Mars Will Be 100 Times Faster Through Its Digital Engine – Forbes

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Though many Mars products are eaten, the company has developed significant pathways to interact with ... [+] customers digitally.

Sandeep Dadlani is the Chief Digital Officer of Mars, a post he has held for a bit more than three years. As he noted in a recent conversation I had with him, his mandate is to leverage technology, data, analytics and new digital experiences to help Mars achieve its purpose and its ambition faster. He noted, We call it 100X or 100 times faster.

This is a remarkably aggressive goal. By way of example, he noted that the thrust of this will be accomplished by making the enterprise more digitally savvy, by creating new business models and by driving synergies in the companys technology platforms. He indicated there are two teams and added automation that are important to bring these to life.

First is a team called User Centricity. It is a small team that helps the company engage consumers better to drive new insights, which then drive the companys offerings, products and business model in new directions.

The second team focuses on data and analytics. Over the last three years, we set up some great data lakes, infrastructures, hired data scientists, created a vendor ecosystem now that has hundreds of petabytes of data, said Dadlani. Now, we are in a position move forward in the data and analytics journey meaningfully.

Automation has also been critical. Dadlani noted, To take away menial work from [employees] jobs, then to provide them more meaningful work, automation became an important area to be good at.

Collectively, these three pillars make up what Mars refers to as its Digital Engine. The magic is in the combination. The Digital Engine enables Mars to find the problem with the consumer, solve it using analytics and data, then once [we] find the solution, scale the solution using automation, said Dadlani. Over the last three years, his team has tracked over 500 sprints using the Digital Engine. Though he underscores that the team is still in the early stages, the company has shown greater agility, and the pace of innovation and change is picking up toward the 100X goal.

User Centricity has become a movement of sorts within the company that Dadlani believes will be a catalyst for even greater progress. The User Centricity team has worked with every segment of the business from Mars Petcare to the chocolate and gum business, Mars Wrigley, to Mars Food (with brands like Uncle Bens and Dolmio sauces) to the personalized nutrition brand Mars Edge. The team framed the problems each business hoped to solve through their plans for the future and reframed them using User Centricity.

In partnership with Mars University, which provides training across the company, Dadlanis team provides modules on topics of growing importance. Machine learning is an interesting example. A course was created for technical associates across the company, but the link for the training was accidentally forwarded to thousands of associates who were not in the traditional technical disciplines that the course was developed for. To my shock, I found many of those associates in Sales, in Supply Chain in other functions eagerly signing up for that training, said Dadlani. Because everybody wanted to learn machine learning, a sense of collective awareness that these skills are becoming more important as we move into the future, regardless of what you are going to grow up to be. That allowed us to create a curriculum around myAnalytics for which level zero is applicable for everybody.

Ultimately, Dadlani believes that the path to realizing the 100X vision is the focus on the consumer. This idea of continuously forcibly dragging the consumer into the conversation; that has driven pace, he said.

I asked Dadlani about the metrics he and the team use to gauge progress. He indicated that they use lagging and leading metrics. The former includes revenue streams and pace at which digital or eCommerce revenue is growing, as well as supply chain costs and throughput. The leading metrics, which he believes are early indicators of whether the company are correctly traveling towards a digital journey, include the number of processes automated and the number of hours freed up due to the changes made.

Though the company has further to go on this journey, the progress has been remarkable so far, and Dadlani believes he is bending the culture just enough to achieve this audacious goal.

Peter Highis President ofMetis Strategy, abusiness and IT advisory firm. His has written two bestselling books, moderates theTechnovationpodcast series, and speaks at conferences around the world. Follow himon Twitter@PeterAHigh.

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Mars Will Be 100 Times Faster Through Its Digital Engine - Forbes

Peter Bart: How Hollywood Learned That Mixing Politics And Art Can Turn Big Ideas Into B-Pictures – Deadline

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Groundbreaking ideas seem in short supply at the moment. This summers streamer hits drew big audiences but did not resonate in terms of novelty. Charlize Theron returns as a lethal and immortal mercenary in The Old Guard. Tom Hanks again calmly captains a World War II warship in Greyhound. Most of the new original series on Peacock and HBO Max had to first prove themselves in the UK before being granted their U.S. visas.

The brave new world of streaming thus is reaffirming a rule that Hollywood learned a century ago: If an idea is billed as new or, even worse, as important, run for cover.

All this may sound war-weary, but its worth review at a moment when Hollywood is celebrating (or should be) an anniversary that produced one of its most embarrassing flops a movie that was aggressively heralded as both new and important. It was going to change filmmaking as well as affecting public opinion worldwide.

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It was about the dawn of the atomic age.

Aptly titled The Beginning or the End, the 1947 movie announced itself as a meticulously researched docudrama that would explore the creation of the atom bomb and the decision 75 years ago to drop it on two Japanese targets. In heralding the project, MGM declared that it would not be another Hollywoodized version of history; the filmmakers had obtained the cooperation and approval of President Harry Truman himself and of all of the scientists and generals who built and delivered the bomb. Thats why the movie would be important.

By the time The Beginning or the End was released, however, Hollywood had learned some valuable lessons about the collision of art and politics. The details of that story are captured in a new book by Greg Mitchell, same title, its publication tied to the anniversary of the bombings, which instantly obliterated two cities costing the lives of 200,000 people.

The dropping of the bomb was initially celebrated worldwide in August 1945, dramatically bringing down the curtain on World War II. Americas apocalyptic weapon had the power not only to destroy an enemy but also civilization as a whole.

Within days, however, the tone of the celebration changed dramatically as teams of scientists and religious leaders came forward with the hard questions: Was the decision a catastrophic mistake? Could advance warnings to the Japanese military have achieved the same surrender? Were the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki unnecessary victims?

In this light, Hollywood, having profited from heroic war movies, now set about to a create a classic end-of-war movie. Could Clark Gable be the man whose force of character got the bomb made, presiding over the top-secret Manhattan Project? Could Jimmy Stewart heroically fly the plane that targeted it so deftly?

Both MGM and Paramount made headlines by jumping to the challenge. Louis B. Mayer declared that this would launch a new genre, the superstar docudrama. He dispatched aides to meet with the crusty Gen. Leslie Groves, who had commanded the project, offering a $10,000 fee; also a guarantee that he could veto anything in the script that he deemed untrue or simply didnt like.

Meanwhile, the formidable Hal Wallis was empowered by Paramount to meet with J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant nuclear scientist, and close a deal similar to Groves, minus the fee. Wallis also hired Ayn Rand, the hottest writer of the moment, to rush ahead with a script.

The Mayer-Wallis competition was itself big news, both being Hollywood legends who needed a big production to energize their stalled careers. Wallis, whod produced Casablanca, was suffering amid postwar doldrums.

Learning of Wallis deals with scientists, Mayer now decided to top him by setting up a meeting with President Truman, eliciting his cooperation, again with conditions. Truman, too, would effectively have final cut.

Hollywood was in awe. Two major films were now in the pipeline, both new and important. But both soon were weighed down by major problems.

Wallis quickly realized he had selected the wrong writer in Rand, author of The Fountainhead, who excelled as a right-wing ideologue, not as a screenwriter. A new writer was secretly hired behind her. MGM also bet not only on the wrong writer (Frank Wead) but also a miscast director named Norman Taurog, whose main credits were on Mickey Rooney movies.

Shuffling screenwriters, both studios also realized theyd walled themselves in creatively by granting approvals to so many politicians and scientists, all of whom were actively weighing in, their demands at once predictable and destructive. Oppenheimer and fellow scientists felt the movie, as scripted, glorified the military, not the science. Groves insisted the movie rewrite history by eliminating the controversial bombing of Nagasaki, which took place three days after Hiroshima. It was promptly cut. He also fostered a scene which showed Nazi scientists sharing nuclear secrets with the Japanese, thereby justifying Washingtons quick decision to drop the bomb (the meetings never took place).

If Hollywoods creatives were shocked by the willingness of Washington to distort history, they were even more surprised by Trumans demand: Upon seeing the first cut, he was apprehensive that the movie made him seem indecisive about the bombing. He wanted it re-edited to show that he didnt harbor a moments regret or reflection about greenlighting the atomic age.

By this time, Wallis had shrewdly dropped out, leaving MGM to make its many changes and re-edits according to their directives. Pre-release screenings were scheduled, then canceled after walkouts by invited scientists. MGM nonetheless went through with its obligatory celebrity opening, with Mayer already cringing from the early reviews.

