3D printing cuts replacement time and cost at Daimler buses

-By Scott Collie

From full-size buildings to fashion items, 3D printing is breaking down the barriers usually associated with manufacturing fiddly low-volume products. Now, Daimler has turned to the process for replacement parts in buses. The move allows complex interior components to be economically made in small batches, with shorter turnaround times than possible using conventional production methods.

This isn't the first time Daimler has turned to 3D printing for replacement parts - last year, the company announced it would be using Selective Laser Sintering to produce 30 plastic truck components. Before that, the process was also used to develop more than 100,000 prototype components.

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When a bus operator needs a specific replacement part, they simply need to order the part based on its specific order code. Daimler is able to print the parts at will, and says making small batches of specific parts (between 1 and 50 pieces) is much cheaper than before. The turnaround is also much faster than using conventional production methods - design, costing and production can take just a few days.

It isn't just simple, single-piece components that Daimler is printing. The example provided is the banknote storage container integrated into the driver's compartment in some buses. Rather than having to make the lid, housing, assembly clips, hinges, handle and dividers separately and then assembling, 3D printing allows the parts to be manufactured in a single step. They also don't use any excess material, and specific materials don't need to be stored on site.

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"The 3D printing process allows us to install local printers at the production plants operated by Daimler Buses worldwide," says Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses. "It also enables us to respond in a flexible manner at local level to customers' special wishes and replacement part needs. In this way, the availability of parts can be speeded up considerably while avoiding long transport distances as well as high transport costs and customs charges."

More than 750 components have been printed for customer buses so far, and more than 150 replacement parts are being scrutinized for their potential as 3D printed replacements.

Credits: www.newatlas.com

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Apple’s new app ‘Files’ for iOS 11 appears on App Store ahead of launch

Just a few hours before the 2017 edition of its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off, it seems that Apple may have let a major announcement leak ahead of schedule. An iOS app called 'Files' momentarily appeared on the App Store, before being pulled down quickly.

However, the app listing was spotted by an iOS developer named Steve Troughton Smith, who tweeted about the same. Although the listing did not have too many details, it has been reported that 'Files' requires iOS 11 to function and has an app icon of a macOS-style folder.

In his tweet, Smith added that the app only supports 64-bit devices. This further fuels rumours that the company will drop support for 32-bit apps in iOS 11.

It has been further reported that the app will come pre-installed in devices with iOS 11 software. Guessing by the name, it seems that 'Files' will be a file manager app.

Other than this, it has been reported that Apple would be announcing the next iterations of iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS at today's event.

The much-awaited iOS 11 is said to have 'an updated user interface' and Apple is expected to make this announcement at WWDC 2017. The technology giant has been reportedly working on a 'dark mode' for iOS 11 - a feature that will change most backgrounds from White to Black.

It is also expected that Apple will update its apps like Mail and Safari with stylus support.

Also rumoured are some updates to the Apple Pay digital payments system, especially considering the success that rival Samsung enjoyed with its digital payments service.

The company is speculated to be working on a Siri-powered speaker, which is also expected to be unveiled today at WWDC. The speaker is said to come with AI capabilities and will go against Amazon Echo and Google Home.

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The Max-Q: The Coolest Thing Out of Computex

I didn't attend Computex this year, and that was sad for everything but my budget, because there was a ton of cool stuff announced at the show. Dell, HP and Lenovo showed off new designs that were both attractive and compelling.

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Mini Clubman Cooper S All 4 review – ‘For the would-be BMW owner’

 Mini Clubman Cooper S All 4: ‘However much they go on about its go-kart feel, that’s not how it feels.’

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Zoe Williams

@zoesqwilliams

Saturday 3 June 2017 11.00 BST

People talk about “iconic styling” and I’ve finally worked out what it means: a car that looks like itself, and no other car, and has done for a long time. It must wax and wane, from compliment to insult, the way the popularity of a thing will when it makes not-changing its USP

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The Master & Dynamic MW60 x Leica headphone collab is all about love of the look

This M&D x Leica collaboration is what you get when one company truly admires another’s design principles.

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Logitech Circle review: This smart security camera can go wireless

The Circle costs $199.

