Lukas M. Ziegler

Robots fruit pickers! 🍎

Tevel revolutionizes the agriculture industry with drones.

Equipped with suction arms and cameras, these robots hover near trees, pluck ripe fruits with precision, and provide real-time data on harvesting progress. Unlike traditional ground-based machines, FARs are agile, efficient, and cost-effective, allowing farmers to deploy multiple robots across orchards during the narrow harvesting window.

By replacing human labor, these AI devices ensure that crops are not left to rot on trees, mitigating the significant global issue of fruit wastage.

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Robo-slime.

A robot made of magnetic slime could grab objects inside your body.

A robot made of magnetic slime with a custard-like consistency can navigate narrow passages, grasp objects and fix broken electrical circuits. It could be deployed inside the body to perform tasks such as retrieving objects swallowed by accident.

Researchers invented this robot at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Although it shows promise for medical use, safety concerns remain due to the toxicity of its magnetic particles.

An interesting field of robotics, indeed! 🧠

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80 % of standard and 20 % of custom. The key to scaling everything! 🗝️

Walt Disney's genius manifested itself through more than just winning 22 Academy Awards and 7 Emmy Awards.

Back in the day, Disney knew that creating a template to reuse material in his movie productions was the key to success.

A comparison of Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book.  Can you spot the similarities? ✋🏼

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Table tennis? I solved it! 🏓

Researchers from Google DeepMind have developed an AI-powered robot capable of playing table tennis at an intermediate amateur level.

The robot's training involved analyzing a comprehensive dataset of table tennis ball states, including position, speed, and spin, to develop its playing skills.

During testing, the robot competed against 29 human players of varying skill levels, from beginners to advanced players, demonstrating its ability to adapt to different opponents.

While focused on table tennis, this breakthrough has broader implications for robotics, showcasing the potential for machines to master complex real-world tasks that require a combination of physical dexterity, perception, and decision-making skills.

What a player that robotic arm from ABB Robotics is! 😮‍💨

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♻️ Repost to help 1 robot find a new workplace.
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A versatile mobile platform! 🚗

The MobED is a unique robotic platform developed by Hyundai Motor Company (현대자동차).

It has four wheels that can move independently, allowing it to easily navigate tricky environments. This robot is designed to be stable and maneuverable, and its adjustable wheelbase and flexible steering angles make it versatile for various tasks.

It can be used for tasks like delivery, guiding, filming, and even assisting people with mobility challenges. The MobED's innovative technology makes it useful both indoors and outdoors.

P.S. What kind of application would you use this robot for? 💡

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Packing different sizes? No problem! 📦

Great technology from Sparck Technologies helps take care of the environment a bit, especially in this era of the eCommerce boom. ♻️

Under the moving white conveyor, a long piece of cardboard gets cut to fit just before it wraps around the order.

To make sure it's the right size, the order goes through a 3D scanner that measures the length, width, and height of the object. This helps create packaging that fits perfectly, making the whole process smooth and precise.

Of course, a considerable amount of cardboard is saved in addition! 🦾

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This robot will park your car!

Robot valet parking is a cool new way to park cars using smart robots.

These robots have special sensors and cameras to help them park cars without any trouble. They're really good at finding the right parking spot.

They use fancy 3D maps and keep an eye on the car using cameras and sensors.

Then, they safely drive the car to where it's supposed to be parked. If you want your car back, you can just ask for it using your phone.🤳🏼🚙

It's a super easy way to park and get your car back without any hassle.

P.S. What about thieves? 🥷🏼

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Snow is falling... ❄️

Admit it, you started humming it.

This drone protects transmission lines in extreme conditions in temperatures below -10°C.

When ice builds up on power lines and causes problems, the new drone from DJI comes to the rescue. It carried a 23 kg de-icing stick, used to dislodge the ice buildup. 🧊

Instead of technicians having to climb icy towers by hand, their model FlyCart30 does the job.

Even in super cold weather, it carries a special tool to knock off the ice, making sure the power stays on without risking anyone's safety.

Other use cases for this drone on your mind?

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A homemade paper plane folding machine! 📄

An old printer was used to make the whole automatic machine. This is what happens when an engineer gets bored at home.

Pointless but utterly brilliant!

To all fellow engineers - what are you building after hours!?

Share in the comments!

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♻️ Repost to help 1 robot find a new workplace.
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Robots can be sculptors! 🪛

For centuries, humans have worked hard to create detailed and lifelike art.

Sculptors spent years perfecting every tiny detail, but in 2024, machines are starting to take over.

Companies like Robotor and Monumental Labs use robots that work faster, never get tired, and make fewer mistakes.

Some people worry that human creativity is fading, but this may be a new way for art to grow.

With robots handling the hard work, artists might focus more on new ideas, bringing back the beauty and detail we once loved.

