Welcome to our weekly roundup where we showcase the innovations that matter to us. Among this week’s items, VR used in EHS training stands out as a great innovation in a field near us. But before that, there’s so much more to discuss. Let’s jump in.

Spellcheck for assembly lines

Microsoft Word shows us when we’re wrong with a squiggly red line, something that shows us an error at the source. It signals that something needs to be fixed, and our automatic response is to fix it. In manufacturing, Emergence has a similar system in place, one that helps workers do their jobs better while they’re doing them. Instead of a red line, there is an AI assistant pointing out errors or giving tips during the whole manufacturing process, which helps to catch and fix mistakes early. Prasad Akella on Industryweek sees this type of AI as something that will never replace humans, but help them to enhance productivity without decreasing quality. Proof that autocorrect isn’t making us lazier, but more efficient!

Volvo partners with Luminar

We shouldn’t only look towards Tesla for self-driving cars, Volvo has been right there developing their own models. With the help of Luminar’s lidar units, the cars scan the roads for obstacles and issues, and now, Luminar announced its new ‘perception development platform’ to make the whole process faster and smoother. The lidar unit spots something, and communicates it to the platform, which can then communicate it to the ‘car’s brain’, and it’s that brain that makes the decision. This can be done much faster than if the car’s own tech were operating by itself, so you can imagine the increase in safety on the road. Devin Coldewey on Techcrunch gives hope to all the people waiting for self-driving cars before getting their driver’s licenses. There are dozens of us, dozens!

Unlimited nuclear power from the sea

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and LCW have achieved something incredible: extracting actual uranium from seawater, in a low-cost way. Granted, they extracted just five grams, but if you consider how large the sea is, and that uranium levels in the sea could replenish, that’s an infinite amount of uranium that we can extract (or close enough, that humans won’t be around to see it disappear, that kind of infinite). The scientists use reusable acrylic fibers, which can also be used as seawater cleaning systems. David Szondy explains more on New Atlas, where you can see the whole process in action!

Virtual reality in EHS training

EHS – Environment, Health, and Safety – is one of the most important concepts on any work floor that carries more risks than your average office. Workers need to be trained in it, and herein lies the challenge: how to move from some trite training videos and demonstrations to some hands-on, risk-free learning? Myriad Global Media is approaching it differently: training employees with VR. Give them a kit and have them follow specific scenarios and execute tasks that they will encounter on the work floor. Such a way of learning increases retention, and focus, and provides an opportunity to expose workers to a multitude of hazardous situations, without the associated risk. For your own safety, go to SHP Online.

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Photo by Eddie Kopp on Unsplash