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Multisensor apparatus for 3D measurement

Industry 4.0 has imposed a great demand on in-situ and/or inprocess production measurement in manufacturing environments. This portable multisensor apparatus provides a novel solution which makes use of a wide range of motion axes of machine tools and a motion sensor to assist the position estimation of laser scanners to perform holistic surface scanning and reconstruction without the need to interface with and assess the coordinate information of the motion axes of machine tools. This innovative concept makes the apparatus portable for different types of machine tools which provide a wide range of potential industrial applications. Special Features and Advantages • This portable multisensory apparatus consists of a motion sensor and a laser scanner to perform holistic surface scanning • In-situ HDR 3D measurement with a large measurement range and a high resolution becomes feasible without the need to interface with the motion control system of machine tools Applications • Portable apparatus for in-situ 3D measurement on various machine tools, e.g. CNC machine tools, 3D printers, etc. • In-process metrology for workpieces not amenable for offline measurement • Robotic arms for production automation • Automatic inspection on production lines • Multi-sensor measurement probes for Coordinate Measurement Machines (CMM)

ARCHICAD 20 – A fresh look at BIM

GRAPHISOFT, the leading Building Information Modeling (BIM) software developer for architects and designers, announced today the latest version of its industry-leading BIM software solution. ARCHICAD 20 features a number of important functional improvements that put the emphasis on the “I” in BIM, increasing the value for both ARCHICAD users and external stakeholders alike. Its brand new, “flat-design” graphical UI sets the new version apart from run-of-the-mill BIM tools. “The true potential of BIM is that it can hold all the necessary information for designing, constructing and operating buildings,” said Peter Temesvari, Director of Product Management at GRAPHISOFT. “A significant part of this information is non-geometrical data. ARCHICAD 20 offers powerful workflows to manage, visualize and exchange such information with any stakeholder participating in the design and construction process.” What’s new in ARCHICAD 20 Enhanced Information Management Store the Information: Information is the most valuable part of BIM and ARCHICAD 20 helps architects and designers get the most of it! ARCHICAD 20 allows users to utilise their Building Information Model as the central storage place for all related information. They can even easily store and maintain design information that was not created using CAD or BIM tools, like Excel spreadsheets. Display the Information: ARCHICAD 20 leverages well-structured information resulting in informative design visualization, which ensures enormous efficiencies throughout design and construction. With the help of smart filters and brand new graphical override, designers can freely change the representation of any 2D and 3D views of elements with similar properties. This feature allows a number of workflows that make communication, coordination and model checking much more efficient. Share the Information: ARCHICAD 20 is among the first BIM applications to fully support the IFC 4 open-source standard. IFC 4 supports new coordination workflows (Design Transfer View and Reference View) and provides great help […]

Distributed design is now the norm: Why CAD must evolve to support it

By Jon Hirschtick The wide-bodied Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range passenger plane designed for comfort. The celebrated aircraft’s unique features include: more headroom (higher ceilings and overhead luggage bins), more legroom, a “comfier recline,” 21% more fuel efficiency, bigger windows and “infinity mood lighting.” When the first Dreamliner came off the production line on July 8, 2007 (not coincidentally “07-08-07”), there was much industry fanfare. Boeing hired former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw to host a red carpet affair for 15,000 employees and even commissioned a Dreamliner theme song. Chief rival Airbus graciously sent a congratulatory letter to Boeing, declaring it “a great day in aviation history.” But beyond the funky mood lighting and more comfortable coach experience, the Dreamliner represented a landmark moment in distributed design. Instead of building a complete aircraft under one roof, the 787 would have its major components designed and built in many different factories spread across the globe. The cargo doors, for example, would come from Saab in Sweden; engine parts from Rolls-Royce in England; and wing sections from Mitsubishi in Japan. In total, 17 design teams in 10 countries would play a major role. On a varying scale, Boeing’s distributed design and manufacturing chain shift has become the norm rather than the exception. As the lead founder of SolidWorks and now as the lead founder of Onshape, I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time visiting CAD customers and have witnessed some dramatic changes in the way product ideas become a reality. Three profound things have happened to design teams, most noticeably over the past decade: Teams have become highly fragmented. There used to be a team in one location for design and another location for manufacturing. That same product might now be built by 20 different fragments of teams. Teams have become […]

