Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

big

ifm and CloudRail agree strategic partnership to provide IIoT solutions

by

Sensor and automation specialist ifm and the IIoT expert CloudRail have agreed a strategic partnership to pool their skills to improve their positions on the strongly growing market for professional IIoT and cloud solutions. (See video below.)

Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or digitisation – there are many terms to describe the inexorable trend of networking machines, processes and people. What they all have in common is that they refer to interdisciplinary processes.

Felix Kollmar, CEO of CloudRail, says: “The IIoT has long ago ceased to be an exclusive topic of operation technology (OT).” [Read more…] about ifm and CloudRail agree strategic partnership to provide IIoT solutions

Covid-19 pandemic impact: Mobile robotics market to grow to $23 billion by next year

by

The Coronavirus outbreak has highlighted use cases for mobile robotics to successfully disinfect, monitor, survey, and handle and deliver materials.

These proven use cases will propel the overall mobile robotics market to $23 billion by 2021, according to a report by technology market advisory firm, ABI Research.

Rian Whitton, senior analyst at ABI Research, says: “Crises shift perceptions on what is possible regarding investment and transformative action on the part of both private and government actors. [Read more…] about Covid-19 pandemic impact: Mobile robotics market to grow to $23 billion by next year

Interview: Big data suggests there’s a trade war looming

by

One of the wonders of the modern, computerised world is the emergence of data science. Data science is, arguably, at the heart of most successful businesses today, and its favourite food is big data. 

For Panjiva, data science and big data enables it to keep track of virtually all goods moving from one country to another, with a particular emphasis on the US market.

But while it might sound straightforward to some, the actual collation and preparation of the data, and then the presentation of it, is not a simple process.  [Read more…] about Interview: Big data suggests there’s a trade war looming

Opinion: Is digitalisation the key to remote plant operation?

by

3d printing

By Eric Duchesne, SVP technology experts for Total, who will be addressing at the ERTC Ask the Experts conference in Cologne on 20-21 June 

There have been many advances in the field of digitalisation in recent years.

As the industry moves towards remote operation it is plant optimisation and integrity management which will provide the tools to enhance safety and anticipate potential problems within the plant, ensuring that the right human assets and replacement parts are available when required.

Today, there’s lots of talk about big data, but before we start to consider how we use big data we can dramatically improve the performance of our plants through the more effective interpretation of data that already exists. We need to become proactive rather than reactive.  [Read more…] about Opinion: Is digitalisation the key to remote plant operation?

The human factor: GE Digital automation boss hints at new directions for Predix

by

Exclusive interview with Matt Wells, of GE Digital. By Abdul Montaqim

GE Digital is a subsidiary of General Electric, the quintessential American multinational corporate conglomerate with operations in more countries than the United Nations. 

But far from being just one of its parent company’s dozen or so subsidiaries, GE Digital is something of a shooting star, outperforming many other subsidiaries to the point where it is informing, if not transforming, the entire culture and ethos of the company.

Nowadays, General Electric likes to be known as a “the world’s digital industrial company”, except they capitalise the words to emphasise the importance of the virtual realm.  [Read more…] about The human factor: GE Digital automation boss hints at new directions for Predix

Smart cities: A matrix of information superhighways

by

tokyo
Tokyo, the world’s most populous city, with almost 40 million residents. Picture by Moyan Brenn, via Wikimedia

Johannes Petrowisch, partner account manager at industrial automation software company Copa-Data, discusses the role of data collection and analysis in the smart cities of tomorrow

The largest ant colonies in the world contain over 300 million individuals and cover areas that are several kilometres wide. Ants mostly rely on tactile and chemical means of communication to keep these huge systems in order.

Luckily, as humans, we have additional tools at our disposal to make our homes and cities more efficient, more organised and, to put it simply, better places to live in.
[Read more…] about Smart cities: A matrix of information superhighways

Exclusive: ‘The future of artificial intelligence is here’, says Infosys big data boss

by

Abdul Razack, SVP of platforms, big data and analytics at Infosys
Abdul Razack, SVP of platforms, big data and analytics at Infosys

By Abdul Razack, SVP and head of platforms, big data and analytics at Infosys

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the business and consumer landscape, but has it reached its full potential?

With the wide adoption of automation and machine learning among organisations, we’re closer than ever before. And in 2016, we will continue this momentum and see artificial intelligence redefine the future of work, deliver on the promise of big data, and even transform consumers’ lives.

Artificial intelligence will define the future of work

The pace at which large-scale organisations more widely adopt artificial intelligence to replace manual, repetitive tasks will rapidly increase.  [Read more…] about Exclusive: ‘The future of artificial intelligence is here’, says Infosys big data boss