Blog - Page 5 of 40 - Joe Barkai

Nov 28

Siemens Intosite – Go Digital, Go Visual

By Joe Barkai Internet of Things (IoT), Manufacturing No Comments

The Allure of Radical Digitalization

Fueled by ubiquitous connectivity, cloud-stored data lakes and artificial intelligence-based analytics, Industry 4.0 promises to create smart factories in which interconnected manufacturing systems communicate, in real time, with production machinery, robots and human operators throughout the entire value chain.

The digitalization and automation of factory floors and supply chains give manufacturing organizations an unprecedented insight into their manufacturing operations and product performance. Rich information from plant floor equipment and advanced analytic tools help manufacturers optimize manufacturing operations and improve manufacturing capacity, yield and quality. And as manufacturing companies in the industrial world continue to battle a growing shortage of skilled workforce, pervasive digitalization and advanced optimization help streamline operations and maximize efficiency and resource utilization.

Jul 02

Will the Internet of Things Accelerate the Development of Artificial Intelligence?

By Joe Barkai Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Internet of Things (IoT) No Comments

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Like the Internet of Things that shed its drab machine-to-machine image of a decade ago to become the cornerstone of the digital transformation movement, artificial intelligence technology is sprouting a new life from its 50-plus years old roots. (Yes, we’ve been doing artificial intelligence, admittedly with limited success, since the late 50s.)

There’s no doubt that AI has achieved impressive success over the last decade, promising a growing field of practical use of AI technology.

May 28

Philosopher Illuminated by the Light of the Moon and the Setting Sun (Dali, 1939)

Designing Self-Driving Cars: Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics Are Not Helpful

By Joe Barkai Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues its aggressive foray into nearly every aspect of our lives, from the seemingly human-like (most of the time) interactions with Alexa to fully autonomous cars that in the not so distant future will be able to handle complex navigation and steering scenarios better than most human drivers.

Conversations about robot cars that make split-second life-and-death decisions involving car occupants and pedestrians inevitably invoke Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics that first appeared in his 1942 short story Runaround:

May 01

I Want to Say One Word to You: Batteries!

By Joe Barkai Automotive, Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared Vehicles No Comments

Electric Cars: Not So Fast

The future of personal and commercial mobility is undoubtedly electric. But thus far, sales of electric vehicles have been disappointing. A hefty price tag and lack of charging infrastructure continue to stall broad adoption, especially in regions that are afflicted by air pollution and should see high demand for EVs.

Internal combustion vehicles will continue to dominate the new vehicle market for the next five to ten years. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that by 2030, EVs will make up 44% of all new vehicle sales in Europe, 41% in China, 34% in the US and 17% in Japan. India, owing to a shortage of charging infrastructure and a lack of affordable EV models, will trail these regions, with only 7% of total sales.

Apr 13

The Problem With This Big Hammer Called Artificial Intelligence

By Joe Barkai Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning No Comments

Everything is Artificial Intelligence

If your only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail. This overly used cliché seems very apropos when thinking about the rush to suggest artificial intelligence technology for practically every product and flaunt machine learning as a silver bullet for whatever problem the new product or service is purported to crack.

Indeed, AI technology can be very powerful. Recent advances in machine learning, aided by ubiquitous connectivity and distributed cloud computing, demonstrate how potent this technology is and promise much more to come. But AI-based systems can also be difficult to build and even more so to scale and deploy.