Logitech

The Logitech Circle Logitech Circle is different from most smart security cameras: it can be used wirelessly or plugged in. But, that flexibility comes with a cost.

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Special forces are getting a stealth motorcycle that's silent and deadly

The SilentHawk can also run on jet fuel.

Logos Technologies

A dirt bike is a tool for getting a person to a place they shouldn't be. Lightweight, made for rough terrain, and fast, motorcycles allow special forces to slip through woods, navigate narrow canyons, sneak through alleyways, or hurtle down footpaths. There's only one problem: dirt bikes are really, really loud, so any secrecy gained by using a bike is lost to the engine's roar. Which is why DARPA, the Pentagon's future projects wing, is funding the development of a versatile electric dirt bike, so that special forces can have as silent a ride as possible on two powered wheels. The bike is called "SilentHawk," and after receiving the first prototype, DARPA liked to so much they asked for two more.

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The Essential Phone is boring hardware that may one day rule your smart home

The Essential Phone had a lot of hype leading up to its announcement.

Essential

If Huawei released a phone with the specs of the Essential’s hype-driven debut, no one would have paid much attention. Snapdragon this, edgeless that, modular thingamajig. It really is a nice phone, but “nice” isn’t blowing any minds. As it happens, though, the Essential Phone—the first product from a company started by Android creator Andy Rubin and the gadget line it flagships—is more mission than material. At the same time, it’s Rubin’s atonement for the sins of Android.

Now, that’s not to say the handset is gonna free the masses from the fractured bloatware that plagues handsets from LG, Samsung, and others. (Admittedly, the company doesn’t even want its Phone in every pocket.) Wrapped up in Rubin's penance, however, isn't salvation for the cluttered smartphone landscape, but for the ever-splintering smart home.

Though there’s not all that much information to be had about Essential Home hub at the moment, its promise is an intriguing one: The device, which looks a bit like a Nest Learning Thermostat laid in a cradle, aims to make the disparate mishmash of connected devices seamlessly talk to one another. It has a familiar round touchscreen display for displaying information and controlling devices. The new Ambient OS promises to rope in a scattershot selection of smart devices. The Home, in theory, should automatically recognize smart-home devices as they become available on the network and automatically integrate them into the home's infrastructure.

Right now, cobbling together a smart home platform that works from front to back takes a lot of work. Amazon's Alexa works great through an Echo smart home hub, but mobile integration is lacking. Apple's Siri has the opposite problem without a real hub device to keep everything tied in together in a simple way. The Google Assistant comes close, but the inherently fractured nature of Android across devices can still be a barrier for some users. Once third party manufacturers enter this mix, compatibility can be extremely difficult to navigate. Essential hopes that by building from the ground up with the smart home in mind, it can avoid some of these pitfalls.

The Essential Home is designed to give proactive alerts, such as suggesting you leave early for appointments on your calendar if it sees traffic, which is very similar to a demo given by Google back at its last developers' conference.

Essential Home

Rubin told Walt Mossberg that the whole product family, from the Essential Phone (which will run on the latest version of Android) to the Essential Home, will be linked with a smart assistant in the style of Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, Cortana—yes, there are a lot of them already. Essential is being tight-lipped at the moment regarding details of the assistant, however.

The Essential Home is slated to come later this year, but the Essential Phone will start shipping in June for $699.

The Essential Phone finds itself embroiled in the battle for the thinnest smartphone bezel.

Essential

The Phone itself sports a spec list worthy of the flagship designation, though we've seen variations of most of its features before. The phone has a 5.71-inch screen with a 2,560-by-1,312 resolution, which makes it bigger and higher-res than the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus (1,080-by-1,920 pixels) and just a bit behind the 5.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S8 (1,440-by-2,960 pixels). The Essential Phone, however, has barely enough bezel to accommodate the front-facing 8-megapixel camera.

Indeed, it's taken the tiny-bezel trend to the brink.

Trim bezels typically don't get along with protective cases, but the Essential Phone may not need one. The body of the phone is made from injection-molded titanium, which is stiffer and stronger than the aluminum bodies found on many other popular smartphone. The screen is the latest generation of Corning's Gorilla Glass, and the back is made of ceramic. All this makes for a very burly phone.

