Topic of the week: Engineering Practices of the XNUMXst Century
In the late 1960s, Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert Simon formulated the thesis: “If we imagine a company responsible for the design and maintenance of urban construction, we expect to see among its specialists a number of trained and experienced professional engineers who are well versed in mechanics and other laws of physics. Simon argued that “a new type of engineer” is also needed for the education system if humanity is oriented towards effective innovation in the future.
Today, training in various specialties often takes place in a digital environment, and recently the transition of training to digital has accelerated rapidly. According to Simon, the main engineering practices of the XNUMXst century are related to the creation of infrastructures necessary for the rapid and high-quality development of new technologies. It is development engineers who become process designers in education who can help master complex topics faster than with traditional methodologies.
Jeffrey Yang, EdSurge senior editor covering the role of technology in education, cites the example of the Wright brothers who didn’t rely on any big new idea or invention. Instead, they deconstructed the problem into subproblems and iterated over several times. And their discoveries in aircraft construction didn’t happen overnight, the many improvements happened gradually. Educational engineering should take the same approach, breaking down the problem of efficiency into more manageable subtasks. In each of the subtasks, it is important to bring knowledge from different disciplines, including neuroscience and psychology, and not to exclude the factor of innovation fatigue.
One line
- IBM withdraws investment in facial recognition products
- Testing of online tachographs launched in our country
- US Air Force to test AI-powered autonomous fighter against human-piloted aircraft
- Honda has been the victim of a cyberattack and is working to restore full production functionality.
- The National Association of Robotics Market Participants of the Russian Federation published an overview of robotic solutions for problems related to COVID-19
- Active optical systems help to study the artifacts of ancient civilizations
Study of the week
Nokia and ABI Research have identified major manufacturing trends for the development of Industry 4.0. They surveyed 600 people who make manufacturing decisions at technology companies. The results showed that 74% of respondents are aiming to modernize their technology infrastructures by the end of 2022, with more than 90% integrating 5G into manufacturing processes.
Manish Ghulyani, Vice President of Marketing at Nokia Enterprise, said: “We have reached a tipping point in the transformation of Industry 4.0 as the fast, secure, low latency connectivity that underpins it is now available. This study indicates strong market demand for industrial-grade wireless networks.” Researchers have identified short-term factors that influence purchasing decisions for new industrial systems in the IT and operational technology sectors. IT drivers are mainly focused on reducing downtime (53%), improving operational efficiency (42%) and security (36%).
Ryan Martin, Principal Analyst at ABI Research, noted that research results indicate more frequent deployment of private wireless networks. And manufacturers prefer self-management to solve security problems.
What to see
Engineers from Harvard University presented a working prototype of the world’s smallest microrobot HAMR-Jr in the form of an insect. It weighs only 320 mg and is 2,25 cm long. The project has already managed to implement all the basic movement functions (the robot can trot, jump, move sideways), except for autonomy. Energy and commands to the robot come from an external source.
App of the week
FitMind trains the human brain using neurotechnology. The developers offer to develop mindfulness with the help of an application that teaches you to avoid burnout and focus better. For years, neuroscientists have been researching different meditation techniques and have come to the conclusion that they can have a real impact on mental health. FitMind uses these methods and creates an individual 30-day plan for each user. The application also provides access to communication with experts, scientific articles, books, and even up-to-date information about retreats.
Podcast Weeks
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) presents a series of podcasts with interdisciplinary artists working in the fields of art, science and technology. Sarah Rosalena Brady is Associate Professor of Computing and Tactile Media at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the Faculty of Arts. Her work is related to the study of technologies for creating hybrid devices that are useful to humans, in particular using AI or biotechnology. In the podcast, Sarah talks about how digital communication and tactile exchange between people are connected. It is an important component of her research and artistic practice.
What to read
Space technologies play an active role in the new industrial revolution. Vitaly Egorov, the author of the book “People on the Moon”, helps to deal with them, study the technical equipment of flights, the features of training astronauts and the connection of the space industry with big politics.
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