-Manufacturing & Cobot Roundup 
-Robot Passes China's Medical Licensing Exam 
-Toyota Unveils Humanoid Robot 'T-HR3'
-Robot Drivers By 2019? 

Manufacturing & Cobot Roundup

Production supply of Japanese industrial robots reached 153,000 units in 2016, the highest level ever recorded, accounting for 52% of global supply, according to the International Federation of Robotics:

Caption: Robot sales in Japan in 2016 reached the highest level since 2006. 

Japan exported a total of nearly 115,000 industrial robots in 2016 with a value of 309 billion yen (about US$ 2.7 billion). This is by far the highest export volume for one year. The export rate increased from 72 percent to 75 percent (2011-2016). North America, China, the Republic of Korea and Europe were target export destinations. 

Based on estimates provided by the Japanese Robot Association (JARA), the IFR expects an increase of around 10 percent in 2017 in domestic installations. Between 2018 and 2020 a further average annual increase of about 5 percent is likely, provided the economic recovery in Japan continues. 

KUKA will showcase its KUKA LBR Med cobot --the first to be certified for integration with medical products-- at the 2017 RSNA show next week... 

Via BusinessWire: 

This LBR Med lightweight robot has a versatile range of capabilities including: ultrasound scanning, needle biopsy, suturing, etc. Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with the robot and see demonstrations including guiding the robot in an ultrasound application. Using the robot’s unique torque control features, they will be able to feel the force feedback on the phantom.

Carnegie Mellon University is to invest in a new center specializing in robots for manufacturing, CBS Local reported: 

The Green’s Mill facility will be finished in the spring of 2019. The work performed there will marry technology and American manufacturing.

“Hiring is really easy here,” says Jared Glover, the CEO of CapSen Robotics. “You have a steady flow of talented people here from places like CMU and Pitt. Cost of living is low, and there are a lot of potential customers here too.”

ABB's cobots delivered "lightning fast" results for an Australian manufacturer... 

Chinese cobot maker Aubo Robotics Technology Co Ltd, raised US$9 million in series A funding from Fosun Group recently, confirming the firm's rise in the world of cobots, says China Daily: 

Fosun is bullish on China's co-robot market and expects Aubo to win 30 percent share of the local market, which is forecast to reach 1.3 billion yuan by 2020. [...] 

Fosun's investment will facilitate Aubo's research and development efforts, and help expand co-robot production.

Engineering.com showed how to use a cobot from Universal Robots for welding tasks...

China Money Network reported that Chinese lightweight industrial robot supplier, Rokae , raised US$6 million in Series A funding. THG Ventures was lead investor in the round. 

Check out this collaborative riveting scenario from the folks at FourByThree... 

Vanderlande announced that it will obtain a minority shareholder interest in Netherlands-based cobot specialists, Smart Robotics.

Via Modern Materials Handling: 

The investment will create a focus on robotic technology development for logistic purposes, through a joint research and development (R&D) multi-year program, and commitment through co-ownership. Smart Robotics' [...] solutions are utilized for a variety of processes such as order picking and placing, (de)palletising, and kitting and bagging where human operators are involved.

One of Fanuc's lightweight cobots fitted with an electric gripper from Schunk was spotted in action this week... 

Researchers at a new UK robotics center will try to develop techniques that can improve hand-eye coordination for humanoid robots used in industry and manufacturing, The Nottingham Post reported. 

Need 14,000 doors slammed per day as part of your quality control procedures? Courtesy of Nissan, there's a robot for that... 

 The Robot Hub announced its shortlist for Robot Launch 2017. 

The auto plant of the future will embrace Industry 4.0 and cobots... 

Locus Robotics, a maker of autonomous and mobile robots for use in e-commerce fulfillment warehouses, secured US$25m Series B funding "to be used for product development and go-to-market activities," LBR Supply Chain reported. 

Via Bloomberg: 

Robots aid workers with their tasks. Warehouse jobs are often grueling, as employees must walk miles across the floor picking up items and shuttling them to their destinations. Automation comes in several forms—Kiva’s bots slide across the floor like giant hockey pucks, latching onto pallets and shuttling them away; RightHand has a robotic arm that plucks items and drops them into boxes. As for the Locus bot, it exists to do much of the walking for workers, scurrying up to them with instructions on what they must pick from a shelf and place on the bot’s body. 