The back of the Essential Phone has dual cameras, one of which is a three-megapixel black-and-white unit to help improve resolution and contrast. It's a cool idea, but one that we've already seen from companies like Huawei.

There are also some features that are conspicuously absent, like a dedicated headphone jack (though it will come with a dongle. Sigh.), and a waterproof body. The latter seems especially odd considering the emphasis put on other aspects of its ruggedness and how many of its competitors aren't afraid of getting wet.

The 360-degree camera mod is available in a pre-order bundle and attaches to the magnetic ports on the back of the Essential Phone.

Essential

The only thing that really stands out are the two magnetic ports on the back of the phone that look like a robotic vampire bite, but open up the device to line of modular accessories. The first mod is a 360-degree camera that can be bundled with pre-ordered Essential Phones. It and future mods will connect magnetically to the two ports on the back of the phone and communicate wirelessly with the device.

But even this concept isn’t totally new. In fact, Motorola's Moto Mods hardware currently offers a whole lineup of swappable modules, like an extended battery and a full-featured camera with a real flash instead of a lame LED flashlight. The Moto implementation may be a lot less elegant than the Essential Phone, but the history of modular accessories suggests Essential has a tall hill to climb.

The explicit purpose of the Essential Phone's modular nature is to prevent it from becoming obsolete. The magnetic ports will be ubiquitous across Essential devices. The company claims it's so that the phone doesn't fall victim to the fads of the smartphone market and become obsolete, but it seems more accurate to say that it can dabble in trends without committing an entire device to it. Remember the HTC Evo 3D phone with a built-in 3D camera? Didn't think so.

Essential doesn't expect to sell 50 million of its Essential Phone. In fact, the company is open about the fact that it couldn't make that many if it wanted to with its current production plan. So, the Essential Phone likely won't be the savior of Android. The Essential Home, however, does have a lot of potential. The Ambient OS is starting fresh in a world where business partnerships and platform restrictions make buying and setting up some smart home products a consumer minefield. It could be a way for the smart home to avoid the kludged-together interfaces of voice, touch, and third-party software.

Or, it could be another nicely-designed bunch of kit that fails to climb the ladder to compete with the big kids.

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Kickstarter has a plan to free products from manufacturing limbo

"Scansorial turned to Dragon Innovation for help building Root, a robot that teaches coding."

Scansorial

If you have ever bought into a Kickstarter campaign and waited for what may have felt like forever to get what you paid for, you're among the millions of victims of the dreaded “manufacturing complications.” I recently received the Gnarbox hard drive I backed in 2015—the delay courtesy of a bumpy trip from prototype to consumer product. Some projects have it much worse, like the infamous Coolest Cooler, which raised over $13 million, and still has backers waiting for a product they expected to receive in early 2015. In fact, a 2015 study found that 9 percent of Kickstarter projects never delivered their "rewards" at all.

Many crowdfunding founders are notoriously ill-prepared for the rigors of bringing a product to market. “The manufacturing process begins much earlier than when you go into production," Kickstarter CEO Yancey Strickler told me over the phone. “Manufacturing is about pricing and preparation and sourcing materials—it’s not just handing over CAD files.” And that’s where a lot of Kickstarter’s gadget creators lose their footing.

Kickstarter is hoping to prevent this from happening with its new Hardware Studio program.

This does not mean, however, that Kickstarter is getting into the business of actually producing gadgets. "Kickstarter is not a store" has been one of the company's mottos since the early days—and that's not changing. Instead, Hardware Studio is a partnership between Kickstarter and two manufacturing companies with whom it already had an informal relationship. Dragon Innovation is a Boston-based company dedicated to the logistics of manufacturing; it helps companies plan the process from the early stages and even assist in things like selecting a factory and overseeing the production. The other player is Avnet, a huge distributor of the electronic components.

The Coolest Cooler is often used as a cautionary tale in crowdfunding conversations. It was great at catching people's attention and raising money, but bad at actually delivering coolers.

