Simulated driving has its serious side and its fun side. On the serious side, the technology is regularly used in driver's education courses, as well as to monitor driver behavior, performance and attention, and evaluate advanced driver assistance systems.

In July, gasoline cost, on average, $3.23 per gallon in the U.S. That compares with $2.27 per gallon in July 2020, and it's the highest price since October 2014. Electricity prices are rising, too.

Industry 4.0 is here. It's not a buzzword or marketing lingo. It's reality, and it's making assembly lines smarter and more efficient.

Evolution is inherent to the materials and equipment used in assembly, regardless of the product being made. For example, semi- and tank trailers increasingly feature composite-material components, along with those made of traditional steel or aluminum.

Some companies have a name that is intentionally meant to be unique. Others have a background story that is just as interesting as the name. Tim Fulton, founder of Phelan, CA-based Alien Machine Worx (AMW), is in the latter camp, having believed from day one that AMW would be "making things out of this world."

Many suppliers have equipment that has been used on one of the Mars rovers over the past 25 years. But, few companies have equipment on multiple rovers. Auburn, MA-based PI USA is one such company.

Preparing existing automotive factories to assemble electric cars requires comprehensive modernization. Certainly, this was the case at Volkswagen's assembly plant in Zwickau, Germany.

The BMW Group is using generative design software and additive manufacturing to make production parts at an industrial scale.

Based in Torrington, CT, systems integrator Plastimation has been designing and building robotic automation systems for more than a decade. The company's portfolio ranges from simple projects, such as a machine-tending application in which a cobot unloads stacks of plastic lids from a molding machine, to complex ones, such as an automated line in which four robots assemble and test a medical device.

If both the AFL-CIO and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) support a bill, it should be a lock to pass. Alas, that is not the case with the Biden administration's infrastructure bill.