2. Know more about the latest
announcements impacting
industry, from ammonia-fueled
ships to electric robotaxis.
3. Industrial is
a front runner
in combining
human ingenuity
with technology
and innovation.
Thomas Rinn
Managing Director,
Global Industrial Sector Lead, Accenture
4. Siemens Gamesa
launches recyclable
wind turbine blade
Siemens Gamesa has developed a recyclable offshore wind turbine blade
– and it already has three customers signed up. The RecyclableBlade
brings Siemens a step closer to realizing its ambition of producing a fully
recyclable wind turbine by 2040. Six of the blades, measuring 81-meters-
long, have already been produced at the company’s factory in Denmark.
The blades are made from different materials fused together with a resin
that can be separated at the end of the blade’s life. Offshore wind turbine
blades typically end up in landfills, compared to other parts of the turbine
that can more easily be recycled. Siemens’ new approach allows the
composite materials to be protected during the separation process when
the resin is removed. RWE, EDF Renewables and WPD AG have already
reached agreements with Siemens for the blades.
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5. Wärtsilä and Samsung develop
ammonia-fueled engines
Wärtsilä and South Korean shipbuilding company Samsung Heavy
Industries have entered into a joint agreement to develop more
environmentally friendly, carbon-free fuels for the maritime industry.
Technology company Wärtsilä has already developed and tested an engine
that can run on fuel made up of 70% ammonia but is aiming to achieve
100% ammonia fuel by 2023. The two companies are developing the fuel
for ships with 4-stroke auxiliary engines for future newbuild projects.
The engine will initially be used by container ships and large crude carriers
that today use 2-stroke main engines or 4-stroke Wärtsilä auxiliary engines.
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6. Baidu’s autonomous
excavation system
A team from Baidu Research Robotics, Auto-Driving Lab (RAL), and the
University of Maryland has developed a driverless Autonomous Excavator
System (AES) for construction, mining and rescue purposes. The group
claims that the system’s capabilities are close to that of an experienced
human operator. AES harnesses algorithms and an array of sensors and
cameras to build a 3D picture of the environment and identify target
materials. The system, which can be used by excavators of all sizes, has
already been trialed at a waste disposal facility to help increase worker
safety. The AES operated for more than 24 hours with no intervention, and
a compact excavator using the technology can move 67.1 cubic meters
per hour – similar to the rate of a human operator. Baidu plans to develop
an AI and cloud-based platform for AES for the construction industry and
has already partnered with machinery companies.
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7. AGCO acquires Faromatics
to improve animal welfare
Agricultural machinery and precision technology company
AGCO has acquired Farm Robotics and Automation (Faromatics),
a precision livestock farming company. Faromatics is the
company behind ChickenBoy, a ceiling-suspended robot that
uses a series of sensors and artificial intelligence to monitor
chickens and improve animal welfare and farming productivity.
The system measures air quality, light, sound, and other metrics,
to identify any health and welfare risks, as well as any risks to
farming equipment. AGCO’s Chairman, President, and CEO
Eric Hansotia said: “This Faromatics acquisition supports our
vision of being farmers' most trusted partner for industry-leading,
smart farming solutions across every area of our business.”
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8. Bridgestone acquires
Azuga for $391m
Bridgestone Americas has acquired fleet management
company Azuga, including its 400 employees and mobility
solutions technology. Bridgestone Americas, a subsidiary
of global tire and rubber company Bridgestone Corporation,
says the acquisition will help bolster its ambitions of developing
tire and mobility solutions that increase safety and improve
sustainability. Azuga’s platform features GPS tracking, video
telematics, driver behavior management, and accident
reduction solutions for insurers. As added benefits, the solution
can help reduce fuel consumption and decrease wear and tear
on vehicles. Azuga already has more than 6,000 customers
in the US and Canada across the public sector and commercial
trucking and insurance industries.
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9. MAHLE battery tech
speeds up EV charging
Automotive supplier MAHLE has developed cooling technology
for batteries that will help electric vehicles re-charge faster.
The technique uses immersion cooling: a non-conductive
coolant flows around the battery cells, keeping temperatures
low during charging. It also ensures temperatures everywhere
around the battery are more consistent. By speeding up the
charging process, the technique allows smaller batteries to be
used in electric vehicles, potentially making them more
affordable and sustainable.
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10. Mobileye launches
self-driving taxi
Intel-owned Mobileye has unveiled a fully autonomous,
electric taxi that could appear on the roads of Tel Aviv and
Munich as early as next year, with the right regulatory
approvals. The “robotaxi” can accommodate six passengers
in a fully electric NIO ES8 vehicle equipped with the Mobileye
Drive self-driving system. Mobileye’s system includes its
TrueRedundancy sensing solution, which uses cameras, radar
and lidar sensors, as well as its crowd-sourced Roadbook AV
map. Members of the public will be able to book the taxis via
the Moovit app, which is used by 600 million people
worldwide to plan public transport journeys. In Germany, Sixt
will partner with Mobileye to launch the taxi fleet, making use
of its ride hailing and car rental ONE app.
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11. Versatile raises $80m
for construction tech
Israeli AI construction optimization company Versatile
has raised $80 million in a funding round led by Insight
Partners. Versatile is the company behind CraneView, AI- and
IoT-based technology that sits under the hook of cranes and
collects data from construction builds to deliver insights and
improve decision-making. Its data analysis informs everything
from material use to redundancies, construction progress
and crane utilization. The technology only launched in 2019
but is already used by more than 40% of the leading general
contractors in North America. Versatile will use the funds to
further strengthen its data capabilities and expand services
to insurers and across the construction industry.
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