Volkswagen is planning to release a fully-electric SUV in China which could possibly compete with Tesla's Model X.

The German car manufacturer said Sunday the ID. ROOMZZ will be introduced at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show and will be available in 2021.

Volkswagen affirms the zero-emission vehicle can go an estimate of 450 kilometers (280 miles) before the battery has to be recharged. The concept car includes a fully-automatic driving mode which allows seats to be rotated 25 degrees to create a lounge-like atmosphere.

The headline comes one month after Volkswagen's former CEO Martin Winterkorn was charged by U.S. regulators with defrauding investors during its big diesel emissions scandal.

Volkswagen has reported it will improve electric vehicle production to 22 million over the next decade. It made fewer than 50,000 battery-only vehicles last year.

This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

We don’t see a lot of inflatable robots, which is pretty too bad, because they’re weirdly superb at appearing precisely the sort of robot that everybody seems to want: They’re cheap, being made of generally fabric and rubber, and they’re very easy to fix. Relative to most other robots, they’re extraordinarily lightweight, and they pack down to a small fraction of their size once deflated. Despite their squishiness, they can be intense and unexpectedly fast, given that they’re essentially hydraulic in nature. And perhaps most interesting, in most matters they’re passively secure, since they don’t have much in the way of rigid components or the inertia that comes with them. The problem of inflatable robots is that in overall they’re not very great at precise, repeatable control, precisely because they’re so floppy. It’s tough to keep track of exactly where all your robot’s bits are, and that makes manipulation a challenge. Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah, has some funding from NASA to work on this, using an inflatable most-of-a-humanoid called King Louie.
 
The downside of inflatable robots is that in general they’re not very good at accurate, repeatable control, precisely because they’re so floppy. It’s hard to keep track of exactly where all your robot’s bits are, and that makes manipulation a challenge. Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah, has some funding from NASA to work on this, using an inflatable most-of-a-humanoid called King Louie.
 
This robot is made by Pneubotics, which we first met half a decade ago when it was part of Otherlab. A couple of these things displayed up at Google I/O in 2013, where they tried to knock each other’s heads off. The robots are stuffed full of expandable air chambers, which work like muscles (antagonistic with one another), moving the arms around as they broaden and contract in response to pressure fed into them from an air compressor. King Louie himself has a pair of 4-DoF arms, while that single beastly arm shown in the video (named Kaa) on the NASA rover is 6 DoF.
 
The same inherent compliance that makes these robots so much fun to play with is also what causes them hard to control. Robot control depends on having a good sense of exactly what the configuration of the limbs and joints of the robot are at any given time, and inflatable robots can’t use the same kinds of joint encoders that rigid robots can. The BYU researchers instead equipped King Louie’s arms with markers from a commercial HTC Vive motion tracking system, and used it to estimate the joint angles of the robot’s arm. Even with this external (albeit portable) tracking system, the nature of pneumatic robots still causes things difficult: Parts of the robot twist and buckle in ways that are hard to model, and every time the robot is deflated and re-inflated again, its internal structure (and consequently how its joints behave) is slightly different.
 
To help compensate for this, the researchers used a technique called visual servoing, which sounds much fancier than it is. Typically, it's just seeing as (say) your robot’s arm moves toward the position that you want it to reach, while giving continuous feedback: “ A little to the left, higher, higher, too much, perfect!” It’s a little more methodical to do it this way, but it’s very robust, and will work even if the characteristics of your robot have modified greatly, which can happen if (for example) your pneumatic robot just picked up a big rock and now doesn’t move anything like you thought it would.
 
NASA is paying for this research because inflatable robots are perfect for space exploration, being low size, low mass, durable, and safe. It’s going to take some work to get them to the point at which we understand their dynamics well enough for them to be consistently useful, especially if we want them to be autonomous, but in the meantime, they could provide assistance to astronauts who’d be there to help guide them. And that suggests one more way in which inflatable robots are a great idea for space: If all else fails, you can breathe them.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The VR 5G experience enables tourists the opportunity to take a virtual tour of Rome, Total Telecom reported. The 5G services are currently available in Terminal 3 however, the companies desire to stretch this across the whole airport in the future.
 
'By choosing Fiumicino Airport to display the 5G potential, TIM strengthens its top role in the Italian mobile communications market and in the field of development,' said Francesco D’Angelo, head of sales at TIM.
 
‘ These services and applications will be soon around to all customers throughout the country. “ They will be a ground for boosting people’s lives, company production processes and efficiency in public administration.
 
“ 5G will develop an environment in which everything is smarter and more installed, be it public security, mobility, environmental monitoring, health-care, tourism, culture, media, education and entertainment ”. The companies recently switched on the airport's first 5G antenna.
 
'This project strengthens the long-standing collaboration between Ericsson and TIM that saw the two companies release significant initiatives in Italy, beginning with 5G for Italy to new use cases enabled by 5G technology, which is intended to become a national infrastructure of important importance,” added Raimondo Anello, Head of Innovation at TIM Customer Unit within Ericsson. “ It will set off a new phase of digital shift and significantly change the world we live in.”



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

WILMINGTON, Del., April 15, 2019 - DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers, a global business unit of DowDuPont Specialty Products Division, will introduce several advanced new semi-crystalline materials at RAPID + TCT 2019 (booth #552), dramatically increasing its 3D printing portfolio. These high-performance materials will come with clients higher manufacturing agility by enabling a seamless transition across countless 3D printing scenarios while maintaining steady properties. They will also open better options to scale up and accelerate production while lowering costs.
 
Jennifer L. Thompson, Ph.D., R&D programs manager for DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers, will introduce a technical paper on these new materials during the RAPID + TCT conference. Her presentation, titled 'High Performance Materials for 3D Printing' will take place on Thursday, May 23, at 10:15 a.m. EDT as part of the Material Development and Characterization session. Thompson will showcase new engineering materials for industrial use, describe alternative 3D printing techniques such as pellet extrusion modeling and discuss tailored testing programs for printing materials.
 
