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Video: Microsoft looks to strengthen partnerships with industrial companies

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Microsoft has been offering industrial companies a range of digital services based on its Azure platform over the past few years and is probably the leading tech company in the space.

Microsoft’s global infrastructure and Azure cloud platform enables companies with worldwide manufacturing or logistics operations to create software applications either specifically for their own companies or for other companies.

The company has also developed special connectors which can accept data from devices which use the OPC-UA standard, a data transmission protocol which is increasingly being adopted in industry for sensor-laden machines and components.  [Read more…] about Video: Microsoft looks to strengthen partnerships with industrial companies

Video: Stäubli Robotics investing in software for the future

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One of the first industrial automation companies in the world, Stäubli, is investing in the next generation of technology for the future. 

In an exclusive interview with Robotics and Automation News (video above), Stäubli Robotics group division manager Gerald Vogt says the company is “investing and developing in the software side”.

A range of Stäubli robots
A range of Stäubli robots

However, he added that hardware remains fundamental to the company’s business. “I think mechanics will still be the basis on which software is built, meaning that if you don’t have good mechanics, the software will not help.”

Vogt says this is an exciting time for the robotics and automation sector because “we have the technology” to see what the applications of Industry 4.0 technologies are going to be.

The human factor: GE Digital automation boss hints at new directions for Predix

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Exclusive interview with Matt Wells, of GE Digital. By Abdul Montaqim

GE Digital is a subsidiary of General Electric, the quintessential American multinational corporate conglomerate with operations in more countries than the United Nations. 

But far from being just one of its parent company’s dozen or so subsidiaries, GE Digital is something of a shooting star, outperforming many other subsidiaries to the point where it is informing, if not transforming, the entire culture and ethos of the company.

Nowadays, General Electric likes to be known as a “the world’s digital industrial company”, except they capitalise the words to emphasise the importance of the virtual realm.  [Read more…] about The human factor: GE Digital automation boss hints at new directions for Predix

Tend claims launch of first ‘smart cloud’ to enable remote control of robots

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tend.ai in.control

Tend says its new in.control platform is the first smart cloud robotics platform for remote control, monitoring and analysis of production lines. 

Tend announced it has introduced the first hardware-agnostic, smart cloud robotics software platform that allows manufacturers to remotely control, monitor and analyze the performance of their robots and production equipment from their mobile devices.

Tend’s in.control – short for “intelligent control” – software has made smart manufacturing simple and accessible for companies of all sizes, allowing them to monitor and control any robot, tending any machine, from any location.  [Read more…] about Tend claims launch of first ‘smart cloud’ to enable remote control of robots

Hannover Messe: Global software update

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Special report from Hannover Messe: How hard-bitten industrialists are turning to software 

Back in the old days, you knew what was what, who was whom, and industrial companies built machines and stuff, like cars, aircraft, power stations and whatnot.

In the past, General Electric could be said to have been a typical industrial company; so could ABB, Bosch and many others.

But now, all of them, almost without exception, seem to have caught the software bug. Now they all want to be software companies.

“Software will take over the world,” says Matt Wells, senior product general manager, GE Digital, in an exclusive interview with this website. [Read more…] about Hannover Messe: Global software update

ABB makes SafeMove2 control software available on the IRB 1200 industrial robot

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ABB IRB 1200 Robot

Monitoring and control software now comes with company’s smallest material and machine tool handling robot 

ABB Robotics says SafeMove2 is now also available for IRB 1200, the smallest ABB robot to feature its advanced safety-certified monitoring and control software.

SafeMove2 enables people to work safely alongside ABB robots with payloads ranging from 6kg to 800kg without compromising productivity.

It also provides an optimum level of collaboration and flexibility to higher speed and throughput applications which typically require more insular, intrusive levels of safety.  [Read more…] about ABB makes SafeMove2 control software available on the IRB 1200 industrial robot

Robotic Vision Technologies to debut collaborative robot vision software at Automate 2017

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Integration with Universal Robots’ UR5 robot the first of many planned

Robotic Vision Technologies has completed the software development of its collaborative 3D vision guidance software, which the company calls cVF.

RVT currently has vision software for industrial applications under its eVisionFactory – or eVF –product line-up, and plans to add numerous applications in the collaborative space for all robot brands.

cVF will debut at the Automate Show this week on a Universal Robots’ UR5 controlling an OnRobot RG2 gripper.

Automate is North America’s premier exhibit of trends for the automation industry and for ground-breaking technology, and will be held in Chicago April 3-6 at McCormick Place.  [Read more…] about Robotic Vision Technologies to debut collaborative robot vision software at Automate 2017

Kuka and VIP launch new system to teach industrial robots without programming

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All Kuka robots can now be “easily and intuitively” guided by hand in the workspace using a new navigation system developed by Very Important Product. 

The VIP Navigator was developed in partnership with Kuka.

VIP is a special-machine engineering expert and is now offering what the companies call the ready-to-use package, “ready2_pilot”, through its Navigator product.

The new system enables “quick and easy robot programming” using intuitive guidance – physically teaching the robot – instead of computer coding.  [Read more…] about Kuka and VIP launch new system to teach industrial robots without programming

Controller area network: No need for a computer

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audi r8

In this exclusive guest article, Kent Lennartsson, research manager at Kvaser, highlights a crucial technology – reliable, hassle-free controller communication 

A “controller area network” – or CAN, also known as a CAN bus or vehicle bus – is most well known for its use in automotive design.

In this system, a vehicle bus allows microcontrollers and other devices to communicate with one another without the need for a central computer.

This concept is akin to our use of the Internet of Things in everyday life.

This means when you’re driving down the highway in your Audi R8, your cruise control system can quickly communicate with your anti-lock brakes, disengaging the gas pedal and activating emergency brake assist, helping to make a fast stop if debris drops from a truck into your lane.  [Read more…] about Controller area network: No need for a computer

Network Monitoring Software: How Does it Work?

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softinventive network monitoring software for windows

When we speak of network monitoring, we mean the use of special tools that help the network administrator keep his or her eye on a corporate network.

In fact, the main task of these tools is to find the components in the network that function slowly or have completely stopped performing and send a notification about it to the person in charge.

Of course, network monitoring can be done manually. However, it’s nearly impossible to do this job properly without special tools called software network monitoring tools.  [Read more…] about Network Monitoring Software: How Does it Work?