n NEWS May 2024 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 PEOPLE WORKING ON EQUIPMENT such as motor starters and power distribution panels will soon be able to be guided and taught via Apple’s recently launched Vision Pro “spatial computer” headset, which provides ultra-highdenition 3D images that merge the real and digital worlds and can be controlled by natural inputs such as a user’s eyes, hand gestures or voice. Visitors to this year’s Hannover Messe were shown the technology delivering step-by-step instructions for installing Siemens motor starters and power distribution panels. Siemens has teamed up with a US software developer, Bilt, which specialises in 3D apps for the Vision Pro and handheld devices. Bilt’s guided learning on the Vision Pro allows people to use their eyes, hands and voice to interact with each element of a product, enlarge or shrink parts, and see animated step-by-step assembly instructions on the photorealistic display. Unlike static manuals, the spatial computing app provides step-by-step 3D instructions that can viewed alongside the real equipment. Users can access current information in their work environments, leading to faster task completion, fewer errors and less reliance on technical support. The recently-launched Vision Pro spatial computer blends digital content with the physical world and allows users to interact with apps simply by looking at them. Physically, the Vision Pro consists of a headset containing a ultra-highresolution display that provides users with a photorealistic digital twin that combines the real and the digital worlds. The 3D images can be controlled by inputs such as tapping a nger to select, icking a wrist to scroll, or using a virtual keyboard or dictation to enter text. At the launch of the $3,499 Vision Pro in February, Apple CEO Tim Cook described it as “the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created. Its revolutionary and magical user interface will redene how we connect, create, and explore. The era of spatial computing has arrived.” Siemens’ rst assembly and installation guides for the Vision Pro are for its Class 14 Nema motor starters and P5 power distribution panels. Both of these are aimed at the North American market and other countries that use UL standards. At present, the Vision Pro is available only in the US. Siemens is planning to oer Bilt support for other products, including its smart InHab home energy management portfolio. Bilt is joining Siemens’ Xcelerator Ecosystem and its apps will be available via the Marketplace. https://BILTapp.com Apple’s Vision Pro shows you to how to install motor starters pThe Swedish warehouse automation specialist MotionTech has acquired Nottingham-based LAC Conveyors & Automation and Telford-based Holloway Control Systems as part of its strategy“to build an automation powerhouse”. LAC is a systems integrator which supplies conveyor, automation and robotic systems. Holloway is a family business with two branches, that develops controls and software. In 2022, MotionTech acquired AMH Material Handling, based in Stoke-on-Trent. pigus has acquired a majority stake in the Portuguese sensing specialist Atronia Tailored Sensing for an undisclosed sum. For ve years, they have collaborated on “smart”plastics products such as bearings, energy chains and cables equipped with sensors, for use in applications such as predictive maintenance. By taking control of Atronia, igus aims to expand the market for networked plastic components and to make them accessible to SMEs. pThe global market for servomotors was worth $12.5bn in 2022 and will reach $21.3bn by 2032 – a CAGR of 5.5% – according to Allied Market Research. Demand is expected to increase as industries seek to improve productivity, quality and eciency. AC servomotors have a larger market share than DC servomotors, while rotary applications outstrip linear applications. Robotics is the biggest application sector, accounting for more than half of servomotor revenues. www.alliedmarketresearch.com pSomerset-based electromechanical services provider, Rotamec Engineering Solutions, has acquired the gearbox repairs rm Nottingham Electrical Transmissions (NET), for an undisclosed sum. Rotamec describes this as“a pivotal moment”in its strategy to extend its reach and rene it service oerings. It adds that NET aligns with its vision of establishing a network of branches. The integration “promises more ecient and prompt services”. pThe AEMT has updated its Ex Repair training course for people involved in repairing electromechanical equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres. Responding to feedback, the organisation has introduced online access and refreshed the course, which is in line with IEC BS EN 60079-19:2019. https://bit.ly/43FJdb7 NEWS BRIEFS QUANTUM POWER TRANSFORMATION (QPT), the UK power semiconductor specialist developing a high-e¡ciency motor control technology based on gallium nitride (GaN), has raised more than £1.2m in a crowdfunding drive – more than double its original target of £600,000. The funds will be used to scale up production and sta and to le 12 global patents to protect the company’s technologies. QPT, founded in Cambridge in 2019, has a contract with ABB to develop a next-generation motor drive based on GaN transistors. GaN devices can switch at much faster speeds than silicon or SiC (silicon carbide), but can suer radio frequency and thermal issues if driven above 100kHz. QPT claims to have solved these issues, resulting in a technology that is about 23 times faster than current SiC-based alternatives and could deliver “unprecedented” power savings. The company is developing a facility to produce up to a million GaN modules annually, backed by outsourcing. It also expects to generate revenues from licensing its IP and selling chips. “QPT has a perfect combination of an amazing technology that can cut the power consumption of electric motors by 10% – thereby providing a way to actively help reduce climate change – and a management team of veterans of the GaN industry,” says Rupert Baines, a semiconductor industry stalwart who has recently been appointed the company’s CEO. “QPT’s GaN technology is a unique solution for the issues of overheating and RF interference that currently limit the speeds that GaN can be driven at,” he adds. “Now GaN transistors can be run at much higher speeds that any other rival technology – 20 times faster than SiC, for example. The higher the speed, the less power is wasted in the motor control, which can be very signicant, and the power savings rapidly add up.” UK GaN drive pioneer doubles crowdfunding target Siemens says that Apple’s Vision Pro spatial computing technology oers a safe, low-cost way of installing equipment and learning about it
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