Robotics & Automation News, February 2019

ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION NEWS

Issue 22 February 2019

T he m ont hl y m ag az i ne for t he roboti cs and autom at ion indus t r y

A safer way to discover new worlds

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Robotics & Automation News

There’s a sensor for that Abdul Montaqim, Editor

S

ensors are at the heart of so many new technologies, and will become increasingly important as machines become more and more intelligent, as do vehicles and buildings as well as entire cities.

While the computer processors are, of course, the most fundamental component of smart machines, without sensors, they would have no data to work with.

Sensors are the eyes and ears of machines.

They also provide the sense of touch, and – perhaps more surprisingly for some – can collect data about taste and smell.

So, all five of the human senses are, to a greater or lesser degree, represented by sensors.

And they will only get better – that is, collect more data and more useful data.

This means that sensor manufacturers are in line for a gradual increase in business.

According to a report by Transparency Market Research, the market for sensors used in industrial robots will continue to grow.

That’s in the manufacturing space. In the logistics and supply chain sectors, mobile robots have become a feature of many large warehouse, and will almost certainly grow to the majority of all warehouses.

Autonomous delivery robots are also on the horizon – the small wheeled vehicles that can roll down sidewalks up to customers’ front doors to deliver parcels. All these machines, and many others, need sensors.

In an interview recently with Robotics and Automation, the founder of Cobalt Robotics said that the security robot they have built integrates no fewer than 60 sensors.

So, although sensors have gone down in price because of the massive global success of smartphones – which tend to have about a dozen sensors in the average model – the overall size of the market has already grown to a point where volume sales make up for it.

Having said that, more sophisticated sensors and integrated sensing systems will continue to fetch relatively high prices.

As a senior executive at Denso told Robotics and Automation News, sensors in the automotive sector – the ones integrated into cars – are required to be far more robust and powerful and, therefore, will probably continue to expensive for the foreseeable future. l

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Editorial

Contents Underwater photography: A safer way to discover underwater worlds Research: Nvidia opens robotics research lab in Seattle for interdisciplinary collaborative team Sensors: ZF reveals sensors for autonomous driving News: GreyOrange to launch new products at LogiMAT 2019 News: Hahn acquires Rethink Robotics technology

Market forecasts: Industrial robotics sector to see huge growth Market forecasts: Sensors market faces growing demand

Market forecasts: Mobile robot market to grow 30 percent Vehicles: Udelv reveals latest autonomous delivery vans

Digital manufacturing: Vention raises $17 million to fund growth ECUs: Strong growth of automotive electronics control units

Sensor Readings magazine

Editorial & Production

Managing Editor Anna Schmidt Editor Abdul Montaqim

Art Editor Mark Allinson

Email annaschmidt@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Email abdulmontaqim@roboticsandautomationnews.com Email markallinson@roboticsandautomationnews.com

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News

Systems

News

GreyOrange to launch new products at LogiMAT 2019

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arehouse automation developer GreyOrange is planning to launch new products which include an industrial robotic arm.

The company will unveil the products at LogiMAT 2019, the 17th International Trade Fair for Intralogistics Solutions and Process Management in Stuttgart, Germany on 19-21 February.

GreyOrange will also launch its new modular sortation system and demonstrate upgraded versions of its “Butler” and “PickPal” robotic systems.

Today, retailers and logistics businesses face many new kinds of complexities and challenges due to the unprecedented growth in volumes, combined with the volatility of peak periods and increased pressure to cut

operational costs.

GreyOrange will present a portfolio of artificial intelligence-powered solutions that it says will “bring flexible automation to life”, which reduce complexities and delivers maximum productivity, from inventory management and picking to sortation.

Flexible Automation Sid Chatterjee, vice president – products, GreyOrange, says: “The GreyOrange solution portfolio offers a strong business case for Flexible Automation.

“In the past year, it has been adopted globally by industry-leading players in retail, 3PL and e-commerce.

“At LogiMAT we will demonstrate how our new solutions can help address the

complexities of retail distribution. We invite everyone to visit our booth to get a hands-on demo to see how higher throughput can be achieved.”

The new GreyOrange modular sortation system, designed for flexibility and portability, comprises modular components that deliver significantly higher throughput per unit area.

It improves space utilization and reduces operating costs, says the company.

The AI-enabled robotics system can be easily scaled making it more investmentfriendly and usable for a range of applications across retail and logistics industries.

In the demo of the GreyOrange Butler goods-to-person system, visitors will see how this robotics solution uses an AI-first approach to optimize order fulfillment processes from inventory management to order picking.

It has been deployed in distribution centres in Japan, India, Europe and the Americas across industries such as 3PL, ecommerce, electronics and retail.

Additionally, the Butler PickPal handles high-speed auto-fulfillment with AI-powered shelf picking.

GreyMatter, the Warehouse Execution System, is the software platform developed

by GreyOrange to make flexible warehouse automation a reality, and address the complexities of warehouse operations caused by ever-changing retail trends.

