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Iván Hernández Dalas: How gearbox ratio selection impacts inertia matching, servo tuning, and machine performance

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Sponsored by GAM. Imagine a small child trying to push a full-size adult in a shopping cart. It’s possible to get the cart moving (barely), but it would be very hard to start or stop. Steering could be disastrous—the child may not make it around a corner in time. A high inertia ratio between a load and a servo motor is like a small child pushing a heavy cart; it would be difficult to start and stop, and response can be sluggish. (Image courtesy of GAM.) “In servo tuning, this is when you don’t have enough of a ratio in your gearbox, and your inertia ratio between your motor and load is too high,” says Matt Ruggles, senior design engineer at GAM, a U.S.-based manufacturer of servo gear reducers and other motion control components. Now consider a large adult who doesn’t know their own strength, pushing a small child in a shopping cart. They could completely overpower the cart, making turns too fast and throwing the child around inside the basket, potentially hurting them. “This wo...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Robot Talk Episode 150 – House building robots, with Vikas Enti

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Claire chatted to Vikas Enti from Reframe Systems about using robotics and automation to build climate-resilient, high-performance homes. Vikas Enti is the co-founder and CEO of Reframe Systems , a physical AI company rethinking how homes are built through automation and localized fabrication. He previously spent more than a decade at Amazon Robotics, where he helped scale advanced robotics systems across global logistics networks. Today, he is applying those same principles of systems design and repeatable production to address the housing shortage. Vikas focuses on building climate-resilient, high-performance homes faster and more predictably than traditional methods. View Source
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Iván Hernández Dalas: VDMA says Version 3.0 of VDA 5050 will help mobile robot fleets scale

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VDA 5050 is intended to enable communications among mobile robots from different vendors. Source: Shutterstock VDMA Materials Handling, one of the largest industry associations in Europe, recently released Version 3.0 of its VDA 5050 communication interface. The interface makes it possible to operate different mobile robots with a single control system in a mixed fleet. “Version 3.0 of VDA 5050 creates the conditions necessary to meet the growing demands for efficiency and flexibility in intralogistics material flow,” said Dr. Marcus Bollig, managing director of VDA. “The update provides exactly the tools we need for the next stage of automation in mobile robots – and thus becomes a strategic building block for the future viability of global production and logistics environments.” VDA 5050 is an open interface that structures communication between a master controller and various mobile robots according to standardized  parameters. It therefore enables heterogeneous  fleet...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Agile Robots to deploy Google DeepMind foundation models on its humanoid

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Agile Robots and Google DeepMind say their partnership is built on the belief that applying AI in the physical world will be transformative. | Source: Agile Robots Agile Robots SE this week said it is working with Google DeepMind, Alphabet’s AI research lab. The companies plan to combine DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics foundation models with Agile Robots’ scalable industrial robotics platform. “Agile Robots has already installed over 20,000 robotics solutions worldwide, proving intelligent automation at scale,” stated Zhaopeng Chen, founder and CEO of Agile Robots. “The huge opportunity ahead lies in autonomous, intelligent production systems that can transform entire industries. Integrating Google DeepMind’s Gemini Robotics models into our robotic solutions positions us at the cutting edge of this rapidly growing market.” Founded in 2018, Agile Robots said its Agile ONE humanoid builds on its existing portfolio, which includes the Agile Hand , the FR3 force-sensitive robotic arm, the...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Why connectivity is the bottleneck for BVLOS autonomous systems

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The availability of connectivity is often a constraint on autonomous systems. Source: Ground Control Autonomous systems are increasingly being deployed beyond visual line of sight, where they can deliver the most operational value. Drones are now used to inspect offshore wind farms, monitor pipelines, survey remote infrastructure, and support maritime operations. Flight control platforms such as ArduPilot have matured considerably and now underpin a wide range of commercial and industrial systems. Yet a persistent constraint remains. In many real deployments, the limiting factor is no longer the aircraft or the autonomy software, but the availability of reliable connectivity , particularly in isolated regions. Reliable communications are fundamental to the safe operation of unmanned systems, particularly for beyond visual line-of-sight ( BVLOS ) missions. Operators require consistent command and control links alongside telemetry that provides visibility of aircraft health, positio...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Unitree IPO shows a real hardware business, but the humanoid case is still early

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The G1 humanoid robot from Unitree. | Source: Unitree Unitree Robotics has filed for a STAR Market IPO in Shanghai, seeking to raise about $610 million. The filing matters because it points to something more concrete than a typical humanoid story. It shows a robotics company that appears to have built real manufacturing leverage. The headline numbers are unusually strong for hardware. Bloomberg reported that Unitree generated about $248 million in revenue in 2025. The harder question is what kind of business investors are actually being asked to value. Reuters previously wrote that Unitree was targeting a valuation of up to $7 billion, though that should be treated as a reported valuation, not a settled fact. My read is simpler than that. The filing supports the case for Unitree as a serious hardware company. However, it does not yet fully support the broader industrial humanoid case. The most important signal is not revenue The most important signal in the company’s fili...
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Iván Hernández Dalas: Basler and Orbbec partner for 3D vision systems for mobile robots

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Mike McSweeney, VP of sales at Orbbec, with Sebastian von Holdt, head of 3D product systems and software at Basler, at LogiMAT 2026. Source: Orbbec Today at the LogiMAT trade show, Orbbec Inc. said it is collaborating with Basler AG, a leading manufacturer of industrial cameras and a long-standing reference in machine vision. The partners said they aim to provide customers worldwide with integrated and scalable industrial 3D vision systems for demanding tasks in robotics and logistics. “Basler’s industrial expertise and global reach make them the right partner for scaling 3D vision in demanding automation markets,” stated Mike McSweeney, vice president of sales at Orbbec. “Our vertically integrated manufacturing and on-chip depth sensing enable us to deliver industrial-grade stereo solutions with the price-performance and long-term availability that Basler’s customers require.” Shenzhen, China-based Orbbec said it is a leading provider of robotics and AI vision. The publicly list...
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