Valuewalk.com: The iPhone X will be characterized by several new features including the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display that is increasingly being linked with it.
German industrial orders increase
DW.com: Orders for German industrial goods have increased sharply, according to a report on the Deutsche Welle website.
Domestic demand incrased 6.7 per cent while foreign orders were up 3.9 per cent.
The higher demand for capital goods contrasts with business morale in Germany, which DW.com says fell in January.
Policy wonks call for 250,000 redundancies
A think tank in the UK has called on the government to fire 250,000 public sector workers and use automation technology instead.
The Reform group released a report in which it says that the government is excessively bureaucratic and inefficient.
Although similar ideas are being floated in the US, there seems no general public discussion about subject.
US President Donald Trump has, however, ordered a freeze on hiring for all civilian departments of the government.
Search for alien life: Nasa to use more sensitive tests
Inquisitr.com: Scientists at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are developing a new method of chemical analysis which stands to be 10,000 times more sensitive than tests currently used on the Mars Curiosity Rover.
Can’t get to sleep? Pitch a tent for the weekend
Eurekalert.org: According to new research involving Colorado campers, being in natural light during the day and true darkness at night can help us fall asleep earlier and potentially benefit our health.
Mercedes invests in Starship Technologies delivery robots
Mercedes-Benz Vans has invested a large amount of money in Starship Technologies, the maker of small delivery robots making the headlines for taking pizzas here and there.
The company says the move furthers its strategic future initiative, dubbed “adVANce”.
Mercedes-Benz Vans calls Starship Technologies “the world’s leading start-up company for the development of ground-based, autonomous delivery robots”. [Read more…] about Mercedes invests in Starship Technologies delivery robots
Nano-chimneys can cool circuits, say Rice University scientists
From the Rice University website
The Rice lab of theoretical physicist Boris Yakobson found that putting a cone-like “chimney” between the graphene and nanotube all but eliminates a barrier that blocks heat from escaping.
The research appears in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Physical Chemistry C.
Heat is transferred through phonons, quasiparticle waves that also transmit sound. The Rice theory offers a strategy to channel damaging heat away from next-generation nano-electronics. [Read more…] about Nano-chimneys can cool circuits, say Rice University scientists
Big feature: Historic opportunities presented by smart cities
Experts from the Arthur D Little consultancy provide a detailed overview of the historic, “trillion-dollar” opportunity presented by the move to smart cities, in this article by Ralf Baron, Morsi Berguiga, Jaap Kalkman, Adnan Merhaba, Ansgar Schlautmann, Karim Taga
The 100 largest cities in the world produce 25 per cent of the planet’s wealth. To succeed, more and more cities are going “smart” in order to meet their biggest challenges and enrich the quality of their citizens’ lives.
This unstoppable trend is driving double-digit growth in a trillion-dollar global market.
What are the opportunities for telecom companies, utilities, financial institutions, transportation companies, software developers, equipment manufacturers and others in the smart-city market? [Read more…] about Big feature: Historic opportunities presented by smart cities
Smart buildings: Delta says it saved a lot of money for Telecom Italia
Delta says its smart building automation solutions delivered “substantial energy savings” for Telecom Italia’s office building in the Veneto Region of Italy
Delta, which calls itself “a global leader in power and thermal management solutions”, says it has successfully implemented its Building Automation Solutions at an office site of Telecom Italia, Italy’s largest telecom operator and one of the most prominent carriers in Europe.
The smart solution, which includes Delta’s cloud-ready Building Energy Management System, enables real-time automated and remote supervision and eco-friendly control of the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to attain estimated annual HVAC-related electricity savings of more than 12 per cent and an expected payback period of “lower than two years”, according to Delta. [Read more…] about Smart buildings: Delta says it saved a lot of money for Telecom Italia
Robotic concierge: Exclusive interview with Savioke boss
Just ahead of appearing at the Consumer Electronics Show, Steve Cousins, CEO of Savioke gives Robotics and Automation News an exclusive interview
Some months ago, just after we started this website, we published a story about a new robotic concierge for hotels, launched by Savioke.
The company calls the robot “Relay”, although its buyers often give it nicknames – Dash, Botlr, and Wally are just some examples.
Relay is not really a concierge – we just like that word… concierge… makes our website sound sophisticated. But anyway, the robot is smart enough to navigate its way within complex hotel interiors, with all their zig-zagging corridors and winding hallways, as well as their lifts with the slight gaps and uneven surfaces at the entrances.
These navigational challenges would of course not be a problem for most humans – we wouldn’t even think about them. Most of us are fortunate enough to be able to get around in hotels or in any other buildings quite easily – all the manoeuvring involved doesn’t present any difficulty, no matter how complex it may be. [Read more…] about Robotic concierge: Exclusive interview with Savioke boss