Zappos.com Selects Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System to Ramp Order Volume

Leading Internet retailer cites flexibility and performance as keys to decision.

Microchip Technology Announces New Low-Cost, General-Purpose 8-bit PIC® Microcontrollers

28- and 40-pin MCUs Feature 16 MHz Internal Oscillator, Operation Down To 1.8V and Enhanced Peripherals

ABB Chooses IRphotonics Infrared Fiber for Remote Sensing

Mid Infrared Fibers’ Extended Spectral Range Allow In-Situ Monitoring in Petro-Chemical Processing Plant

General Dynamics Awarded $40 Million Army Contract to Produce Robotic Security Vehicles

U.S. Army Installs JTRS-Approved Falcon III Radios from Harris Corporation into UAVs

New Device Targets Precise IEEEE 1588 Grandmaster Clocks

Imsys has announced new device - the IM3240 - to complement its product range for IEEE1588 clock synchronization.

Georgia Tech Offers First Interdisciplinary Robotics Doctoral Program in the U.S.

Unison SoC Open Source RTOS Targets Microchip Technology’s 32-bit PIC32® Microcontrollers

Hugh Durrant-Whyte to Deliver Keynote Address at RoboBusiness Conference and Exposition

Noted Field Robotics Expert to Speak on ‘Field Robotics in Australia’ at Business Development Event for the Personal, Service and Mobile Robotics Industry

The X PRIZE Foundation Announces Official Contenders in Private Moon Race

Ten Teams Registered to Compete for $30 Million Google Lunar X PRIZE

Johnson Medtech’s Motors Enable Precision Movement in MRI-Compatible Image-Guided Surgical Robot

Non-Magnetic Actuators by Johnson Medtech’s Nanomotion Allow Revolutionary Surgical Robot to Operate in MRI Environment

Mitsubishi Electric Automation Introduces e-F@ctory Solution to North America

Groundbreaking, future-ready solution for manufacturing unifies automation disciplines while providing enterprise connectivity solutions to immediately boost performance and the bottom line.

Sun Brings Innovative Sun SPOT Sensors to Open Source Community

Open sourcing, new pricing and grant programs make Sun SPOTs attractive to educators, researchers and developers of environmental, robotic, and embedded computing applications

Transbotics Secures AGV System Order

Dean Kamen Issues Mentorship Challenge to SolidWorks World 2008 Attendees

SolidWorks Corporation joins effort, pledging financial support for FIRST Robotics mentorship program

Robots Lend a Hand in Japan

It is no wonder Japan has been called “the robot kingdom.” Of the world’s at least 923,000 industrial robots, about 4 in 10 are in Japan. Now Japanese interest is turning to so-called service robots, which could play a crucial role in looking after the nation’s aging population.

By Tony McNicol

The Business Opportunity in Refurbished Robotics

RobotWorx CEO, Keith Wannter, sits down with Robotics Trends contributing editor John Desmond to discuss the growing used robotics market including business advantages of purchasing refurbished machines, opportunities in the used robotics market, as well as industry trends in general.

Cognex Offers Hardware-Independent Vision Software

Microchip Technology Adds Flash Data Memory to the Baseline PIC® Microcontroller Architecture

8- and 14-pin Baseline PIC Microcontrollers Now Feature Non-Volatile Flash Data Memory

AeroVironment Awarded $45.8 Million Contract Option for Raven Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Su

Staples to Deploy Second Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System at Denver Greenfield Site

Combination of Kiva ItemFetch and OrderFetch modules to dramatically improve ability to pull work through facility with unlimited sorting down to the van route level.

MicroPilot’s Growth Continues - 500 UAV Integrators in 60 Countries

Boeing-Insitu ScanEagle UAV Achieves 10,000 Flight Hours in Support of Australian Army Operations

UAVs continue to provide excellent service to the world’s militaries.  For example, the ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), produced by Boeing Australia Limited and Insitu, has successfully delivered 10,000 surveillance and reconnaissance flight hours to help protect Australian troops on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lockheed Martin Agrees to Acquire UGV Navigation Software Company PercepTek

Bluefin Robotics Names David Kelly New CEO and President

Robot Plumbs Wisconsin Lake on Way to Antarctica, Jovian Moon

A University of Illinois at Chicago scientist will lead a team testing a robotic probe in a polar-style, under-ice exploration of Madison’s Lake Mendota that may have out-of-this world applications. 

Global Team Developing “Robotic Rats”

Weizmann scientists are participating in BIOTACT, a new initiative bringing together international teams of robotics and brain researchers. The program’s goals include developing innovative touch technologies based on the natural principle of active sensing, such as a whiskered “robotic rat” that may be able to aid in rescue missions.

NASA-Funded Robot to Test Space Exploration Capabilities

Computer Vision May Not be as Good as Thought

Object recognition tests are inadvertently stacked in favor of computer vision models, according to researchers at MIT’s McGovern Institute. A simulation based on the earliest stages of the brain’s visual pathway exposed these flaws. The authors propose new tests that more closely reflect the real-world variability encountered by the visual system.

Coroware Launches Near-Shore Outsourcing Practice

Coroware Offers Customers Affordable Options for Product Realization and IT Management

WowWee Unveils Most Extensive and Innovative Product Line To-Date

WowWee Robotics announced its cutting edge product portfolio for 2008 which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In additon, consumers can expect to see four distinct product divisions—WowWee Robotics, WowWee FlyTech, WowWee Alive, and WowWee Fun - with something for every member of the family, including robot enthusiasts.

Researchers Give New Hybrid Vehicle Its First Test-Drive in the Ocean

Profiling glider collects propulsion energy from the heat differences in the ocean

Reddy Receives IEEE’s James L. Flanagan Award For Contributions in Speech and Audio Processing

Integrated Robotics and Custom End-of-Arm-Tooling Provide Solutions for Automated Machine Loading

ESS Technologies, Inc. has integrated a FANUC LR Mate mini robot with ESS custom-designed end-of-arm-tooling.

Nachi Robotic Systems Inc. Introduces the Unique 7-Axis MR Robot

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BAE Systems Becomes Largest Corporate Contributor and “Strategic Partner” of FIRST

BAE Systems Becomes Largest Corporate Contributor and “Strategic Partner” of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

Skilligent Announces Distributorship Agreement with Soosung Education System

Skilligent LLC today announced a distributorship agreement with Soosung Education System, a South Korean supplier of products and solutions for research and education market.

Skilligent Announces New Computer Vision Product

Skilligent has released a computer vision software product designed for robotic applications.

Coroware Achieves Microsoft Certified Partner Status

CoroWare, an Innova Robotics & Automation company announced that it has achieved Microsoft Certified Partner status.