We scoured leading blogs and websites dedicated to engineering topics and identified 5 articles we found to be particularly valuable and think you will too.

1. The Role of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality In Machine Diagnostics

Whether they’re for equipment training, monitoring or maintenance practices, augmented-reality and virtual-reality technologies provide more information than meets the eye. This panel of eight industry experts breaks down the illusions and cuts through the hype to provide real-world insights. Read article

2. Dwindling Automation Staffs Open Door for Supplier Help

The automation hardware and software landscape has changed drastically over the past few decades, causing many machine builders to reevaluate relationships with their suppliers. These new relationships often result in the machine builder placing a much higher value on service than pricing and specifications, in many cases due to the similarities among available automation hardware and software products. Read article

3. Remaking Automation, Millennial Style

As an electrical engineering major in college, Cody Warren couldn’t get enough of Arduino and Raspberry Pi. He was convinced that embedded programming was his thing. A future in automation wasn’t something he considered much—not for lack of interest, but because he didn’t know anything about the discipline or its role in manufacturing. Read article

4. R&D Spending Expected to Spike in Robotics Industry Until 2020

As Chinese companies move to expand their market share in industrial robotics, so too are companies in the West, with some of the biggest power-plays coming from R&D departments. A recent report by Technavio predicts that global R&D spending in the robotics industry will grow at a CAGR of more than 17 percent between 2016-2020. Read article

5. Technologies for the Smartest Machines in the IIoT Era

What does it mean to make something smart? Consider the scope of this industry catch phrase and what it means for a machine to be smart and to provide advantages for increased use of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) design strategies. Read article