automation | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Thu, 08 Feb 2018 12:58:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png automation | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Foxconn to cut 10,000 jobs in big move to automated processes https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/foxconn-to-cut-10000-jobs-in-big-move-to-automated-processes/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/foxconn-to-cut-10000-jobs-in-big-move-to-automated-processes/#respond Thu, 08 Feb 2018 12:58:28 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=363380 Foxconn is a huge part of China's manufacturing industry, with huge clients like Apple, Google, Amazon, Acer and more. As a result of this huge client list, the factory employs a huge number of workers. However, during a press conference this week, Foxconn announced that it would be cutting 10,000 jobs over the course of …

The post Foxconn to cut 10,000 jobs in big move to automated processes first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Foxconn is a huge part of China's manufacturing industry, with huge clients like Apple, Google, Amazon, Acer and more. As a result of this huge client list, the factory employs a huge number of workers. However, during a press conference this week, Foxconn announced that it would be cutting 10,000 jobs over the course of 2018, as the factory moves over to automated processes.

Foxconn chairman, Tuan Hsing-Chien made the announcement this week. As Nikkei reports, the bulk of these job cuts will come out of the Innolux display business, which mainly supplies displays for the iPhone and a number of TV and monitor makers.

Image Credit: Milwaukee Indépendant. 

 

Currently, Foxconn employs around 60,000 staff, over the course of this year, that number will be reduced to less than 50,000. These job cuts come as the result of Foxconn moving 75 percent of its production to automated technologies. The company will also be investing around $342 million to implement AI into its factories.

By moving over to automated processes, Foxconn hopes to boost the development of a new display technology known as ‘Active Matrix Mini-LED', which will supposedly rival OLEDs in the future. Foxconn is reportedly already talking with car manufacturers to get these screens into vehicles at some point.

KitGuru Says: This news is somewhat bittersweet, it's never great to hear that thousands of people are going to be out of a job. However, from the sounds of it, automation is going to help with future innovations and aside from that, Foxconn has had plenty of scandals when it comes to employee work environments. 

The post Foxconn to cut 10,000 jobs in big move to automated processes first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/foxconn-to-cut-10000-jobs-in-big-move-to-automated-processes/feed/ 0
Roomba creators are working on poo detection issues https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/roomba-creators-are-working-on-poo-detection-issues/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/roomba-creators-are-working-on-poo-detection-issues/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2016 11:11:17 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=303171 The Roomba is one of the most recognisable robot helpers out there, having been available in various guises for years and has helped many thousands of people live in automatically vacuumed homes. They do also have one glaring problem though: if they run over animal faeces, they can spread it all over the house. iRobot, …

The post Roomba creators are working on poo detection issues first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The Roomba is one of the most recognisable robot helpers out there, having been available in various guises for years and has helped many thousands of people live in automatically vacuumed homes. They do also have one glaring problem though: if they run over animal faeces, they can spread it all over the house.

iRobot, the maker of the Roomba, has received a lot of complaints for this problem over the years and The Guardian has put together a number of examples. A cat misses a its litter tray, the dog leaves a sneaky one behind the sofa while you're out and since it cannot spot such an obstacle, the Roomba rolls right over it, dragging it into every crevice of your home.

Although the Roomba is able to map out its surroundings and devise efficient routes to vacuum in, it isn't very good at spotting obstacles that don't impede its motion. So something soft like animal leavings, which get stuck in the wheels and brushes, it just rolls on over.

poopspread

The diagram of poo spreading by a single Roomba. Source: Jesse Newton/Facebook

Although funny and/or disgusting depending on your proximity to such a problem, it's these sort of scenarios, where something common, but not ordinary happens, that presents autonomous technology with difficulties. It's not good at dealing with tasks it wasn't designed for.

Dealing with faeces may be something that a lot of robots of the future may struggle with. How do they detect it? How do they deal with it?

iRobot has said it is aware of this specific problem its hardware faces and says that it is looking into some form of image processing to detect and avoid such messes in the future.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I mean, just crate your dog when you go out? Maybe I'm crazy, but that seems like a very easy way to solve this problem. That and properly house training your animals. One woman said this happened to her several times a year. That just sounds like poor problem solving, rather than an issue with the hardware.

The post Roomba creators are working on poo detection issues first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/roomba-creators-are-working-on-poo-detection-issues/feed/ 3
Tesla Autopilot gets its first speed warning from police https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-gets-its-first-speed-warning-from-police/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-gets-its-first-speed-warning-from-police/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2015 08:13:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=272416 When Elon Musk said that the Autopilot feature that was rolled out to all Model S and Model X owners was probably safe for people, he was mainly thinking about pedestrians that may make the inadvisable move to step out in front of them. He didn't mention anything about the Autopilot leading to a speeding ticket …

The post Tesla Autopilot gets its first speed warning from police first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
When Elon Musk said that the Autopilot feature that was rolled out to all Model S and Model X owners was probably safe for people, he was mainly thinking about pedestrians that may make the inadvisable move to step out in front of them. He didn't mention anything about the Autopilot leading to a speeding ticket for the person sat behind the wheel, as that's just what's happened to one Model S owner when he was caught speeding down a Florida highway with his hands no where near the wheel.