Deep learning technology to analyse data with high precision

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has developed deep learning technology that can analyse time-series data with a high degree of accuracy. Demonstrating promise for Internet-of-Things applications, time-series data can also be subject to severe volatility, making it difficult for people to discern patterns in the data. Deep learning technology, which is attracting attention as a breakthrough in the advance of artificial intelligence, has achieved extremely high recognition accuracy with images and speech, but the types of data to which it can be applied is still limited. In particular, it has been difficult to accurately and automatically classify volatile time-series data – such as that taken from IoT devices – of which people have difficulty discerning patterns. Now Fujitsu Laboratories has developed an approach to deep learning that uses advanced mathematical techniques to extract geometric features from time-series data, enabling highly accurate classification of volatile time-series. In benchmark tests held at UC Irvine Machine Learning Repository that classified time-series data captured from gyroscopes in wearable devices, the new technology was found to achieve roughly 85% accuracy, about a 25% improvement over existing technology. This technology will be used in Fujitsu’s Human Centric AI Zinrai artificial intelligence technology. Background In recent years, in the field of machine learning, which is a central technology in artificial intelligence, deep learning technology has been attracting attention as a way to automatically extract feature values needed to interpret and assess phenomena without rules being taught manually. Especially in the IoT era, massive volumes of time-series data are being accumulated from devices. By applying deep learning to this data and classifying it with a high degree of accuracy, further analyses can be performed, holding the prospect that it will lead to the creation of new value and the opening of new business areas. Issues Deep learning is a potent […]

Development of a wall-climbing drone

In the picture: CAROS, a drone-type wall-climbing robot system. The integrity of large structures like bridges, high-rise buildings, wind turbines, and large aircrafts is deeply related with security. Nowadays, due to the aging of large structures and the potential concerns about their collapse, interest in structural health monitoring has risen all over the world. Though there has been a great deal of research on the inspection of inaccessible large structures using mobile robots, since most existing robots require the installation of additional infrastructure or use magnetic-based technology or vacuum adhesion, it is difficult to apply those technologies to structures with diverse surface shapes and materials. Professor Hyun Myung in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed CAROS (Climbing Aerial RObot System), which does not require installation of any additional infrastructure and which features maximised mobility and safety as a wall-climbing robot. This robot has higher mobility than existing wall-climbing robots because it can fly. It also has an advantage in that it can restore its pose after an accidental fall due to an unexpected disturbance. Since the robot can stick to the surface, it can perform close inspection and maintenance of the structure. Firstly, the CAROS team designed and analysed the structure/mechanism of the drone to maximise the flight stability and grip force on walls. Secondly, they developed the algorithms of flying/climbing mode transformation and wall-climbing control, respectively. These algorithms enable the CAROS to change its mode when it meets a wall while flying. To make these algorithms, the forward and backward kinematics are derived and applied to the system. Lastly, the team developed an autonomous navigation algorithm using sensory information to recognize 3D environments. This technology also can be used to assess the situation in a fire […]

