Robotics & Automation News

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materials science

Semiconductor manufacturing faces labor crisis: Can the US train enough workers in time?

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By Dr Michael Moats, Missouri S&T

Semiconductors power nearly every aspect of modern life – cars, smartphones, medical devices and even national defense systems.

These tiny but essential components make the information age possible, whether they’re supporting lifesaving hospital equipment or facilitating the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

It’s easy to take them for granted, until something goes wrong. That’s exactly what happened when the Covid-19 pandemic exposed major weaknesses in the global semiconductor supply chain. [Read more…] about Semiconductor manufacturing faces labor crisis: Can the US train enough workers in time?

Top 20 most exotic materials discovered or created by scientists

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In a significant step forward for electronics innovation, researchers from Murata Manufacturing and Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) have unveiled a massive new database of dielectric material properties.

This extensive collection, detailed in a study published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods, has been curated from thousands of scientific papers and is set to accelerate the development of next-generation electronics like smartphones and advanced energy storage systems.

The initiative addresses a major bottleneck in AI-driven materials discovery – the lack of large, diverse datasets. [Read more…] about Top 20 most exotic materials discovered or created by scientists

New database of materials accelerates electronics innovation

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A massive new database of dielectric material properties could speed up the development of electronics like smartphones and energy storage systems.

In a collaboration between Murata Manufacturing, and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), researchers have built a comprehensive new database of dielectric material properties curated from thousands of scientific papers.

The study, published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods, also offers insights that could accelerate the development of next-generation electronic materials and energy storage technologies. [Read more…] about New database of materials accelerates electronics innovation

Computers on wheels: An insight into how computers are making cars in their own image

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When Robotics and Automation News interviewed Professor Ralf Herrtwich, the boss of autonomous driving technology at Daimler Mercedes-Benz, one of the many interesting insights he gave us was about the nature of car making these days. 

Herrtwich said that, while building cars is still mainly a mechanical process, developing them is overwhelmingly about software.

“Both at OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and suppliers,” said Herrtwich, “software engineering and coding constitute a huge and ever-growing portion of the work.”  [Read more…] about Computers on wheels: An insight into how computers are making cars in their own image

Fast-growing sectors within robotics and automation

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If we were to think of robotics and automation as one industry – which we at this website in fact do – we could argue that it’s one of the fastest-growing industries in the world right now.

Certainly if we were to include software automation systems – such as robotic process automation – it would probably be the biggest.

But Robotics and Automation News tends to concentrate on physical machines – such as robotic arms or autonomous vehicles – which can be seen in a typical manufacturing or logistics facility.

And we try and understand what other sectors are most closely related to robotics and automation – manufacturing and logistics being two obvious ones.

[Read more…] about Fast-growing sectors within robotics and automation

Additive manufacturing: It’s a matter of finding the right composition

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The terms “additive manufacturing” and “3D printing” are used interchangeably, although it seems additive manufacturing suggests an industrial context whereas 3D printing has become so widespread that it could be considered a consumer technology now. 

The majority of those who use such processes are, however, makers or manufacturers, meaning they’re on the supply side of the economy rather than the demand side.

Perhaps the reason why 3D printers are not yet completely in the consumer domain is that they’re not totally perfect. The high-end machines can probably get close to perfection, but not at a price point which can unlock consumer markets.  [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing: It’s a matter of finding the right composition