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Sales of professional service robots rose by an impressive 37% in 2021. By region, the strongest growth came from Europe with a market share of 38% followed by North America with 32% and Asia with 30%. At the same time, sales of new consumer service robots grew by 9%, according to the “World Robotics 2022 – Service Robots” report, issued by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Chinese smart EV company XPeng unveiled a series of technical innovations at its fourth annual 1024 Tech Day in Guangzhou. The event featured next-generation neural network-based perception architecture, closed-loop AI and data management platform, voice and smart cabin technologies, and the latest developments in its mobility ecosystem, including latest robotaxi, flying car and robotics endeavors.

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have designed a new type of soft, robotic gripper that uses a collection of thin tentacles to entangle and ensnare objects, similar to how jellyfish collect stunned prey.

Eighty-nine per cent of board directors say that digital business is now embedded in all business growth strategies, according to a new survey from Gartner. However, just 35% of board directors report that they have achieved or are on track to achieving digital transformation goals.

Celera Motion, a business unit of Novanta, announced the introduction of the world’s smallest and, it claims, fastest servo drive.  The Everest S, the latest addition to the Everest Series, is about 30% smaller than its predecessor, making it the world’s smallest servo drive. It also delivers bus latency reduced to 1 cycle, which according to Celera makes Everest S the fastest servo drive on the market today.  

The United States electric lawn mowers market shipment is expected to reach 3,196.32 thousand units by 2027, according to the report “U.S. Electric Lawn Mowers Market – Comprehensive Study and Strategic Assessment 2022-2027” by ResearchAndMarkets.com.

Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.6 trillion in 2023, an increase of 5.1% from 2022, according to the latest forecast by Gartner. Demand for IT in 2023 is expected to be strong as businesses push forward with digital business initiatives in response to economic turmoil.

Knightscope, developer of autonomous security robots, announced it has completed its acquisition of CASE Emergency Systems. This adds a network of 7,000+ blue light towers and emergency call box to the portfolio of Knightscope.

Clearpath Robotics, manufacturer of mobile robotics platforms for research and development, has launched OutdoorNav – an autonomous navigation software platform designed for vehicle developers, OEMs, and robotics researchers. Compatible with Clearpath’s outdoor mobile platforms as well as third-party industrial vehicles, OutdoorNav provides GPS-based navigation for autonomous vehicle development. 

The new World Robotics report shows an all-time high of 517,385 new industrial robots installed in 2021 in factories around the world. This represents a growth rate of 31% year-on-year and exceeds the pre-pandemic record of robot installation in 2018 by 22%. Today, the stock of operational robots around the globe hits a new record of about 3.5 million units.