Time magazine decreed that The Beginning or the End reflected Hollywoods imbecilic assumption that audiences were not capable of facing facts. The Nation declared that the film symbolized state-controlled cinema at its worst. The New York Times Bosley Crowther wrote, The filmmakers think they have made history but its a ridiculous conceit.

The film grossed a modest $1.6 million (perhaps $15 million in todays dollars) and was largely ignored by audiences around the world. Mayer lectured his acolytes that docudramas would not represent MGMs future.

The critics would have to wait until Doctor Strangelove in 1964 to feast on a more satisfying portrayal of the new nuclear world.

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Peter Bart: How Hollywood Learned That Mixing Politics And Art Can Turn Big Ideas Into B-Pictures - Deadline

The saga of the doctor versus the denier continues – Antelope Valley Press

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WASHINGTON Never mind Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

You want to see a real cant-look-away train wreck of a relationship?

Look to the nations capital, where a messy falling out is chronicled everywhere from the tabloids to a glossy fashion magazine, replete with a photo shoot by a swimming pool.

The saga has enough betrayal, backstabbing, recrimination, indignation and ostracization to impress Edith Wharton.

The press breathlessly covers how much time has passed since the pair last spoke, whether theyre headed for splitsville, and if they can ever agree on whats best for the children.

It was always bound to be tempestuous because they are the ultimate odd couple, the doctor and the president.

One is a champion of truth and facts. The other is a master of deceit and denial.

One is highly disciplined, working 18-hour days. The other cant be bothered to do his homework and golfs instead.

One is driven by science and the public good. The other is a public menace, driven by greed and ego. One is a Washington institution. The other was sent here to destroy Washington institutions.

One is incorruptible. The other corrupts.

One is apolitical. The other politicizes everything he touches toilets, windows, beans and, most fatally, masks.

After a fractious week, when the former reality-show star in the White House retweeted a former game-show host saying that we shouldnt trust doctors about COVID-19, Donald Trump and Anthony Fauci are gritting their teeth.

Whats so scary is that the bumpy course of their relationship has life-or-death consequences for Americans.

Who could even dream up a scenario where a president and a White House drop oppo research on the esteemed scientist charged with keeping us safe in a worsening pandemic?

The administration acted like Peter Navarro, Trumps wacko-bird trade adviser, had gone rogue when he assailed Dr. Fauci for being Dr. Wrong, in a USA Today op-ed. But does anyone believe that? And if he did, would he still have his job?

No doubt it was a case of Trump murmuring: Will no one rid me of this meddlesome infectious disease specialist?

Republicans on Capitol Hill privately confessed they were baffled by the whole thing, saying they couldnt understand why Trump would undermine Fauci, especially now with the virus resurgent. They think its not only hurting Trumps reelection chances but theirs, too.

As though it couldnt get more absurd, Kellyanne Conway told Fox News on Friday that she thinks it would help Trumps poll numbers for him to start giving public briefings on the virus again even though that exercise went off the rails when the president began suggesting people inject themselves with bleach.

How did we get to a situation in our country where the public health official most known for honesty and hard work is most vilified for it? marvels Michael Specter, a science writer for The New Yorker who began covering Fauci during the AIDs crisis. And as Team Trump trashes him, the numbers keep horrifyingly proving him right.

When Fauci began treating AIDs patients, nearly every one of them died. It was the darkest time of my life, he told Specter. In an open letter, Larry Kramer called Fauci a murderer.

Then, as Specter writes, he started listening to activists and made a rare admission: His approach wasnt working. He threw his caution to the winds and became a public-health activist. Through rigorous research and commitment to clinical studies, the death rate from AIDs has plummeted over the years.

Now Fauci struggles to drive the data bus as the White House throws nails under his tires. It seems emblematic of a deeper, existential problem: America has lost its can-do spirit. We were always Bugs Bunny, faster, smarter, more wily than everybody else. Now were Slugs Bunny.

Can our country be any more pathetic than this: The Georgia governor suing the Atlanta mayor and City Council to block their mandate for city residents to wear masks?

Trump promised the A team, but he has surrounded himself with losers and kiss-ups and second-raters. Just your basic Ayn Rand nightmare.

Certainly, Fauci has had to adjust some of his early positions as he learned about this confounding virus. (When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir? John Maynard Keynes wisely observed.)

Medicine is not an exact art, Jerome Groopman, the best-selling author and professor at Harvard Medical School, put it. Theres lots of uncertainty, always evolving information, much room for doubt. The most dangerous people are the ones who speak with total authority and no room for error.

Sound like someone you know?

Medical schools, Groopman continued, have curricula now to teach students the imperative of admitting when something went wrong, taking responsibility, and committing to righting it.

Some are saying the 79-year-old Fauci should say to hell with it and quit. But we need his voice of reason in this nuthouse of a White House.

Despite Faucis best efforts to stay apolitical, he has been sucked into the demented political kaleidoscope through which we view everything now. Consider the shoot by his pool, photographed by Frankie Alduino, for a digital cover story by Norah ODonnell for InStyle magazine.

From the left, the picture represented an unflappable hero, exhausted and desperately in need of some R & R, chilling poolside, not letting the White Houses slime campaign get him down or silence him. And on the right, some saw a liberal media darling, high on his own supply in the midst of a deadly pandemic. While America burns, Fauci does fashion mag photo shoots, tweeted Sean Davis, co-founder of the right-wing website The Federalist.

Its no coincidence that the QAnon-adjacent cultists on the right began circulating a new conspiracy theory in the fever swamps of Facebook that Faucis wife of three-and-a-half decades, a bioethicist, is Ghislane Maxwells sister. (Do I need to tell you she isnt?)

Worryingly, new polls show that the smear from Trumpworld may be starting to stick; fewer Republicans trust the doctor now than in the spring.

Forget Mueller, Sessions, Comey, Canada, his niece, Mika Brzezinski. Of the many quarrels, scrapes and scraps Trump has instigated in his time in office, surely this will be remembered not only as the most needless and perverse, but as the most dangerous.

As Fauci told The Atlantic, its a bit bizarre.

More than a bit, actually.

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The saga of the doctor versus the denier continues - Antelope Valley Press

Apache, Total make third oil discovery offshore Suriname – Reuters

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(Reuters) - Oil producer Apache Corp and its joint venture partner Total SA said on Wednesday they made their third oil discovery offshore Suriname, sending Apaches shares up 14% in after-market trading.

The Suriname discovery, dubbed among the most anticipated in the world by one brokerage, is seen as central to Apaches efforts to reduce its reliance on the Alpine High venture in Texas Permian basin, which has suffered from diving natural gas prices.

The third discovery also comes at a time when oil and gas producers across the globe are reeling under a coronavirus-led decline in energy demand that led crude prices to drop below $0 for the first time ever.

This is the best well weve drilled in the basin to date, with the highest net pay in the best quality reservoirs, Apache Chief Executive Officer John Christmann said.

The third major find was at the Kwaskwasi-1 well drilled offshore Suriname in Block 58, which comprises 1.4 million acres.

Once operations at Kwaskwasi-1 are completed, the drilling ship will move to the fourth prospect in Block 58, Keskesi, Apache said.

Apache did not provide any estimates for recoverable oil and gas.

The Suriname operations are just across the border from where Exxon Mobil led discoveries off Guyana that are estimated to hold more than 8 billion barrels of oil.

Former Suriname President Desi Bouterse described the discovery as a great gift, saying this will be a lot of money for this small country.

Apache and Total each hold a 50% working interest in Block 58, with the U.S. producer as the operator.

(This story corrects Bouterses title to former president in ninth paragraph, spelling error in third paragraph)

Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru;; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shailesh Kuber

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Apache, Total make third oil discovery offshore Suriname - Reuters

Wind – AWEA urges approval of Vineyard Wind offshore wind project – Renewable Energy Magazine

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Vineyard Wind is proposing an 800-megawatt wind energy project offshore Massachusetts. The proposed project would be located approximately 12 nautical miles offshore Martha's Vineyard and 12 nautical miles offshore Nantucket in the northern portion of its lease area.

BOEM published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Vineyard Wind I project in December 2018 and received comments from a wide variety of stakeholders, including state and local governments, federal agencies, industry, and the public. Those comments prompted BOEM to develop a Supplement to the Draft EIS, which was released last month and which expanded its cumulative activities scenario for offshore wind development beyond what was considered in the DEIS. This expanded scenario includes all named wind projects and state demand that can be met with existing leases. It also considers previously unavailable fishing data, a new transit lane alternative, and changes to the Construction and Operations Plan.

