industrial

Agility Robotics Trims Workforce to Prioritize Commercialization Goals

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Agility Robotics on Thursday confirmed that it has laid off a “small number” of employees. The well-funded Oregon-based firm says the job loss is part of a company-wide focus on commercialization efforts. Ultimately, however, those efforts were placed on the back burner, as the company shifted focus to understaffed warehouses. Two years ago this month, the company announced a $150 million Series B. Amazon notably participated in the round by way of its Industrial Innovation Fund. Last month at Modex, Agility showcased updates to Digit’s end effectors designed specifically for automotive manufacturing workflows.

Industrial Painting: PaintJet’s Giant Robots Revolutionizing Industrial Jobs

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Here in the States, the $2 trillion industry employs around eight million people — that’s nearly one New York City. Even in financial boom times, however, these jobs can be difficult to keep filled, owing to physical demands and other potential dangers. As evidenced from videos released by PaintJet, those sorts of older technologies remain intact here — albeit with an automated twist. CEO Nick Hegeman tells TechCrunch, that in spit of looking like a fairly standard piece of heavy machine, “We have created 100% of the robotic system. Of course, PaintJet is far from the only company vying to introduce robots to the world of industrial painting.