Technology

Deep in the mechanised heart of one of the world's leading examples of advanced manufacturing - the BMW plant in Munich - is a tiny but significant symbol of Australian ingenuity.Amid the 1200-odd Kuka robots collaborating in a symphony of whirrs and clicks sits a buffing machine dusting down the car shells for their final coats of paint.The duster? Emu feathers.BMW sources their emu feathers not from imports down under, but their own farm in BavariaThe German carmaker swears by the particle-removal abilities of the Aussie native.Yet just as quickly as the national pride begins to swell comes the revelation that BMW sources their emu feathers not from imports down under, but their own farm in Bavaria. That's German manufacturing to a T - identify world's best practice then incorporate the process in the most efficient possible way.Added up with all the other productivity measures, it means the plant can produce a staggering 240,000 cars a year.It handles 600 tonnes of steel a day, all on just 500,000sqm of surface area, or 25 times the surface of the MCG. Given one car to work on, BMW will present it to you within 40 hours.Time is the most precious asset in highly automated manufacturing. The various 3 Series Tourers and 4 Series Coupes at Munich are made to order, applying a "just-in-time" methodology.The cars don't sit around waiting to be distributed; two-thirds are shipped by rail directly from the plant, the rest by trucks, although eager buyers will pick up their model from the factory.As the flagbearer for advanced manufacturing, Germany could be forgiven for simply wishing to drive home its natural advantages and stay a step ahead of international competitors; after all, as they say these days, manufacturing is "in our DNA". Instead, it's eager to amass a host of global followers.That much was clear at the annual Hannover Messe, the world's premier expo for industrial technology held last month. The fair is a breathtaking example of Industry 4.0, a German Government initiative to support factory digitisation and its interaction with the virtual sphere.It's important enough to warrant a visit from German Chancellor Angela Merkel accompanied by Narendra Modi, who, as the Prime Minister of India, leads an emerging player in the industrialised world.One of the prevailing themes from Hannover is the advancement of "big data". This gives managers the ability to measure and analyse processes on the factory floor, be they as simple as who pressed an on-off switch and when, or the number of failed results from a prescribed amount of product tests.Ralf-Michael Franke, the chief executive of German manufacturer Siemens' factory automation division, says manufacturers can play a part in the new global supply chain but first have to willingly commit the funds to integrate the new technology.In many cases, that means devoting 2 per cent of annual revenue to the constant upgrading of factory technology and committing to a two to three-year integration and staff training processes just to make the starting line."Digitalisation is definitely starting in disparate industries, such as aerospace, car manufacturing and electronics. These are the ones most under pressure to make that happen," Mr Franke says."Process industries, such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals and mining are coming a little bit later, so Australia has a little more time to get on board." Mr Franke said the ethos of the new factory - certainly from a German point of view - is to derive more productivity out of the workforce without having to resort to widespread job cuts.At Siemens' Amberg factory, an electronics manufacturing plant that epitomises the technology at the heart of Industry 4.0, the workforce has been maintained at about 1200 people for the past 25 years, but now produces eight times as much as in 1990.Every second, a product rolls off the conveyor belt at Amberg, Mr Franke says. Despite ceding the repetitive work to robots, workers at Amberg still have an edge on their mechanised colleagues, he says. "The machines will deliver big data but changing big data into smart data is still what the brain has to do, and for that you need people."John Pollaers, chairman of the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council and former chief executive of Foster's and Pacific Brands, says the concept of advanced manufacturing is still being defined in Australia."Eighteen months ago, government really didn't know what advanced manufacturing is," he says. "Now there's an understanding that it's not just a sector, it's also a series of capabilities that need to be built into the workforce."Mr Pollaers says Australian businesses needed to grasp the distinction between advanced and traditional manufacturing and invest in the appropriate technology infrastructure in order to participate.To some extent, that means shelving parochialism for pragmatism: Australia can contribute to the global supply chain, but it can't form the whole supply chain, he says."It's clear to us now that 75-85 per cent of global trade is conducted through global multinationals."The opportunity for Australian business really is in the way in which it engages in the global supply chains of these businesses."The days of doing country-to-country delegations are over. Now it's a case of country-to-company."He says Australia boasts about 35,000 manufacturers but only 10,000 that actively export. Just 2500 are at an advanced stage and internationally competitive.Victoria's stake here is crucial; it's home to more than 25,000 manufacturers, more than 300,000 workers and the sector generates more than $15 billion in annual exports - a key cog in the state economy. The state recognises that it's playing a unnerving game of catch-up.Yes, the big carmakers Holden, Ford and Toyota will cease local operations by 2017, but in their wake a new wave of leaner, technologically equipped and highly skilled niche operators will need to be nurtured. More than 95 per cent of Victoria's manufacturers are SMEs with annual turnover of less than $5 million. For Mr Pollaers, that's where the focus needs to shift.Government agencies such as Austrade, he says, need to think less about dealing with other government operatives and become more 'commercially oriented", serving as an intermediary between the industry's eager but largely underdeveloped SMEs and the big players.On the home front, Mr Pollaers says the nation's iron ore resources and rare metals can be a drawcard to attract multinationals to conduct downstream processing in Australia, especially in additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing."Companies are willing to invest, but they need partners in Australia," Mr Pollaers says.Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has done just that, enlisting ASX-listed Quickstep to build carbon fibre wing flaps for the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft at the local manufacturer's Bankstown Airport plant in Sydney.Quickstep is completing its second purchase order, valued at $US9.8 million, in which it will supply 48 wing flaps, each including more than 200 individual parts.Mr Pollaers says the Industry 4.0 movement in Germany gives Australia a "way in" to the world's more advanced markets."If you use some of the global tools that are being developed under the heading of 4.0, then you can do everything from the concept development, through the design phase, through simulation and testing of that design, through to manufacturing, planning and final manufacture."You can work in a collaborative environment with designers and engineers across multiple locations. Once the design is complete, just download it to the machine and the product is produced."We could be developing a component for a product in Australia that meets the global need of a company like Siemens, or Boeing, or GE, any of them."You can therefore become a specialist in a particular component part and it will be integrated into the entire system. That is new thinking." And it's thinking that will help keep Australia's manufacturing industry from becoming just another emu feather duster.

