Uncover the innovations in products and services that are fueling industry growth.

1. SPARKS
INNOVATION IN ACTION
SEPTEMBER 2020

2. Uncover the innovations in
products and services that are
fueling industry growth, from
the autonomous drones making
mining safer, to the
supercomputers accelerating
driverless technology.
2

3. Action in uncertainty
is survival, innovation
is revival and growth
Eric Schaeffer,
Senior Managing Director,
Global Industrial Sector Lead, Accenture
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4. Johnson Controls
brings buildings online
The 135-year-old building controls company has launched
OpenBlue, an artificial intelligence platform it says gives
buildings memory, intelligence, and their own unique identity.
"The launch of OpenBlue reflects how we think buildings are
evolving from inflexible assets to dynamic resources,” said
George Oliver, chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls.
The system combines traditional hardware and IT systems
with cloud solutions and AI to connect all parts of a building.
From airflow and elevator movement, to lighting and building
access, everything can be managed in one system. This kind of
granular control is vital in the time of Covid-19, and will enable
more efficient contact tracing and social distancing, as well as
an estimated 20-60 percent in energy savings.
Read full article
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5. Mitsubishi Electric’s
AI can discuss scenes
Mitsubishi Electric has developed an AI that can interpret the
scenes around it, place them in context, then talk naturally to
humans about the potential implications. In one potential use
case, it means the AI can give specific guidance or warnings to
drivers. The company says it can, for instance, ask drivers to
'follow that gray car turning right', or alert them to a pedestrian
crossing a road. The Scene-Aware Interaction technology uses
the company’s Maisart AI to analyze static and moving objects
within a scene, along with audio. The ability to translate that
data into natural language could dramatically transform
human-machine interactions across multiple settings, from
vehicles to buildings, healthcare to surveillance. Mitsubishi
Electric believes the pioneering technology is a world first that
will ensure automated systems are safer.
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Read full article

6. JR East unveils station
sanitization robots
East Japan Railway has developed an autonomous robot that
sprays disinfectant on handrails, benches and other areas of
the Takanawa Gateway Station where the technology is being
trialled. Built in conjunction with Nippon Signal and
Cyberdyne, the Clinabo CL02 robot uses cameras and sensors
to avoid objects while sanitizing the station. It could also be
used inside trains in the future. In addition, JR East
demonstrated robots that can serve food, drinks and carry
luggage for passengers. The railway company aims to
introduce the new models to stations by March 2025.
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Read full article

7. Sandvik + Exyn robots
make mining safer
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has joined with drone
makers Exyn Technologies to develop a new autonomous
mining system. Sandvik’s OptiMine technology is used to make
mining operations more efficient by collating data on
everything from assets to people. With Exyn’s help, OptiMine
will now be able to integrate visual data captured by drones. It
can then map underground mines and their surroundings,
making daily operations safer and more efficient. "For the first
time, customers will be able to map the entirety of their
underground operations, even in dangerous GPS denied
environments,” said Exyn’s CEO and co-founder Nader Elm.
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Read full article

8. Ossia brings wireless
power to vehicles
The US startup has joined with Toyoda Gosei, part of Toyota
Group, to apply its wireless power technology to vehicle
interiors, smart cities and more. Toyoda Gosei manufactures
rubber and plastic automotive parts, safety systems such as
airbags, and LEDs. The company will join with Ossia to
transform vehicle cabins for the connected age. Ossia’s
technology - Cota(R) Real Wireless Power - can power
multiple devices simultaneously from a distance of a few
metres, using targeted microwaves. Toyoda Gosei has
invested in Ossia as part of the joint venture, following a
series of previous strategic investments in artificial
intelligence and robotics companies.
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Read full article

9. Continental and
NVIDIA accelerate
driverless tech
Continental is harnessing the power of a supercomputer to
accelerate its autonomous driving technology. The
automotive parts manufacturer says the 50 NVIDIA DGX
systems that make up the supercomputer enable 14 times
more experiments to run simultaneously. Autonomous driving
AIs are trained on thousands of hours of driving data, so the
supercomputer will speed up that process enormously.
Moreover, it can generate driving simulations for the neural
network to learn from, so it does not have to rely solely on
real world driving data. Continental estimates that the NVIDIA
supercomputer will reduce the time it takes to train a neural
network from weeks to days.
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Read full article

10. Alibaba partners on
smart factory solutions
Alibaba Cloud has partnered with MMI Planning & Engineering
Institute IX Co.,Ltd in China to develop the next generation of
smart factories for the automotive industry. The project will
initially launch with a workshop management platform that
uses manufacturing data collected with millisecond accuracy
to improve decision-making. Alibaba Cloud, part of the Alibaba
Group, will store and analyze data covering human and
machine activities, materials and the environment, with
everything displayed in a real-time 3D visualization. The
partners will also develop a cloud-based manufacturing
platform and launch a laboratory dedicated to smart
automotive manufacturing.
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Read full article

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and domains/websites are the property of their respective owners. No sponsorship, endorsement or approval of this content by the
owners of such materials is intended, expressed or implied.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture all rights reserved.
Accenture, its logo, and new applied now are trademarks of Accenture.
1. Johnson Controls brings buildings online
https://investors.johnsoncontrols.com/news-and-events/press-releases/johnson-controls-international-plc/2020/07-31-
2020-113206682
2. Mitsubishi Electric’s AI can discuss scenes
https://de.mitsubishielectric.com/en/news/releases/global/2020/0722-a/index.html
3. JR East unveils station sanitization robots
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200727/p2g/00m/0na/062000c
4. Sandvik + Exyn robots make mining safer
https://www.rocktechnology.sandvik/en/news-and-media/news-archive/2020/august/sandvik-and-exyn-set-to-jointly-
explore-new-horizons-of-mine-autonomy/
5. Ossia brings wireless power to vehicles
https://blog.ossia.com/press/ossia-to-partner-with-toyoda-gosei-a-toyota-group-company
6. Continental and NVIDIA accelerate driverless tech
https://www.continental.com/en-us/press-/press-releases/continental-supercomputer-nvidia-228624
7. Alibaba partners on smart factory solutions
http://autonews.gasgoo.com/m/70017351.html
References