Developments

World Robotics Report 2016: Collaborative robots as market driver

Universal Robots welcomes new report that documents how “cobots” are now the hottest growth segment in industrial automation with forecasts showing no signs of slowing. The World Robotics Report 2016 recently released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) forecasts that compact, user-friendly collaborative robots will become a key driver in the automation market. The report predicts the worldwide annual sales of industrial robots to increase by at least 13 percent on average per year from 2017 to 2019. Human-robot collaboration will have a “breakthrough“ in this period, enabling robots and humans to work safely side-by-side without any fences, while increasing production efficiency and quality. “As the market leader of the cobot industry, Universal Robots welcomes the report which confirms the validity of our mission: lowering barriers and enabling automation in areas previously considered too complex or costly,” said Chief Commercial Officer of Universal Robots, Daniel Friis. “Our installed base of more than 10,000 cobots worldwide illustrates the dramatic growth potential of this game-changing automation technology. We enable small and medium-sized enterprises to optimise their competitiveness on the global stage with an industry leading payback period.” Industries predicted by IFR to adopt cobots at an increasing rate include automotive, the plastics industry, electronics assembly and the machine tool industry. These are all sectors where Universal Robots is seeing strong traction. “UR robots are now increasingly deployed on the auto assembly line, working hand-in-hand with employees, by relieving them of ergonomically unfavourable tasks. We have recent case studies documenting how cobots quadrupled injection moulding production, and how our new UR3 table-top robot is now a sought-after automation tool for light assembly, such as circuit board handling,” said Friis. In Australia and the Asia region in particular, strong, continued robot growth is forecasted by IFR, with the recent report suggesting a rise […]

ARANZ Medical named Supreme Innovator of the Year

ARANZ Medical, a specialist in 3D scanning and informatics solutions for the healthcare sector, has been named the winner of the Bayer Supreme Innovator of the Year in the 2016 New Zealand Innovators Awards. The company was also named the winner of the Innovation in Technology Solutions category for its key innovations Silhouette and FastSCAN. Dr Bruce Davey, CEO of ARANZ Medical says, “This is a wonderful acknowledgement for our dedicated team who are passionate about developing innovative technology to help people heal people. We’ve replaced some of the most primitive processes in healthcare that hadn’t seen any innovation in decades with highly innovative and sophisticated yet easy-to-use medical technology.” ARANZ Medical’s 3D scanning and information solutions for skin and wound assessment transform clinical assessment processes, improve quality of care, and make healthcare more cost-effective. Key innovations include: Silhouette, an FDA-approved advanced wound surveillance system which supports precise and productive wound management in clinical practice and research; and FastSCAN which enables the custom-fit of orthotics and prosthetics. Dr Davey says, “We can help improve the lives of millions of people worldwide, including high risk groups such as diabetes sufferers and the elderly, by empowering healthcare providers to address challenging medical problems in wound care and orthotics/prosthetics. Silhouette and FastSCAN literally shed light on changes in the skin with a level of accuracy and ease that has not been possible before, so healthcare providers can make better-informed decisions that could lead to better healing outcomes.” The company’s technology is being used in over 35 countries in a range of settings from clinical researchers in rural Africa studying the Buruli ulcer, one of the most neglected tropical diseases, to the largest healthcare providers in the US and UK. Dr Davey says demand for their technology is being driven by diseases like diabetes, […]

Science fiction of the last century now very close to reality

There’s no doubt that momentous change is underway and that there will be huge employment impact from the disruptive change. In the latest in the Future of Business series, MYOB explores the technological revolution that will transform the way we connect, relate and interact with one another. Yet, while we will have experienced a dramatic shift in the way we work by the 2040s, what might be even more remarkable is the increased value of the human experience. MYOB Chief Technical Advisor and futurist Simon Raik-Allen says, even with incredible advances in technology, people need to be together to truly be creative. “Right now, we’re on the cusp of what the World Economic Forum calls the fourth industrial revolution. There’s no doubt that momentous change is underway and that there will be huge employment impact from the disruptive change. But, like the last industrial revolution, it is more likely to enrich our experiences and provide more opportunities for meaningful work and exciting business.” Mr Raik-Allen believes that, rather than technology isolating or excluding people, it will bring them together. “It doesn’t matter how advanced our technology becomes, in the end, it will come down to people and values. The next revolution will lift humanity, embrace creativity and shape a world that empowers communities. People will always be at the centre of the business, and their experience will be more valued than ever.” “This is our vision at. We understand that business isn’t just business, it’s personal. Although we continue to design, innovate and advance our technology, ultimately it’s the human connection that enables our business and our clients to succeed. We’ve believed this for the last 25 years and we’ll be doing this for the next 25.” Looking back to look forward While not all the technologies promised for the […]

