Industrial Robotics, Drones, Automation, Geospatial & AI
December 10, 2024: Issue 124
It’s time to say "Adios" to Chuck E. Cheese’s animatronic band, as Charles “Entertainment” Cheese and his Pizza Time Players prepare to trade their squeaky mechanical harmonies for retirement. After decades of delighting—or unnerving—kids, they’re set to shuffle off to the great animatronic scrapyard by the end of 2024. It’s the end of an era for the Chuck E. Cheese bots, folks—though Pasqually is probably relieved he won’t have to lip-sync praises for pizza anymore!
What’s Inside:
đź‘· Rise of AI, Robotics, and Autonomy in Construction
đź“‹ Drone Docks Take Flight: EPRI's Latest Report on Utility Ops
🚀 Nvidia & AWS: Taking Robotics AI to New Heights in the Cloud
đź“· OGI Reimagined: MFE's Game-Changing Camera
🛠️ AirData's New Tool: Manage Your Drone Assets Like a Pro
🍕 Adios Animatronics, Say Hello to Flat Screens at Chuck E. Cheese
You might not see robots wearing hard hats (yet), but they’re already shaking up the construction world. Turns out, they’re pretty good at things like laying bricks, 3D printing buildings, and, surprisingly, not complaining about Mondays.
Our latest article, The Rise of AI, Robotics, and Autonomy in Construction, dives into how AI and robots are transforming job sites. Think of it as the ultimate construction makeover show, but with fewer sledgehammers and more algorithms.
What does that look like?
🔧 Robots that tackle the heavy lifting—literally
🏗️ 3D printers spitting out buildings like they’re pancakes
🛠️ Drones keeping an eagle eye on safety
Sure, there are a few hiccups, but the potential? Next-level efficiency, safety, and sustainability that would make even the toughest project manager crack a smile.
It’s concrete proof that the future of construction is here.
Want more intel on robotics being used in construction? Join us at the Construction Robotics Forum, co-located with the Energy Drone & Robotics Summit, June 10-12, 2025 for fast-paced networking with other leaders in the construction industry utilizing industrial drones and robotics and pioneering within the industry! Learn about existing opportunities today!
WHAT'S UP
Dock and Roll: EPRI is flying automated drones recently through a high voltage winter wonderland. Ten utilities are collaborating with EPRI to evaluate drone docks. The objective is to learn the technologies' capabilities, limitations, and value for distribution and substation deployment.
GPU Power Play: Nvidia and AWS recently announced that Nvidia’s pioneering Isaac Sim robotics development and simulation platform is now available on Amazon Elastic Cloud Computing (EC2). This move broadens the ability of more developer teams to have access to the tools that can speed up their Physical AI and robotics projects.
SPONSORED BY:Us! Save the date for our upcoming spring 2025 Bots & Brews, the highly anticipated spring meet-up of the Houston area (and beyond!) industrial robotics crowd on March 26, 2025! Tickets are going quickly for this event, so lock your seat in now, for delicious bites, brews, intel, and fast-paced networking with top oil and gas and energy decision makers, asset owners, solution providers and drone / robotics technology innovators. Want a booth to display your company's cutting-edge technology? Reach out today! Get involved before it's too late, as sponsors are limited!
WHAT'S NEXT
MFE Inspection Solutionslaunched the Detect LW, the first ever long-wave, uncooled OGI camera that meets the EPA’s 40 CFR part 60 Appendix K requirements as part of OOOOa, b and c. Put simply, this camera was made to help Oil and Gas companies keep up with stringent regulatory requirements.
Dawn Zoldi, CEO and Founder of P3 Tech Consulting, announced the upcoming 2025 launch of Autonomy Global, a digital hub for the latest global tech, market and regulatory updates focused on the dual-use multi-domain autonomy ecosystem, and a new industry partner for the Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition.
DRONELIFE recently sat down with AirData’s founder and CEO, Eran Steiner, to discuss the company’s journey, its innovative products, and the launch of its new Drone Asset Management tool. This latest offering is designed to simplify inventory tracking and enhance operational efficiency for drone fleet administrators.
Drone Nerds has added ParaZero’s SafeAir system to its enterprise lineup, delivering an advanced parachute recovery solution designed to boost drone safety and performance across diverse applications.
WHAT'S THE DEAL
SmartDrone Corporationannounced the acquisition of the drone operations of Skytec, LLC. This acquisition allows SmartDrone to expand its UAV service offerings while continuing to support Skytec's clients with high-precision aerial data collection across industries, including land surveying, construction, and environmental management.
ANYbotics, an AI-driven robot inspection company, and offshore firm Equanshave joined forces in an effort to transform workflows by deploying ANYmal in challenging offshore environments. Equans said it plans to offer ANYmal as a direct purchase, providing implementation support, training, and expertise. The partnership aims to enable automated offshore maintenance.
Adios Animatronics, Say Hello to Flat Screens at Chuck E. Cheese
(Image Credit: IEE Spectrum)
Chuck E. Cheese is preparing to retire the animatronics from nearly all of its 600 or so locations by the end of 2024. They will soon sing their last song in all but five Chuck E. Cheese locations by the end of this year.
Nolan Bushnell, a founder of Atari, opened the first Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, Calif., in 1977. He was inspired when he visited Disneyland and saw its many animatronic creations. Animatronics often include electronic, mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic parts. The character’s head and arms generally move freely, but it can’t walk from one place to another.
Walt Disney’s Imagineers had pioneered audio-animatronics, which they described in one of their patents as a “robotic figure, puppet, or other movable object that is animated via one or more electromechanical devices.” (Unlike today’s robot designs, none of the animatronics of the ’60s and ’70s were truly interactive; all of the songs and conversation were prerecorded and synched with movements through computer programming.)
The restaurant opened with the eponymous rat and several other animatronic characters, which they termed cyberamics in later iterations of the show. In the original installation, the characters were showcased in faux picture frames on the walls surrounding the main dining area, mimicking a theater in the round.
The characters performed six two-minute shows per hour. Banks of pneumatic valves caused the players to wave their arms, blink their eyes, and move their heads. At times, there could be more than 200 movements happening at once.
It took almost 50 years, but video screens have finally won out over animatronics. The curtain is closing on Mr. Munch and his Make Believe Band. Learn more! --> (h/t IEEE Spectrum)
