Interview with Dr Christoph Ballin, founder and CEO of Torqeedo, about the future of mobility on the water. The whole story began in a small boathouse on Lake Starnberg: when the qualified business economist and former McKinsey consultant, Dr Christoph Ballin, accepted his new job as CEO at Gardena, he moved to the Munich area….
Interview with Prof Ralph Kennel about digitalisation and electric drive technology. The age of motion driven by human labour is coming to an end – it is simply too expensive. Electric drive engineering and power electronics are therefore accordingly of great importance. This is the premise under which Professor Ralph Kennel heads the Chair of…
New ideas and innovative technologies are needed to overcome challenges like Industry 4.0, resource conservation or electromobility. Small and dynamic companies play an important role in this respect. In this edition of the Quintessence, we introduce five startups of digital motor control that contribute to this world in an exciting way with their innovative ideas….
A wide variety of data is available thanks to digital drive technology, which allows operators to keep the status of a drive or machine under constant observation. Combined with suitable analytical tools, this could be even used for predictive maintenance. Traditional maintenance methods, in which systems are inspected at regular, set intervals, are not based…
The car of the year 2019, the Jaguar I-PACE, is the most recent proof that electromobility can be fun. The car’s two electric motors enable the sporty compact SUV to accelerate up to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds. This requires particularly strong power electronics. Jaguar’s I-PACE model has been named as the 2019 “Car…
Bus systems are the basic building blocks of communication in a huge variety of applications. They make it possible to efficiently interconnect drives, sensors and control systems. The latest developments in this area are making it possible to achieve higher and higher transmission performance, while facilitating communication between devices made by different manufacturers. For a long…
Wireless technologies are used in a vast range of applications. Innovative start-ups are using them to launch a variety of exciting solutions onto the market. We present a selection of interesting young companies here. Wirelessly STREAMING HDMI images Light painting Keyless entry for bicycles A starter kit for the smart city Cracking down on mould…
Cyber-criminals like to use wireless connections in order to steal data or infiltrate networked systems. Only comprehensive protection can keep wireless technologies safe from hackers. Cybercrime is currently one of the biggest threats for companies worldwide, as well as a serious problem for every individual computer user. The current “Economic Impact of Cybercrime Report” from…
Compared to systems featuring cumbersome wires, wireless systems offer the very highest flexibility and convenience in networking applications. A huge range of technologies is available on the market, each of which is suitable for various applications with correspondingly diverse requirements. Together with Europe’s leading semiconductor distributor, EBV Elektronik, we have developed a table that helps…
For wireless technologies, the main task is to fulfil the specific requirements of an application and also remain future-proof at the same time. Choosing the right standard is crucial for ensuring the success of a networked product, which is why wireless technologies are making up an ever-larger proportion of EBV’s day-to-day business, particularly with regard…
In Star Trek, people are simply beamed from one place to another at the push of a button. What sounds like pure science fiction is actually already reality today thanks to quantum physics … At least, at the level of a single photon. How great would it be if you didn’t have to waste another…
Networked home appliances are not simply a gimmick enjoyed by nerds; they actually offer real benefits in terms of energy efficiency and safety, for instance. However, a seemingly boundless range of devices must be able to communicate with each other in order to realise such benefits. That is where a technology called “thread” comes into…
The Internet of Things is increasingly becoming reality. Ever more machines, devices, objects and – last but not least – people are becoming interlinked. Wireless technologies are making a considerable contribution to this development, as these are what make such simple, flexible networking possible in the first place. Household appliances, cars, machines, wearables – all…
Lighting in apartments, offices or entire buildings can be controlled really conveniently using modern wireless solutions. Not only can a complex lighting mood be created at the press of a button, but the high costs associated with installing cables are also eliminated. All that thanks to “ZigBee”. What is Zigbee? Light creates atmosphere: this is…
