In order to help recover from its diesel emissions difficulties and focus more on faster-growing market segments, Volkswagen is shifting its focus to include electric vehicles and autonomous driving. Volkswagen’s forecasts suggest that electric vehicle sales will be between two and three million units in 2025, equivalent to between 20 percent and 25 percent of [...]
Smart manufacturing and the fourth industrial revolution (a.k.a. industry 4.0) have been mentioned in public forums and the media quite a bit. This month, President Obama announced that a Los Angeles-based team was selected to lead a new smart manufacturing hub bankrolled with $140 million in public-private funds. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been talking [...]
As we progress through 2016, there are some construction trends worth considering. According to financial and professional services firm JLL, global economic struggles will eventually affect business and construction demand in the U.S. However, the U.S. construction industry saw a strong start to 2016 despite global concerns. Overall construction costs are rising as building costs, [...]
The aerospace industry continues to look for ways to use more 3D printing technology in its manufacturing process. This technology, also known as additive manufacturing, involves building physical objects one layer at a time, using digital models and special material deposition devices. Today’s 3D printing machines have come a long way in a short time [...]
While they are known for producing cars, automakers are realizing that continuing to focus on vehicles in the traditional sense is not a strategy for success in the future. As a result, automotive companies are adjusting their approach to business. According to NBC News, Ford plans to put more emphasis on what can be called [...]
How secure is your industrial control system? According to Reuters, a U.S. government cybersecurity official warned that there has been an increase in attacks that penetrate industrial control system networks over the past year. Industrial control systems are computers that control operations of industrial processes, from energy plants and steel mills to cookie factories and [...]
How viable of a water solution can converting seawater to fresh water be? Ask Bob Yamada. He is the San Diego County Water Authority’s (SDCWA) water-resources director. According to Engineering News-Record, Yamada explained that water recently began flowing through a new $1 billion, 54-million-gallon-a-day desalination plant in Carlsbad, California. The plant has been running smoothly [...]
Like any innovative company, SpaceX continues to try to look for ways to make the “difficult” a reality. The ability to reuse a rocket has been talked about for decades, but no space organization has attempted to make it happen. After 13 years of working on the issue, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk believes it is [...]
You may have seen countless online videos of self-driving cars or the recent 60 Minutes episode showing one being tested on a highway near Silicon Valley. This is because autonomous driving has been a goal for the automotive industry for decades. As the online videos and 60 Minutes episode show, autonomous driving is close to [...]
Until recently, building automation, lighting controls, fire safety and other base building systems were designed to support a single building service and operated independently on proprietary networks and cables. As Green-Buildings.com explains in a recent article, buildings continue to evolve in intelligence. So, it’s becoming more common to see building automation systems incorporate the control [...]