Category: Automation

Impact Lab > Automation
Automation, Science & Technology News

This Startup’s Cooking Robot Can Prepare Indian Meals From Scratch

By Monit Khanna

Mannu Amrit who showcased a rather interesting food robot named Julia. They’ve created an automated cooking robot that will cook a variety of Indian meals for you.In the series of short videos, you see him pick a recipe that he’d like to eat, from options like chicken curry, rice kheer, curd rice, gajar halwa, he finalised on paneer bhurjiLater he revealed that the dish was ready in around 25 minutes, whereas cutting veggies and prepping beforehand took 5-10 minutesNymble’s Julia cooking robot is still under the early alpha testing stage and it will take time for it to actually be available in the market

Indian food thought tasty is quite cumbersome to make. However, an Indian startup from Bengaluru dubbed Nymble’s cooking robot Julia will make this a thing of the past. 

Continue reading… “This Startup’s Cooking Robot Can Prepare Indian Meals From Scratch”
0
Automation, Science & Technology News

From robots to XR: How 5G is unleashing next-gen manufacturing

5G is a catalyst for the technologies that are poised to transform industrial spaces like the warehouses and the manufacturing floor.

By Greg Nichols 

Connectivity is the name of the game in manufacturing, and the game is getting a whole lot faster, as well as more reliable and secure. Technologies like 5G and edge computing are redefining connectivity in industrial settings like manufacturing and warehouses, bringing efficiency, reliability, and welcome security to the connected machines that make and ship the goods which drive the manufacturing economy.

Speed is the obvious differentiator with the arrival (first in private networks but increasingly in public networks) of 5G, but it takes some unpacking to understand what kinds of functionality that speed can unlock. The edge computing capabilities and lower latency of 5G opens a host of new possibilities for manufacturers to connect and manage advanced robotics, AR/VR deployments, AI, and more robust IoT installations than previously possible.

In other words, 5G will be the engine of digital transformation and a move toward greater automation in manufacturing, and the evolution has already begun. Here are some ways that a new generation of connectivity technologies will transform how products are made and distributed in the near future.

Continue reading… “From robots to XR: How 5G is unleashing next-gen manufacturing”
0
Automation, Science & Technology News

Robot delivery firm Starship Technologies hits 1 million autonomous deliveries milestone


by Paul Skeldon

Starhip has already expanded its UK operations with Co-op

Robot delivery company Starship has made its 1millionth delivery using an autonomous vehicle, a world first

Starship Technologies, provider of autonomous delivery services to. Among others the Co-op, has hit he milestone of making 1 million autonomous deliveries with its robots. It has also secured an additional $17m in finding to continue to expand.

Investors include TDK Ventures and Goodyear Ventures, and the new investment brings Starship’s total funding to $102m to date. The additional funding comes at a time of increasing interest in the autonomous delivery industry. Contactless delivery has proved to be one of the most reliable ways to protect vulnerable populations and enable social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continue reading… “Robot delivery firm Starship Technologies hits 1 million autonomous deliveries milestone”
0
Automation, Business, Housing, Science & Technology News

Construction tech startups are poised to shake up a $1.3-trillion-dollar industry

 Rebar Construction

Rebar is laid before poring a cement slab for an apartment in San Francisco CA.

In the wake of COVID-19 this spring, construction sites across the nation emptied out alongside neighboring restaurants, retail stores, offices and other commercial establishments. Debates ensued over whether the construction industry’s seven million employees should be considered “essential,” while regulations continued to shift on the operation of job sites. Meanwhile, project demand steadily shrank.

Amidst the chaos, construction firms faced an existential question: How will they survive? This question is as relevant today as it was in April. As one of the least-digitized sectors of our economy, construction is ripe for technology disruption.

Construction is a massive, $1.3 trillion industry in the United States — a complex ecosystem of lenders, owners, developers, architects, general contractors, subcontractors and more. While each construction project has a combination of these key roles, the construction process itself is highly variable depending on the asset type. Roughly 41% of domestic construction value is in residential property, 25% in commercial property and 34% in industrial projects. Because each asset type, and even subassets within these classes, tends to involve a different set of stakeholders and processes, most construction firms specialize in one or a few asset groups.

Continue reading… “Construction tech startups are poised to shake up a $1.3-trillion-dollar industry”

0
Automation, Automobiles, Driverless vehicles, quantum computing, Science & Technology News

Quantum sensors could let autonomous cars ‘see’ around corners

414D2E82-9FC2-40C1-BE97-D13018845410

High-precision metrology based on the peculiarities of the subatomic world

Quantum computers get all the hype, but quantum sensors could be equally transformative, enabling autonomous vehicles that can “see” around corners, underwater navigation systems, early-warning systems for volcanic activity and earthquakes, and portable scanners that monitor a person’s brain activity during daily life.

Quantum sensors reach extreme levels of precision by exploiting the quantum nature of matter—using the difference between, for example, electrons in different energy states as a base unit. Atomic clocks illustrate this principle. The world time standard is based on the fact that electrons in cesium 133 atoms complete a specific transition 9,192,631,770 times a second; this is the oscillation that other clocks are tuned against. Other quantum sensors use atomic transitions to detect minuscule changes in motion and tiny differences in gravitational, electric and magnetic fields.

There are other ways to build a quantum sensor, however. For example, researchers at the University of Birmingham in England are working to develop free-falling, supercooled atoms to detect tiny changes in local gravity. This kind of quantum gravimeter would be capable of detecting buried pipes, cables and other objects that today can be reliably found only by digging. Seafaring ships could use similar technology to detect underwater objects.

