Tag Archives: Manufacturing

Samsung designed public service bots to provide contact-free delivery with a smile!

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The world as we know it is changing, and robots are steadily taking over, a sci-fi fantasy that is soon turning into reality. Moving toward a healthier and more hands-off future does mean that technology is taking a lot of the work off our hands. Designers are building robots to take care of public service jobs primarily rooted in collecting, cleaning, and distributing. Recently debuting their public service bot, Samsung’s Bot Public does all of that and even winks.

The designers behind Samsung Bot Public built the public service robot to provide contact-free professional services in public spaces. Samsung Bot Public looks like the public service robot we’ve come to expect based on all the sci-fi movies we’ve seen, capable of shifting into different configurations for different service jobs. The versatile base of Samsung Bot Public works as a universal charging base that can register other mounted domains to complete various tasks throughout the day.

The different domains are configured according to the task at hand– while one domain features a three-tier shelving unit, another features only a display screen and slim carrying tray. The most sought-after public service bots in circulation today are serving, delivery, and guide robots, and these were the three services prioritized. While the robots are generally programmed and made for free movement, their software is still accessible through external devices and storage systems. If serving the public wasn’t enough for the robot’s plate, each interaction is also met with a wink and smile.

Designer: Samsung

The Samsung Bot Public’s design hinges on the main base platform that adapt to each changing domain.

One domain features a large panel display screen, built-in charging port, and small tray table.

Another domain seems to indicate collecting and distribution duties with a three-tier shelving unit and drawers.

Each Samsung Bot Public comes with an emergency stop button and a rear LED display panel.

The original domain’s drawers pull out to create more storage space for collecting and delivering.

With all of this, Samsung Bot Public also ends each interaction with a good ole robot wink.

This personal security wearable uses voice recognition + pressure sensors to keep you safe in an emergency!

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Mathilde Blondel, a student of France’s Université de Technologie de Compiègne created EVE, personal security and anti-aggression bracelet, after experiencing an assault on the streets of France. In collaboration with friend and colleague Romaric Delahaie, the duo followed EVE through a ten-month period to design the wearable personal security bracelet that’s encrypted with cutting-edge communication technology to provide efficient defense solutions in the face of street attacks.

Once activated, EVE launches a 10-second alarm meant to discourage the attacker from continuing their assault and instantly calls the local police station, sending operators the location and live audio recordings of the attack. EVE follows a two-step activation process to launch the wristband’s emergency features. First, to unlock EVE and prepare it for activation, the user simply shakes their wrist repeatedly three to five times. Embedded inside the wristband, an accelerometer and gyroscope detect the shaking and rotation of the wrist, awakening the device and gearing it up for activation. Then, either by announcing previously recorded voice triggers or by placing pressure on the wristband’s sensors, the 110dB alarm sounds, and the police are called, sending live recordings of the assault to an emergency operator, along with the GPS location of the EVE user.

Blondel and Delahaie designed EVE to be totally autonomous and independent from smartphones so that the functionality of EVE doesn’t depend on a smartphone’s proximity or battery levels. Over a ten-month long period, Blondel and Delahaie sketched and produced multiple prototypes to ultimately settle on a lightweight, small, and accessible wristband whose emergency triggers are easy to activate. Located in the palm of the hand, the sensors that activate emergency departments are easy to trigger and discreet by design.

Designers: Mathilde Blondel & Romaric Delahaie

Discreet by design, EVE is also easy to use and activate.

One charge of EVE can last up to a whole month.

Once activated, either through vocal recognition or sensor technology, EVE launches emergency help from local police officers.

EVE is encrypted with communication technology that functions to launch protective services in the face of street attacks.

The designers behind EVE ensured that the wristband was lightweight and small by design for a comfortable wear.

EVE can be activated by pressing the sensors located in the band that stretches across the palm of the user.

EVE can be activated either through voice triggers or pressure sensors.

Once the pressure sensors are activated, EVE sends out live audio recordings and GPS location to local police operators.

Wrist movement adaption allows EVE to band when the user chooses to unlock emergency services by shaking their wrist three to five times.

Following a ten-month long period of conceptualization and production, EVE ultimately assumed a lightweight body for accessible use.

EVE is equipped with smart technology for instant feedback.

This fully automated bionic coffee maker is just like a robot straight from The Jetsons!

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If you sometimes feel like a robot before your first cup of coffee, you’re in good company. Without even fully opening my eyes, I get my first cup of coffee going for the morning, and while it brews I get myself ready. On good days, I turn my stove off on time, and on other days, I gulp down a burnt cup of coffee. Coffee is a necessary part of the day for a lot of us and having that perfect cup in the morning might be all we need to get our day off on the right foot. To save us from those ‘other days,’ Beijing’s Orion Star Technology Co. Ltd. recently designed a robotic coffeemaking system, the Zhi Ka Master that was shortlisted at 2021’s iF Design Awards.