By connecting people, processes and material more efficiently using AI and machine learning, it provides granular control and visibility across warehouse processes and enables systems to adapt flexibly to changing business demands. l

White paper: Safety in collaborative robot systems Sick AG is one of the world’s largest suppliers of sensors.

The company was founded by Erwin Sick in 1946 and today suppliers innovative and award-winning sensors.

As part of a partnership with Robotics and Automation News, Sick Sensor Intelligence

editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

has released a white paper on the subject of safe automation in factory environments.

The document is entitled Safe Robotics: Safety in Collaborative Robot Systems, and we encourage you to download using the method of

your choice.

You can either fill in the form below or similar forms on the following pages: White paper: Safety in collaborative robot systems Safe Robotics: Free white paper from Sick Sensor Intelligence. l

www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Business

News

News Denso to form venture for automated driving control software Aisin Seiki, Advics, JTEKT Corporation and Denso Corporation have formally agreed to form a new company to develop integrated control software that will be used for automated driving, vehicle motion control, and other related functions.

The new company, J-QuAD DYNAMICS, will be established in April 2019. In August 2018, the four companies announced their basic agreement to establish a joint venture. Denso will take an almost two-thirds stake in the new company.

To achieve safe, secure, and widespread automated driving, a more sophisticated integrated vehicle control system is required to coordinate sensors, brakes, and steering systems.

The software enables vehicles to better manage acceleration, turning and braking, which is critical for future mobility solutions.

Founded by the four investing companies, the new company will

develop software and provide engineering services to accelerate the development of integrated vehicle control systems for automakers in Japan and throughout the world.

The establishment of this new company requires the approval of antitrust authorities. l

Hahn acquires Rethink Robotics technology

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he Hahn Group, an international automation and robotics technology firm, has strengthened its portfolio and service offering by acquiring robotic technology from US robotic pioneer Rethink Robotics, which shut down in October.

Hahn Group has acquired all patents and trademarks of Rethink Robotics as well as its software platform “Intera5”.

Using the Intera software platform, which enables users to intuitively program industrial robots, Rethink Robotics has been the leader in the industrial deployment of collaborative robots, or “cobots.”

Hahn Group intends to further develop Rethink Robotics’ technology, and combine it with German engineering and know-how of industrial applications.

Licensing Hahn Group will thereby be able to provide its customers with high-quality collaborative robotic solutions and reliable service offerings. In addition, it intends to make the software platform available to suitable partners through licensing or other arrangements.

In addition to its integration business and renting offerings, the business unit “Rethink Robotics” will become the third pillar of the Hahn Group’s robotic division and complete editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

its service portfolio.

“The acquisition of Rethink Robotic’s technology marks an important milestone for the development of our portfolio of collaborative robotics solutions,” said Thomas Hähn, CEO. “This transaction will bring us not only a boost in innovative technologies but also

access to highly specialised know-how in one of the most dynamic future markets.

"We are very pleased that we could convince the owners of Rethink Robotics to agree to the sale of its robotic technology around the ‘Cobot Sawyer’ as well as the Intera5 software,” Thomas Hähn added. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

A safer way to discover underwater seascapes Features

Underwater photography: Sublue has launched an underwater robot prototype combining technology and fun into underwater exploration

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“

We need a strong team of individuals and companies like Sublue, who recognise the importance of the world’s aquatic ecosystem and are willing to do something to help save it.

– Hannah Fraser,

conservationist

company called Sublue has launched an underwater robot prototype for photography, while showcasing two other products at CES. The company highlighted its three new underwater recreational products with a talk from a marine conservationist, Hannah Fraser, a marine and ocean conservationist, who was on hand to discuss how Sublue products support her work.

Sublue describes its offerings as “intelligent water recreation and exploration products”.

With an aim of combining technology and fun into underwater exploration, Sublue has developed smart solutions that integrate artificial intelligence, hydromechanics, sealing technologies and ergonomics harmoniously, to encourage those wanting to make a splash to go ahead and get into the water.

The Sublue Nano underwater photography robot The products Sublue is showcasing at its CES booth are: Sublue WhiteShark Nano, a “super smart autonomous underwater robot” (pictured above), is an ideal solution for underwater photography and videography.

It uses AI to follow a preset target, whether that is a human diver or marine life, to capture beautiful shots even from a distance.

Its 120° wide-angle 4K camera with two LED lights and seven mini propellers with dedicated dynamic control algorithm provide high-quality images and video footage.

Sublue Seabow is the latest generation underwater scooter that pulls users effortlessly through the water.

Winner of a CES 2019 Innovation Award, and with an iconic crossbow design it is a must-have for anyone who loves recreational diving.

editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Underwater photography

Powerful dual motors with three speeds can run up to 6ft per second (1.8 m/s) for 45 minutes. It has two mounting options for cameras, lights or weights.

In order to bring maximum maneuverability for divers, and to offer them an optimum underwater companion, it can be configured into single-handed operation mode.

Sublue WhiteShark Mix, (main picture), the world’s smallest double propeller underwater scooter and winner of the 2018 CES Asia Innovation Award has an innovative detachable floatation-enhancing accessory for buoyancy control, making it the most versatile underwater scooter ever: for swimming, snorkeling and diving.

