The FTC’s ban on non-compete clauses for most workers throws a curveball at the manufacturing sector. While it has the potential to be a positive change, there are also potential drawbacks to consider. The good On the positive side, increased worker mobility could lead to a more dynamic manufacturing landscape. Without non-compete clauses restricting movement,… Read more »
Plastics have become an undeniable part of our lives. From food packaging to clothing and electronics, they’re everywhere. However, their convenience comes at a significant cost – plastic pollution is a major environmental problem with far-reaching consequences. Durability that backfires Plastics are incredibly durable, designed to last for a long time. This very characteristic makes… Read more »
Atlas, the humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics, is retiring. It is being decommissioned and installed in the company’s museum. They shared a video that shows Atlas running, jumping, doing gymnastics, and also falling down, getting into a fix with an elevator, and otherwise failing. The new Atlas After a decade of service, Atlas has been… Read more »
We can all remember the supply chain issues of the pandemic, when we drove around town to multiple stores in search of toilet paper, yeast, and face masks. Now store shelves are filled with products again. But we still havre supply chain issues. Supply chain issues that began with the COVID-19 pandemic continue to disrupt… Read more »
We know about the robot dreams people have…dreams of robot butlers, robot buddies, and general purpose humanoid robot buddies that will eliminate physical labor for humans. We know about the robot nightmares, too. Those include robotic overlords taking over our jobs and highly biased AI controlling the world. But a new study shows that people’s… Read more »
The Mechanical Turk was a very special machine, an automaton built in the 1700s to play chess. In reality, the “machine” was just a box with a chess board on top and a cupboard in the side. A puppet, intend to look Turkish, provided the drama. A slim human being could climb into the cupboard… Read more »
Business Insider suggests that the development of humanoid robots could be the space race of the 21st century. Remember the space race? In the mid 20th century, the United States and Soviet Union were in competition to put a man into space, to land on the moon, and, along with the race for dominance in… Read more »
Industrial robots are about to get a whole lot more dexterous. At the Hannover Messe, a leading international industrial technology trade fair, Bosch Rexroth’s innovative Smart Flex Effector stole the show, bagging the coveted Hermes Award 2023 for its groundbreaking advancements in robotic manipulation. This award-winning technology promises to revolutionize automation by granting robots a… Read more »
A container ship lost control and hit there Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, destroying the bridge, killing at least six people, and closing the Port of Baltimore. How will this tragedy affect supply chains in the United States and beyond? More than $80 billion in international cargo flowed through the port in 2023. There… Read more »
There’s a robot barista in New York City, we hear, which asks for tips. We figure the coffee shop’s point of sale software includes a tipping option, rather than that the robot actually solicits tips, but it’s still an interesting question: should we tip robots? This brings up some additional questions that should help us… Read more »
