The use of robotics in warehouse automation just got a boost. As the world’s billionaires race each other to new frontiers in space while fighting unionization efforts to ensure a living wage for earthlings, Locus Robotics, a producer of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for fulfillment warehouses, has expanded its line of warehouse AMRs. These new form factors meet a broad range of warehouse use cases from ecommerce, case-picking, and pallet-picking to scenarios requiring larger, heavier payloads to support the full range of product movement needs.
“The new LocusBots allow us to further help our clients alleviate significant labor challenges and achieve optimal productivity by using the right bot for the job,” said Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Locus continues to be the proven leader in developing highly productive and innovative AMR technology that efficiently solves our customers’ needs for total warehouse optimization, while delivering a fast time to value.”
Innovations and industry changes in high-precision automation and robotics applications for factory automation have been happening quietly for decades. The number of small, privately-owned companies in the sector may be behind the lack of noise. This week, the Ohio-based Timken Company, a manufacturer of engineered bearings and power transmission products, acquired Spinea, a Slovakian manufacturer of highly engineered cycloidal reduction gears and actuators. Founded in 1994, Spinea is expected to have total sales of about $40 million USD in 2022. Timken itself had $4.1 billion USD in sales in 2021. The company employs more than 18,000 people globally.
Press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/timken-completes-acquisition-of-spinea-301557638.html
Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a demand for garbage-sorting robots.
AMP Robotics Corp. recently expanded its presence in Europe to meet the demand for its AI and automation solutions in waste management by exhibiting at IFAT 2022 for the first time.
AMP installed its first AI-guided robotics systems in the UK and Ireland with Recyco in September 2021. Its team now includes sales support, training, service, and marketing, in addition to direct sales staff focused on serving Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and Switzerland, along with the UK and Ireland.
“AMP is the leading brand in robotics, and that was an important factor for us in choosing a solution to improve our sorting productivity and efficiency,” said Alfredo Vigre, project manager, Waste Treatment Department, FCC Medio Ambiente/Environment. “We tested the robot prior to implementation and were pleased with its ability to recognize and recover materials that optical sorters cannot. It’s been fast and effective, and a great tool for quality control.”
Press release: https://www.amprobotics.com/news-articles/amp-robotics-continues-european-expansion
As with most things, the path to automation is neither straight forward nor universal. Keeping robots online may be a challenge. More of the global internet infrastructure is more vulnerable to attacks than previously believed. About a quarter of the world’s Internet users live in countries that are more susceptible to targeted attacks on their Internet infrastructure than was believed.
That’s the conclusion of a large-scale study conducted by computer scientists at the University of California San Diego.
“We wanted to study the topology of the Internet to find weak links that, if compromised, would expose an entire nation’s traffic,” said Alexander Gamero-Garrido, the lead author of the study.
Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/a-quarter-of-world-s-internet-users-rely-on-infrastructure-at-high-risk-of-attack?ta=home
