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The Potential of Freeform Construction Processes
The level of automation technology and processes control found in modern day construction
lags significantly behind other industries such as automotive and aerospace. The construction
industry has health and safety issues and still uses traditional methods of procurement. These
problems are compounded by diminishing skills in the labour force. Methods of production
must change if these issues are to be resolved and Freeform Construction is a collection of
processes that could have potential impact. This paper outlines some of the major issues
facing construction and sets a context with examples of digital fabrication in construction.
Freeform Construction is defined and potential applications are presented and related to
application scale. The viability of two potential applications are investigated in terms of cost.Mechanical Engineerin
Technological Innovation and Inclusive Growth in Germany. Bertelsmann Stiftung Inclusive Growth for Germany|18
Economic growth in Germany is no longer as inclusive as it
used to be. Between 1990 and 2010 all measures of income
and wealth inequality rose considerably,1 which even led the
media to portray Germany as a ‘divided nation’.2 Income
inequality was relatively low before 1990, and even declined
over much of the 20th century, but changed direction after
German unification.
The rise in income inequality from 1990 onwards is
depicted in Figure 1 through various inequality indicators
and the ‘at-risk-of-poverty rate’. It can be seen that
all measures of income inequality (before and after tax)
increased markedly after 1990 along with the ‘at-risk-ofpoverty
rate’.3 Felbermayr et al. (2014) furthermore document
that the rise in wage inequality was faster in Germany
than in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada
between the mid-1990s and 2010. This rise in income
and wage inequality has been accompanied, and to a certain
extent occasioned, by a simultaneous increase in wealth
inequality. Using data from the Socio-Economic Panel
(SOEP), Frick and Grabka (2009) show, that the Gini coefficient
for wealth increased from 0.77 to 0.80 during this
period, and wealth grew particularly strongly at the top 1
percent of the wealth distribution
AI, Robotics, and the Future of Jobs
This report is the latest in a sustained effort throughout 2014 by the Pew Research Center's Internet Project to mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of the World Wide Web by Sir Tim Berners-Lee (The Web at 25).The report covers experts' views about advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, and their impact on jobs and employment
Smart Computing and Sensing Technologies for Animal Welfare: A Systematic Review
Animals play a profoundly important and intricate role in our lives today.
Dogs have been human companions for thousands of years, but they now work
closely with us to assist the disabled, and in combat and search and rescue
situations. Farm animals are a critical part of the global food supply chain,
and there is increasing consumer interest in organically fed and humanely
raised livestock, and how it impacts our health and environmental footprint.
Wild animals are threatened with extinction by human induced factors, and
shrinking and compromised habitat. This review sets the goal to systematically
survey the existing literature in smart computing and sensing technologies for
domestic, farm and wild animal welfare. We use the notion of \emph{animal
welfare} in broad terms, to review the technologies for assessing whether
animals are healthy, free of pain and suffering, and also positively stimulated
in their environment. Also the notion of \emph{smart computing and sensing} is
used in broad terms, to refer to computing and sensing systems that are not
isolated but interconnected with communication networks, and capable of remote
data collection, processing, exchange and analysis. We review smart
technologies for domestic animals, indoor and outdoor animal farming, as well
as animals in the wild and zoos. The findings of this review are expected to
motivate future research and contribute to data, information and communication
management as well as policy for animal welfare
A Universalist strategy for the design of Assistive Technology
Assistive Technologies are specialized products aiming to partly compensate for the loss of autonomy experienced by disabled people. Because they address special needs in a highly-segmented market, they are often considered as niche products. To improve their design and make them tend to Universality, we propose the EMFASIS framework (Extended Modularity, Functional Accessibility, and Social Integration Strategy). We first elaborate on how this strategy conciliates niche and Universalist views, which may appear conflicting at first sight. We then present three examples illustrating its application for designing Assistive Technologies: the design of an overbed table, an upper-limb powered orthose and a powered wheelchair. We conclude on the expected outcomes of our strategy for the social integration and participation of disabled people
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