Or perhaps it means with more AI and robotics, people will lose interest in art. 🎭

Those are just my assumptions - what's your take?

P.S. Nice to see that KUKA robot move so smoothly! 😮‍💨

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A robotic skis? ⛷️

I must admit that I wasn't surprised by robot design in the logistics sector for a long time.

This time I was. 😮‍💨

Filics introduces a dual-runner system for pallet transport for modern logistics and production companies.

This autonomous and compact system redefines moving goods.

Designed to carry loads up to 1.2 tons at speeds of up to 1.2 m/s, it features laser navigation, omnidirectional movement, and an intuitive, web-based interface customizable for any user's needs.

Suitable for logistics, contract logistics, and manufacturing, Filics’ dual-runner system meets today’s demands while preparing for tomorrow's challenges.

Kudos Gregor Kolls and the team! 👏🏼

Thanks for highlighting this great product Florian!

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Fenceless application using AIRSKIN.

Transforming an industrial robot into a collaborative application.

It’s just a soft touch required to stop this huge KUKA robot. 🤏🏼

AIRSKIN produces smart safety pads that open up the possibility of collaborating with a human.

They rely on industrial robots, so robots with AIRSKIN are proven to be faster than any cobot solution on the market. 💨

A very interesting alternative to a cobot.

In particular, you still save floor space so you can install and fit more machines on your site and you can produce faster due to the shorter cycle time and increased industrial payload.

Fenceless.

I felt very safe while recording this video! 🛟

P.S. Is it how factories of the future will look like — non-fenced? 🏭

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Huge news before the weekend from the robotics industry! 🔥

1X Raises $23.5M in Series A2 funding led by OpenAI!

Another humanoid robot is on the horizon! Look at the dexterity... Zipping tie cables and zipping up hoodies look promising...

Any thoughts on that and on the humanoid competition?

It will be covered also in my newsletter here 👉🏼 ziegler.substack.com

Collaborative robot from KUKA as the steering wheel?

Calm down, it's a very old concept from 2015 presented by HARMAN International based on the electrically-driven BMW i3, back then expected to be the next generation of autonomous urban driving.

Economically absurdly unreasonable, yet satisfying to watch! 🦾

Imagine the 'let me drive!' arguments...

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ℹ️ Credits: YouTube Channel / HARMAN

Tesla's humanoid got an upgrade! 🤖

A lot more Model S than Cybertruck.

Elon Musk announced a new robot called Optimus Gen 2. It's way better than the old one. It's lighter by 10 kilograms, moves 30% faster, and its movements are much smoother, resembling human motion more closely.

It has brand-new hands with more freedom of movement (11 degrees), faster parts that help it move quicker, and sensors on its fingers to handle things more skillfully. ✊🏼

Also, its feet are improved, allowing for better balance and sensing when they touch something. 🦿

Another week, another news from the world of humanoids! 🌍

P.S. Who is the frontrunner of humanoid's game?

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Flying drones can be recharged safely and quickly while still in flight with this solution. 🔋

The first question that came to my mind was: Why would a drone charge while hovering in the air and not on the ground? I decided to do some research to find out why they decided to charge the drone in the air.

The crucial point here is the significantly shorter time needed to charge the battery to full. There are no practical solutions for charging a battery with a high current or voltage in outdoor environments such as rain, dust, or snow. Therefore, all solutions that involve directly plugging in the battery have a low power range.

Thoughts? To be completely honest, the 'power bubble' looks like an MMORPG game.

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ℹ️ Credits: GET Corp Youtube Channel

Chinese humanoids perform quality inspections at the NIO factory! 🔎

We received another portion of use cases involving humanoids.

This time the humanoids act as quality inspectors, performing such tasks as checking seat belts, door locks, and rear light covers.

In addition, the robot assigns and places precisely the company emblems.

Another month, another batch of new use cases!

P.S. What are your thoughts?

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Magic of kinematics 🪄

TCP stays in place. Hypnotizing.

Two more axes have been added to the KUKA robot. Despite the complicated trajectories and movements of the robot and added axes, the TCP point stays still & fixed.

An amazing demonstration by Mutz Maschinenbau of how important TCP calibration is. I should also mention the great vacuum gripper from Schmalz!

P.S. What do you think this application is all about? Any ideas? 🦁

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Carts-grasping mobile robot! 🛒

Meet TUGBOT, an autonomous robot that helps to execute intralogistics tasks. The robot can grasp carts of different sizes and weights, so it can adapt to changing warehouse conditions.

Automating intralogistics with easy-to-deploy mobile robots.

No additional infrastructure is needed. 🪛

It's great to see a smaller footprint which helps with safety-related aspects and makes autonomous driving easier!

P.S. What is your experience with mobile robots at your facility?

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