Space systems provide unique challenges to intelligent robotic motion, including a brutal working environment, lack of connectivity and harsh lighting conditions. Southwest Research Institute is overcoming these challenges by leveraging…
An industry push for more automation solutions is advancing the robot operating system (ROS) beyond the academic and manufacturing domains into agriculture, automotive, retail, healthcare and more. Various forecasts project the open-source…
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is tackling robotics and autonomy challenges here on Earth and in space. This article focuses on our work to adapt terrestrial technology for space applications to enable autonomous mobile robot…
Earlier this year we had the opportunity to meet with space scientists, cavers, and roboticists to discuss the future of cave exploration for both on- and off-world environments at the 4th International Planetary Caves Conference in…
Computing in space tends to be constrained by the size, weight, power and cost of radiation-hardened systems that can fit on spacecraft. Historically, these constraints have ruled out deployment of machine learning (ML) and artificial…
Many manufacturing processes operate using fixed or hard automation equipment that perform production tasks with limited sensory inputs. For more complex applications, simple cameras or sensors can detect an object’s presence, position,…
The Robot Operating System (ROS) was first released by Open Robotics in 2007 with the intent to provide open-source software frameworks, tools and libraries for robot development. A typical ROS system is comprised of independent nodes that…
Whether you are adding another piece of automation to your factory floor or debating whether bringing automation into your operation is right for your business, there is a lot to consider. From new equipment to reorganizing floor space for…
Industrial robotics continue to rise in levels of autonomy, intelligence and complexity, which enables them to fill more roles within the manufacturing process. However, as those systems rise in their independence, the need to ensure they…
Southwest Research Institute has developed an Advanced Mobility Crawler (AMC) that aims to bring high-force processes to confined spaces. Through internally funded research, SwRI investigated the challenges of mobility, stability and…
Inkjet printing methods on 2D surfaces have been a mature technology for many years within the high-resolution printing domain. Today, this technology is being expanded to 3D surfaces via robotic systems. At Southwest Research Institute, a…
In this article, the first in an occasional series on machine learning, we are going to discuss algorithms and automation tools developed by Southwest Research Institute to detect, quantify, and categorize methane leaks.
The no-code development movement describes the proliferation of tools and frameworks that enable people untrained in traditional coding languages to develop useful software. This has become commonplace in the world of web development where…
Welcome to the third article in our series on collaborative robots. We previously examined what cobots are and whether they are safer and easier to use than traditional robots. In this post, we compare cobots to industrial robots in a…
This is the second post in a series about collaborative robots, also called cobots. Our first post explained that cobots are industrial robots designed to be safer to use near humans and more easily programed to complete simple tasks by a…
Collaborative robot, or cobot, has become something of a buzzword in the automation industry. The popularity of cobots has created an explosion of new models from all the major robot manufacturers as well as many industry newcomers. If you…
Typically, robots are not in service long enough to require “major” upgrades. In a typical robot’s service life, there may be some software updates and improvements to the end of arm tooling (EOAT) but no major changes. In contrast, some…
Southwest Research Institute has been developing Scan-N-PlanTM technologies for many years with applications in painting, sanding, grit blasting, grinding, chemical depaint and laser ablation. Scan-N-Plan, a suite of ROS-Industrial tools,…
Economic impacts from the pandemic and ongoing digital trends are expected to accelerate the adoption of digital manufacturing, also known as smart manufacturing. This means more U.S. companies will embrace “Industry 4.0” technologies that…
The typical person probably doesn’t wake up in the morning with an idea to build a 20-ton robot, standing five stories, wielding a 20 kW laser, and yet we did exactly that with the Laser Coating Removal Robot (LCR). This post,…
Taking on the task of deploying a custom robotic workcell can be daunting for the most seasoned robotics engineers, let alone teams that don’t use robots on a daily basis. This is reflected in what we hear from industry peers, customers,…
Universities, startups, and R&D organizations are facilitating the rapid evolution of industrial automation and robotics with innovative prototypes and emerging technologies. These new and exciting capabilities are gaining footing in…
This is fourth and final article in our series on collaborative robots. In previous posts we examined the benefits and limitations of cobots. Assuming you’ve decided that a cobot is indeed the right decision for your application, read on.…