Рубрика: Robotics

Biomimetics Robotics Department of MIT has recently conducted a group demonstration of its new ‘mini cheetah’ robot which displayed an adorable and impressive current state of robotics technology in action. Its production marks the commencement of innovative robot-machines production having ability of multitasking.

About Mini Cheetah Robot

MIT’s new robot is springy and light on its feet. It possesses a range of motion that can give a tough fight to champion gymnasts. It is a four-legged powerful machine that can bend and swing its legs wide to walk with right-side up or upside down. It can also trot over uneven terrain two times faster than an average person’s walking speed.

It weighs around 20 pounds and when kicked to the ground, it can quickly right itself with a swift, kung-fu-like swing of its elbows. The most special quality of Mini Cheetah is its ability to perform a 360-degree backflip from standing position. According to the researchers, the machine is designed to be virtually indestructible having the capability to recover from little damage even if backflips end in failure.

The modularity in the design of the robot prevents it even if a limb or a motor breaks. Both the legs of the robot are powered by three identical, low-cost electric motors that have been engineered using off-the-shelf parts by MIT researchers. Therefore, each motor can easily be replaced for a new one.

Expert’s Quote

According to the lead developer, Benjamin Katz who is a technical associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, people can put these parts together, almost like Legos.

Katz further added that “a big part of why we built this robot is that it makes it so easy to experiment and just try crazy things, because the robot is super robust and doesn’t break easily, and if it does break, it’s easy and not very expensive to fix.”

Trials and Experiments

Mini Cheetah has been through a number of maneuvers. It was first tested for its running ability through the hallways of Pappalardo Lab, MIT and along the ground of Killian Court which is slightly uneven.

The team of researchers at MIT, wrote another code to instruct the robot to stretch and twist in the various yoga-like configuration. This showcased its range of motion and ability to rotate its limbs and joints while maintaining balance. It has also been programmed to recover from the unexpected force. For instance, when researchers kicked Mini Cheetah to the ground it automatically shut down.

In its recent demonstration, school students were seen coordinating the actions of 9 of the dog-sized robots running through a range of activities. These activities included coordinated movements, doing flips, springing in slow motion from under piles of fall leaves, and even playing soccer.

Conclusion

Notably, the mini cheetah is an improvised version of the Cheetah 3 which is much larger and more expensive to produce as a robot. Cheetah 3 is heavy-weighted on its feet, and not quite so customizable.

Therefore, the mini cheetah was designed with an ability to run at a speed of up to 5 miles per hour.

The researchers associated with mini cheetah robot set out to build a team for them post demonstrating its first version back in May. They are now working with other teams at MIT to loan them out for additional research and work.

The post MIT’s Mini Cheetah Robot Can Frolic, Fall, Flip and Play Soccer appeared first on Analytics Insight.

The upsurge of automation machines clearly implies that Robots will play a significant role in making up the modern workforce. According to a recent study of 29 countries, it has been estimated that on an average, the proportion of jobs at high risk of automation will be nearly 20 percent by the late 2020s, and 30 percent by the mid-2030s. This signifies a world where employees will need to work along with robots while sharing the same professional space. Robots will be their new colleagues. This also means that the human workforce needs to learn new skills as robots take over the most repetitive or dangerous tasks.

The increased employment of robots is largely because technological advances are enabling them with powerful capabilities and making them easier to use. The robotic machines are becoming easier to configure and train than their traditional industrial forebears. Improved learning and dexterity among robots are making them more versatile.

Even today, robots are materializing offices, hospitals, and schools which are non-industrial environments. They are also transforming the workflow and ethics in warehouses, fulfillment centers, and small manufacturing centers. Robots are even on the roads and flying overhead. This simply marks that technology of robotics is at emergence and it will continue to grow further with more features and innovative efficiencies.

Here are the top 5 robotics predictions to know how robots will continue to transform the market in the future.

Growth in Robot Sales

The World Robotics Report by IFR reveals that global robot sales hit US$16.5 billion in 2018; shipments rose 6 percent to 422,000. It has been estimated that shipments will stall in 2019 but still are expected to grow 12 percent from 2020 to 2022.

Rise of Collaborative Robots

Collaborative robots are on the rise which would work alongside or with humans. Reportedly, increased from 23 percent in 2017, almost 14,000 robots were installed at the workplace in 2018.

Growth in the Asian Market

Asia is being considered as the potential top market for robots. Regardless of declines from China and Korea, Japan still contributes to a 1 percent growth graph for industrial robots in the region.

Industrial Robots in Automotive

The automotive industry that uses robots in various departments recorded a 2 percent increase in industrial robots making up the top installer of such technology.

Lack of Robots Can Cause Job-Issues

It is being predicted that not having sufficient robots can lead to bad situations for jobs. A report by UK government notes that if a country lacks investment in automation it will lead to jobs going elsewhere.

With all the futuristic predictions on the table, the current workforce should be more ready and efficient to work along with robots. The future belongs to technological innovations, undoubtedly, and those who lack knowledge, skills, and talent for a collaborative atmosphere will stay behind in the race of advancements. To stay relevant in the market, humans need to develop required skills that will help them build a new-collar career for themselves while working along with super-humans-like machines.

