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Mecademic releases new firmware for its tiny little industrial robot

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Mecademic has released new firmware for its tiny little industrial robot, the Meca500, dubbed “the world’s smallest six-axis industrial robot arm”.

Though minuscule, the machine has six axes and is said to be essentially the same in movement and articulation to a large industrial robot. The Mecademic robot features 5 micron repeatability and has a price tag consistent with industry-standard robots.

Mecademic, a Canadian startup, says the new firmware 8 is “an entirely new software product”, and will be the base for all future Mecademic robots. [Read more…] about Mecademic releases new firmware for its tiny little industrial robot

Bosch says its new chip is ‘revolutionizing navigation’

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Bosch, one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive components, says a new chip has invented is “revolutionizing navigation”.

The company says its new MEMS sensor – the SMI230 – is a highly precise sensor which constantly registers changes in the vehicle’s direction and speed, evaluates the information, and transmits it to the navigation system.

There, the information is combined with the positional data from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and used for navigation. [Read more…] about Bosch says its new chip is ‘revolutionizing navigation’

Automatic Passenger Counters for Improving Public Transport

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Fleet companies that operate cabs, buses, and coaches and companies that manage public trains and trams need to keep data on the number of passengers boarding and alighting for accountability. Earlier, manual counting was the only way to record such data.

But today, technology has really changed how things are done. These public transport vehicles are fitted with automatic passenger counting (APC) devices that will actually transmit the tally in real time to a remote location.

The availability of such technology is a big invention in the public transport sector that has brought numerous positive changes. Let us dive deeper into how the sector has changed through using APC devices. [Read more…] about Automatic Passenger Counters for Improving Public Transport

Opinion: Disruption should bring passion into minds of investors

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By Deblieck Tommy, Managing Director / Partner, Zora Robotics

It is absolutely stunning to see how being disruptive makes you barely bankable.

When you become an entrepreneur, you’re first convinced that difference is an asset, that heading for a direction that no one follows is one of the keys. You with me? [Read more…] about Opinion: Disruption should bring passion into minds of investors

Iowa scientists create nanoscale sensors to ‘better see how high pressure affects materials’

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Scientists at Iowa State University have developed new nanoscale technology to image and measure more of the stresses and strains on materials under high pressures.

As the researchers reported in the journal Science, that matters because, “Pressure alters the physical, chemical and electronic properties of matter.”

Understanding those changes could lead to new materials or new phases of matter for use in all kinds of technologies and applications, said Valery Levitas, a paper co-author and Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering at Iowa State University, the Vance Coffman Faculty Chair and professor in aerospace engineering. [Read more…] about Iowa scientists create nanoscale sensors to ‘better see how high pressure affects materials’

Controlling complexity: Powerful new tech tools are bringing lean manufacturing principles to life

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By Dan McKiernan, president of eFlex Systems

Lean manufacturing principles and practices aimed at minimizing waste and maximizing productivity, have been shaping the manufacturing sector for decades now.

The necessary end-goal for manufacturers is to ensure that products are built correctly, every time, even when changes are made in-process.

While this goal is nothing new, the rise of complexity and customization challenges presents a constant counterpressure against the continuing push for improved consistency and quality. [Read more…] about Controlling complexity: Powerful new tech tools are bringing lean manufacturing principles to life

International System of Units agreement being commemorated today

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Intergovernmental organization BIPM outlines historic changes to the International System of Units, or the SI

Today, May 20, is World Metrology Day, commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the Metre Convention in 1875.

This treaty provides the basis for a coherent measurement system worldwide that underpins scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing and international trade, as well as the improvement of the quality of life and the protection of the global environment.

The theme for World Metrology Day 2019 is “The International System of Units – Fundamentally Better”. [Read more…] about International System of Units agreement being commemorated today