Information briefs for the week check out Squishy Robotics and its soft-landing robots that went from NASA Moon mission to first responder aids on Earth; then how Locus Robotics upgraded its product line of LocusBots to supply new-age options to ever-accelerating warehouse calls for; then China’s newly developed, robot-assisted, laparoscopic surgical system scheduled to compete with business chief Intuitive Robotics utilizing 3D glasses as a substitute of a conventional monitor and hood; and eventually, why is it that robots have been so gradual to disrupt the garment business?
“What’s occurring?” Ask Squishy Robotics
In catastrophe situations, situational consciousness, or “What’s occurring?” throughout the catastrophe space, is many instances info that could be very onerous or unattainable to come back by.
Squishy Robotics (primarily based in Berkeley, CA), a derivative from a mission initially funded by NASA (2014) to develop new methods of touchdown 
rovers and different kinds of gear on the Moon, has provide you with a robotic for first responders to make use of in catastrophe conditions that gives situational consciousness, the place nobody must be put in danger. It additionally offers very important on-the-ground info a lot earlier than first responders might.
Berkeley researcher, Alice Agogino’s first thought for her $500,000 NASA grant requested the query: Why not make the robotic itself the touchdown gadget? In that approach, there can be no want for a separate lander to convey a rover right down to the floor. Answering that primary query is how she developed her startup firm Squishy Robotics.
As Agogino remembers it: “We thought, wow, if we will do that on the Moon, we should always be capable of do it on planet Earth and avoid wasting lives.”
Her thought was to create a sphere-shaped skeleton of rods and elastic cables, primarily based on the design precept of rigidity integrity, or “tensegrity”. The time period itself was coined by Buckminster Fuller as a portmanteau of “rigidity” and “integrity” in 1955.
Functionally, the sphere-shaped robotic skeleton is dropped from a drone right into a catastrophe state of affairs or perhaps a rescue state of affairs that’s tough to entry by first responders. The robotic’s sensors and different information-gathering devices would reside within the middle of the robotic, and when dropped, the pressure of the impression can be unfold throughout the skeleton, conserving the very important payload secure.
Locus Robotics upgrades AMR fleet
Suppliers of AMRs for the logistics and e-commerce industries have been transferring quick to broaden their cellular robotic platforms and operational software program to accommodate the accelerating churn and number of warehouse logistics.
To not improve dangers being bypassed by an business that’s already in excessive gear and accelerating ever extra to fulfill the mega calls for of e-commerce.
Massachusetts-based Locus Robotics, extremely profitable provider of its LocusBots, has been constructing out to fulfill these wants since 2021 when it acquired Waypoint Robotics. Heavyweight chassis, bigger type components and enhanced capabilities of the Locus Vector and Max (rebranded from Waypoint) together with the beforehand launched Locus Origin, make up the corporate’s new product line, just lately launched for the EU at Amsterdam’s Ship 2023 convention held June 7-8.
Clever AMRs are the wave of the long run and Locus now has three. Locus buyer DHL Provide Chain will see Locus Origin deployed to its 1,500 warehouses and distribution facilities by the tip of 2023, claims Locus.
“We’re excited to showcase our newest know-how improvements at Ship 2023 to our world and European prospects,” mentioned Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “Along with our superior LocusONE warehouse Automation Platform, we’re reworking the best way warehouses function.”
3D glasses for China’s newly-launched surgical robotic
The world is headed towards minimally-invasive surgical procedures. And surgical robots are forecast to be the platform of option to ship a safer, minimally-invasive operation with far much less post-operative trauma.
Though over a dozen builders have marketed, or are within the course of of selling a surgical robotic, U.S.-based Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robotic has been the surgical crown jewel since its debut in 2009, even at over $2.5 million a system, plus over one million {dollars} in components and provides yearly. Now, nevertheless, opponents from the EU (the Versius Surgical Robotic System) and, most just lately, China are difficult Intuitive’s dominance.
Weigao Group, headquartered in Weihai, Shandong province, has turn out to be the first Chinese language developer for a robot-assisted laparoscopic surgical system (2021). “We at the moment have 20 items at hospitals for scientific analysis which can be concerned in a wide range of surgical procedures, resembling urological, liver, and thoracic procedures,” mentioned Wang Bingqiang, normal supervisor of Weigao Group’s medical instrument division. “Our robotic system shall be on the market for normal surgical use from June (2023).”
With 20 programs in use, Weigao nonetheless has a protracted solution to go to even start to contest Intuitive’s over 6,000 deployed da Vinci programs worldwide. Based on Fosun Worldwide Securities, of the 189 robot-assisted laparoscopic surgical programs presently in use in China (barely 5% of the world market), Intuitive has practically a 100% share.
Distinctive amongst robotic surgical programs, Weigao’s surgical robotic is operated utilizing 3D glasses—fairly than the usual monitor and hood utilized by all others—which the corporate says reduces physician fatigue. “Medical doctors may talk extra simply with different docs and nurses within the working room,” added Wang.
Robots gradual to disrupt garment business
There aren’t too many industries today that robotics has had a tough time disrupting, however the garment business appears to be one which’s been significantly elusive.
Nonetheless, there’s a fortune awaiting people who succeed. Income within the attire/garment marketplace for 2023 is $343 billion! Automating even a small a part of the business might save billions in productiveness beneficial properties and make use of tens of hundreds of robots, particularly in stitching items of attire collectively.
There are 10-20 totally different steps wanted to make a easy T-shirt; 70-80 for a long-sleeve gown shirt.
Though laser reducing of cloth has unfold all through garment making, the laser-cut items nonetheless have to be joined right into a completed piece, and therein sits the issue for robots. Human fingers are nonetheless relied upon for ending.
Germany-based Robotextile is certainly one of a number of corporations trying to convey extra automation to garment making.
“Textile researchers at Germany’s RWTH Aachen College estimate that in manufacturing a chunk of clothes, dealing with time — as distinct from the reducing or stitching steps — accounts for about 80% of manufacturing time and roughly 80% of manufacturing unit prices.”
The Robotextile fabric-sorting work cell makes use of a normal KUKA Scara robotic with a working diameter of 1600mm and 5kg payload (cobot will also be used). Relying on the structure and normal circumstances, cycle instances of two to 4 seconds per cloth layer are potential.
However let’s make no mistake, the bell is tolling for handbook labor within the garment biz. Nonetheless, for now, Asian fingers nonetheless gown most everybody worldwide.
The video under amply shows the daunting problem dealing with automation.