The post Top 5 Robotics Predictions for Better, Collaborative and Advanced Future appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Robotics in itself is an amalgamation of several engineering areas and skills which explores the science behind the design, manufacturing, and application of robots. With its emergence at such a wide scale, the fast pace evolution of robots ignites the craving of people for knowledge regarding its identity, working, functioning, implementations and many more.

Every day we hear about robots and their marvels in various sectors, but do you know enough about them to quench your curiosity. If the answer is NO, then here is the list of top 10 Robotics books of 2019, that will surely answer every question of yours.

Have a look and find a key to your queries.

Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future
Author: Martin Ford

This book is a must to read to understand the impact of accelerating technology on the world’s economic prospects. In this book, the readers will learn about – the history of automation, analyzing present technological improvements, the role of information technology in the job fields, the risks of white-collar jobs, transforming higher education perspective for a secure future, technologies, and industries of future, super intelligence and singularity and the new economic paradigm made by technology.

Machine Vision and Navigation
Author: Oleg Sergiyenko, Wendy Flores-Fuentes, Paolo Mercorelli

This book explores the variety of perspectives on vision-based applications whose contributions are focused on optoelectronic sensors, 3D & 2D machine vision technologies, robot navigation, control schemes, motion controllers, intelligent algorithms and vision systems. The book focuses on applications of unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous and mobile robots, industrial inspection applications, and structural health monitoring.

Robotics: Everything You Need to Know About Robotics from Beginner to Expert
Author: Peter Mckinnon

If robots fascinate you and you want to build your own robot, then this book is made for you. The book explains almost all the aspects of robotics to make you an expert from a beginner. In this book readers can learn – the history of robotics, the 3 Rules, the very first robots, essential hardware components of robots: – Analog and Digital Brains, DC, Servo, and Stepper Motors, bump Sensors and Light Sensors, software basics of RoboCORE, how they can construct an Autonomous Wall Climbing Robot, materials for building their own robot, important circuit schematics, cognitive robotics, cloud robotics, and autonomous robotics.

Reinforcement Learning of Bimanual Robot Skills
Author: Adrià Colomé, Carme Torras

This book prospects all the stages and mechanisms involved in the learning of manipulation tasks by bimanual robots in unstructured settings. The first part of the book describes how to build an integrated system, capable of properly handling the kinematics and dynamics of the robot along the learning process. ‘Reinforcement Learning of Bimanual Robot Skills’ also offers practical enhancements to closed-loop inverse kinematics for redundant robots, a procedure to position the two arms to maximize workspace manipulability, and a dynamic model together with a disturbance observer to achieve compliant control and safe robot behavior.

Making Simple Robots: Exploring Cutting-Edge Robotics with Everyday Stuff
Author: Kathy Ceceri

The book is based on the idea that anyone can build a robot. If someone is curious enough, no matter what he knows about robots, he still can build something using his everyday stuff. It is quite understandable for everyone. This book will help people move beyond the basic craft skills and materials to the latest products and tools being used by artists and inventors. Through this book, readers can learn – making an inflatable robot, programming a rag doll that blinks its cyborg’s eye, making a swarm of gliding Vibrobots, building a solar beam Wobbleboat, making their own chatbot program, making a Fibrebot, an E-textile Arduino robot and building a plotter robot.

Introduction to AI Robotics
Author: Robin R. Murphy

This book is a comprehensive survey of AI algorithms and programming organization for robot systems, combining theoretical rigor and practical applications. Readers who have thoroughly understood the covered topics will be able to design and evaluate an artificially intelligent robot for applications involving sensing, acting, planning, and learning.

Robot Modeling and Control
Author: Mark W. Spong, Seth Hutchinson, M. Vidyasagar

This book is for those who are studying or working in the field of robotics. It offers a thoroughly updated introduction to robotics. The book follows a step-by-step computational approach to help people derive and compute the forward kinematics, inverse kinematics, and Jacobians for the most common robot designs. This book provides detailed coverage of vision and visual servo control that enables people to program robots to manipulate objects sensed by cameras. Readers will learn about – mathematical modeling of robots, mechanical aspects of robots, common kinematic arrangements, rigid motions and homogenous transformation, forward and inverse kinematics, velocity kinematics, path and trajectory planning, multivariable control, geometric non-linear control, and vision-based control.

From Artificial Intelligence to Brain Intelligence
Author: Rajiv Joshi, Matt Ziegler, Arvind Kumar, Eduard Alarcon

The book aims at compiling all the materials presented by the renowned speakers in the symposium into a book format, serving as a learning tool for the audience. It contains two broad topics: general AI advances and neuromorphic computing directions.

The technical topics of the book include: Research Directions in AI algorithms and systems; An ARM perspective on hardware requirements and challenges for AI; The new Era of AI hardware; AI and the Opportunity for Unconventional Computing Platforms; Thermodynamic Computing; Brain-like cognitive engineering system; BRAINWAY and Nano – Abacus architecture: Brain-inspired Cognitive Computing using Energy-Efficient Physical Computational Structures; Algorithms and Architecture Co-Design; Applying Lessons from Nature for Today’s Computing Challenges; and Emerging Memories – RRAM Fabric for Neuromorphic Computing Applications.