Why modernise control platforms

As products age and give way to new technologies, the need arises to proactively plan and manage the transition from existing equipment to leading-edge products and technologies. Automation components, software and systems represent major capital investments that are instrumental to the success of industrial operations. In the face of rapidly changing markets and technologies, the industrial enterprise must keep step to remain competitive. Today’s contemporary automation systems offer unprecedented advancements in performance, flexibility, and security, with the potential to provide a competitive edge. Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, accelerated by the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things and advances in enabling technologies, including data analytics, remote monitoring and mobility. Rockwell Automation continues to incorporate these latest technologies in control and automation platforms and although the PLC-5 programmable logic controller has been a valuable part of their portfolio for more than 30 years, no technology can last forever. Modern control systems provide a higher level of integration, driving improved asset utilisation, increased system flexibility and easy access to information. The high performance, Rockwell Automation ControlLogix platform delivers the capabilities to converge production disciplines (discrete, motion, process and safety), including extreme environments and high availability applications, into an integrated plant-wide architecture enabling a connected enterprise. Information shared between Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT) across a secure network enables: · Greater production visibility, for quicker response to customer demand · Higher profit margins through improved inventory management, cycle times and quality control · Improved capacity and asset utilization, leading to greater Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) · Regulatory compliance and reduced exposure to security risks Migrating to the ControlLogix family of programmable automation controllers (PAC) provides the platform to leverage advancements in technology, including improved access to information, more informed business decisions, faster performance for more throughput and […]

FeatureScript lets 3D CAD users design faster

Recognising that the design challenges for each industry and every company are different, Onshape is introducing FeatureScript, a new open programming language that lets CAD users create their own built-in parametric features or modify existing ones. Ever wish you could change the way your CAD system’s features work? FeatureScript lets you do just that. It is the same language used to develop all of Onshape’s current features (Extrude, Fillet, Shell, Loft, etc.) and has already been used millions of times by Onshape users without even realising it. By making FeatureScript public – available to all Free, Professional and Enterprise Customers – full-cloud Onshape is now offering the first truly customizable parametric CAD feature set. “This is the first time that a professional CAD system has made the implementation of its parametric features open and extensible,” says Ilya Baran, Onshape’s Director of FeatureScript. “In the past, the only way to change your feature toolbar would be to submit an enhancement request to your CAD vendor and wait forever. And most of those requests are never fulfilled. FeatureScript swings the pendulum back and puts you in control.” In traditional desktop-installed CAD systems, it is possible to write add-on or macro features, but they are never as good as the built-in ones. FeatureScript offers the first opportunity to create features that are first-class citizens – as much a part of the system as the ones the development team wrote themselves. Under the open source MIT License, Onshape is also sharing the FeatureScript source code for all of its own features, allowing customers to copy, modify or adapt them as they see fit. New Onshape features can now be created in Onshape’s new “Feature Studio,” a user-friendly development environment with a powerful editor, in-line help and documentation. Possible uses for FeatureScript include: • Creating […]

AUTOMATICA 2016 -A new robot generation

For the first time, this year, all renowned robotics manufacturers with innovations across the board are at AUTOMATICA in Munich from June 21 to 24. Gone are the days when progress was defined by improvements in details. This time solutions are signaling a new era of automation with new approaches that do justice to the demands of human-robot collaboration (MRC) and Industry 4.0. The robotics business around the world is booming. The World Robot Association IFR reported a global sales record of eight percent in 2015 in the industrial robot sector. The number of industrial robots sold worldwide reached the mark of 240,000 units for the first time. “The worldwide sales of industrial robots in 2015 confirmed that we are in very exciting times for the robot industry,” Per Vegard Nerseth, Managing Director at ABB Robotics, stated. “With the start into 2016, the traditional drivers in our industry are being complemented by a huge demand for solutions in the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as the services & people areas. I believe that this development will result in a new record year.”MRC: A new generation of robots is ready for the market Collaborating robots are paving a revolutionary new way for SMEs to automate their production on an optimum technical level and consequently secure their competitive position while cutting costs. Manufacturers are taking different approaches in developing their collaborative robots. While one faction, including ABB, Kuka, Universal Robots, Yaskawa and Co. relies on special machines for MRC, Stäubli and Fanuc design their standard robots for MRC applications. A big advantage for AUTOMATICA visitors: All major robot manufacturers are represented at the trade fair, which enables a direct comparison of these solutions. Industry 4.0 and MRC Stäubli will highlight the performance of his new TX2 six-axle series in a variety […]

Transparent metal touchscreens

A touchscreen is an essential feature of many modern devices, but the material that gives most screens their touch sensitivity is in short supply. By adapting newspaper printing technology, researchers have developed a low-cost alternative capable of printing conductive metal ink in lines so thin that they are invisible to the naked eye. A film of this fine metal mesh could potentially form the touch-sensing layer of future smartphone screens. Most touchscreens rely on an electrically conductive material called indium tin oxide (ITO). As skin is conductive, touching the screen alters its electric field, which is detected as a tap. Crucially for a surface layer of a screen, ITO is also optically transparent. Very few materials possess this combination of properties. Industry has responded to the spike in indium prices accompanying the rising demand for ITO by intensifying the search for alternative transparent conductive materials. XinQuan Zhang from the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology and his co-workers are working on a promising alternative touch-sensitive film: a printed, mesh-like pattern of ultra-fine metal lines, created using roll-to-roll gravure printing. Gravure printing traditionally uses an etched mould to transfer ink on to paper. Here, the etched cylindrical mould instead transfers a precise pattern of conductive metal ink on to the touch-sensing substrate. Light from the screen passes through the holes in the printed mesh. Before this study, the finest lines that could be printed this way were approximately 50 micrometres wide, which blocked more than a third of the screen’s light. Zhang and his co-workers have overcome this limitation through diamond micro engraving. Instead of using a laser to etch the grid-like pattern of tiny inkwells into the printer’s cylindrical mould, Zhang uses a tiny diamond-tipped cutting tool to pattern the roller using ultraprecision machining technology. Originally developed to manufacture lenses and […]

