Which Countries are Embracing the Robopocalyse the Fastest?

The top 10 most automated countries in the world are: South Korea, Singapore, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Italy, Belgium and Taiwan. This is according to the 2017 World Robot Statistics, issued by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“Robot density is an excellent standard for comparison in order to take into account the differences in the automation degree of the manufacturing industry in various countries,” says Junji Tsuda, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “As a result of the high volume of robot installations in Asia in recent years, the region has the highest growth rate. Between 2010 and 2016, the average annual growth rate of robot density in Asia was 9 percent, in the Americas 7 percent and in Europe 5 percent.”

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Chinese Manufacturing Grew Weakly

China's factory activity was feeble last month, according to two surveys released Wednesday, indicating that official efforts to reverse a downturn in the world's second-biggest economy are struggling.

The country's massive manufacturing sector, which employs many millions of workers, eked out a tiny expansion in May, according to an official index by the Chinese Federation of Logistics & Purchasing, which came in at 50.1, level with April's reading.

The index is based on a survey of factory purchasing managers and uses a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate expansion and below 50 indicate contraction.

It's the third straight month the index has shown marginal growth.

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China's Manuacturing Grew More Slowly Than Expected

China's manufacturing activity was weaker than expected in April, according to a survey by an industry group.

The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing says its purchasing managers' index declined to 50.1 in April from the previous month's 50.2 on a 100-point scale. Numbers above 50 indicate activity is expanding.

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China Planning Cloning Factory for end of Year Opening

The ambitious and futuristic facility hopes to be mass-producing one million cows every 12 months by 2020.

Not only will it clone cattle, but the factory, which will be located in the northern Chinese port of Tianjin, will also cater to more specific needs by genetically engineering police dogs and thoroughbred race horses.

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Chinese Manufacturing Contracts Again, Services Grow but Slower

A survey says Chinese manufacturing ebbed in January to its lowest in more than three years.

It's the latest sign of weakness for the world's No. 2 economy after it posted its slowest annual growth in a quarter century.

An official survey of factory purchasing managers released Monday fell to 49.4 last month.

The latest reading is lower than December's 49.7 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 indicate contraction.


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Meanwhile, activity in China's service industries also eased off. An official purchasing mangers' index for services slipped to 53.5 in January from 54.4 the month before.

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Chinese Manufacturing Contracts Slower, Services Expand in December

A monthly survey shows that a contraction in Chinese manufacturing eased slightly in December, while service industries continued to expand.

The numbers were a potential sign of recovery among exporters in the world's No. 2 economy, while reflecting the government's efforts to shift the economy's focus from manufacturing and exports to services and domestic consumption.

The purchasing managers' index for manufacturers, compiled by the Chinese Federation for Logistics and Purchasing, came in at 49.7 in December, up from 49.6 in November — which was its weakest point in three years. A similar index for service industries continued an expansion, coming in at 54.4 for December, up from 53.6 in November.

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Electric Car Maker Faraday Future Picks Nevada in the Las Vegas Area

A Chinese-backed electric carmaker plans to build a $1 billion manufacturing plant outside Las Vegas.

A letter to Nevada officials that The Associated Press obtained Wednesday says the company will build in North Las Vegas. The letter is signed by billionaire Chinese investor Jia Yueting (ZHAW' YOO'-weh-ting), a major financial backer of California-based Faraday Future.

Nevada officials scheduled a news conference Thursday to formally announce the deal.

Lawmakers still would need to authorize tax incentives as part of the deal. Last year, the Legislature did so to secure a massive battery factory by another upstart electric carmaker, Tesla Motors.

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Something Intriguing From an LRS-B Protest Article: What is BLACK DIAMOND?

This brief review of the past performance and core competencies of the Boeing-Lockheed team suggests that the Air Force selection process for LRS-B—employing multiple reviews and several independent cost estimates—rather than being “fundamentally flawed” was sound and thorough. Boeing complaints that the Air Force unfairly penalized their bid on cost contradict reality. The KC-46 and 787 development programs priced out at double what Boeing originally estimated, experiencing costly delays owing to technical challenges and mismanagement. And Boeing proposals to wave away these unfavorable historical cost data with reference to a mysterious and untested “Black Diamond” manufacturing concept are unlikely to be convincing. In such competitions, the Air Force must rely on demonstrated competencies and past performance, not on unproven theories. As Secretary James noted, the independent cost estimators evaluating the LRS-B bids “do have this pesky thing called data and facts on their side more often than not.”

