A three-way alliance between automation specialists Pacepacker Services, FANUC UK and Festo has scooped the coveted Robotics and Automation accolade at the 2014 Food Processing Magazine Awards. Pictured from left to right: Pacepacker’s Ian Merchant, Chris Francis and Andreas Fantousi collect the award from Paul Wilson, managing director of Scorpion Vision, Colin Harris from Festo […]
Expanding its range of cost-effective modular robolink systems, Igus introduces the robolink D direct drive articulated arm – a tougher, more durable solution compared with remote drive versions – supporting lean automation. Typical robotic applications are repetitive tasks, such as on assembly lines and pick-and-place equipment. To support this, the new robolink D system is […]
To demonstrate the benefits of robotics within the food industry, FANUC has developed a food grade robot picker cell, combining both an articulated arm food grade robot and a delta style food grade robot. The IP67 certified food picker cell (measuring 4×2.2m and 2.35m tall) is designed to orientate and pack a wide variety of unpackaged […]
A robotic mannequin has been recently developed by a British engineering company, i-bodi Technology, a subsidiary of Crawley Creatures, to help the Ministry of Defence test chemical and biological (CB) protective suits and equipment for its Armed Forces. The ‘Porton Man’ uses state-of-the-art technology to simulate the full leg, arm and head movements of a […]
An articulated robot installation is playing its part in making Stretchline Holdings a world leader in the development and manufacture of textile elastics. The innovative use and application of silicone material, for compression or grip, to textiles for fashion, medical, sports wear and every day garments has been made cost-effective by the flexibility and control […]
Scorpion Vision has extended its 3D vision camera range with the compact Stinger 3D vision camera that combines a 30mm baseline with a random pattern projection (RPP) laser, generating images in real-time. Easy to mount, the compact size and smaller baseline make the new 3D vision camera an ideal replacement for 2D cameras in assembly […]
A new design of robot gripper was one of the highlights of the Festo stand at this year’s PPMA show. The MultiChoiceGripper is a flexible gripping concept that offers variable gripping based on the human hand. Pictured: Festo’s MultiChoiceGripper robot gripper picks up a ball using the centric grip. The form-fitting Fin Ray fingers on […]
Robot gripper systems come in many forms, but Empire Robotics has a whole new take on it with its Versaball. This agile robot gripper can hold a wide range of different object shapes, providing different grip dynamics and grip strengths. The operating principle of the Versaball robot gripper is to leverage the phase transition of […]
Accelerating demand for industrial robots is set to continue, with 15% more robots installed in 2014 than in 2013, and forecasts for 12% growth for the next two years. That will see the global robot population in factories top two million by the end of 2017. These are the findings of the International Federation of […]
RBTX DOBOT partner launch hailed a success
igus UK marks a major milestone in accessible automation with the successful launch of its RBTX partnership with DOBOT Robotics. The event brought together engineers, system integrators, manufacturers and automation specialists to explore how flexible robotic solutions can be deployed quickly and cost-effectively, without the complexity traditionally associated with industrial automation. Live demonstrations showcased collaborative […]
What role does AI play in art?
The River of Light festival in Liverpool showcased ‘Face Value’, a captivating installation co-created by PhD student Emma Brass from the University of Liverpool and Venya Krutikov, co-founder of The Kazimier and Invisible Wind Factory. Blending artificial intelligence, robotics, and visual art, Face Value invites visitors to confront how technology perceives and redefines reality. The […]
Application phase for 10th vector award is now open
The application phase of the igus vector award 2026 has begun. Now in its tenth year, a joint initiative is honouring designers worldwide who use high-performance plastic energy chains to create cable guides that set new technological standards, with winners to receive up to 5,000 euros in prize money. The vector award has gained international […]
Cobot completes one millionth PCB quality check
Hanover Displays, a UK-based manufacturer of passenger information systems for the public transport sector, has reached a major manufacturing milestone: the completion of its 1,000,000th automated quality test of printed circuit boards (PCBs) using Techman collaborative robots from LG Motion. The automation programme began in 2018, when Hanover introduced its first collaborative robot to improve […]
UR and Scale AI launch imitation learning system
Universal Robots (UR) unveiled the UR AI Trainer at GTC 2026 in Silicon Valley. Developed in collaboration with Scale AI, the AI Trainer marks a tectonic shift as robots move from pre-programmed applications to fully AI-driven tasks. These systems are powered by robust data generated in AI training cells where robots imitate humans. “Our customers, ranging from […]
The beverage palletising shift is accelerating
Martin Ray Winery in Napa Valley has deployed its first lean cobot palletising workcell and achieved a 16-month ROI, with the system installed in just two days. You can find out all about it in a webinar hosted by Robotiq on 19 March. Across Europe and North America, beverage producers, from kombucha and bottled water […]
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Universal adaptive gripper for faster, gentler picking
Festo has introduced the HPSX Universal Adaptive Gripper, a pneumatic soft gripper engineered to improve speed, hygiene and flexibility in demanding food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics applications. Combining robust design, food-safe materials and adaptive silicone fingers, the HPSX directly addresses long-standing automation challenges where rapid, precise and gentle product handling is essential. “In developing the HPSX, […]
The beverage palletising shift is accelerating
Martin Ray Winery in Napa Valley has deployed its first lean cobot palletising workcell and achieved a 16-month ROI, with the system installed in just two days. You can find out all about it in a webinar hosted by Robotiq on 19 March. Across Europe and North America, beverage producers, from kombucha and bottled water […]
Robotics, vision and AI combine for dairy processes
Automation solutions provider Eberle Automatische Systeme has developed a breakthrough in quality control with a focus on the cheese-ripening process, combining AI with machine vision software from MVTec. The food industry is experiencing a transformative shift in quality control, due in part to advances in artificial intelligence (AI). When combined with rule-based machine vision, AI […]
Advances in robotics for the automotive industry
In an examination of the future challenges in robotics for the automotive industry, Dr Stefan Markus Baginski of BMW sees still a wide range of opportunities for using even more robots in automotive manufacturing. Breathtaking advancements and innovative technological developments in industrial manufacturing have caused a substantial increase in the number of robot installations during […]