The dual motors plus dual propellers mean high speeds of up to 5 ft/s (1.5m/s). A built-in action camera mount makes it super easy to capture shake-free footage in the water.

Sublue Swii. This intelligent electronic kickboard enables both adults and kids to have fun in the water regardless of their swimming ability.

The built-in dual motors have a safety cut-off feature, to balance excitement with safety, while the ergonomic and stylish foam design provides comfort and protection.

Users can change speeds and customize their Swii with the built-in LED lights.

Underwater trash To send a strong message about the level of trash in our oceans, Hannah Fraser, an underwater performance artist and conservationist, will discuss this issue and how Sublue can help from a water tank filled with trash at the Sublue booth.

She will also present a video of stunning Atlantic scenery and marine life, which was captured with the aid of the Sublue WhiteShark Mix, and may inspire visitors to assist her in ocean preservation and protection.

Fraser will talk to visitors about her conservationist efforts, which are being supported by Sublue.

Fraser says: “Conservation is a hard fight and, to win the war, we need a strong team of individuals and companies like Sublue, who recognise the importance of the world’s aquatic ecosystem and are willing to do something to help save it.

“The WhiteShark Mix is a fantastic way to travel underwater and during my first time using it I was hit by how much more freedom it gave me to explore safely.”

Due to potential water leakage, pressure, corrosion and temperature changes, decompression issues, particles and other risks from underwater elements, submersive drones are not as commonplace as their aerial counterparts.

Sublue products have been through stringent research, development and testing process to ensure they live up to their customer’s high expectations. l Sublue’s booth is located in the drone section of CES at #25317, Ground Level South Halls 2, Tech East, LVCC. www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Underwater photography

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Features

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Features

Research

Nvidia opens robotics research lab in Seattle

Research: Nvidia has brought together a 50-strong interdisciplinary team for collaborative research into robot control and perception, computer vision, humanrobot interaction and deep learning

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vidia is opening a new robotics research lab in Seattle near the University of Washington campus led by Professor Dieter Fox, senior director of robotics research at Nvidia and professor in the UW Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.

(See link to video in box, right.)

The charter of the lab is to drive breakthrough robotics research to enable the next generation of robots that perform complex manipulation tasks to safely work alongside humans and transform industries such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and more. editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Professor Dieter Fox says: “In the past, robotics research has focused on small, independent projects rather than fully integrated systems.

“We’re bringing together a collaborative, interdisciplinary team of experts in robot control and perception, computer vision, human-robot interaction, and deep learning.”

Close to 50 research scientists, faculty visitors, and student interns will perform foundational research in these areas. To ensure the research stays relevant to realworld robotics problems, the lab will investigate its work in the context of large scale, realistic scenarios for interactive manipulation.

What’s cooking in the robotics research lab?

The first of these challenge scenarios is a real-life kitchen where a mobile manipulator solves a variety of tasks, ranging from retrieving objects from cabinets to learning

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Research

Features how to clean the dining table to help a person cook a meal.

At an Open House event on January 11, the Seattle lab demonstrated its first manipulation system in their kitchen. The mobile manipulator integrates state-of-theart techniques to detect and track objects, keep track of the state of doors and drawers in the kitchen, and open/close them to get access to objects for manipulation.

These approaches can be applied in arbitrary environments, only requiring 3D models of relevant objects and cabinets.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, pictured at the new Seattle robotics lab.

Webcast:

Deep learning Building on Nvidia’s expertise in physics-based, photorealistic simulation, the robot uses deep learning to detect specific objects solely based on its own simulation, not requiring any tedious manual data labeling.

Nvidia’s highly parallelized GPU processing enables the robot to keep track of its environment in real-time, using sensor feedback for accurate manipulation and to quickly adapt to changes in the environment.

The robot uses the Nvidia Jetson platform for navigation and performs real-time inference for processing and manipulation on Nvidia Titan GPUs. The deep learning-based perception system was trained using the cuDNN-accelerated PyTorch deep learning framework.

What makes the system unique is that it integrates a suite of cutting-edge technologies developed by the lab researchers. These technologies working together enable detection of objects, tracking the position of doors and drawers, and generate control commands so that the robot can grasp and move objects from one place to another.

The system is comprised and built on the following technologies: l Dense Articulated Real-Time Tracking (DART): DART, which was first developed in Fox’s UW robotics lab, uses depth cameras to keep track of a robot’s environment. It is a general framework for tracking

rigid objects, such as coffee mugs and cereal boxes, and articulated objects often encountered in indoor environments, like furniture and tools, as well as human and robot bodies including hands and manipulators. l Pose-CNN: 6D Object Pose Estimation: Detecting the 6D pose and orientation of known objects is a crucial capability for robots that pick up and move objects in an environment. This problem is challenging due to changing lighting conditions and complex scenes caused by clutter and occlusions between objects.