Continue reading… “Quantum sensors could let autonomous cars ‘see’ around corners”

0
AI, Automation, Military, Robots, Science & Technology News, Weapons

UK Army could be 25-percent robotic by 2030, says British general

37BA6069-92C4-4971-9B6D-E290EE5FB8B3

Do you want Skynet? Because this is how you get Skynet

The big picture: The UK military is moving forward with plans to develop and deploy several thousand combat robots, some which might be autonomous. So far, militaries worldwide have avoided using unmanned technologies in combat situations. Semi-autonomous drones have a pilot who is always at the controls, so humans make the final strike decisions, not AI.

British Army leaders think that by 2030 nearly a quarter of the UK’s ground troops will be robots. That is almost 30,000 autonomous and remote-controlled fighting machines deployed within about a decade.

“I suspect we could have an army of 120,000, of which 30,000 might be robots, who knows?” General Sir Nick Carter told The Guardian in an interview.

Continue reading… “UK Army could be 25-percent robotic by 2030, says British general”

0
Automation, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News, Shopping

Autonomous delivery startup Nuro hits $5 billion valuation on fresh funding of $500 million

7A2BC7FC-2A06-4F70-A20D-C1985DE8D9F6

Nuro R2 delivery bot

Nuro, the autonomous delivery startup founded by two former Google engineers, has raised $500 million, suggesting that investors still have an appetite for long-term pursuits such as robotics and automated vehicle technology. Nuro now has a post-money valuation of $5 billion.

The Series C round was led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., with participation from new investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company and Baillie Gifford. The round also includes existing investors such as SoftBank Vision Fund 1 and Greylock.

Nuro was founded in June 2016 by former Google engineers Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu. While the startup was initially bootstrapped by Ferguson and Zhu, it has never struggled to attract investors. Nuro’s Series A funding round of $92 million, which officially closed in June 2017, included Greylock, Banyan and gave NetEase founder Ding Lei (aka William Ding) a seat on Nuro’s board. But it was the monster $940 million investment made by the SoftBank Vision Fund in February 2019 that catapulted Nuro ahead of numerous other startups attempting to commercialize autonomous vehicle technology. Nuro had a $2.7 billion valuation following the SoftBank investment, meaning its value doubled in about 18 months. That money has helped it grow to more than 650 employees.

Continue reading… “Autonomous delivery startup Nuro hits $5 billion valuation on fresh funding of $500 million”

0
Automation, China, Employment, Robotics, Robots, Science & Technology News

Inside China’s iPhone factory: Fascinating footage shows Apple components being made in a fully automated plant manned by robots

B9FAAA07-43E5-4250-BC7C-31E5211F0FCC

The manufacturer in southern China’s Shenzhen is entirely staffed by robots

The automated plant is dubbed ‘lights-out’ factory with AI-powered machines

It can save costs on labour and energy while improving product quality, it is said

Apple devices and iPhone components are now being produced in a Chinese out-source factory from dusk till dawn without any human workers.

Continue reading… “Inside China’s iPhone factory: Fascinating footage shows Apple components being made in a fully automated plant manned by robots”

0
Automation, Business, China, Driverless vehicles, new technology, Science & Technology News

Chinese Tesla rival Xpeng steers clear of robotaxis, says self-driving trucks more likely to succeed

3A6795BF-87DA-4057-AEC2-A506612500B4

Xpeng’s autopilot system Xpilot 3.0 is expected to be included in its P7 smart sedan in early 2021. Photo: HandoutXpeng’s autopilot system Xpilot 3.0 is expected to be included in its P7 smart sedan in early 2021.

It is difficult for self-driving systems to replace human drivers, especially in densely populated cities, Xpeng’s head of autonomous driving says

Self-driving long-haul trucks and robots handling last-mile deliveries are more likely to be successfully automated, according to Xinzhou Wu

Continue reading… “Chinese Tesla rival Xpeng steers clear of robotaxis, says self-driving trucks more likely to succeed”

0
Alternative Transportation, Automation, Driverless vehicles, new technology, Science & Technology News

DARPA awards contracts for autonomous ‘Sea Train’

34D8B900-3CBC-4491-ADF9-9DB767A37FC7

DARPA concept

 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded contracts for its Sea Train program, which seeks to enable autonomous vessels to perform long-range transit operations.

In September, Applied Physical Sciences Corp., Gibbs & Cox Maritime Solutions and Mar Technologies were chosen for the program, which will include two 18-month phases.

The contract awards’ total potential values were $31.2 million, $30.4 million and $28.5 million, respectively. Through the effort, DARPA wants “to provide some operational flexibility for medium-sized unmanned surface vessels,” said Andrew Nuss, a program manager within the agency’s tactical technology office. Each company is “developing a unique approach to be able to address the goals of the Sea Train program.”

Continue reading… “DARPA awards contracts for autonomous ‘Sea Train’”

0
Alternative Transportation, Automation, Driverless cars, Driverless vehicles, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Lexus is addressing autonomous car anxiety with innovative designs

652CEAB2-3B54-409C-AA6A-0D254480DE66

Lexus is reimagining the future of self-driving cars.

Although the future of autonomous cars is certainly exciting, much of what it will look like remains unknown. Will we still sit in the “driver’s” seat or will the interiors of new cars look more like a café? This is one of thquestions that Lexus is trying to answer.

The luxury carmaker partnered with two TED fellows to try and figure out what the future of self-driving vehicles will look like. Moreover, the project aims to lessen some fears about taking away the interactive part of driving.

Although true autonomous cars won’t be a reality for most consumers anytime soon, addressing these problems now will help make their adoption much smoother.

Continue reading… “Lexus is addressing autonomous car anxiety with innovative designs”

0