HomeJeanne SchwederAutomation World Contributing EditorSoftwareNew technologies extend the life of legacy networksNeither Ethernet nor fieldbus have all the answers for industrial applications. Suppliers and industry groups are working on ways forward that take into consideration the needs—and limitations—of the present.HomeMotion technologies drive down automation costsSmaller, smarter, easier-to-use drives and motion control products are set to make it less expensive to automate more manufacturing processes.RoboticsRobots become more collaborative, intuitive and capableRobotic technologies are finding a place across the industrial spectrum, driven in large part by a lack of humans available to get the job done. A variety of robotic improvements also help.HomeWeb technologies change the landscape for visualizationLed in large part by consumer expectations carrying over to industrial settings, HMI, SCADA and other visualization tools are becoming more accessible from more places, with the data more intuitively digested.
