China, the US and Germany all reached new peak levels between 39% and 51%. Auto industry, metals and machinery industries were the main drivers. “In 2011, about 165,000 industrial robots were sold worldwide, by far the highest level ever recorded, 37% more than 2010. The increase of demand in 2010 and 2011 following the worldwide…
Production and Productivity means Jobs
The future is still with us. One day at a time. Each of us has a hand in it. We should be encouraged that every one in engineering positions can can take part in the rebirth of cool in American manufacturing. One small machinery project, new product development project and one new manufacturing process innovation […]
UAV’s finding uses outside of military, space and defense
AeroVironment doing test for FCC of an aerial communications relay station which could be used in the event of a disaster. “Small UAVs can provide instant communications capabilities to preserve lives, property and resources,” says AV VP Roy Minson. World Surveillance Group's Argus Hybrid blimp-like aerostat/airship is a variation on the same theme: to stay on…
Wackiness and STEM-stimulation at MakerFaire
MakerFaire 2012 was a glorious success. A fire-breathing dragon; the audience pedal-powering the electronics for a concert; a dozen R2-D2s; lectures on everything from laser cutting to DARPA’s new STEM outreach program; 3D printers; turkey legs and corn-on-the-cob; and people dressed for the occasion. Click to see 44 pics. MakerFaire, besides being fun and wacky,…
The Homestead & Mechatronics
In 1862 Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act. This act offered to anyone 21 years or older who was a citizen, or declared their intention to become a citizen, 160 acres of Federal land if that person could build a home on the tract and farm the land for five years. Horace Greeley, editor of […]
Navy Buys Eight $33 Million Fire Scout Unmanned Copters
Navy awards Northrop Grumman with $262 million contract for 8 Fire Scouts with plans to add an additional 20 at a later date. The Fire Scout has the ability to autonomously take off and land on any aviation-capable warship, can fly at 125+ knots at up to 20,000 feet, for up to 8 hours. The…
Mako Surgical’s Stock Takes A Big Hit
Stock drops from $41 to $21. Many reasons given: slow sales of RIO systems; utilization rates of existing systems are down; class action suits; and investor restlessness. The problem of utilization rates, ie, systems sitting idle; of surgeons taking a long time to learn to effectively use the system, is not limited to MAKO. It’s…
Finally a Launch Date for Heartland Robotics!
The long awaited launch of Heartland Robotics‘ new co-robot product line finally has a launch date – next January 21-24 at the Automate 2013 show in Chicago. Heartland has reserved a big space right amongst robotics’ largest players. Click here to see the exhibition floor map. It is likely that the actual media launch date…
Reliability, Testing and Wind Power
The end point of design is testing. Prototypes must be built and their ability to meet functional requirements is evaluated through testing. We have to know how the product will survive in the real world. How will customers perceive the product? Are there issues that need to be addressed in order for the product to […]
Largest Robotics Program in DARPA’s History
DARPA has created it’s largest robotics program to date: the DARPA Robotics $2 Million Challenge (DRC), to help the world’s resiliency to disasters through the use of robotics. Some disasters prove too great in scale, scope or hazard for effective human response; hence the DRC’s challenge to develop ground robots capable of executing complex tasks…
Silicon Valley: In Search of a Robotics Cluster
UPDATE 5/7/12: Thorough review of event and situation by Chris O’Brien of the Silicon Valley MercuryNews. He captured the flavor as well as the details. (Saved me from having to write the story!) The May 3rd event in Palo Alto was a forum to talk about cultivating a robotics cluster in the Bay Area. In…
Inventing the Future
Do we decide to invent the future? Is the future of technology decided by a government program? Is necessity the mother of invention? Or is it just about tickling people’s fancies and making a buck? In an increasingly affluent and technologically driven society, is there a mechanism that helps us decide where we focus engineering […]
New spin-off from SRI: Grabit gaining traction
Grabit's electroadhesion gripping products provide a technique for holding or grasping objects without the need of bulky, energy-intensive clamping or vacuum suction devices. Grabit's “grippers” are actually flexible soft pads which, at the flick of a switch, will cling or stick to things to which it comes in contact. Electroadhesion is like a magnet that…
Meka Robotics + Willow Garage + SRI = Redwood Robotics
Meka Robotics, Willow Garage and SRI announced a new startup competitor to Heartland Robotics: Redwood Robotics. …The new website says that Redwood will be offering a new generation of robot arms that are simple to program, inexpensive, and safe to operate alongside people. Those three partners bring a lot of robotic talent to the table…
Recon Robotics: In the news with sales and acquisitions
Last month Recon acquired Xollai LLC, a systems engineering firm with a broad base of intellectual property in automated guidance technology, optics-based autonomous control systems, and image processing and recognition. This month Recon received an order for Scout XT robots for the Washington, DC area for 13 different urban area police, sheriff and security agencies.
List of Publicly-traded Robotics Stocks
Robotics is becoming a big deal and people want to invest in the industry. But choosing robotics stocks is complicated. Many of the companies are international, some are small subsidiaries within much larger companies, many are start-ups or otherwise privately held, and others are outright wastes of time. Here is a list of publicly-traded stocks…
Picking Robotics Stocks Is Complicated; Some Are A Waste Of Time
By Frank Tobe, Editor and Publisher The Robot ReportA copy of this article also appeared on RoboticsTomorrow.com,IT Business Net, A New Domain Net and ECN Magazine. “Pure play” is an investment term that refers to a company which is exclusively focused on a particular product or service. An investor buys stock in pure play companies…