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Iván Hernández Dalas: ARM Institute earns $87M agreement with the Air Force Research Lab

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The Air Force Research Laboratory is working with the ARM Institute on technologies such as human-robot teaming. Source: Adobe Stock The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing or ARM Institute has announced a new five-year cooperative agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL. The agreement has a total ceiling of a combined $87.66 million of government funding and ARM Institute cost share. Under this agreement, the institute will perform research, development, testing, and evaluation to advance dual-use robotics and automation technologies of interest to the U.S. Air Force . “This new cooperative agreement is a significant milestone and signifies a high level of confidence by the AFRL in the ARM Institute, our collaborations, and the robotics projects whose outcomes are driving real industry impact, especially for the defense industry and its supply chain,” stated Jorgen Pedersen, ARM Institute CEO. The Pittsburgh-based ARM Institute is a consortium of more than 45...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Surgical robotics market to double by 2029

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Already worth billions of dollars, the global surgical robotics market will double by 2029, according to a new report from The Robot Report ‘s sister publication MassDevice . The Medtech Market Intelligence Report is nearly 100 pages and authored by Gayle Grimes, veteran editor and analyst. It provides forecasts for inside and outside the United States, as well as major companies in the space including Intuitive, Stryker, Zimmer Biomet, Johnson & Johnson, Globus Medical, Smith+Nephew, CMR Surgical, Medtronic, MicroPort, Karl Storz/Asensus Surgical, and more. With its launch last year of the next-generation da Vinci 5 multiport robot, Intuitive has solidified its position in the surgical robotics market as the dominant soft-tissue systems provider, and Stryker is the largest company in the orthopedic robotic surgery space. A host of other companies, however, are looking to compete. There is plenty of room for growth even in the U.S. alone: of the 10 million annual major operatin...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Robot Talk Episode 135 – Robot anatomy and design, with Chapa Sirithunge

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Claire chatted to Chapa Sirithunge from University of Cambridge about what robots can teach us about human anatomy, and vice versa. Chapa Sirithunge is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow in robotics at the University of Cambridge. She has an undergraduate degree and PhD  in Electrical Engineering from the University of Moratuwa. Before joining the University of Cambridge in 2022, she was a lecturer at Sri Lanka Technological Campus and a visiting lecturer at the University of Moratuwa Sri Lanka. Her research interests span assistive robotics, soft robots and physical human-robot interaction. In addition to her research, she founded Women in Robotics Cambridge to help young minds navigate their path into robotics. View Source
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Advantech integrates compute with D3 Embedded sensing for mobile robots

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Advantech’s AFE-R360 is integrated with RealSense cameras and D3’s DesignCore Discovery series. Source: D3 Embedded While mobile robots are spreading in factories and warehouses, there is still room for their perception and behavior to improve. Advantech Co. this week partnered with D3 Embedded to integrate sense and compute abilities for robots in industrial applications. The collaboration uses Advantech’s  AFE-R60  systems based on Intel  Core Ultra  and RealSense Depth  D457 GMSL2  cameras. It also uses D3’s customizable  DesignCore  Discovery ISX031  PRO  Series GMSL2 cameras to enhance AI-powered object sensing and recognition capabilities. “At Advantech, we are devoted to enabling more robots in more scenarios,” stated Sandy Chen, senior director of Advantech North America. “Our collaboration with D3 Embedded brings together cutting-edge compute and sensing technologies to empower AMRs with the vision and performance need...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Learning robust controllers that work across many partially observable environments

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In intelligent systems, applications range from autonomous robotics to predictive maintenance problems. To control these systems, the essential aspects are captured with a model. When we design controllers for these models, we almost always face the same challenge: uncertainty . We’re rarely able to see the whole picture. Sensors are noisy, models of the system are imperfect; the world never behaves exactly as expected. Imagine a robot navigating around an obstacle to reach a “goal” location. We abstract this scenario into a grid-like environment. A rock may block the path, but the robot doesn’t know exactly where the rock is. If it did, the problem would be reasonably easy: plan a route around it. But with uncertainty about the obstacle’s position, the robot must learn to operate safely and efficiently no matter where the rock turns out to be. This simple story captures a much broader challenge: designing controllers that can cope with both partial observability and model uncerta...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Inside Glacier’s mission to modernize recycling

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The Robot Report Podcast · Inside Glacier’s Mission to Modernize Recycling In Episode 223 of The Robot Report Podcast, hosts Mike Oitzman and Eugene Demaitre recap the major robotics news of the week. Our guest this week is Rebecca Hu-Thrams, co-founder and CEO of Glacier, which is developing systems for the recycling industry. Rebecca Hu-Thrams, CEO and co-founder of Glacier Robotics. With experience in management consulting and a focus on technological advancements, Hu-Thrams has guided Glacier’s mission to improve recycling processes. She discusses the challenges facing material recovery facilities (MRFs) and how her company has designed systems to help detect and sort valuable materials without disrupting existing operations. Rebecca also focuses on how Glacier is applying artificial intelligence and robotics to improving safety and reducing human error. She explains how the company has partnered with industry players to improve the quality of materials removed from th...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Agile Robots acquires thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering

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thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering has locations in Germany and the U.S. Source: Agile Robots A physical AI company is strengthening its industrial automation expertise. Agile Robots SE this week said it is acquiring the assets of thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering in Europe and North America. They were previously part of Automotive Technology segment of thyssenkrupp AG. “Now is the right time to combine AI, robotics, and industrial expertise. Physical AI offers enormous productivity leaps to industrial producers,” stated Zhaopeng Chen, founder and CEO of Agile Robots. “Together with thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering, we are perfectly positioned to drive the next industrial revolution — and to do that from Germany.” Founded in 2018 as a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Munich, Agile Robots said it has deployed more than 20,000 robots and doubled its revenue annually, reaching around €200 million ($231.9 million U.S.) in 2024. thyssenkrupp Automation Engineeri...
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