Items tagged with automation
Sometimes, too much technology can be a hindrance to production goals, and Tesla recently found this out the hard way. Tesla, which is well known for its groundbreaking Model S hatchback and Model X crossover electric vehicles, attempted to go full-tilt with robots and automation to reach lofty production goals with its mainstream Model 3. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has now admitted that the company's over-reliance on automation is actually the reason why the Model 3 is behind schedule. Speaking with CBS' Gayle King, Musk admitted, "We had this crazy, complex network of conveyor belts... And it was not working, so we got rid of that whole thing.” "Yes, excessive automation...
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If you loathe having to talk out loud when ordering a meal at a fast-food restaurant, and you happen to love KFC, then you might want to start considering packing it up and moving to China where Baidu has just teamed up with the major chicken brand to create a more automated restaurant. At this particular KFC location in China, patrons can walk up to a display and simply let it decide a meal for them (don't fret: the user can override with their own choices). The idea here is to see how good Baidu's algorithm can guess what someone's in the mood for, based on a variety of metrics and some machine learning. In a particular example, a man in his 20s might get a suggestion for a crispy chicken burger,...
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It looks like we could be seeing an audio-related Nest product in the not-so-distant future. This news stems from the fact that Nest posted a job ad that seeks a "highly technical Head of Audio to lead the development of Nest Audio across hardware and software, present and future." That speaks volumes (no pun). Whoever gets hired will get to lead a team that oversees the development of 'Nest Audio', which will involve both hardware and software. Whatever comes from this will be an end-user product, but that's probably not too much of a surprise. It's an interesting move for Nest, although not really at the same time. Nest was co-founded by Tony Fadell, who happens to have the achievement of creating...
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Don't call AT&T just a carrier, at least not any longer. The company most often associated with being the first U.S. mobile provider to offer the iPhone has branched out in a major way since 2007. At this stage, it's also offering phone, broadband, and pay-TV services under the U-verse umbrella, and soon, it'll also be dabbling into the home security and automation market. In fact, it's something we're pretty excited about. The home automation market has been largely underserved. The only major players require professional installation and cost tens of thousands of dollars per home. For most consumers, that's just way out of reach. Starting this week, AT&T Digital Life is launching in...
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Home automation has been a lagging industry in the mainstream. Sure, those with plenty of disposable income can have their whole home wired up to react to their every word, but what about the rest of us? With no major standardization efforts in place, there's little hope that mainstream users will have affordable ways to automate their home... or will they? AT&T is hoping to bridge that gap with Digital Life, and it has just announced an expansion of Digital Life launch markets. Customers in 15 markets across the U.S. will soon get to experience the newest technology in home security and automation, with the expansion moving that up from just eight markets this Spring. AT&T will continue...
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