What is a Smart Grid? Smart meters are an obvious answer when it comes to reducing energy consumption and incorporating renewable energies. These meters act as the basis for smart grids, which optimise consumption and allow regenerative energies to be meaningfully integrated. The EU Commission is calling for the installation of remotely readable meters so…
What is near field communication? Wearables are increasingly becoming a part of daily life. Wireless technologies are not only used to transmit health and fitness data, but can even be used as electronic wallets. According to market analyst Gartner, more than 310 million “wearables” were sold in 2017. Wearables are small electronic devices which are…
Every kilogram saved on board an aircraft means more efficiency, lower fuel consumption and fewer emissions. Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications (WAIC) and LiFi make it possible to replace the heavy and expensive cabling in aircrafts with wireless systems. Modern aircraft come with highly complex communication systems, which transmit commands to different operating systems and are used…
Knowing where every item is at all times – and better still, knowing its status – is just one prerequisite for an effective logistics process. Various wireless technologies enable goods to be tracked for this purpose; be that within one warehouse or in supply chains that span the globe. In this process, the language often falls…
Wireless is “in”, especially for audio devices – headphones work without any cables at all and smart speakers are networked in the home and offer entirely new sound experiences. Where and how we listen to music is changing. People want to enjoy music quickly, easily and in high quality in any place – be it…
Be it for streaming your favourite music, sending e-mails or getting real-time information on traffic jams: cars have long since played host to mobile Internet. Barely a single car rolls off the production line today without one wireless technology on board, although more often several such systems for car to car communication. In fact, such…
In the 1940s, Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr was known as the most beautiful woman in the world. Quite aside from this, she was also a prolific inventor whose pioneering work helped to revolutionise modern communication. Hedy Lamarr may have been one of the most beautiful women of her time and one of the most glamorous…
Due to the explosion in the number of networked devices and the rapidly increasing data volumes, energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important when it comes to wireless technologies. New materials and intelligent, application-specific wireless processes ensure that, despite increasing networking, power consumption does not increase at the same rate. Networked IT applications can make a…
Smart cities subsist on a large amount of information which is transmitted by people, devices and sensors. A wide range of wireless technologies is used for this purpose, depending on the application in question. The extensive use of digital solutions can noticeably increase the quality of life in cities. In a “smart city”, daily commute…
The continuously increasing data volumes in wireless networks and ever higher connection requirements in terms of latency and stability mean that new technical solutions are needed. New antenna technologies such as MIMO or beamforming are an important building block of such solutions. The problem is a familiar one to every Internet user: the more devices…
Wireless connectivity is an exciting and rapidly growing market for the semiconductor -industry and developers and manufacturers of networked devices alike. According to the market researchers at IHS Markit, 125 billion networked appliances, machines and gadgets are already antici-pated to be in use in 2030; in 2018, that -figure still stood at something in the…
Things are already getting cramped up in the ether: Wi-Fi, ZigBee, mobile networks, RFID – whatever the various wireless technologies are called, they all have to share the very tight bandwidth of radio frequencies. This means that ever fewer free channels are available for the rapidly growing flow of data – and there is an…
Against the backdrop of increasing digitalisation in industry, wireless systems offer a flexible and affordable possibility for networking machines, components and tools. Various solutions ranging from WLAN to Bluetooth and even special industrial systems such as WirelessHART are being used, depending on the requirements involved. What is WirelessHART? A high level of flexibility and productivity…
Sensor fusion allows increasingly accurate images of the environment to be developed by fusing data from different sensors. To achieve faster results and reduce the flood of data, the sensors themselves are becoming intelligent too. Systems with Artificial Intelligence need data. The more data, the better the results. This data can either originate in databases…