Pose-CNNisa deep neural network trained to detect objects using regular cameras. l Riemannian Motion Policies (RMPs) for Reactive Manipulator Control: RMPs are a new mathematical framework that consistently combines a library of simple actions into complex behavior. RMPs allow the team to efficiently program fast, reactive controllers that use the detection and tracking information from Pose -CNN and DART to safely interact with objects and humans in dynamic environments. l Physics-based Photorealistic Simulation: Nvidia’s Isaac Sim tool enables the generation of realistic simulation environments that model the visual properties of objects as well as the forces and contacts between objects and manipulators. A simulated version of the kitchen is used to test the manipulation system and train the object detection network underlying Pose-CNN. If done on a real robot this training and development process would be an expensive and time-consuming process. Once simulation models of objects and the environment are available, training and testing can be done far more efficiently, saving precious development time.

Fox says: “We really feel that the time is right to develop the next generation of robots. By pulling together recent advances in perception, control, learning, and simulation, we can help the research community solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.” l

Professor provides insight into Nvidia’s research lab plans Professor Dieter Fox, senior director of robotics research at Nvidia.

(Click to see webcast) editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

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Features

Sensors

ZF reveals sensors for autonomous driving Sensors: A new, full-range radar, solid-state LiDAR, innovative cameras and acoustic sensors have been combined with ZF ProAI supercomputers to create a powerful overall sensor system

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t CES this year, ZF highlighted its sensor portfolio for detecting vehicle surroundings – both inside and outside of the vehicle – to help to enhance the safety of conventional and automated vehicles.

The resulting architecture – including a new, full-range radar, solid-state LiDAR, innovative cameras and acoustic sensors – are combined with supercomputers from the ZF ProAI product family to create a powerful overall sensor system.

“As system architects for autonomous driving, we’ve developed a sensor set which equips cars with all of the necessary senses to digitally detect their surroundings,” said Torsten Gollewski, head of Advanced Engineering at ZF and general manager of Zukunft Ventures GmbH. “Our systems can more precisely and redundantly editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

enable real-time sensing and signal processing of the surrounding environment, which is essential to help enable safe, automated driving functions.”

The sensor set comprises ZF’s latest generation cameras, radars, LiDAR and acoustic sensors, and software tools and algorithms for detection and classification, and vehicle control, that are hosted in the ZF ProAI central control unit.

Future safety regulations The entire architecture is designed to address demanding automotive requirements including extreme temperatures and vibrations. These highly advanced sensor systems are also important in helping to comply with future safety regulations and consumer safety ratings (e.g., NCAP).

Fitted to the front of the vehicle, ZF’s high-resolution Full-Range Radar is said to feature superior detection performance in the four dimensions of speed, distance, angular resolution and height.

This high-performance 77-GHz sensor is designed for premium ADAS applications, and highly automated and www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Sensors

autonomous driving (Level 3 and higher).

Like other radar systems, it transmits electromagnetic (radio) waves to target and determine the range, angle or velocity of objects (echo principle).

The high-resolution sensor, however, can also more accurately measure height to create a three-dimensional view of the environment.

The radar can work – even in most poor weather, low light and bad visibility conditions – similar to ZF’s Medium-Range Radars, which provide a range of ADAS functions.

Combined with software tools, LiDAR sensors based on laser technology can also create a more accurate 3D model of the vehicle’s environment.

They can help to better recognise objects and free space – including complex traffic situations, and in virtually all lighting conditions.

The new, high-resolution Solid-State LiDAR – which ZF is developing together with IBEO – can also better detect pedestrians and small objects in 3D. This plays an important role for highly automated driving at level 3 and above.

Range of applications The solid-state technology makes this innovation much more robust than previous solutions. Due to its modular design and field-of-view options, the sensors are suitable for a wide range of applications.

ZF’s S-Cam4 highlights the further development and expansion of the S-Cam portfolio. With a 100-degree fieldof-view and a 1.7-megapixel High Dynamic Range (HDR) editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

“

As system architects for autonomous driving, we’ve developed a sensor set which equips cars with all of the necessary senses to digitally detect their surroundings

– Torsten Gollewski,

ZF

image sensor, the technology offers high performance when it comes to detecting pedestrians and cyclists in a city environment.

The cameras can also include ZF’s advanced longitudinal and transverse control algorithms for Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), as well as other functions.

Remote Camera Heads, which can be installed in very small housings, can help to detect the surrounding vehicle environment and stream video to the driver, or classify objects. It is possible to combine up to 12 cameras to build a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s surroundings.

For each remote camera, manufacturers can choose sensor resolutions of between 1.2 and 8 megapixels, and fields-of-view between 28 and 195 degrees. This means that a multi-camera system can be tailored to meet the customer’s specific requirements.

Highly automated driving will give vehicle occupants more freedom of movement inside the vehicle. A 3D interior camera from ZF can enable new comfort and safety benefits.

As part of the ZF Interior Observation System (IOS), it can collect real-time information about the size, position and posture of passengers.

As a result, the performance of various occupant safety systems in the vehicle can be adapted in such a way that in an emergency, the impact of a collision can be better mitigated.

