Qimtek Industry Round Up - 08/02/2017

Strong start to 2017 for British automotive sector

New figures, released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), have shown that the British automotive sector experienced its best January for 12 years.

With a year-on-year increase of 2.9%, statistics outline that 174,564 new vehicles left car show rooms last month – the highest since 2005. However, that’s not all; the report also highlighted that the alternatively fuelled vehicles sector grew by almost 20%.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, commented: “2017 got off to a good start in the new car market, buoyed by a great range of new models, which are safer and cleaner than ever before.”

You can read more from the report by heading here.. http://ow.ly/Bjf6308NnJG

Engineers who made ‘selfies’ possible share £1m prize

The prestigious Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has been awarded to the four men who invented the imaging technology in digital cameras, making the all-important ‘selfie’ a global phenomenon.

With work spread over the course of three decades, the engineers have changed the way we see the world, allowing us to capture and analyse visual information instantly. Dr George Smith, one of the four engineers, said: “Engineers like building things and being creative. That is what they do – we have got to get the momentum of that to encourage people into engineering.”

You can find out more by heading here.. http://ow.ly/vU1H308NnMN

Robot arm ‘prints’ giant structures using artificial intelligence

Created by London firm, Ai Build, the robot arm is capable of creating intricate patterns at remarkable speeds, all thanks to a combination of robotic brawn and artificial eyes.

By attaching motion-sensing Kinect cameras to the robot, it is able to use computer vision algorithms to evaluate each printed piece, and then compare it to the original designs. This has the usual print time from two weeks to 48 hours, saving vast amounts of money as a result.

To see the robot in action, head here.. http://ow.ly/lSob308NnP6