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Zebra Technologies unveils new robot for retail operations

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Zebra Technologies has introduced SmartSight, a robot for mass merchants, grocers, and supermarkets and hypermarkets.

The company is showcasing the new machine at NRF 2020, the retail technology show currently being held in Chicago, USA.

SmartSight leverages the computer vision, machine learning, workflow automation and robotic capabilities of Zebra’s EMA50 enterprise mobile automation system to accurately identify out-of-stock conditions, pricing inconsistencies and planogram issues on the shelf. [Read more…] about Zebra Technologies unveils new robot for retail operations

Denso partners with Qualcomm to develop ‘next-generation’ vehicle dashboards

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Automotive systems maker Denso is partnering with chipmaker Qualcomm to develop what they call “next-generation cockpit systems”.

Though they use the word “cockpit”, they probably mean vehicle dashboards rather than aircraft cockpits.

In recent years, the amount of information provided by a vehicle to the driver has increased due to advanced driver assistance functions using cameras and sensors, as well as various entertainment functions. [Read more…] about Denso partners with Qualcomm to develop ‘next-generation’ vehicle dashboards

Visteon showcases virtual dashboard innovations at CES

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Visteon, an automotive dashboard electronics technology company, has been showcasing its latest innovations at CES 2020.

The company says the showcase includes a range of technology solutions “designed to enhance safety and the driving experience by enabling the transformation of cockpits to all-digital environments”.

Visteon displayed cockpit electronics technology platforms in four core areas:

  • Driver Information: Industry-leading digital clusters and multi-display modules
  • SmartCore: Industry-first cockpit domain controllers
  • DriveCore: Enhanced safety domain controllers for Level 2-plus automated driving
  • Infotainment: Scalable Android-based infotainment solutions

Digital displays are key enabler of the cockpit of the future, and as a highlight of its CES exhibit, Visteon debuted a new digital display technology that delivers exceptional brightness and contrast with a rich color gamut. [Read more…] about Visteon showcases virtual dashboard innovations at CES

Swisys adopts twin-track route to progress with networks for machines

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Taiwanese automotive electronics and communications solution provider Swisys has adopted a twin-track approach to the development of company and its technologies.

The company, which was founded in 2016 by a professor at Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and a team of electrical engineers.

It specialises in technologies based on the CAN Bus and OBD II standard – which refer to data communications systems, usually within a machine, such as a car. [Read more…] about Swisys adopts twin-track route to progress with networks for machines

SAIC showcases first autonomous truck at Shanghai port

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A 5G-based “intelligent” – meaning autonomous – heavy duty truck developed by Chinese auto giant SAIC Motor made its debut at Shanghai Yangshan Deepwater Port, the largest cargo port in the world.

The demonstration was conducted as part of SAIC exhibition at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which took place in Shanghai, China recently.

The SAIC 5G truck completed a task through the use of 5G and artificial intelligence technologies, which is the first time such an operation was successfully conducted in the world. [Read more…] about SAIC showcases first autonomous truck at Shanghai port

New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

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The City of Pully, Switzerland, reports experience with ‘Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities’

A new ITU case study offers an evaluation of the Key Performance Indicators for Smart Sustainable Cities developed by the United for Smart Sustainable Cities Initiative (U4SSC), an initiative supported 16 United Nations bodies.

U4SSC develops practical tools to support cities’ application of digital technologies to become smarter and more sustainable, with the aim of achieving SDG 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.

Pully, a Swiss municipality home to some 18,000 residents, has reported its experience applying the U4SSC Key Performance Indicators to help meet the objectives of its “smart city” strategy. [Read more…] about New ITU case study shines spotlight on ‘smart city’ journey

European Space Agency to launch robot to clean up space

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The European Space Agency is planning to send a robot out into space to clean it of debris, which mainly consists of the countless satellites sent into orbit over the past few decades.

The vast majority of these “junk” satellites – communications, weather, military – have operational lifetimes lasting a few years – about five to 10 years, after which there is no system for bringing them back or clear them in any way. (See simulation of space debris around Earth below.)

Some have previously proposed to build robots that can travel to those obsolete satellites to perhaps fix them or make use of them somehow or at least maintain them so they are operational for longer, but that is an idea that is still in development, although also mentioned as part of ESA’s plan. [Read more…] about European Space Agency to launch robot to clean up space

Mitsubishi Electric unveils new autonomous car for testing new technologies

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Mitsubishi Electric has unveiled the latest version of the xAUTO, (main picture) a vehicle capable of autonomous driving on surface roads without high-definition maps and autonomous parking both indoors and outdoors.

The xAUTO is a demonstration car that incorporates Mitsubishi Electric’s cutting-edge technologies for autonomous driving.

Mitsubishi Electric’s autonomous driving system is realized with sensor-fusion technologies implemented with peripheral sensors, millimeter-wave radar and cameras, and so on, as well as infrastructure-assisted technologies incorporating Centimeter Level Augmentation Service signals from the Quasi Zenith Satellite System and high-definition three-dimensional maps. [Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric unveils new autonomous car for testing new technologies

Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

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An automated method of conducting materials science research can increase productivity by 384 times when compared to a human, according to researchers. 

The robot-plus-software system also makes it easier for people who are not expert researchers or scientists to create new materials.

A Rutgers-led team of engineers has developed an automated way to produce polymers, making it much easier to create advanced materials aimed at improving human health. [Read more…] about Automation increases productivity in materials science by 384 times, say researchers

IBM joins the Mayflower autonomous ship project

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IBM has joined a global consortium of partners, led by marine research organization ProMare, that are building an unmanned, fully-autonomous ship that will cross the Atlantic in September 2020, on the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage 400 years ago.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will use IBM’s Power servers, AI, cloud and edge computing technologies to navigate autonomously and avoid ocean hazards as it makes its way from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts.

If successful, it will be one of the first self-navigating, full-sized vessels to cross the Atlantic Ocean and will open the door on a new era of autonomous research ships. [Read more…] about IBM joins the Mayflower autonomous ship project