Archives for July 31, 2018

Neanderthals may have had larger brains but environmental changes favoured homo sapiens

July 31, 2018 by Sam Francis

New research by the Max Planck Institute suggests it was ecological changes that did for the Neanderthals

Neanderthals have generally had a bad press since they were discovered more than a century ago.

Pictured as little more than apes, our closest human cousin has always been pictured as a stupid brute – almost twice our size and several times our strength – who failed to adapt to circumstances as cleverly as homo sapiens did.

One widely-taught example was that Neanderthals could not think ahead and, therefore, did not understand or perceive seasons and annual movements of animals, so did not plan for them. [Read more…] about Neanderthals may have had larger brains but environmental changes favoured homo sapiens

Volvo receives Sweden’s largest order ever for electric buses

July 31, 2018 by Anna

Gothenburg in Sweden now takes the lead in the transition to electrically propelled urban bus traffic in Sweden. The order for 30 all-electric Volvo buses from GS Buss, subsidiary of Göteborgs Spårvägar, and Public Transport Authority Västtrafik, is the biggest order so far for all-electric buses in Sweden.

It is also Volvo Buses’ biggest order to date. The buses will run on route 60 in Gothenburg from next autumn.

Västtrafik, the public transport provider in the Västra Götaland region, has high sustainability targets. Among other things, carbon dioxide emissions are to be cut by 80% by 2020, 95% of all transport shall use renewable energy by 2025, and noise from transport is to be reduced.

Arm and Samsung Foundry ‘push the possibilities’ of semiconductor manufacturing

July 31, 2018 by Mark Allinson

Arm and Samsung Foundry say they are “pushing the possibilities” of semiconductor manufacturing with industry’s first embedded magnetoresistive random-access memory compiler and new physical IP offerings on advanced process nodes including 7nm and 5nm.

What researchers have predicted for several years is now a reality – the end of Moore’s Law is approaching and will impact performance power and area (PPA) across all computing applications.

This includes embedded products used throughout consumer and industrial markets requiring reliable, yet low-power, complex-memory systems to support a spectrum of applications but are limited by the speed, power, and scalability offered by non-volatile mainstream memory options, such as eFlash. [Read more…] about Arm and Samsung Foundry ‘push the possibilities’ of semiconductor manufacturing

ABB invests in soft robotics to transform pick and place processes

July 31, 2018 by Anna

ABB is backing a new technology which will enable robots to pick up and handle fragile items that would be damaged if current grippers were used.

ABB Technology Ventures is ABB’s strategic venture capital investment arm. ATV finds the startup partners from which ABB can best benefit, both strategically and financially.

ABB’s partnership with Soft Robotics provides a perfect example of how proactive engagement with a startup can make all the difference when it comes to improving innovation processes. [Read more…] about ABB invests in soft robotics to transform pick and place processes

Continental begins construction of its first plant in Lithuania

July 31, 2018 by Anna

Continental is expanding its European production capacities, celebrating the groundbreaking ceremony for its first plant in Kaunas, Lithuania.

From the second half of 2019, electronic components for the European market will be manufactured in the technology company’s new electronics plant.

Components will include door and seat control units as well as gateways and units for intelligent glass control, whose film technology allows the vehicle glazing to be darkened automatically or via user input.