At its booth, DuPont will showcase automotive ducts and structural components, and a variety of other 3D-printed parts showcasing the diversity and capabilities of its new materials. RAPID + TCT 2019 will be retained at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich., from May 21-23. Thompson and other members of the DuPont team will be available during the conference to answer questions about the company's fast-growing portfolio of materials for 3D printing.
 


This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

China's exports rebounded from a slump in March and sales to the United States rose despite President Donald Trump's tariff hikes.
 
Exports flashy 14.2% over last year to $198.7 billion, recovering from February's 20.8% contraction, customs data showed Friday. Imports fell 7.6% to $166 billion, worsening the previous month's 5.2% decline.
 
Exports to the United States rose 3.7% to $31.8 billion, restoring from February's 28.6% drop despite Trump's tariffs of up to 25% on $250 billion of Chines goods.
 
Imports of American goods plunged 25.8% to $11.3 billion, hit by Chinese retaliatory duties and orders to buyers to look for other suppliers.
 
The recession has created to push on Chinese leaders to make peace in a tariff war with Washington over Beijing's technology ambitions.  'Exports have yet to entirely recover from a sharp slowdown late last year,' said Julians Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics in a report.
 
Chinese government spokespeople noted Thursday talks with Washington were making progression after nine rounds of negotiations. The latest three-day meeting in Washington last week dealt with technology transfer, intellectual property rights, agriculture and enforcement.
 
Economists say a negotiation appears increasingly like. But they say even when that happens, this year's Chinese exports will be lackluster.
 
Washington is driving Beijing to measure back plans for government-led creation of Chinese competitors in robotics and other technologies. Europe, Japan and other trading partners echo U.S. complaints those violate Beijing's market-opening commitments.
 
The struggle has damaged trade in goods ranging from soybeans to medical equipment. The argument has rattled financial markets and prompted the International Monetary Fund and other forecasters to lower their outlook for global economic growth.
 
'The reversal of U.S. tariffs would only provide a small boost to exports of around 1% to 2%,' said Evans-Pritchard. 'With global growth set to remain weak in the coming quarters, a strong rebound in exports therefore looks unlikely.'
 
Chinese exports to the 28-nation European Union rose 23.7% over a year earlier on to $33.1 billion. Imports of European goods fell 4.9% to $22 billion. Exports to the United States progressed by double digits through most of 2018 despite Trump's tariff hikes starting in July. But they slid in December once the full impact hit. Exports to the United States in January and February fell 14.1% from 1 year earlier.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Characterized by a fusion of technologies that blur the lines between the physical and digital, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is growing across the manufacturing world. As an element of this revolution, a growing number of suppliers are using augmented reality (AR) to enhance operations in workforce training and equipment maintenance. AR is a technologically enhanced version of reality created by using technology to cover digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device, such as smart goggles or a smartphone camera. The goggles are often voice-controlled, leaving wearers with both hands free.
 
Statista estimates the AR market was worth $5.91 billion in 2018 and that it will reach more than $198.7 billion by 2025. The technology naturally has a stronghold in the video games and entertainment sector, but a growing number of manufacturing suppliers, including large automated equipment manufacturers, are utilizing the technology to provide their employees and customers with virtual hands-on instruction for operating machinery, troubleshooting and conducting repairs. In fact, 10 percent of the Fortune 500 companies already have begun exploring shopping and operation applications for AR. Gartner anticipate that by 2020, 20 percent of large enterprises will evaluate and adopt augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality solutions as part of their digital transformation strategy.
 
Training and Maintenance
 
The “model-based digital twin” is tremendously popular use for AR technology in manufacturing. The digital twin is a copy of the physical asset, providing a dynamic, self-teaching model to optimize performance in conjunction with an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform. The mixture of machine learning and physics-based modeling enables engineers to create entire AR experiences that reveal technicians how to service factory floor machines. Using the digital twin, a technician can repair a defective equipment in record time and with greater accuracy.
 
In-person training is often expensive and involves that the equipment be readily available for student training. Companies can use AR tools to provide real-time visual guidance and can connect students with teachers without the cost and logistics of getting everyone in the same room. For example, Bosch Rexroth, a global provider of power units and controls used in manufacturing, uses an AR-enhanced visualization called Hägglunds InSight Live to demonstrate the design and capabilities of its smart, connected CytroPac hydraulic power unit. The AR application enables customers to see 3-D representations of the unit’s internal pump and cooling options in multiple configurations and how the subsystems fit together.
 
Technicians could also benefit of smart goggles’ video and photo recording abilities to keep track of progress and keep tabs on errors. Goggles can capture hands-free photos in seconds, and those images can be submitted to off-site teams for troubleshooting help.
 
Improving Productivity
 
Incorporating AR into industrial processes has proven to boost worker productivity. For instance, GE healthcare warehouse workers use Skylight, an industrial augmented reality application platform from Upskill, to kit and completely pick list orders up to 46 percent faster. Upskill gives augmented reality software for the industrial workforce, and it boasts an normal worker performance boost of 32 percent for Skylight customers.
 
In GE’s application, Skylight connects to warehouse systems to have real-time information on an item location by connecting to smart warehouse systems. It then gives workers easy-to-read instructions for where to locate items throughout the building. The formerly paper-based process, where workers flipped through printed orders to get parts and waded through depleted stock locations, is now efficient and digitized.
 
In another use case, Lockheed Martin used Microsoft HoloLens headsets to view holographic renderings of an aircraft’s parts and the instructions on how to set up them. Microsoft HoloLens offers mixed reality solutions to maximize communication and improve efficiency. The AR technology decreased assembly time by 30 percent, and digitizing the workflow helped Lockheed Martin increase engineering efficiency to 96 percent.
 
