United Kingdom

Worldwide government IT spending is forecast to total $588.9 billion in 2023, an increase of 6.8% from 2022, according to Gartner. Government organisations are continuing to modernise legacy IT and invest in initiatives that improve access to digital services as constituents increasingly demand experiences that are equivalent to online customer interactions in the private sector.

The market for worldwide low-code development technologies is projected to total $26.9 billion in 2023, an increase of 19.6% from 2022, according to the latest forecast from Gartner. A rise in business technologists and a growing number of enterprise-wide hyperautomation and composable business initiatives will be the key drivers accelerating the adoption of low-code technologies through 2026.

Hyundai Motor Group has started two pilot delivery service programs using autonomous robots based on its Plug & Drive (PnD) modular platform at a hotel and a residential-commercial complex located in the outskirts of Seoul.

Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation and Changi Airport Group announced the inaugural demonstration of a jointly developed outdoor-based autonomous baggage loading system prototype.

Clevon, Estonian provider of autonomous delivery vehicles, performed its first U.S. autonomous delivery with CLEVON 1, the company’s flagship multi-platform all-electric robot courier at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) in Fort Worth.

In Las Vegas Gartner highlighted the six trends that will have significant impact on infrastructure and operations (I&O) over the next 12 to 18 months. Automation and sustainability are set to play an important part in this timeframe.

ABB has opened its state-of-the-art, fully automated and flexible robotics factory in Kangqiao, Shanghai, China. The 67,000m2 production and research facility represents a $150 million (1.1 billion RMB) investment by ABB and will deploy the company’s digital and automation technologies to manufacture next generation robots – enhancing ABB’s robotics and automation leadership in China.

Ouster, provider of high-resolution digital lidar sensors for the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart infrastructure industries, announced its attendance at CES Las Vegas 2023. Ouster will showcase its latest technology and solutions, including its OS and Digital Flash (DF) series sensors and a new product release, along with select customer and partner applications.

Inspired by the biomechanics of the manta ray, researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient soft robot that can swim more than four times faster than previous swimming soft robots. The robots are called “butterfly bots,” because their swimming motion resembles the way a person’s arms move when they are swimming the butterfly stroke.

ABB has enhanced its RobotStudio robot programming and simulation software with cloud-enabled functionality. The new RobotStudio Cloud enables individuals and teams to collaborate in real-time on robot cell designs from anywhere in the world, on any device. New features such as automatic version control increase transparency and productivity across teams. The software’s simplified interfaces and intuitive navigation allow users of all skill levels to work on robotic projects.