Muhammad Awais

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Muhammad Awais

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If you’ve had your eye on a career in the mining industry, which pays well and offers above average job security, here’s some advice. Brush up on your knowledge of robotics, electronics and automation. Even go a step further and obtain a relevant degree or certificate in the robotics and electronics field. The fact of the matter is simply that electronic robots are the next in the evolution of industry in general, and the in the mining industry specifically.

At What Cost?
Though improvements in excavation techniques have made mining such safer than it once was, it’s still an endevour inherent with hazards. Cave-ins, explosions and toxic gases are just a few of the better known dangers associated with mining, often with catastrophic results.

The fact that these dangers are so rampant means that it’s more difficult to attract the right people to the field, it’s harder to keep them and it costs a lot to insure them. By using electronic robots in some of the harder and more dangerous aspects of mining, the cost of all these three factors and more can be drastically reduced.

As old as the Hills?
Using electronic robots in mining is certainly not a new concept. Most mines in the world have a at least a few robots, and several mines have been using automated machinery for more than forty years. What’s new is the expanding roles robots can now take on, thanks to improvements in electronics and automation design. Just a few years ago, technology such as automated controls and virtual intelligence were not advanced enough to fully utilise robots in the roles they could best perform.

Remote Mining
The large mining firm Rio Tinto, which operates a substantial network of ore mines in Western Australia, is one of the early innovators in using electronic robots in their operation. In fact, the company envisions a time in the near future when the majority of their mining work will be performed by purpose designed and manufactured electronic robots. It is envisaged that many of these robots will be controlled from Rio Tinto’s headquarters in Perth, located hundreds of kilometers from the nearest mine. Though humans will still need to be present on site to deal with unforeseen occurrences, the on-site staff will be drastically reduced and that will translate into reduced operating costs. In addition, onsite staff will be less likely to be exposed to extreme situations; instead electronic robots will take on this role. Dig Safer.

Currently, Rio Tinto operates a small fleet of robotic trucks. The trucks are controlled by several forms of electronic technology that allows them to be aware of their environment. For general navigation, the trucks are fitted with GPS. For obstacle detection, they have laser rangefinders and avoidance radars. Vehicles fitted with the same technology currently traverse the highways of California as part of Google’s Streetview project. So far, no accidents can be attributed to the robotic vehicles.

Electronic Robots in the 21st Century
Rio Tinto is also developing a variety of electronic robotic technology to be used deep inside the mine. This includes robotic drilling devices, robotic blasting machinery and several other items to replace human labour in the most dangerous part of mining operations. Plans are already underway to increase the fleet of robotic trucks from around fifteen to well over one hundred. Dig Faster.

For modern life to function as we expect, extensive mining operations are essential. But mining has always been dangerous, expensive, labour-intensive work. As mineral deposits are depleted, the work involved becomes even more difficult. Often the mines have to be expanded thousands of feet deeper to continue to find deposits. Dig Deeper.

Electronic robots are the logical step in ensuring that mine operators can continue to extract the needed minerals without drastically increasing the costs and risks associated with the industry. If mining work is in your future plans, it’s time to become friendly with and knowledgeable about electronic robotic applications. Welcome to the 21st Century!

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) recently announced changes to the current compliance marks used by suppliers on all telecommunications, radio communications, and other devices that fall under their jurisdiction, as per the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Radiocommunications Act 1992.

The previous marks, C-Tick, A-Tick and RCM, will now be united under one mark: RCM. The two other marks, C-tick and A-tick (used for telecommunications and radio communications, respectively) will be discontinued. The changes will be made official by March 1, 2013, in conjunction with the new Electrical Equipment Safety System (EEES) to be implemented on the same day.

It was previously reported in the latter half of 2011 that such changes would be taking place. The merging of the marks was pursued by the agency since many devices are converging in function, and various requirements are overlapping, making compliance a long, repetitive process for many suppliers. It is also hoped that this less complicated process will lower costs for both the suppliers and the ACMA and other compliance agencies.