Evaluating the Investment
 
These case studies make a great argument for AR’s ability to get better manufacturing operations, but manufacturers still may wonder if augmented reality is worth the investment. Companies considering investing in AR must certanly be strategic, approaching the opportunity by establishing the bottom-line value first. Approaching digital with a clear vision and a phased roadmap, and with a focused ecosystem of technology partners can help maximize the profit on investment in new technology. Workforce training and equipment maintenance applications for AR have the potential to greatly help companies get ahead of the capabilities gap and build the culture to sustain that lead.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

T-Mobile has introduced its new home TV service, TVision Home, marking the telecom's ambitions to take on the television market.
The new platform comes as T-Mobile rebrands and upgrades Layer3 TV, a company that the telecom secured in 2017. TVision Home will release in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington DC metro areas, as well as Longmont CO later this year.
 
T-Mobile says the launch brings it “ One step deeper to taking on Big Cable”.
The cable channel lineup consists of “ Over 150 channels, local broadcast, regional sports and more.' Additionally, T-Mobile states that the TVision user experience is AI driven and will recommend shows based on the time of day or your normal viewing habits.
 
The un-carrier also announced that Netflix and other streaming apps will be available on TVision Home, and discussed plans for TVision to run on popular third-party TV platforms in the future. “ The Un-carrier has already changed wireless for good and today’s news brings us one step nearer to taking on Big Cable,” said John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile. “ And with the New T-Mobile, we can do more than just offer home TV service … we can offer millions of Americans more choice and competition for TV AND home broadband. “ I can’t wait to begin un-cabling cable and providing millions the opportunity to cut the cord with Big Cable forever.”



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Manufacturing facilities, particularly those that have production platforms with mixers for ingredients, commonly need to use every bit of available space for the various applications performed in the facility. Employees frequently work in these applications, so safety devices are a necessity, especially when the employees are working from height.
 
Chemical and food production factories are frequently packed with production platforms. Many of these plants have large reactors or grinders with hoppers accessed by elevated platforms positioned near the top of the vessels. Commonly a lift truck loads pallets of ingredients onto these upper levels for employees to load into these mixers. Employees, commonly positioned near a ledge, must remove heavy bags from the pallet, slice them open and pour them into the large mixer.
 
The mixer is often located near the pallet drop area to minimize the distance the employee has to travel with the heavy bag. A series of catwalks and small mezzanines around the mixer and the production machinery often complete the area. This small space leaves very little room for employee, product, and proper fall protection guarding, which can expose employees to a high risk for incidents like falls.
 
While this application is fairly common, every single manufacturing facility has its own unique space constraints. In spite of the constraints, all pallet drop areas on elevated platforms should be properly shielded for fall protection, but areas on production platforms where employees are asked to work around the ledge, often in a hostile environment, must be taken seriously. This can be tiring, repetitive work in a dusty or wet environment so companies must take safety out of employee’s hands, and give them one less thing to think about during the day.
 
The result of the nature of applications that are typical of chemical or food manufacturing, acquiring the areas on which employees work can be challenging. Which might be why fall protection safety is usually left to a piece of chain, which is not enough to keep employees safe or meet OSHA codes and ANSI standards. This isn't a type of situation where you can ignore protection and at the same time, most standard solutions will not be the right fit, may pose hazards.
 
These are four examples of applications in chemical and food manufacturing in which custom solutions are most often necessary to make certain employees have adequate fall protection.
 
No Room on the Platform
 
Considering the complexity of the the applications in the areas that needed to be protected in most processing facilities, there's often little room on the platform to accommodate a safety barrier. In these instances, custom-designed safety gates are needed as they often need to be worked into the existing framework of the platform. Like for example, a custom designed safety gate may affix to the handrail instead of the walkway floor to provide dual-gate protection while taking up a minimum amount of space.
 
Rotating Pallets
 
When a pallet drop area includes a turntable that rotates 360 degrees, there are usually alternative challenges that make custom safety solutions a necessary choice. There can be barriers such as low overhead, the traffic patterns of lift trucks and how the trucks enter the platform, or there may be infractions from a ramp or mixer that impact how a safety gate could be used. Custom safety gate designs should support the pallets and drop area requirements; they need to also ensure that the applications and processes are not impacted while providing a safe work environment.
 
Blending Hoppers
 
Blending hoppers are commonly positioned near to a ledge so the employee can simply pick up the sack from the pallet, turn and dump the bag of ingredients into the hopper without carrying the bag. In such cases, there's usually restricted depth which fails to provide enough room for a traditional dual-gate safety system. Safety gate systems that use gates that have back-side gates that raise up and out of the way to allow access to the pallet while the ledge gate is closed are needed here. With this type of custom system in place, an employee can pick up the bag around the pallet and put it freely into the hopper while a barrier is in place at the ledge to prevent a fall.
 
Overhead Hoists and Vacuums
 
Many processing plants use overhead hoists to load and unload materials. In some operations, overhead hoists lift materials up to an elevated work platform in the place of using a lift truck. It's the traditional method of lifting super sacks up to the processing platform where they may be thrown into hoppers. Other facilities can use a lift truck to elevate the material up to the platform, but then will use an overhead hoist to access the material once they are ready to work with the material. This is a popular method of draining drums of ingredients off of a pallet. Custom safety gates with no overhead components that would integrate with the overhead equipment are needed in this case. The custom solutions can offer interconnected gates that close on one side while opening the other, preventing employee falls.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Due to the rise of the on-demand economy, best practices have fairly quickly shifted for companies across many industries, such as manufacturing and transportation and logistics (T&L). As these businesses balance the complexities of inescapable growing needs, including the need for agile fulfillment from order to delivery, technologies that enable information sharing and enterprise-wide visibility have now been embraced. Mobility, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are here to stay, so it is important for decision-makers to comprehend the ways that digital transformation will remain to impact businesses for years to come.
 
Zebra Technologies recently printed its second annual Intelligent Enterprise Index, a global survey that measures where companies are on the journey to growing to be a truly “intelligent enterprise.” This kind of business combines the physical and digital worlds to drive innovation through real-time guidance, data-powered environments, and collaborative mobile workflows. All in all, eleven metrics were used to judge a company’s progress towards becoming intelligent, including IoT vision, business engagement, adoption plan, security and standards, and more.
 