Driver monitoring Driver monitoring will also play a key role in transfer scenarios between human driver and autopilot; the IOS can also determine whether the driver has his hands on the steering wheel, is actively steering the vehicle and has his head facing the road.

With Sound.AI, ZF also helps enable cars to hear.

Among other things, the system analyses siren signals to determine what kind of emergency vehicle is approaching, and from which direction (siren detection).

The system display can also provide the driver with important information including instructions such as “pull over to the right” or “move to an emergency lane”.

Fully automated vehicles from Level 4 upwards can independently perform manoeuvres like this.

“Our combined sensor power can help to address future requirements from one single supplier. Whatever the weather or lighting conditions are, our environmental recognition systems are designed to work with the level of precision and redundancy required for safe highly automated and autonomous driving,” said Torsten Gollewski.

The massive volume of data generated by the radar, camera, LiDAR and Sound.AI systems must be translated into a clear digital environment model.

For this purpose, ZF has developed the ZF ProAI product family – the most powerful central computers currently available in the automotive industry, it claims. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Industrial robotics market to see huge growth Features

Market forecast

Market forecasts: A report by Global Market Insights predicts that the industrial robotics market will be worth over $80 billion by 2024

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he worldwide industrial robotics market size is set to exceed $80 billion by 2024, according to a report

by Global Market Insights. The consultancy says that the industrial robotics market will “derive remarkable gains” through the automotive sector over 2017-2024.

Moreover, global industry is to be characterized by innovative product launches, which will also benefit industrial robot manufacturers.

In total, says Global Market Insights, the industrial robotics market will see “phenomenal growth in emerging economies”, and its global market size is likely to surpass $80 billion by 2024.

As robots and other computer-assisted technologies take over tasks previously performed by manual labor, the global industrial robotics market is set to attain significant popularity across a diverse set of business domains over the forthcoming years.

While unraveling the market dynamics of the overall industrial robotics industry, it is quite imperative to take note of a few reliable studies that highlight the prospective growth of this business space.

A recently published study by the National Bureau of Economics Research and scholars from MIT and Boston University states that the swift escalation in research and development activities has led to the massive editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

manufacturing of industrial robots.

This enormous pace of automation has reportedly led to five human workers being replaced by a single robot during the time span of 1990 to 2007, something which explains the rise of the industrial robotics market.

Speaking in the similar context, the current global average of robot density in the manufacturing industries has reached 74 robot units per 10,000 employees, as per the figures published by a prominent non-profit organization, International Federation of Robotics.

These figures go on to demonstrate the rising significance of Industrial Robotics Market, which, as per reliable estimates, recorded a total remuneration portfolio of over $35 billion in the year 2016.

Over recent years, the leading industrial robotics industry players have been concentrating on releasing advanced robots in order to simplify the prevailing automation tasks.

For instance, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has recently unveiled its smart-control artificial intelligence technology that would enable industrial robots to seamlessly grasp the changing conditions of target objects in real time.

Furthermore, the optimum control algorithms of the technology would deploy deep reinforcement learning www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Market forecast

which would assist these robots in adopting conventionally difficult industrial tasks.

Apparently, the aforementioned incidence provides further validation to the fact that such innovative product launches would indeed augment the revenue share of industrial robotics industry over the estimated timeframe.

Industrial robots in the automotive sector In an era, which has been witnessing striking advances in automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence, the global automotive industry has lauded and readily embraced the emergence of industrial robots.

Numerous prominent automakers across the world have been preferring robotic intervention in their production and assembly lines over the conventional methodologies.

Owing to the rapid adoption of these high-tech robots by car manufacturers to enhance the efficiency and precision of the production lines, the global industrial robotics market is estimated to witness massive demand from the automotive industry.

Over the past few decades, the wide-scale deployment of computer-assisted technologies has altered the manufacturing processes of the global automotive sector – a factor that has been instrumental in boosting the editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

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This enormous pace of automation has reportedly led to five human workers being replaced by a single robot during the time span of 1990 to 2007

industrial robotics industry share.

It would be prudent to mention that the utilization of industrial robots has revamped the production and assembly lines making them more flexible, precise, and efficient.

The growing prominence of industrial robots in the automotive domain can be comprehended by the statistics published by Robotics Industries Association.

Apparently, the US-based trade group has claimed that the automotive players procured more than 50 percent of the total robots sold in the nation over the past few years.

The aforementioned incidences validate the enhanced work output as compared to manual labor and underline the criticality of the automotive sector as a significant customer of the industrial robotics market.

In addition to the aforementioned aspects, a host of technological innovations to enhance the capabilities of collaborative robots, robotic hand, robotic vision, and robotic painting has further impelled the growth prospects of the industrial robotics industry.

Encouraged by such progressive tech advancements many leading automakers are apparently transforming their manufacturing facilities by deploying pathbreaking robots.

For instance, the US-headquartered electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla Inc has been extensively installing industrial robots across its Nevada and Fremont production units to accelerate its production speed.

The robots utilized by Tesla are reportedly manufactured by renowned industrial robotics market behemoths, Fanuc Corporation, and Kuka, and are used to perform perilous tasks such as lifting heavy chassis and delicately assembling battery trays.