Tesla's new Autopilot feature improved the automated functions of the Model S and X, making it so that the car can automatically adjust its speed, make minor adjustments to keep the car in-lane,  and even change lane if it needs to. This, theoretically should make it so that the cars can operate in motorway conditions without much input from the driver.

autopilot
Having the car handle traffic jams seems like the biggest blessing

Of course because of the state of roadway legislation, there is no provision for people to remove their hands from the wheel on public roads, so any problems caused by the vehicle is the responsibility of the driver. As the guy behind the video below discovered, when he was pulled over for doing 75 miles per hour in a 60 zone.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CZe5DXeYzw'] Although there is no video of the interaction with police, skip to 12:45 to see the driver discuss it

Despite this hiccup for the driver and the Autopilot feature, data is constantly being sent to Tesla when it's engaged, so the electronic car maker may take information from this incident to better improve its automated features. It may well be that it corrects the speed limit in the particular area that this driver was busted, though having it read signs and do more automated speed-limit checking might be more efficient.

As it stands, the Autopilot feature is restricted to the United Sates. Tesla has said that the automation will reach other Tesla owners overseas this week.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are going to be problems with this sort of technology. There will likely also be a few deaths when some automated tech hits a person and we're going to have to figure out how to deal with that in the march to an automated future. It's going to be weird and will require some head-scratching but as more of our society relies on robotics and AI for certain functions, there will be some hiccups.

The post Tesla Autopilot gets its first speed warning from police first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/tesla-autopilot-gets-its-first-speed-warning-from-police/feed/ 6
250 million cars to be ‘connected’ by 2020 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/250-million-cars-to-be-connected-by-2020/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/250-million-cars-to-be-connected-by-2020/#comments Mon, 18 May 2015 09:58:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=249799 The automotive industry right now is much like the early days of the smartphone, with the first hints at advanced computational features just cresting the horizon. There are companies all over the world introducing new automation and adding highly connected infotainment systems, but still most people put us well into the 2030s before all of us …

The post 250 million cars to be ‘connected’ by 2020 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The automotive industry right now is much like the early days of the smartphone, with the first hints at advanced computational features just cresting the horizon. There are companies all over the world introducing new automation and adding highly connected infotainment systems, but still most people put us well into the 2030s before all of us are driving around in cars that can get about themselves. Not everyone agrees though, as a new Gartner study predicts that by as soon as 2020, over 250 million cars will be “connected.”

If this turns out to be true, it means that the connected car industry is going to accelerate far faster than anyone else has predicted. It will be worth hundreds of billions of pounds before long and it's no wonder that the British government – among many others – is so keen for public tests to take place, as we need to be a forerunner if we aren't going to be left behind.

podcar
Once the cars are driving themselves, will we care what the hardware is like?

As TechCrunch points out however, this could be a dangerous turn of events too. Especially for the traditional car industry. Why? Because it's going to turn the experience of driving into a tribal system like our phones. Does it run Android Auto? Well I'll buy that one then. Does it run Apple's CarPlay? Well it twins with my iPhone so of course that's my one.

More often than not, software features and apps sells phones and tablets, not the hardware inside them. Will cars be any different?

This will become even more problematic if you consider that Google is looking to co-develop its own cars with other manufacturers and if it can do it, surely Apple can too.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you guys think this idea of the future is right? Once our phones start becoming so linked with ours cars, will we stop caring what we're driving?

The post 250 million cars to be ‘connected’ by 2020 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/250-million-cars-to-be-connected-by-2020/feed/ 2
Daimler to test self-driving lorries on Nevada roads https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/daimler-to-test-self-driving-lorries-on-nevada-roads/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/daimler-to-test-self-driving-lorries-on-nevada-roads/#comments Thu, 07 May 2015 09:28:04 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=248398 There's a lot of R&D going into driverless vehicles right now, with the likes of Google, Baidu and many more traditional auto-makers all pushing to become the first to offer a truly driverless experience on the roads. As much as they're pushing for cars though, others believe the first self-piloted vehicles will be much bigger, …

The post Daimler to test self-driving lorries on Nevada roads first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
There's a lot of R&D going into driverless vehicles right now, with the likes of Google, Baidu and many more traditional auto-makers all pushing to become the first to offer a truly driverless experience on the roads. As much as they're pushing for cars though, others believe the first self-piloted vehicles will be much bigger, like Daimler's automated 18 wheelers. While not quite ready for sale, they've just been given approval for testing on the relatively straight and empty roads of Nevada.