The study discovered that the number of companies defined as an “intelligent enterprise” doubled to 10 percent in 2018, featuring the immense investment and momentum surrounding IoT deployment and integration.
 
Increased Momentum for IoT
 
From an operations standpoint, the Index signifies that 82 percent of interviewed companies are sharing information from their IoT solutions with employees mulitple times a day. This truly is a growth of 12 percent from the past year. In reality, roughly two-thirds of these companies share operational data about enterprise assets, including status, location, utilization or preferences, in real- or near-real time to help drive better more timely decisions. This indicates that brands are making the change to Industry 4.0—using connected, automated systems to collect and examine data during every step of their processes and connecting the gap between the digital and physical to maximize effectiveness, productivity, and transparency.
 
In addition, the most up-to-date Index shows 50 percent of companies are not expecting or experiencing resistance to IoT adoption, highlighting the developing acceptance of these solutions and the recognition of their advantages. In last year’s survey, only one fourth of participants revealed deficiencies in resistance. Additionally, 84 percent of companies assume it will need two years or less to complete the implementation of their IoT solutions, reflecting a good trend toward faster adoption compared to the prior year (79 percent). Finally, the findings show that more than half of companies have established an IoT vision and are performing on their IoT plans.
 
Partner Collaboration is Key
 
To continue growing adoption rates and cutting down on resistance, manufacturers and T&L companies need to integrate IoT solutions in a manner that removes the possibility of operational issues and lowers learning curves as setting up not familiar digital systems can be a multifaceted process. Legacy solutions, present data infrastructure, robotics and automation technologies, management styles and more can all create obstacles. In addition, internal IT teams may possibly not have the necessary knowledge or experience to support an IoT introduction or upgrade. Companies around the world are solving these problems by placing a higher reliance on a solution ecosystem, with many relying on a strategic partner or vendor to implement and manage their IoT solutions. This is good news because manufacturing and T&L businesses require strong venture and consistency.
 
Don’t Sleep on Security
 
Another essential aspect of becoming an “intelligent enterprise” is implementing an effective security protocol to reduce the risk of breaches and other dangers, specifically as organizations migrate their data to the cloud to fully capitalize on IoT functionality. An encouraging finding is that just about all companies with IoT strategies track their IoT security and employ standards to be certain of integrity and privacy. In comparison with 2017, there is an 18 percent increase in the number of companies that regularly monitor activity rather than routinely. And yet, a gap remains between the upkeep of IoT systems and IT in general as only 69 percent of all enterprises reported having had some sort of positive approach to IT security and network management.
 
The Future of the “Intelligent Enterprise”
 
It is not a facile task to assess how “intelligent” an enterprise is or how much the manufacturing and T&L space is altering to adopt IoT solutions. This intelligence cannot simply be determined by which technology solutions a company employs or how broad-minded they are about new processes. It also is dependent upon spending, how data is collected and analyzed, plans for change management and solution adoption, security and infrastructure, and more.
 
Nonetheless, by recognizing the collective impact of these elements, enterprises can inspire their staff members to excel while creating an exceptional customer experience. With the right vision, solutions, and partner for implementation and management, coming to be a completely “intelligent enterprise” is more achievable than ever before.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Sixty percent of worldwide manufacturers will use analytic data recorded from embedded devices to enhance manufacturing and supply-chain operations by 2021, according to market intelligence firm IDC. That's because small, inexpensive computing hardware (such as low-cost wireless radios and sensors) can wirelessly observe and send data instantly on the state of any machine.
 
As a matter of fact, with the unending mandate to reduce costs, operate more efficiently, achieve greater visibility into processes and minimize supply-chain risk, all manufacturers should begin making an investment in IoT technologies — if they are not doing so as of now.
 
IoT’s numerous features can change your business and set you apart from your competitors. There will be risks, without a doubt, but they can be mitigated for as long as the project is carefully and purposely managed. Fortunately, that's what competitive manufacturers are actually good at.
 
First, let’s assess the advantages the IoT would bring to your manufacturing floor, where smooth operations depend on reliably functioning machinery.
 
Increase Visibility and Simplify Operations
 
Smart industrial appliances can assist increase visibility and simplify business operations:
 
1.            Increase visibility — With smart sensors, businesses can keep track of important assets at every stage of the supply chain and report this information to a centralized database.
2.            Simplify operations — Businesses can use smart sensors to locate and assess inventory levels.
 
Predictive Maintenance Capabilities Can Mitigate Disruptions
 
In addition, manufacturers can eliminate error-prone service inspections with IoT technology. For example, smart sensors can anticipate problems before they become larger issues by relaying real-time analytics on a machine’s performance. Data collected from a machine, like current or vibration, combined with instant alerts makes manufacturers to take part in predictive maintenance, reducing disruptions and work stoppages, which in turn increases asset utilization and mitigates the risk of missed deadlines, grows in production costs and reputational damage.
 
In this scenario, best practices call for integrating a wireless connectivity module (Cellular or Wi-Fi-enabled, aka a smart sensor) that may communicate the status of the machine and its parts to humans on a cloud-based interface. These connectivity modules may also send and receive over-the-air (OTA) software updates even after the device has been deployed.
 
A use case such as the one described above can yield the following benefits:
 
•             Enhanced data administration and accurate information on the status of each machine, enabling better decision-making on labor, sales, and the supply chain.
•             increased visibility into the status of the fleet.
•             Increased asset utilization and lowered maintenance / overhead costs.
•             better energy performance by identifying badly performing parts and devices.
 