Nano-scale material like ‘magnetic play-dough’

Dr Jérôme Leveneur, a researcher in the Environment and Materials division of GNS Science’s National Isotope Centre, has been awarded $20,000 from the KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Fund to further develop a new nano-scale magnetic material. Dr Leveneur’s magnetic material made of nanostructures is 1000 times thinner than a human hair. The material’s small scale gives it enhanced properties over conventional magnetic materials which can be used to improve energy efficiency of transformers and inductors. Dr Leveneur says, “The material is highly flexible and can be manufactured in a range of different shapes, like ‘magnetic play-dough’, to make any size and shape, which is not the case with existing materials. “The ability to mould the material to any shape can be used to improve the designs and energy efficiency of inductors and transformers, for example, as we can ensure that the magnetic field goes exactly where it’s needed which is more efficient.” Dr Leveneur believes the new high performance material has the potential to benefit a wide range of industries and lead to a radical advancement in electro-magnet technologies used in areas such as inductive power transfer, radio communication and electric motors. “When you switch regular electromagnets off they hold a fraction of their magnetism and it costs additional energy to switch them on in another direction. With nanomaterials the magnetism can be switched on and off at no additional energy cost, increasing efficiency,” he says. The Emerging Innovator Fund was launched by KiwiNet with the generous philanthropic support of the Norman F. B. Barry Foundation to help early career researchers take their ground-breaking science to market. It is open to scientists from universities and Crown Research Institutes who demonstrate a clever new idea and a willingness to work closely with industry as they develop a prototype. Chris Kroger, Research Manager & Deputy GM Research, GNS Science says, […]

Expense of an electric car better investment than solar

The extra expense of an electric vehicle roughly equates to the cost of installing roof-top solar electricity generation, making it a better investment for environmental outcomes, says John Hancock, the head of the Smart Grid Forum. The forum, a future-casting electricity industry group established by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, has released a new report on how internet-enabled electricity management might shape the sector’s future. “While installing solar panels on your house may mean cheaper power bills, which may be great for the individual consumer, it isn’t really doing anything to reduce New Zealand’s carbon emissions,” said Hancock, chairman of the Smart Grid Forum, “On the other hand, buying an EV instead of a diesel or petrol-powered car has a clear impact. “EVs are still quite expensive, but the amount someone would normally spend on installing solar roughly covers the additional cost of an EV over a new petrol or diesel car,” said Hancock. “From a national perspective, we’d reduce emissions more if people bought EVs rather than installing solar.” Rooftop solar PV typically cost around $10,000 to install, while the cost of a plug-in hybrid EV, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander, is around $12,000 more than the cost of a petrol or diesel model, he said. The electric-only Nissan Leaf was selling new in New Zealand for around $35,000 before Nissan withdrew it from sale in this market late last year, compared to similarly outfitted petrol and diesel cars at between $20,000 and $30,000. The conclusion is likely to dismay solar PV enthusiasts who tout the technology not only as a money-saving but a planet-saving move to reduce carbon emissions – a claim more meaningful in a country such as Australia where the vast majority of electricity is produced from fossil fuels, such as natural gas and […]

Fujitsu develops cyber attack technology

KAWASAKI, Japan- Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of new technology that, in response to targeted cyber-attacks on specific organisations, rapidly analyses damage status after an attack has been detected. In the event of malware attacks, which infect organisations to cause a great deal of damage, including information leaks, it was previously necessary to analyse a range of logs on networks and devices to clarify attack status. However, in order to grasp the whole picture of the attack, analysis by an expert over the course of many hours was required. Now, by automating and improving the efficiency of the information collection components necessary for attack status analysis via network communications analysis, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed forensics technology to analyse the status of a targeted cyber-attack in a short period of time and show the whole picture at a glance. This means that it has become possible to do security incident analysis, which previously required an expert and took a great deal of time, in a short period without an expert, and come up with rapid and comprehensive countermeasures before the damage spreads. This technology will be exhibited at Fujitsu Forum 2016, to be held on May 19 and 20 at Tokyo International Forum. Background In recent years there has been a sharp rise in increasingly ingenious targeted cyber-attacks that aim to steal particular information from specific organisations or individuals. After having infected an organisation, attackers can remotely control their malware, causing important information to be leaked outside the organisation. This results in huge damage, not only to the organisation attacked but also to its partners and customers. As this sort of malware attack is extremely difficult to completely prevent, there is a pressing need for countermeasures predicated on malware intrusion. Issues At present, the usual method to assess […]

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