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ABB claims its Terra 360 is the 'world's fastest electric car charger'
Swiss company ABB, which supplies EV chargers to Ionity and Electrify America, has unveiled what it calls the "world's fastest electric car charger.
Robots will build robots in $150 million Chinese factory
Swiss robotics company ABB has revealed that it's spending $150 million to build an advanced robotics factory in Shanghai -- one that will use robots to build robots. The company will rely on its YuMi single-arm robots, which it once used to conduct an orchestra, for small parts assembly. It also plans to make extensive use"of its SafeMove2 software in the facility, which it says will allow its YuMi models and other automated machines to safely work in close proximity with human employees.
34 major tech companies are uniting to fight cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are a global issue that can cause havoc regardless of who's involved, and key members of the tech industry are uniting in a bid to fight these attacks. A group of 34 companies has signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an agreement promising to defend customers around the world from hacks regardless of where they take place or who the perpetrator might be. They're promising to boost defenses for customers (including users' capacity to defend themselves), establish more partnerships to share threats and vulnerabilities, and -- importantly -- refuse to assist governments in launching cyberattacks.
A robot conductor led a live orchestra performance
Just a month after humanoid robot Pepper conducted a Buddhist burial ceremony, a robo-contemporary has conducted the world-renowned Lucca Philharmonic orchestra alongside opera great Andrea Bocelli. Do robots need a heart to complete tasks of passion? As shown by YuMi, the robotic maestro designed by Swiss Firm ABB, maybe not.
Watson could be the key to smarter manufacturing robots
Some reports predict that robots will replace 5 million jobs in the next couple of years. Bill Gates thinks we need a "robot tax" to compensate for those losses. A new partnership announced today between Swiss automation firm ABB and IBM's Watson initiative could hasten that future while it seeks to improve efficiency in on the manufacturing floor.
ABB to build over 200 EV charging stations in the Netherlands' largest network
Swiss company ABB has been chosen by Fastned to provide chargers for over 200 EV charging stations throughout the Netherlands, in what will be that nation's largest such network. The largely solar-fueled stations will be spaced out along Dutch highways at a maximum distance of 50 kilometers from each other. Fastned will be using ABB's Terra fast chargers, which are compatible with a large number of vehicles, including "all major car brands from Europe, Asia and the USA." Each charger will also be connected to the internet, allowing ABB to push software updates and provide customers with remote assistance. The first batch of chargers will land roadside in September with rollout expected to be completed in 2015. There's one more image and video after the break.
GM and ABB repurpose used Chevy Volt batteries to provide home backup power
We've heard previously about GM's and others' plans to recycle and reuse electric vehicle batteries after they've outlived their automotive usefulness, and it looks like one of those possible solutions is making some considerable headway. GM and ABB, a company focused on power and automation technologies, have announced that they've successfully demonstrated an energy storage system built from five used Chevy Volt batteries, which would be capable of providing two hours of backup power for three to five average homes. As the companies note, while they're no longer suitable for use in an electric vehicle, the average end-of-life battery has only used up about 30 percent of its charge, the rest of which can go a long way in other applications (especially when a few of them are paired together). Of course, this is all still just at the demonstration stage, but ABB's Allen Burchett says this demo is an example of "how fast this research concept is turning into reality," and that the next step is to test out how the system will actually work on the power grid.
FRIDA 'concept' robot will solve all of Foxconn's problems by replacing its workers (video)
Don't be fooled by the "concept" label that ABB has affixed to its new robot. There can be only one logical conclusion to this endeavor: FRIDA and its ilk will one day replace the millions of young Chinese workers assembling our gadgets. It's no coincidence that this uniquely agile, dual-arm robot is compact enough to "fit into spaces ergonomically designed for human workers" and can be carried around "easily" to begin work with a minimum of installation requirements. In fact, ABB admits that several prototypes are already being piloted. The obvious advantage for Foxconn and friends is that FRIDA doesn't require a swimming pool, cafeteria, housing, or professional counseling to keep out of the dormitory nets. Watch FRIDA obey the first law of robotics at the 44 second mark of the video posted after the break as assembly line workers everywhere lament their lack of a handle. [Thanks, Johannes]
Robots from ABB perform amazing feats of coordination, prove better conversationalists than your average Fantana (video)
Given the choice of either a stack of hot, steaming pancakes slathered in butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup or a six-pack of Fanta, we know which we'd choose. So, perhaps its proof of robots' continued subservience to man that the offerings from ABB have given up their flapjack-stacking ways to instead dazzle us with feats of object avoidance. Three of the company's bots are able to move in unison at high speed with a precision of less than 1mm, after what's pledged to be a simple programming process. See the mesmerizing movement after the break, then ask yourself: don't you wanna?
Video: ABB FlexPicker replaces human pancake pickers with amazing effect
Mmm, pancakes. While moms might be responsible for giving us our first taste, it's the humble robot that makes these golden-brown discs of battered splendor available for mass market binging. A promotional video from ABB Robotics shows how its FlexPicker robots installed at a HoneyTop foods facility can accelerate production while simultaneously improving hygienic conditions. Four gigabit Ethernet cameras are mounted in front of each robot to locate the pancakes running down the conveyor belt. Software allows the bots to recognize and grab overlapping pancakes and then stack the 'cakes for easy packing. A software reconfig allows for quick production changes from pancakes to pretty much anything the robot can grasp including Soylent Green ration wafers. The video starts slow, but delivers with an impressive 400 pancakes per minute sorting routine -- see it after the break.[Via Make:]
