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MEP EVA KAILI Member of European Parliament – Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament MEP Eva Kaili is a member of the jury for Epson Europe’s Win-A-Robot contest. She is a respected member of the European Parliament and has been actively involved in policy that surrounds robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in Europe as well as promoting digital skills at EU level. Here, she shines a light on the role policy must play as robotics and AI increasingly become a part of our lives. Underlining the many possibilities that these products can bring to people, businesses and society, the core message comes down to balance. 1. As Chair of the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment body, what is the potential for the robotics industr Chairing the European Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) has given me a broad view of the impact of the robotics industry. I can see how robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) can be implemented across sectors, from farming to space, and how they are transforming our daily lives, from the simple (such as turning on the lights in our houses) to the more complex (preventing diseases in the health sector and creating new materials for us to wear). In addition,…
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Imre Paniti, PhD., is a member of the jury for Epson’s Win-A-Robot contest. As National Coordinator of euRobotics Week in Hungary, a research fellow at the Institute for Computer Science & Control at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and a supervisor at the Budapest University of Technology & Economics, he has a strong background in robotics and mechanical engineering. 1. What is it about robotics/automation that really fascinates you? My research interests lie in industry 4.0, sensor integration, Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) and cobotics. Specifically, I am focused on rapid prototyping and patenting, as well as the role of robots in the workforce. Contrary to popular concerns that the growth of robotics will eliminate jobs for humans, I am optimistic regarding the effect of industrial robotics on the human workforce. In fact, I’m sure that robots will play a key role in creating new jobs; robots are not actually replacing the human hand but increasing speed, strength and precision. Moreover, robots are giving an extra hand or two to the production line for a better European industry. If industries are to keep up with larger sales volumes, it will often make more sense for humans and robots to collaborate in a sort of symbiotic behaviour that will improve efficiency in factories. I think we…
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Have you set your sights on the next worldwide football competition? Everyone knows it’s not about the beautiful game, the players or the teams – it’s all about the parties! If you’re getting ready to flex your hosting skills and bring family and friends together for an epic football-themed party, now’s the time to start your preparations. While it’s abundantly clear that kids love watching football, their attention can wane over the duration of a game. We might be biased, but we think super-sizing the event with an extra-large projected display is sure to get everyone’s attention. With a home cinema projector, everyone will feel a part of the action with a display that pops with more detail, colour, contrast and brightness. But, if we’re being honest that’s really there to win over the grown ups. So when it comes to keeping the kids interested so that you can enjoy the game (and importantly win the title of the ultimate host), pre-party planning is a must. Here’s our round-up of ideas to ensure you achieve your goals: 1. Set the scene Decorations will instantly set the tone and get the kids excited for the party ahead. You can even get them involved with creating the decorations themselves with our DIY bunting and food flags….
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The traditional economic model is a linear one: take, make, and dispose. It relies on large quantities of easily accessible materials and energy, and it results in massive amounts of waste. Unbelievably, 90% of the raw materials used in manufacturing become waste before the product even leaves the factory, while 80% of products made get thrown away within the first six months of their life 1. A circular economy is an attractive alternative in which we keep resources in use for longer, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. The circular economy model gives companies a secure supply of resources to make products. It also protects consumers from the price hikes caused by growing resource scarcity. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. In January 2018 the European Union adopted a new set of measures to ensure their Circular Economy Action Plan is implemented across Europe as efficiently as possible. It is estimated that shifting towards circularity could add $1 trillion to the global economy by 2025 and create 1,000,000 new jobs within five years 2. The Waste & Resources Action Programme similarly estimates that the EU could benefit from an improved trade balance of £90bn (roughly €105bn) and the creation of 160,000 jobs 3 because of…
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Digigraphie-Interviewreihe: Jürg Stauffer – Gewinner des Epson Digigraphie-Fotowettbewerbs, Kategorie „Natur abstrakt“ Im Rahmen einer Interviewreihe rund um die Digigraphie spricht Epson mit Fotografen über ihre Arbeit, aktuelle Lieblingsprojekte, über digitale und gedruckte Bilder. Heute begrüßen wir Jürg Stauffer, Fotograf aus Langenthal in der Schweiz. Jürg Stauffer ist Gewinner des Digigraphie-Fotowettbewerbs von Epson in der Kategorie „Natur abstrakt“. Nach seiner Ausbildung zum Fotografen arbeitete er unter anderem am Zoologischen Museum der Universität Zürich. Als Fotograf liegen seine Schwerpunkte in der Landschafts-, Architektur- und Reportagenfotografie sowie bei Sachaufnahmen. Wie haben Sie von dem Epson Fotowettbewerb erfahren und was hat Sie ermutigt, daran teilzunehmen? Ich habe im Newsletter von fotointern.ch von dem Digigraphie-Fotowettbewerb gelesen. Ich wusste sofort, dass meine Strandbilder eine gute Arbeit sind und zu diesem Thema passen. Was thematisieren Ihre Bilder, die in der Ausstellung zu sehen sind? Die Aufnahmen waren nicht geplant. Sie sind im Urlaub auf Sansibar entstanden. Dort waren wir an einem schneeweißen Strand mit ganz feinem Sand und Palmen – ein richtiges Tropenparadies. Der Strand war eigentlich sehr sauber. An ein paar Abschnitten habe ich allerdings das Strandgut entdeckt. Es war sehr gut zu sehen, sah aber jeden Tag anders aus: Durch das Meer wurde es immer wieder mit dem Sand überspült und dann wieder freigelegt. Mir fiel sofort…
