Jessica Frick wants to build furnaces in space. Her company, California-based Astral Materials, is designing machines that can grow valuable materials in orbit that could be used in medicine, semiconductors, and more. Or, as she puts it, “We’re building a box that makes money in space.” Scientists have long suggested …
Read More »The Dream of the Metaverse Is Dying. Manufacturing Is Keeping It Alive
It used to be that when BMW would refit a factory to build a new car, the only way the automaker could check if the chassis would fit through the production line was to fly a team out and physically push the body through the process, making note of any …
Read More »Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again
Automakers that nest key controls deep in touchscreen menus—forcing motorists to drive eyes-down rather than concentrate on the road ahead—may have their non-US safety ratings clipped next year. From January, Europe’s crash-testing organization EuroNCAP, or New Car Assessment Program, will incentivize automakers to fit physical, easy-to-use, and tactile controls to …
Read More »The Climate Crisis Threatens Supply Chains. Manufacturers Hope AI Can Help
Abhi Ghadge, associate professor of supply chain management at Cranfield University in the UK, says there has been “a general kind of negligence” in terms of climate resilience, though that is beginning to change. Building a detailed understanding of a supply chain can, however, be incredibly difficult, especially for smaller …
Read More »2025 Is the Year of the Humanoid Robot Factory Worker
Later this year, Boston Dynamics plans to put its all-electric humanoid Atlas robot to work in a Hyundai factory. The new version of the bot, evolved from the hydraulic Atlas model that’s been performing viral video demos since 2013, made its public debut last spring. But while the company’s dog-like …
Read More »Donald Trump Is Already Ruining Christmas
While children are told stories about elves and reindeer, the truth is that hundreds of thousands of people work year-round to make sure Christmas feels magical. From factory employees in China stringing lights on artificial trees to dock workers unloading containers of toys, this vast labor force ensures Americans can …
Read More »Apple May Shift to Making US iPhones in India. It Won’t Be Easy
According to the Financial Times, which cites sources “familiar with the matter,” Apple plans to assemble in India all iPhones intended for the US by the end of 2026. The majority of Apple’s iPhones are currently made in China, but Chinese-made products have become a toxic asset for US import. …
Read More »Bad News for China: Rare Earth Elements Aren’t That Rare
“The heavy rare earth elements are added as sort of a spice, a doping agent, to maintain the magnetism of the magnet at high temperatures. It also improves corrosion resistance and the longevity of the magnet,” says Seaver Wang, director of the climate and energy team at the Breakthrough Institute, …
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