Kicksarter

There are two levels of support offered by the Hardware Studio program. Toolkit is a group of free resources like webinars, online reference materials, and online tools like Dragon Innovation’s Product Planner, which helps lay out and plan the important steps in the process. Hardware Studio Connection is a more-advanced relationship, which includes things like help from engineers and other experts, as well as discounts on components (from Avnet’s library of electronic parts), and even financing options.

With a name like Hardware Studio, it’s easy to assume that this is Kickstarter getting into the manufacturing business, but Strickler is careful to emphasize that this is a partnership and not the beginning of Kickstarter trying to become a gadget company. “We put the tools in the hands of the creators, the control is still in their hands," he says. "They still make the decisions.” It's clear the crowdfunding giant is weary of getting into a situation similar to that of Quirky, a company that took a primary roll in bringing inventors' products to market, and lost millions of dollars in the process.

Even beyond the cautionary tale of Quirky, this type of program isn't brand new for the crowdfunding segment. In May of last year, one of Kickstarter's chief competitors, Indiegogo, announced a similar program with a manufacturing company called Arrow, later expanding it to include Riverwood Solutions, which offers advice on choosing a manufacturing location. "We were seeing the same data that Kickstarter was seeing. Entrepreneurs were running successful campaigns on Indiegogo but having a hard time going from prototype to a manufactured product," said David Mandelbrot, Indiegogo's CEO.

While Indiegogo couldn't say whether or not the program helped increase the number of projects that actually deliver products to backers (the lag time between funding and delivery is often over a year), he says consumers do have a lot more confidence in products that are part of the program. Mandelbrot says more than 2,500 projects have applied to be part of the program and the participating products, "raise 58 percent more funds and get 20 percent more contributors than the average campaign on Indiegogo."

Circuit boards for phone cases by Moment, a company that has had success on the Kickstarter and has had help from Dragon Innovation.

Momentt

Kickstarter is demonstrably hoping to find similar success. Products need to be selected for inclusion in the more advanced Hardware Studio Connect program (Dragon Innovations and Avnet will choose the applicants) and will get “elevated visibility” on the Kickstarter platform. It’s not entirely clear what that means, but Strickler suggests it will likely be some badging on product pages as well as a section of the site specifically for those products.

“This doesn’t mean someone going through the program won’t hit any obstacles,” says Strickler, “but I think it puts them in a much stronger position to try and make the right choice.”

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In China, an e-commerce giant builds the world's biggest delivery drone

JD.com is planning to test its giant tri-copter drones in a 11,500-square-mile testing zone in Shaanxi to serve farmers.

JD.com

JD.com, also called Jingdong, is China's largest online retailer, with a national distribution network matching the coverage of Amazon in the United States. It'll soon have something its American counterparts doesn't: super-sized delivery drones.

JD.com's robots will be autonomous, three-engine, vertical-takeoff drones that can carry a payload of over 1 ton up to 186 miles. They'll be the world's largest delivery drone on the civilian side. The U.S. military, of course, has the KMax, but no American commercial entity has anything close; Amazon is still wrestling with the FAA about where and when it can safely fly its parcel-carrying quadcopters.

JD.com's 1-ton drone can be used for Shaanxi's farmers to quickly bypass rural roads when distributing produce.

JD.com

The Shaanxi provincial government has agreed to let JD.com operate hundreds of low-altitude routes within a 300km radius, an area of more than 11,500 square miles. Currently, the intended customer target is Shaanxi farmers, who can use the drones to distribute their perishable fruits, vegetables, and meat without worrying about Shaanxi's rough, rural roads.

JD.com has made a major investment in this space beyond the work in Shaanxi. It is also building a 30-acre logistic and robotics research center in Xian, which will include HQ for JD Logistics, a cloud computing center, and a drone factory. After it establishes a working concept for large-scale drone delivery, JD.com wants to master inter-province drone aerial delivery, and then branch off to include global partnerships with international logistics providers.

Many of JD.com's current employees are involved in distribution (seen here on motorcycles with JD.com's canine mascot on the side).

JD.com

The large payloads and AI enabled logistics network have applications beyond e-commerce. It can be a force multiplier for Chinese efforts abroad, like the One Belt One Road infrastructure initiative in Eurasia, or the PLA's dreams to augment and automate its peacekeeping and expeditionary logistics.