During the 45-day public comment period following the release of the supplement, BOEM conducted five live, virtual public meetings to enable the public to learn more about the review process, EIS schedule, potential impacts and proposed mitigations of the proposed project.

We urge BOEM to move toward timely approval of this milestone project, at last unlocking the enormous potential for offshore wind to meet our nations growing appetite for clean energy, create tens of thousands of jobs, and provide substantial investments into the American economy said Laura Morton, AWEA Senior Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Offshore.

It is time for our country to start catching up to global competitors, who are already harnessing the significant economic and environmental benefits of offshore wind. The offshore wind industry remains committed to collaborating with other ocean users as we move forward. We are confident that the deployment of offshore wind can be compatible with commercial fishing and safe navigation, as has been demonstrated in many other countries that are already safely and successfully operating offshore wind farms.

"AWEA strongly agrees with the analysis from the US Coast Guard and BOEM that the turbine spacing and uniform grid layout proposed by offshore developers for the adjacent Massachusetts and Rhode Island lease areas, which is reflected in Alternative D2 in the draft supplemental environmental impact statement and results in 200 transit lanes through the lease areas, will maximize safe navigation, as the Coast Guard determined. There is no reason to adopt Alternative F to provide even wider transit lanes when Coast Guard and BOEM analysis demonstrates it is worse for navigation safety. By finishing the environmental review in a timely fashion, BOEM will signal that US offshore wind is about to take off, attracting the 83,000 American jobs and $25 billion in annual economic investment this industry represents. On the other hand, additional delays and regulatory uncertainty will likely cause these careers and dollars to flow to Europe and other countries whose policies support clean, safe, and affordable offshore wind.

For additional information:

American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)

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Tulane part of study that discovers massive submarine landslide offshore Tanzania – News from Tulane

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One of the highlights of the study is the discovery of one of the biggest landslides on Earth the Mafia mega-slide which occurred around 17 million years ago off the coast of East Africa.

A Tulane University researcher is part of team of scientists evaluating the hazards associated with submarine landslides beneath the Indian Ocean that are associated with the East African Rift System, a seismically and volcanically active series of continental fractures.

Geophysicist Cynthia Ebinger, the Marshall-Heape Chair Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the study demonstrates the massive scale of submarine landslides and the potential link to such landslides in the Gulf of Mexico.

The study was recently published in the open-access journal Nature Communications. The team was led by Vittorio Maselli, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The work has implications for submarine landslide hazards in Africa and worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico."

Tulane geophysicist Cynthia Ebinger

Submarine landslides represent a serious threat to engineered sea-floor structures and to coastal societies due to their potential in generating catastrophic tsunami waves, the study says.

Ebinger said the study is relevant due to a recent study out of Florida State University that showed that an average of 10 underwater landslides triggered by the passage of seismic waves from distant earthquakes occur each year in the Gulf of Mexico.

The work has implications for submarine landslide hazards in Africa and worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico, and highlight the need for mapping and monitoring of coastal margins to mitigate the hazards.

Faulting and earthquakes occur extensively along the flanks of the East African Rift System, resulting in remobilization of sediment in the form of landslides, the study says. To date, constraints on the occurrence of submarine landslides are lacking, leaving unanswered a link between rifting and slope instability.

One of the highlights of the study is the discovery of one of the biggest landslides on Earth the Mafia mega-slide which occurred around 17 million years ago off the coast of East Africa. The mega-slide, named for Mafia Island in the Indian Ocean, triggered large and potentially tsunamic landslides likely through earthquake activity and enhanced sediment supply. The study is a first step in evaluating the risk associated with underwater landslides in the region.

Nearby but smaller landslides are linked to the onset of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the East African rift system where the African plate is slowly separating into several smaller plates, much like what happened between N. America and Africa 180 million years ago, Ebinger said.

I joined the team of scientists mapping the mega-landslide deposits in the Indian Ocean to discover the probable cause of the landslide: what process caused such a large landslide, information needed to understand the triggers for submarine landslides in offshore Africa, and even the Gulf of Mexico.

As part of her work, she analyzed patterns in river drainage along with areas of earthquake activity, large faults and volcanic eruption history in East Africa to evaluate the causes.

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Tulane part of study that discovers massive submarine landslide offshore Tanzania - News from Tulane

Sean Doherty: The Offshore Gas Field Hiding in Plain Sight of Newcastle, Sydney and the Central Coast – Coastalwatch

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Senior Writer

Newcastle-born Belinda Baggs has led the surf community fight against the PEP 11 offshore development.Photo: Jarrah Lynch

COASTALWATCH | SEAN DOHERTY

Is that the airport? There?

My favourite line from The Castle is when the property valuer walks into the Kerrigans backyard just as a 747 takes off over the back fence and realises the house backs onto the airport runway.

Likewise, when you mention to pretty much anyone living on the coast between Sydney and Newcastle that theres plans to turn the horizon off their coast into an offshore gas field you get the same response. They think youre taking the piss. They cant believe anyone would seriously consider developing an offshore gas field off Sydney. But I suppose a country that can blow up a 46,000-year-old sacred indigenous site for an iron ore mine is capable of pretty much anything.

Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 PEP11 has been hiding in plain sight off the most populated coastline in the country for well over a decade. Australians are accustomed to the offshore oil and gas industry operating as remotely as possible northwest WA, the Timor Sea, Bass Strait and most recently out in the Great Australian Bight. Theres currently no offshore gas in development off Australias east coast.

But PEP 11 is not exactly remote. Its a 4500 square kilometre area smack bang off Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle. If its developed, theres a distinct possibility that the gas rigs would be visible on the horizon. The idea seems wildly incredulous, and yet this is Australia where the fossil fuel lobby has dictated their own terms for decades now. PEP 11 is not only real, its just two green lights from the drills being primed. The drilling could begin as early as next year.

It was first surveyed in 1981, although it was first seriously developed in December 2010 when a test well was drilled 61km off Newcastle by Australian company Advent Energy, who concluded the area was a potential Giant Gas province. In the years following, Advent also conducted a series of seismic testing in the basin, mapping several prospect areas that someone with a twisted sense of humour named after whale species, the animals most effected by the seismic blasts. Last year, Advent who owns an 85% share of the PEP 11 exploration permit, with Bounty Oil and Gas owning the other 15 facing growing community opposition announced they were ditching plans to conduct another series of 3D seismic testing, and instead were jumping straight ahead to begin drilling.

This is where we find ourselves today.

To begin drilling Advent need approvals. They first need the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administration to allow them to switch from seismic testing to drilling. They also need to have the PEP 11 permit extended, as its due to expire next year. Both these approvals, according to their own press, are imminent. If approved, theyd still have to have any drilling approved by NOPSEMA, the offshore drilling regulator wholl deem whether its environmentally safe or not.

And yet Advent remain bullish, and why wouldnt they? Just today, a leaked final report from the Federal Governments own COVID Commission recommended huge public investment in gas infrastructure. AsThe Agereports,A hand-picked coronavirus manufacturing taskforce is urging the Federal government to underwrite a dramatic expansion of gas supply through tax incentives and financial support for new projects, and cutting red and green tape. The hand-picked panel of course, is stacked with people not only aligned with the gas industry, but actively working for gas companies. The head of the COVID Commission, Nev Power, is a director of Strike Energy. Conflict of interest calls have been summarily dismissed. This is of course modern Australia, where fossil fuel interests call the shots.

Advent along with the entire gas industry in Australia is crying about a gas shortage and the need for projects like PEP 11 to be developed. This gas shortage is a smoky.Australia is awash with gas. Australia is currently the largest exporter of liquid natural gas in the world, and therein lies the problem. Exports have tripled in the past five years, resulting in a tripling of domestic gas prices. What happens, broadly, is that the cheap gas is shipped off to Asia while Australian consumers are stuck with the expensive gas. Its led to the farcical situation where we are building import terminals in Port Kembla and Newcastle to import back the same gas we exported, just at a higher price. There is no gas reserve policy on the Australian east coast, the Federal Government has done nothing to intervene, and so the market is free to chase profits however it sees fit.

Hey presto, gas crisis.

The fact PEP 11 has progressed this far without huge communal uproar is also surprising, but opposition is stirring to life. Both theSurfrider Foundationand a Newcastle-based group Save Our Coast has been banging the drum to at least make people aware whats going on just off their coast.Save Our Coasthas encouraged people to write to local Federal MPs asking for the PEP 11 permit to be scrapped. At last count they have had almost 10,000 people send emails, and the issue is likely to become politically hot. There are a bunch of marginal electorates along the coast staring out at a horizon where, if left uncontested, gas rigs could soon be staring back.