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In order to manage something, it is necessary to understand it. For small and medium sized businesses (SMEs), it has traditionally been very difficult to accurately estimate the total financial and environmental cost of office printing. Without this data, managers are unable to set targets for improvement. Without insight into the behaviours that underpin the financial and environmental costs of printing, it is difficult to accurately establish more sustainable print policies, or to make the case for investing in new hardware when necessary. However, Epson’s new fully managed print service for SMEs (Print365), gives businesses affordable and flexible access to a live portal that records and analyses the data needed to improve efficiency. Even small businesses now get an accurate and transparent breakdown of team members print behaviours, printing volumes, device supply levels, supply orders, servicing needs and more. The live portal is part of the Print365 package, and comes with all the advantages of the ‘on demand’ or software as a service (SaaS) business model, including: Just in time supplies Rather than being hosted on your servers, Epson’s live portal is hosted centrally and accessible via the cloud using unique passwords. We can now remotely monitor your printer performance and supply levels of consumables like paper and ink, without having to physically be…
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Business procurement has always been a complex process. But research suggests it’s actually more complicated than we think. According to Gartner, the average business decision involves around seven different people before making a final choice. What’s more, with the European Commission aiming to have 50% of all public tendering procedures ‘green’, the procurement process has become even more complex. With organisations moving to flatter hierarchies and evolving new workspaces, driven by changing technology, new workflows and more sustainable practices, there is an ever-growing cast of internal stakeholders. Each with a different opinion on what the business needs, and on what is truly important. What we’re seeing at Epson, particularly through the growing popularity of our business inkjet technology, is a longer, more democratic route to procurement – and one that incorporates both economic and environmental factors. For example, even if a head of facilities is responsible for upgrading an organisation’s print capability, that person likely needs to speak with procurement about the cost of hardware and the average cost per page. Then they would have a conversation with a business unit head about inkjet’s professional output quality; an environmental officer about sustainable practices; as well as the CFO about the overall ‘bang for buck’ before making a final decision. Leaving reliability, the one thing…
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What is the best way to keep a classroom full of students engaged? In an age of digital distractions, how do you stimulate curiosity and passion for the subject? It is of course quite easy to see when the class is disengaged. Disruptive pupils forcing teachers to spend more time quelling rebellion than teaching. What is harder to spot is the difference between passive compliance and active engagement. Are students quiet but mostly tuned out, or are they calmly absorbing every fact and figure? Active engagement is the Holy Grail for educators and it is easy to see why technology is often thought of as a silver bullet. After all, which teacher has not looked at the multitude of heads pointed down towards smart devices at break times and wondered how such rapt attention could be replicated in the classroom? Most teachers want to be facilitators not presenters. In a way that mimics the world of work they are preparing for, students now use screens to collaborate as a group, presenting ideas to teachers and each other. While technology alone doesn’t add up to engagement, the right blend of technology can create a platform for a dynamic and democratic learning environment in which students are empowered to think creatively – and for themselves. As…
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The concept of the paperless office is over. In fact, according to printing industry analyst, Louella Fernandes of Quocirca, “Far from being dead, print is enjoying a resurgence as a way for people to disconnect from the noisy online world”. The question then becomes: “how do we ensure that our printing technology choices continue to meet our needs in the future?” – enhancing performance, providing greater benefits, and using fewer resources. A few months ago, Epson announced ongoing multi-million investment into business inkjet printing technologies to address this exact challenge, and we are on a mission to redress the old beliefs around inkjet versus laser printing technologies. There was a time when laser was considered the better performer for business printing – but inkjet innovations have propelled this technology to the forefront of high efficiency and performance. Now, at a time when more and more businesses are seeking greater CSR credentials and smaller environmental footprints , inkjet will be the technology to really make a difference. Therefore, in September this year, armed with independently verified facts on the benefits of new generation Epson inkjet technology, we took the printing technology choice to the market to demonstrate the realities resulting from an individual’s selection of printing technology. We collected insights from more than 5,000 European…
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Automation and robots have entered the public consciousness as a viable means of increasing efficiency for many years now, whether that is to take on tedious chores such as lawn mowing or to step in where jobs pose a very real threat to human life, such as for bomb disposal. When it comes to manufacturing and the factory floor however, the move from modular automation to the full integration of complex robots has perhaps not had the same level of immediate acceptance. An often overlooked benefit of robotic manufacturing is the sustainability and energy efficiencies that they bring. But that is set to change, as more and more multinational businesses and SMEs increasingly recognise the value robots can provide in increasing productivity, reducing costs and now helping meet sustainability goals, the move towards robotic manufacturing has very much been set in motion. Sustainable manufacturing has evolved from the original concept of sustainable development, introduced in the 1980s to address concerns about environmental impact, economic development, globalisation, inequalities and other factors. The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production defines it as “the creation of goods and services using processes and systems that are non-polluting, conserving of energy and natural resources, economically viable, safe and healthful for workers, communities, and consumers, socially and creatively rewarding for all…
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