Material Handling / Logistics / Supply Chain
Phantom Auto, which develops remote operation software for logistics vehicles, has announced a strategic investment of $42 million, led by freight and logistics provider ArcBest, and NFI, one of the largest third-party logistics (3PL) providers in North America. The two investors have executed commercial agreements to deploy thousands of Phantom-powered forklifts in the coming years.
Epson Robots has announced new updates to its T-Series line of all-in-one SCARA Robots with the introduction of the T3-B and T6-B models. The robots aim to offer value to ease automation for new entrants and advanced users of robotics.
Read more: Epson Updates T-Series All-in-One SCARA Robots...
Cyngn, which develops autonomous driving software for industrial and commercial enterprises, has announced it will team up with Columbia Vehicle Group to kick off production of a fleet of autonomous Columbia Stockchasers powered by Cyngn’s Enterprise Autonomy Suite (EAS).
France-based Exotec, which builds warehouse robotic automation systems, has announced raising $335 million in Series D funding at a $2 billion valuation. The company said it plans to use the funding to continue large-scale deployments of its technology in North America, Europe, and Asia for global brands, as well as hire 500 new research & development engineers by 2025 to accelerate the development of its high-performance warehouse automation technology.
Read more: Exotec Raises $335M to Expand Warehouse Robotics...
Home Delivery Service (HDS Global), a personalized e-commerce delivery service powered by the RoboFS touchless robotic fulfillment system, has announced the debut of a fully automated robotic fulfillment system at its Technology Center. The center is now open to demonstrate the solution HDS Global built from the ground up to solve problems in existing e-commerce systems.
Read more: HDS Global Launches AI-Based Robotic Technology...
J.B. Hunt Transport Services has announced a long-term, strategic alliance with Waymo Via aimed to advance innovative efforts to integrate commercial autonomous driving technology in transportation and logistics. The goal is to complete fully autonomous transport in Texas within the next few years, the companies said.
Norway-based AutoStore has announced the global availability of its R5+ Robot, which will enable warehouses to manage larger items within the AutoStore system. The R5+ can handle bins up to 425 mm, the tallest bins available from AutoStore. Until now, this size was a premium feature available only to AutoStore B1 Robot installations, the company said.
Read more: AutoStore Launches Robot to Handle Larger Items...
Ricoh USA and 6 River Systems have announced a new initiative designed to support warehouse efficiencies. Under the agreement, Ricoh’s Service Advantage will complement 6 River’s existing service team for its collaborative robots – called ‘Chucks’ – and expand its geographical reach to provide technical support to customers faster.
Nuro, which develops autonomous zero-occupant delivery vehicles, has announced the third generation of its vehicle. The new flagship model, called Nuro, is part of the company’s plans to scale its autonomous delivery services to millions of consumers across the U.S.
Berkshire Grey, which develops artificial intelligence-enabled robotic solutions for supply chain processes, has announced its Reverse Logistics solution, which aims to help retailers accelerate the resale of returned goods and improve labor utilization. Projections indicate that consumers will return about $120 billion of goods in the period following the holidays, which creates significant challenges and costs for retail operations.
Osaro, which develops advanced robotics automation systems, and Innotech, which provides advanced products for electronics and consumer industries, have announced a collaboration to create a demonstration for Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. using AI piece-picking robots. The two companies are jointly providing picking robots and building a system into a new factory production line, scheduled for completion in 2022.
Reliable Robotics, which develops automated aircraft systems, has announced the appointments of two leaders in preparation for commercial cargo flights. The company said it will continue to grow its airline team and operational experience as part of a phased certification approach to bring its remotely operated aircraft system and services to market.
China’s Hai Robotics, which develops autonomous case-handling robot systems for warehouse logistics, has announced a strategic partnership with Greece’s Voyatzoglou Systems to offer smart warehousing solutions to the supply chain in Greece and the Balkan area of Eastern Europe.
Powercast, which develops radio frequency (RF) wireless power technologies, has announced it will showcase an array of new batteryless products at CES 2022 that feature its RF long-range over-the-air wireless power technology. One of these applications includes an all-in-one robotic price-changing system for retailers.
Udelv has announced the launch of the Transporter, a cabless autonomous electric delivery vehicle aimed at multi-stop delivery tasks. The vehicle will be on display at this week’s CES 2022 event in Las Vegas.
TuSimple, which develops autonomous driving technology, has announced it successfully completed the world’s first fully autonomous semi-truck run on open public roads without a human in the vehicle, and without human intervention. Taking place on December 22, the run involved a TuSimple upfitted autonomous semi-truck leaving a railyard in Tucson, Ariz., and traveling more than 80 miles on surface streets and highways at night, safely arriving at a high-volume distribution center in the Phoenix metropolitan area.