It feels like the PEP 11 showdown is coming to a head, and the corona lockdown is the only thing preventing a repeat of the Great Australian Bight paddle out protests that swept around the country last year. If you can get tens of thousands of people to paddle out and save a coastline a couple of thousand kays away theyve never been to, how many would you get when the rigs are on their doorstep?

Wamberal on the Central Coast of NSW, perfectly adjacent to the incoming offshore gas field. Photo: From the Coastalwatch User Photo Gallery by DanZahra

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Sean Doherty: The Offshore Gas Field Hiding in Plain Sight of Newcastle, Sydney and the Central Coast - Coastalwatch

Offshore Balancing: A Grand Strategy for the China Dream – The Diplomat

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For years, the term Chinas rise has provided a useful shorthand for conveying the arc of Chinas recent history: its ascent from poor and powerless victim to wealthy, formidable, and proud global power; from bit player on the world stage to one of the more prominent lead actors.

Whatever the history and politics of the term, the fact is that it no longer captures or conveys the reality of China today. To put it bluntly, China is no longer rising it has risen. No matter the metric GDP, technological innovation, regional and global influence China is at or near the top of the global league tables. It is no longer a global power-in-the-making. Instead, it is a power whose time has come.

This begs the question, now that China has arrived, how should it conduct itself on the world stage? Or, in somewhat more technical terms, what grand strategy should it adopt to advance and defend its national interests in a world order defined in large part by a risen China and a still-hegemonic United States?

During Chinas rise, of course, this question was answered by Deng Xiaopings 24-Character Strategy: Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership. But this was a strategy designed to create a political space within which China could rise without triggering an adverse reaction from the United States. That time has passed. The challenge facing the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) fifth generation leadership today is how to wield Chinas newfound power to secure and advance the interests of a revenant China and to do so in a world still dominated by a United States that is, at best, a frenemy.

Chinas Options for a Grand Strategy

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Both history and theory must have suggested several possible answers to these questions to the CCP leadership. It is more than just conceivable, for example, that some among what David Shambaugh has called the nativist school would have considered a strategy of isolationism. The nativist school has in recent decades advocated a policy separateness and unilateral freedom of action. Based on both historical and Marxist narratives, its members have argued that China should never have opened its doors to the world in the first place, for that opening allowed unwelcome Western influences to return, and should never have enmeshed itself in an irredeemably exploitative capitalist world order, for that threatened to undo Maos anti-capitalist revolution. Hyper-nationalistic and staunchly anti-American, the nativist camp would certainly have pressed for an isolationist and unilateralist China First strategy. No strategic partnership with the United States, no entangling alliances with states or global institutions, and definitely no managing a declining American world order or launching a Chinese one in its place.

A second answer to the question of what grand strategy is appropriate to a risen China is regional hegemony. Such a strategy would have appealed to the Asia First school of Chinese international relations, a group of scholars and officials that argues that the focus of Chinas diplomacy should be on its immediate periphery, and slightly more ambitiously on its East Asian neighborhood. This school believes that if Chinas neighborhood is not stable, or is dominated by hostile powers, Chinas economic development and national security will be threatened. Therefore, it advocates robust efforts multilateral if possible, unilateral if necessary to maintain the integrity of the regional map as China has drawn it and shape the Indo-Pacific regional order more broadly. It is a strategy that insists that China, like every great power, must protect its own backyard, even if that backyard is shaped by the United States new obsession with the Indo-Pacific concept.

Third, Chinas meteoric rise, whose terminal point was not at all clear when Xi advanced his China Dream in 2012, created at least the possibility of pursuing a grand strategy of global empire. This has given rise to what I will call the Middle Kingdom school. Like the nativists, this school is deeply rooted in the belief that China is the heir to a millennium-old civilization that until the 16th century was the dominant economic, military, and diplomatic power in its world. They differ from the nativists, however, in that they see todays China as being in a position to reclaim its natural place as the Middle Kingdom, to return China to its natural position at the center of its world order only this time at the center of a world order that is truly planetary in scale. Members of this school believe that the American-led post-war order is in its death throes and that this is both a threat and an opportunity. It is a threat in that it carries the frightening prospect of severe political and economic turbulence that will have deleterious effects on China and the CCP. It is perceived as an opportunity in that it creates an opening for the CCP to build a new world order one reflecting Chinese Communist Party interests, values, and norms that will ultimately benefit China just as the old liberal order benefited the United States.

And that leaves us with the final strategic option, the one that seems to have decisively carried the day among the Chinese foreign policy establishment over the last few years: offshore balancing. The DNA of this strategy can be found in the Chinese tradition of international thought first codified by Sun Tzu in the 6th century BCE. Like Western realism, this tradition emphasizes the corruption of humanity, the conflictual nature of all human affairs, the struggle for power and security, and the imperative of military self-reliance in an imperfect and always dangerous world. Also like realism, the Sun Tzuian approach argues that the goal of grand strategy should be to create and maintain a balance of power among the great powers a balance that is dominated by no one state and that acts to short-circuit the efforts of any aspiring hegemon to achieve predominance. In such a system, states must continually take steps to maintain the balance that is, to resist the hegemonic moves of any of their number and to restore any power that temporarily achieves hegemony to the ranks of unexceptional or ordinary great powers.

One way to do this is to adopt a strategy in which a great power uses favored regional powers to check the rise of potentially hostile powers to regional or global predominance. While this can entail formal or informal alliances, prepositioning of equipment, and similar cooperative measures, it does not entail the permanent basing of large numbers of troops in that region. Indeed, that is its defining characteristic. Offshore balancing involves eschewing onshore deployments of military forces in favor of offshore positioning of assets that can be used to intervene as and when the regional balance is threatened. Traditionally, the strategy calls for such states to maintain a rough balance of power in the worlds three key geopolitical regions: Europe, the Middle East, and Northeast Asia. In the Chinese case today, it also entails seeking a rough balance of power in the regions of space, cyberspace, international institutions. Also in the Chinese case, offshore balancing is not merely about maintaining a balance of power. It is about maintaining a balance favorable to Chinese interests. Among other things, this means a balance that is not favorable to the United States.

Offshore Balancing in Action: The Middle East

What is the evidence that Beijing has adopted a grand strategy of offshore balancing with Chinese characteristics? Space limitations preclude a comprehensive survey of how Chinas offshore balancing strategy has begun to manifest itself. Instead, let me offer a snapshot of this strategy as it is playing out in one of the key geographical regions offshore balancers worry about: the Middle East.

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The existing balance of power in the Middle East, itself of relatively recent vintage, is one that favors the United States. On the one hand, there is the revisionist power and aspiring regional hegemon, Iran. Driven by both fear and the desire to export its revolution, Irans grand strategic objective is to impose a Shia-dominated, Iran-centered order on the entire region. So far, it has drawn into its orbit several factions in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon all of which share to varying degrees either the Islamic Republics fears or its aspirations. Among other things, a successful Iranian bid for regional hegemony would entail Tehrans control of the flow of Middle Eastern oil, the creation of an even larger jumping-off point for the further export of Irans revolution, and of course, the elimination of the Jewish state. On the other hand, there is a Saudi-led bloc comprising the Kingdom; most of the Gulf States; elements within Iraq, Syria, and Yemen; Egypt; Jordan; and, yes, Israel. Driven by various overlapping fears and aspirations, this bloc seeks to stymie Tehran, ensure the continuing free flow of oil out of the region, and secure some configuration of Israel as part of a region with settled borders. While Russia and Turkey have played bit parts in Syria, to date, the only major external power to intervene continuously and significantly in this region has been the United States. Driven by the same concerns as the Saudi bloc, Washington has consistently sided with, and provided leadership to, the anti-Iranian coalition.

Enter China. Reflecting, I believe, a crystallization of Chinas version of offshore balancing, Beijing has entered into an unprecedented strategic relationship Tehran. The predicates for this new strategic approach to the region were laid over the past few years: development of Chinas maritime strategic infrastructure (the string of pearls) linking the Chinese mainland to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, multiple port visits to Iran by the PLA Navy, and economic investment over the past decade. However, these initiatives were artifacts more of Deng Xiaopings 24-Character Strategy than Xis offshore balancing strategy. What has changed now is the purpose to which all these assets and investments are being put to use. For Beijing, the balance of power now trumps the balance of payments.