Smarter sensing for the Internet of Things

In the picture:A test chip for a sensor node processor based on cognitive sensing technology. A 50-cent coin has been placed next to the chip for size comparison. A sensor node processor for networked sensor applications achieves ultra-low power consumption by using ultra-low voltage operation, hardware acceleration and cognitive sensing techniques. The Internet of Things (IoT) describes devices and applications that gather and distribute data for everyday life. Sensor devices and processes that will underpin the IoT need to be small, versatile and energy efficient. Now researchers at Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have developed a sensor processor node that is capable of intelligent sensing while using ultra-low levels of power. IoT applications range from biomedical signal processing to uses in vehicle-status monitoring and environmental sensing. Most IoT devices are tiny in size, which means that they typically consume only a small amount of power. This is particularly challenging for processors that sample the information from sensors and analyse the data, as their power demands, in contrast, are intense, explains Xin Liu and Jun Zhou from the research team. “The limits on the space for power sources such as batteries leads to a critical power budget at the level of the micro Watt,” says Liu. “At this level, processor design becomes extremely challenging if we are to achieve ultra-low power consumption whilst maintaining comprehensive functions.” Typically, the lower the operating voltage, the lower is the overall power consumption. The Institute of Microelectronics research team adopted ultra-low voltage circuitry and system design techniques, and further developed diverse hardware accelerators for high-energy efficient signal processing of sensor information. A further key advance is possible by taking a more intelligent approach to the signal acquisition, by utilizing the knowledge about the specific sensor signals. In many applications, sensor signals take the […]

Autodesk Inventor 2017 unveiled

Autodesk has unveiled Inventor 2017, one of the most advanced 3D modelling solutions for manufacturing industry professionals. The latest version in innovative software for designers and engineers, Inventor 2017 delivers new professional-grade design, interoperability and communication tools aimed at supporting customers ever-expanding needs. “The manufacturing industry is witnessing an evolution of the role of the mechanical engineer. They are no longer solely responsible for the design of complex mechanical systems, but are often also tasked with complete product definition, design and delivery,” said Derrek Cooper, director of the Inventor product line. “With this latest version of Inventor, Autodesk is delivering new capabilities aimed at supporting all aspects of this expanding role.” Based on the requests of Inventor’s more than 11,000 alpha and beta testers and IdeaStation community, the company built Inventor 2017 to serve the expanding role of the modern professional engineer and provide customers with features aimed at simplifying the new aspects of their jobs: Professional-grade Design Tools help users design faster and optimize performance from the outset and include:  Enhanced sketching, part modelling, assembly management, surfacing and sheet metal capabilities so users can capture and develop design ideas quickly and easily.  Additional Shape Generator capabilities such as symmetry and member size controls that help users explore lightweight designs and improve product performance. New Interoperability Tools help to pull disparate aspects of a project together, regardless of the discipline or software that was originally used and include: Expanded AnyCAD tools allow users to easily integrate non-native mechanical design data into Inventor models without translation, now including associative connections with the industry standard STEP format. Inventor’s latest update includes hundreds of enhancements including several customer-requested modelling tools. Shape Generator, an integrated design optimization tool powered by Autodesk’s Nastran technology, guides users in the design of structurally efficient parts. […]

“Man versus Machine?” – It’s time to rethink robotics in the workplace

By Shermine Gotfredsen, APAC General Manager of Universal Robots Pte Ltd There is a widespread fear that when new machines are installed on the factory floor, large numbers of jobs swiftly disappear. The machines in question may change over time—few of us would view weaving machines as a threat to our livelihood today, after all—but the worry that automated technology will negatively impact employment has existed since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. These apprehensions have caused many people to dismiss the facts and possibilities of robotics in the workplace. It is time for us to rethink the role and the realities of automation. It is time that we stop thinking in terms of “man vs. machine,” and start thinking in terms of “man with machine.” Misconception and reality One explanation for the pervasive belief that robots are “stealing” jobs is that all industrial robots are often painted with the same brush. In reality, industrial robots vary greatly. Lightweight, collaborative robots, or cobots as they are often called, differ enormously from traditional industrial robots that must be kept behind safety shields in order to avoid contact with humans. In fact, these cobots were developed with the intention of allowing the skills of man and machine to be combined. According to a recent study carried out by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the number of robots sold globally will have doubled to about 400,000 units by 2018. 70 percent of those sales will come from China, Japan, USA, South Korea and Germany. South Korea is the front-runner of this group, deploying 478 industrial robots for every 10,000 employees in the country. In China, this figure currently stands at 36 units per 10,000 employees. Looking at the real numbers–in these cases 4.8 or .4 robots for every 10,000 employees—should give us some […]

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