3D lidar is an optical perception technology that enables machines to see the world, make decisions and navigate. At present, machines using lidar range from small service robots to large autonomous vehicles.

Lidar technologies and markets are rapidly evolving, there are more than 100 3D lidar players worldwide. Each player claims to offer a unique, next-generation product that is superior to competing technologies. The technology landscape is cluttered with numerous options for every component in a lidar system.

IDTechEx identified four important technology choices that every lidar player and lidar user must make: measurement process, laser, beam steering mechanism, and photodetector. The beam steering mechanism is the most complicated and critical choice.

A robot which encourages kids to wash their hands has helped pupils at a remote Indian primary school take a fresh approach to hygiene. The hand-shaped robot, dubbed ‘Pepe’, is the product of a collaboration between researchers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University in India.
 

ABB today opened its first global healthcare research hub on the Texas Medical Center (TMC) campus, in Houston, Texas – showcasing a number of concept technologies, including a mobile YuMi® robot, which will be designed to assist medical and laboratory staff with laboratory and logistics tasks in hospitals.

The dual-arm mobile YuMi® will be able to sense and navigate its way around its human co-workers autonomously, while learning to find different routes from one location to another. It has the potential to undertake a wide range of repetitive and time-consuming activities, including preparation of medicines, loading and unloading centrifuges, pipetting and handling liquids and picking up and sorting test tubes.

Following the recent news (Wednesday 2 October) that UPS has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to operate a fleet of aerial delivery drones;

Mike Vousden, Automotive Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view on this home delivery development:

“This remarkable development heralds a new era of parcel logistics. It is a clear indicator of how UPS will provide coverage on critical ‘last mile’ of parcel delivery – the distance between the delivery van or local hub, and the front door of the intended recipient.

Cleveron’s self-driving robot courier won the prestigious Last Mile Delivery Innovation (The Journey) category in the Parcel and Postal Technology International Awards 2019 at Parcel+Post Expo in Amsterdam. This award recognizes companies who are leading the way in improving last mile delivery. Parcel and Postal Technology International is the world’s leading magazine in the postal technology sector. The nominated companies represent the most innovative companies in the post and parcel delivery market.

What's the difference between a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid? What is their range? Where can you recharge them? The electric car is the future star of the automotive sector. In fact, in the first six months of this year its sales went up by 58%. This new mobility system raises questions among future users which we answer below.

Sequent SuperCharger² is a fundamental re-engineering of award-winning first and only smart watch with an Automatic Self-Charging battery system, providing world record power autonomy. Smartwatch is pledged $377,898 of $49,433 goal for now.

This new award winning Swiss engineering smartwatch has some groundbreaking features: the more you move, the more you transform 100% clean kinetic energy into electrical power to support the high precision built-in sensors, that track all your activities.

Höhle OÜ, a plastic microduct manufacturing company unique in Estonia, opened its new factory in Lõiuse village in Rapla county. The factory produces over 200 km of micro ducts per day, which go to the domestic market as well as to 12 European countries. The total investment for the factory was over 4 million euros.

Founded in 2016, Höhle OÜ is a microduct manufacturer for fiber optical cables. The activity started three years ago in Jaluse village, Juuru municipality, Rapla County. However, with business expanding came the need for a bigger space and a new factory was built in Lõiuse within a year.

The global market for industrial robotics is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14 percent until 2020, according to Beroe Inc, a procurement intelligence firm. The increase in demand for robots is mainly boosted by companies who wish to improve the productivity of their complex production lines along with cost savings, improving quality, and increasing manufacturing flexibility through automation.

Huawei, Qualcomm, Roku and Arcelik headline IFA keynotes – Artificial Intelligence, Voice and Connectivity big trends in consumer electronics and home appliances - Japan is first Global Innovation Partner for IFA Next – Ford, Daimler, Fujitsu and AXA explore the Future of Mobility at Shift Automotive – IFA Global Markets firmly established as Europe’s largest sourcing show.