How to Start Your IoT Journey
 
As mentioned earlier, risks abound anytime implementing new technologies and systems — and it’s specifically correct with IoT solutions. Below are four safeguards to take as you begin your project:
 
No. 1 - Define the business benefit
 
Ensure that you have a problem to resolve, and that an IoT mechanism is the way to fix it. Manufacturers are already seeing greater operational advantages and cost savings in the following use cases:
 
•             Remote tracking across the supply chain to enhance fleet operations.
•             Environmental and safety compliance reporting via tracking, monitoring, data reporting and analytics.
•             Asset tracking from the supplier to the production line.
•             Automatic fulfillment based on utilization-rate tracking.
 
No. 2 - Start small with an eye toward scalability
 
Identify a minor project which could lead to a short-term payoff as well as insights on how to build on it. Hire an expert to help scope the project, and assign a committed project manager to lead it. Afterward, you can think of larger projects, using lessons learned from the first one to gauge how you can gather additional resources and organizational commitment. In the course of time, you’ll be able to forecast your network and storage needs to a production-sized deployment.
 
No. 3 - Test, test and test some more
 
The only way IoT technology can succeed is by ensuring there are no points of failure. That means you need to continuously make sure you can potentially detect coding problems and catch bugs early as you develop your embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers and mobile apps.
 
No. 4 - Choose the right platform and partner
 
No body needs to be reminded that significant technology investments require pinpoint planning and strategy. Careful, dedicated research will reveal the IoT partner best appropriate to provide an optimal framework and the platform that can grow with your business. Be sure your vendor can deliver the right hardware, connectivity, device management and security measures which can handle your needs now while successfully integrating with future technologies.
 
It’s All About Achieving a Competitive Advantage
 
There's no denying that IoT projects require a high level of expertise in hardware, software, security and app development. But they are much more than worth the effort and commitment: A connected factory offers significantly greater flexibility, efficiencies and cost savings while delivering exceptional visibility into maintenance and operations.
 
That is the type of competitive advantage no manufacturer can overlook.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Alphabet’s subsidiary Wing stated this week that it has officially launched a commercial drone delivery service “to a limited set of eligible homes in the suburbs of Crace, Palmerston and Franklin,” which are just north of Canberra, in Australia. Wing’s drones are able to drop a variety of small products, including coffee, food, and pharmacy items, shuttling them from local stores to customers’ backyards within minutes.
 
We’ve been questioning about whether this kind of drone delivery makes sense for a long, long time, and while this is undoubtedly a major milestone for Wing, I’m still not totally certain that the use-cases that Wing is pressing here are going to be sustainable long term.
 
Alphabet’s subsidiary Wing announced this week that it has officially introduced a commercial drone delivery service “to a restricted set of eligible homes in the suburbs of Crace, Palmerston and Franklin,” which are just north of Canberra, in Australia. Wing’s drones are able to drop a variety of small products, including coffee, food, and pharmacy items, shuttling them from local stores to customers’ backyards within minutes.
 
Here’s how it works:
I’ve still got a bunch of questions about these things. For sample, does the drone have any kind of in-flight sense and avoid? How much yard space does it need to lower the package? Is there a parachute in the event of a catastrophic failure? Can it fly when it’s raining?
 
But these are just a few technical questions, and a lot of my skepticism for this kind of delivery service is associated to whether it’s commercially viable. First, my guess is that these drones are pricey enough to develop and operate (with remote pilot supervision) that making money with them includes high utilization rates. I’m concerned that Wing has been getting lots of very positive feedback from people it’s been talking to about how often they’d use the service, but that’s a trap that comes with robots all the time: Robots are so cool that of course people will tell you they want them, but once the novelty wears off, they have to prove themselves like any other product, and that usually boils down to cost and convenience.
 
For example, Wing mentions people who “ Simply just want to order [their] morning flat white without the hassle of having to drive to the cafe.” I would think that people who love coffee would definitely try it out, maybe even for a few weeks. But I’d also hope people to realize pretty quickly that waiting for a warm coffee to be noisily sent to your yard for what may possibly be a hefty premium in cost may not be worth the problems, specifically when acquiring your morning flat white is probably already part of your routine. And then there’s the issue of how much weight the drone can carry: Can you get two coffees shipped? Two coffees and some pastries?
 
Wing seems to be promoting meal delivery as something people would want frequently as well, but yet again, unless you’re just buying for yourself, it’s likely going to take multiple drones to deliver enough food for even a small family. And in the suburbs, that puts Wing in direct competition with a much more excellent delivery person in a car (and in the near future, a variety of sidewalk robots and autonomous vehicles as well). Wing is offering to deliver things in 10 minutes by drone compared to, say, 20 or 30 minutes by car. Is that enough to make it a competitive service?​
 
The other big question here is whether or not these drones are worth the annoyance, because from the sound of things, they’re incredibly annoying. And noise pollution can be a big deal indeed: just remember the Concorde. Wing itself makes sure to put upbeat soundtracks over all of its demo videos so that you can’t hear the drone, but it’s pretty bad (fast forward to 1:15):
 
Wing’s answer to the noise problem (when the Wall Street Journal asked them about it in January) was: “It’s a new noise that human ears aren’t used to hearing at this point.” That’s basically the company addressing the problem by saying “ you’ll get used to it eventually.” Wing has said that it’s working on quieter drones, but it keeps to be seen how much of an improvement is possible.
 
To be sharp, I am very much in favor of delivery drones, when they make sense. I think they’re an ideal solution for delivering small, high-value, time-constrained supplies to areas that are tricky to achieve by other means. I could also see delivery drones finally being an efficient way of delivering things to rural communities that are very spread out, which was Wing’s initial approach in Australia.
 
So I’m glad that Wing is trying this. If anyone can make it happen, it’s probably them, and I’d be delighted if they regulate to show that the service can be both commercially sustainable and embraced by the community it serves. But whether they succeed or not in this specific case, drone delivery certainly has a future, even if it’s not in the suburbs.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Pepperl+Fuchs provides a level sensor, which transmits its data to a safe remote station in the industrial Internet of Things. The IoT sensor WILSEN.sonic.level is included into a starter package with the WILSEN.service and a business data platform, making it much easier to gain an introduction to the technology. This allows users to more quickly decide the value of the IoT system for their own company.
 