Robotics: Discover The Science and Technology of the Future with 20 Projects (Build It Yourself)
Author: Kathy Ceceri

It is a fun and educational introduction to the exciting field of designing, building, and operating robots. The book provides step by step instructions on background material, clear explanations of how robots work, building real robot models using ordinary craft materials and parts salvaged from recycled toys and other household devices. Through this book, budding roboticists will be able to learn how to create work for robot’s hands, hydraulic arms, sensors, solar-powered robots, light-seeking robots and more.

AI, Trump, China & The Weaponization of Robotics with 5G
Author: Cyrus A Parsa, The AI Organization

‘AI, Trump, China & The Weaponization of Robotics with 5G’ will reveal the Micro-Botic Terrorism (MBT) brief submitted to Washington in the spring of 2019. The book will further expand by explaining the discovery of Bio-Digital Social Programming within the Human-Bio-Digital Network, IoT, Internet, Smart Phones, and the emerging treats of AI, Robotics, MBT, and Bio-Digital control of human beings through Artificial Intelligence. The book explores the AI & Robotics Weaponizing goals in China and the attacks on the Trump Administration with AI.

The post Top 10 Robotics Books to Read in 2019 appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Today, robotics is being used in a wide range of applications and in this way, collaborative robots (cobots) is taking it a step further. Large companies are adopting these types of robots because of their benefits such as lower costs, enhanced safety, flexibility, and personnel efficiencies. Not only big companies, but small to medium businesses are also becoming aware of the growing importance of and uses for cobots as the implementation of smart factories continues to rise.

Cobots are more precise and increasingly flexible thanks to advanced sensor technology, artificial intelligence, Lidar/Radar, GPS, and connectivity. Thus, by integrating domain-specific go-to-market with robust software management platforms, the next-generation of robotics firms have the chance to dodge long integrator-led sales cycles and become highly adherent over time.

Shift to Collaborative Robots

Technological advancements and lower cost components have paved the way for the growth of collaborative robots. Owing to its smaller scale, affordability, and flexibility, cobots offer the benefits of industrial automation to new markets. Moreover, cobot arms, along with compliant grippers and mobile platforms equipped with collision-avoidance capabilities take robots from inside fenced work cells to production lines and other venues.

Beyond manufacturing and pick-and-place operations, cobots can serve a wide array of areas in the domain of agriculture, healthcare, airlines, restaurants, among others. For instance, King’s College London is working on a project where a cobot arm can help greenhouse workers to pick plants. The project, called GROWBOT (Grower-Reprogrammable Robot for Ornamental Plant Production Tasks), designed to enable non-expert users to work with robots for tedious and repetitive tasks. It is also intended to assist by relieving scarcities of seasonal labor.

In one another example, Miso Robotics developed the world’s first autonomous robotic kitchen assistant, Flippy, that uses a cobot arm with a variety of end-of-arm tools and cloud-based monitoring functions. The company claims its burger-flipping robot can work on a grill or fryer, comply with OSHA and food-safety standards, and operate for more than 100,000 hours of continuous uptime.

Robots have also become prevalent in healthcare, helping surgeons by performing complex surgeries. In this context, a team of researchers at Nottingham Trent University is developing collaborative robots, Scoliobot, for precise spinal surgery. Currently, they are working on 3D-printed models with two UR5 cobots from Universal Robots. To provide surgeons with live feedback, researchers are also using augmented reality. In this surgery process, one robot arm, named the Datum Robot, would follow a patient’s spine and glean data on how he/she moves. Conversely, the other one, called the Tooling Robot, would automatically adjust to drill holes itself for realignment rods to be placed in vertebrae.

More Experiments with Cobots

Recently, an MIT project demonstrates a system of tiny collaborative robots, which could sooner or later work together to create high-performance structures, ranging from airplanes to houses and space settlements. The V-shaped robots, named Bipedal Isotropic Lattice Locomoting Explorers (BILL-E), resemble miniature arms.

Moving like inchworms, these robots can assemble small three-dimensional modular pieces, called voxels, into larger structures. They can pick up and place each voxel in position, then connect them using a special latching system that is part of each building unit.

So, as cobots that currently work alongside a human workforce, in years to come, the capabilities of it maybe turn into unrestricted movements. And instead of just performing pre-programmed tasks frequently, cobots could be intelligent enough to move away from programmed instructions to complete tasks precisely in unstructured milieus.

The post How Collaborative Robots Powering the Next-Generation of Robotics appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Technology, especially Robotics, is standing in the way that drives the world today and now students need to be in tune with this latest advancement. Robotics takes education to a new level, powering the next progression in teaching. It enables students to learn STEM disciplines in different ways, with the purpose to facilitate skills and attitudes for analysis and operation of robots. Thus, robotics is a production-based learning module, bringing a high-class education.

Teaching robotics in the classrooms provides students the opportunity to address how science, engineering, math, and technology work together and interact. It strengthens and supports students’ skills to improve their knowledge through the creation, design, assembly, and operation of robots. Also, students find it exciting and engaging as they feel free to interact directly with both electrical and mechanical processes and procedures.

Robotics Improves Education at Schools

Robotics alongside artificial intelligence has a vital role to play in the future of humanity. Thus, a robotics program for students will be helpful to improve their learning and go a long way in reshaping the future.

