Robotics & Automation News

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obama

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

President Barack Obama appoints GM CEO Mary Barra to advisory panel on self-driving cars

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General Motors CEO Mary Barra.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra

US President Barack Obama has appointed General Motors chief executive Mary Barra to a newly created advisory committee on self-driving cars, and critics are already saying she should be the first person to whom the incoming president, Donald Trump, should say: “You’re fired.” 

Consumer advocates called on President-elect Donald Trump to make Barra his first firing and remove her as co-chairman of the newly created Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation.

In a letter to Trump, Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, John Simpson, the group’s privacy project director, and Joan Claybrook, chair of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, wrote: “As you know, robot cars, trucks, drones and other technology threaten to replace tens of millions of American jobs, pose a danger to the safety of our roads and public spaces, and come with significant privacy and security threats.

“We should not allow the robot makers alone to oversee the safety of vehicles coming out of robot factories, but the Obama Administration’s eleventh hour appointments do just that.”  [Read more…] about President Barack Obama appoints GM CEO Mary Barra to advisory panel on self-driving cars

US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google

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rights for robots

Consumer Watchdog has called on US President Barack Obama to hold expected autonomous vehicle policies and stop the administration’s undue haste to get autonomous vehicle technology on the road after newly released documents showed “an inappropriate and possibly unethical relationship between Google and key members of your administration involved in developing autonomous vehicle policy”. 

In a letter to Obama, John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director, writes: “The new revelations make it even more imperative that any such NHTSA policy statements be delayed until adequate Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards covering autonomous technologies are implemented through a public rule-making process.”  [Read more…] about US government officials criticized for ‘inappropriate’ relationship with autonomous car developer Google

Obama to leave the future of the US in the hands of robots

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obama kuka robot

President Barack Obama says robots can help the US grow its economy by leading to higher total factor productivity (TFP) in the future. 

The president made his remarks in his annual economic report to the Houses of Congress. Extracts from President Obama’s report:

“One area of innovation that can help the United States to boost TFP growth in the future is robotics.  [Read more…] about Obama to leave the future of the US in the hands of robots

Hannover Messe: Harting receives Obama and Merkel visit

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harting obama merkel hannover messe
The Harting family greeting the two heads of state, (from left to right): Margrit Harting, Maresa Harting-Hertz, Dietmar Harting, Angela Merkel, Barack Obama, Philip Harting. (PRNewsFoto/Harting)

US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the Harting stand at the Hannover Messe, with the Harting family greeting the two heads of state. The US is this year’s partner country of the Hannover Messe.

President Obama was accompanied by a large delegation. Together with Chancellor Merkel, the 44th US president learned about Harting products and solutions, which are accompanying companies around the globe into Industrie 4.0.

The Harting Modular Industry Computing Architecture (Mica) has been developed for this digital transformation. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Harting receives Obama and Merkel visit