Ford's groundbreaking inflatable rear seatbelt makes its Australian debut in the all-new Mondeo.

It's now easier for police on the NSW Central Coast to detect unregistered vehicles thanks to new smart technology.Brisbane Water and Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Commands have fitted mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology to special patrol cars.This is the first time the gadgets have been installed in general duties police vehiclesThe devices feature four 360-degree cameras mounted on the car that scan number plates at a rate of six per second. The information is immediately cross-checked on the police database.The cameras are part of a $7 million rollout across NSW. While the technology has been in use by Highway Patrol cars, this is the first time the gadgets have been installed in general duties police vehicles."To have this amazing piece of technology which has already proven its worth lets us go one step further in hunting down people who are doing the wrong thing," Brisbane Water LAC Commander Superintendent Daniel Sullivan said.Supt Sullivan said a high number of people in crashes did not have a licence. He said the devices would help take them off the road.Tuggerah Lakes Duty Officer Inspector Col Lott said the device went "one step further"."While originally developed to recognise unregistered vehicles, this goes further in helping detect wanted offenders and stolen vehicles," Insp Lott said.Each police command currently has a patrol car fitted with the ANPR technology.Brisbane Water LAC officers are no strangers to hi-tech policing. The command was one of four across the state chosen to trial body worn video (BWV) cameras for frontline police officers recently. The cameras look set to be rolled out statewide in the next couple of months."This is a fantastic bit of gear and here at Brisbane Water we jumped at the chance of trying it out," Superintendent Daniel Sullivan said.

Nearly a quarter of the cars sold in the country are now battery powered, thanks to a combination of green energy and government incentives that include a waiver for GST and the ability to drive in bus lanes.As plug-in cars struggle for acceptance in Australia, and car makers including Nissan and Tesla fight a losing battle for government support, BMW is pushing ahead with its i-car drive.It sold 16,000 examples of its city-focused i3 last year and is intending to get much closer to its early forecast of 30,000-plus in 2015.The i3 enjoys a lot of success where there are government incentives in place"Zero emissions are coming, so urban mobility is going to change," says BMW Group global marketing boss Ian Robertson. "At the end of the day, the big urban environments around the world are going to a zero-emissions situation."Robertson says government support is essential and lists incentives including free access to the London congestion zone and carpool lanes in California, as well as the £5000 grant to electric car buyers in Britain. "It would be fair to say the i3 enjoys a lot of success where there are government incentives in place."