According to a McKinsey report, by 2030, the demand for many physical and even some basic cognitive tasks in the workforce will decline by almost 15 percent. Simultaneously, competition among companies for highly skilled and technically-proficient employees will be in demand. So, it is clear that all types of companies and industries will require individuals with strong coding and robotics backgrounds. And this high demand for robotics background is providing the opportunity for schools to make sure their graduates remain competitive in the workforce.

Developing Skills for the Future

There are lots of competitions for a range of age groups that can lead to competitive instincts in an optimistic way. So, investing in the school robotics program can offer students several benefits with world-class skills.

Making Students More Code-Aware – Learning robotics in early educational careers can help students become code-aware, which assists them to better understand the real-world issues and how it functions. Robotics offers an array of approaches to learning coding and computer science.

Inspiring Motivation and Engagement – The integration of digital, electrical and mechanical learning opportunities is highly inspiring and keeps students engaged with their studies. Experimenting with robotics is also a highly student-based exercise and one that provides active learning which communicates and supports students to grasp much more information than lectures.

Filling Gaps of Fundamental Science and Maths Concepts – Students can’t have robotics without mathematics, physics and some sort of physical chemistry knowledge to determine how the elements can influence the performance of electronics, including robots.

Paving Next-Generation of Learning

Studying robotics is an activity combining free-play and experimentation with the rigorous process of scientific trial and error. It is very apt for interaction in classrooms or learning centers as it assists in improving social interaction and fortifying collaboration among young children. With robotics in the classrooms, children and young students have the ability to develop their own personal learning experience, access information and educational content through a tailor-made path.

The post Why Do Schools Need to Invest in Robotics Program? appeared first on Analytics Insight.

The trade tension between the US and China and global economic slowdown specifically in automotive manufacturing are the two factors that are affecting the robotics market in China. However, political support for domestic innovation and interest in supply chain automation can possibly encourage the growth in 2020.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) had predicted earlier that China could be the main driver for a 14 percent annual average growth of the global robotics market until 2021. But later the organization lowered its expectation observing the market downturn. However, experts expect that this could be the beginning of a phase of gradual growth in China.

Challenges

For robotics developers reducing cost and delivery speed are certainly the major issue when designing or selling systems into the Chinese robotics market. As the US is the main economic actor, demand in China can be very volatile. Notably, when the economy picks up, buyers expect vendors to deliver quickly which is a challenging balancing act for operations in China.

Importance of Other Disruptive Technologies

China and the US are considered as the major rivals when it comes to AI race. But looking deeply, it has been observed by some experts that the former is certainly leading in facial recognition technology and is strong in speech recognition, but it is also a fact that the country is lagging in autonomous cars technology. For instance, the autonomous technology leader Waymo can drive more than 10 times the distance than Pony.ai and over 50 times than Baidu, that too without any disengagement.

Additionally, the two dominant deep learning frameworks that also exist in China are Google’s TensorFlow and Facebook’s PyTorch and their Chinese alternative, PaddlePaddle by Baidu, has a much lower presence.

China and Computing Hardware

In China, the cloud computing centers responsible for the training of neural networks are primarily using NVIDIA chips. However, there are now some Chinese alternatives for these too, such as Huawei’s HiSilicon, yet these firms are dependent on the US chip design software from Cadence Design Systems or Synopsis.

In terms of manufacturing technologies, chip foundries in China are a few years behind. While the chips made by TSMC [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.], Samsung, and Intel are using 7 nm technology, SMIC [Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.], the most sophisticated foundry in mainland China has been able to master 14 nm till now.

Additionally, in industrial applications, very few high-end enterprises have truly so-called digital factories. Foxconn, BOE, Tianma, Comau, or SAIC have production lines where the management and processing workflow has been opened up and linked together. Also, they can generate multi-dimensional data that can be used for statistical pattern analysis.

In fact, several robotics companies are still making normal industrial robots and some are not even using offline programming tools at a noteworthy extent, yet.

Robotics Market Segmentation

Looking at the market segmentation, we can observe that Dorabot and Mech-Mind, primarily in the logistics sector, are both combining computer vision, motion planning, and deep learning for robots. Also, in cloud robotics, there is no strong competitor against AWS RoboMaker in China. However, Geek+’s infrastructure can be next closest to AWS RoboMaker, which claims to have 7,000 robots installed at clients worldwide.

Also, there is a lot of buzz about 5G as Huawei is trying to act as an enabler for the future with cloud, IoT, AI, etc.

Markets for Chinese Robotic Applications

According to the experts, sales markets for Chinese robots with positive dynamics included the food and beverage industry as it is not much affected by the trade war. The food and beverage industry has still comparatively low-hanging fruit in terms of applications. The growth has been observed in the medical industry as well as albeit on a low level. Also, intralogistics is a growth market for automation and robotics.

Geopolitical Situation

Particularly in the US, Chinese companies are having a hard time winning trust due to the tensed trade situation. However, in Europe, the situation is a bit different. The European market has the idea that Chinese investors had endless amounts of money because they have paid high premiums in the past.
In general aspect, and the Chinese government is approving fewer cross-border transactions this year.

2020 Prospects

In China, with a double-digit decline in Q3 2019, orders that are received among all major robot manufacturers are continued to fall. This is darkening the outlook for Q4 2019. Due to the prevailing economic uncertainty, the majority of customers of several systems integrators keep postponing their investment plans further. There exist only a few clients who are pushing ahead now in order to make the best out of all in 2020.

