No one is better at being human than humans. But robots beg to differ… ask Harish Natarajan, the world record holder for debate competition victories. In February this year, Harish faced the most unique and unpredictable opponent he had ever encountered – Miss Debater, IBM’s six-year-old artificial intelligence (AI) system. While Harish may have had […]
Automated and flexible production processes are the answer to increasing quantities, smaller batch sizes, and high production speeds. Automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems and their smaller relatives, automated guided carts (AGCs), were once mainly the preserve of production logistics in the automotive industry. Now, they are poised to conquer the world of intralogistics processes in […]
The internet of things (IoT) could not be better timed for the biotech/pharma manufacturing industries. With fierce cost pressures, the push for value-based outcomes, and the need for flexible manufacturing solutions, the IoT is the much-needed shot in the arm to bring about transformational change. Sensors, actuators, and devices (“things”) embedded in production equipment and […]
With the internet of things (IoT) expected to comprise 30-billion connected devices by 2020, one of the most exciting areas of focus is on nanosensors capable of circulating in the human body or being embedded in construction materials. Once connected, this “internet of nanothings” (IoNT) could have a huge impact on the future of industrial […]
Quality inspection is critical in all manufacturing and packaging lines, especially in the food and beverage sector. Being able to catch a defective product before the products are shipped to customers in retail can bring significant savings in both time and money, preventing expensive product recalls, wasted production and potentially expensive legal costs. For perishable […]
Whether developing a consumer-facing kiosk or creating smart factory machinery, today’s automation designers and engineers are faced with a wide variety of hardware platforms to choose from. Different platforms are suited for varying ranges of roles, but it is crucial to understand where each family of devices plays best so the right selection can be […]
With its bidirectional communication between intelligent field devices and host systems, highway addressable remote transducer (HART) technology has become the global standard. The example of valves shows how important the HART data provided by field devices is for processes. Often, it is not only a question of how often the valve is operated, but also […]
Wherever automated manufacturing systems are used in industry, on-site operation and process visualisation is becoming ever more important. However, it is often necessary for the industrial PC to be located a relatively large distance from the display. This places increased demands on the hardware being used (Fig. 1). If it must be attached directly to […]
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is increasingly found in food tracing as technology improves. Implementing RFID is not uncommon in the case of large containers containing raw products and in the mixing of bulk materials. It offers companies a number of ways to streamline and manage their capacities, focusing particularly on the issues of traceability […]
Well into the 21st century, the case for automating manufacturing has been made many times over. As robotics evolve to include robots designed to collaborate with humans rather than replacing them, so does the business rationale for automating production. According to the GE Global Innovation Barometer report issued earlier this year, business executives around the […]