Ford's new Ferrari-fighting supercar has a staggering 10 million lines of computer code to get all its turbocharged power to the road.That's eight million more lines of computer code required to keep a Lockheed Martin F22 fighter jet in the air, and at least three million more lines of computer code to get the brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner off the ground.There is just one problem: in the modern tech geek world, less is now more.Boeing has even boasted that its new 787 didn't need as many lines of code because its latest commercial aircraft had more advanced software to process data.It turns out the new Ford GT has more computer power than it actually needs.In a detailed briefing of the yet-to-be-released Ford GT supercar in Detroit, Ford Performance chief engineer Jamal Hameedi admitted the GT has more lines of code than what is required because the company uses "off-the-shelf" parts from technology suppliers, rather than tailor-made systems.Nevertheless, the extra capacity means the new Ford GT will be able to be driven faster on a racetrack in non-expert hands, because the computer power can control more individual elements of the car.You want everything off? Okay then, you can be the slower guy but the heroFor example, the Ford GT's traction control system is so accurate it can apply pressure to any one or all four of the brake discs independently and at different rates, to prevent a skid or to get through the corner as fast as possible.Mr Hameedi said the technology was now so advanced it is quicker to leave the traction control systems switched on, whereas previously some expert drivers disabled them on a racetrack because they interfered too much."Do you truly turn everything off (even though) you can make the car go faster with some things on," Mr Hameedi told Australian media in Detroit. "You want everything off? Okay then, you can be the slower guy but the hero."The new Ford GT, made from the same lightweight carbon-fibre material used in Formula One racecars, has more than 50 different sensors and 28 microprocessors to keep its power in check.More than 3000 different signals -- handled by six "communication area networks" -- generate 300MB of data per second, which equate to more than 100GB of data per hour.On top of that, the data is refreshed every eight milliseconds, and measures everything from outside humidity, the pressure in each tyre, and how much G-force the car is generating, whether it's in a straight line or in corners.The new Ford GT is due to go on sale internationally next year even though it was unveiled at this year's Detroit motor show in January.The new Ford GT won't be sold in AustraliaPrice -- and power figures from the twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 -- are yet to be announced, but Ford has confirmed just 250 will be made each year, which is much less than the 4037 of the previous 2005-model Ford GTs that were made.The new Ford GT won't be sold in Australia -- even though Australian Todd Willing was one of the small team who designed the car in a secret bunker under Ford's technical centre in Detroit -- because it is only being made in left-hand-drive.However Ford says a small number of super-rich buyers may add it to their private collections -- even though it can't legally be driven on Australian roads.The original Ford GT40 won the LeMans 24-hour race four consecutive times from 1966 to 1969 after a bitter battle with Ferrari, which had won the previous six years in a row.The 1966 event was the first European race victory by an American car manufacturer since 1921; Henry Ford himself was there to witness the momentous win.Ford built a modern version of the GT between 2004 and 2006 but it was axed earlier than planned because only 4037 of the 4500 it forecast had actually sold.

A study commissioned by ANCAP, the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and Euro NCAP has found that autonomous emergency braking (AEB) can reduce the likelihood of hitting the back of another car by up to 38 per cent.An increasingly common safety feature in new cars, AEB works by monitoring 6m to 8m ahead of a car and automatically applies the brakes if it detects an obstacle in the way – at speeds of up to 50km/h with current technology.The number of times they were striking cars in front was reduced significantlyCar crash data from six countries was combined by the researchers to compare crashes between cars fitted with AEB with those without, across accidents where the car was either striking a car in front or was being struck from behind.In non-AEB cars, the split between striking and being struck was close to 50-50. In cars with AEB, the number of times they were striking cars in front was reduced significantly.The researchers also noted that AEB-fitted cars may be more likely to be struck from behind, as an unintended consequence of AEB’s better reaction time, compared to a human driver. They do note, however, that more study into this particular area is required.Also requiring more research is the application of high-speed AEB systems designed for highway use, as the study only focussed on systems that work below 50km/h.