The industrial Internet of Things joins the virtual world of information technology with the real world of machine and plant engineering and opens up new scenarios for process automation. With the help of radio sensors that transmit their data to the Internet, it is also likely to control assets that are either widely distributed or seem impossible to connect due to their mobility.
 
With the WILSEN.sonic.level, Pepperl+Fuchs exhibits an ultrasonic wireless sensor for monitoring fill levels in mobile containers, tanks, and silos. In addition, the battery-operated device determines the geolocation of the container and transmits the collected data via a GSM or LoRaWAN connection to a defined collection point on the Internet. The WILSEN.service not only guarantees the secure exchange of data, but also allows centralized management of all IoT sensors in the field. In turn, software systems and data platforms for business data processing can be connected to the service.
 
Pepperl+Fuchs has gathered an entry-level starter kit that consists of all of the components required to form a working IoT system. This time-limited, fixed-cost package allows interested parties to get started with the Internet of Things even without prior knowledge, so that they can gather experience in their own process environment as quickly as possible.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

The Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency is preparing to send robots to the moon and remote-control them to build a lunar base.
 
Jaxa is partnering with Kajima Corporation, one of Japans eldest and biggest construction companies, to promote research and development on the remote construction system by coordination of remote and automatic control.
 
The project got started in 2016 with the participation of educational establishments including Shibaura Institute of Technology, the University of Electro-Communications and Kyoto University.
 
Tests have therefore been conducted at the Kajima Seisho Experiment Site of “two kinds of automated construction functionality ”, which have “ Produced some results,' says Jaxa.
 
Jaxa says remote control is “ a practical method to develop a human base off of Earth, on the moon and Mars in the future.'
 
The delay in sending any command to construction machinery from Earth has been an issue, however, along with other problems, such as productivity and efficiency, says Jaxa.
 
On Earth, too, the same technologies are in need to deal with a predicted shortage of adept human resources in the construction industry, which has conventionally been human labor oriented.
 
The solution might be what is described as a “ Construction production system to automate machinery,' created by Kajima, called “A4CSEL”, which has been in development since 2015.
 
His current research of the five groups – Jaxa, Kajima, and three universities – is targeted at establishing A4CSEL as the method to comprehend the remote construction functionality in space by coordination of remote and automatic control.
 
Jaxa says the remote, autonomous control system to develop a human lunar base will require the following four steps:
 
Site preparation work for the module for human habitation;
Excavation that meets the required depth;
Installation of the module; and
Shielding the module with the surface material to protect it from meteoroids and radiation.
 
A seven-ton class earth mover has been customized with onboard survey instruments and an automatic operation control console.
 
The instruments that the tractor and backhoe are installed with autonomously measure the position and direction of its own, making it both remotely and automatically operable.
 
In addition to full automation, the research is fashioned to gain the following to establish remote construction functionality by coordination of remote and automatic control:
 
Operational support to compensate for delays: remote control functionality that could compensate for considerable communication delays for 3 to 8 seconds without undermining the operation and stability of the remotely controlled machinery;
Motion recognition that adapts to environment: autonomous operation that opts for plausible solution in variable space topography due to communication delays; and
Coordination of multiple construction machines: interference avoidance that facilitates synchronization of several operations.
Various commands have been executed – the routine operation is repeated, driving over specified distances is automated, and operations requiring fine-tuning are controlled remotely.
 
The operational process has presented the feasibility of the unmanned technologies to improve a lunar base.
 
Research and development continue to advance the obtained results and to increase the functions and performance of the system.
 
In the future, says Jaxa, practical technologies are to be sought for to estimate the position on the Moon and Mars where Global Navigation Satellite System is unavailable, and to precisely accept and navigate terrains, and to ensure the system stability in the uncertain cosmic communication environment.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Movie villains are usually regarded for their ability to earn respect from the viewer, even when they ought to be rooting for their defeat. Automation is frequently viewed as manufacturing’s societal villain, intimidating the jobs of U.S. workers. But, to create new job roles, U.S. manufacturers can not fear the automation uprising.
 
Relatively, U.S. manufacturing isn't in a good position. According to data published by Federal Reserve, U.S. factory production slumped for the second month in February 2019 and reports by the Institute for Supply Management echoed exactly the same sentiment, reporting that U.S. factories had dropped in many areas, including employment, orders, production and deliveries.
 
The prevalent story of the media is that nothing can stop the constant drop of manufacturing. But perhaps the industry’s savior depends in one of its most notorious antagonists – automation.
 
America has an extraordinary relationship with automated technology. While the first six-axis robots were launched to automotive production lines as early as the 1960s, narratives since then have frequently targeted on the threat technology poses to employment, rather than the production benefits and new job roles it can bring.
 
You should not get me wrong, there’s no denying automation has force out some American jobs. But, that’s not to imply the industry is failing, nor does it mean jobs in U.S. manufacturing are impossible to find. Work in the sector certainly still exists, simply not the same positions our grandmothers or grandfathers might have held.
 
Assembly applications are an ideal example of this. Different from factories of the past, manufacturers today use conveyors, machine vision systems and pick and place equipment to do assembly automatically. Thus, the number of assembly jobs has been considerably declining and is expected to fall by 14 percent by 2026 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  However, not all job roles in the factory have so bleak of a future.
 
Software development, for example, was nearly totally missing from manufacturing facilities of the past. Today, however, developers play a critical role in deploying automation, programming machinery and maintaining control software. Unsurprisingly then, vacancies in software are expected to elevate by 24 percent by 2026, exceeding the number of jobs lost in assembly roles and creating totally new opportunities.
 
In the time of the digital transformation of factories, workers with technical skillsets like this will become incredibly valuable. As an instance, if making incremental deployments of automation, facilities will demand regular installation and maintenance of industrial parts – and the staff to do so.
 