Interview With Antonio Fernandez, Vice President Technical Development At EBV Systems with Artificial Intelligence require a wide range of electronic components. This is an area where EBV already has a vast variety of components in its product portfolio, from sensors to FPGAs. However, the new technology poses a challenge for the electronics distributor, as Antonio…
What began in the 1950s with a conference has grown into a key technology. It is already influencing our lives today, and as the intelligence of machines increases in the future that influence is bound to spread much more. But is AI smarter than humans? Smart home assistants order products online on demand. Chatbots talk…
Intelligent machines and self-teaching computers will open up exciting prospects for the electronics industry. The idea of thinking, or even feeling, machines was long merely a vision of science-fiction authors. But thanks to rapid developments in semiconductors and new ideas for the programming of self-teaching algorithms, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is today a real market, opening…
A look at the start-up scene reveals the diversity of the areas in which AI can be used. These young companies are developing products for industries as varied as healthcare, robotics, finance, education, sports, safety, and many more. We present a small selection of interesting start-ups here. Connected Cars for Everyone In the form of…
The brain functions like a machine, or so according to the theory of Marvin Minsky, one of the most important pioneers of artificial intelligence. In other words, it can be recreated – made immortal by backing up its consciousness onto a computer. Could our entire life simply be a computer simulation, like “the Matrix” from…
Developers working on products with integrated AI for the internet of things need time and major resources. This type of product typically requires up to 24 months until it is marketable. With a pre-industrialised software platform, Octonion now plans to reduce this time to only six months. Smaller companies that want to realise products for…
In future, the mechanical helpers will be able to grip different objects without the need for programming, and move about autonomously in complex environments. Robots with artificial intelligence are the future. While robots required complicated programming by experts in the past, the systems will be able to teach themselves how to carry out their tasks…
Cognitive computer assistants are helping clinicians to make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. They evaluate medical data much faster, while delivering at least the same level of precision. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that, applications with Artificial Intelligence are being used more frequently. Hospitals and doctors’ surgeries have to deal with huge volumes of data: X-ray images, test results, laboratory…
From the graphics processing unit through neuromorphic chips to the quantum computer – the development of Artificial Intelligence chips is supporting many new advances. AI-supported applications must keep pace with rapidly growing data volumes and often have to respond simultaneously in real time. The classic CPUs that you will find in every computer quickly reach…
Artificial intelligence is only as good the data it is based on. Unless it takes all factors and all population groups into account, faulty and biased decisions may come as a result. But how about ethics and principles of Artificial Intelligence in recent applications? The field of Artificial Intelligence is developing rapidly, and promises to help…
In just a few years, every new vehicle will be fitted with electronic driving assistants. They will process information from both inside the car and from its surrounding environment to control comfort and assistance systems. We are teaching cars to negotiate road traffic autonomously,” reports Dr Volkmar Denner, Chairman of the Board of Bosch. “Automated…
What will artificial intelligence mean for the human race and for human life? It is a question vehemently argued over by scientists and businesspeople. A small cross-section of opinion from a few pessimists, optimists and realists alike. “AI is a fundamental existential risk for human civilisation, and I don’t think people fully appreciate that.” Elon Musk, Entrepreneur and Investor…
Despite the performance capabilities that many AI systems already have today, they are still classed as “weak”. Only when they are no longer designed to perform just a single specific task are they classed as “strong AI”. Artificial Intelligence is currently a real buzzword, even – or especially – beyond the high-tech industries. But all…
The technology landscape is changing ever more rapidly; development lead times for new products are getting shorter, as are the intervals at which innovations are coming onto the market. These are trends to which an electronics distributor especially needs to respond, in the view of William Amelio, CEO of Avnet, the parent company of EBV….