A Ford technology expert has controversially claimed that mobile phones are NOT causing an increase in car crashes.The comments come after a US study speculated that bans on mobile phones may cause crashes -- because drivers try to hide them from view, forcing them to look down in their laps rather than holding their device at eye level so they can see the road.Jeff Greenburg, Ford's senior technical leader for "human machine interface" told international media at a conference at Ford's Detroit headquarters overnight: "there is no distracted driving epidemic"."If you look at a lot of the stories in the media, you would believe there is an epidemic related to driver distraction," said Mr Greenburg.They just make you a bad citizen"But in fact crash rates have been declining for well over a decade (yet) over the same period of time the number of (mobile phones) has increased exponentially. And so the epidemic of crashes that we might expect, we don't really see reflected in the data, and that's really puzzling to a lot of researchers."Mr Greenburg said drivers are "actually reasonably good judges about whether they have spare capacity (to use their phones)".Even though Mr Greenburg admitted that drivers using their mobile phones could make "mental errors" such as "missing an exit" or "they may miss stop signs", he said "going slower and not changing lanes are actually safety positive behaviours...they actually reduce the number of crashes; they just make you a bad citizen because you're doing it in the wrong way."Mr Greenburg added: "We all see the distracted driver, going slow and you go past and you look and they're on the phone. But...there is a difference between driving unsafely and driving like a jerk."When asked by News Corp Australia if police should not write tickets for drivers using mobile phones, Mr Greenburg said: "That's a great policy question and Ford doesn't have a position on it but...communities have done hyper enforcement of anti-texting laws (and) it's been really hard to find a correlation between hyper enforcement and reduced crash rates."Inspector Phil Brooks of the NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol disputed the claim that mobile phones don't cause crashes."There is absolutely no question that using a mobile phone while driving is dangerous and, sadly, we have evidence of mobile phones being the likely cause of some fatal crashes," said Inspector Brooks.In December 2012, 20-year-old Brooke Richardson crashed at 100km/h near Cobram on the NSW-Victoria border moments after sending a text message.The coroner found she dropped the phone, bent down to pick it up and swerved to the wrong side of the road and hit a tree.The death came one month after the NSW Government launched its "Get Your Hands Off It" campaign.The Australian fines for using a phone while driving are among the toughest in the worldIn August 2013, 26-year-old Sarah Durazza died after crashing her car into a tree on Sydney's Northern Beaches.Her boyfriend told police he was talking to her on her mobile phone at the time of the incident, and heard the impact.Victoria has the highest fines in Australia for using a mobile phone while driving -- $433 and four demerit points -- while most other states issue drivers with tickets costing about $300 and three demerit points. The Australian fines are among the toughest in the world.However, a 2010 study conducted by North America's Insurance Institute for Highway Safety after 30 US states introduced bans on mobile phone use found the strict new laws led to an increase in crashes."This unexpected consequence of banning texting suggests that texting drivers have responded to the law, perhaps by attempting to avoid fines by hiding their phones from view," the report said."If this causes them to take their eyes off the road more than before the ban, then the bans may make texting more dangerous rather than eliminating it."However, a more recent study by the same IIHS organisation, conducted in 2014, has since found using a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of a crash by 17 per cent.After the conference, Ford's technology expert clarified his remarks regarding police enforcement of mobile phone use.None of this means that it's safe to text and drive"That's not to say that (enforcement) can't work or that it's the wrong approach, it's just that right now the data is pretty weak linking hyper enforcement (of mobile phone use) to reducing crash rates," said Mr Greenburg.Mr Greenburg also added: "None of this means that it's safe to text and drive. Taking your eyes off the road is clearly linked to an increase in crash involvement. What these studies do show is that the traffic system is extremely complex, effects often don't show up in simple ways and simplistic attempts to change behaviour can have unintended consequences."

That is the conclusion of a study for the Australian and New Zealand Vehicle Safety Research Group.Monash University Accident Research Centre examined the latest truck safety technologies and studied what kind of impact these would have if they were fitted to all heavy vehicles.Such a study is groundbreaking, NSW Centre for Road Safety general manager Marg Prendergast says. Much previous research had gone into investigating the benefits of fitting the technologies to light vehicles."This is really the first time we've had some insight into the real-world benefits that could be delivered if they were fitted to all heavy vehicles," she says.The study is important because heavy vehicles feature in so many fatal truck crashes in NSW."In 2014, (heavy trucks) made up about 2 per cent of all registered motor vehicles, accounted for about 7 per cent of all motor vehicle travel, but were involved in about 17 per cent of all road fatalities."The Monash researchers examined four new kinds of crash avoidance tech: automatic emergency braking (which was by far the most promising), electronic stability control, fatigue warning and lane departure warning.NRMA vehicle safety expert Jack Haley describes the results as compelling and says the other three features also have the potential, if fitted to all heavy vehicles, "to prevent about 4 to 6 per cent of Australian fatal heavy vehicle crashes".

Technology from cars is being used in undersea exploration.

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