The terms of the new Sino-Iranian comprehensive 25-year strategic partnership agreement have not yet been fully finalized. However, early indications are that China would expand its investment in Irans banking and telecommunications sectors as well as railways, ports, and other infrastructure projects in exchange for heavily discounted oil. But that is just the economic dimension. On the military front, the proposal commits both parties to joint training and exercises, joint research and weapons development, and intelligence sharing. It also proposes Chinese investment in two port facilities in Iran, along the coast of the Sea of Oman, which would add to Chinas ever-expanding maritime infrastructure.

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This transactional dimension to the new Sino-Iranian partnership, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. At a deeper level, the new relationship constitutes a profound challenge to the regional order that has emerged over the past few decades, partly due to U.S. strategy and partly as a function of the vicissitudes of regional politics. While periodically placed under stress by Iranian initiatives, Russian mischief, and Israeli domestic politics, this order has proven not only to be stable but stable in a way broadly favorable to American interests.

Chinas insertion of itself into the equation has, by design, begun to undermine all this. If handled well by Beijing and clumsily by Washington, the consummation of the Sino-Iranian partnership is likely to set in motion a chain of events that will overturn the current regional order at the expense of the Saudi-centered, Israeli-anchored, and American-backed regional coalition that partly constitutes that order. Successful or not, however, Chinas attempt to create such a strategic partnership tells us all we need to know about the new strategic vision guiding its foreign policy.

Andrew Latham is a professor of political science at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

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Offshore Balancing: A Grand Strategy for the China Dream - The Diplomat

Neurology Devices Market Outlook To 2026 – Business Opportunity and Technological Innovations – Market Research Posts

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The neurology devices market report, in a nutshell, is a composition of very vital aspects. The study aims to simplify the understanding of the industry for potential stakeholders and help them streamline the process of business decision-making. Pivotal details such as the SWOT analysis, Porters analysis, and industry impact forces are mentioned in the report, that also elucidates substantial information pertaining to the pitfalls and challenges prevailing in the industry.

Neurostimulation devices for treatment of neurological disorders are estimated to witness considerable growth in the near future. Also, rapid technological advancements in neurostimulation devices are providing satisfactory results to number of patients that are suffering from debilitating neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Recent advances in neuroimaging and neurotechnology, along with rising understanding of neurocircuitry, are some of the factors contributing to rapid rise in the use of neurostimulation therapies in order to treat an increasingly wide range of neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

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Neurology devices market report industry segmentation What points are mentioned in the study about the product spectrum?

Neurology devices market report industry segmentation What points are mentioned in the study about the application spectrum?

Neurology devices market report industry segmentation What points are mentioned in the study about the end-use spectrum:

Certain other important report takeaways:

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Some of the key industry players include Braun Melsungen AG, Boston Scientific, Stryker Corporation, Medtronic, Inc., Abbott, Johnson and Johnson, Smith & Nephew, Microport, Nihon Kohden and Penumdra Inc. The key players focus on strategic alliances and new product launches to expand their business product portfolio across the globe.

In substance, the neurology devices market report analyses the industry landscape in terms of numerous parameters, like the driving forces impacting the revenue scale of this industry and the ongoing trends defining the industry spectrum. In addition, the study mentioned the industry insights, market segmentation, and is also inclusive of information pertaining to the companies that partake in neurology devices market share.

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You get 2 choices for president. That’s it. – Crossroads Today

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July 28, 2020 2:35 AM

Posted: July 28, 2020 2:35 AM

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan tells CNNs Jake Tapper he thinks a lot of voters dont like either candidate in 2020.

Theres been a lot of news, but I want to focus today on an argument made by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan that I think is worth exploring for its complete and total wrongness.

Hogan is a pretty remarkable politician a Republican popular in a blue state, he has not been afraid to call out the Trump administration.

Hes got a new book out about his fight with cancer and in it he describes Trump administration Cabinet members (he doesnt say which ones) suggesting he should run against President Donald Trump this year. He considered it but didnt, ultimately.

Who does he support for president? But what I want to address here is how Hogan is treating the question of whether hell support Trump this fall. Hes done variations of this in a few interviews, including with CNNs Jake Tapper on Sunday.

TAPPER: You didnt vote for President Trump in 2016. You have consistently criticized his approach to governing. A few days ago, you told The Dispatch podcast you probably will not endorse him before the election. Who do you think is a better person to lead the US through this very difficult time, Joe Biden or Donald Trump?

HOGAN: Well, I think Im just going to let the American people make that decision. The election is 100 days away. I think early voting starts in 60 days or less. So were getting very close for the American people to make that decision. I think, quite frankly, a lot of people, like me, are frustrated with the divisiveness and dysfunction on both sides and dont feel like we have two great choices.

That idea is true. A lot of Democrats who supported other people in their primaries probably arent too excited about Joe Biden. And a lot of Americans are probably concerned that Democrats are moving too far to the left even as theyre frightened by Trump.

But Hogan went a bit further in an interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt:

I mean, theres, there are other choices. I didnt make that choice between Hillary and Donald Trump the first time. I did a write-in for my dad, who I had a lot of respect for and who we could probably touch on with your Nixon background there. But, you know, its, its not a black or white decision.

Technically speaking, hes correct. You can write someone in or pick one of the other presidential candidates who will likely appear on your ballot. The Green Party has Howie Hawkins. The Libertarians have Jo Jorgensen. Neither of them are going to be president.

But hes also totally wrong. And this is where Hogan veers into politician-speak silliness. Your 2020 vote is entirely a black-and-white decision.

If you support Trump, he needs your help. A series of CNN battleground state polls out this weekend show the President trailing in three states he won in 2016, including Florida, which no successful Republican presidential candidate has lost in 96 years. Since Calvin Coolidge.

If you dont support Trump, youd better vote that way. Because hes on the ballot and despite those polls, you might end up with four more years of him.

Thats about as binary a decision as its possible to have. Barring unforeseen calamity, either Donald Trump or Joe Biden will take the oath of office on January 20 at noon. It will not be Larry Hogans father, who died in 1975.

The subtext of Hogan, a Republican, not vocally supporting Trump is that he opposes Trump but he doesnt want to turn off all the Republicans who do. Hogan has this luxury since hes the governor of a state that will almost certainly cast its electoral votes for Biden. And hell be reminding everyone of that if he runs for president in 2024!

But the effect of Hogans words is the idea that it doesnt matter which candidate wins and that another option is worth considering. The time for other options, in the electoral system thats grown up around us, was during primary season.

There are plenty of people arguing the US electoral system needs changes. Those arent going to happen before November 3.

R or D for 150 years. It is a fact of American life that the two parties have held a death grip on the White House since the Civil War. And theyll keep it unless or until the entire system is changed.

The parties have beaten back Populists, Progressives, Socialists, Dixiecrats and Independents. Theyve humbled Teddy Roosevelt, Eugene Debs, Strom Thurmond, George Wallace and Ross Perot. Would-be moderate independent Howard Schultzs campaign never even formally launched this year.

The last non-major-party electoral votes were a very long time ago. Despite offering frustrating options, the major parties have only gotten more dominant. Nobody but a Republican or a Democrat has gotten any electoral votes at all in more than 50 years, since Wallace, promising to keep segregation, won five Southern states in 1968.

Change agents run in party primaries. The power the parties hold over the US system is why Bernie Sanders, who isnt a Democrat, ran as a Democrat two times. Its why Ron Paul ran as a Republican twice. Its why Trump, who hasnt always been a Republican, ran as a Republican in 2016. Recall that he dabbled with a Reform Party run in 2000 only to realize there was no path to victory.

In November, until the country changes the system, its R or D at the presidential level.

A bad year for a protest vote. Presidential candidates try to sell every presidential election as the most important one ever, but this certainly carries some real-time importance.

Set aside the more political divisions of Trumps presidency:

Focusing only on his stewardship of the country in the midst of pandemic:

Americans have seen, under Trump and during the pandemic, that who sits in the Oval Office actually does have a bearing on daily life. And for that reason, in 2020, there are no other choices.

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You get 2 choices for president. That's it. - Crossroads Today

Researchers Build Swarm Robotics System Based on Ant Pheromones – RTInsights

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Simulations showed the system to be highly effective and accurate, with diverse group behaviors among the swarm robots.

Researchers at the Universityof Manchester have built a new technique for swarm robotics, based on how antsrelease pheromones into their environment.

Through this, individual robots may be capable of communicating with one another in remote areas, and one could notify others of a problem that needs fixed, like a burst pipe.

SEE ALSO: Michigan Study Teaches Robots Household Object Relationships

Our main idea was to develop a bio-inspired communication system based on social animals pheromone communication systems, said University of Manchester researcher, Farshad Arvin.