What You Need to Know
For new suppliers entering the market after the said date, they are still required to comply with all ACMA regulatory standards to be able to use the new RCM market. They will be registered in the new ACMA database.

For previous manufacturers and importers, there will be a transition period between 2013 and 2016, particularly for those who have already been registered on the supplier database before March 1, 2013. These suppliers have this changeover period to file for registration in the new database. The C-tick and A-tick labels may be used until March 1, 2016.

Information for this article was obtained from http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_410297. LX takes no responsibility for the accuracy of this information or the article, as it is merely a guide for readers.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations

Consider for a moment the rapid rate at which technology has advanced over the last ten years. Computers have made the switch from cumbersome desktops to lightweight laptops, cellular telephones no longer simply make calls but can actually mimic the performance of desktop computers of a decade ago, and now, even the laptop is in danger of being cast in the shadow of even more powerful portable devices including touch-screen tablet computers.

Interface Revolution
Now consider this. As demand for these products grows and companies rush to deliver the next great innovation, the pace at which advances can occur simply cannot continue if the concepts do not change. What this means in the field of computing and electronics is that the processing power no longer offers great innovation just by gaining a little speed and computing ability. Users are already at a point where they don’t know what to do with the power they have at their fingertips. What is needed is a new direction that will offer greater utilisation of the power available today. Enter the decade of the electronic interface revolution.

GUI to You
An interface is anything that allows a user to interact with a tool. Perhaps the most popular interface is the Windows Operating System. Windows, and its Graphical User Interface (GUI), allowed non-expert users to easily interact with computers for the first time, and led to the revolution in computing that continues today. The next step in the evolution of electronic and computer interfaces are tools that do not require direct input from the user but rather sense a user’s actions and translate that into commands.

Take as an example the Microsoft Kinect system for its XBox game console. The Kinect basically consists of an array of sensors, including cameras that can see what a user is doing physically and interpret that into computer commands. Other game console makers have been paying attention and most either have a similar product available or in the works, and most industry experts agree that the concept of the joystick and keypad controllers will soon be a distant nostalgic memory.

Sensor This
If you have a smartphone, you also have an example of these “hidden” interface sensors. By simply rotating your phone or tablet computer 90 degrees in either direction, you easily change the view from portrait to landscape. This requires no thought or specific action on the user’s part other than the natural motion of changing the object’s orientation. A gyroscopic sensor in the device senses the movement and reacts accordingly. The same interface sensor also makes many other features possible such as circuitry than can automatically detect that a person has fallen simply from the phone’s acceleration. This is the new world of medical alert products.

Manufacturing Power
There are two reasons why innovations in hidden interfaces continue to grow rapidly. One, as has already been touched upon, is that electronics manufacturers have reached a point where electronic processing power exceeds the device’s other capabilities. The second, and no less important reason, is that users can’t get enough. Devices can’t simply be faster and more powerful; they have to do more and do things never before done. Since it’s consumers that drive sales and thus product development, this will be the focus.

A Battery’s Story
Another area where interface sensors will help electronic functionality is in battery consumption. Obviously the best use of battery life occurs when the device is in a sleep or low-power state when not in use. The problem is weighing convenience with practicality. A new class of interface sensors can quickly determine when the device is about to be used and power it up without the user’s input. This will make the devices both quicker to power on when needed and power down when they are not. Anyone who works with portable electronic devices knows what an important issue battery life is.

Sensors also work well in controlling displays. Light sensors easily adjust screen brightness according to ambient light and glare. This makes it easier to view a display and also plays a pivotal role in battery conservation by automatically dimming power-hungry displays when extreme brightness isn’t needed.

Light Years
In the next few years, users can certainly expect to see an array of new interface sensors in their electronic devices, as well as novel uses for devices such as cameras that are already pervasive. By the time the iPhone 7 comes out, you can count on a wide array of gyroscopes, light sensors, infrared beams, motion-detecting and recognising cameras and many other components that will allow the next generations of electronics to offer a user experience unlike anything we currently know.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS CHAMPION!

