Bossa Nova Robotics is one of the leaders in the retail robotics sector, providing large retailers with inventory-scanning robots that move up and down aisles, tracking inventory supply levels via computer vision and artificial intelligence.

Every manufacturer has one want and many needs. The want is universal, to be the leader in its industry or area of specialty. The needs are individual, and may concern issues as diverse as increasing capital, upgrading technology, expanding plant size or hiring more assemblers.

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a robot that uses touch and vision technology to play Jenga, a popular game that requires agility.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, U.K.—Engineers at Newcastle University here are studying how the 3D vision used by praying mantises could lead to simpler visual processing systems in robots. They recently equipped insects with miniature glasses that were temporarily glued on with beeswax.

Vision systems are used to make critical measurements of parts and assemblies as part of a quality control system. Such measurements might be taken to determine the fitness of a component to progress to the next step in the manufacturing process, or they might be done at the end of the line prior to shipping the final product.