Base Page November 18 2013

Base Content for All Editions November 18 2013

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Healthcare | Hospitals

Germ-Zapping 'Robots' Aim To Help Hospitals Combat Superbugs

Africa Edition

JobsandRobots.com

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AP Photo/Seth Wenig

By MIKE STOBBE | Huffington Post111sssss

The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread: Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.

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Healthcare | Hospitals

Germ-Zapping 'Robots' Aim To Help Hospitals Combat Superbugs

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

by By MIKE STOBBE | Huffington Post

NEW YORK — They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.

In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn't have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous `superbugs' that are hard to treat.

The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread:

Machines that resemble "Star Wars" robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.

While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable. There is no widely-accepted evidence that these inventions have prevented infections or deaths. Meanwhile, insurers are pushing hospitals to do a better job and the government's Medicare program has moved to stop paying bills for certain infections caught in the hospital.

"We're seeing a culture change" in hospitals, said Jennie Mayfield, who tracks infections at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Those hospital infections are tied to an estimated 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency last month sounded an alarm about a "nightmare bacteria" resistant to one class of antibiotics. That kind is still rare but it showed up last year in at least 200 hospitals. Read the entire article

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Factory Robots | Auto

China Factory Robots: Country's Industrial Sector Increasingly Runs By Machine

singularityhub.com

By Don Durfee | Reuters111sssss

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Factory Robots | Auto

China Factory Robots: Country's Industrial Sector Increasingly Runs By Machine

singularityhub.com

by By Don Durfee | Reuters

BAODING, China (Reuters) - The giant orange robotic arms that swiftly weld together car frames at the Great Wall Motors factory in Baoding might seem like the perfect answer to China's fast-rising labor costs - they don't ask for a raise, get injured or go on strike. For Great Wall, a private sector Chinese car maker that employs 50,000 workers, the Swiss robots and other machinery that line its bright factory floor produce more than cost savings. The company hopes they will help it build cars good enough to compete with the global auto makers.

For Great Wall, a private sector Chinese car maker that employs 50,000 workers, the Swiss robots and other machinery that line its bright factory floor produce more than cost savings. The company hopes they will help it build cars good enough to compete with the global auto makers. "You don't have to be an expert see the (quality) gap between Chinese cars and those made by companies like Audi and Volkswagen," said Li Shaohui, who oversees automatic control engineering for the company. "To beat those competitors we have no choice but to use a higher level of equipment and technology." From car plants to microchip foundries, China's industrial sector increasingly runs by machine. Read the entire article

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Factory Robots | Auto

BETTER, FASTER, AND CHEAPER – THESE ROBOTS ARE INVADING CAR MANUFACTURING PLANTS

Motor Trend

by Peter Murray | SingularityHub.com

Does anyone doubt that it really is just a matter of time before human assembly line workers are a thing of the past? And automakers are doing their best to gain a competitive edge by roboticizing their manufacturing plants. Here’s a glimpse of some of the robots that have recently stepped onto the assembly line floor.

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Factory Robots | Auto

BETTER, FASTER, AND CHEAPER – THESE ROBOTS ARE INVADING CAR MANUFACTURING PLANTS

AutoMoto TV

by Peter Murray | SingularityHub.com

Does anyone doubt that it really is just a matter of time before human assembly line workers are a thing of the past? And automakers are doing their best to gain a competitive edge by roboticizing their manufacturing plants. Here’s a glimpse of some of the robots that have recently stepped onto the assembly line floor.

When Ford’s 2013 Escape hits the road later this year, it’s a safe bet that no one will notice just how precisely it’s parts are put together, compared to past models. The improved assemblage is due to a group of robots which use lasers and cameras to fit windshields, door panels, and fenders together more closely.

When installing a windshield, a robot deposits adhesive evenly around the glass border, then uses a suction cup to move and secure it. Gaps between pieces are smaller, which makes for a more aerodynamic and quieter ride due to decreased wind noise. The 2013 Escape is their first US-manufactured car to benefit from the seeing-eye robots.

Ford had already been using the robots at their manufacturing plants in Europe but only recently installed 700 of them at their Louisville, Kentucky plant. The robots raise the quality of assembly to “custom-like build,” Ford engineer Thomas Burns said in a press release. The robots also give a boost to the all important bottom line by saving energy and reducing the physical strain exerted by their human co-workers. Read the entire article

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Food Preparation

Lamb Butchering Robots Are Both Terrifying And Amazing (VIDEO)

by Rebecca Boyle | Popular Science

Automated Lamb Boning Room , based in massive lamb exporter New Zealand, measures carcass dimensions with X-ray technology to improve cutting accuracy.The most amazing part about this assembly line of computerized butchers, is the use of x-ray technology to find individual bone placement in each animal, to maximize the efficiency of the cuts. Scott Technology LTD

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Food Preparation

Lamb Butchering Robots Are Both Terrifying And Amazing (VIDEO)

Scott Robotic Lamb Boning System

by Rebecca Boyle | Popular Science

Butchers are adept at making the ideal cuts in a side of meat, reducing waste while finding the right balance of fat, connective tissue and supple muscle that will eventually become a juicy steak or chop. But robots do not possess a human's knifely intuition, so they must be equipped with extra tools. This machine uses X-ray technology to find the best cut. This lamb processing plant is fully automated, using robotic arms, conveyor belts and an X-ray room to process whole slaughtered lambs into crown racks, chops and more. Scott Technology Ltd. of New Zealand built this system to speed up the lamb-processing process. Read the entire article