Zhi Ka Master is a coffee-making system that employs the use of twin-arm robotics to perform traditional coffee and tea brewing for hand-poured, automated cups of coffee. The entire system comprises a twin-arm, six-axis robot and accompanying work table. Twin-arm robotic systems are typically chosen for their efficient and automated execution of more involved assembly operations. Through bi-manual manipulation, twin-arm robots can perform complicated tasks in a human-like manner. The incorporation of twin-arm robotics for Zhi Ka Master and a bionic profile design equips the robot with enough know-how to stimulate masterful coffee or tea-making methods with the push of a button. A pre-sized and programmed worktable is used to keep all the machines and tools necessary to make any drink on a typical coffee menu.

You’re like me if your coffee order comes with some conditions: an extra shot of espresso please and not too much ice. Rest assured, Zhi Ka Master knows how to receive special input for specific coffee orders that veer from the menu. Through integrated software, Zhi Ka Master can make coffee and tea drinks for specific tastes all without human intervention. So maybe, don’t push that button.

Designer: Orion Star Technology Co. Ltd.

Zhi Ka Master is a six-axis, twin-arm robot coffeemaker.

Integrated software adjusts the robot’s mechanical grip to fit whatever item it grasps.

Through a built-in RGB camera, the robot performs duties and responds to feedback in real-time to ensure safe operation.

Equipped with an emergency stop button, Zhi Ka Master prioritizes safety even before coffee.

Zhi Ka Master occupies a total of only three square meters.

These students designed a way of repurposing chewing gum to make skateboard wheels!

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The plastics used to build car tires are the same plastics used to make chewing gum. From the moment we spit our gum onto the ground, it will take upwards of 50 years for that one piece to even begin decomposition. Noticing the wasted potential of chewing gum and the harmful effects it poses on the environment, design students Hugo Maupetit and Vivian Fischer decided to collect wads of discarded chewing gum out of which they molded and constructed wheels for skateboards.

After noticing that discarded chewing gum, made from synthetic rubbers, could be repurposed to construct wheels for skateboards, Maupetit and Fischer visualized a future partnership with Mentos and Vans. In the imagined collaboration, they worked together to take the gum from the streets and bring the gum back to the streets in a sustainable way. “Our initiative is supposed to clean the streets in a sustainable way. That is why we invented a system that will transform used wheels and turn them into new ones,” Maupetit and Fischer explained. “No more waste is created and the material stays in use.”

Initiating the collaboration, Maupetit and Fischer suggested that ‘gum boards’ be installed throughout their university city of Nantes, where residents could tack their finished chewing gum. As the gum boards filled up, the individual pieces would be collected, cleaned, molded together with a stabilizing agent, and stained with natural dye to form the wheels’ bases. The vibrant color of chewing gum along with its rubbery texture makes it a playful, yet tough choice for tire production.

People have been chewing on gum since the 1860s, but it was only after World War II that manufacturers began using synthetic rubbers, like polyethylene and polyvinyl acetate to make chewing gum. Plastics, like synthetic rubber, are able to be molded, pressed, and hardened into different shapes, making the building material relatively durable and easy to work with. Plus, there’s no shortage of supply– it’s everywhere.

Designers: Hugo Maupetit and Vivian Fischer

In an imagined collaboration with Vans and Mentos, Maupetit and Fischer conceived a mode of operations for their “Off The Street” gum-wheel initiative, including gum collection and tire production.

Gum boards throughout the city designate a spot for passersby to tack their gum for future collection.

Once the gum boards are filled up, they’ll be collected for future cleaning, molding, and staining.

Finally, following the mold and stain manufacturing process, wheels can be made available in stores for skateboarders to purchase.

Boston Dynamics’ latest robot moves away from biomimicry to design a practical warehouse solution!

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Thirty years ago, starting out as a tightknit research company, Boston Dynamics began its quest to create robots that could go where people go, do what people do, and move as people move. Today, a leading engineering and robotics design company, the team behind Boston Dynamics continues to produce and deliver commercial robotics equipped with dynamic control, cutting-edge electronics, and next-generation software. Designed for easy rollout servicing in existing warehouses, Stretch is Boston Dynamics’ latest mobile, automated case-handling robot.

In appearance, Stretch resembles an excavator or backhoe construction truck, with a solid, bottom-heavy base and tensile robotic arm. Filled out with four small wheels for tight turning and lots of movement, Stretch’s mobile base is capable of sliding in every direction and designed to allow the fuller robot to fit anywhere a pallet fits. The long robotic arm provides plenty of reach and height with seven degrees-of-freedom, granting Stretch access to cases and shipping goods throughout any freight space or pallet.

At the end of Stretch’s robotic arm, a smart gripper embedded with sensors and active controls grants Stretch with handling mechanisms to grasp a wide array of different types of packages. Keeping the whole operation going throughout the workday are high-capacity batteries and an advanced perception mast for long-lasting, precise, and stable power. Speaking of how Stretch differentiates the currently saturated truck unloading robots, palletizing and depalletizing robots, and mobile bases with arms, Kevin Blankespoor, Boston Dynamics’ VP of Product Engineering and chief engineer for both Handle and Stretch says “Stretch is built with pieces from Spot and Atlas and that gave us a big head start. For example, if you look at Stretch’s vision system, it’s 2D cameras, depth sensors, and software that allows it to do obstacle detection, box detection, and localization. Those are all the same sensors and software that we’ve been using for years on our legged robots. And if you look closely at Stretch’s wrist joints, they’re actually the same as Spot’s hips. They use the same electric motors, the same gearboxes, the same sensors, and they even have the same closed-loop controller controlling the joints.”

