Smart Manufacturing

Robot see, Robot do: Bots learn by watching human behaviour

Robots following coded instructions to complete a task? Old school. Robots learning to do things by watching how humans do it? That’s the future. Stanford’s Animesh Garg and Marynel Vázquez shared their research in a talk on “Generalisable Autonomy for Robotic Mobility and Manipulation” at the GPU Technology Conference recently. In lay terms, generalisable autonomy is the idea that a robot can observe human behaviour and learn to imitate it in a way that’s applicable to a variety of tasks and situations. What kinds of situations? Learning to cook by watching YouTube videos, for one. And figuring out how to cross a crowded room for another. Cooking 101 Garg, a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Vision and Learning Lab (CVGL), likes to cook. He also likes robots. But what he’s not so keen on is a future full of robots who can only cook one recipe each. While the present is increasingly full of robots that excel at single tasks, Garg is working toward what he calls “the dream of general-purpose robots.” The path to the dream may lie in neural task programming (NTP), a new approach to meta-learning. NTP leverages hierarchy and learns to program with a modular robot API to perform unseen tasks working from only a single test example. For instance, a robot chef would take a cooking video as input and use a hierarchical neural program to break the video data down into what Garg calls a structured representation of the task based on visual cues as well as temporal sequence. Instead of learning a single recipe that’s only good for making spaghetti with meatballs, the robot understands all the subroutines, or components, that make up the task. From there, the budding mechanical chef can apply skills like boiling water, frying meatballs and simmering sauce to other situations. Solving […]

Three game-changers for the manufacturing industry in 2018

Antony Bourne IoT being built into the product design, manufacturers adopting a more service-centric business model, and 3D-printing reaching the tipping point of realizing business benefits on a large scale. These are the three game-changing predictions that Antony Bourne, IFS Global Industry Director of Industrial and High-tech Manufacturing outlines for 2018. 1) By the end of 2018, over 50 percent of manufacturers will be building IoT technology into the design phase of their products. In 2018, IoT will take a decisive step forward in its evolution. If we once thought of IoT as a product’s nervous system, this year will see it grow from picking up signals at the periphery to being the brain of the product, constantly sending, receiving, growing and gathering information, from the center of the product throughout its lifetime, and in the process enabling new services and revenue streams. Manufacturing is undoubtedly heavily impacted by IoT today. According to Global Market Insights, IoT in the manufacturing market was valued at over US$ 20 billion in 2016 and will grow at more than 20 percent up to 2024. Current IoT investments that are unique to the manufacturing environment are taking place in three major initiatives: Smart manufacturing to increase production output, product quality, or operations and workforce safety as well as lower resource consumption Connected products to impact product performance, including collecting detailed information on products in the field, remote diagnostics and remote maintenance Connected supply chains to increase visibility and coordination in the supply chain, tracking assets or inventory for more efficient supply chain execution We will see IoT included as a part of the design process in all three of these IoT initiatives. Manufacturers are realizing that by engineering IoT technology into products and equipment already in the design process, you can monitor not only […]

BuildIT Construction can be fully integrated with 3D data

. Spokesperson: CHEW Beow Kwan, Product Marketing Associate Manager, Asia Pacific, FARO Technologies Please tell us what BuildIT Construction is all about? The BuildIT Construction software leverages on FARO’s cutting-edge 3D metrology capability. FARO is to first to offer this fully integrated building lifecycle Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) management tool empowering construction professionals to continuously evaluate projects with real time comparisons against CAD designs using 3D scan data. The software from FARO uniquely enables laser scanner users to perform immediate, real-time build and verify analysis throughout the entire project, and facilitates a new level of cost management and operational efficiency. BuildIT Construction can be fully integrated with 3D data collected from FARO Focus Laser Scanners, optimised for the FARO TracerM Laser Projector for placement and layout of structural components and is compatible with the FARO Laser Tracker for prefabricated modular positioning. It can also be used seamlessly with other third-party hardware. Where do you see this software being used most? Application areas that will benefit most from the BuildIT Construction software include Architecture, Civil Engineering/Surveying, Construction, Facility Management, Historical Preservation, and Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP). AEC professionals will find the software useful for: Verifying accuracy of scan data to design models Detecting incorrect placement or missing features such as walls, columns, beams, pipes, etc. Performing important measurements accurately and quickly Inspecting construction for adherence to building standards Verifying shifts and movements within structural performance over time with 4D analysis Performing real time monitoring of adjacent structures throughout the project lifecycle Is there a lot of construction underway across ASEAN? Prospects for construction in the ASEAN region is generally bright. According to the Global Construction 2030 Report[1], the ASEAN construction market is expected to exceed US$1 trillion by 2030, with growth predominantly driven […]