The firm has further installed new ramps to mount the robots over the production line, given that the entire manufacturing process would be managed and supervised by these robots.

Needless to mention, the massive acceptance of robots by automotive industry would undeniably stimulate the growth potential of the overall industrial robotics market.

The competitive spectrum of industrial robotics market has been highly combative with numerous firms involved including: l Mitsubishi; l Fanuc; l Denso; l Kuka; l Yamaha; and l Kawasaki.

These companies are making concerted efforts to overhaul their existing product spectrum.

Apparently, the strategies adopted by these companies to meet the ever-increasing demand for product integration would be one of the pivotal factors that will drive industrial robotics industry share, which is forecast to exceed a total valuation of $80 billion by 2024. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

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Features

Sensors

Sensor market faces growing demand Sensors: The global robot sensor market is forecast to gain impetus due to the increased integration of robotic arms with sensors, as seen in several manufacturing companies

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he global robot sensor market is forecast to increase growth with the rise in demand for industrial robots, says a report by Transparency Market Research.

Increasing incidence of service and industrial robots undergoing technical developments through continuous editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

updates and improvements could set the tone for significant growth of the global robot sensor market.

Machine vision and force sensors are some of the common types of robot sensor used in sanding robots to improve productivity in the manufacturing field.

Sensor sectors The global robot sensor market is divided according to application, type of robot, and product.

Among various application fields, manufacturing is projected to account for a massive share of the global robot sensor market.

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Sensors

High deployment of robots in manufacturing facilities to stretch proďŹ t margins and reduce operational costs could push the growth of the global robot sensor market in the industry.

This report is a study of the global robot sensor market with a large focus on growth outlook, competition, market segments, geographical analysis, and market dynamics.

It provides useful guidelines for players to cement a strong position in the global robot sensor market.

The global robot sensor market is prognosticated to gain impetus due to the increased integration of robotic arms with sensors as observed in several manufacturing companies.

There is a rising use of industrial robots in a number of manufacturing activities such as: l materials handling; l polishing; l machine tending; l spot welding; and l arc welding.

These could all create rewarding opportunities in the global robot sensor market.

High demand for advanced robot sensors for industrial editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

applications to help make smart factory operations safer and more independent and improve system performance is prophesied to support the growth of the global robot sensor market.

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Negative factors However, there are certain factors arresting the growth of the global robot sensor market. For instance, complex programming of robots and high initial investment are envisaged to loom over the global robot sensor market as a threat during the course of the forecast period.

Nevertheless, increasing demand for collaborative robots that require a greater number of sensors to stay aware of the environment they work in could boost the global robot sensor market.l

Increasing incidence of service and industrial robots undergoing technical developments through continuous updates and improvements could set the tone for signiďŹ cant growth of the global robot sensor market. www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Features

Mobile robot market to grow 30 percent

Mobile robots: The Americas lead global growth boosted by automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots

editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

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Market forecast

he worldwide market for mobile robots is forecast to grow by more than 30 percent, according to a report by Interact Analysis.

In its latest quarterly report on the global mobile robot market, Interact Analysis says: “Following a strong first half, revenue growth from automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots accelerated in Q3 2018, with the industry expanding by more than 30 percent compared to the same quarter a year before.

“All major regions – Americas, APAC, EMEA – experienced growth in the quarter, but the Americas was highest overall.”

The strong quarter took growth for the first nine months of 2018 to close to 25 percent, allowing revenues to breach the $1 billion mark.

Early indicators show that Q4 was also an incredibly strong quarter, continuing the industry’s remarkable growth trajectory.

Revenue growth for automated guided vehicles slipped back to low single-digits in Q3 as demand for the first nine months of the year was relatively sluggish with industry revenues marginally up on 2017.

The APAC region grew strongly but was pared back by declines in both the Americas and EMEA. Autonomous mobile robots demand was a totally different picture in Q3. Revenues more than doubled compared to the same quarter of 2017 and accelerated compared to Q2.

By region All major regions performed very strongly, illustrating the consistent and growing acceptance of autonomous robots for material handling.

Unit shipments grew at almost an identical pace suggesting little change to autonomous mobile robots pricing in 2018, commonplace in early-stage, but growing industries.

Consequently, the growth of mobile robot revenues in the first three quarters of 2018 was almost entirely down to demand for autonomous mobile robots rather than automated guided vehicles.

Revenues from deck-load robots grew rapidly by more than 80 percent in Q3 2018 year-over-year but slipped back a little versus Q2.

This is not surprising given the relatively small size of the nascent autonomous mobile robots market, where new deployments can make large demand swings between quarters.

Demand for tugger robots which are heavily dependent on automotive customers remained volatile in Q3, with revenues dipping by 10 percent compared to 2017.

Forklift robot revenues grew very strongly in Q3 2018 with the market nearly doubling compared to Q2 and close to a 10 percent increase over the same period in 2017.