While Stretch is still a prototype, the wheeled robot is the commercial version of a smaller, earlier model from Boston Dynamics called Handle. Stretch currently enacts unloading and building applications for trucks and warehouses, with future plans for truck loading in the works for Boston Dynamics. While the team behind Stretch has yet to name a price, Boston Dynamics is working to make the case-handling robot compatible with other warehouse systems.

Designer: Boston Dynamics

Four wheels fill out Stetch’s mobile base, allowing it to fit anywhere a shipping pallet fits.

Smart gripping technology allows Stretch to reach for and take hold of a multitude of varying package types.

Stretch’s lengthy robotic arm grants the robot access to packages throughout the warehouse and full extension for easy rollout.

The team at Boston Dynamic equipped Stretch with seven degrees-of-freedom, providing plenty of reach and height.

Stretch was designed for warehouse case-handling and truck unloading.

Look Inside a LEGO Factory to See How Bricks Are Made

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LEGO bricks: apparently they don’t grow on trees. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Especially considering I just told my wife I was going to quit my marketing job to be a LEGO farmer. Hopefully, she thought I was kidding.

With footage captured by The LEGO Group, this is a behind-the-scenes tour of a LEGO factory, detailing the process in which LEGO bricks are manufactured, all the way from plastic granulate to sealed LEGO set.

If you really want to have your mind blown, check out the video around 5:40 that details how the LEGO bricks are stored until they’re needed for packaging, which involves warehouses up to 37-meters (around 117-feet) tall and an automated system for retrieving the necessary boxes of pieces. No wonder LEGO sets are so expensive. Plus I can only imagine the cost of hazard pay for the barefoot workers that have to clean up a spill in the event of an earthquake.

Here’s another video showing how they make LEGO Minifigures:

[via TheAwesomer]

This ultralight aircraft seat was designed to help reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions!

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Ensuring that an aircraft maintains a lightweight body and structure is critical for a few reasons. The lighter the aircraft, the less expensive it is to fly. As additional weight is added to any aircraft, more fuel is needed to fly, which in turn means that more CO2 gas emissions are released during flight. Keep that in mind the next time you’re transferring piles of underwear from your suitcase to your carry-on in the middle of the airport lobby. In order to provide the lightest business class seat possible, JPA Design teamed up with Williams Advanced Engineering and SWS Aircraft Certification to create AIRTEK.

JPA Design’s aim is simple: to produce an all-composite seat structure to help airlines save fuel and CO2. In doing so, the brains and operation behind AIRTEK have produced an ultralight seat that’s durable and thick, constructed from recycled materials to reduce its carbon footprint without compromising comfort or storage. In order to achieve all of this while maintaining AIRTEK’s lightweight quality, JPA Design designed the seat to be self-supporting so that its loads are supported by the skin and shell of the seat.

Since the seat is largely self-supported, fewer internal structures are required for construction, lending to a more lightweight, yet plush aircraft seat. In addition to a lighter weight, fewer internal structures result in more room for customer perks like more legroom and extra storage space. AIRTEK’s lightweight form and structure not only provides customers with aircraft benefits for long flights and extra carry-on bags but also allows airlines to carry passengers to and from destinations and burn less fuel in the process.

In designing AIRTEK, JPA Design managed to create a patented unibody, composite, monocoque aircraft structure entirely built from recycled materials. From its conceptualization to its construction, the makers behind AIRTEK remained devoted to their initial aim. Setting out to help save fuel and CO2, JPA Design sculpted an ultralight business class seat, with credit to a skillful combination of technical engineering and artful craftsmanship.

Designers: JPA Design x Williams Advanced Engineering x SWS Aircraft Certification

AIRTEK’s monocoque build and self-supported seat provide extra storage area and legroom.

Without the need for extra internal structure, AIRTEK allows more space for customer benefits.

“Our aim is to produce an all-composite seat structure, for optimization of seat mass, which in turn will lead to airlines saving fuel and CO2.”

“The ultra-light seat is designed with durable, single material thicknesses and surrounded by safe storage places for your laptop, cabin bag, and personal items.”

The extra storage bin provides travelers with supplemental security when stowing sway their bags, thanks to an elastic strap.

The coat hook from AIRTEK was inspired by fashion footwear, providing a strong, minimal hook.

Biden will review tech supply chains to reduce dependence on China

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The US is still heavily dependent on other countries for technology manufacturing (among other products), and President Biden is looking for ways to reduce that dependence. The LA Times has learned that Biden is ordering a review of US supply chains...

Microsoft hopes its cloud expertise can modernize nonprofits

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After debuting its new Industry Cloud service with a suite of tools for the healthcare sector last year and unveiling a Retail-specific version in January, Microsoft is ready to introduce more areas of focus. The company is announcing today three new...