Robotics & Automation News

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economy

Adapting Robotic Production Lines for a Titanium-Focused Economy

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With the post-pandemic recovery well on its way, the new jobs market has placed a clear focus on hygiene.

According to CNBC, 66 percent of workers want cleaner, even sterile, working conditions, and that’s independent of their industry. Creating the tools and surfaces required to meet this demand will fall on factories and robotic, or automated, machining.

In turn, this will require innovation to work with materials that are conducive to that sterile environment – which poses a challenge to manufacturers and their robotic factory lines. [Read more…] about Adapting Robotic Production Lines for a Titanium-Focused Economy

Sudden increase in air pollution threatens economic recovery, says report

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There has been a sudden increase in air pollution which is threatening economic recovery in many countries, according to a new report by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The environmental research organization estimates that “health damage from air pollution” has cost between 0.4 percent and 6 percent of annual GDP in the world’s leading cities in the first half of 2020.

By “health damage” CREA means such things as absence from work as a result of respiratory problems such as asthma, a particularly pertinent point at a time when a respiratory disease called coronavirus has ravaged the entire world’s population and caused untold economic damage. [Read more…] about Sudden increase in air pollution threatens economic recovery, says report

EU member states agree €750 billion post-pandemic recovery fund

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Member states of the European Union have agreed a €750 billion recovery fund in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which has all but destroyed large parts of the economy in many countries.

The agreement was reached during a four-day summit meeting in Brussels, Belgium between the leaders of the 27 member nations.

Charles Michel, chairman of the summit, called the accord “a pivotal moment for Europe”, according to a report by Reuters. [Read more…] about EU member states agree €750 billion post-pandemic recovery fund

The EV market continues to grow at an electrifying rate

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It wasn’t all that long ago that we thought Doc Brown powering his DeLorean with banana peels and apple cores was the stuff of science fiction.

And while we haven’t quite gone the way of biofuel, the best electric cars on the market today show that the future is a lot closer than we thought.

We have already moved away from simple hybridization towards vehicles that run on electrons alone, but plug-and-play cars are just a stepping stone on the way to the future. [Read more…] about The EV market continues to grow at an electrifying rate

Support for Universal Basic Income growing as economies look to recover from coronavirus devastation

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A couple of years ago, RoboticsAndAutomationNews.com published a story about Finland introducing a “Universal Basic Income” for a small number of its citizens as an experiment.

The Finnish government’s idea was that it would study the possibility of using UBI as a way to offset the unemployment caused by automation.

Although it was well worth reporting, we were somewhat flippant about UBI, suggesting it was a communist idea that would never take off. Finland, of course, was within the sphere of influence of the old Communist or Eastern Bloc, and the now-gone USSR. [Read more…] about Support for Universal Basic Income growing as economies look to recover from coronavirus devastation

China crisis: Coronavirus devastates economy, but early drastic action may have limited long-term damage

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If anyone thought they could make coronavirus go away by simply ignoring it – we include ourselves in this – has been proven wrong. Wherever you are in the world, it has been virtually impossible to ignore what is now called Covid-19 by the World Health Organisation, which has declared the virus a pandemic.

A pandemic is a virus or disease that appears on every continent, as coronavirus indeed does.

Some may have argued that Covid-19 is simply a variation of the flu. Even if that’s true, it is far more dangerous than the common or seasonal flu. Coronavirus kills, and has done so on an unprecedented scale. [Read more…] about China crisis: Coronavirus devastates economy, but early drastic action may have limited long-term damage

Kuwait: Banking On Growth

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Kuwait is a country that has defied all odds to record a positive outcome economically than earlier anticipated. Only a couple of years Kuwait were at war after the Iraq invasion.

Additionally, in 2017 the country experienced a historic fall of oil prices are some of the things that many thought Kuwait had a long way to go before experiencing any visible change, but today it is a different narrative.

According to the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) Governor, Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel, the country economy is resilience and ability to overcome the challenging environment. [Read more…] about Kuwait: Banking On Growth

SEMI to hold industry symposium in Brussels

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Electronics manufacturing leaders, top executives, policy makers and academics from across Europe will gather at SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS Europe) from 1-3 April 2020 in Brussels, Belgium to explore Europe’s most pressing strategic, social and economic needs.

As Europe braces for the effects of Brexit, including higher customs duties, long delays and greater uncertainties, ISS Europe 2020 will bring together leading executives, analysts, researchers, economists, and technologists shaping the electronics manufacturing supply chain to discuss and highlight the opportunities to develop the technology, products and services needed to meet Europe’s collective socio-economic and sustainability goals.

Registration is now open with early-bird discount until January 31. [Read more…] about SEMI to hold industry symposium in Brussels

Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots open collaborative automation center in Spain

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Two of the most well-known robotics companies have jointly opened a collaborative automation center in Barcelona, Spain. 

Universal Robots, the maker of the best-selling collaborative robotic arms, and Mobile Industrial Robots, which makes mobile robots for warehouses, say the new facility will help promote collaborative automation in southern Europe.

Described as “the first worldwide hub focusing on collaborative robotics”, the center is located in 22@ district of Barcelona. [Read more…] about Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots open collaborative automation center in Spain

US manufacturing output reaches ‘all-time high’

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Manufacturing output in the US has reached an “all-time high”, signaling the industry’s strength, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

For the past two years, manufacturers have been setting new records when it comes to manufacturing output, and through the first quarter of 2019, the industry has continued to reach new heights.

Four out of five manufacturers remain positive about their company’s outlook, according to the National Association of Manufacturers’ latest Outlook Survey, and new Bureau of Economic Analysis data find that manufacturers’ level of output hit an all-time high once again. [Read more…] about US manufacturing output reaches ‘all-time high’