Saturday, October 17, 2020

This Japanese Engineer Created the Robots That Make Your Cars - WSJ

It is well-known nowadays that robots do much of the work making a car, their giant arms swinging in precise motion to bolt on doors and weld metal. Less well-known is one of the major figures behind that assembly-line transformation, a Japanese engineer who built an empire at the base of Mount Fuji where his own robots churned out robots for the world's factories.

Born March 5, 1925, in Chikusei, a small city some 50 miles north of Tokyo, Mr. Inaba was the son of a local landowner. He attended what was then known as Tokyo Imperial University during World War II, where he studied arms manufacturing.

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Publisher: WSJ
Date: 2020-10-16T14:00:00.000Z
Author: Chieko Tsuneoka
Twitter: @WSJ
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In case you are keeping track:

Robots Use AI to 'Feel' Pain and Self-Repair | Unite.AI

The newly developed system relies on AI-enabled sensor nodes, which process 'pain' and then respond to it. This pain is identified when there is pressure brought on by an outside physical force. The other major part of the system is self-repair. The robot is able to repair that damage, when the case is a minor 'injury,' all without having to rely on human intervention.

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Most of the world's current robots receive information about their immediate surroundings through a network of sensors. However, these sensors do not process information, but instead send the information to a central processing unit. This central processing unit is where learning takes place, and it means current robots are required to have many wires. This system results in longer response times.

Publisher: Unite.AI
Date: 2020-10-17T18:35:42 00:00
Twitter: @uniteai
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Exoskeleton suits turn car factory workers into human robots | Deccan Herald

Wearable technology is taking on a different meaning in the world of automobiles. As employees age and younger people shun the idea of working on a factory production line, car companies are looking at ways to lighten the load.

High-tech exoskeletons are being explored by firms including Hyundai Motor Co., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. The technology, initially developed to help people who had lost the ability to walk or stand on their own, eases fatigue and helps prevent injury. It's particularly useful for repetitive processes that can't be automated even as robotics makes big inroads into the sector.

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Publisher: Deccan Herald
Date: 2020-10-17T09:54:14 05:30
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Publisher: IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News
Twitter: @IEEESpectrum
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And here's another article:

Bipedal robot developer Agility announces $20M raise – TechCrunch

Agility's robots have been some of the more sophisticated I've seen in recent years. The original ostrich-inspired Cassie really captured the imagination of the robotics community, with a graceful, bipedal gait.

Announced last year, Digit takes things a step further, building on the Cassie base to create a package-delivery robot capable of navigating stairs and other terrain that would prove difficult for a more traditional wheeled ‘bot. In fact, the technology really struck Ford's fancy. The automotive giant announced that it would be Digit's first customer, with plans to use the robot in tandem with self-driving cars for delivery.

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Publisher: TechCrunch
Date: 2020-10-15 08:50:46
Twitter: @techcrunch
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Start-up Profile – Omnirobotic - Reducing the Cost of Robot Programming for 'High Mix'

Editor’s Note: Robotics Business Review’s coverage emphasizes innovation, including start-up companies (or 'young' companies). RBR “Start-Up Profiles” highlight individual start-up companies using a consistent, templated format that makes for quick, yet informed reading, that also simplifies comparative analysis.

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Funding Status – The company recently closed a seed stage investment of US $5M and is not actively seeking new funding at this time.

Publisher: Robotics Business Review
Date: 2020-10-16T13:37:44 00:00
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Poultry Industry Looks Into Use of Robots | Northern Region | lancasterfarming.com

Robots and drones won't bread and fry the chicken, at least not yet, but they have the potential to do a remarkable array of tasks quickly and well.

Normally, the conference hosted by Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc. draws a large crowd to Ocean City, Maryland, but the sessions were held virtually this year because of COVID-19 health concerns.

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"Ideally, we would like it to be like a Roomba — just set it up in your house and press go," Usher said.

Publisher: Lancaster Farming
Date: 2B99F54CA617112F75CE495FAAFCA280
Author: Michael Short Delmarva Correspondent
Twitter: @LancFarming
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Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor Review | PCMag

Lego’s Mindstorms kits take the boundless possibilities of Lego blocks (and the mechanical potential of the Technic system) and add robotics components like servo motors, sensors, and a brain you can program. The Lego Mindstorms EV3 wowed us seven years ago, and the new Lego Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit proves to be well worth the wait.

The Mindstorms Robot Inventor kit comes with 949 pieces, nearly twice as many as the EV3 set. They include four motors (EV3 has three), a color and light sensor, a distance sensor, the new Intelligent Hub, and more than 900 additional Lego Technic and System pieces for building the five robots on the box, with plenty of extras for accessories.

Publisher: PCMAG
Twitter: @pcmag
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