One of the greatest strengths of Artificial Intelligence systems is their ability to find rules or patterns in big data, pictures, sounds and much more. Many functions of intelligent information systems are based on methods of pattern recognition: support for diagnoses in the area of medicine, voice recognition with assistance systems and translation tools, object…
The participants in our expert discussion see a great need to inform people in particular about the opportunities and possibilities of Artificial Intelligence. Even if issues such as ethics and bias indeed pose a challenge – no one is worried about a super-intelligence that would replace human beings. The image that people have of Artificial Intelligence is…
Artificial Intelligence boosts quality and productivity in manufacturing industry, and helps people in their work. Artificial Intelligence can become a driver of growth for industry: according to a survey by management consultants McKinsey, GDP in Germany alone could rise by as much as 4 per cent, or EUR 160 billion, more than without AI by…
Software systems that communicate with people via text or speech are becoming increasingly sophisticated: they recognise the other party’s mood and respond as an avatar with suitable gestures and facial expressions. For British electrical retailer Dixons Carphone, the shopping experience for nine out of ten customers begins online. Two thirds of customers access the virtual retail…
Drones controlled by Artificial Intelligence can already deliver similar performance today to those controlled by humans. Even in an urban setting they are capable of navigating safely. Congested streets, rising emission levels and the lack of parking all combine to make urban logistics an increasingly greater challenge. Powered by e-commerce, the package market is growing…
Machines are being made more intelligent based on a variety of data analysis methods. The focus of these efforts is shifting increasingly from mere performance capability towards creating the kind of flexibility that the human brain achieves. Artificial neuronal networks are playing a big role. All forms of Artificial Intelligence are not the same –…
Our world’s growing metropolises require a new kind of transport network. Autonomous trains and completely new train concepts will revolutionise passenger and freight traffic between cities. It’s 6 pm in Berlin. It would be nice to go and try out that new restaurant in Hamburg. So you order an autonomous taxi from Uber via your…
Making a smart, connected world possible depends on energy-efficient data centres. The invention of computers changed the world due to their ability to retain and share information, but up until recently, they lacked the capability to emulate a human brain and autonomously learn in order to perform tasks or make decisions. To come close to…
Digital assistants are becoming increasingly sophisticated at recognising speech thanks to deep-learning methods. And owing to their AI ability, they are even capable of predicting what their users want. “Tea, Earl Grey, hot” – every Star Trek fan is familiar with the words Captain Picard uses to order his favourite drink from the replicator. Use…
A lack of qualified staff, higher efficiency and better security are grounds for extending automation to seafaring applications. The first ships with autonomous functions are set to be launched in 2018. It is not a matter of whether autonomous ships will exist, but when. Oskar Levander, the Vice President of Innovation – Marine at Rolls-Royce,…
Machine learning especially deep learning are the core competences of Artificial Intelligence. Self-learning programs are being used today in increasingly more products and solutions. Machine-learning algorithms can be found in speech recognition applications on smartphones as well as in spam filters in anti-virus programs. Personalised online advertising also only works as well as it does because of…
Autonomous farm vehicles will change the landscape of farming, allowing arable land to be used more efficiently while protecting the environment. Agriculture is facing major challenges. The world’s available agricultural land will need to be used more efficiently to continue to feed its rapidly growing population in the future. Yet farms in many parts of the…
Thanks to new developments in chip technology, even small wearables such as fitness bracelets have AI on board. The latest top-of-the-range smartphones are already learning to understand their users better through neuronal networks, and are delivering significantly higher performance. Mobile devices such as smartphones and wearables are becoming ever more important in people‘s everyday lives….
EBV Elektronik is Europe’s largest distributor of semiconductors and supplies all the electronics components that are necessary for developing autonomous vehicles. But its abilities go far beyond that, according to Frank-Steffen Russ, Vertical Segment Manager Automotive Europe at EBV. Through its network of partners, it has what it takes to cut down on development times…
Technology that deals with processing natural language. Using relevant algorithms, computers can understand human language and its content-based significance, and execute relevant instructions.
Also called technological singularity – the point in time at which machines are so advanced that they can upgrade themselves.
Procedure by which computer systems acquire knowledge independently and can expand their knowledge, allowing them to be better able to solve a given problem than previously. The system extracts the most important patterns and characteristics from large data volumes, and can make predictions based on them.
Phase of application of artificial intelligence. After the system has been trained, it calls on what it has learned in its inference and expands its knowledge.
Sub-area of machine learning in which deep neural networks are used. Whilst machine learning works using linear algorithms, the algorithms in deep learning are hierarchical, organised according to increasing complexity.
Processing large data sets (big data), whereby individual data parts are connected to one another, bringing about new information.
Program that simulates human conversation. Chatbots are not just speech-based, but can also work using text. The chatbot is trained in advance on the answers it can give to questions from the conversation partner.
In the context of AI, this term describes the bias of a system that leads to a tendency, distortion or even an error in results. This is because, when learning from data sets, artificial intelligence adopts the cultural stereotypes or prejudices of the people who created or generated these data sets.