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Chinese Manufacturing Slows Again, Services Rise

Chinese manufacturing was at its weakest in more than three years in November despite stimulus measures to bolster the world's No. 2 economy while service industries improved, according to an official survey released Tuesday.

The manufacturing index based on a survey of factory purchasing managers slipped for the fourth straight month, falling to 49.6 in November from 49.8 the previous month.

The index is based on a 100-point scale, with the 50-point mark separating expansion from contraction.

The latest data highlight the two-speed nature of China's economy as officials try to shift the economy's focus from manufacturing to services in a transition that's proving to be rocky. Growth in the latest quarter fell to a six-year low of 6.9 percent, slightly down from 7 percent in each of the two preceding quarters after repeated interest rate cuts and other stimulus measures

Services, which have helped offset the weakness in manufacturing, showed some improvement. The official measure covering China's service industries rose to 53.6 from 53.1.

A sub-index covering new manufacturing orders, seen as an indicator of overall demand, fell to 49.8 from 50.3.

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French may be Negotiating to Build Factory for Rafale Fighters in India

India's largest-ever military deal is likely to bring in big business for the private sector with the French side looking to set up a production centre for the Rafale fighter aircraft as well as a low-cost executive jet in India, besides sharing vital aircraft technology for the indigenous Tejas project.

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Will GM Import a car Built in China?

If this news is true, expect to find it as a major talking point during Donald Trump's next stump speech. According to sources close to General Motors, the domestic automaker giant is planning on bringing a new midsize Buick crossover to the US market. Unlike other crossovers, though, this one will be a direct import from China, making GM the first American manufacturer to import a car from the Middle Kingdom.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Buick will import between 30,000 and 40,000 units of the Buick Envision to the United States each year. Not only will it be America's first Chinese-produced domestic vehicle, it'll fill a gap in Buick's lineup, as the automaker sells both compact and large crossovers in the US already.

Buick is big business in China, and it has been for some time. GM's premium brand has enjoyed solid success in that country, with its demand outpacing that of America nearly fourfold. When US sales dipped as domestic automakers faced financial ruin, China's market was beginning its huge ramp-up that continues to this day. Demand has calmed slightly since then, but China remains a very voracious market, ready to consume upmarket brands at a blistering pace.

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China's Factory Output, Investment Decline, Retail Sales up

China's factory output and investment weakened in October while retail sales growth edged up, suggesting economic growth has stabilized but has yet to revive despite repeated interest rate cuts and other stimulus.

The data reported Wednesday reflected the two-speed nature of the economy as communist leaders try to encourage growth based on consumer spending instead of trade, investment and heavy industry.

Economic growth decelerated to a six-year low of 6.9 percent in the latest quarter. Communist leaders insist they are comfortable with slower growth after the last decade's explosive double-digit expansion but face pressure to avoid a politically dangerous spike in job losses.

President Xi Jinping indicated last week the party plans to aim for at least 6.5 percent growth in coming years. He said that was necessary to achieve its goal of doubling the economy's size by 2020 from its 2010 level.

Beijing has cut interest rates six times since last November. Private sector analysts say they expect more stimulus targeting segments of the economy but no more large-scale measures.

October's retail sales grew 11 percent over a year earlier, up from the previous month's 10.9 percent in a positive sign for Beijing's efforts to encourage consumer-oriented industries.

Growth in factory output decelerated to 5.6 percent from September's 5.7 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Growth in investment edged down to 10.2 percent for the first 10 months of the year from the 10.3 percent in the first nine months.

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Chinese Manufacturing Contracted Again for Third Straight Month

China's manufacturing contracted for the third consecutive month in October in a sign of weakness in the world's second-largest economy, official data showed Sunday.

The National Bureau of Statistics said that China's purchasing managers' index was 49.8 for October, the same figure as September. A PMI reading above 50 indicates an expansion of manufacturing activity while those below 50 indicate contraction.

The official non-manufacturing PMI, which gauges the services sector, was 53.1 percent for October, down from September's 53.4.

The Chinese government has cut interest rates six times in the past year to shore up economic growth that slowed to 6.9 percent in the third quarter.

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Chinese Economy Slows More?

