Robotics

Online retail giant   Amazon   – said to be America’s second-largest employer – is reportedly planning a major expansion of its warehouse automation that could reduce the number of US hires by   more than 600,000 over the next eight years . According to internal documents obtained by  The New York Times , the company’s robotics division aims to automate roughly 75 percent of operations by around 2033, and expects to avoid about 160,000 new roles by 2027. The leaked materials also highlight cost-savings of around $12.6 billion from 2025-2027, or about 30 cents saved per item shipped. Separate reporting by  Business Insider  presents a related internal memo in which Amazon describes its next-gen robots – including a new tactile arm called “Vulcan” – as “critical to flattening Amazon’s hiring curve over the next ten years.” Amazon has pushed back publicly. A spokesperson clarified the documents reflect one team’s view and do not represent the company’s ov...

  The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has reported that the total number of service robots sold for professional use reached almost 200,000 units in 2024, marking a 9% increase. Staff shortages are a key driver for companies to use robots designed for trained professionals. At the same time, the growing elderly population is increasing demand for medical robots. These findings are presented in the World Robotics 2025 Service Robots report by the IFR. With 102,900 units (+14%) sold in 2024, more than every other professional service robot was built for the application class transportation and logistics. These robots cover mainly mobile robots for the transport and handling of goods. While traditional sales remained the main channel of moniniterisation, RaaS enjoyed growing popularity with a growth rate of 42% in 2024. Transportation in indoor environments without public traffic qualifies as the most important application class within this segment. A special chapter i...

Announcing the ‘largest single investment in company’s 100-year history’, Stellantis plans to expand US production by 50 percent, with five new vehicle launches and 19 product actions over next four years, adding more than 5,000 new jobs at plants in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana Stellantis has announced plans to invest a staggering $13 billion over the next four years to grow its business in the critical United States market and to increase its domestic manufacturing footprint. The investment is the largest in the company’s 100-year US history and will support the introduction of five new vehicles across the brand portfolio in key segments; production of the all-new four-cylinder engine; and the addition of more than 5,000 jobs at plants in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. The new investment will further expand Stellantis’ already significant US footprint, increasing annual finished vehicle production by 50 percent over current levels. The new product launches will be ...

The   45th Hong Kong Electronics Fair   (Autumn Edition) and the   28th electronicAsia   are under way at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, drawing more than 3,200 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions. The twin events, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and MMI Asia, run concurrently and continue to attract a global audience of technology companies, investors, and buyers. This year’s fairs spotlight three major themes: artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, digital entertainment, and the silver economy. Exhibitors include technology companies from the Chinese Mainland, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Australia, the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The HKTDC has also organised 120 buying missions from 61 countries and regions. Professor Frederick Ma, chairman of the HKTDC, visited the fair to meet exhibitors and tour the new Hong Kong Tech Showcase. He said: “The HKTDC has consistently supported enterprise...

A recent   Dürr   financial statement sent a clear signal to the robotics world: even well-established players are not immune to the strain of slowing demand. Dürr cut its order-intake target for 2025 (for continued operations) from its previous band of €4,300 to €4,700 million down to €3,800 to €4,100 million, citing weaker project demand. Meanwhile, in its restructuring plan, the company announced it would eliminate roughly 500 administrative positions by end-2026, and absorb €40-50 million of restructuring provisions in H2 2025 to enable annual savings of about €50 million from 2027 onward. Dürr also flagged a more sobering projection: its earnings before tax (EBIT) after extraordinary effects (that is, excluding gains from the planned sale of its environmental-technology unit) could fall into negative territory, between -1 percent and 0 percent. In short: the tailwinds that once powered unabated growth in industrial robotics are showing signs of fatigue – and Dürr, at leas...

Panasonic Factory Solutions   has implemented its Tawers G4 Welding Robot System for   Stadler Anlagenbau , a manufacturer of specialist systems for recycling and waste sorting plants. This automates manual welding processes, vastly reducing welding cycle times, and increasing production line efficiency and scalability. Reduced cycle times a priority With all systems and components manufactured in-house, Stadler currently uses Panasonic G3 systems to manage all welding on the conveyor belt frame system, pre assembly, and actual assembly. The integrated welding source, broad process range (MIG/MAG, Puls-MAG, CO2), and Panasonic’s intuitive Weld Navigation software provides high flexibility while maintaining stable quality. The new G4 Welding Robot System optimises welding process management into a single controller for high-quality arc welding. It features improved controller processing power, higher axis speeds, and optimised controller-robot communication. The G4’s high-resol...

Over the past couple of years, the level of interest in construction robotics has surged. This is not surprising given the tantalising demos by new robotics companies that show what autonomous machines could do on building sites. At the forefront of turning that promise into reality is Bedrock Robotics, led by co-founder and CEO Boris Sofman. After pivotal roles at Anki and Waymo, Sofman has embarked on one of the boldest pivots in the autonomy space: applying machine learning and robotics to earthmoving, excavation, and other heavy-duty construction work. Bedrock specializes in retrofitting existing construction vehicles with sensors, computing hardware, and AI – effectively converting conventional excavators and diggers into autonomous machines. Indeed, the photos on their site include CAT vehicles, hinting at partnerships or conversions of established heavy-equipment brands. Boris Sofman : After spending years at Waymo proving that autonomy could work in the most complex environ...