Robotics

IDTechEx predicts that SAE level 3 autonomous features, such as traffic jam pilot, will emerge in 2022 and become common in vehicles by 2042. How did IDTechEx predict this time scale? The answer lies in the historical adoption trends of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies.

At FIRA 2021, French company Octopus BioSafety pitched its poultry robot - XO.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd announced the successful completion of proof-of-concept testing for unmanned cargo transport by cooperation of its unmanned vertical take-off and landing aircraft and delivery robot.

Inspired by the natural dexterity of the human hand, a team of engineers has created a reconfigurable hybrid robotics system that is able to grip a variety of objects: from the small, soft and delicate to the large, heavy and bulky. This technology is expected to impact a range of industries, involving food assembly, vertical farming and fast-moving consumer goods packaging, which will progressively automate more of their operations in the coming years.

BYD's investment will help RoboSense engage more closely in the smart new energy vehicle industry ecology, laying a solid foundation for in-depth industry collaboration between the two companies.

More precise, faster, cheaper: Researchers all over the world have been working for years on producing electrical circuits using additive processes such as robotic 3-printing (so-called robocasting) - with great success, but this is now becoming a problem. The metal particles that make such "inks" electrically conductive are exacerbating the problem of electronic waste.

Researchers have developed a machine-learning program that can be connected to a human brain and used to command a robot. The program adjusts the robot's movements based on electrical signals from the brain. The hope is that with this invention, tetraplegic patients will be able to carry out more day-to-day activities on their own.

A novel carbon-based biosensor is set to drive new innovations in brain-controlled robotics. The sensor is made of epitaxial graphene - essentially multiple layers of very thin, very strong carbon - grown directly onto a silicon-carbide-on-silicon substrate. The result is a highly scalable novel sensing technology that overcomes three major challenges of graphene-based biosensing: corrosion, durability and skin contact resistance

At FIRA 2021, French start-up Earth Rover showcased its product - an autonomous rover that uses concentrated light for weeding and scouting.

Pixelfarming robotics is a Dutch company developing a multifunctional platform Robot One. The company pitched its product at FIRA 2021.

A research team has developed a robot that can assist standing up, walking, and sitting down by estimating the user's state using a small number of sensors. They have developed a technique for a robot to estimate a user's state with few sensors by calculating center of gravity candidates. Knowing the state of the user, such as whether they are trying to stand up or sit down, makes it possible to provide assistance as necessary.

French start-up Tibot developed poultry robotics for growers. Tibot Technologies demonstrated its latest product T-Moov at FIRA 2021.

Founded in 2016, French company VitiBot pitched their autonomous electric vineyards robots at FIRA 2021.

WeedBot is a technology company that builds high-precision weeding systems for conventional and organic farmers. WeedBot demonstrated its laser weeding module at FIRA 2021.

At FIRA 2021, the German company Dahlia Robotics presented its recently developed autonomous robot for weed removal.

At FIRA 2021, PEK Automotive pitched their latest product - Slopehelper, a fully autonomous electric vehicle for farming and rescuing.

At FIRA 2021, IDTechEx watched a demonstration of SABI AGRI's latest product Zilus, an add-on system enabling autonomous driving.

IDTechEx attended FIRA 2021 where Meropy introduced its new products.

The invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) chews off the tails of freshwater fishes and tadpoles, leaving the native animals to perish while dining on other fishes' and amphibians' eggs. Researchers engineered a robot to scare mosquitofish away, revealing how fear alters its behavior, physiology, fertility—and may help turn the tide against invasive species.

Semiconductors are moving away from rigid substrates, which are cut or formed into thin discs or wafers, to more flexible plastic material and even paper thanks to new material and fabrication discoveries. The trend toward more flexible substrates has led to fabrication of numerous devices, from light-emitting diodes to solar cells and transistors.