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At Hyperautomation 2024, Gagan Sharma will present the automation case of coffee vendor Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE). Preceding this event, media partner Rocking Robots sat down with him to discuss the lessons he has learned about C-level buy-in, breaking down silos, and fostering automation champions.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a technique to train multipurpose robots more effectively by combining various sources of data using generative AI models, specifically diffusion models. This approach aims to address the challenge of integrating disparate datasets from different domains such as simulations, robotic teleoperation, and human demonstrations.

According to a recent Gartner survey, 69% of CEOs view sustainability as a key growth opportunity for their businesses in 2024. The survey, which included over 400 CEOs and senior business executives across various regions and industries, highlights the increasing importance of environmental sustainability in corporate strategy.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have conducted a study exploring the collaboration between roboticists and people with disabilities to design robots that are more accessible and versatile. The study, led by Howard Han, a Ph.D. student at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII), was presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2024).

Labor shortages hamper future economic growth worldwide. World Bank predicts that GDP per capita would be almost 20 percent higher on average if female employment were increased to be the same as men’s. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and its members support the empowerment of women for careers in the robotics industry.

Nvidia has surpassed Apple to become the second-largest publicly traded company in the United States, following a surge in its market capitalization to $3.019 trillion. This development places Nvidia behind Microsoft, which has a market cap of $3.15 trillion. Nvidia’s share price increased by 5.2% to approximately $1,224.4 per share, contributing to a rise in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes.

At the Vision, Robotics & Motion 2024 trade fair, which focuses on the future of automation in production, independent news platform Rocking Robots will report on site as a media partner making various video reports. In addition, Rocking Robots receives visitors with its own stand, in which a robot from partner ABB can be seen at work.

ABB Robotics has unveiled OmniCore, a new intelligent automation platform designed to enhance business productivity and flexibility. The OmniCore platform is part of a $170 million strategic investment aimed at accelerating advanced and more sustainable automation solutions.

Orbbec has announced that its Gemini 330 series Stereo Vision 3D cameras are now integrated with NVIDIA’s Isaac Perceptor, a workflow designed for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) leveraging GPU-accelerated Isaac ROS. The announcement was made in Troy, MI, coinciding with NVIDIA’s general availability announcement at COMPUTEX.

Ukraine’s special forces have developed software, named Eagle Eyes, enabling drones to navigate without GPS, reducing the impact of Russian jamming efforts. According to a report by The Economist, the Eagle Eyes software allows drones to navigate by sight, using AI to compare live video footage with pre-existing maps created from reconnaissance photos and videos.