A new X20 I/O system bus controller from B&R Industrial Automation makes it possible to implement OPC UA communication from sensors to the ERP layer without using any interfaces, or a connected PLC. Using an OPC UA server implemented in the X20 system, any OPC UA client can request information...

When it comes to materials science, a better understanding of how heat moves through materials at the atomic level would go a long way toward improving the design process. Scientists already understand the limitations of thermal energy in materials: the second law of thermodynamics dictates that an...

In writing about automation and control for Design News over the last decade, one topic that has been a consistent focus is the energy efficiency of industrial plants. For years, energy usage was not even a major design priority for machinery and equipment suppliers but, with rising costs and...

A San Francisco startup called Otto recently came out of stealth mode and released a dramatic video (see it below) demonstrating its successful test of a technology for self-driving trucks. The video shows an 18-wheeler cruising along a major highway at full speed, with no one in the driver seat...