Automation will never be the movie villain it is often depicted to be and luckily, most manufacturers can see its advantage and therefore aren't rooting for its defeat. The U.S. continues to be one of the world’s most profitable markets for manufacturing, but the sector needs an injection of optimism about automation and its potential to create jobs.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

When coping with bulk chemical transportation, there are multiple factors to take into consideration. From using the proper tanks while transport, making sure truck drivers have the necessary training and permits, and having a complete knowledge of HAZMAT rules so that chemicals are correctly classified as hazardous before transport, the logistics of bulk chemical transportation involves many different aspects. To achieve a greater understanding of these logistics and ensure all bulk chemical transportation is done in a manner that is safe and meets all state and federal rules and regulations, listed here is everything you have to know about the process.
 
Transporting to the Buyer
 
The first step involved in bulk chemical transportation is deciding how much and which sort of chemical will be transported to the buyer. After this is done by the supplier, the tank to be used will be cleaned before having the chemical pumped into it at the supplier's facility. As soon as this is completed, the tank is then linked to to a truck for transport, and will be tracked by GPS to ensure it arrives in time.
 
Determining Transportation Costs
 
For suppliers and buyers to generate a profit on the transport of chemicals, it is important that transportation costs be properly calculated. For this, various kinds of factors come into play, such as for example the distance involved in making the shipment, the size of the shipment, and how many days it will take for the shipment to arrive. When determining these costs, it is essential to remember that U.S. Department of Transportation rules require truck drivers to take splits after driving for a particular number of hours. Because of this, these breaks should be factored into the total time for the trip.
 
Delivery to the Buyer
 
Once the chemicals arrive at the buyer's destination, they are pumped out of the truck's tank. In lots of situations, the chemicals are pumped directly into storage tanks, which is probably located above or below ground. Or they may be pumped into tanks that are stored in warehouses or other facilities, wherein they will be used either for manufacturing or till they are resold or redistributed.
 
Using the Proper Tanks for Transportation
 
When transporting bulk chemicals, using the right tank during transport will make sure everyone's safety. In many instances, one of four types of tanks will be used, which can include a general-purpose tank trailer, rubber-lined tank trailer, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, and aluminum tank trailers. Starting in size from 5,000-8,500 gallons, each type of tank trailer is used for specific types of chemicals. Like for example, a fiberglass-reinforced plastic tank trailer will hold 5,600 gallons, and is used primarily to haul acids or various types of bleaches.
 
DOT and HAZMAT Requirements
 
There are many DOT and HAZMAT rules and regulations that needs to be strictly followed to when doing bulk chemical transportation. For example, shippers must notify drivers and support staff of the hazards and regulations associated with the chemical being transported, and must also ensure the trucks, tanks, and trailers used in transport are in excellent condition. And with this, all drivers transporting bulk chemicals must have a CDL and HAZMAT certification, and are required to inspect their equipment just prior to the trip as well as make periodical examinations while on the road.
 
Fines and Penalties
 
Since bulk chemical transportation is strictly regulated, a number of fines and charges can be enacted by the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if suppliers are in breach of certain rules and regulations. Since the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act contains conditions for how hazardous chemicals are transported throughout the United States, violations regarding packaging, labeling, employee training, and operational procedures can cause severe penalties. Since these penalties are considered federal offenses, criminal penalties can be levied against violators, and ranges from fines of $75,000 or more, jail, or prison sentences, or combining these penalties.
 
Variation of Transportation Permits
 
Since chemical transportation is very dangerous, most can not be transported across state lines without proper documentation. In many instances, specific permits are required from each state through which the chemicals are transported. So, it is incredibly important all documentation be done in a proper manner prior to transport. Otherwise, not only will the delivery of the chemicals be delayed, but it is also likely the transportation company and supplier will face significant fees and other consequences.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

Lincoln Electric is starting a multi-faceted plan to improve welding education standards across the nation and beyond by means of a recently approved partnership with the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3).
 
NC3 is a non-profit-making network of education providers and organizations focused on connecting the gap between education and industry workforce needs. The new cooperation with Lincoln Electric gives NC3 the authorization to administer Lincoln Electric’s Education Partnerships Schools (LEEPS) program and provide new qualifications to provide community colleges, technical schools and other post-secondary trade schools with a complete suite of portable, stackable national welding certifications.
 
As part of the agreement, NC3 will establish and issue the LEEPS program’s world class industry certifications, ensuring strong national standards for welding instructor training, classroom curriculum, competency labs, qualification exams and digital certification issuance. Lincoln Electric will guarantee the certifications are in conjunction with requirements set by the American Welding Society, a recognized authority in welding education and training.
 
The plan also necessitates implementing a series of national-standard Lincoln Electric training centers throughout the country as extensions of Lincoln Electric’s Welding Technology & Training Center located in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
“We are energized to have this collaboration with NC3,” said Jason Scales, Ph.D., Business Manager for Lincoln Electric’s Education products and services. “This will provide us with an incredible platform to share Lincoln Electric’s more than 100 years worth of knowledge in welding training, research and instruction with these institutions and redefine what a quality welding education program should look like.”
 
Certificates are among the quickest growing credential, serving workers with professional and higher level training that demonstrates a greater understanding of the key attributes demanded by employers in particular industries. Applicants with NC3 certifications listed on their resume are regarded as highly skilled and dedicated job candidates. To date, NC3 has supported 110,000 students and awarded 180,000 certificates.
 
Together with Lincoln Electric, NC3’s industry partners include dozens of companies in a multitude of industries, such as Snap-on, a high-end tools and equipment manufacturer; Fiat Chrysler Automobiles; 3M; Festo, an industrial control and automation company; and Trane, a manufacturer of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls.
 
This article is originally posted on tronserve.com

As the division between manual production work performed by humans and automated work handled by robots and other equipment becomes less cement, an array of new tools is coming to market to facilitate this burgeoning flexibility.
 
