On every continent, then, British answers to those big questions are making our lives longer, healthier, and happier.

And to the scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors coming up with their own answers beyond our shores, I can tell you with confidence that Britain is open for business.

The opportunities here are extraordinary: our own statistics show that the productivity boost of robotics adoption in just 7 service sectors of our economy could be up to 150 billion in 2035 that is just short of the current GVA of the entire UK financial services industry!

But, of course, those opportunities come with risks.

And, to tackle those risks, weve got to get the regulation right.

So that, rather than stealing our jobs, robots can do the dull, dirty, or dangerous work that people cannot or do not want to do and improve the quality, safety, and productivity of the work we can and want to do.

Because my departments mission doesnt end with making Britain a science and tech superpower; we want to translate that superpower status into tangible benefits for the British people.

Thats regulation is right at the heart of my agenda.

Just last week, I met with the Prime Minister and CEOs from 3 of the worlds foremost AI businesses.

Together, we discussed how we can capitalise on Britains unique position of influence and shared a commitment to deliver on the agile approach to AI governance that we set out in our recent White Paper.

Because unlocking the potential robotics revolution requires public confidence that these technologies are being used in a safe and responsible way.

And we are determined to work domestically and internationally, as well as with many of you, to put the necessary guardrails in place.

Coming out of that meeting, I felt a renewed confidence.

That a government unafraid to look to the world beyond Whitehall to work together with industry and academia can get it right not just on regulation, but on skills and investment, too.

Whether you want to build self-driving cars, superhighways in the sky, or surgical robots in the operating room.

Together, we can make Britain the best place in the world to start and scale a safe and successful robotics business.

I wish you a safe and successful conference. Thank you very much for inviting me here to speak.

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Secretary of State's opening speech at Robotics and Automation ... - GOV.UK

MUKILTEO, Wash., June 1, 2023Mukilteo Robotics senior team Modulo, returned from Dallas, Texas in May, after competing against the top robotics teams from across the globe in the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship.

I am so proud of the hard work and dedication they put into earning their spot at this competition, Kamiak Principal Steven Shurtleff told the Lynnwood Times. Their creativity and teamwork are to be commended.

This year the VEX Robotics challenge was Spin Up which had over 11,500 teams from 40 countries competing for the top spot. Team Modulo finished 46 out of 79 in their division, winning a total of five of ten games. The primary objective of the game is to build a bot using approved materials that could shoot yellow disks into nets.

It was fun to watch the Modulo team at Worlds, Mukilteo Robotics Coach Pete Stiles said. They never gave up on their robot, determined what could be done better and spent all their efforts to improve it.

In our final match, the bot was working reasonably well and we ended up beating one of the top teams, which was a nice accomplishment to finish VEX with, said Sean, the former club president and team leader of Modulo.

Team members Sean, Derek, Oliver, Scott, Vincent, and Long spent months preparing for the competition and constantly improving their bot for the challenge.

It was very fun and I got to talk with a lot of different people from around the world, said Derek, a team member on Modulo. [] I felt that it was a fulfilling

experience.

Though building and programming played a fundamental part of being in a robotics team, Derek shared that he believed being able to talk with other people, and communication with other teams were equally essential skills.

It was amazing to see all the robotics teams that were there. I have watched a lot of robot reveals and match videos on youtube so it was really cool to see those teams in person, said Sean.

Modulo, being a relatively new team, accomplished much in their two years in VEX.

Modulo is special because we exist solely because of the passion of our team, Sean told the Lynnwood Times. This organization had to be completely rebuilt after COVID, so it is impressive that we were able to produce a worlds-level robot, basically out of thin air. The hill we had to climb to get to worlds was much taller than other teams.

Mukilteo Robotics has consistently provided an inclusive environment, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds to learn how to overcome complex challenges. Both robot parts and field elements can be expensive, with this year alone costing Mukilteo Robotics over $11,000, and next years estimated cost being approximately $30,000. Many teams in Washington state require a membership fee upwards of several thousand dollars. Mukilteo Robotics, however, is free for all who are willing to put in the work and dedication.

This is made possible by the facility that ElectroImpact allowed the teams to use, along with their initial $3,000 donation, as well as contributions from Kevin Taylor, the owner of Fastest Labs in Texas, who provided the majority of funding for Modulos trip to worlds .

Stiles explains that he would like to gradually grow the club by welcoming newcomers, instructing them, and inspiring their enthusiasm to become competitive.

Aside from their senior team, Mukilteo Robotics also has a middle school team dubbed Liberi, a freshman team named Nox, as well as a high school team called Skill Issue.

This year, all four teams got invitations to the Washington State-level competition. Skill Issue was awarded Judges Award, an award that is given to a team that demonstrates communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, and a student-centered ethos.