More specifically, we wanted to emulate how ants release pheromones and the behaviors that follow. We use the developed system in swarm robotics applications, and we are now investigating the possibility of testing it in real-world settings.

The system uses light toemulate pheromone release, called the COS system. The researchers ensured themodel was accurate in real-world environments, such as underwater and duringintense weather conditions.

The model we proposedis a reliable and realistic model that can imitate pheromone communicationamong insects, said Arvin.

Simulations showed the systemto be highly effective and accurate, with diverse group behaviors among the swarmrobots. Our paper introduces a robust, open-source experimental setup that canbe used to implement more complex behaviors typically observed in socialinsects, Arvin added.

The team is now looking to move onto real-world tests. It sees light as being a potential source of data transfer for small packets, allowing thousands of small devices to communicate without cellular signal.

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Inside Innovation: The promise and challenge of robotics and co-botics in construction – Daily Commercial News

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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the construction industry with an opportunity to re-examine itself in the hopes of addressing its lagging productivity gains over past decades. Modularization and off-site construction under controlled conditions is gaining increased attention.

Automation is also gaining acceptance in the form of various programmable robotic machines and devices that increase site efficiency. One area of such advancement has given birth to the term co-botics, exoskeleton devices worn or attached to individual workers that allow them to maintain continuous levels of work while reducing fatigue.

Should the rise of automation and robotics in construction be seen as a threat to contractors and workers? Not according to international consultancy McKinsey & Company.

The reality is much more nuanced, write Michael Chui and Jan Mischke, McKinsey Global partners in San Francisco and Zurich respectively.

In fact, they are optimistic about future employment prospects.

In construction, automation is less likely to diminish employment opportunities than it is to increase productivity. We expect the overall number of jobs in construction to grow rather than shrink, with up to 200 million additional jobs by 2030 if countries fill global infrastructure gaps and boost affordable housing supply.

In their December 2019 report titled, The impact and opportunities of automation in construction, Chui and Mischke cite constructions unique processes as a reason why robots will not entirely replace humans.

The easiest tasks to automate are repetitive, physical activities in predictable environments but constructions environment is usually unpredictable, they write. The unpredictability is twofold: not only do pieces move around but each construction site and project is tailored to specific customer demands, architectural designs and geographical and site requirements.

While robots that can lay bricks and pave roads are already in use, intriguing new devices are under development that will make work easier for those onsite.

For example, Clearpath Robotics of Kitchener, Ont. has introduced the Husky A200, a mobile robot designed to navigate difficult terrain for mapping and geological work. Its open platform allows physical modifications and software integration with BIM, making it capable of carrying materials while navigating the jobsite. The A200 is also able to listen to and fulfill commands given by a human.

General Electric has been granted funding to develop an autonomous Tunnelling Earthworm for military purposes that might later evolve into private sector use.

In a media release, the company says the bio-inspired soft robot design mimics the rhythmic movements of earthworms moving through soil and the force of tree roots growing into the ground to create underground tunnel.

Its muscle-and skeleton-like structure squeezes into tight spaces, moving earth backwards while going forward.

Nearer at hand are co-botic devices that allow trades to work at full efficiency longer with reduced fatigue.

Full or near-full exoskeletal devices that can be worn by workers engaged in heavy lifting tasks have been demonstrated for several years. Full robots that can, for example, carry drywall are always a hit at trade shows. However, this level of sophistication is currently price-prohibitive for most worksite applications.

Examples of less expensive solutions to fatigue reduction include ergo-skeletal devices like the ExoPush, an exoskeleton rake attachment to assist workers while spreading asphalt, and the Ironhand, a bionic glove that amplifies the workers grip force, thereby reducing tendonitis.

Automation is likely to increase productivity and see wages rise for workers with advanced skills over the long term.

However, McKinseys Chui and Mischke write that during a transition period that could last a decade or longer, those more exposed to predictable, repetitive tasks will be in less demand, resulting in a slowdown in their wage growth.

Even if robots do the physical work of laying bricks, workers will still need to drive and manoeuvre heavy equipment. But they will need to pair this work with more technological skills.

The employment challenge presented by automation and robotics will place an increased emphasis on worker education, training and new skill sets.

John Bleasby is a Coldwater, Ont.-based freelance writer. Send comments and Inside Innovation column ideas to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.

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More Disinfecting Robots Come to Market – Automation World

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Since the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, robots have been seen as an answer to associated social distancing and workforce issues. They have also been eyed as a solution to the near-constant disinfecting processes required to keep areas as virus-free as possible. Automation World first reported on this in April 2019 in the article COVID-19 Provides Use Cases for Mobile Robotics.

Now Fetch Robotics has announced the release of its SmartGuardUV disinfecting autonomous mobile robot, built in cooperation with Piedmont National, a supplier of packaging equipment and services, and Puro Lighting, a supplier of disinfection UV lighting. According to Fetch Robotics, the SmartGuardUV is an autonomous, broad spectrum UV disinfection robot that eliminates up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria with UV-C, UV-B, and UV-A. It also reports on the results of the disinfection.

Designed to autonomously disinfect high-traffic areas ranging from assembly and warehouse facilities to hospital rooms, the SmartGuardUV combines Fetch Robotics cloud robotics platform, Puro Lighting's pulsed Xenon UV fixtures, and Piedmont Nationals 4Site cloud analytics platform.

The SmartGuardUV autonomous mobile robot. Source: Fetch RoboticsThe SmartGuardUV uses mapping technology and 3D camera vision to autonomously direct broad-spectrum UV light from a pulsed Xenon lamp to disinfect priority areas within a facility. Puro Lighting says its pulsed Xenon UV lamp fixture requires as little as 90 seconds to disinfect a 10-ft. workstation and as little as six minutes to disinfect priority areas of a personal office. The pulsed Xenon UV lamp technology used in SmartGuardUV has been tested by independent accredited third-party testing labs and is registered with the EPA.

Piedmont Nationals John Garlock says, Legacy autonomous disinfection robotic solutions can only operate for two to two-and-a-half hours on a single charge, whereas the pulsed xenon light engines on the SmartGuardUVwhich precisely targets UV rays at high touch surfacescan operate for 8 to 10 hours on a single charge.

Prior to the release of the SmartGuardUV, Fetch released the Breezy One,chemical disinfection autonomous mobile robot designed for large spaces over 100,000 sq. ft. According to Fetch Robotics, the Breezy One is designed for wide area deep cleaning, while the SmartGuardUV is designed for targeted cleaning.

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Doosan Robotics Launches Six New Cobots to Meet Growing Demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era – Robotics Tomorrow

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Doosan Robotics Inc. is introducing six new collaborative robots (cobots), diversifying its innovative product offerings. The new lineup includes four models from the A-SERIES and two from the H-SERIES, adding to the company's selection of innovative, future-proof cobots.

Doosan Robotics Inc. is introducing six new collaborative robots (cobots), diversifying its innovative product offerings. The new lineup includes four models from the A-SERIES and two from the H-SERIES, adding to the company's selection of innovative, future-proof cobots.

The H-SERIES models offer 1.7m reach and up to 25kg payload, marking the heaviest payload among currently available cobots in the market. Comprised of two selections, H2017 and H2515, this high-power lineup weigh only 75 kg, only half of other comparable robots with the same payload. Equipped with six torque sensors on all six axes, the H-SERIES provides the dexterity and flexibility required in variety of applications, in particular logistics and automotive.

"The new A-SERIES and H-SERIES will set a new standard with distinctive advantages such as best-in-class speed, superior performance and outstanding price competitiveness," said Sangchul Kwak, CEO of Doosan Robotics. "Doosan Robotics will lead the growth of the smart factory industry in the post-pandemic era and drive the momentum of new vertical markets in service, logistics and manufacturing."

Doosan will ship its new cobot models through its global sales network from this August.

Since 2018, Doosan has rapidly penetrated the global markets, from Asia, Europe, the Americas to Oceania, and has secured key customers such as MAHLE, Bolta, L'Oreal, Continental, LG Electronics, LG Chem, POSCO and Hyundai Motor Company. With the expansion of the global channels, Doosan has secured numbers of reference cases, being recognized for their versatility in applications in multiple areas including assembly, machine tending and quality inspection.

