Automation

The liquid-carrying tanks on tanker ships have to regularly be inspected for cracks – a task which is typically performed by humans. A new drone, however, is claimed to do the job much quicker and more thoroughly.

Although we've been hearing about various agricultural robots that are still in development, there's at least one which is already commercially available. It's called the Slopehelper, and it's made mainly for use in vineyards.

Last month we reported that a huge vertical farming operation near Copenhagen in Denmark recently completed its first harvest. That setup uses hydroponics, but the veggies grown in Vertical Field urban farming pods take root in real soil.

Moley Robotics steps beyond robo-mixers and grocery-tracking refrigerators in developing a robo-kitchen built to provide a full cooking takeover. The automated kitchen system is ready to find its way into actual homes.

Beekeeping can be an arduous task, as keepers have to repeatedly bend over and lift wax/honey-laden honeycomb panels out of each hive. The Hive Controller is designed to help, by robotically lifting and collecting the honeycombs.

While some dog owners feed their pooches raw food instead of kibble, others have switched to dehydrated dog food. The Spanish-designed Kibus device works with the latter, automatically rehydrating it with hot water and serving it at meal times.

Scientists at Purdue University are putting forward another interesting proposition in the realm of home automation, developing a cheap sensor that can detect when a person enters a room via carbon dioxide levels in the air.

When two interlocking parts of a product are joined together in a factory, they typically make a satisfying "click" sound. By listening for such noises, a newly-developed system can detect when faults have occurred on robotic assembly lines.

Although there already are "smart" powered curtains, the things can be complex to install, and need to be plugged into a power outlet. The SwitchBot Curtain, on the other hand, is a battery-powered device that simply gets added to existing curtains.

Leading the Automated Vehicles for Airports (AVAP) research consortium, Swedish company LFV has begun testing autonomous snow removal equipment.

It's winter in Antarctica, but a temporarily unoccupied British research station is still operating using a new autonomous system. Using new technology developed by BAS engineers, the station is still partially powered by a micro-turbine as robotic sensors continue to collect scientific data.

Cadillac has unveiled a new compact sedan, the 2020 CT5, and with it a new advanced cruise control system called Super Cruise. The CT5 features a fastback design, signature Cadillac color and trim edges, and the ability to drive itself in some freeway cruising situations.