Search: automation

Google may lead the pack when it comes to finding a venue in an unfamiliar city, but not necessarily when it concerns the vast detail needed to enable autonomous technology. So how do you begin to direct driverless technology? According to Ben Peters, cofounder of FiveAI, the real problems lie in navigating…

As the saying goes, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Whether or not this is true, it involves keeping track of the process in hand. In large and complicated projects, however, this is easier said than done. Take the construction industry, where…

Like all legacy industries, agriculture is undergoing a digital shift. The availability of innovative technology has led to the expansion of sensor driven methods collectively known as precision farming. The uptake of technological techniques has been hesitant due to…

If the answer isn’t blockchain what is?

As Knut Alicke pointed out in his insightful piece on the role of Blockchain in the digital supply chain (DSC)- it’s something of a solution looking for a problem – I think the answers that provide the foundation for a highly efficient DSC at some point do reference Blockchain-like tech but also take into account some very near term implementable tech than can move the sector forward.

Before I move into the new upsides let me add some more reality. . .

Consumers have long regarded superfast, personalised products as the new normal. The rise of the on demand market has been enabled by data driven digitalisation, teamed with innovative production methods like 3D printing. Businesses have responded by…

AI is now a proven technology in discrete applications, it can now be used in more all-encompassing roles

Although materially beneficial corporate deployments of AI are beginning to proliferate, the AI activities of the majority still amount to a few isolated pilot projects conceived in an ad-hoc basis. Organisations without a clear AI strategy – and that’s most – run the risk of falling behind as other better organised industry players move forward.

That said, while individual AI solutions can be transformative within the scope of their application, that’s not as clear-cut an argument for front-to-back change as, say, the digital transformation of a high street retailer. Developing an AI strategy requires an exercise of careful discrimination – acknowledging the present limitations of AI as well as its strengths in order to identify where one can, cannot, or even should not exploit it.

This article is about the ‘what’ of an AI strategy rather than the equally important ‘how’. We will look at business areas where AI solutions are already having an impact, we’ll try to characterise the boundary line of its applicability and we’ll also hear from some of the areas of research that may eventually bring more business and operations areas within the scope of AI solutions. . .

Tailoring products and services to the customer is a business necessity. Arguably, this is especially important when your customer is directly applying that product to their skin. The health and beauty industry is based on a culture of personal care, making it the perfect breeding ground for…

Mixed emotions over Amazon Go, the first convenience store with no checkouts

If you haven’t yet heard how it works, you download the Amazon Go app to your smartphone and scan your way in to the store through a turnstile. You bag the items you want, without having to empty your basket or even look at a cashier. You are tracked with surveillance cameras and sensors, which verify your purchases, charge the card linked to your Amazon account, and email a receipt to you. It’s kind of like ultra efficient shoplifting but with big brother watching you.

Good or bad idea? Ask the audience

The potential benefits include creating smoother customer experiences by making one of the world’s oldest industries more efficient, although. . .

Industrial robots are more accessible and affordable than ever before. . .

Industrial robots are robots that carry out assembly applications. Traditional industrial robots have been readily applied in manufacturing and electronics, but kitted out with sensors and Artificial Intelligence, their influence is set to grow. Last year, Loup Ventures predicted that the industrial robotics market would reach $33.8bn by 2025, almost tripling in size since 2016. You don’t have to rely on researchers to understand that installing industrial robots makes a lot of sense from a business perspective. However, the robots that are building machinery, packing deliveries and flipping burgers today are very different from their predecessors. What major changes have happened in the market, and how will they affect future adoption?

Embodied AI is one of many terms associated with the relentless development of Artificial Intelligence. As the name suggests, it involves…

To remain competitive, manufacturers need to ensure high manufacturing process performance. This has led to the development of detailed computer simulations, tasked with…

Another exciting year for 3D printing. Advancements in printable materials combined with progress in mechanical techniques to…

Automation in the fast food industry is a sure fire way of cutting costs and improving efficiency. Unfortunately, this has always come at the cost of catering to individual tastes. Could there be a way to personalise food manufacture within existing models of mass production?

In May 2017, Google created an AI called AutoML. Using reinforcement learning and neural networks, AutoML was able to create a daughter AI called NASNet that recognises objects in real time videos with 82.7 per cent accuracy. But what does this mean for the development of AI?

It’s impossible to predict exactly which trends will become the most disruptive over the course of 2018. That being said, there are a number of developments that have and will continue to shape business strategies. From automation to sustainability, organisations are adapting to…

The application of AI to financial decisions is yet another indicator that the days of traditional finance are numbered. But how has the technology impacted the sector, and what can organisations do to. . .

Last year, Webroot and IO commissioned a survey of 500 senior decision makers from UK businesses of varying sizes. It found that 80 per cent of respondents believed security issues were impeding innovation. What happens when security stops being a protective measure and. . .

How digital workforces are transforming business processes

Back in 1965, companies stayed in the S&P 500 Index for an average of 33 years. These days, they are only in the club for around 18 years and even this is expected to decrease to 14 years by mid 2020. Schumpeterian ‘creative destruction’ is continuously driving the turnover of those businesses too slow to align their change programmes with the pace of market change.

This acceleration has, to some degree, been driven by a much greater transparency into the supply chain and as such, customer tolerance has been replaced by customer expectation. Companies not able to adapt are replaced, purchased or put of business by those nimble enough to take advantage of technological advancements and new ways of working.

Today’s expectations are met through. . .

Disruption in healthcare is happening now, what can the industry do to keep up? Since 2000 digital disruption has demolished 52% of the Fortune 500, […]

The factory of the future will be fully-integrated with technology, from the start of the design process to the end of the production line. So what five technologies are set to disrupt the manufacturing industry, and what are their applications. . .