The post What Are the Prospects of Robotics Market in China for 2020? appeared first on Analytics Insight.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet is now getting back into robotics after many years as the company’s R&D lab, called X, recently unveiled the Everyday Robot project. The project is designed to develop a general-purpose learning robot that can be taught how to perform something, instead of requiring to be programmed by humans ahead of time to perform a tedious task.

Advances in sensors, complex machine learning algorithms and affordable hardware could allow robots to see the world around them and learn from it without needing to be coded for every potential situation. The team at Alphabet X is testing with robots that can assist in workplace environments. Though, the early prototype robots are focused on learning how to sort trash.

In a statement, Alphabet X’s Chief Robot Whisperer, Hans Peter Brondmo noted that “It’s possible for robots to learn how to perform new tasks in the real world just through practice, rather than having engineers ‘hand code’ every new task, exception, or improvement.” He further stated that “For the last few years, my team, The Everyday Robot Project, has been working to see if it’s possible to create robots that can do a range of useful tasks in the messy, unstructured spaces of our everyday lives.”

However, robots are expensive and limited to performing very specific tasks. So, getting robots that can run safely and autonomously in the untidy environment, complex human ecosystems like homes or offices is one of the biggest challenges in robotics right now.

According to Alphabet X, a major challenge to general-purpose robots is the need for them to fully understand dynamic environments as part of observing, deciding, and acting autonomously and without programming needed for every situation. Machine learning and simulation in the cloud are key to improving this capability. “Our moonshot is to see if we can make robots as helpful to people in the physical world as computers now are in the virtual world,” the company said.

While Alphabet X team has been testing the robots with simple tasks, like sorting trash into landfills, compost, and recycling piles, its success at this task proves that robots can learn new things in the real world through practice. “Our next challenge is to see if we can take what the robot learned in this task and apply that learning to another task without rebuilding the robot or writing a ton of code from scratch. This could prove to be impossible, but we’ll give it a shot,” Brondmo noted.

Alphabet X (formerly known as Google X) was created in 2015 that consists of roboticists, computer scientists, researchers, makers, and builders. The division is aimed at developing affordable robots that don’t require painstaking hand-coding for tasks in offices or homes.

The post Alphabet X’s New Project to Make AI-Powered Robots That Can Learn on Their Own appeared first on Analytics Insight.

The innovations of robotics and automation have disrupted many industries but especially in the retail market, its impact is more than one could imagine. The day is not far when this market will adopt the maximum number of robots for most of its operations. From logistics to merchandising its impact is multi-dimensional.

To be at par with the rising relevance of robots in the market, a number of retail companies are approaching various methods to expand their business prospects.

• Amazon has a great collection of robots at its warehouses to meet order demands.

• Retailer Best Buy collaborated with PaR Systems in order to introduce an automated system known as Chloe.

• Robots from Bossa Nova Robotics have been deployed in around 50 stores of Walmart.

• Lowe’s along with Fellow Robots created an in-store bot called the LoweBot. This bot helps in assisting people with locating items in the store.

The surge in robot-application in retail surely promises for a great transformation that the industry would embrace forever which implies that regardless of various challenging circumstances the technology is here to stay.

Georges F Mirza, PMC, expressed his excitement for the robot-enabled transformation of the retail industry in his article “Proof robots in retail are here to stay.” He quoted that, “this is all encouraging to me; seeing the renewed excitement and spotlight on retail technologies. Regardless of where investment money currently is, brick or click, it is all connected and shows that brick is here to stay, and robots are part of its future.”

According to him, robots have the ability to accurately, repeatedly and autonomously, function in retail stores by processing collected data and solving real business problems with different degrees of success and reliability.

When it comes to automation, its promises are even more engaging as it saves labor and labor cost, enhances productivity and customer engagement. It also tends to reduce the cost to consumers of reaching out to a market which subsequently means that more and more people can afford to make a purchase.

Even the IT departments of retail companies nowadays, use RPA bots that can facilitate people in call centers with better service prospects. It also allows the staff to connect to people’s queries at the backend to respond to them instantly.

According to a report, the Retail Robotics market was valued at US$ 4.78 billion in 2018 globally and is expected to witness a growth of around 31.9 percent from 2019-2026 to reach the mark of US$ 41.67 billion by 2026.

It has also been revealed by a report that the global retail automation market was valued at US$18.37 billion in 2018 and it is expected to grow at a profitable CAGR of 8.60 percent from 2019 to 2025.

Automation and robots, undoubtedly, help retailers achieve consistency and error-free work eliminating the manual human input in most of the cases. This consistency further helps in brand building, gaining and retaining customers while reducing prevailing operational expenses. Best of both the technologies provide the small, medium and large businesses the opportunity to stay relevant and updated with their efficiency in the market where they will be able to compete with others with a technological edge. All these benefits and futuristic trends clearly imply that automation and robotics are here to stay and transform the retail industry for better.

The post How Are Robotics and Automation Fated for The Retail Industry? appeared first on Analytics Insight.