The club president for the upcoming year, Rachel, alongside other board members, are determined in their commitment to advance a greater number of teams to both state-level and global competitions.

I hope that Mukilteo Robotics can send at least one team every year to worlds, affirmed Stiles.

Mukilteo Robotics plans to open another high school team, as well as add new members to its existing teams applications close on June 2.

Mukilteo Robotics gives you the freedom to build and design whatever you want,

Rachel told the Lynnwood Times. You have the freedom to build and design whatever you want, with the only limits being your imagination which is one of the reasons I love this club so much.

As a woman in the stem field, and the first female president of the robotics club, Rachel shares, The STEM field is competitive, and the imbalance between men and women in the STEM field leaves women feeling out of place. she said. But I hope to show young girls that they can have a successful career, even in a historically male-dominated field.

On Thursday, June 1, Mukilteo Robotics will be hosting an open house event, providing an opportunity for the public, parents, and sponsors to gain insight into the workings of the club. To learn more information about the open house, email hello@mukilteorobotics.org.

Robotics requires passion and experience. You need experience in order to know how to build an optimal robot and you need passion in order to make that into a reality, shared Sean.

The game for next years season, Over Under was announced during the 2023-2024 World Competition, a game where robots shoot acorns into nets and climb towers.

It looks really fun because it requires multiple components to be designed, built, and tested. It will be exciting to see teams test their acorn-shooting and tower-climbing robots, said Sean.

To learn more about Mukilteo Robotics visit https://mukilteorobotics.org/.

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Mukilteo Robotics team Modulo reflects on their World ... - Lynnwood Times

onurdongel

Re-shoring and automation are key takeaways for global companies following 2022's volatility. Uncertain geopolitical conditions and upheaval across parts of Asia and South America cast doubt on the previous multinational cooperation capitalists enjoyed in the 2000s and early part of the 2010s. Today, harnessing automation and investing in robotics, moving away from second and third-world labor markets and materials sources, are growing in importance.

I have a buy rating on the ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF (NYSEARCA:ROBO).

BofA Global Research

According to the issuer, the ROBO ETF invests in global companies that are driving transformative innovations in robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (RAAI), including companies that create technology to enable truly intelligent systems that can sense, process, and act, and companies that apply those technologies to deliver RAAI-enabled products - including robots - to businesses and consumers.

The ETF features a high 0.95% annual expense ratio, so I don't suggest owning this beyond an intermediate time horizon. With 79 equity holdings, net assets are more than $1.3 billion while the median 30-day bid/ask spread is a bit high at 0.15% - so, using limit orders during periods of light liquidity is prudent. Average daily volume is more than 100,000 shares, while the total dollar volume is decent at $6.2 million.

Digging into the portfolio, data from Morningstar show that ROBO is very much a growth-heavy fund. More than half the allocation is on the right side of the Style Box, with just 1% of ROBO in value. So, lower interest rates should generally help the ETF, but broader macro trends in favor of AI and automation have overtaken the rate-trade factor in recent months. With a high P/E ratio and low yield, this is not a fund for value and income-oriented investors, but earnings quality is high. It's also important to note ROBO's small-cap bent - being equal weight in nature means more SMID exposure versus cap-weighted funds.

Morningstar

ROBO is not a concentrated portfolio. Just 17% of the fund is invested in the top 10 holdings. Also, there is a diverse sector, industry, and geographic exposure, according to ROBOGLOBAL. Still, Industrials and Energy comprise most of the sector breakdown, while Healthcare has about a 13% weight in the ETF.

ROBOGLOBAL

For a check on seasonal trends, data from Equity Clock show a bullish stretch ahead for ROBO. After often notching a low in March, on average, the ETF steadily rises with higher highs and higher lows from Q2 through early Q4. The end of the year has typically featured a strong thrust. From the end of May into mid-October can be volatile, though.

Equity Clock

ROBO has some positive technical features. Notice in the chart below that shares has been working on a rounded bottom pattern. Just recently, the fund broke out from a symmetrical triangle consolidation formation, but there is still some resistance just above $55 to work through. I see the next resistance near the 2021 lows around $60 - that is also where a significant amount of volume by price enters the picture.

But with a now-rising 200-day moving average, the bearish trend has been reversed. Overall, I like the momo on ROBO, and see higher prices ahead. $50 appears as key support, so long here with a stop under that price point looks favorable.

StockCharts.com

Despite a high valuation and lukewarm seasonal trends, I like the emerging bullish trend in ROBO. Near-term upside is likely, but the low $60s to near $70 could be tougher to navigate through.

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ROBO A Buy Amid Robotics Optimism And Ongoing Re-Shoring ... - Seeking Alpha