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Iván Hernández Dalas: Otis shares the secrets to controlling elevators for robots

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Image of a mobile robot waiting for an elevator, generated by Adobe Firefly. | Credit: The Robot Report Farmington, Conn.-based Otis Worldwide Corp. is a global leader in vertical transportation, a legacy built on Elisha Otis’s 1852 invention of the safety elevator that continues today through the manufacturing and servicing of elevators, escalators, and moving walkways worldwide. Mobile robots and elevators didn’t mix A decade ago, integrating autonomous mobile robots ( AMRs ) with elevators was extremely challenging, mainly due to local elevator permitting restrictions and the lack of digital, standardized interfaces for controlling the elevators. Interfacing with the controls on the elevator was difficult for robots, until digital APIs were supported. | Credit: Adobe Stock Around 2018 to 2019, Otis recognized the growing demand and adoption of robots, especially driven by China. The company built on existing elevator technology while focusing on creating cloud-based, digit...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Robot Talk Episode 138 – Robots in the environment, with Stefano Mintchev

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Claire chatted to Stefano Mintchev from ETH Zürich about robots to explore and monitor the natural environment. Stefano Mintchev is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Robotics at ETH Zürich in Switzerland. He has a Ph.D. in Bioinspired Robotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Italy, and conducted postdoctoral research at EPFL in Switzerland, focused on bioinspired design principles for versatile aerial robots. At ETH Zürich, Stefano leads a research group working at the intersection of robotics and environmental science, developing robust and scalable bioinspired robotic technologies for monitoring and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. View Source
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Iván Hernández Dalas: LimX Dynamics unveils TRON 2 shape-shifting limbed robot

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The TRON 2 can be configured into a variety of two-limbed kinematic orientations with legs or arms. | Credit: LimX Dynamics The TRON 2 from LimX Dynamics is a modular embodied AI platform designed for research and industrial application development. It can be configured in three ways, allowing for transitions among a dual-armed biped, a wheeled-leg form, and a sole-feet setup, depending on a specific task’s requirements. The platform is designed for research laboratories needing a test bed that can be easily modified to support various modalities and projects, said the Shenzhen, China-based company . TRON 2 architecture allows multiple configurations The LimX TRON 2 can easily be configured as a stationary humanoid torso, and fitted with grippers or robotic hands for research or as an AI training platform. | Credit: LimX Dynamics The TRON 2 system is built on a modular hardware architecture that supports three primary modes: Dual-arm configuration: Used for manipulation tas...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: RealMan Robotics open-sources its RealSource robot dataset

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RealMan said it hopes to break data silos and accelerate embodied intelligence research with RealSource. | Source: RealMan Robotics RealMan Intelligent Technology Co. announced the open-source release of RealSource, its high-quality, multi-modal robot dataset. The company said it designed this dataset to address the industry’s shortage of fully aligned real-world data. The dataset is built entirely on 10 real-world simulated environments within the company ‘s Beijing Humanoid Robot Data Training Center. Opened in August, this training center brings together core technology R&D, scenario-based application testing, operator training, and ecosystem collaboration. When creating the dataset, RealMan said it focused on data quality and complete multi-modal coverage.  Founded in 2018, the Beijing-based company creates robotic arms and mobile robots that cater to retail, food service, commercial services, inspections, healthcare, education, aerospace, and industrial production. ...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Flexxbotics continues expansion, opening office at Newlab in Detroit

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Flexxbotics banner. The software-defined manufacturing automation provider has opened an office in Detroit. Flexxbotics, a leading provider of process control software for automated manufacturing, today announced a strategic expansion with new offices in Newlab at Michigan Central in Detroit. The company said the new facilities position it for tighter collaboration with customers and partners across the Midwest. “We’re excited to welcome Flexxbotics to Newlab Detroit,” said Riley Hall, general manager at Newlab. “Flexxbotics is an ideal fit for our community – their technology is built for next-generation manufacturing environments, and their focus on deployment and scalability reflects exactly the kind of innovation we aim to support here in Detroit.” Newlab said it helps industrial technology startups commercialize and scale faster by aligning infrastructure, commercialization projects, and capital in locations with strategic advantages. The organization operates five innovatio...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: CMR Surgical receives FDA clearance for Versius Plus surgical robot

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Versius Plus does not require dedicated staffers to move between departments or operating rooms. | Source: CMR Surgical CMR Surgical this week said its second-generation surgical robotic platform, Versius Plus, has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for cholecystectomy, or gallbladder removal, procedures. “This 510(k) clearance represents an exciting new chapter for CMR Surgical as we introduce Versius Plus to the U.S. market,” said Massimiliano Colella, CEO at CMR Surgical.  “Built on years of global clinical use data, Versius Plus delivers the flexibility and intelligence today’s healthcare institutions need to advance robotic-assisted surgery. It’s inspiring to see our new technology transforming the landscape of surgical care.” Founded in 2014, CMR has worked with surgeons, surgical teams, and hospital partners to develop a tool to make minimal access  surgery  (MAS) more accessible and affordable. Versius has a compact, portable...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Artificial tendons give muscle-powered robots a boost

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Researchers have developed artificial tendons for muscle-powered robots. They attached the rubber band-like tendons (blue) to either end of a small piece of lab-grown muscle (red), forming a “muscle-tendon unit.” Credit: Courtesy of the researchers; edited by MIT News. Our muscles are nature’s actuators. The sinewy tissue is what generates the forces that make our bodies move. In recent years, engineers have used real muscle tissue to actuate “biohybrid robots” made from both living tissue and synthetic parts. By pairing lab-grown muscles with synthetic skeletons, researchers are engineering a menagerie of muscle-powered crawlers, walkers, swimmers, and grippers. But for the most part, these designs are limited in the amount of motion and power they can produce. Now, MIT engineers are aiming to give bio-bots a power lift with artificial tendons. In a study which recently appeared in the journal Advanced Science ,  the researchers developed artificial tendons made from tough and ...
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