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Infrastructure

Prefabricated construction startup to establish $30 million automated factory to build sustainable homes

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Plant Prefab, which says it is the first Certified B Corporation building technology company dedicated to sustainable design, materials, and operations, has signed a long-term lease to open America’s “first automated factory devoted to efficiently and sustainably building multifamily developments and custom single-family homes”.

The new 270,000-square-foot facility will be situated on 17 acres in the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center 25 miles south of Bakersfield, California, and will serve as Plant Prefab’s third factory.

Slated to break ground in January 2022, the facility will be purpose-built to efficiently manufacture custom-prefabricated panelized and modular building components. [Read more…] about Prefabricated construction startup to establish $30 million automated factory to build sustainable homes

What are smart factories? 7 misconceptions and a definition

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By Sharmila Annaswamy, IoT Analytics

IoT Analytics, a provider of market insights and competitive intelligence for the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, has published a 163-page Smart Factories Insights Report 2021 discovering 80 smart factories, portraying 10 of them in detail, and highlighting commonalities and best-practices.

Our analysis of these also uncovered some common misconceptions about what it takes to realize a smart factory. [Read more…] about What are smart factories? 7 misconceptions and a definition

ABB claims 20 percent share of $14 billion distributed control systems market

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ABB claims it has “global market leadership” in the distributed control systems market, and that this claim has been confirmed “for 22nd consecutive year”. The industrial giant is making the claim after a report by the ARC Advisory Group.

ARC’s report calculates that ABB’s Distributed Control Systems (DCS) maintained a “leading share” of around 20 percent in 2020 in a market worth more than $14 billion .

During 2020, ABB saw growth across key regions, despite the impact of the pandemic on the DCS market across industry. [Read more…] about ABB claims 20 percent share of $14 billion distributed control systems market

BrainBox AI raises $24 million to expand into building automation

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BrainBox AI, specialising in autonomous building technology, has raised $24 million to implement its technology in the built environment and develop its next phase of innovation.

The first close of its Series A round includes new lead investor, ABB, and investments by Esplanade Ventures and Desjardins Capital.

BrainBox AI offers predictive and self-adaptive artificial intelligence to optimize buildings’ energy usage, carbon footprint, and operational efficiency. [Read more…] about BrainBox AI raises $24 million to expand into building automation

5 Building innovations that are redefining engineering

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Within the last few decades, the construction industry has witnessed tremendous innovations in materials, architectural design, technology revolution, big data, and energy.

All these advancements have resulted in quick construction, massive project monitoring, cost-effectiveness, and high productivity.

The need for energy-efficient housing is on the rise while construction projects are leveraging intelligent procedures like innovative tools. [Read more…] about 5 Building innovations that are redefining engineering

ANYmal helps mining giant Vale to prioritize people in its industry

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In a partnership with ANYbotics, Vale highlights its commitment to becoming one of the safest and most reliable mining companies in the world.

The results showed that ANYmal helps reduce exposure to hazardous conditions and integrates seamlessly into Vale’s team to autonomously perform routine inspections and deliver improved reporting during operations and periods of downtime. [Read more…] about ANYmal helps mining giant Vale to prioritize people in its industry

Sea Machines Robotics signs $3 million contract with US DoD to create autonomous supply stations globally

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Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control and perception systems for the marine industries, has advanced its multi-year agreement with the US Department of Defense.

Phase 2 of the multi-phase contract delegates $3.1 million to the deployment of a full-scale ocean-going replenishment platform.

In October 2020, Sea Machines was enlisted by the DoD to engineer, build and demonstrate ready-to-deploy system kits that transform existing commercial barges to platforms capable of landing and replenishing military aircraft. [Read more…] about Sea Machines Robotics signs $3 million contract with US DoD to create autonomous supply stations globally

Brodmann17 adds ADAS to Peachtree Corners’ Level 3 autonomous vehicle for real-world smart city testing

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Brodmann17 has become the first company to add its technology to Peachtree Corners’ Curiosity Lab’s Level 3 autonomous test vehicle.

Peachtree Corners says it is one of America’s first smart city environments powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G.

Brodmann17 will further develop and prove out its state-of-the-art software-only perception technology for assisted driving in real-world conditions. [Read more…] about Brodmann17 adds ADAS to Peachtree Corners’ Level 3 autonomous vehicle for real-world smart city testing

Kuka to implement Nokia 5G SA private wireless networking

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Kuka, a manufacturer of industrial robots and automation solutions, will implement Nokia 5G SA (stand alone) private wireless networking at Kuka’s Smart Production and Development Center in Augsburg, Germany.

Kuka is planning to deploy 5G technology in its intelligent robotics and automation solutions, and the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) campus networking and application platform will support product development with immediate effect.

Michael Wagner, director R&D, competence center control technology, Kuka, says: “In coming years, Kuka will develop solutions that harness the potential of 5G’s fast, reliable and secure connectivity. [Read more…] about Kuka to implement Nokia 5G SA private wireless networking

Trustworthy Substation Inspection Robot Requires Low Power, High Performance, and Multi-Interface Fanless Embedded System

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A New Generation of Miniaturized, Lightweight, and Modular Wheeled Inspection Robot Powered by DFI Palm-sized Fanless Embedded System in China

Wheeled, substation, and intelligent inspection robots can effectively reduce labor intensity, substation operation, and maintenance costs. It can also improve inspection data quality and create a new substation inspection mode.

With low power consumption, high performance, complete I/O interface, and excellent technical support capabilities, DFI’s EC70A-SU assists Chinese customers to create a new generation of miniaturized, lightweight, and modular wheeled inspection robots. As a result, it improved the intellectual level of substation inspection.

Substation inspection robots mainly serve various substations, concentrated primarily on large-scale substations above 500kV. Therefore, they are used mainly to inspect substation equipment. They are divided into visible light inspections and infrared inspections. [Read more…] about Trustworthy Substation Inspection Robot Requires Low Power, High Performance, and Multi-Interface Fanless Embedded System