For the first nine months of the year, all mobile robot types have grown strongly, though revenue growth for deck-load products remained notably higher. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

WORKING TOGETHER AS EQUALS.

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Vehicles

Features

Udelv reveals latest upgraded autonomous delivery van Vehicles: Udelv has unveiled a new autonomous delivery van and agreed ‘major contracts’ with Walmart, Baidu and others

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Udelv’s mission is to reinvent traditional delivery models by developing the world’s best selfdriving delivery technology – Daniel Laury, Udelv

delv has unveiled the latest version of its autonomous delivery van at the ongoing Consumer Electronics Show. The company also announced what it described as “major contracts” with US supermarket giant Walmart and Baidu, which is like the Google of China.

Udelv’s autonomous delivery van says the latest model of its self-driving delivery vans feature “new state-of-theart technology”.

Udelv says its “Newton” vehicle is “today’s most advanced autonomous delivery van”. The launch follows months of close collaboration between Baidu and Udelv on Apollo 3.5.

Autonomous driving platform Baidu releases version 3.5 of Apollo’s open autonomous driving platform at CES 2019. The system will be first featured in Udelv’s latest Newton model.

Udelv will continue to use future versions of the Apollo platform modules to build its own autonomous driving algorithms for a range of delivery-specific situations in unstructured environments.

The Newton follows, Udelv’s first generation ADV model, which has demonstrated impressive results, having successfully completed over 1,200 deliveries in the San Francisco Bay Area for multiple clients.

Following this traction, Udelv signed a slew of recent deals, including deployment trials with Walmart and XL

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Parts, as well as signing Japan’s Marubeni Corporation as a strategic investor to accelerate Udelv’s scaling process.

The autonomous delivery van company has particularly seen strong uptake in the food and grocery delivery sector, having attracted partnerships with the likes of San Francisco online grocer Farmstead, not-forprofit meal delivery organization Second Harvest Food Bank and Bay Area-based Draeger’s Market.

The partnerships are part of Udelv’s strategy to use advanced technology to shorten its development cycle, accelerate innovation and facilitate its ability to scale.

Aggressive production-level expansion They will cater to what Udelv says is its “aggressive production-level expansion in several states outside California”.

Udelv CEO Daniel Laury said: “Udelv’s mission is to reinvent traditional delivery models by developing the world’s best self-driving delivery technology. With our new shape-shifting cargo space technology, we are going to bring the most innovative technology to market.

“To date, with its automated cargo van, Udelv has proven its capacity to successfully address the delivery market in the United States in both the last and middlemile segments.

“We’re the world’s most advanced autonomous delivery company on public roads and America’s top retailers trust us to deliver convenience and savings to their customers.

This confidence is a massive driver of business from investors and partners internationally, and is being demonstrated with our most recent collaborations.”

Up to 100 Udelv ADVs will be deployed throughout 2019 for customers who have ordered the vehicles. Preorders are now open for 2020. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

3D DESIGN

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Digital manufacturing

Vention raises $17 million to fund growth plans

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Digital manufacturing: Vention is aiming to accelerate development of its MachineBuilder 3D software, expand its modular hardware library, and bring the next wave of plugand-play factory automation solutions to market.

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ention, a next-generation digital manufacturing platform for custom factory equipment, has completed a $17 million Series A financing round led by Bain Capital Ventures.

The company also released its second major platform upgrade since its founding in 2016.

Bain Capital Ventures joins Vention’s previous investors White Star Capital, Bolt, and Real Ventures.

With this new investment, Vention says it will accelerate the development of its cloud-based MachineBuilder 3D software, expand its modular hardware library, and bring the next wave of plug-and-play factory automation solutions to market.

Vention is radically changing the way companies design and order custom equipment for their operations.

Timeframes Traditional design-to-build workflows for custom equipment take anywhere from one to six months, depending on the project’s complexity.

Vention’s modular components and easy-to-use cloud platform enable those same workflows to be completed in as little as three days, including shipping, which is offered next-day throughout North America.

Vention’s second major platform release focuses on the user experience, integrating hundreds of new features such as smart part connections, comprehensive design collaboration tools, learning algorithm that predicts the next parts needed in a design.

It also includes 200 new modular components that

cover a broad array of use cases in automated equipment, robot cells, tooling, and conveyors applications.

Vention continues what it says is its “rapid growth trajectory”, with 600 percent year-over-year growth. Today, the company serves several hundred clients and thousands of users in a variety of industries, including robotics, aerospace, and automobiles.

Vention is also the first and only combined software and hardware platform certified by Universal Robots, and it maintains partnerships with Thomson Industries, Interroll, and PolyAlto.

Étienne Lacroix, Vention’s founder and CEO, says: “Building a large-scale industrial business takes a special breed of investor. We are excited to partner with Bain Capital Ventures, which has a long track record in our industry.

“Working with Bain Capital Ventures also means we’re bringing an investor on board with a deep understanding of our manufacturing clients’ needs.”

Ajay Agarwal, managing partner at Bain Capital Ventures, says: “As an active investor in robotics and automation, we’ve witnessed the convergence of collaborative robotics, increasing automation, and a growing need for speed and agility in today’s modern manufacturing world.”

