90% of Manufacturers Say Digital Transformation Is Now Essential
Rockwell Automation’s 11th annual State of Smart Manufacturing report, based on 1,560 respondents across 17 countries, finds that 90 % of manufacturers now view digital transformation as essential for competitiveness. The study shows a clear move from pilot projects to full‑scale deployment, with 59 % actively using smart technologies versus only 18 % still in pilot mode. AI is already augmenting 34 % of operations and is expected to power more than half of processes by 2030, while only 43 % of collected data is being leveraged effectively. Cybersecurity incidents affected 46 % of firms, underscoring the need for integrated IT/OT security as digital adoption accelerates.
3Q: Why Science Is Curiosity on a Mission
MIT has launched the “Science Is Curiosity on a Mission” initiative, a storytelling campaign that spotlights university researchers whose long‑term, curiosity‑driven work underpins breakthroughs in medicine, technology, and national security. The effort seeks to counter a recent decline in public...
Nikon Launches ECLIPSE LV100AMS
Nikon has introduced the ECLIPSE LV100AMS, a one‑click automated microscope aimed at industrial inspection and quality control. The system combines motorized imaging, AI‑driven analysis, and customizable workflows to eliminate operator variability and speed up throughput. By automating the entire inspection chain,...
Hexagon Boosts Large-Volume Inspection Productivity
Hexagon’s Portable Metrology Division launched HYPERPROBE, a Bluetooth‑connected wireless probe that integrates contact measurement with its high‑speed HYPERSCAN laser scanners. The probe delivers 0.05 mm accuracy and operates within the same coordinate system, allowing users to capture hidden features without interrupting...
The Steam Controller and an Industrial Robot: An Unexpected Intersection
ENCY Hyper, a cross‑platform robot programming environment, now accepts consumer wireless gaming controllers as a tactile jog interface, sidestepping the need for proprietary teach pendants. The article details how controllers provide analog sticks, triggers and robust ergonomics that mirror industrial...
SCANOLOGY Launches AccuArm Portable CMM
SCANOLOGY unveiled the AccuArm Portable Coordinate Measuring Machine, a lightweight, carbon‑fiber articulated arm that delivers high‑precision inspection across shop floors, assembly lines, and metrology labs. Certified to ISO 10360‑12:2016, the system offers reach options from 1.5 m to 4.5 m and integrates thermal,...
Boeing Plans $1 Billion Investment in Kansas Facilities
Boeing announced a $1 billion investment in its Wichita, Kansas facilities over the next three years. The funding will upgrade factories, expand a new 35,000‑sq‑ft workforce training center with Wichita State, and support higher production rates following its $8.3 billion acquisition of...
My Research Is Working Toward a Pain-Free Mammogram Alternative
Researchers are developing a low‑field MRI system as a pain‑free alternative to traditional mammograms. Current mammography, which compresses the breast, can miss up to 35% of cancers and yields false‑positive rates of 14%, especially in women with dense tissue. The...
When the Code Your AI Wrote Fails a Patient
AI coding assistants now generate over 40% of new enterprise code, a trend that is reshaping pharma and medical‑device software development. In regulated environments, AI‑generated modules introduce “shadow code” that lacks clear authorship, breaking traceability chains required by FDA, EMA...
The Problem Isn’t the Problem
TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, grew out of Genrich Altshuller’s post‑World War II study of millions of patents. It teaches organizations to view stubborn trade‑offs as contradictions that can be eliminated, not merely optimized. Central to the method is...
AI’s Productivity Is Finally Hitting the Real Economy
A Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis report finds generative‑AI use in U.S. businesses jumped 10% year‑over‑year, with 54.6% of working‑age adults using AI by August 2025. Survey data show AI users save an average 5.4% of their work hours, translating...
EASE Releases Its Layered Process Audit Benchmark Report
EASE’s new Layered Process Audit (LPA) benchmark report quantifies long‑standing quality‑industry concerns. Plants where leaders actively join audits are 20% more likely to finish them on schedule, while frontline supervisors report zero issues in 84% of their checks. Overall, only...
Digi International Launches Digi Connect EZ TS Serial Device Servers
Digi International unveiled the Digi Connect EZ 4 TS and EZ 8 TS serial device servers, next‑generation solutions that let enterprises bring legacy RS‑232/422/485 equipment onto IP networks. The new models retain the slim, panel‑friendly form factor of the existing EZ line while adding...
Your AI Pilot Succeeded. Now What?
The first generation of industrial AI pilots has proven concepts and delivered measurable ROI, yet many firms stall in what the author calls "pilot purgatory." Five recurring patterns—second‑site replication, champion dependency, data islands, metric misalignment, and governance gaps—prevent pilots from...
GelSight Expands Modulus Platform With High-Resolution Lenses
GelSight announced the high‑resolution (HR) family of Modulus lenses—L2000HR (straight) and L2090HR (90‑degree)—that snap onto existing Modulus camera bodies. The lenses deliver laboratory‑grade surface roughness resolution of 0.2 µm to 10 µm and support a full suite of ISO‑aligned roughness and 3D...