Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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Continental launches series production of technologies for robo-taxis

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Continental’s technology for driverless vehicles will be in production for the first time in French company EasyMile’s EZ10 autonomous shuttle. Continental has held a stake in this driverless vehicle manufacturer since 2017.

Driverless robo-taxis will become an important part of mobility in urban centers, helping to reduce traffic congestion and increase efficiency, says the company.

Driverless transport systems of this kind are still rare. Small autonomous shuttle buses with room for several passengers – which also qualify as robo-taxis – have driven on short, straightforward public routes during pilot projects and in designated areas at airports, hospitals, universities, and exhibition grounds.

[Read more…] about Continental launches series production of technologies for robo-taxis

Oceaneering selected to ‘digitally’ transform Pacific Drilling’s global fleet

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Oceaneering International, Inc., and Pacific Drilling have entered into a five-year Digital Services Package agreement to provide Pacific’s customers with better reliability and improved throughput enabling streaming video and real-time data.

This will allow the provision of emerging services such as remote ROV piloting, surveying, and automation aboard Pacific Drilling’s high-specification drillship fleet.

As a result of these efforts, Pacific Drilling’s customers can benefit from higher security, increased access and management of third parties as well as new and expanded digital services.

[Read more…] about Oceaneering selected to ‘digitally’ transform Pacific Drilling’s global fleet

New solder paste enables further miniaturisation in automotive electronics

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For the production of miniaturised electrical systems, such as those used in the automotive industry, solder material must meet extremely high requirements.

In response, Heraeus Electronics has developed its new solder paste Microbond SMT650, which it says guarantees consistently high surface resistance.

The combination of the new F650 flux system with the Innolot metal alloy increases reliability and prevents electrochemical migration even under the most extreme environmental conditions.

[Read more…] about New solder paste enables further miniaturisation in automotive electronics

Higher wages and pressure to bring back manufacturing to the US could result in millions of job losses in clothes-making industry in Asia

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A combination of higher wages in Asian countries and a trend for bringing back manufacturing to the US could dismantle large parts of Asian economies, many of which depend on the textiles and clothes manufacturing trades for huge portion of their national income. 

An interesting video report by the Financial Times points to this possible future, but adds that in practice, for now, “almost all of the world’s T-shirts and jeans by millions of cheap workers, mostly women, watching over sewing machines”.

And beyond T-shirts and jeans, the vast majority of jobs and tasks in the clothes manufacturing sector in general is still done by humans.  [Read more…] about Higher wages and pressure to bring back manufacturing to the US could result in millions of job losses in clothes-making industry in Asia