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ABB Review has been at the forefront of presenting technology for well over a century. First appearing in 1914 and today at 909 editions, the journal is written by engineers for engineers, and draws on the collective expertise of ABB as a technology giant.
When we think about the effects that AI is having on industrial production, image recognition is probably among the first use cases that come to mind. This ability to resolve images is maybe not quite yet on the level of science fiction humanoids, but is rapidly moving in that direction.
Today it is taken for granted that industrial computers can be trained to recognize objects, patterns and anomalies and so support humans in operational and mainte-nance decisions. But the capabilities of machine vision do not stop there. The ex-amples above mostly involve decisions taken offline to provide orientation and context to humans. But can machine vision be embedded in a closed loop, acting in real time and under rugged industrial conditions, and becoming an integral part of the control system? In a simple example, this could mean a system that spots anomalies in real time and take action accordingly? This is what we discuss in Sight control – Machine vision and control in automation systems.
Or consider a different example of machine vision. We are accustomed to robots working on rigid identical objects, welding, polishing and gluing. But what if the objects being worked on are not rigid but made of a more flexible material, mak-ing them more liable to deformation. We present an ABB research project that uses machine vision to create an individual 3-D model of every workpiece and then apply glue precisely. Read more in Plotting with robots – Accurate robot path creation.
At ABB, AI is revolutionizing many aspects of our activity. In order to foster cross-business inspiration and germinate innovation, ABB has created its Accelera-tor framework, bringing leading brains together and guiding them to better har-ness the strengths of AI. Among the examples discussed are “Follow Me”, a novel and simple method of programming robots. Another example looks at the visual inspection of circuit breakers being made in ABB’s own factories. Discover more by reading Boosting innovation velocity Solving real-world problems – fast.
Did you know that about 24% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU are caused by the transportation sector? There is a simple solution. Railways are among the most energy efficient mechanized means of transportation available. Simply get-ting more goods and people onto trains delivery huge gains in terms of carbon emissions avoided. But even so, railways can be made more efficient still. The ABB ¬Enviline™ range boosts energy efficiency by enhancing the green credentials of regenerative braking – the ability to turn kinetic energy back into electricity as the train slows down. This is explored in Train technology driver: Making rail-ways more sustainable and also in our latest contribution to the Buzzword Demys-tifier Series, Buzzword Demystifier – Regenerative braking.
Continuing on the topic of electric transportation, we visit the world of mining. As mining companies seek to decarbonize operations, they are increasingly turning to electric trucks. Unlike static industrial settings, mines evolve continuously. Re-source locations shift, road networks change and operational demands fluctuate – sometimes on a weekly basis. This dynamic nature makes infrastructure planning especially challenging. ABB offers a planning and simulation tool to optimize op-erations. Take a trip down the mine with us by reading Power placement Boosting simulations for ABB eMine™.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can help industries and other sites reduce energy costs, make more use of renewable energy, and protect themselves against grid outages. But many customers are hesitating to invest due to the perceived high costs and risk. ABB is changing this by now offering BESS as a service: Taking control of energy – Simplifying energy management with BESS-as-a-Service.
Drives are the unsung workhorses of many factories, powering and controlling the motors that keep it all moving, all while providing functions ranging from saving energy to precise control or monitoring. Now individual users can create their own customized functions with ABB Crealizer™: Self-drive drives – DIY drive apps with ABB Crealizer™.
Authored by engineers for engineers, our journal covers emerging innovations, their applications and impact – with objectivity and trustworthiness being our hallmarks. Read more on online stories hub, ABB Innovation and Technology News.