The possibilities offered by autonomous driving inspire the imagination. Lots of start-up businesses are working to develop innovative solutions from their ideas for application in a wide variety of fields. We present a small selection of interesting start-ups. Hack your car yourself US company Comma.ai has launched Panda, a type of dongle that can be connected…
Autonomous construction machines like driverless dumper trucks have already proven their readiness for practical application at ore mines around the world. Now work is underway to produce autonomous excavators, though the technology is still in its infancy. In the late summer of 2016, a project in the Swedish town of Eskilstuna provided a glimpse of…
The future of autonomous driving will not only offer a completely new driving experience, it will also change the entire automotive industry. Over 1.2 billion people spend more than 50 minutes a day in their cars – a large portion of that time, however, is spent in traffic jams. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could…
Applications of Artificial Intelligence are not just to be found in e-commerce. In high-street shops, too, selflearning algorithms are helping to balance supply and demand more closely, and understand customers better. The retail sector involves a complex interaction between customers, manufacturers, logistics service providers and online platforms. To gain a competitive edge, retailers need to…
Prof. Dr Ernst Dieter Dickmanns is regarded as the pioneer of autonomous “seeing” cars. His “computer vision” methodology developed in the 1980s is still in use today in autonomous vehicles. Prof. Ernst Dieter Dickmanns is more than a little envious when he sees the technologies that autonomous vehicle developers have at their disposal nowadays. “Computing…
Communication between a vehicle and any other party (V2V = vehicle, V2I = infrastructure, V2P = people …).
The intelligent convergence and processing of all (environmental) sensor data required for autonomous processes. The results of sensor fusion are better than those obtained from the interpretation of measured values from individual sensors.
A method of optical distance and speed measurement related to radar. It involves the emission of laser beams. Sensors then detect the reflected light. The distance is calculated from the travel time of the light.
A GPS system which additionally works with one or more base stations. The stations know their own position to within a centimetre and transmit momentary correction values by wireless or GSM to the vehicle’s GPS receiver. The receiver then determines its own position with the aid of at least four satellites, and corrects it in…
A new satellite frequency band between 26.5 GHz and 40 GHz which has been in use for satellite Internet for a number of years. The benefits of Ka band frequencies are much higher transfer rates and the ability to transmit data in a concentrated way to a very small reception area.
Standard for local wireless networks. The various versions of the standards differ in terms of transfer rate, frequency band, modulation method, number of channels, etc. The a, b, g, n and ac versions are used in conventional Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks. IEEE 802.11p is an add-on to establish wireless technology in vehicles and create a reliable…
Stand-alone devices, modules or cards in which cryptographic keys are generated and stored. They assure the integrity of data.
Intelligent processor-controlled units and modules in the automotive sector which monitor specific functions and report malfunctions.
WLAN variant for ad-hoc communication in the 5-GHz frequency band of IEEE 802.11p. DSRC is used in conjunction with V2X, and is normally referred to as ITS-G5 in Europe.
The dynamically demand-based offering, use and billing of IT services over a network such as the Internet.