Within the past year, we’ve reported on the introduction of the Mate exoskeleton, a wearable robotic technology fashioned to assist human shoulder movement in production operations; and FT-Produktion’s use of the RG2 double gripper to provide a single robot arm with two “hands” for parts feeding.
 
Now, we’ve learned that Festo has developed a BionicSoftHand and BionicSoftArm—pneumatic robot technologies created to extend human capabilities into the automation realm.
 
The fingers of the BionicSoftHand are made from flexible bellows structures with air chambers, according to Festo. 'The bellows are enclosed in the fingers by a special 3D textile coat knitted from high-strength elastic threads,' the company says. 'This makes it light, flexible, adaptable and sensitive, yet capable of exerting strong forces.”
 
Developers of the BionicSoftHand at Festo designed a digitally controlled valve terminal mounted on the hand so that the tubes for controlling the gripper fingers do not have to be pulled through the entire robot arm. This lets for the BionicSoftHand to be more easily connected to other systems and operated with only one tube each for supply air and exhaust air. Proportional piezo valves are used to control the movements of the fingers.
 
Rather than quickly programming the BionicSoftHand like one would with most robotic technologies, Festo has created this product to learn via artificial intelligence. “ Instead of imitating a specific action, the hand is only given a goal,' Festo explains. 'It uses the trial and error method to achieve its goal. Based on received feedback, it slowly optimizes its actions until the task is finally solved adequately.”
 
A 12-sided cube is used in this learning process with the goal of having the BionicSoftHand return the cube to a position in which a previously defined side points upwards at the end the process. Festo says this  movement strategy is taught in a virtual environment with the aid of a digital twin, which is created with the help of data from a depth-sensing camera via computer vision and the algorithms of artificial intelligence.
 
The BionicSoftArm is a modular component of Festo's BionicMotionRobot. Connected to the BionicMotionRobot, the BionicSoftArm can be combined with up to seven pneumatic bellow segments and rotary drives to extend the arm’s reach and mobility, allowing it to work around obstacles in tight spaces. “Direct human-robot collaboration is possible with the BionicSoftArm, as well as its use in classic SCARA applications, such as pick-and-place tasks,” notes Festo in its release about the BionicSoftArm.
 
Festo attributes the ability of the BionicSoftArm to operate alongside humans as being due to its use of flexible kinematics. The company says this allows the BionicSoftArm to adapt more easily to different tasks in production environments and eliminate the use of safety devices such as cages and light barriers, thereby shortening conversion times.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

AT&T has released that it has expanded its mobile 5G network to “ parts ” of seven more cities including Austin, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose.
In doing so, the telecommunications company says it now offers mobile 5G service to a total of 19 US cities which is “ well ahead ” of its competition, according to the firm.
 
“ Last December we legally presented the nation’s first commercial mobile 5G service,” said Andre Fuetsch, president AT&T Labs and chief technology officer. “ We spent the early part of this year accelerating and advancing our 5G network with early adopters by our side. “ And now it’s time to offer this experience to more businesses and consumers in another 7 cities.”
 
In 2019, AT&T affirms it plans to present at least three 5G mobile devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G which is due to arrive this spring. Last December, the telecom became the first company to provide both a live mobile 5G network and a commercially available 5G device.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com

Portland, OR (April 4, 2019) - Allied Machine & Engineering highlights three of their hole making and finishing solutions at the Northwest Machine Tool Expo in the Oregon Convention Center. See the 4TEX indexable carbide insert drill, the material-specific GEN3SYS XT Pro line of drilling products, and their new NOVITECH vibration damper module for boring applications in booth #911.
 
The 4TEX drill excels in challenging applications that contain interrupted cuts, angled surface entry, or in drilling high-temperature alloys and stainless steels. The drill is engineered to create optimal chip formation for efficient evacuation in hole making processes. According to Allied, 4TEX outperforms other common drills by delivering higher penetration rates in light duty machines. The indexable insert drill is ideal for making shallow 2xD, 3xD, and 4xD holes in the 0.472' - 1.850' (12mm - 47mm) range.
 
The exclusive design of 4TEX increases core strength, improving hole size and straightness. The flute space of the internal cutting edge side, where chips often cluster, is 1.6 times heavier than regular indexable carbide (IC) drills. Dual twisted coolant outlets improve penetration rates by enhancing coolant flow and generating superior chip evacuation. The inserts are available in wear resistant geometry/coating combinations for all ISO materials including steel, stainless steel, high-temperature alloys, non-ferrous, and iron.
 
NOVITECH (no vibration technology) enhances production, surface quality, and process reliability in boring operations while expanding the insert and machine center's spindle life. Mounted inside the patent-pending NOVITECH system, the visco-elastically mounted damper modules reduce vibrations during the machining of diameters ranging from 1.97' - 8.07' (50mm - 205mm), up to 10xD. The NOVITECH intermediate modules feature Wohlhaupter's MultiBore system (MVS), making it simplified to use with existing Wohlhaupter components and is compatible with any machine spindle.
 
GEN3SYS XT Pro high penetration drilling products feature material-specific inserts making tool selection easy. They are provided for steels (class P), cast irons (class K), and non-ferrous materials (class N). The drill inserts come in diameters ranging from 0.4331' (11mm) to 1.378' (11mm), and are available in 0.004' (0.1mm) increments. The inserts designed mainly for steel and cast iron have new AM400 series coatings, which provides increased wear resistance and tool life. Inserts for non-ferrous materials are coated with titanium nitride (TiN).
 
Holders for the GEN3SYS XT Pro line are available in depth-to-diameter ratios of 3xD, 5xD, 7xD, and 10xD. The holders feature an superior flute design that improves chip evacuation and an changed coolant configuration that increases flow and directs added coolant to the cutting zone.
 
Allied Machine differentiates itself from other cutting tool manufacturers by focusing solely on tools for machining holes. For more information on 4TEX or other holemaking solutions, stop by booth #911 at the Northwest Tool Expo or visit www.alliedmachine.com.



This article is originally posted on Tronserve.com