As part of a project to explore energy monitoring and smart metering technologies, Grundfos, Microsoft and Beckhoff have equipped the “Grundfos Kollegiet” student dormitory in the Danish town of Århus with intelligent PLC systems that transmit data to an energy monitoring system in Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform. The dormitory is near the town’s […]
Is a surface empty or is a shelf occupied? Where is a specific object and how far away is an obstacle? 2D light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors can provide answers to questions like these which often arise in the context of industrial and intralogistics automation systems. There are three product families available, each […]
Manufacturing across the world has undergone numerous ebbs and flows to find its place in modern industry. Armed with the knowledge that the face of industrial output continually changes, many industrialised countries seek a new approach to production. Industry and academia alike are united in this quest through initiatives, such as Industry 4.0 in […]
Over the past few months stories have been circulating in the USA that by the end of this year every American will be identified by a RFID (radio-frequency identification) implant – a small chip and an antenna that is planted under the skin in the space between the thumb and index finger. These […]
Digitalisation is a transition process from a disconnected set of varying technologies to an interconnected environment enabling improvements to business operations and functions, processes and activities, through digital technologies. Enormous benefits to business would accrue the more integrated equipment and processes are, and the more digital data is leveraged. Interconnectivity as defined by IoT […]
In a recent round-table discussion on Industry 4.0 around smart manufacturing, Dave Wibberley interviewed Deon Fourie, MD of Shopware. Fourie has some very clear ideas around Industry 4.0’s chances of success in Africa and the rest of the world. According to Fourie, Industry 4.0 is in its infancy even in Europe and there are no […]
The vast potential of the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is finally giving industrial companies the ability to control their business performance in real-time and drive operational profitability improvements – safely and sustainably. The IIoT is gaining acceptance each and every day. While all discussion swirls around emerging technology and its potential, thought leaders […]
Flexibility, efficiency and sustainable use of resources are the core points that designers and users of packaging machines are currently focusing on in light of Industry 4.0 and changing customer needs. Andrew Plater and Frank Würthner, of Beckhoff Automation explain in this interview how PC- and EtherCAT-based control technology and the eXtended Transport System […]
With automobiles generating gigabytes of data, FASTR has a plan to secure that data while ensuring user privacy, but it needs help. In a connected world, very few worthwhile things can happen in isolation, and this is particularly true of automotive security and privacy. That’s why the Future of Automotive Security Technology Research (FASTRSM) […]
Pieces of plastic in chocolate bars, bacterial contamination of cream cheese, falsely declared ingredients in pasta-based ready meals – a food product may be recalled for any number of reasons. As well as damaging the manufacturer’s reputation, these situations often come at tremendous expense, with costs rising as the whereabouts of the end products […]