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Hacking and Linux Go Together Like 2 Keys in a Key Pair

Ever since taking an interest Linux, with the specific aim of better understanding and enhancing my personal digital security, I have been fascinated by hacker conferences. As soon as I learned of their existence, I made a point of keeping tabs on the major conferences so I could browse through the latest videos in their archive once each one wraps up.

I thought that was the closest I would get to such an event, but a couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to attend one for the first time: Chicago's THOTCON. While I'm definitely still swimming in all the experiences I had, I wanted to share a few of my observations and insights.
At this point I can practically hear you asking, "Wait, you said hacker conference? For security?" So, before I go on, I should explain a bit about the interrelationship between hacking and security.

Ebony and Ivory?

The information security, or InfoSec, field is built on hacking. Without the latter, the former would be both impossible and pointless. This is because there are two sides to hacking. The more sensationalized of the two, often called "black hat" hacking, refers to malicious actors breaching a system without authorization either for personal gain or just to cause mayhem.
The far more common variety of hacking is "white hat" hacking, often more formally known as "penetration testing," in which experienced, professional hackers are hired by a company to hack it, without inflicting any permanent damage, in order to audit the company's security.
Obviously, there would be no need for white hat hackers if there were no black hat hackers, but because the ranks of the white hats far outnumber the black hats, we are able to enjoy what computers and the Internet have to offer in relative security.
The other reason these two approaches are related is because they depend on each other. In order for the white hats to fend off the black hats, they need to understand the tactics of the black hats. Correspondingly, the black hats can operate only where the white hats have yet to probe. It's a perpetual cat-and-mouse game, but it's one we have to play in order to make use of the modern Internet.
So what happens at a hacker conference? As I found out, quite a lot. Mainly, though, leading figures in the hacking/security community give presentations on their latest research so that attendees can hone their craft. Like at any professional gathering, there's also a lot of networking (literally as well as figuratively).
That might sound boring, but I can tell you from experience that it's anything but! The professionals, both presenting and attending, are at the leading edge of a field which -- as the recent global ransomware attack demonstrated -- affects all of us every day.

A Whole New World

As I said, there was a lot to take in, but here are some of the aspects of the hacker con experience that made an impression on me for one reason or another.
The most immediate aspect that stood out to me was the sheer amount of stimulation to be found there. In addition to a choice of three simultaneously scheduled talks to attend at any given time, attendees had the option of touring an exhibition room full of vendors, participating in a lockpicking tutorial, socializing at a full bar (open from 10 a.m.), or -- last but not least -- taking part in a con-wide scavenger hunt that included debugging the conference badge and deciphering hidden messages scattered throughout the area.
In short, there was so much to choose from that it was overstimulating, but in a good way. Everywhere I looked, there was something new to take in, and that's exactly why we were all there.
Another thing that impressed me was the considerable range in the topics of the talks themselves. In just the presentations I saw, I heard speakers delve into everything from current vulnerabilities in Internet of Things devices to the philosophy of red team testing; from evaluating your ideas and models by attacking them from the outside to how the military is training soldiers to conduct hacking operations in open, state-on-state warfare.
Some of the talks may not have been directly applicable to me, but many of them were -- and all of them expanded my understanding and appreciation for the work of the InfoSec community. Specifically, the conference gave me a sense of what goes into the pipeline between Internet services and my computer, providing a more holistic look at security than simply locking down my system.