Countries with the highest density of robot workers

Data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reveals that industrial automation is accelerating across the globe. In 2015, the average global robot density in manufacturing industries was 66 robot units per 10,000 employees. Just one year later, the number increased to 74 robot units. Europe is the reigning champ, sporting a robot density of 99 units per 10,000 workers. The next highest regions are the Americas and Asia, with 84 and 63 units, respectively. When it comes to overall growth rate, Asia tops the list. “Robot density is an excellent standard for comparison in order to take into account the differences in the automation degree of the manufacturing industry in various countries,” says Junji Tsuda, president of the IFR. “As a result of the high volume of robot installations in Asia in recent years, the region has the highest growth rate. Between 2010 and 2016, the average annual growth rate of robot density in Asia was nine percent, in the Americas seven percent, and in Europe five percent.” Breaking those numbers further down by countries, South Korea had the largest installation of industrial robots per 10,000 employees in 2016, reaching 631. South Korea’s electrical, electronics, and automotive sectors have all contributed to this high installation volume. Singapore comes in second, with 488 units. “About 90 percent of robots are installed in the electronics industry in Singapore,” according to the IFR. Germany (309 units) and Japan (303 units) ranked third and fourth, respectively. Check out the full IFR report here to learn more.

Hillstone and Flowmon join forces to allow customers to build complete cybersecurity platforms

Hillstone Networks a leading provider of network security solutions, has announced a partnership with Flowmon Networks a vendor developing next generation monitoring and security solutions for network infrastructures. The joint offering between the two visionary companies will help customers build a complete cybersecurity platform. The joint network security solution, consisting of the Hillstone Networks Intelligent Next-Generation Firewall (iNGFW) and Flowmon Anomaly Detection System (ADS), can effectively intercept cyber threats from the Internet and internal networks, defend against modern network attacks, and comprehensively monitor and protect the overall network security posture. The Hillstone Networks iNGFW and Flowmon ADS work in conjunction to support the deployment of linked security policies across internal and external networks. The Hillstone iNGFW is used primarily for threat prevention for external networks, while the Flowmon ADS mainly detects internal network threats and passes details of the internal threat to the iNGFW, in order to complete the risk interception of threats and deliver a closed loop to the security administrator. “Cooperation with Hillstone is a perfect fit. Flowmon ADS eliminates risks that bypass traditional solutions. Its engine utilises sophisticated network behavior analysis, an advanced artificial intelligence based on machine learning. It permanently observes and analyses data communication seeking anomalies, revealing suspicious behavior and thus taking the entire security to the next level,” said Petr Springl, Director of Products and Alliances at Flowmon Networks. The Hillstone Networks iNGFW and Flowmon ADS joint solution can effectively intercept threats from the Internet and internal networks, defend against modern network attacks, comprehensively cover the overall network security posture, and make the internal network and external network stable, reliable, secure and credible. The solution brief is currently available on both Hillstone Networks and Flowmon Networks websites. Hillstone Networks’ Layered Threat Protection provides continuous threat defense at perimeters, internal networks and Cloud. Established in […]

Virtual Reality Scene 7.1 for construction, design and forensics

Faro Scene 7.1 enables an immersive VR experience with integration of detailed photographic textures, i.e., surface details of an object and rendering of 3D scan data so quickly that it appears to be generated in real time. While Scene 7.1 is optimised for the Faro laser scanning product portfolio, e.g. FocusS or Freestyle, it is also device agnostic, so it can seamlessly accept and manage 3D scan data from other, non-FARO laser scanner products. Immersive Virtual Reality Scene 7.1 enables users to view an entire project, i.e., the full range of related scans in full 3D virtual reality through a compatible VR headset from the comfort of the user’s office or workstation chair. This significantly elevates the beneficial use and reduces project cycle time by enabling architecture, engineering and construction professionals, public safety forensics experts and product designers to quickly simulate and compare reality for such tasks as evaluating as-built documentation, reconstructing crime or accident scenes, or optimising design plans. Productivity Enhancements in Virtual Reality Scene 7.1 advances well beyond the “see it better to understand it better” concept common in most industrial VR solutions. It enhances productivity by enabling users to take/capture screenshots, tag comments or notes specific to images and navigate the system overview map in real time, all without needing to exit the Virtual Reality environment. Merging of Faro Terrestrial and Handheld Scanning Data Historically, Faro Focus and Freestyle products have had their own unique, coded targets (markers that identify scan areas/specific targets), which could not be shared by the other scanning device. With Scene 7.1 enhanced functionality, not only can both devices share coded targets, but they can also now verify registration of scans from both devices in a single, real time registration report. This ensures not only a more cohesive workflow between these devices but […]