LX Design House from Everleigh has been named Champion Information Technology at the Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Saturday 21^st April at the westin Sydney.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national program of its kind to recognise the achievements and performances of small businesses.

38 small business categories including two entrepreneur categories and two business growth categories were presented on the night. Award recipients were delighted to receive their gold Champion statuette, certificate and national recognition. Having their passion, dedication, commitment and hard work celebrated amongst their peers was an experience they will never forget.

Small businesses from across Australia delivered an impressive array of entries, with winners representing a broad range of industries from all states and territories.

One of the aims of the Small Business Champion Awards is to encourage excellence. “The Small Business Champion Awards is a celebration of small business and its contribution to the Australian way of life”, said Steve Loe, Managing Director of Precedent Productions and founder of the awards. “I congratulate all the winners and finalists who entered the awards. Every business has displayed passion, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, ” said Mr. Loe.

The Awards are proudly presented by Precedent Productions, a small business in its own right and supported by the Associate Sponsors Castaway Financial Forecasting Systems, Growth By Design, Goalstribe, Defence Force – Defence Reserves Support, Success Women’s Network and St Dalfour.

– Ends Media Release –

Contact: Precedent Productions

T: 02 8577 5060

E: [email protected]

The idea of driverless cars is nearly as old as the car itself. Whether speaking of Night Ryder’s Kit or even of more futuristic flying versions seen in the Jetsons, the concept of leaving the driving to the car is deeply ingrained in us. For years, several companies and universities have been hard at work on the technology required to actually bring the dream into reality. Now, as we are well into the second decade of the 21st century, the dream is getting closer to that point.

Pilotless Planes? Why not Driverless Cars?
For the past several years, self-driving cars and other forms of transportation have been at the forefront of transportation technology. If it’s possible for a Boeing 747 to fly , land and take off itself, why then should it be such a stretch of the imagination that a simple car could do the same? The U.S. military maintains fleets of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and very few accidents involving the aircraft have been reported – many fewer, in fact, than those of piloted military aircraft. Of course, the skies are much less crowded than say the freeways of Southern California, but the urban terrain that the planes fly over is just as congested.

To the Moon and Beyond!
Universities, corporations and the United States military have all developed and sponsored contests utilising driverless vehicles. Time after time, these vehicles have successfully navigated over hundreds of miles of terrain without the need for a human driver. Teams that complete the various tasks of the competition the quickest are awarded with prize money to be used to further advance the electronic sensor and navigation technology. NASA has also been closely watching the developments as they plan for an eventual exploration of Mars and a return to the Moon.

Google What?
While many companies, both in the automotive industry as well as technology field, have been developing this type of electronic technology for many years, one company has recently taken the forefront of putting these technological wonders into full-scale use. The Internet giant Google Inc. has been actively testing a fleet of driverless vehicles on the streets of California. Google’s hope is to eventually unleash a mega-fleet of these automated vehicles to take over the day-to-day work of its Google Maps Street View initiative. Currently, Google employs hundreds of drivers who navigate streets and roads in countries around the world, taking photos of the scenery along the way. This is then incorporated into the Google Maps service, allowing viewers to see an actual view of the area. In the near future, the driverless cars could help increase the frequency at which these photos and videos are updated, leading to a better Google Street View product.

License and Registration Please
As things currently stand as far as driverless car laws and regulations are concerned, driverless vehicles cannot operate independently. However, the United States Department of Transportation has authorised the cars to operate on public roadways as long as a human driver is available to take over in case of an emergency. On any given day, dozens of Google’s prototype fleet can be seen driving the streets and freeways of the San Francisco Bay area. After many months of testing, the vehicles have only been involved in one reported accident. While driving down a busy San Francisco street, a cyclist darted in front of one of the cars. The automated system sensed the cyclist and, as a human driver would do, it quickly applied the brakes, avoiding the careless cyclist. Unfortunately, the car following the Google automated car was following too closely and collided with the car’s rear bumper. There were no injuries, and the driverless car was deemed not to be at fault.