According to a report, the Robotics market is expected to reach US$ 82.7 billion by 2020 with a CAGR of 10.11 percent. The key drivers for its bright prospects are its use in a wide range of industries including healthcare, defense, aerospace, automotive and infrastructure.

It is being predicted that such growth of robotics would significantly increase the number of job opportunities available for the human workforce. As the major players in the market inclining towards creating affordable, small, compact and energy-efficient robotics solutions to reach a wider customer base, they are seeking to hire more and more productive professionals to drive their vision.

The companies like WIPRO, Accenture, NVIDIA, JPMorgan Chase & Co and significant others have opened their arms to welcome new and fresh talent to join their cause to serve the world with better robotics services. Here is the list of top 10 robotics job opportunities in December 2019.

Robotics Expert

WIPRO Technologies

Description: The candidate will be responsible for implementing Cobot based solutions for Industrial Automations in automotive assembly, selecting robot hardware vendors, and integrating robot hardware and software, based on process diagrams.

Requirement:

• Experience: 5-10 Years (Min 5 Years in robotics and Cobots)

• Education: BE/B. TECH, Mechanical

• 5 Years’ experience with various Industrial Robot like ABB, FANUC, KAWASAKI, KUKA, YASAKAWA.

• At least 2 Years with Cobots like Universal Robots & Fanuc, Kawasaki, Hanwa,

• • Robotic bases (AMR/AGV) – Clearpath robotics

• Experience with industrial Automation projects especially with automotive industry. (Ford, Toyoto, Suzuki, Honda, Benz, Mahindra, Tata, etc.,)

• Experience with Robotic grippers like OnRobot/Schunk,

• Experience with Robot software: ROS, Gazebo, Moveit!, SLAM, Motion planning, Robot Navigation, Python programming,

• Experience with Robotic Hardware: LIDAR, IMU, Sensor Fusion, Robot Drives,

• Experience in calibrating industrial robots and 3D vision cameras (Intel realsense, Baumer, CANON). Configuring and integrating external axis and End of Arm Tooling (EOAT).

Technical Architect for Microsoft Robotics Process Automation Advanced

Accenture

Description: The candidate will be responsible for reviewing and integrating all application requirements, including functional, security, integration, performance, quality and operations requirements.

He will need to design intelligent automation solutions in accordance with standard Accenture design principles and conventions. The candidate will need to make sure the product/solution architecture is scalable and extensible.

• Requirements:

• Microsoft Robotics Process Automation Advanced

• Microsoft .NET Architecture

• Drive innovations while producing designs and reduce the cost of development

• Drive the adoption of best practices around coding, design, quality, performance in the team

• Lead in designing, specifying and selecting information system solutions, considering functionality, data, security, integration, infrastructure and performance

• Identify the best custom solution that meet customers’ needs in terms of RPA strategy on enterprise level

• Understand and support to software architecture design and support

• Deep knowledge Software of Architecture

• Experience minimum 5 years

• Knowledge on any of the RPA technologies such as Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere or any other is an additional advantage

• Any MTA-TA Certification Equivalent certification in the market

• • 15 years of full-time education

Business Analyst II – Robotics Process Automation

JPMorgan Chase & Co

Description: As a member of the Robotics team, the Business Analyst will have the unique opportunity to partner with process owners to drive change through scope definition and timely delivery of solutions that automate • processes and eliminate inefficiencies in CCB Operations. The Business Analyst will be the liaison between the business and technology teams throughout the case development lifecycle. This role will ensure business requirements development is complete, identification of system impacts is clearly defined, and innovative solutions are deployed into production.

Requirements:

• 2-4 years of experience of project execution

• Experience with epic development and user story writing

• Strong knowledge of Agile processes

• Handle multiple projects at once, meeting deadlines.

• Interact effectively with team members at all levels.

• Ability to research and resolve issues.

• Bachelor’s Degree required

Robotics Software Engineer – Camera Expert

SigTuple

Description: The person will be responsible for –

• Understanding the controls and communication protocol of camera and other device drivers and work with different teams to solve the issues at the output level.

• Flawless data communication between camera and motherboard

• Debugging of any issues on USB protocol

• Controlling the camera settings to get the best quality images

• Defining parameters and acceptance criteria related to images

• Cross-functional discussion to solve the gaps between two teams

Requirements:

• 5-8 years of experience

• Should have in-depth knowledge of camera communication and device drivers

• Understanding of Linux kernel (Specific to IO subsystem, USB, BIOS/UEFI)

• Ability to debug kernel dumps

• Digital Photography

• Prior working on any firmware will be added advantage

• Good at programming in C and Python

• Good at system programming, computer architecture.

• Linux Kernel, device drivers, C, Python

• B.Tech/M.Tech. (Computer Science, ECE, EEE)

Lead Engineer 1 – Automation Engineering

PepsiCo

Description: The CTO team delivers solutions leveraging leading-edge technologies in the areas of

a) Big Data & advanced analytics using Teradata, HANA Enterprise, Hadoop, and Microsoft Azure Analytics

b) Artificial Intelligence (AI) using Machine Learning, Deep Learning, computer vision technologies for video, image, text, and voice analytics using programming languages such as R, Python, Tensorflow, and GPU hardware for compute-intensive applications

c) Internet of Things platforms (Cloud and Edge computing)

d) Intelligent automation using RPA (UIPath)

e) Augmented Reality using Apple ARkit and Android ARCore

f) Wearable devices & applications for hands-free factory and warehouse operations

g) Blockchain for food safety and supply chain visibility

h) modern mobile application platforms

i) modern infrastructure using hybrid multi-cloud environments and state-of-the-art collaboration and communication platforms. The CTO team also leverages agile development tools and processes (DevOps, Continuous Integration Continuous Delivery pipelines, etc.).

