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When it comes to wireless transmission, power must catch up with data in Industry 4.0

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By Paul Wiener, VP strategic marketing, GaN Systems

With the proliferation of robotics, artificial intelligence, and sensors – the increasingly intelligent industrial environments of today are barely recognizable when compared to the assembly lines introduced 100 years ago.

This is true – with one important exception. In some of the most advanced factory and warehouse spaces, power-reliant hardware devices are still plugged into a fixed electrical outlet to operate or charge.

So while data transmission has successfully evolved from wired to wireless, this is only beginning to be true for power. [Read more…] about When it comes to wireless transmission, power must catch up with data in Industry 4.0

Automotive manufacturers need digital transformation to survive disruption

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Automotive manufacturers need to accelerate digital transformation initiatives in order to survive disruption, according to analysis by GlobalData.

From automation and seamless connectivity to personalization, digital technologies are putting the automotive industry in a state of disruptive transition.

Against this backdrop, auto manufacturers need to explore new digital solutions across the value chain to conceive new models and survive in the rapidly transforming industry, says GlobalData, a data and analytics company. [Read more…] about Automotive manufacturers need digital transformation to survive disruption

ABB adds 3D printing capabilities to its RobotStudio simulation software

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ABB is introducing 3D printing capabilities to its RobotStudio simulation and offline programming software, which will enable users to program ABB robots for additive manufacturing “in just 30 minutes”. (See video below.)

Part of the PowerPac portfolio of RobotStudio, the new 3D Printing feature eliminates manual programming to allow faster prototype production.

The 3D Printing PowerPac supports a variety of processes, such as welding and printing with granules or concrete and is ideal for low-volume, high-mix printing. [Read more…] about ABB adds 3D printing capabilities to its RobotStudio simulation software

TypingDNA Aims to Increase the Adoption of Behavioral Biometrics Worldwide

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Behavioral biometrics company TypingDNA has announced a successful funding round, capping at $7,000,000.

TypingDNA was founded in Romania in 2016. Since 2018 they have a branch in New York and have raised around $8.8 million to date. Google’s AI-focused venture fund, Gradient Ventures, and EU-based fund GapMinde led the latest funding round.

With their funding secured, TypingDNA hopes to expand the adoption of behavioral biometrics worldwide. They will start by increasing the number of platforms their API can integrate with. [Read more…] about TypingDNA Aims to Increase the Adoption of Behavioral Biometrics Worldwide

How Automation and Artificial Intelligence Can Boost Cybersecurity

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Cybercriminals are always evolving their efforts and coming up with more advanced ways to target their victims. And while there are many tools available to stop them, there is a lot of space for improvement. Especially if you take automation into account.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are playing a significant role in cybersecurity. Automation tools can prevent, detect, and deal with tons of cyber threats way more efficiently and faster than humans. And it will continue to expand down the road. To that end, here’s a quick look at the significant differences AI/ML technologies can make to corporate cybersecurity approaches.

Mitigating the risks posed by omnipresent technology

Technology has permeated every facet of personal and work lives. Above anything else, it increased their attack surface. And it has become a massive problem for companies in recent years – they have to account for many applications and devices. [Read more…] about How Automation and Artificial Intelligence Can Boost Cybersecurity

Automation Drives COGS Reduction for Small and Mid-sized Manufacturers

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By Mike Franz, founder and creator of the WorkCenter from ManufacturingPower

Automated access to summary cost and margin information for each SKU delivers light SaaS “MRO/tail-spend” price transparency, returning a minimum 11-14 COGS (cost of goods sold) reduction to the bottom line.

Every manufacturer must pay attention to costs and competitors’ pricing. For better or worse, purchasing professionals are rewarded for capturing the lowest price; few have the time to scour the internet for ever RFQ to see if the bid offered is indeed competitive. Measuring value with price experiments is not realistic.

Full-time competitive pricing professionals could work 24/7 to generate statistically valid and accurate data. For the small and mid-sized manufacturer, the solution is to automate price comparison functionality. Until recently this was prohibitively expensive and often too complex. Automating costs and competitive prices can be achieved in a $5,000 per year SaaS solution. [Read more…] about Automation Drives COGS Reduction for Small and Mid-sized Manufacturers

FLIR launches ‘industry’s first’ deep learning camera

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Imaging company FLIR Systems has launched what it says is “the industry’s first” deep learning camera for applications ranging from industrial inspection to autonomous driving and others.

FLIR says the Firefly DL enables systems designers to build neural networks that are capable of decision-making at the edge.

FLIR is believed to be the world’s largest commercial company specializing in the design and production of thermal imaging cameras, components and imaging sensors. [Read more…] about FLIR launches ‘industry’s first’ deep learning camera

Siemens adds module to Ruggedcom for industrial networks

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Siemens has introduced a new line module for the Ruggedcom RST2228 and RST2228P Layer 2 19” rack switches, the Ruggedcom RMM2972-2RNA.

This module strengthens the Ruggedcom RST2228 19” rack switch offering to the electric power utilities by providing seamless redundancy with PRP/HSR (Parallel Redundancy Protocol/High-availability Seamless Redundancy), enhanced IEEE1588 implementation, high bandwidth uplinks, and traffic filtering and segmentation from a single device.

This module eliminates network downtime due to single points of fault, resulting in high reliability and availability for modern digital substation applications as mandated by the IEC 61850 standard. [Read more…] about Siemens adds module to Ruggedcom for industrial networks

Sony showcases new concept car with tech for autonomous driving

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Sony has showcased a number of new technologies at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, and one of them was a concept car packed with the company’s sensors and other components that provide a package that supports autonomous driving.

Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony president and CEO, says: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that mobile (communication) has been the mega-trend of the last decade. I believe the next mega-trend will be mobility.”

Yoshida formally unveiled the prototype vehicle, which incorporates imaging and sensing technologies that Sony says “contribute to safer and more reliable autonomous driving”. [Read more…] about Sony showcases new concept car with tech for autonomous driving

NXP launches new chip with ‘10 times more processing power’ to support autonomous cars

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NXP Semiconductors has launched a new processor with “10 times more processing power” to support autonomous driving functions.

NXP is believed to be the world’s largest supplier of automotive semiconductors.

The company says the new S32G vehicle network processors mark a “significant turning point” in the way vehicle architectures are designed and implemented.

As the latest offering from NXP’s S32 family of processors, the S32G processors enable the automotive industry shift to high performance domain-based vehicle architectures and provide reduced software complexity and enhanced security and safety. [Read more…] about NXP launches new chip with ‘10 times more processing power’ to support autonomous cars