Conclusion
As testing continues and the safety and efficiency of electronically controlled cars is proven, regulations will change, eventually leading to their use on public streets totally independently, that is, without humans onboard. The technology is here and has been for several years. What remains is to prove its safety and allow people to get comfortable with the idea of self-controlled automobiles. In a few years, it’s very possible that your take-out food could be delivered to your doorstep without a delivery driver. To be facetious, the only problem this presents is the question of how much to tip the car. Indeed, we are seeing the future of driving, and the driver’s seat is empty.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

LX Design House has been recognised for its business innovation, passion and entrepreneurial prowess by being selected as a winner in the Australian Small Business Champion Awards (ASBC) 2012.

LX was named Australian Small Business Champion Entrepreneur in the Information Technology category. http://65.182.104.91/champions/forms/form_this_years_winners.aspx

Criteria to become a successful champion finalist included past business achievements, positive business culture, sustainability and future business vision.

The extraordinary calibre of this year’s finalists set the bar high and Simon Blyth, founder and director of LX, said the team at LX were “…thrilled to receive the ASBC award..it’s really great to be part of an Australian event that recognises the importance of business innovation in the fast-paced world of information technology.”

LX Group is a multi-award-winning Australian electronics design house specialising in wireless and low-power electronics designs. LX’s motto, “we take your concept and make it a reality”, reflects its passion for innovative electronic product development.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a prestigious and comprehensive program that supports and recognises small businesses across Australia. The awards are the pinnacle of business success. They recognise the values associated with successful businesses.

–End–

Contact:
LX Group, Neala Fraser, Operations Manager, Tel: (02) 9209 4133 Email: [email protected]

More Information:
About LX Group, visit www.lx-group.com.au
About Australian Small Business Champion Awards, visit www.precedent.net/champions

Published by LX Group for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

Nanomachines refer to robots that can perform tasks on a molecular level. The prefix “nano” describes the nanometer dimensions of these machines. They have just been introduced recently although they have been a subject of science fiction for a long time. Nanomachines are now quickly being integrated into products and industries and are projected to possibly decipher the human genome, create stronger and lighter body armor than Kevlar and many other applications in the future. With their limitless use, nanomachines are said to be the most profitable technology of this century and beyond.

The human body is filled with nanomachines, arguably making up most of its mass. A cell might be considered a nanomachine because it consists of nanoscale components. An even more obvious nanomachine would be ribosomes, molecular factories that synthesize proteins. Ribosomes are about 20 nanometers in diameter. Other biological nanomachines would be bacteria and viruses.

Applications

Health
Nanomachines can easily fit inside human cells as they are 2.5 times smaller than DNA. This means they can perform tasks such as repairing damaged tissues, destroying cancer cells or making nanoscale incisions. A nanomachine bandage that soaks into human skin and repair tissue damages brought by infection, wounds or abrasions is already available. Nanomachines have also made delivering important DNA elements to damaged cells possible and has resulted in great leaps in disease control, chronic disorder prevention, as well as reversal of various mental and physical disorders.

Besides the help it gives in bringing good health to people, nanomachines are also poised to provide biological enhancements like additional muscle tissue, stronger bones, and better senses, as well as to alter the physical makeup of human cells. What this means is that scientists could change a person’s eye color, skin color, hair color, height and weight at will. Even gender can be changed if scientists perfected the map of the human genome with the help of nanomachines. Likewise, nanomachines will soon allow cloning to be more practical and efficient and may provide a solution to the problems that cryogenics faces.

Food
Unknown to many, nanomachines have also made their mark in the food industry. These super tiny machines have the ability to alter the characteristics of food just like they can change the characteristics of human cells. Nanomachines can change the taste, texture, appearance, and most importantly, the nutrition that can be acquired from any food.

Crime
Nanomachines have helped law enforcement in Britain and other places around the world catch shoplifters by tracking nanosized RFID chips or bar codes that can only be deactivated upon purchase. Retail outlets in Europe, and now some in the United States, have recently been including these items in their products because shoplifters cannot see or deactivate them.