Chinese manufacturing activity improved slightly in September while growth in service industries slowed due to disruptions from a massive military parade, surveys showed Thursday.

An official manufacturing index based on a survey of factory purchasing managers edged up to 49.8 in September from August's 49.7, which was the lowest level since August 2012. In July, it was 50.0.

The index, compiled by the Chinese Federation for Logistics and Purchasing, is based on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate expansion.

Manufacturing may have been weighed down by temporary factory closures and a two-day national holiday for a military parade in Beijing in early September. Manufacturing, however, also faces ongoing downward pressure from weak foreign demand and official efforts to make consumption a bigger part of the Chinese economy.

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Chinese Manufacturing had Worst Month Since 2009, Economy Likely to Grow "Only" 6.5 to 7% in 2015

Chinese manufacturing activity fell to its lowest in more than six years in the latest sign of the slowdown in the world's second biggest economy, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The latest data was worse than economists had expected and unsettled global financial markets. Uncertainty about the extent of China's slowdown has been on the radar of investors, particularly after the Federal Reserve mentioned China as one of its reasons for not raising interest rates last week.

The preliminary Caixin/Markit index, which is based on a survey of factory purchasing managers, fell to 47.0 in September from 47.3 in August. Numbers below 50 on the 100-point index indicate contraction.

It's the sixth straight monthly decline for the index, which is at its lowest since March 2009, when the world was gripped by the fallout from the global financial crisis. The preliminary index reading is based on 85 percent of survey respondents. The final figure, which is often revised, is due by Oct. 1.

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President Xi Jinping is visiting the United States as leader of a China whose image of economic success has taken a beating.

Stock market turmoil and a surprise currency devaluation fueled fears of a Chinese slump with global repercussions. But even a weaker China still is on track to turn in some of the world's strongest growth this year. And some industries including retailing are expanding at double-digit rates.

China's 5-year-old slowdown is self-imposed as the ruling Communist Party tries to steer the world's second-largest economy to more self-sustaining growth based on domestic consumption. Steel and construction suffered as the party put the brakes on an investment boom, but as job creators they already have been supplanted by e-commerce, tourism and other service industries.

"Those touting China's sudden fragility are either exaggerating current problems or have entirely missed the slowdown of the past several years," said China Beige Book, a U.S. research firm, in a report this week. It said China's image might be "more thoroughly divorced from facts on the ground" than at any time since it began conducting surveys of the country's economy five years ago.

Xi started his U.S. visit Tuesday with a stop in Seattle to meet business leaders and visit Boeing Co. and Microsoft Corp. On Thursday, he goes to Washington to meet President Barack Obama.

This year, Beijing is expected to report growth of 6.5 percent to 7 percent. That is down from last year's 7.3 percent but more than double the 3.1 percent forecast for the U.S. by the International Monetary Fund. Only India is expected to grow faster at 7.5 percent.

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Krugman thinks China's economy is in trouble, but not overly concerned about contagion.

Robopocalypse #20: The Sharing Economy is Doomed by the Bots, Just Watch Uber

Welcome to the Robopocalypse Report!  This is my news update on the onrushing robotic revolution in our economy.   I'll sometimes make editorial comments about the links, but for now this is larger a list of the news rather than a lot of commentary.

In the age of the drones,  the laws have not caught up.
 The FAA is the gating factor for drone based deliveries.

Drones are continuing to be a problem for commercial and medical flights.

On the other hand, Alaska has embarked on a major push to make drones an important part of its economy and Hawaii is wondering if it ought to as well.

On the self driving cars side, CNET dedicates an issue to "Riding in cars with bots."

The Washington Post gushes over Google's self driving cars.

The insurance industry thinks the manufacturers of self driving cars ought to bear the costs of liability.

Related to the self driving cars, Google will start delivering groceries in San Francisco this next year.

Why is Uber betting big on self driving cars?  hmm.  Maybe it has to do with the fact Uber wants to get rid of those drivers who are sharing their cars?  heh.  Pretty funny that they are financing directly their own replacement.  Doubly so since Uber's drivers are not classified as employees in California. 

The Woz thinks self driving cars could be the next big thing for Apple.

In 3d printing, a whole new technique, Laser-based Direct Metal Deposition, has been unveiled.  

A new 3d fabrication technique has been inspired by Japanese origami.

XYZ Printing has a new 3d scanner.