About Doosan Robotics

Founded in 2015 by Doosan Group, Doosan Robotics is located in Suwon, South Korea specialized in the cobot manufacturing. More information about Doosan Robotics is available at https://www.doosanrobotics.com/en/

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Doosan Robotics Launches Six New Cobots to Meet Growing Demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era - Robotics Tomorrow

Intel Realsense Technology Selected by RightHand Robotics to Revolutionize – AiThority

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Due to the global pandemic, this years e-commerce sales are on the rise. Growth in online retail has placed increased pressure on warehouses to keep up with higher volumes of orders and with social-distancing protocols that have restricted the number of staff allowed on-site. Massachusetts-based RightHand Robotics addresses these challenges with its RightPick2 robot, powered by the Intel RealSense D415 Depth Camera. The RightPick2 is an autonomous robotic piece-picking solution and labor multiplier that allows for rapid order fulfillment with little to no human contact.

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The Intel RealSense D415 provides each RightHand robot with the ability to discern objects and their locations in a bin, while avoiding collisions when pulling them out. The camera also provides data that helps RightHand Robotics improve its platform over time. Depth images from the Intel RealSense D415 gathered over millions of individual picks help RightHand learn the best way for the robot to approach different shapes and classes of items.

Aided by the RightPick2 robot, a single warehouse worker now has the ability to manage a fleet of robots, picking and placing thousands of SKUs instead of having to search warehouse aisles. This results in each robot significantly reducing lead times by fulfilling orders accurately at high speeds, and ultimately enables businesses to give customers what they need.

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The RightHand Robotics solution is targeted to make warehouses safer for employees amid the pandemic and help facilities reopen while adhering to distancing guidelines. With more warehouses rapidly adopting the digital warehouse model, robotic process automation fueled by Intel RealSense technology provides a way to more efficiently fulfill the growing demand.

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Productive Robotics Launches Analytics: A Cloud-Based System for Remote Monitoring for all OB7 Collaborative Robots – Robotics Tomorrow

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With this easy access to the operating status of all cobots and their entire production history, customers are able to optimize their production, identify production errors, minimize downtime, and remotely monitor their robot activity.

CARPINTERIA, Calif., July 28, 2020Productive Robotics, Inc., the Santa Barbara, CA-based designer and manufacturer of OB7 collaborative robots today releases Productive Analytics. Productive Analytics provides real-time status monitoring for all OB7 cobots. With this easy access to the operating status of all cobots and their entire production history, customers are able to optimize their production, identify production errors, minimize downtime, and remotely monitor their robot activity.

The system provides data on current running jobs, past jobs run, running hours, production results, production errors, job run times, and robot idle times. Scheduled reports are automatically delivered via email in PDF and CSV files for importing into company's production data systems. No network ports are left open on OB7 cobots, assuring safety from hacking or malware.

"With our extreme focus on security, there is no internet access into our robots, and all production data is fully encrypted before it is sent to the Productive Analytics cloud," states Bogart.

With valuable production data and robot monitoring, customers can identify errors and bottlenecks, minimize downtime, and optimize production. Production data can be transmitted via either wired network, wirelessly through Wi-Fi, or through customers' own private cellular connection.

Productive Analytics is available free of charge for all OB7 cobots currently in operation. All OB7 cobot models also provide seven-axis capabilities and "no programming," simple teaching platform - the user simply shows OB7 how to do the job and OB7 learns - providing customers with complete ease of use. Like a human arm, seven joints give OB7 the flexibility and dexterity to reach around objects or obstacles where others can't. Unlike a human arm, each of OB7's joints can rotate 360 degrees in both directions allowing the cobot to work in more confined workspaces and areas that a six-axis robot can't reach. All OB7 cobots are fully designed and manufactured in the United States.

###Productive Robotics Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a line of industrial collaborative robots and accessories used in diverse manufacturing processes. Its full line of OB7 cobots are the only USA made, 7 axis cobots on the market, offering the simplest, most flexible, and fastest to teach collaborative robots. Through their "no programming" platform where OB7 learns by physical demonstration, seven-axis 360-degree movable arm, and proprietary intellectual property, Productive Robotics' full line of next-generation cobots offer customers flexible and unlimited application advantages over other cobots in the market. To learn more about Productive Robotics visit http://www.productiverobotics.com or call (805) 244-9300.

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BALYO Renews Part of Its Range of Robots With New High Added Value Functionalities – Business Wire

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IVRY-SUR-SEINE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

BALYO (Paris:BALYO) (FR0013258399, Ticker: BALYO, eligible for the PEA-PME plan), a technological leader in the design and development of innovative robotic solutions for material handling trucks, announces the launch of a new generation of reach truck robots.

Pascal Rialland, CEO of BALYO, comments: Driven by innovation, at the heart of the DNA of BALYO, a pioneer in robotic solutions for materials handling trucks, we are proud to announce the launch of a new generation of robots that will facilitate the robotization of our customers' logistics operations. Offering an improved customer experience and easy to deploy as they do not require any modification of existing storage infrastructures, these robots offer performance levels close to or even superior to those of an operator. With extended functionalities (wide range of applications, increased diversity of pallets transported), the launch of this new range confirms our position as a key player in the mobile robotic sector.

Markus Schmermund, VP Automation & Intralogistics Solutions, LMH EMEA, also comments: This second- automated reach truck generation, R-MATIC, is a full-fledged partner in pallet storage applications. Thanks to its optimized mechanical design and the renewal of its key sensors, this robot today represents the state of the art in its ability to operate in the narrowest aisles and an unprecedented ability to recognize all types of pallets. The performance achieved sets a new standard in our industry while guaranteeing a very high level of safety and precision.

Designed specifically for the handling and storage of pallets at high heights in racking warehouses, the second generation of reach truck robots integrates differentiating improvements for manufacturers, optimizing their storage space and operating costs:

- Easy to deploy: no modification of existing infrastructures is required. Since its creation, the ease of robot deployment has remained a priority at the heart of BALYO's strategy, which is to make robotics simple for its customers;

- Improvement of the truck's operational performance: load capacity of 1.6 tons up to 11.40 meters, a speed of up to 2m/s and operation in narrower storage aisles (2.90 meters compared with 3.20 meters to 3.40 meters previously);

- Diversification of pallet types via new algorithms: a basic requirement for industrial or 3PL customers, the robot is now able to transport a greater diversity of pallets within the same site. This evolution is allowed by the simultaneous availability of the 2nd generation of advanced relative perception algorithms, on which BALYO has been investing for 18 months now. This 3D load detection function secures the pick-up and drop-off of pallets and optimizes their speed. Coupled with the "anti drag & push" pallet movement control function and 360 safety, it ensures a significant reduction in the risk of falling loads, particularly for applications at height;

- Acceleration and improved accuracy of movements thanks to new control systems coupled with a reinforced safety management strategy. Thus the robot equals or even exceeds human performance on certain applications, especially in pick and drop operations beyond the second storage level.

The new generation robot is autonomous even in the management of its energy, and is equipped with an automated recharging solution. Developed on the basis of a Linde manual hand truck, this robot is also equipped with the dual drive mode, allowing the operator to manually take over control of operations at any time.

Already available from the Company's partners, the new generation of robots will soon be available on a "pay-per-use" basis (robotics as a service) and thus include the new remote supervision and control platform, as it is already the case with the Driven by BALYO stacker and counterbalanced stacker robots.

ABOUT BALYO

Balyo transforms standard forklift trucks into standalone intelligent robots thanks to its breakthrough proprietary Driven by Balyo technology. The geoguidance navigation system developed by Balyo allows vehicles equipped with the system to locate their position and navigate autonomously inside buildings. Within the automated handling vehicle market, Balyo has entered into two strategic agreements with Kion Group AG (Linde Material Handling's parent company) and Hyster-Yale Group, two major operators in the material handling sector. Balyo is present in three major geographic regions (Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific). Its sales revenue reached 20.4 million in 2019. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.balyo.com.

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BALYO Renews Part of Its Range of Robots With New High Added Value Functionalities - Business Wire

Robotic Vision Market Key Players, Trends, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2023 (SARS-CoV-2, Covid-19 Analysis) – Reported Times

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Jul 29, 2020 9:03 PM ET

iCrowd Newswire Jul 29, 2020

Robotic Vision Market

The sudden challenges created by the ongoing COVID-19 are captured effectively to exhibit the long term growth projections in the MRFR report on Robotic Vision Market. The growth sectors of the Robotic Vision Market are identified with precision for a better growth perspective.

Robotic Vision is gaining more demand in manufacturing companies in recent time and it will keep growing. Looking at this ultimatum, Market Research Future recently released the market insights till 2023. According to this MRFR analysis, the global robotic vision market is expected to reach USD $9 billion and set to grow at CAGR of 12% during the forecast period.

