Blog
A CO2 tax could unleash renewable energy revolution
A CO2 tax for companies should be the foundation of the imperative renewable energy revolution. The fact that the recently completed COP21 climate agreement does not mention this political measure with respect to reducing global emissions, is a major missed opportunity, according to Wouter Last, President, plant IT, and engineering specialist, Hint.
Beyond IoT: pervasive sensing
In manufacturing facilities, unplanned outages force continuously operating processes to go through shutdown and start-up procedures. It's under these conditions that serious incidents are most likely to occur. Ideally, manufacturers should to be able to anticipate equipment failures to prevent these outages.
Microsoft to end support for Windows XP in UK ATM machines
Last month, Microsoft ended support for embedded Windows XP in ATMs. This Windows XP operating system is still used in the majority of ATMs that deliver cash to customers around the world. So, does this mean ATM customers will now be more vulnerable to cybercrime? By Paul Wilson, Product Manager, Easy Solutions.
The rise of ubiquitous computing
The concept of ubiquitous computing dates back to 1991, only two years after Marty McFly supposedly travelled to 2015 in Back to the Future Part II. The concept was first described by scientist, Mark Weiser who said: "The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it."
Do Androids dream of industrial sheep?
When Google bought a small mobile software company in 2005, there was no way of knowing how prosperous the acquisition would be. Although the mammoth technology company has a habit of hoovering up exciting start-ups that tend to go on to become prestigious success, there have been a few not so awe-inspiring purchases - namely Motorola and dMarc Broadcasting.
Top 10 tips for mitigating harmful harmonics
The rise of non-linear loads in industrial environments over the last two decades has resulted in the growing problem of harmonic currents and utility-level voltage distortion. Facing a lack of awareness, the industry has struggled to implement effective mitigation techniques. Here, global business development manager of CP Automation, John Mitchell, discusses offers useful tips for mitigating harmonics.
Protecting your production line
Back in June 2010, malware computer programme Stuxnet hit the headlines as the first computer worm to target modern supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and programmable logic controller (PLC) systems. Industrial Control System (ICS) users became aware of how software hackers and malware could affect operation. Back then, you'd be forgiven for thinking that as a regular ICS or SCADA user, you had nothing to worry about. Five years on,...
The challenges posed by Amazon Dash Replenishment Service
Following Amazon’s announcement of its new automated order service, Dash Replenishment Service (DRS), Neil Penny, Product Director, Sunrise Software, has commented on the challenges this new model could pose for service providers.
The art of design validation & verification
We've all seen Russian nesting dolls, each perfectly decorated doll giving way to a smaller one inside. Every one of those little dolls is hand turned, carefully decorated and finished with a fine gloss. Medical device design operates on a similar concept, layering smaller components together to form one machine, each component tailored to the needs of the OEM.
Technology is not death to the human touch
Channel 4 hit a home run with its 2015 series Humans, hailing it as its most successful drama in 20 years, with the first episode alone being viewed by 6.1m people. Proof that - as much as we love our smartphones - we’re all a bit concerned about the rise of the machines.