Requirements:

• Design, develop and deploy Robotics Process Automation (RPA) solutions using UIPath platform

• Strong hands-on UiPath RPA-BOT development and production deployment experience in multiple projects

• Configure robotics processes and objects using core workflow principles in an efficient way; ensure they are easily maintainable and easy to understand

• Maintain proper documentation (Process Design and Solution Design Documents-PDD, SDD) for the solutions, test procedures and scenarios during UAT and Production phase

• Experienced with agile development methodology (i.e. Safe Agile)

• Coordinate with process owners and business to understand the as-is process and design the automation process flow.

• Works collaboratively with test teams during the Product test and UAT phases to fix assigned bugs with quality.

• Reports status, issues and risks to tech leads on a regular basis

• Improves skills in automation products by completing automation certification.

• Understand existing processes and facilitate change requirements as part of a change control process

• Basic DBMS skills and SQL skills.

• Exposure to advanced automation skills such as document processing using OCR, Computer vision.

• Exposure to machine learning techniques and understanding of various models

• Good exposure to error handling and recovery strategies.

• Exposure to mainframe systems and remote applications like Citrix.

• Must be a team player, ability to work to balance between multiple deliverables.

• Excellent Communicator

• Degree in Computer Science or Engineering with process analysis, requirements gathering and programming background

• Minimum 3-5 years of hands-on development experience with a solid understanding of programming concepts

• Solid programming background, preferably in VB, C#, .NET

• 1+ years of relevant hands-on automation experience using Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, and or UiPath

• Exposure to MS Azure cloud

• Good understanding of various automation components and features available in Robotics Products and hand-on • experience on UiPath

• Understands development methodology and lifecycle

Software Engineer – Robotics

Nvidia Graphics Pvt Ltd

Description: We are now looking for a Software Engineer (New College Grad) for our Robotics team!

The candidate will be responsible for –

• Playing a key role in helping us build the fundamental infrastructure of our system.

• You will work at the very heart of the system which will power every robot and application built with Isaac.

• You should have very strong software development skills and would be an active force in reviewing code and a guardian to guarantee that we follow successful practices and develop only the best and most robust code.

• Actively drive projects to improve existing platform features and to add new features to complement and extend the system.

Requirements:

• You will be completing PhD, MS, or BS in Computer Science or related field.

• You have expertise in computer graphics, simulation or game development.

• You have experience with C /C, CUDA, DX, or OpenGL.

• You’ve worked with Robots or autonomous machines in a prior capacity

• Dedication to quality and creativity.

• You have excellent interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communication

• You are comfortable and enjoy working with dynamic and ever-evolving environments

• You are a meticulous organizer with an ever positive, can-do attitude

Robotics Process Automation Developer

IBM India Pvt Ltd

Description: As a RPA Developer, you will support the development and implementation of cost-effective solutions to meet the business objectives by coordinating detailed technical analysis and design, investigating new approaches/technical designs.

Identifying new process opportunities and accurately analyzing and estimating new processes, quickly assessing feasibility; Analyzing, understanding and documenting the business processes in detail where required; Identifying and communicating the technical infrastructure requirements; Designing Blue Prism, AA and/or related technologies in process solutions in accordance with standard design principles and conventions will be some of your key responsibilities.

Requirements:

• Development Experience

• Understanding workflow-based logic and the ability to both understand a business process from a workflow diagram and to conceptualize it as an automated solution;

• Willingness and ability to blend business analysis with a hands-on configuration of automation processes

• The ability to learn quickly and progress rapidly from theoretical exercises to real-world delivery and mentoring tasks;

• Good communication skills;

• The ability to work with a structured and methodical approach, combined with an inquiring mind;

• An understanding of, and a willingness to adhere to, formal change control procedures and disciplines;

• An aptitude for problem-solving, with the ability to take a logical route to the source of an error.

• Experience working on Blue Prism development will be an added advantage;

• Automation Anywhere experience;

• Proven technical documentation skills.

VP of Sales Executive Robotics and AI

Plasma

Description: We are looking for Enterprise Sales Executive Robotics and AI for Sales & Marketing department. The person will responsible for –

• Cultivate new Enterprise-level client accounts as well as maintain existing account relationships to achieve individual and team sales targets.

• Conduct research into potential new clients to develop effective sales strategies in preparation for initial engagement.

• Facilitate a high-profile presence in the market place through the development of long-term client relationships/partnerships.

• Leverage existing base of industry contacts and clients as points-of-access to promote Plasma product and service portfolio.

• Develop compelling collateral to support business development activities.

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor/Master Degree

• Experience required: 10 years

• Required BS degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in the development of complex software solutions and systems integration.

• Demonstrated experience in web-based systems architecture, service-based architecture and enterprise • application architecture.

• Good knowledge and practical experience in using Web Service APIs for integration purposes.

