We have a bit of a theme going on this week as we note several interesting articles about robotics. We are also paying close attention to the Hanjin story and the ripple effects it continues to have for many.
I. One of the largest shipping companies, Hanjin, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month. This is a story that has caused many, many ripple effects that will be ongoing for weeks to come. For starters, there are multiple ships that are still at sea. These ships are filled with billions of dollars worth of cargo and they are not moving. Many ports are refusing to accept these ships because they worry Hanjin will not be able to pay fees. That means the workers on the ships are stranded at sea on what many are calling a ghost ship situation. “Our ships can become ghost ships,” said Kim Ho-Kyung, a manager at Hanjin Shipping’s labor union. “Food and water are running down in those ships floating in international waters.”
II. There are not many products that make breaking news when they start their shipping journey, but it probably won’t take you long to guess which Apple product has made transportation headlines. That’s right! The new iPhones have shipped. Foxconn has shipped out a total of 371,000 units of next generation iPhone devices through customs in Henan province, China.
III. Monitoring the coastline of Japan and keeping the ocean safe is an important business. Japan has a Coast Guard, but the task is much larger than their fleet. That’s where Liquid Robotics comes in. Gary Gysin, president and chief executive officer, Liquid Robotics, says: “It is an honor to assist the Japan Coast Guard with helping protect their coastal environments and populations against natural emergencies and to enhance their understanding of their coastal seas.” Previously this data was collected by ships. The new data will be useful for many industries.
IV. Magazino’s TORU is getting a lot of attention right now. As TechCrunch points out, if you work in a warehouse, chances are you are already working alongside robotics of some kind. TORU is said to be the next generation of warehouse robotics, “navigating by sight, safe around humans, and simple to put to work.” These robots work in human scale and with ordinary sized boxes.
Check out this video of the TORU cube at work:
Image Credit: Magazino
As of September 8, 2020, Crimson & Co (formerly The Progress Group/TPG) has rebranded as Argon & Co following the successful merger with Argon Consulting in April 2018.
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