Robotics News | May 2023

Fischer Group develops “Baubot” for construction sites

Waldachtal-based Fischer Group has designed an automatic fastening robot for ceiling, wall and floor applications. The “Baubot,” the development of which originates from an Austrian start-up in which the Baden-Württemberg concern owns a majority holding, performs work on large construction sites more efficiently and precisely, eliminating the need for workers to carry out the physically demanding and dangerous work. Working in tandem with a digital construction plan, Baubots can help to automate construction site processes.

Turkish robotics company chooses Bremen for European headquarters

Turkey’s Searover Underwater Robotics has set up its European headquarters in the Hanseatic city of Bremen. The robotics and artificial intelligence specialized company has established a new subsidiary, Werover, in order to develop maritime, technical energy-related and AI application area solutions. The new company will provide AI, Internet of Things and robotics solutions for the maintenance and status monitoring of energy and underwater installations for the wind and solar power industries. Founded in 2018 in İzmir, Searover plans to drive the company’s future expansion plans from the Bremen site. Local economic development agency Bremeninvest provided investment support to the company.

Roboco secures EUR 13 million series A funding

Roboco, a Munich-based robotics start-up, recently secured EUR 13 million funding as part of a series A funding round. Sequoia Capital was the lead investor, alongside Kindred Capital from the United Kingdom and Promus Ventures from the USA. Other investors include Wunderlist founder Christian Reber and Torstel Reil, founder of Helsing, a Munich AI start-up.

EUR 23 million in series B financing round for fruitcore robotics

Fruitcore robotics has received EUR 23 million in new capital as part of a series B financing round. Investors include Capricorn Partners, KOMPAS and XAI technologies. Existing investors – including UVC Partners, Matterwave Ventures, CNB Capital, Family Office Pecon, and the btov private investor network – also increased their investment share. The company will invest the new funding in product innovation, sales and marketing as well as internationalization activities.

Hermes Awards for Bosch Rexroth and MantiSpectra

Bosch Rexroth and MantiSpectra were both honored with Hermes Awards at the recent Hannover Messe event. Bosch Rexroth received the special award for a product for the dynamic robotics market, with MantiSpectra being singled out with a prize for the smallest integrated near-infrared sensor.

Leverage Robotics launches lightweight robots at Hannover Messe

Leverage Robotics, a spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), displayed its lightweight robots at this year’s Hannover Messe. The start-up develops highly flexible robot assembly stations for safe and efficient human-robot collaboration, thereby making future production more flexible and efficient in the factory of the future. Plug and play robot cells developed for multitasking applications allow diverse tasks in logistics assembly, quality and machine loading as well as start-of-line applications.

Fraunhofer IEM develops gripper for food industry

The Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design (IEM) demonstrated an innovative robot gripper that does not use complex pneumatics at the Hannover Messe. The gripper allows fragile objects to be transported from one production step to the next without being damaged. As part of a project funded by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Fraunhofer IEM in Paderborn has developed the robot gripper for primary use in the food industry.

Fraunhofer ILT develops energy-saving battery production technology

The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) in Aachen has developed innovative laser-based technologies for the production of lithium-ion batteries that can be charged more quickly and have a longer service lifetime. Laser-based drying in the water-based electrode coating process is also more efficient. The research institute believes that the demonstrator project proves that laser technology can be used as digital production process to improve battery cell quality and significantly increase sustainability in production.

Dobot Robotics presents new cobot

Chinese Dobot Robotics presented its CR20A high payload collaborative robot at the Hannover Messe 2023. The company claims that the new cobot is capable of handling heavy loads, packing and palletizing, large workpiece processing, and long seam welding in complex scenarios. A 50 percent reduction in residual vibration during high-speed stops increases the robot’s reliability, improving production efficiency in heavy-duty scenarios.