That’s what makes this investment such a great fit, according to Agarwal. “Étienne and his team have developed a simple and flexible product that’s being adopted at a rapid clip,” he says. “The company couldn’t be in a stronger position to seize an enormous market opportunity, and we’re excited to help Vention become a leader in the industrial equipment category.” l

Webcast:

Vention CEO provides overview of company

Étienne Lacroix, CEO of Vention, provides an overview of the digital manufacturing platform that recently raised $17 million in financing.

(Click to see webcast) editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Strong growth of ECUs set to continue

Automotive electronics control units

Automotive electronics control unit: A report by GM Insights has predicted that the automotive electronics control unit market will grow to $95 billion by 2024

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The Tesla heavy-duty tractor trailers can handle a weight of up to 80,000 pounds at full speed while giving a range of 300 to 500 miles.

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he automotive electronics control unit market is forecast to grow to $95 billion by 2024, according to a report by GM Insights.

The market has already witnessed “incredible growth over the last two decades”, says GM Insights, owing to “unparalleled expansion of the global automobile production sector and the influx of technology within vehicles”.

Continuously evolving knowledge and skills have enabled the integration of advanced electronic elements within automobiles such as fuel injection control and exclusive infotainment systems.

Increase in spending power of the general population has encouraged automakers to pioneer connected systems and cutting-edge features, propelling the automotive ECU industry development.

As ECUs are programmed to monitor and regulate safety features and vehicle performance, a shifting preference towards safer, more efficient cars will greatly strengthen the automotive ECU market, which boasted of revenue of more than $65 billion in 2017.

The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers had revealed that a total of 97,302,534 cars and commercial vehicles had been manufactured across the globe in 2017.

Practically, the number of ECUs in a car could be editorial@roboticsandautomationnews.com

anywhere between 70 to more than 150, depending on the type of vehicles, indicating the massive demand that exists for the automotive ECU industry.

A large number of ECUs have permitted enhanced safety features and external connectivity solutions to be installed in high-end as well as low-cost vehicles.

Commercial vehicles have especially benefitted from the ECU’s ability to regulate the fuel injection system, as increased fuel efficiency plays a vital role in achieving economical goods transportation.

Notable advancements in ECUs have stimulated auto manufacturers to find ways for reducing emissions through efficient control systems, ushering in a transformation of the automotive ECU industry and leading to the growth of smart technologies.

Electric vehicles The advent of electric vehicles has furthered the development of ECUs required for complex monitoring and operating of a vehicle. Considered to be a rapidly expanding source of remuneration for the automotive ECU market, the battery electric vehicles (BEVs or just EVs) are gaining increased momentum with each passing year.

Worldwide environmental concerns have been the primary driver for the EV industry, coercing nations to invest heavily into boosting the adoption of EVs. According to the US government, a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the country originates from the transportation sector and in 2016, almost 23 percent of it was contributed by medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

As such, not only electric passenger and luxury cars but electric commercial vehicles have also started to attract demand from fleets and major corporations to cut down on their carbon footprint.

Tesla, an innovator in the EV industry, has developed all-electric semis for the commercial sector, offering significant power and range to help customers maintain their bottom line while being environment-friendly.

Representing a lucrative application scope for the automotive ECU market, the Tesla heavy-duty tractor trailers can handle a weight of up to 80,000 pounds at full speed while giving a range of 300 to 500 miles.

Tesla has projected that by 2022, it would have received orders for about 100,000 Semis, with companies like UPS, Pepsi, Walmart, DHL and many others having www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

Picture courtesy of Mordor Intelligence

Features

Automotive electronics control units

already placed orders for the electric trucks.

As other automobile manufacturers join the race for electric heavy-duty vehicles, the automotive ECU market will experience a considerable upsurge in investments to speed up productions.

The International Energy Agency reported that in 2017 itself, the number of electric vehicles on roads had reached 3.1 million.

In Europe, there was a 40 percent rise in the electric car sales in the first half of 2018, signifying that the EV industry is a budding customer base for the automotive ECU market, with growing inclination towards incorporating commercial EVs within fleets.

Although electric trucks have been used on the streets

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Features

for many years now, the increased affordability of the technology has allowed vehicle makers to design and introduce new products.

For instance, Piaggio Commercial Vehicles’ electric power range has been providing customers with clean medium-duty commercial vehicles having, comfortable power delivery system and appreciable range, for over 20 years.

Green developments The automotive ECU industry is thriving due to the efforts of companies who want to bring forward the transition towards a greener transport industry, like Daimler, who is developing 225-ton truck, and Proterra, which has designed an electric public transportation bus.

Poised to surpass $95 billion in earnings by 2024, the automotive ECU market is dominated by key industry participants such as: l Bosch l Delphi Technologies l Hyundai l Mitsubishi l Continental Rising awareness about ADAS and other safety systems to prevent road accidents along with continuous research into designing powerful, more efficient ECUs will give significant propulsion to the automotive ECU industry over the coming years. l www.roboticsandautomationnews.com

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