FRANKFURT, Germany—The International Robotics Federation estimates that approximately 1.3 million new industrial robots will be installed around the world between 2015 and 2018.
NEWTOWN, CT—Joseph F. Engelberger, an engineer and entrepreneur who pioneered the robotics field, died Dec. 1, 2015, at age 90. Engelberger was founder and president of Unimation Inc., the world’s first industrial robotics manufacturer, which he launched in 1956 and grew into a company with more than 1,000 employees before the enterprise was acquired by Westinghouse.
ITHACA, NY—Researchers at Cornell University have used stereolithography to create air-powered elastomeric robotic tentacles that could someday be used to move or grip objects.
ANN ARBOR, MI—Robot orders and shipments in North America set new records in the first nine months of 2015, according to Robotic Industries Association. A total of 22,427 robots valued at $1.3 billion were ordered from North American companies in the first nine months of 2015, an increase of 6 percent in units and 9 percent in dollars over the same period in 2014.
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Researchers at MIT have developed a 3D-printed robotic hand made out of silicone rubber that can lift and handle objects as delicate as an egg and as thin as a compact disc.