• Ability to convert business requirements into solution designs.

• Strong background in the use of ASP.NET (C#).

• Preparation of applicable status reports as directed by Director of Account Management.

• Develop comprehensive proposals in response to client RFQs.

• Good oral and written communication skills.

Robotics and Cognitive Automation Solutions Lead

Netapp India Pvt Ltd

Description: The Robotics and Cognitive Automation Solutions Lead will be responsible for supporting the EIPA CoE goals of business, Operations transformation, foundational capabilities, and supporting program delivery in partnership with CIO and LoB teams. The position requires deep SME knowledge and proven delivery experience across multiple RPA/ML/AI technologies.

Requirements:

• Proven experience in Robotic Automation and Business Project Management including a working knowledge of leading technologies (e.g. Openspan-Pega, Blueprism, UI Path, Workfusion, IBM Watson, or Automation anywhere etc.)

• Experience with Artificial Intelligence or machine learning-based technologies

• Exposure to Automation technologies like RPA, Intelligent Automation etc. as well as exposure/working knowledge of AI/ML, Deep Learning Cognitive Computing would be a great plus

• Certification in one or multiple RPA/ML/AI and/or other emerging automation technologies

• In-depth experience in the full lifecycle of automation solution implementation

• Experience with continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, etc.

• Hands-on knowledge and training in RPA methodologies, operations assessment, and transformation roadmap and program delivery is a must.

• At least 3-5 years’ experience as a Lead Automation analyst delivering large complex transformation initiatives.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Management of Information Systems, or related business discipline(s). An MBA degree is a plus.

• 10 years of experience in systems analysis, solutions architecture, or senior design-focused software development roles required

Manager II, Operations – Robotic System Design

Walmart India

Description: The key responsibilities will include –

• Manage one or more work streams for the operations organization by designing project plans

• organizing project timelines and deliverables

• facilitating meetings involving stakeholder teams to analyze, plan, and implement project initiatives

• recommending appropriate operational processes

• developing and managing project requests and timelines by establishing project requirements; communicating project status, details, timelines, and available resources; planning and executing resource allocation; finalizing, approving, and delivering projects; etc.

Requirements:

• Minimum Qualifications: A technical degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics or related field

• Strongly Preferred 2 years’ experience in operations, project management or related area.

• Project Management – Project Management Professional Certification, preferred. 1 – 3 years

• Supervising Associates (meaning; the ability to manage multiple vendors / Software Engineers etc. all working on a single project or task.

• Balancing multiple responsibilities and the group’s efforts- all toward a common goal.)

The post Top 10 Robotics Job Opportunities in December 2019 appeared first on Analytics Insight.

The San Deigo-based startup, Accel Robotics has recently announced a US$ 30 million Series A funding round led by SoftBank Group Corp. The company is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision for checkout-free stores. It’s Series A funding includes existing investors like New Ground Ventures, Toyo Kanetsu Corporate Venture Investment Partnership, and RevTech Ventures, in addition to SoftBank.

The funding will enable Accel Robotics to enhance its expansion worldwide by growing operations, increasing manufacturing capacity, and streamlining its expanding deployment pipeline. Previously, the company had received a funding of US$ 7 million and the recent funding will be built on that to bring Accel Robotics’s total capital up to US$ 37 million.

Talking about SoftBank’s funding, Brandon Maseda, CEO, Accel Robotics said, “We are excited to partner with the team at SoftBank Group to help scale our frictionless commerce platform with retailers and brands around the world.”

Accel Robotics was founded in 2015 and is currently developing AI and computer vision solutions needed for checkout-free stores that are being designed with an aim to make queuing a thing of the past. The solution will also generate a vast amount of consumer data. The fundamental idea behind such stores is that the shopper simply walks into a store, picks items from the shelves, and then walks out again. The customer will get the receipt sent directly to his/her mobile device.

It has been noted that the deployments of cashier-less stores are already underway in North America and Japan. The company is leveraging its frictionless commerce platform in stores in the regions. The platform leads in the category of grocery, convenience, quick service restaurants, and drugstore chains in North America and Japan.

Accel Robotics’s platform allows retailers to deploy stores to the emerging environment at a quick pace. It also enables them to extend their reach, acquire new customers, and increase revenue.

Globally, several startups have launched platforms to bring automated supermarkets to every city to which retailers can adapt their existing stores easily. In 2018, Trigo had raised US$ 22 million to establish grocery stores with cameras, sensor fusion technology, computer vision, and cloud-based computational power.

Also, Standard Cognition, the AI company has received US$ 35 million funding whereas Grabango which is a software company, has secured US$ 12 million. Both companies cater to the same goal of eliminating checkouts and embellishing supermarkets with data.

Additionally, tech giant Amazon, which is probably the highest-profile cashier-free store operator, has debuted in 2016 only, in this foray with its concept Amazon Go stores. The company has, notably, expanded the outlets to 18 locations across the US.

While explaining about the working of Amazon Go, the company explained, “Our checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Our Just Walk Out Technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When you’re done shopping, you can just leave the store. A little later, we’ll send you a receipt and charge your Amazon account.”

The post Accel Robotics Secures US$ 30M Funding Led By SoftBank for Cashier-less Stores appeared first on Analytics Insight.