These 5 industries will be first to do business in space

Companies around the world – in transportation, exploration, energy, construction or hospitality – are all looking upwards for the next growth opportunity. Space is quickly becoming a place where the industries that power our global economy will conduct business. What do we call an economic area like this, that is not limited to a single planet, and no longer has physical boundaries? We can’t call it an industry, when private industrial groups can generate revenue and profit not only from the Earth but from near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), the Moon and Mars and beyond. It is simply a medium in which humanity conducts commerce. Let’s take a look at the industry sectors that will be the first to take advantage of our expanded economic sphere, and some of the specific opportunities for growth. Energy Valued at over $8.4 trillion and growing at a 4.1% compound annual growth rate, energy is the largest industry on Earth. Humans are prolific energy consumers, and soon there will be more humans in space. Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, anticipates “millions of people living and working in space” in the coming decades. Bezos is so confident of this outcome that he is investing more than $1 billion per year into his space transportation firm, Blue Origin. An in-space population of this magnitude will require enormous amounts of energy to live, work, and transit. This energy will come from solar power, which is more effective when gathered in space due to the lack of a filtering atmosphere; and chemical rockets, which will be the primary transportation mechanism for the foreseeable future. The most efficient chemical rocket propellants are composed of cryogenic liquid oxygen combined with liquid hydrogen or methane. Initially, the propellant needed to fuel the space economy will be launched from Earth, as both […]

Building the case for manufacturing automation to drive business growth

By Shermine Gotfredsen, General Manager SEA & Oceania, Universal Robots New Zealand’s manufacturing industry has continued to expand almost every month since October 2012, based on the Bank of New Zealand-Business NZ performance of manufacturing index[1]. The sector was lifted by a construction boom that started during the rebuild of Christchurch post-earthquake. However, manufacturing as a percentage of the economy has declined in the long-term, from about 26 percent of gross domestic production (GDP) 40 years ago to about 13 percent in 2009[2]. To ensure manufacturing momentum continues, New Zealand manufacturers must look to innovative new ways to achieve business growth and expansion into regional and international markets. Recent research from Universal Robots, which surveyed the Australian and New Zealand manufacturing community indicates a growing emphasis on automation and particularly robotics as a way to increase competitive advantage. Almost half of ANZ manufacturers have invested in automation in the past year. Meanwhile, a vast majority of manufacturers plan to invest in automation in the coming year, with more than half of those respondents planning to install robotics solutions. This growth in automation investment has no doubt been driven by an increased focus on business innovation. Due to New Zealand’s geographical isolation creating higher freight overheads, and greater labour costs compared to countries such as China, many local manufacturers have felt pressure to consider automation as a way to increase productivity and profits. The decision to automate is typically based on a number of factors, namely the need to improve business performance, reduce production time and improve the quantity and quality of output. One such company exploring the use of automation to enable greater production flexibility and output is Auckland based injection moulding company TCI New Zealand, which deployed Universal Robots cobots to help automate specific production processes, such as labelling […]

FARO: Outlook 2017

QUAH Beng Chieh, Head of Marketing, Asia Pacific, FARO Technologies How does FARO see the current business climate? The global business climate is expected to remain bearish in the months ahead, but we are optimistic about growth across Asia. In the past year, FARO has been expanding its capabilities and enhancing its product solutions through acquisitions of new companies and technologies – like BuildIT Software & Solutions Ltd. and Laser Projection Technologies. Inc. This growth strategy has worked for us and we will continue to explore relevant industries to expand into, such as Public Safety Forensics, Factory Automation, and more. What have been the highlights of 2016 for FARO? Is business strong for the company? 2016 has been a good year for FARO all round. Earlier in March, FARO restructured its business into 5 vertically focused teams – namely, factory metrology, product design, construction BIM-CIM, public safety forensics, and 3D solutions and services applications. This restructuring exercise was motivated by our desire to develop and deliver industry and application specific solutions to our customers. In line with the restructure, the company launched a record number of new solutions for users from the 5 industry verticals, including the FARO BIM Scan Localizer, FARO Design ScanArm, FARO Laser Scanner Focus S, FARO Cobalt Multi-Array Imager, FARO Vector RI, FARO Tracer M Laser Projector, and the FARO Laser Tracker Vantage E. With this new direction, our customers now have access to different solutions that cater to their specific needs, rather than generic ones. We have received very positive feedback from the market and the sales of our new products have been steadily growing since their launch. How does FARO see the market changing? In the last decade, we have observed a shift in demand among our customers – from contact to non-contact measurement methods. […]

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 […]

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