In Episode 183 of The Robotic Report Podcast, co-host Mike Oitzman interviews Chris Painter, the director of technical product administration at CNH Industrial. They talk about the developments in precision farming, the essential function of connectivity, and the challenges confronted by farmers in rural areas.
They talk about the significance of real-time information for operational effectivity, the way forward for autonomy in precision farming, and the impression of AI on agricultural expertise. Painter explains the necessity for steady connectivity to assist autonomous autos and the continuing challenges of labor within the agricultural sector.
Present timeline
- 10:00 – Information of the week
- 28:08 – Interview with Chris Painter, director of technical product administration at CNH Industrial
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Information of the week
Apple laboratories create an animated lamp
Apple researchers Yuhan Hu, Peide Huang, Mouli Sivapurapu, and Jian Zhang printed their work on a mission referred to as “ELEGNT: Expressive and Practical Motion Design for Non-Anthropomorphic Robotic” on the Apple Machine Studying weblog submit.
The analysis explored how an on a regular basis object would possibly work together with expressive actions in response to a human interplay. The researchers introduced an articulating mild fixture to life in motions which can be harking back to Luxo Jr., the Pixar mascot. Watch the video to see the output of the mission.
Teradyne Robotics group lays off 10% of world employees
Teradyne’s robotics group, which incorporates Common Robots (UR) and Cellular Industrial Robots (MiR), laid off 10% of its international workforce late final week. Whereas the precise variety of affected workers was unclear, Teradyne Robotics’ web site acknowledged that it had greater than 1,400 workers worldwide.
The discount included a 6% layoff in Denmark, the headquarters for each UR and MiR. Group president Ujjwal Kumar informed The Robotic Report that UR noticed a 3% year-over-year decline, whereas MiR skilled a 1% year-over-year progress.
Teradyne reported whole robotics income of $365 million for 2024, with $293 million attributed to UR and $72 million to MiR, in comparison with $375 million in 2023. Kumar attributed the downturn to an unprecedented pullback in core low-mix, high-volume manufacturing. This aligns with FANUC’s latest report of a 16% drop in robotics for 2024.
Teradyne additionally introduced a restructuring of its gross sales, advertising, and providers. 2025 is an important yr for UR, because it not too long ago opened uts first abroad manufacturing heart in China, the world’s main robotics marketplace for over a decade, the place it’s promoting two cobots solely.
Giraffe from Brightpick extends autonomous cell selecting in warehouses
Brightpick, which gained the 2024 RBR50 software of the yr for its Autopicker cell manipulators, has expanded its product line with the introduction of Brightpick Giraffe. This new robotic boasts a vertical attain of as much as 20 ft. (6 m), tripling warehouse storage density in comparison with handbook operations and doubling it in contrast with the unique Autopicker.
The Brightpick Giraffe incorporates a telescopic elevate that retracts to eight.5 ft. (2.6 m) for transport, easing deployment points. Sharing the identical 31.4-in. (80 cm) width footprint because the Autopicker, the Giraffe makes use of a brand new withdrawer mechanism to retrieve storage totes from upper-level cabinets and produce them to decrease ranges, the place the Autopicker can then entry them for selecting at heights as much as 11 ft. (3.4 m).
Cruise cuts almost half of the employees as GM focuses on shopper AVs
Cruise LLC has confirmed to The Robotic Report that it’s conducting one other spherical of layoffs, impacting almost half its workforce, which might imply over 1,000 workers. These layoffs probably come as no shock, as Cruise’s mum or dad firm, Basic Motors Co., introduced in December that it could stop funding the startup’s robotaxi deployment.
As a substitute, GM is consolidating the Cruise and GM technical groups right into a unified effort centered on Tremendous Cruise, GM’s hands-free driver help system, signaling a shift in focus in the direction of private autonomous autos reasonably than robotaxis.
- Cruise’s most up-to-date layoffs lengthen to the CEO and several other different high executives, in response to TechCrunch. Massive names amongst these laid off included:
- Marc Whitten, CEO
- Nilka Thomas, chief human assets officer
- Steve Kenner chief security officer
- Rob Grant, international head of public coverage
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