Robotics & Automation News

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standards

RIA partners with OSHA and NIOSH to create unpronounceable robot group

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The Robotics Industries Association is partnering with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to create a new standards body for robotics and other relevant industries. 

RIA is the main industrial robotics association in the US and was established in 1974.

OSHA and NIOSH are both government agencies – OSHA is under the Department of Labour, and NIOSH is under the Department of Health and Human Services.  [Read more…] about RIA partners with OSHA and NIOSH to create unpronounceable robot group

Industrial internet technical standards groups form alliance

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Two of the leading industrial internet technical standards groups have formed an alliance which is likely to accelerate the development of technologies in the sector.

The Industrial Internet Consortium and the Edge Computing Consortium have signed a partnership agreement – technically a memorandum of understanding – to advance the industrial Internet and edge computing.

Under the agreement, the consortia say they will work together to “maximize interoperability and portability for the industrial Internet”.  [Read more…] about Industrial internet technical standards groups form alliance

Robot cars pose ‘unprecedented risks and costs’, warns Consumer Watchdog

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robot cars

Robot cars pose unprecedented risks to the American public, Consumer Watchdog warned in a report, Self-Driving Vehicles: The Threat to Consumers.

In a representation to the Senate, Consumer Watchdog says robot cars – also known as driverless, self-driving, autonomous or highly-automated cars – require mandatory safety, security, privacy and ethical standards.

The organisation also warned that getting Madd is not enough.

The Consumer Watchdog report is being issued in conjunction with a day-long program, Driverless Cars: The Legal Landscape, sponsored by George Washington University Law School and a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee, Paving the Way for Self-Driving Vehicles.  [Read more…] about Robot cars pose ‘unprecedented risks and costs’, warns Consumer Watchdog

Robot ethics: Three things industry can learn from new robotic standards

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Ethical robots

Graham Mackrell, managing director of robotic gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK, explains the three things industry can take away from the new standard

The British Standards Institute recently released a new set of standards for the ethical design of robots and robotic devices.

The standards highlight the growing need for guidelines on robotic safety, contact with human beings, robotic deception, addiction and possible sexism or racism exhibited by self-learning artificial intelligence systems.

When science fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote about the three laws of robotics in his book Runaround in 1942, little did he know they would one day become a reality for a world filled with robots.

From automated manufacturing plants, medical and pharmaceutical applications to military, agricultural and automotive systems, robots are everywhere in our modern world.  [Read more…] about Robot ethics: Three things industry can learn from new robotic standards

China to publish standards to regulate industrial robot industry

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china robot conference 2016

The Chinese government is to publish technical standards to regulate its growing industrial robot manufacturing sector, according to a report on China.org.cn. 

Speaking at the 2016 China Robot Industry Conference on Wednesday, the deputy director of the Ministry of Industry’s Equipment Industry Department, Sun Feng, says the standards will cover aspects such as product quality, research and development capabilities, staff qualifications, sales practices and social responsibility.

The website also reports that Sun said the ministry will also launch pilot projects for service robots and set standards for those as well.  [Read more…] about China to publish standards to regulate industrial robot industry

ISO and SAE to develop technical standards for intelligent transport and vehicle systems

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An illustration of an intelligent transport system which integrates road vehicles. Picture courtesy of Nissan
An illustration of an intelligent transport system which integrates road vehicles. Picture courtesy of Nissan

The International Standards Organisation and SAE International, the engineers’ association, have entered a “pilot agreement” for the joint development of new technical standards and harmonization of existing standards. 

The new Partnership Standards Development Organization (PSDO) cooperation agreement will apply in two areas, Road Vehicles (ISO TC22) and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ISO TC204).

David Schutt, CEO of SAE International, says: “This important agreement is a response to the transformational changes taking place in many global industries, including mobility engineering. Increasing technological complexity must be addressed through collaborative efforts in standardization to avoid duplication and reduce cost across the global network of automotive business partners.  [Read more…] about ISO and SAE to develop technical standards for intelligent transport and vehicle systems

Continuous compliance: The growing role of PLM in compliance management

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car design mesh

Adam Bannaghan, technical director of product lifecycle management (PLM) provider, Design Rule, discusses the growing role of PLM in managing quality and compliance

The advantages of PLM software are widely understood; improved product quality, lower development costs, valuable design data and a significant reduction in waste. However, one benefit that does not get as much attention is PLM’s support of regulatory compliance.

Nobody would dispute the necessity of regulatory compliance, but in the product development realm it certainly isn’t the most interesting topic. Regardless of its lack of glamour, failure to comply with industry regulations can render the more exciting advantages of PLM redundant.  [Read more…] about Continuous compliance: The growing role of PLM in compliance management

Panasonic launches relay for programmable logic controllers in industrial settings

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panasonic pa-n relay

Panasonic has launched the PA-N Relay suitable for programmable logic controllers (PLCs) used in industrial equipment. 

Panasonic says the PA-N Relay will help PLC manufacturers to develop products that meet new safety standards, adding that the new relay “will contribute to improved safety and reliability of industrial equipment”.

The PA-N Relay has been developed to comply with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards and is certified to the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards for programmable logic controllers used to control production facilities at factories. [Read more…] about Panasonic launches relay for programmable logic controllers in industrial settings

SAE issues new technical standards for connected car technology

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sae connected car

Global association of engineers publishes guidelines on vehicle-to-vehicle technology 

SAE International has published two new technical standards that standardize the data message sets used in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications and establish the parameters for a vehicle communication system to receive and transmit the message sets.

In a statement, SAE says these new “cross-cutting” industry standards allow vehicle OEM’s and other developers to build interoperable V2V systems that will ensure that vehicles from different manufacturers are able to successfully communicate with each other.  [Read more…] about SAE issues new technical standards for connected car technology

Bosch combines Industrie 4.0 and Industrial Internet Consortium standards in ‘truly global approach’

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bosch automatic production assistant robot arm
At a Bosch plant in Germany, an associate works together with an automatic production assistant, or APAS. Its robot arm is furnished with a sensor skin that detects human operatives in the close vicinity. If someone comes too close, the assistant stops immediately, without touching the operative

Bosch has combined what it calls its ‘Industrie 4.0 platform’ with Industrial Internet Consortium standards for the first time, calling it ‘an international breakthrough for connected industry’

Connected industry is now becoming an international reality. In a new project, Bosch is working together with partners to combine the technical standards of Germany’s “Industrie 4.0” platform and of the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) for the first time. This combination of the two approaches allows the exchange of data between central areas of connected industry.

“Industry 4.0 is not so much a national as an international issue. Only a truly global approach – without competing company standards or differing national regulations – will allow it to develop to its full potential,” said Dr Werner Struth, a member of the Bosch management board, at the Bosch ConnectedWorld IoT conference in Berlin. [Read more…] about Bosch combines Industrie 4.0 and Industrial Internet Consortium standards in ‘truly global approach’