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Cognitive technologies and AI poised to transform all manufacturing sectors, says Frost

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Partnership, collaboration, and technology investment crucial for growth opportunities, says Frost & Sullivan’s industrial automation and process control team 

The Internet of Things and data analytics are transforming the manufacturing space, and data is the new currency.

Currently, human intervention is needed for logical and reasonable decision making. However, with the rise of cognitive technologies, machines will be empowered to detect constantly changing manufacturing scenarios and respond in real time with minimum human intervention.

To be successful, manufacturers need to invest in artificial intelligence technology to improve plant efficiency and productivity, and build partnerships and collaborations that drive data-driven intelligence.  [Read more…] about Cognitive technologies and AI poised to transform all manufacturing sectors, says Frost

Almarai partners with Schneider Electric to introduce smart manufacturing system

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Schneider Electric, a provider of energy management and automation solutions, has partnered with Almarai to develop a smart manufacturing solution.

Almarai is said to be the world’s largest vertically integrated dairy company. The company already uses Schneider’s industrial internet of things platform, Wonderware.

Now it has expanded its Schneider Electric deployment as part of a smart manufacturing initiative by deploying line performance suite.  [Read more…] about Almarai partners with Schneider Electric to introduce smart manufacturing system

ABB and IBM form industrial artificial intelligence partnership

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ABB and IBM have formed a strategic collaboration that brings together ABB’s industrial digital offering, ABB Ability, with IBM Watson Internet of Things cognitive capabilities to “unlock new value for customers in utilities, industry, transport and infrastructure”, according to the two supersized tech companies. 

Customers will be provided access to ABB’s domain knowledge and portfolio of digital solutions combined with IBM’s expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as different industry verticals.

The first two joint industry solutions powered by ABB Ability and Watson will bring real-time cognitive insights to the factory floor and smart grids.  [Read more…] about ABB and IBM form industrial artificial intelligence partnership

Learning through play: Omron shows off table tennis-playing robot

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For some time, practitioners of mind sports have been grappling with artificial intelligence (AI). Computer brains have already beaten the best human players in chess and Go.

The picture is quite different for sports that require both mental and physical skills. Physical interaction with a human is an enormous challenge for developers of intelligent robots.

Omron, one of the world’s leading companies in industrial automation, has successfully taken on this challenge.

The company is currently in Hannover to show how the third generation of Forpheus, a table tennis robot, adds artificial intelligence to its core skills of sensor and control technology.  [Read more…] about Learning through play: Omron shows off table tennis-playing robot

Chinese robot maker CloudMinds creates robots based on cloud intelligence

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Company backed by SoftBank says it has switched from artificial intelligence to cloud intelligence

A Chinese company called CloudMinds says it has created what it says is a “cloud intelligence ecosystem” for robotics. 

CloudMinds specialises in the research, development and manufacturing of cloud intelligence-based applications.

It has several investors, including SoftBank Group, the Japanese multinational telecommunications and Internet firm.  [Read more…] about Chinese robot maker CloudMinds creates robots based on cloud intelligence

Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

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A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters
A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters

By Martinne Geller and Ben Hirschler, Reuters

Open markets and global trade have been blamed for job losses over the last decade, but global CEOs say the real culprits are increasingly machines.

And while business leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos relish the productivity gains technology can bring, they warned this week that the collateral damage to jobs needs to be addressed more seriously.

From taxi drivers to healthcare professionals, technologies such as robotics, driverless cars, artificial intelligence and 3D printing mean more and more types of jobs are at risk.  [Read more…] about Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

Artificial intelligence takes centre stage at World Economic Forum

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Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, at Davos 2017
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, at Davos 2017

In a number of talks and statements at this year’s World Economic Forum, held in Davos, Switzerland, artificial intelligence has been taking centre stage, with many saying that while no one really knows the limit of the technology, it has already had profound effects on business and society.

One of Google’s original founders, Sergey Brin, said he looked at AI a few years back, and didn’t really know AI would develop to the extent it has done.

“I didn’t pay attention to it at all, to be perfectly honest,” he said in a discussion at WEF. “Having been trained as a computer scientist in the 90s, everybody knew that AI didn’t work. People tried it, they tried neural nets and none of it worked.”  [Read more…] about Artificial intelligence takes centre stage at World Economic Forum

Tiny chip capable of running deep neural networks could accelerate robotics development

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One of the challenges in robotics development is the fact that the computer processing required is just massive, often too much for a complex machine to handle onboard without packing very large pieces of hardware. 

One way around it has been to connect the robots up to cloud computing systems which run such things as neural networks and can remotely process data – but this is inefficient and slow.

Even if takes a few seconds to process massive quantities of data, those seconds are just too much time wasted for a machine such, for example, an autonomous car on the move – these things need to be instantaneous.  [Read more…] about Tiny chip capable of running deep neural networks could accelerate robotics development

Obama warns of divisiveness of automation technology

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In his farewell address to the nation, US President Barack Obama warned of the dangers of automation technology. 

Obama said: “The next wave of economic dislocations won’t come from overseas. It will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes a lot of good, middle-class jobs obsolete.”

The Obama administration has been looking the whole issue of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence, and consulting on the possible impact of those technologies on the US economy.  [Read more…] about Obama warns of divisiveness of automation technology

China tech leaders claim 90 per cent of jobs could be replaced by AI

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The human-robot joint press conference held by Cite

Tech leaders in China believe 90 per cent of jobs in some sectors of the economy could be replaced with artificial intelligence systems. 

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the China Information Technology Expo, the experts said AI will be the main theme of this year’s event.

Cite 2017 will be held from April 9 to 11, 2017. Organisers held a press conference in Las Vegas, Nevada recently, at which they showcased the rising Chinese firms that will “lead the way” in the fields of AI, virtual reality and intelligent robots, the three themes that they expect will generate the most buzz at this year’s exhibition.  [Read more…] about China tech leaders claim 90 per cent of jobs could be replaced by AI