Robotics

Want to go ice fishing on Jupiter's moon Europa? There's no promising you'll catch anything, but a new set of robotic prototypes could help. Since 2015, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has been developing technologies for use on future missions to ocean worlds. That includes a subsurface probe that could burrow through miles of ice, taking samples along the way; robotic arms that unfold to reach faraway objects; and...

The debut of ‘Project Hero’, a new Discovery vehicle with a tailor-made communications drone and other specialist technology to enhance Red Cross and Red Crescent emergency response operations in the wake of disasters, has been announced by Land Rover.

A new approach to human-robot interaction in industrial environments has been presented by imec, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), University of Hasselt and five industry partners. Introducing new adaptive control software and using gestures to improve human-machine communication, Walt, a collaborative robot (cobot) has been developed that works alongside its human co-workers in a safe and flexible way. Audi Brussels, one of the project partners,...

One of the most important aspects of gearing technology has always been positioning accuracy. Whether gears are used for surgical robots, bomb disposal units or subsea Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), it is important that axial motion is precise. However, this has become increasingly important in recent years. Graham Mackrell, Managing Director of precision gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK, explains the engineering developments that ma...

  The drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) retailer, DronesDirect.co.uk, has launched a drone training course for businesses wishing to operate drones for commercial use. The three-day course gives drone pilots full Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Permission for Commercial Operations (PfCO) accreditation, which allows users to fly drones for commercial purposes. 

  Aeromon has developed a platform for rapidly mapping over 70 different industrial emissions. By deploying sensors in static, handheld and drone mounted configurations, Aeromon uses its cloud-based service to fluidly analyse emissions patterns in any industrial setting - including those that previously proved difficult to access.

On booth 270 at Automate 2017, TQ Systems will showcase its RoboDrive technology as part of its first public appearance in North America. RoboDrive motors were designed by researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) for the International Space Station. TQ RoboDrive is suited for robotics because the motors are compact, are half the weight and half the power losses at the same torque as other...

    TM Robotics, in partnership with Toshiba Machine, announced it has teamed up with ASG. ASG will offer Toshiba Machine robots in both national and international markets.

In industry and in ETH Zurich’s research laboratories, intelligent robots are now being developed and used for transport, health care and manufacturing applications, and you already can find offers for security, maintenance and service robots on the market. What’s more, there are now also less obvious uses for artificial intelligence, such as for financial trading, social networks and digital advertising.

A European-wide initiative has been launched to enhance robotic technology and several UK businesses have secured one of 25 available ‘golden tickets’ to get involved. Automata Technologies, Hexagon Metrology, Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) and Russell Finex are the latest UK beneficiaries from the second and final round of the ROBOTT-NET Voucher Programme, which saw the in-demand vouchers handed out.