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The robotic vision is simple process of analyzing, extracting and defining with the help of the camera mounted on it and pre-loaded algorithm. It can be installed for number of applications such as welding & cutting with accuracy, precision, quality in the manufacturing process and inspection & testing, material handling, and packaging.

The vision takes pictures of each a portion of material that the robot will interact with. If the portion matches with the portion of algorithm, then material is accepted and robot will proceed further. The robot vision can also perform different task such as visual feedback for object tracking & administration, navigation, object recognition and segmentation, surveillance, and decision-making.

Drivers:

Robotic vision is among the trending innovations in various industries. Earlier there where blind robots who perform the pickup and place task. The only drawback was every time robots has to reprogram then only task was completed. But with change of time and advancement in industry automation, the 3D vision was introduced the main advantage was they can perform same work without reprogramming.

The new 3D vision robots can avoid any blocks in front of them, and they can take decisions on their own or according to situations. This helps most of industries with better ROI, and time & cost effective. Thus, technology advancement contribute in development of this industry.

The other factors driving the market demand such as inspecting for defects, surface inspection, great flexibility, multi-tasking and others. Even, the consumer and healthcare sectors are approaching this technology and use on daily basis of work.

Segmentation

The industry for robotic vision is fragmented into by components, by technology, by applications, by verticals and by regions. The components is divided as- hardware and software. Hardware segment further consists of cameras, optics, filters, lenses and sensors.

Software segment further consists of tracking and image processing. Technology is segment in 2d and 3d. Applications segment by welding, manufacturing, inspection & testing painting and packaging & palletizing. Finally, verticals are divided as industries, consumer, healthcare, military & defense, and government among others.

The regions are categorized on the basis of Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East & Africa. Asia-Pacific is emerging as the fastest growing market and expected to be the biggest market by the end of forecast period due to the rise in demand for industrial robots in manufacturing and automation industries in this region.

Currently North America holds second position in the market due to deployment of vision guided robots in food & beverages and manufacturing industries.

Trend

November 2017 Collaborative Robots and Advanced Vision (CRAV), hold the conferences in San Jose, California. The conferences conducted from November 15th to 16th 2017. The aim behind this meeting was to highlight the advantage of combing the robotics and vision focusing technology. The CRAV are one the leading players in robotics industry, they are known for software and end-of-arm tooling (EOAT), sensors with advance level, and now they are testing the collaborative robot capabilities and applications.

Industry Competitive Outlook

Key players are approaching new techniques in the robotic vision. The same would improve market performance. Heavy investments are made by major players in the R&D sector.

The prominent players in the market of Robotic Vision are- Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., FANUC Corporation , Yaskawa Electric Corporation, OMRON Corporation , KUKA AG , Cognex Corporation , and ABB Group.

Dont miss out on business opportunities in Robotic Vision Market. Get detailed report and gain crucial industry insights that will help your business grow.

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Keywords:Robotic Vision Market , Robotic Vision Market report, Robotic Vision Market research, Robotic Vision Market trends, Robotic Vision Market size, Robotic Vision Market share, Robotic Vision Market analysis, Robotic Vision Market segmentation, Robotic Vision Market PDF, Robotic Vision Market PPT

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Robotic Vision Market Key Players, Trends, Sales, Supply, Demand, Analysis & Forecast to 2023 (SARS-CoV-2, Covid-19 Analysis) - Reported Times

Mobile Robots in Logistics Market Covid-19 Impact, Growth Analysis and Forecast by 2026 – Owned

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The research report on Mobile Robots in Logistics Industry offers a thorough analysis of existing market trends, in addition to the study on current market tendencies. Additionally, it highlights significant market segments and leading companies. The report comprises Mobile Robots in Logistics market restraints over the forecast period. The analysis sheds light on the industry overview analyzing the aftereffects of COVID-19 pandemic in the vertical.

A comprehensive evaluation of the restraints illustrates the drivers in the Mobile Robots in Logistics market and helps for strategic planning. Critical factors that dominate the industry growth with rewarding opportunities within the vertical that are ever-growing over the forecast period. Mobile Robots in Logistics insights to a niche market by experts remarks are taken to understand the market.

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The Mobile Robots in Logistics market report assesses industry and growing dynamic sector patterns and drivers. It also comprises a cutting-edge analysis and estimates different marketplace segments, significant players, along with every aspect by 2026 and the global outbreak of COVID-19 involves a rethinking of industry leaders. This Mobile Robots in Logistics report comprises the exact consequence identification required to understand the vertical precisely.

(Harvest Automation, Kuka Robotics, Omron Adept Technologies, Mobile Industrial Robots, SMP Robotics Systems, Aethon, Locus Robotics, Savioke, Asic Robotics, Yaskawa, ABB, Mobile Robots in Logistics)

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Automated Guided Vehicles Autonomous Mobile Robots Mobile Robots in Logistics Industry Vertical

Pick and Place Palletizing and Depalletizing Transportation Packaging

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The report provides a summary of this Mobile Robots in Logistics market with a review of product types and drivers, restraints, challenges, traits using the companies data through our analysis methods. The report analyzes Mobile Robots in Logistics Industry capacity with forecast opportunities. The evaluation with a focus on leading regions of interest niches is presented. The company profiles with revenue plans and proportion estimation, Mobile Robots in Logistics market size, services and products, and different facets are all added.

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Complementary And Alternative Medicine Market To 2027 Reporting And Evaluation Of Recent Industry Developments | Columbia Nutritional, First Natural…

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Statistical data provided in the Complementary And Alternative Medicine business report is represented with the help of different types of graphs which simplifies the understanding of facts and figures. Taking up such market research report is always advantageous for any company, whether it is a small scale or large scale, for marketing of products or services. This report endows clients with the information on their business scenario which aids to stay ahead of competition in todays swiftly revolutionizing business environment. Moreover, the report analyses the common market conditions such as product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand, and market growth rate which lends a hand to businesses on deciding upon several strategies.

A credible Complementary And Alternative Medicine report helps make known uncertainties that may crop up due to changes in business activities or introduction of a new product in the market. The report gives CAGR (compound annual growth rate) value fluctuations for the specific forecasted period which is useful in deciding costing and investment strategies. With the meticulous competitor analysis detailed in this report, businesses can estimate or analyse the strengths and weak points of the competitors which helps create superior business strategies for their own product. All the data and statistics encompassed in this Complementary And Alternative Medicine report are backed up by latest and proven tools and techniques such as SWOT analysis and Porters Five Forces Analysis.

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Complementary and alternative medicine market is expected to gain market growth in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Data Bridge Market Research analyses the market is growing with the healthy CAGR in the above-mentioned research forecast period. Rising prevalence cancer and other serious diseases worldwide and emerging markets are the factors responsible for the growth of this market.

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Nordic Naturals, Natures Bounty, Unity Woods Yoga Center, Columbia Nutritional, First Natural Brands Ltd., Ayush Ayurveda, Sheng Chang Pharmaceutical Company, Pure Encapsulations, LLC. Quantum-Touch, and Herb Pharm, LLC among others.

Major Regions as Follows:

A complete value chain of the global Complementary And Alternative Medicine Market is presented in the research report. It is associated with the review of the downstream and upstream components of the Complementary And Alternative Medicine Market. The market is bifurcated on the basis of the categories of products and customer application segments. The market analysis demonstrates the expansion of each segment of the global market. The research report assists the user in taking a decisive step that will be a milestone in developing and expanding their businesses in the global Complementary And Alternative Medicine Market.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 01: Executive Summary

Part 02: Scope of the Report

Part 03: Research Methodology

Part 04: Market Landscape

Part 05: Pipeline Analysis

Part 06: Market Sizing

Part 07: Five Forces Analysis

Part 08: Market Segmentation

Part 09: Customer Landscape

Part 10: Regional Landscape

Part 11: Decision Framework

Part 12: Market Drivers and Challenges

Part 13: Market Trends

Part 14: Vendor Landscape

Part 15: Vendor Analysis

Part 16: Appendix

In conclusion, the Complementary And Alternative Medicine Market report is a reliable source for accessing the research data that is projected to exponentially accelerate your business. The report provides information such as economic scenarios, benefits, limits, trends, market growth rates, and figures. SWOT analysis is also incorporated in the report along with speculation attainability investigation and venture return investigation.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect on several businesses across the world. Due to the rapid spread of the disease, companies are forced to shut down manufacturing units which has directly affected the business operations across the world. We are taking continuous efforts to help your business sustain and grow during COVID-19 pandemics. Based on our experience and expertise, we will offer you an impact analysis of coronavirus outbreak across industries to help you prepare for the future.

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