Huachangda Intelligent Equipment, a Chinese industrial robot integrator, acquired Swedish firm Robot System Products for an undisclosed amount. 

Universal Robots and Sick are not merely prepared for Industry 4.0, they lead the way in future manufacturing strategies and techniques...

CNBC took a look at "the rise of the cobots"... 

 Canadian Metalworking ran a fascinating piece about a research collaboration between experts at the University of British Columbia and DLR Space Administration (Germany’s space program), which aims to simplify human-robot interactions, in part through the use of augmented reality technology. 

Robot Passes China's Medical Licensing Exam 

In a world-first, a Chinese AI-powered robot ('Xiaoyi') sat China's medical licensing examinations and passed. 
 

Futurism reports: 

Not only did the robot pass the exam, it actually got a score of 456 points, which is 96 points above the required marks.

This robot, developed by leading Chinese AI company iFlytek Co., Ltd., has been designed to capture and analyze patient information. Now, they’ve proven that Xiaoyi could also have enough medical know-how to be a licensed practitioner.

Also this week, Asian Robotics Review asked 'Should the U.S. be uneasy over China’s newfound AI power surge?': 

According to technology consultant, Anastassia Lauterbach, founder of Lauterbach Ventures, China did $1.5 billion in AI-related business in 2016 and is projected to bulk up to $150 billion by 2030 (by way of comparison, China’s published military budget was $146 billion in 2016; corruption in China was pegged at $100 billion in 2014). AI revenue in North America is estimated for 2017 to clock in at $1.2 billion.

On the surface of things, the AI seesaw seems to be even for now. 

Toyota Unveils Humanoid Robot 'T-HR3'

Toyota Motor Corp. revealed its third-generation, remotely-operated humanoid T-HR3 robot this week, The Japan Times reported: 

“The Partner Robot team members are committed to using the technology in T-HR3 to develop friendly and helpful robots that co-exist with humans and assist them in their daily lives,” said Akifumi Tamaoki, general manager of the Partner Robot Division. 

The user controls the T-HR3 through wearable gear. The robot mimics the movements of the user as if it were an avatar. And through a head-mounted display, the user can see from the robot’s perspective.

Toyota has plans to use the 1.5-meter tall, 75kg, humanoid in a variety of settings from homes and medical facilities through construction sites, disaster areas and outer space. 

IEEE Spectrum has more. 

In other humanoid bot news, at the end of last week, Boston Dynamics' ATLAS humanoid captured the public imagination with a spectacular backflip... 

Via Wired: 

To be clear: Humanoids aren’t supposed to be able to do this. It's extremely difficult to make a bipedal robot that can move effectively, much less kick off a tumbling routine. The beauty of four-legged robots is that they balance easily, both at rest and as they’re moving, but bipeds like Atlas have to balance a bulky upper body on just two legs. 

Robot Drivers By 2019? 

Uber has announced plans to buy thousands of modified Volvo SUVs and begin offering self-driving taxi cabs by 2019.  

Forbes reports: 

Uber intends to buy the base version of the XC90 plug-in hybrid, the model that’s been part of its collaboration with Volvo since 2015. The models will come with some sensors and radar already installed. Uber will then have to spend additional money to install the rooftop camera and LiDAR rig, as well as a computer in the trunk to process visual data and power the software that controls the vehicle.

The Washington Post has more, while in a separate Forbes piece, Joann Muller argues that the deal is "great news" for Volvo, but "maybe not Uber." 

You don't have to wait until 2019 for your next robotics news fix, because I'll be back next week.  Until then, please enjoy these videos and links! 

 This New Robot Will Hep Keep Hearts Pumping (Wired) 
Power in numbers: OSU researcher works on robot swarms (Corvallis Gazette-Times) 
10 Ways Robots Will Change Manufacturing in the Next 5 Years (EB Online)
ANDROIDS through the eye of a 19th century wooden camera (Robohub)
European Robotics Week (SPARC) 
New CO2 device for unmanned ocean vessels (PhysOrg) 
Tiny robot designed to fight cancer could be inserted into human body (The Independent) 
Could delivery robots solve Australia's logistics problem? (ABC) 
 The right robot for the job (Engineer Live) 
UTA Emotional Robotics Lab Looks at Human-Robot Bonds (Dallas Innovates)