Posts Tagged ‘automation’

GE Global Research is working with the US Department of Veterans Affairs — the same group who had a hand in creating a contest to design user-friendly electronic medical records — to create an automated system for sorting and sterilizing medical equipment in operating rooms. Currently, tools are washed and counted by hand, a time-consuming process that’s very susceptible to human error. Using technologies that have been implemented in manufacturing lines for years, robots in GE’s automated system will use radio-frequency identification tags to identify, clean, and transport tools.

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GE wants to lighten the load on doctors by automating medical equipment sterilization

The idea of a fully autonomous drone army right around the corner is unsettling to say the least, but a cursory look at the state of the military makes us wonder, given recent advances in navigation and robotics , why isn’t more of it automated? Wired responds by examining the false dichotomy between a fully-autonomous “Terminator” and current-generation drones that simply shift the piloting to a control room away from the battlefield. According to a Department of Defense report on autonomous systems in the military, one of the biggest roadblocks to automation is — unsurprisingly — that the humans just don’t trust the systems, which “were rushed to theater with inadequate support, resources, training and concepts of operation.” Continue reading…

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The dream of an automated mechanical army impeded by a lack of trust

Last month, IFTTT brought its web 2.0 automation service to the home with its integration with Belkin’s WeMo range , and now it’s planning to offer personalized scripts that provide the latest coverage of the 2012 London Olympics . Dubbed the ESPN Olympics coverage channel, it can be “triggered” by real-time events like the winning of an Olympic medal, a world record is set, or when a story matches a custom search query. From there, you can tell IFTTT what to with that information, like send updates to Pocket or tweet major stories on your behalf. There are an abundance of filters that you can use to customize the content to your liking , and you can take a peek at some of the channel’s pre-made recipes here . Continue reading…

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IFTTT’s ESPN Olympics coverage channel offers personalized event notifications

If you’ve ever wanted to automate actions on your iPhone, like opening up apps, making calls, and sending Tweets, the latest update to App Cubby’s Launch Center will get you pretty close. Upon opening this 99-cent app, you’re presented with a customizable shortcut list — you could simply use it as a way to launch your favorite apps, but you can also use it to calls, text, or email specific people in your address book, directly access certain settings, or Tweet directly though iOS 5′s built in Twitter service. Yesterday’s update expands this functionality beyond a simple shortcut list and now allows users to schedule actions and have them show up in Notification Center; scheduled events can appear as lock screen alerts, notification… Continue reading…

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Launch Center uses iOS Notification Center for scheduled actions

If you want your Dropbox account to do more than simply store your files, the new web tool Dropbox Automator might be worth your while. Once you link up your Dropbox account, you can specify folders and have specific actions performed on files once they are added to those folders. For example, just upload a photograph to a designated location and Dropbox Automator can upload it to Flickr or Facebook, complete with pre-designated tags.

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Dropbox Automator extends the functionality of your cloud storage

If you’re both an Android and home automation junkie, Control4 finally has you covered with the launch of the Control4 MyHome app for Android tablets and phones. You can now download a free app to control anything hooked up to a Control4 Home Control system, including lighting, home theater, temperature control, and home security. Of course, you first need to have your home set up for Home Control by an authorized dealer, and there’s a $199 charge to license a single device running the MyHome app, or $499 for a site or location license which allows multiple devices. While it certainly isn’t a cheap solution, the legion of Android owners now have a new option for controlling their home automation systems beyond Control4′s proprietary… Continue reading…

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Control4 home automation comes to Android phones and tablets