Lorries which automatically drive in convoy – known as platooning – are nearly ready for the market. The first fully autonomous test vehicles are already on the roads. Forwarders and manufacturers are hoping for a significant reduction in operating costs. Strict legal regulations regarding driving times and safety regulations, personnel shortages, rising operating costs –…
New regulations, questions about safety and cybersecurity, massive upheaval in the auto industry – the participants at the TQ round table listed many challenges of autonomous vehicles that must be overcome before the widespread use is possible. Nonetheless, they are certain that the time will come. Why not?”, says Prof. Amos Albert, CEO of Deepfield…
Sensors, computing power and the ability to learn are the technological foundations of autonomous vehicles. The more functions that are taken over by technology, the higher the level of automation – right up to the completely driverless vehicle. The roots of autonomous vehicles reach further back than is generally assumed: as early as the start…
If people can no longer intervene in good time when a malfunction strikes, the technology needs to be especially safe. Special electronics and new testing methods are necessary to ensure the functional safety of an autonomous vehicle. Confidence in the technology of autonomous vehicles is key to their success. The systems used need not only…
Detecting small or fast-moving objects – that is where lidar excels. The laser-pulse-based technology is increasingly being seen as a valuable addition to radar and camera systems. Various sensor technologies are being used in autonomous vehicles in order to capture as broad an image of the surrounding area as possible, while minimising the risk of…
A year after the introduction of two autonomous bus shuttles in Switzerland, an initial conclusion can be drawn: levels of passenger acceptance are high, but the technology is still in its infancy. A small Swiss city is taking a pioneering role in the use of automated buses. Since June 2016, two electric shuttles from French…
With today’s 3D cameras, autonomous vehicles can reliably detect obstacles in their path. Modern systems deliver information so accurate that it can even be determined whether it is an object or a person causing an obstruction. Precise detection of the surrounding area is a crucial basis for the successful application of autonomous vehicles. Alongside sensor…
Autonomous vehicles will change all mobility sectors. The reasons for removing the driver, helmsman or pilot are diverse, and range from increased safety to greater efficiency and less environmental impact. Self-driving cars, unmanned aircraft or driverless tractors – autonomous vehicles stopped being merely an idea on paper a long time ago. Now they are becoming…
Try to see into the future and you’ll receive a vision that is fraught with uncertainty. “It’s not possible to say exactly what will happen in the future, of course – either in general terms or focusing on specific aspects,” says Matthias Horx. “But you can shine a light on it.” Horx is considered to…
When a stereo camera captures an object, there is a spatial disparity between corresponding points in the left and right image. The disparity is inversely proportional to the range of the point been viewed. This enables depth information of a scene to be calculated from a stereo image. The result of the calculation is a…
Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors emit a light pulse which is reflected back from the viewed object and received by a detector. For each pixel, the sensor measures the time the light pulse took to get to the object and back again, and calculates the distance from it. A ToF camera thus indicates the range of the…
At the core of a Digital Light Processing (DLP) system is a chip carrying more than eight million micro-mirrors. Individually controlled, the micro-mirrors are tilted either towards a light source (ON) or away from it (OFF). This generates a bright or dark pixel on the viewed object. A a result, a light pattern can be…
Will robots kill jobs, or create new ones? The issue is a controversial one among experts. We investigate the differing views. The introduction of robots will turn much of our world of work upside-down,” claims Dr Martin Sonnenschein, Partner and European Head of Management Consultancy A.T. Kearney. “In 20 years’ time, almost half the current…
With new technologies and ever expanding capabilities, robots will have gained a foothold in every area of life in just a few years. That not only offers companies creative opportunities for new business models, as the participants in the TQ Round Table believe, but will also deliver more creative freedom for working people. In 10…
In Zenbo, the Asus corporation has launched a robot for the whole family onto the market. It plays with the children, gives reminders of appointments, takes care of the elderly, and watches over the home when the family is out. The way the little guy looks at you with his big eyes, you just has…
Cruise company Costa Crociere has taken five robots on-board to entertain its passengers. They not only provide the guests with up-to-date information, but are also able to detect how they are currently feeling. On the Costa Diadema, the flagship of the Costa Crociere line, guests are now welcomed on-board and provided with assistance by five…
Robots are one of the potential solutions to the issues of an ageing society. They can assist nursing staff, and enable disabled people to live a more independent life. US veteran Romy Carmago had the opportunity to try out Toyota’s HSR assistance robot in his day-to-day routine. There is still a lot of development work…
NASA is developing a humanoid robot which will be deployed ahead of any manned missions to Mars in the future. However, a little more research work is needed before “Valkyrie” will be able to operate autonomously on another planet. A mission to Mars is one of NASA’s loftiest goals, yet robots are set to do…
A new sensitive and teachable robot available to everyone is intended to democratise robotics. The system can be set up and programmed in just a few minutes. A cheap, sensitive robot that can be deployed as a universally accessible multifunction tool – that is the vision of start-up company Franka Emika. With this goal in…
Amsterdam is home to the world’s first self-driving city bus to operate in real traffic. But there is still a driver on-board. Somewhere between Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and the town of Haarlem, on the longest express bus route in Europe: a bus stands at a traffic light, waiting for the signal to move off. At…