Industrial Machines

Qantas Airbus A380 designer wins London award

Marc Newson, the Australian industrial designer known for his passion for melding art and technology, was awarded the London Design Medal on Wednesday at the London Design Festival.

Though you may not recognize the name Marc Newson, chances are you recognize Newson's work.

Newson designed the space plane for EADS Astrium in 2007.

The famous "Lockheed Lounge" chair that fetched record-breaking auction sums for a living designer was designed by Newson in 1985.… Read more

iRobot preps pared-down PackBot for civilians

iRobot announced a new addition to its lineup of industrial robots Wednesday.

The Negotiator, another tactical mobile robot that can climb stairs, seems to be a pared down, civilian version of the PackBot.

Like the PackBot, the Negotiator can climb stairs, work by remote control, and be outfitted with tools for reconnaissance and chemical detection.

iRobot already offers a version of the PackBot 510 with a kit for first responders. While some municipalities have adopted it, the PackBot hasn't exactly become a common sight at your local police station.

It seems that iRobot has finally realized that the PackBot, … Read more

Zappos tries robots on for size

Zappos.com, the online retailer with free shipping both ways, has hired little orange robots to carry your shoes.

Actually, the company, which now sells more than just shoes, has just finished outfitting it's Kentucky warehouse with a robotic army to help fill orders, the company supplying the system announced Tuesday.

The Kiva Mobile Fulfillment System from Massachusetts-based Kiva Systems, is basically a team of autonomous, stout, orange robots that sort, store, and move inventory in warehouses. The robots essentially bring the assembly line to the warehouse worker to fill orders more quickly.

Instead of having people walking around … Read more