This Is Automation

Empty shelves at the grocery store - what is the solution? Vecna Robotics is a technology company that is using robotics and artificial intelligence to solve material handling and logistics problems. We talk with Vecna Robotics' CTO, Zac Dydek, about how humans and robots work together, what the future of automated material handling looks like, and how people react to robotics and AI in the field.

Mixed reality, augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality - there is so much to learn about these technologies and how they can transfer the traditional ways of doing this on the plant floor, in the board room, or around the engineering office. Our guest, Don Harvey, Jr., Founder of Harvin AR, talks about the different types of mixed reality technology, how they can be used, and what barriers stand in the way of the adopting this amazing technology.

Culture and innovation are deeply tied together - few would disagree with that, but few truly understand how to leverage culture to drive innovation. Our guest, John Landrum, is the VP of Innovation, Marketing, and Organizational Culture at Intralox and host of the Triple Win Workplace podcast. John shares his thoughts on organizational culture, innovation, and intellectual property protection through patents. We talk about how innovation and risk are related, how important organizational culture is, and whether the world is a better place with or without patents (specifically when talking about technology companies).

Food packaging is a critical industry that is a key component of the supply chain that keeps food flowing to your plate. What you may not know is that companies like JLS Automation are leveraging highly advanced technology like robotics, vision, and track, to make food packaging safer, more efficient, and more compact. Craig Souser, CEO of JLS Automation, talks about automation in the food packaging industry and the future of automation, robotics, and technology.

What does the future of technology look like? Robots, drones, AI, automation, autonomous vehicles, and more. Gregory Brown, Director of R&D at UPS, talks about key technologies to adapt to changing set of customer demands and to a changing world.  

How do you differentiate in an industry driven by cost and competition? QuantumFlo's answer: technology. Blad Uran, Application Engineer at QuantumFlo, talks about the plumbing industry, how to be competitive, and how to make an impact in an industry that resists change.

Don't be redundant! Unless you're an automation system, then definitely do... Redundancy is an important topic for critical automation systems where uptime is king. How does it work and what are the different types? The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

Hypervisor - sounds like a bad '80s sci-fi movie...BUT it's not! It is a revolution in how today's machines are being designed and you need to know about it. Listen to learn what a hypervisor is, what the different types are, and how it can be used in the industrial automation market. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

Why would anyone use B&R over the other controls platforms out there? David Nichols, CEO of Loupe, shares his opinions on that topic and many others in this great conversation about B&R, robotics, and the future of automation. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

Have you ever found yourself in a meeting where IIoT comes up and all you can do is nod along and hope you don't get called on? Give yourself the knowledge to define the IIoT strategy for your company and learn the different use cases for industrial automation as we talk with Varad Darji, Product Owner at B&R. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

Ever wonder what's happening in the controls of an excavator, a garbage truck, or a loader? How have old-school hydraulics been brought to the future with software? Will we ever see autonomous construction sites? No one is better to unveil the mystery of mobile machinery than my guest Sean Grieve, Business Development Manager for Mobile at B&R. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

Tired of your hard-to-use, old school HMI? It's time to CHANGE YOUR VIEW! My guest Corey Morton, Head of Product Management at B&R, talks about Change Your View and how it can bring a much needed face lift to a machine without changing any code. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.  

Web-based technology is changing the face of machines (literally). My guest Daniel Ghizoni, Senior Technology Engineer at B&R, talks about web technology, web-based HMIs, and B&R's mapp View. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.  

My guest Chris Harduwar (Vice President of Business Development at MapleSoft) shares about simulation and how it can be used in industrial automation. Learn what simulation is, what makes MapleSoft different, and how to use simulation to make the machine of the future. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

My guest Jeremy Lee (Lead Applications Engineer at B&R) walks through the three main types of machine learning: supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement. We also talk about the challenges of machine learning, how to get started, and good use cases in the industrial automation space. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

This episode is the second in a series about ACOPOStrak and SuperTrak. My guest, Dave Emory (Sales Director, Trak Technologies at B&R), and I dive into the commercial side of ACOPOStrak and learn all about what makes this technology powerful enough to reshape not just manufacturing processes, but businesses themselves. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

ACOPOStrak is a game changing technology along with its sister technology SuperTrak. ACOPOStrak stands alone in a narrow market of other long stator linear motor track technologies. This week we talk to Derrick Stacey, Product Owner for ACOPOStrak at B&R, to learn all about it. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

The 1990's - Blockbuster was alive and well, Mark Wahlberg was still Marky Mark, and the fieldbus wars were raging. Every major automation company was fighting for market share for their industrial fieldbus - but peace is on the horizon! If you can make it through the multi-layered, mouthful of an acronym that is OPC UA TSN, you might see that this technology could change the automation industry in a huge way. The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.

Do you know how a New Year's Day hangover and the PLC are connected? If not, then take a listen to this week's episode to learn a little bit about: PLCs as a technology, the history of PLCs, the future of PLCs, and more! The views and opinions expressed in This is Automation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of B&R Industrial Automation.