From 28 to 30 June, the thirteenth edition of the European Robotics Forum (ERF) will take place in Rotterdam. With about a thousand visitors, this will be the largest robotics event in Europe, where a diverse group of participants, from industry and science to government and end users, will exchange views on a wide range of topics.

Factmata, a UK based AI platform tackling online misinformation at scale, launches its new self-service tool to help future-proof the internet from the billion-dollar problem of harmful narratives and fake news. Factmata’s AI technology assesses the level of risk narratives pose to brands, identifies the influencers behind the narrative and enables organisations to monitor how those narratives emerge, grow and change over time.

A new drive system for flapping wing autonomous robots has been developed by a University of Bristol team, using a new method of electromechanical zipping that does away with the need for conventional motors and gears.

Recently IDC has published the whitepaper  Automation as a Force for Good – 6 Steps to Transform Theory into Practice. In this study authors Angela Salmeron and Neil Ward-Dutton discuss the role of automation in supporting companies with their ESG programs, given the trend that 47% of organizations are planning to introduce Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to the workplace in the next 18 months, 39%  intend to implement other process automation technologies (including workflow automation), and 63% are planning to add task-focused apps on mobile devices.

Everyone is fed up of hearing about the pandemic and the catastrophic impact it has had on the world. But the fact is, although statistics confirm Covid-19 is waning, the rise of new variants including Omicron means the virus is still very much present and working its way through the population, continuing to leave its destruction behind it. 

This is the time for HR to step up and claim a more strategic role in the organization. Automation enables HR professionals to gain valuable time by freeing them from day to day routine tasks, making them a partner for the business. Adding technology like AI can even lead to HR better serving their internal customers. Rocking Robot discussed the opportunities for HR in automation with Hamish Taylor, who has an impressive track record in brand management.

Most businesses suffered, some businesses failed, but for those who survived the ravages of the pandemic, what lessons have been learned and, perhaps more importantly, what plans are now in place to make businesses more resilient moving forward? History is littered with pandemics; following bird flu & swine flu, and COVID-19 has arguably been the worst since the Spanish flu. But what next?

NICE and Nichols College collaborate to provide hands-on education designed to meet the rapid growth in demand for automation experts. They will form a Centre for Intelligent Process Automation (CIPA) to jointly expand the next generation of robotic process automation (RPA) developers.

Recently, machine learning company Hyperscience began working with partners in the Netherlands. The Hyperscience Platform helps enterprise and public sector organizations automate their data- and document-heavy processes, resulting in greater efficiencies, lower costs , fewer errors and better customer and employee experiences. Rocking Robots talked about this strategy with the EMEA General Manager at Hyperscience, Nay Odutola.

A growing number of CFOs have automation as a topic on their agenda. On the one hand the Covid-crisis forced transformation, on the other hand there is a more deep-rooted wish to perfect processes to serve the business better. But there is more to automation than just RPA as a tool; people are a key element in this, says Christopher Argent from Generation CFO in this interview with Rocking Robots.