Virtual-reality tech is fast becoming more real

Touch sensations are improving to help sectors like healthcare and manufacturing, while other advances are being driven by the gaming industry. By  HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD Imagine a single technology that could help a robot perform safety checks at a nuclear plant, cure a person’s arachnophobia and simulate the feeling of a hug from a distant relative. Welcome … Read more

Europe looks to virtual factories in new industrial revolution

EU manufacturers are increasingly embracing digital technologies to improve agility. By  HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD A plant that makes electric shavers in the northern Dutch town of Drachten is gearing up for a test meant to help European industry thrive in increasingly competitive international markets. The plant run by consumer-electronics company Philips is part of a research project … Read more

In greening air travel, small parts can make a big difference

Aircraft flaps and emergency power units are part of efforts to reduce the aviation industry’s contribution to global warming. By  TOM CASSAUWERS Each time a plane takes off or lands, flaps on the wings extend or retract to maintain stability and serve as a visual reminder that an aircraft is composed of thousands of complicated parts. … Read more