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Headquartered in Hong Kong, Gammon Construction is one of SE Asia’s leading construction companies, with an annual turnover of US$2.5bn, and is a keen adopter of new technology with a focus on adding value for its customers through innovative and sustainable solutions. With over 8000 employees, the engineering and construction company, like others in the Hong Kong construction industry, has long faced manpower shortages, together with an aging workforce. Consequently, in an effort to lure talented new workers and to reduce the workload of its employees, the company recently invested in two sets of “zero-gravity arms” (Zero G Tool Arms) from Sigma Ergonomics, one of Australia’s leading providers of ergonomic systems to a wide range of industries. Manufactured by US company Ekso Bionics, the innovative mounted exoskeletal system functions without the need for power, allowing workers to comfortably operate heavy tools including impact drills, chipping hammers and grinders for extended periods. With the zero-gravity arms shouldering the weight of the equipment, workers are not affected by the strain and fatigue caused by repetitive tasks such as drilling, tiling, chipping and grinding. The Ekso Bionics Aerial System, to which the Zero G system is mounted, is designed to increase safety and productivity while working from an elevated work platform (EWP). As well as eliminating the risk of dropping heavy tools from heights, the system significantly reduces the risk of injury from heavy tool usage and awkward body position. In a recent direct comparison with an Access Work Platform (AWP) at a height services installation, the Zero G system improved the productivity of the drilling work task by over 50% while reducing worker fatigue and improving safety and efficiency. Thomas Ho, Chief Executive of Gammon Construction, is a passionate supporter of innovation and highlights the Zero G system as one of the […]

Visitors to the Rockwell Automation stand at AUSPACK 2017 will experience first-hand how The Connected Enterprise drives new opportunities to optimise production and supply chain  More than 70 million people are joining the middle class every year, increasing demand on manufacturing resources and infrastructure. Meeting this demand means being more productive, sustainable and flexible. Fortunately, the convergence of new technologies including mobile devices, the cloud, and big data, can help securely connect plant information with enterprise systems. “With the right network infrastructure and the ability to integrate information across IT and control systems, industrial enterprises can coordinate operations and communications – facilitating a demand-driven supply chain,” explained Bob Hicks, OEM Segment manager at Rockwell Automation. By bridging the gap between systems, Rockwell Automation is helping connect industrial enterprises to improve operations. Smart Manufacturing, enabled by The Connected Enterprise, is driving new opportunities for end-users to optimize their production and supply chain. According to Matthew Treeby, commercial marketing manager at Rockwell Automation, “Our AUSPACK exhibit will feature machinery in action and never before seen technology. Visitors will have the opportunity to download the new Rockwell Automation FactoryTalk TeamONE app, redefining smartphone use on the plant floor to make individual workers more productive and ultimately connect all pillars of The Connected Enterprise vision.” Attendees will see how TeamONE delivers a completely new user experience and helps industrial teams improve productivity. Rockwell Automation will demonstrate how they are helping customers optimize their operations today. This interactive demo will highlight how data from smart, connected industrial assets can be transformed into meaningful insights to drive positive business outcomes. To improve communications between equipment builders and manufacturers and boost performance, Rockwell Automation recently launched a new FactoryTalk Analytics for Machines cloud application. This application will be demonstrated at AUSPACK where visitors will have the opportunity […]

Science fiction likes to depict robots as autonomous machines, capable of making their own decisions and often expressing their own personalities. Yet we also tend to think of robots as property, and as lacking the kind of rights that we reserve for people. But if a machine can think, decide and act on its own volition, if it can be harmed or held responsible for its actions, should we stop treating it like property and start treating it more like a person with rights? What if a robot achieves true self-awareness? Should it have equal rights with us and the same protection under the law, or at least something similar? These are some of the issues being discussed by the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs. Last year it released a draft report and motion calling for a set of civil law rules on robotics regulating their manufacture, use, autonomy and impact upon society. Of the legal solutions proposed, perhaps most interesting was the suggestion of creating a legal status of “electronic persons” for the most sophisticated robots. Approaching personhood The report acknowledged that improvements in the autonomous and cognitive abilities of robots makes them more than simple tools, and makes ordinary rules on liability, such as contractual and tort liability, insufficient for handling them. For example, the current EU directive on liability for harm by robots only covers foreseeable damage caused by manufacturing defects. In these cases, the manufacturer is responsible. However, when robots are able to learn and adapt to their environment in unpredictable ways, it’s harder for a manufacturer to foresee problems that could cause harm. The report also questions about whether or not sufficiently sophisticated robots should be regarded as natural persons, legal persons (like corporations), animals or objects. Rather than lumping them into an existing […]

by Colin Paris A call comes through on my tablet. It’s a familiar digital voice letting me know that one of GE’s power generation turbines installed at a utility customer’s power plant was experiencing a change in its operating profile. This change was causing a critical part to wear more rapidly than usual. It would not necessarily cause a problem today, explains the caller, or even in the coming months. But further down the line, it could become an issue that would reduce the overall performance of the power plant and lead to more expensive repairs. That voice on the other end of the line is not a human operator. It is the turbine’s Digital Twin, an exact digital replica of the physical machine built with artificial intelligence algorithms that allow it to see, think and act just like human beings do. In my ten- minute conversation with this Digital Twin, we figure out a solution that would save $12 million for the customer with a simple adjustment in how the turbine operates. The drop-off in performance and higher repair costs will be avoided thanks to a few simple changes the Twin itself recommended based on its assessment of historical data, other turbines in this fleet, and its deep knowledge of the physical stress on the turbine in question. The Internet ushered in the world of connectedness on a level no one had previously imagined. Today, that connectedness has spread from human-to-human, to human-to-machine, to machine-to-machine, and we’ve given it a new name – the Internet of Things. We see the IoT in the home, when we talk to Amazon Echo’s Alexa or to Google and ask them for information or to perform a simple task. To understand those questions and requests, Alexa uses a dictionary that is gained from […]

Intelligent computers that look, think and react like humans are the latest technology being developed at the University of Auckland to become a commercial venture. Artificial Intelligence company Soul Machines was officially launched this week after it attracted US $7.5 million in its initial financing round from Hong Kong-based venture capital firm Horizons Ventures, making it the University’s biggest Series A fund raising deal to date. The company is developing a completely new user interface between humans and their machines, based on technology created by Dr Mark Sagar and his team at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) at the University of Auckland. Dr Sagar won two academy awards for his work on the Avatar blockbuster. He becomes the CEO of Soul Machines. He also heads the Bioengineering Institute’s Lab for Animate Technologies. “Our engineering team will focus on bringing human life to technology that is intelligent, emotive and adaptive. Our goal is to define the user experience for Artificial Intelligence systems and platforms,” Dr Sagar says. Auckland UniServices CEO Andy Shenk says Soul Machines demonstrates the phenomenal power that comes from the unique combination of art, science and creative insights that Mark Sagar and his team have produced. “In the same way, we at UniServices believe that Soul Machines also demonstrates the unique power that comes from the combination of world-class research at the University of Auckland and the commercialisation expertise that we have built over almost 30 years,” Dr Shenk says. Soul Machines will develop technology in the rapidly accelerating artificial intelligence sector. Its lifelike, emotionally responsive avatars will have the potential to become the interfaces between humans and machines across a variety of platforms. The new company is backed by Horizons Ventures, which were early investors in Siri, acquired by Apple, and Deep Mind, acquired by Google. Phil […]