Linux Love

Less surprising, but still great to see, was the fact that there was so much Linux at the con! It's only natural that Linux, an operating system that lets you infinitely tweak and fine-tune your system, would be popular among the tinkerers that are hackers. The configurability and openness of Linux lends itself well to hacking, as hackers can wield exactly the right tool for the job.
Far and away the favorite OS for hacking is Kali Linux, a distribution armed to the teeth with network monitoring, forensics and injection tools. Because hackers have a way of, shall we say, "challenging" each other when assembled at an event like THOTCON, Linux is often a preferred choice for ensuring access to a computer to participate in the many puzzles and challenges offered.
One of the most encouraging things I encountered at the conference was an approachable and open-minded attitude among the conference-goers. People there were extremely open to sharing their knowledge and expertise with others, and no matter what your experience level. Everyone I met there had something to teach and something to learn. There wasn't a conversation I participated in that didn't involve everyone leaving better off.
Finally, one of the best experiences I had at THOTCON was seeing the hacker community's very own hip hop act, Dual Core, perform during the after-party. Besides being a treasured cultural artifact from the community, the group's lyrics are sharp and they are very personable with their fans, so they're definitely worth checking out.
This is definitely only a taste of the full hacker conference experience, as even I was surprised by how much there was to see and do in spite of my familiarity with the phenomenon. While THOTCON doesn't record its talks, DEFCON and Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE) post theirs online, so if my account of my first con has you intrigued, look them up and check them out for yourself.

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Android Creator Launches a Phone of His Own

Essential, a company founded by Andy Rubin, the "father of Android," on Tuesday pulled off the wraps on a new high-end smartphone.

The Essential Phone, priced at US$699, includes radios for connecting to all major U.S. carriers.
The unit has an almost edge-to-edge display (there's a bit of bezel at the bottom of its screen) that wraps around the 8-MP selfie camera at the front.
Built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, the Essential Phone comes with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
For durability, the phone has a titanium and ceramic body, which allows it to survive drops with nary a blemish, according to the company.

Magnetic Accessories

Accessories can be added to the phone via a magnetic connector on its backside. Two accessories are included with the unit -- a 360-degree camera and a charging dock.
Also on the phone's back is 13-MP dual sensor camera. Unlike other phones with dual-sensor cameras, which use the second sensor to take telephoto pictures or create bokeh effects, Essential uses its second sensor to boost low-light performance.
Like some other high-end phone models, the Essential mobile doesn't have a headphone jack.
In addition to its smartphone, Essential announced Home, a smart home hub. It runs on Ambient OS, an operating system that Essential hopes will become the Android of the IoT world.
Home is designed to tie together all the disparate protocols now in the space -- SmartThings, HomeKit, Nest and others -- as well as the various digital assistants -- Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant -- into a seamless user experience.
"I like that Rubin announced both the new phone and the home hub," said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy.
"It reinforces that the company isn't just a point player, and that matters to distribution channels," he told TechNewsWorld.

Tough Road Ahead

Despite the quality of its build and some intriguing features, the Essential Phone likely faces a tough road ahead.
"I have some doubts about the impact it can have without a big brand behind it," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.
"It'll appeal to tech folks who want the coolest and latest and greatest, but I don't see it becoming a mainstream product, so I think it will be challenged," he told TechNewsWorld.
The audience for the Essential Phone may be limited, said Kevin Krewell, a principal analyst at Tirias Research.
"It seems to appeal to people who are suspicious of Google's use of their data," he told TechNewsWorld. "It's also going to appeal to the tech elite who want something a little different."
From a hardware perspective, the Essential Phone looks very good, Krewell said.
"The edge-to-edge screen is impressive and the materials are top notch -- but the difference is the ecosystem and distribution channels the big companies have," he pointed out. "I'm skeptical that it can make a significant impact. While the tech community is interested in it because it's Andy Rubin, the larger market will not know who Andy Rubin is."

Pushing Innovation

There are those who have a more sanguine view of Essential's prospects, however.
"If the new phone delivers on everything it promises, I believe it can compete," Moorhead said.
"It's vital, though, that there's a very long road map of modules to connect," he added.
The going will be tough for Essential, when you consider the money and marketing muscle that Apple, Samsung and Google have, Moorhead acknowledged.
"Then again, Rubin has considerable resources of his own and a reputation that overshadows at least some of the competition. If any entrepreneur could pull this off, Rubin can," he said.
Essential's assumption that there's room for true innovation at the top of the smartphone market is appealing, said Charles King, the principal analyst at Pund-IT.
"The vendors in that space, particularly Apple, have been content to become providers of incremental improvements rather than forward-looking visionaries," he told TechNewsWorld.
"If Rubin forces competitors to dig deeper," King said, "so much the better for consumers and the industry."

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