In the United States alone, about 795,000 people suffer strokes each year, leading to varying degrees of paralysis. Post-stroke rehabilitation has come a long way in recent decades and one area of focus is robotic-assisted rehabilitation for both the upper and the lower body. As Physiopedia explains, It is used to supplement or facilitate rehabilitation by assisting in the repetitive labor-intensive manual therapy that is normally administered by therapists. This decreases the time demands on therapists as the robotic devices can help move the patient's limbs during exercises, thereby increasing the amount of therapy for each patient and increasing the number of patients undergoing therapy simultaneously." According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), "The advantage of robot devices over rehabilitation exercises guided only by a therapist is that the robot device ensures that the movement is repeated in exactly the same way each time, training the brain to enable muscles to carry out the movements alone.

Tom Green is the founder, publisher and editor in chief of Asian Robotics Review. Previously, he launched and was founding editor in chief of Robotics Business Review. Green was also on-air host and lead researcher for Robotics Business Review's webcast programs, as well as lead editor and contributing author for Robotics Business Review's annual series of robotics research reports. Green has been the subject of interviews on robotics with Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, Swissquote, and CNN Money, among others.

Regarding robotics, the future is the present -- in that it is already here. For advanced economies, robots are providing domestic companies with the efficiency edge they need to support the reshoring trend where manufacturing production returns from lower-wage manufacturing outsourcers located in other parts of the world. But you cannot simply deploy robots into existing manufacturing plants and expect things to move smoothly. Plants must be retrofitted or even redesigned to make the most effective use of this new 24/7/365 workforce. Additionally, new plants should be built around the robotic operations to ensure safe and smooth workflows throughout the facility.

Most autonomous vehicle manufacturers incorporate high-end 3D LiDARs, along with additional sensors, into their vehicles so that they are provided with enough data to fully understand their surroundings and operate safely. Yet in April 2019, Elon Musk famously told attendees at Tesla's Autonomy Day that LiDAR is a "fool's errand"--and that anyone relying on it is "doomed," referring to Tesla's preference for vision-based perception. The LiDAR / vision debate continues to this day. But since that time there has been a steadily increasing emphasis on cameras and computer vision in the autonomous vehicle market. Vision-based Navigation for AMRs Recently, the same debate has emerged in the mobile robot market where traditional 2D LiDARs have been the prevailing navigation sensor for decades. Some AMR manufacturers, including Canvas Technology (acquired by Amazon), Gideon Brothers, and Seegrid, have already developed AMRs with varying degrees of vision-based navigation.

Business-to-business publisher WTWH Media announced the winners of the 2022 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards (RBR50). Produced by Robotics Business Review for the past decade, the annual RBR50 list celebrates forward-thinking organizations and their original, impactful creations. Recognized throughout the world, the RBR50 awards are also a critical measure of robotics sector growth. "For the robotics sector, the role, importance, and impact of innovation has never been greater," said Dan Kara, Vice President, Robotics at WTWH Media. "With this year's RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards, Robotics Business Review highlights those critical innovations, and the organizations responsible for them, that will spur the development of new robotics solutions and drive robotics adoption forward."

Welcome to Episode 67 of The Robot Report Podcast, where each week Robot Report editor Steve Crowe and Mobile Robot Guide editor Mike Oitzman review the latest robotics, automation and intelligent systems news and announcements, and interview leading roboticists, leaders of innovative robotics companies, and other key members of the robotics community. You can subscribe to The Robot Report Podcast on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, SoundCloud and more. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review! In Episode 67 of The Robot Report Podcast, Steve Crowe and Mike Oitzman discuss the recent series large investments into robotics companies, totaling nearly US $1B. If this trend continues, 2022 may be a record year for investments into robotics-related organizations.

For over a decade, Robotics Business Review's RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards have highlighted the most creative and influential innovations from around the world that have advanced the state of robotics. Robotics Business Review is currently seeking nominations for the 2022 Robotics Innovation Awards. Many Innovation Types Robotics innovation can take many forms – technological, business, market, and investment – that act individually, or in confluence, to accelerate robotics sector growth. The sources for robotics innovation can be technology, product, and services providers, but also academics and researchers, governmental and private business development groups, and the investment community. How to Apply The editors of Robotics Business Review are seeking submissions from companies, research and development organizations, business development and investment groups, and others for consideration for the 2022 RBR50 awards.

Prior to the pandemic, there were rumblings about flaws in e-commerce systems, but beyond the occasional negative story and some relatively minor complaints, it was not really a big deal as 2019 US e-commerce sales steadily grew to 11% of total retail sales. Ready-to-eat food delivery also'arrived' and was growing well. Then life as we knew it stopped. Food delivery services continued to flourish, even with high fees, cold food, and driver sampling of your meals. But the inherent flaws in the food delivery supply chain became glaringly obvious.

Artificial intelligence has granted our minds clearance to be children again, but only to reflect on the gadgets from our favorite science fiction books, movies, and television shows that have made their way into reality. You may find it beneficial to bust out a few stretches before reading, as this trip down memory lane may leave you feeling a bit old. The Jetsons, which debuted 57 years ago this week, is often cited when people talk about the future of robots, flying cars, and other household technology. Like The Simpsons, The Jetsons often made predictions of the future with different technologies, such as a household robot or video phone. With new AI tech like Facebook Portal, iRobot Roomba, the world's first robotic vacuum, and Moley Robotic Kitchen, we can live in 2062 far ahead of its time.

Editor's Note: Robotics Business Review's coverage emphasizes innovation, including start-up companies (or'young' companies). RBR "Start-Up Profiles" highlight individual start-up companies using a consistent, templated format that makes for quick, yet informed reading, that also simplifies comparative analysis. Funding Status – $20.2 million raised so far (Series A) FarmWise builds innovative systems and processes to streamline farm operations and increase food production efficiency. Technology / Product / Service(s) – For vegetable growers who face increased growing costs and new regulatory pressures, FarmWise builds innovative systems and processes to streamline farm operations and increase food production efficiency. FarmWise's first product, an automated mechanical weeder powered by AI and robotics has captured more than 100 million crop images. Today, it is offered as a service to vegetable growers in California and Arizona.