An American construction company owner has 3d printed a suite in a hotel he owns in the Philippines.

Navies may start 3d printing ships.

3d Systems' Fabricate is designed specifically for textile manufacturing.

The market for 3d printed medical devices is expected to be $2.13 billion by 2020.

The entire global market for 3d printing in 2014 was $3.8 billion.

On the robotics side, a Dutch company has created a vending machine that makes fresh french fries.

NEATO releases a new robotic vacuum cleaner that joins up via the buzzwordy the Internet of Things.  Just wait for the hacker to start chasing you around with the vacuum!  Kinda like this...

SAM, brick laying bot, is doing a job in DC for those of you interested in checking it out.

There's an interesting essay on building enthusiasm for bots in construction.

At Fort Bragg, they are testing out building an aerial gunnery range with bots.

Agriculture wishes they had bots for certain crops in a big way.

Just where how are the bots going to be used on the farm?

Where are the bots working in the diary and fishing industries?

How much fast will the agri bot industry grow through 2019?

In Australia three $150k bots replaced 60 welders.

In general software bots, not even IT workers are going to be safe.

Is the robopocalypse coming for the accountants?

On the artificial intelligence side, Scientific American asks the question of whether or not AI will ever be smarter than people.

They also ponder what will happen when AI gets involved with healthcare. 

On the economics of the robopocalypse, the financial sector seems to be unhappy with the idea of the robopocalypse.  Or at least some folks in thre are.

What does the robopocalypse have in common with the industrial revolution?

Why haven't the bots already taken our jobs?

On the legal side, a would-be Japanese John Connor was arrested.

Is it legal to go John Connor on that drone bugging you? 

Flexible Robotic Manufacturing: Building a Birdhouse

Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Defends Ability to Manufacture Rafale Fighters

Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) chairman T Suvarnaraju has hit back at reports that an Indian deal to obtain 126 Dassault Rafale fighters is being held up by French concerns about the Indian manufacturer’s quality standards.

Suvaranraju was addressing the media at the Aero India show in Bengaluru, where local journalists have shown great interest in the Rafale programme and the HAL’s helicopter businesses.

Suvarnaraju stressed his faith in HAL’s products, adding that it produces components and structures for a number of major aircraft types, such as the forward doors for the Airbus A320 and the gun bay doors and wire harnesses for the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. The company has also worked on Boeing’s commercial programmes, including the 737 and 777, he said, and pointed to its long record in license-producing types such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, BAE Systems Hawk and Dornier 228.

Nonetheless, Suvarnaraju declines to confirm or deny persistent reports that Dassault is dubious about guaranteeing fighters produced by HAL. Under the original terms of the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) requirement, the first 18 Rafales are to be produced in France, and the subsequent 108 in India by HAL.

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China's Manufacturing Slows Signalling Economic Slowdown Worsening

A survey of Chinese manufacturers has found their activity contracted in December in a new sign the world's second-largest economy is slowing despite government efforts to shore up growth.

HSBC Corp. said Wednesday that its monthly purchasing managers' index fell to 49.6 on a 100-point scale on which numbers below 50 show activity contracting. It was down from November's break-even 50 reading and the first contraction since May.

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US ONR Developing Robopocalyptic Manufacturing Process for F-35 Canopies

The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently received a national manufacturing award for developing a method to build canopies for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II that could save the military $125 million over the life of the programme.

ONR spearheaded the effort to automate a thermoforming process used to create the F-35 canopy – the transparent portion of the cockpit enclosure – that will be applied to at least 2,000 of the aircraft. The new process also makes the manufacturing work safer, ONR says.

Officials from ONR’s Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program accepted the Department of Defense’s Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Achievement Award at the Defense Manufacturing Conference in San Antonio.

“This award confirms our commitment to developing the most efficient and cost-effective ways to manufacture some of the most critical hardware our Sailors and Marines use,” John Carney, director of ONR’s ManTech programme, says in a prepared statement.

The existing canopy manufacturing process requires loading an acrylic shell into a forming tool, which then is slid into a 93.3°C (200°F) oven. The canopy forms within the mold over six days, during which “workers regularly enter the oven to makes observations and manually adjust positioning clamps to control the forming process”, ONR says.

ONR’s new method includes cameras and clamps that adjust automatically to maintain a uniform canopy shape, thus relieving workers from having to enter the oven. The process also takes only two to three days, ONR says.

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