INDUSTRY NEWS AND RESOURCES

Far from as absurd as it sounds, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany can now determine their maturity when it comes to digitization. This will help them take suitable steps towards further digital transformation.

The Boston Consulting Group estimates that advanced robotics could replace 300,000 jobs in German industry by 2025. This may at first sound like bad news, but given the current shortage of skilled workers, for many companies it is good news.

The Japanese electronics and mechanical engineering company FANUC is poised to take HANNOVER MESSE 2019 by storm. In addition to its latest developments in integrated production, the company's fleet of collaborative robots is set to be a particular hit wi

Humans and robots are increasingly working side-by-side in production. A 74-page report states recommendations for these interactions based on ethical and social criteria. For good reason: If the employees do not accept their presence, little will functio

Brexit - if it ever comes - is already casting a long shadow. As reported by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the number of newly installed industrial robots in the UK fell by 3% last year.

Human or robotic teams - which are superior? The answer is mixed teams! They are more efficient and cause fewer accidents, as a research team found out based on a practical simulation of production logistics.

The mechanical engineering industry is one of the leading networked production pioneers. This also applies to medium-sized companies, because many are open to the idea of using machine-to-machine communication technologies.

The Motion Terminal from FESTO is the world's first pneumatic automation platform controlled using an app. Its motion apps can coordinate up to 50 different movement and control functions using just one type of valve.

Although by international standards German plant construction is still too often based on traditional, technology-oriented business models, in many other areas plant manufacturers are well equipped for the future.

A Fraunhofer research group is working on a new approach to contactless communication between human beings and machines. Ultrasound converters are designed to capture three-dimensional distances, movements and gestures in this context.