Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

Archives for March 1, 2016

Robot submarines to be given live data link to satellites to help them navigate

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satellite

The UK is developing technology to connect robotic submarines to satellites to help them find their way around the world’s oceans.

The UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is to form part of the new Centres of Excellence in Satellite applications, which is expected to aid economic growth in the Solent region, the waters off the southern coast of the country, near Portsmouth.

As part of this new centre the NOC will develop the technologies to help robot-subs use live satellite data to inform their route through the ocean, not unlike drivers using live traffic updates. [Read more…] about Robot submarines to be given live data link to satellites to help them navigate

‘Less than 10 per cent of business processes will rely on paper by 2018’, say bosses

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xerox

Around 90 per cent of all business processes will be paperless within the next two years, according to a new survey. And the irony is that Xerox, a name synonymous with photocopying on paper, aims to boss the digital market. 

Xerox has introduced workflow automation services as part of its managed print services offering to “lead the way to greater productivity and digital transformation”. The company is also developing robotic process automation tools throughout its portfolio to support its full line of business – including customer care centers, finance and accounting processes and the healthcare sector.

Data is the lifeblood of business today, and it’s not easy digging through it to uncover insightful, actionable intelligence. That’s one takeaway from the survey of 600 IT decision-makers in large US, Canadian and Western European organizations. The Digitization at Work report from Xerox shows the move from paper to digital processes is nearly upon us, however, many survey respondents admit they may not be ready for it.  [Read more…] about ‘Less than 10 per cent of business processes will rely on paper by 2018’, say bosses

The rise of the robots – a networking perspective

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ale networking

A recent article by MIT Technology Review highlighted the inevitable growth in robotics, automation and AI in 2016 after a year of advancements in smarter learning and knowledge-sharing which broaden the ability of individual robots to adapt to unfamiliar situations and tasks. Manish Sablok, head of field marketing at ALE, discusses the impact that large-scale adoption of robotics and automated units will have on vital sectors such as healthcare, education and hospitality as existing networks encounter inevitable further strain.

Cutting-edge robots and other advanced smart machines are set to be added into the rapidly expanding Internet of Things, which is projected to reach 25 billion devices by 2020. Robotics has already been used in manufacturing to great effect for over a decade, performing delicate and precise tasks with a higher success rate than humans. With advancements such as ‘deep learning’ robots, delivery drones and ubiquitous knowledge-sharing between machines, widespread robotics adoption is becoming far more feasible.

In healthcare, there are already robotic services in operation with automated pharmacy dispensing and robotic trolleys – robots that can navigate between floors and even call the lift using a Wi-Fi sensor. The hospitality sector has also been a keen adopter of robotics to deliver services and in education, robots are being deployed successfully as a tutor, tool or peer in learning activities, providing language, science and technology education.  [Read more…] about The rise of the robots – a networking perspective

The delicate balance of costs versus productivity in industrial automation

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cp automation dynamic

John Mitchell, business development manager at CP Automation, examines the essence of lean manufacturing

European manufacturers are estimated to spend over €400 billion every year on maintenance activities. Studies show that about 30 per cent of failed machinery can be repaired at half the cost of buying replacements, which suggests a potential 15 per cent saving. John Mitchell, business development manager at CP Automation, discusses the issues that stop manufacturers cutting costs and improving productivity – the essence of lean manufacturing.

Perhaps the first thing manufacturers should consider when addressing efficiency is keeping assets low.Manufacturers can easily eliminate excess inventory from their books, and thus get better return on net assets,simply by not purchasing the inventory until it’s needed. Methods of achieving this include Just in Time (JIT) inventory management, which is also sometimes called the Toyota Production System. Figures suggest thiscould result in a 60 billion saving in plants across Europe.

As a service and commissioning engineer, I’ve often turned up on site to help a customer with a breakdown, onlyto find a host of spares out of their antistatic packaging and a confused client, not knowing whether or not the spares were functional.  [Read more…] about The delicate balance of costs versus productivity in industrial automation