"With competition comes progress.”
– Kiichiro Toyoda, remarking on the importance of auto manufacturers participating in auto racing
1. Help Us, Apple. You’re XR’s Only Hope
Growing up, I always had posters and calendars of cool and exotic cars on my bedroom walls. As I got older, I grew saddened by the fact that some of the ultra-premium hypercars, like the Cizeta-Moroder V16T and Pagani Zonda C12, were not only prohibitively expensive but would never come to the United States because the government would have to crash a handful to test them for safety. If only we had digital twins!
2. Tool Regrinding at Home
Back to real tech. Regrinding tools in-house can save you money and hassle in the long run, especially if you tear through lots of tools. It's a big upfront cost because you need special machines and training, but it also means you don't have to wait for or pay outside companies for the service. You won't need to keep as many spare tools on hand. GKN Aerospace found that doing their own regrinding paid off in just two years, proving it's smart for some businesses.
3. Self-Learning Robots
Figure's humanoid robot now has the ability to autonomously learn tasks by observing humans. This breakthrough in robotics could lead to robots that can adapt to various jobs without programmer intervention. The technology is still in its early stages, with the robot successfully operating a coffee machine as a proof of concept.
4. New Year, New Manufacturing
So, what could be in store for us? In 2024, we might see more AM companies focusing on producing goods on demand and “sustainably.” The tech will be more prominent in industries like semiconductors, aerospace, medical, and dental, driving faster and more personalized solutions. However, the most important insight to distill from this is the growing focus from additive manufacturing machine builder OEMs on the sale and installation of AM equipment on the shop floor.
5. A Robot That Cooks and Cleans?
Forget the cooking part, just give me a bot that’ll clean after I’m done cheffin’ around! Some people actually like cooking in the kitchen – but cleaning it? Show me one person that likes cleaning so I can introduce them to a therapist. They’ve got a lot more unloading to do than just the dishwasher, I tell you what! Also, the robot “cooking” in the article burned the heck out of that innocent stainless-steel pan. My condolences to the human it belongs to.
To get the latest tech developments delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe to the weekly Tech Report here.
To access Tech Trends, log in to or register for an MTInsight account at https://www.mtinsight.org/
