Rob Spiegel

Rob Spiegel has served as senior editor at Electronic News and Ecommerce Business, covering the electronics industry and Internet technology. He has served as a contributing editor at Automation World and Supply Chain Management Review. Rob has contributed to Design News for 10 years.

IBM_Watson, IoT, quality, visual inspection, smart manufacturing, vision sensors

IBM Watson Gets a Factory Job

May 09, 2017

Automation & Motion Control

IoT

Rob Spiegel

IBM Watson has hired on at the factory, taking its first job in inspection analysis. Next up is smart factory grids and preventive maintenance.

Apple Plans $1 Billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund

May 08, 2017

Automation & Motion Control

Automation

Rob Spiegel

In a move likely to curry favor in Washington, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Apple will support US advanced manufacturing with a $1 billion fund.

IoT, environment, green technology, Gemalto, sensors, autonomous cars, smart farming

IoT Green Boosts Environmental Effectiveness

May 03, 2017

Automation & Motion Control

IoT

Rob Spiegel

The environmental movement has found a friend in IoT technology. Gains are apparent in fuel efficiency, reduced waste, and even in helping to encourage the survival of endangered species.

Juniper Networks, Trusted Computing Group, cybersecurity

Protecting Firmware that Can’t Be Un-Hacked

May 02, 2017

Embedded Systems Conference - Boston

Cyber Security, Government/Defense

Rob Spiegel

Trusted Computing Group is creating standards to help keep firmware free from cyberattack. The stakes are high, as firmware can’t be un-hacked.

MISRA, security, embedded systems, Liverpool Data Research Associates

Protecting Embedded Systems with New MISRA C Guidelines

May 02, 2017

Embedded Systems Conference - Boston

Cyber Security, Automotive and Mobility

Rob Spiegel

Embedded systems developers received some security help with the 2016 addendum to the MISRA C guidelines. The addendum 2 takes the application of the guidelines beyond automotive.

Universal Robots, collaborative robots, training

Universal Robots Academy Offers Do-It-Yourself Robot Programming

April 24, 2017

Automation & Motion Control

Packaging

Rob Spiegel

This isn’t your grandfather’s robot programming. Collaborative robots can be configured for operation quickly with little coding. Universal Robots Academy offers free online training.

IIoT, IoT, connectedness, BPI Network, networks

Companies 'Get' IoT But Struggle to Implement

April 21, 2017

IoT

Rob Spiegel

Manufacturers are making their products IoT-enabled as a first step, before they make their manufacturing processes enabled.

software engineering, Cambridge Consultants, ESC Boston, coding, product design, project management

Software Engineering Has Become Way More than Coding

April 17, 2017

Design Hardware & Software

Electronics & Test

Rob Spiegel

A career in software engineering doesn’t mean a lifetime of coding. As software takes a larger role in products and equipment, software engineers become more involved in product design.

The Motor City Tops the Best Town List for CAD Designers

April 14, 2017

Design Hardware & Software

Rob Spiegel

While it’s not surprising that Detroit ranks high as a great city for CAD designers, it's odd to see cities on the list like Greensboro, N.C., and New Orleans on the list.