While a driver will still need to be present in the cab at all times during testing, it's thought likely that they will rarely need to step in and seize control of the trucks. They've already been tested as capable of driving near and across the much twistier Hoover Dam, only requiring assistance at some of the sharper or more complicated turns.

Another reason Nevada was chosen was thanks to its regular weather patterns. As long as the skies remain clear, the automated vehicles can read road markings to orient themselves, as well as utilising forward facing cameras to keep an eye out for other vehicles. The roads between major townships are also relatively free from populated areas, thereby reducing the risk to bystanders should something go wrong.

daimler

While in discussion about the technology, Daimler board member Wolfgang Bernhard said (via the Guardian), that he thought using long-distance haulage vehicles as a testbed for automation on the roads would be a good place to start, since they required less manoeuvrability than more consumer focused vehicles.

Even with this forward thinking however, Daimler doesn't think we'll see these lorries made commercially available until the mid-2020s, which is the same time that car manufacturers believe the first all-roads driverless cars will be ready too. Motorway only self-piloted cars on the other hand, could be ready for sale by as early as 2017.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Even though one day I'm sure we'll miss the freedom that a car and an open road gives you, for day to day driving, automation is going to be a godsend.

Image source: Daimler

The post Daimler to test self-driving lorries on Nevada roads first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/jon-martindale/daimler-to-test-self-driving-lorries-on-nevada-roads/feed/ 1
These tiny robots can lift 100 times their weight https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/these-tiny-robots-can-lift-100-times-their-weight/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/these-tiny-robots-can-lift-100-times-their-weight/#comments Sat, 25 Apr 2015 16:00:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=246639 The robot uprising is approaching and these tiny robots may have a part to play as they can lift 100 times their own weight. The super strong, pocket-sized robots were built by mechanical engineers at Stanford University in California, who will present them next month at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Apparently, these …

The post These tiny robots can lift 100 times their weight first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The robot uprising is approaching and these tiny robots may have a part to play as they can lift 100 times their own weight. The super strong, pocket-sized robots were built by mechanical engineers at Stanford University in California, who will present them next month at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Apparently, these results were achieved thanks to the adhesives in the robots' feet and the design is inspired by Geckos, which have notable climbing skills. The adhesives in the robot's feet are covered in tiny rubber spikes, which allow for greater grip on to surfaces.

Robot

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYYqXY3L2wc']

Basically, these tiny 9 gram robots could potentially carry more than a kilogram, whilst climbing. There is another tiny robot that weighs as little as 20 milligrams but can carry up to 500 milligrams. Obviously 500 milligrams isn't heavy to us but it is impressive considering that the robot is much lighter than the weight it can carry.

The most impressive robot is called uTug, while it weighs only 12 grams, it can drag along a weight that is two thousand times heavier. This means that theoretically machines could be used in the future to haul around heavy objects in various fields but most notably construction. Although bigger robots would be needed for such tasks.

KitGuru Says: We are at a point where AI and robotics can flourish. The technology is out there and there are plenty of advanced things being built behind the scenes that we don't even know about yet. Do you guys think robots will play a big part in the future? Will they take over from human jobs? 

Source: New Scientist

The post These tiny robots can lift 100 times their weight first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/these-tiny-robots-can-lift-100-times-their-weight/feed/ 1
Google working on in-car gesture controls, files patent https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/anas-ahmad/google-working-on-in-car-gesture-controls-files-patent/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/anas-ahmad/google-working-on-in-car-gesture-controls-files-patent/#respond Wed, 09 Oct 2013 07:14:57 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=156843 Google has filed a patent application for some in-car gesture based control its working on, indicating that the technology might soon make its way to our vehicles. A number of hand movements have been listed in the patent which trigger specific commands, giving the driver control over the stereo or the air-con, perhaps even certain profiles …

The post Google working on in-car gesture controls, files patent first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Google has filed a patent application for some in-car gesture based control its working on, indicating that the technology might soon make its way to our vehicles. A number of hand movements have been listed in the patent which trigger specific commands, giving the driver control over the stereo or the air-con, perhaps even certain profiles for different drivers that customise how the car handles.Google in-car gesture controls
The patent reads: “The method further includes recording three-dimensional images of an interior portion of the vehicle and, based on the three-dimensional images, detecting a given gesture in a given region of the vehicle, where the given gesture corresponds to one of the plurality of pre-determined gestures and the given region corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined regions. The method still further includes selecting, based on the correlation, a function associated with the given gesture in combination with the given region and initiating the function in the vehicle.”

If that sounds like a mouthful, it's because it is, but what it's talking about it a ceiling mounted camera, which syncs up with lasers to detect if you're making a gesture. It'll need to be quite tight to catch everything though.

Kitguru Says: Gesture based controls are now slowly making their way in to our daily lives. It will be nice to control our car using our hands too, Jedi style!

Source: ThinkDigit

 

The post Google working on in-car gesture controls, files patent first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/anas-ahmad/google-working-on-in-car-gesture-controls-files-patent/feed/ 0