Sports
Nanomachines allow sports equipment manufacturers to create products that are much more flexible, durable, shock-resistant, and stronger than similar products. Athletes will soon have a much more diverse assortment of gear as nanomachines will allow many new technologies to arise, thereby allowing the development of new sports altogether.

Appliances
Nanomachines are also found in common appliances like refrigerators and washing machines. Billions of nanosized particles of colloidal silver (an antibacterial and antimicrobial solution) are continuously released inside the mentioned appliances for sterilizing their contents. The colloidal silver prevents germs and bacteria from building up on food or clothes. In fact, the washing machines that use silver nanoparticles are capable of keeping clothes sterile for up to one month after each wash. In addition to appliances, several cleansers that use colloidal silver have been introduced to the market.

Conclusion
Amidst these applications, nanomachines are still in the research stage. If nanomachines could be improved to become self-replicating, or could be built in large quantities using self-assembly, or programmed into cooperating to create objects, they could be formed into a custom manufacturing system with far more capabilities than anything in existence today.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

LX Design House has been recognised for its business innovation, passion and entrepreneurial prowess by being nominated in the Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2012.

LX has been named a finalist in three categories: Information Technology, Business Growth Champion and Small Business Champion Entrepreneur.

Criteria to become a successful champion finalist includes past business achievements, positive business culture, sustainability and future business vision.

LX Group is a multi-award-winning Australian electronics design house specialising in wireless and low-power electronics designs. LX’s motto, “we take your concept and make it a reality”, reflects their passion for innovative electronic product development.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a prestigious and comprehensive program that supports and recognises small businesses across Australia. The awards are the pinnacle of business success. They recognise the values associated with successful businesses.

The winner of the 2012 Australian Small Business Champion Awards will be announced in the Grand Ballroom of The Westin, Sydney, on Saturday, 21st April 2012.

–End–

Contacts:

LX Group
Debra Drury, Marketing, Tel: (02) 9209 4133 Email: [email protected]

More Information:

About LX Group, visit www.lx-group.com.au
About Australian Small Business Champion Awards, visit www.precedent.net/champions

Published by LX Group for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

LX Design House has been recognised for its business innovation, passion and entrepreneurial prowess by being nominated in the Australian Small Business Champion Awards 2012.

LX has been named a finalist in three categories: Information Technology, Business Growth Champion and Small Business Champion Entrepreneur.

Criteria to become a successful champion finalist includes past business achievements, positive business culture, sustainability and future business vision.

LX Group is a multi-award-winning Australian electronics design house specialising in wireless and low-power electronics designs. LX’s motto, “we take your concept and make it a reality”, reflects their passion for innovative electronic product development.

The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a prestigious and comprehensive program that supports and recognises small businesses across Australia. The awards are the pinnacle of business success. They recognise the values associated with successful businesses.

The winner of the 2012 Australian Small Business Champion Awards will be announced in the Grand Ballroom of The Westin, Sydney, on Saturday, 21st April 2012.

–End–

Contacts:

LX Group

Debra Drury, Marketing, Tel: (02) 9209 4133 Email: [email protected]

More Information:

About LX Group, visit www.lx-group.com.au

About Australian Small Business Champion Awards, visit http://www.precedent.net/champions

Published by LX Group for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

For many creative or technical people, the last thing they think about is business planning. For many right-brained people, sitting down and planning can be boring, and executing them can even be more of a chore. Business plans and continuous planning is necessary for those who go into any business, whether you are an electronics engineer or a graphic designer. These are the necessary steps you need to take to get your business off the ground, or if you’ve already started, to give you focus for the coming months or years.

Design and engineering firms are no different. In the beginning, it’s even more important to have your business plan if you want to open a real office with employees and equipment. Not only is this important to gain funding, but business planning is important to help you stay on track and in business for a long time.

Role of Business Planning
If you didn’t start with a business plan, don’t worry. Many creative and technical firms start out with a few clients, without any real goals except to deliver the goods, get a good pat on the back and perhaps make some profit (or at the very least, not come out in the red.) However, as time goes by, many of these firms may find that although they and everyone in their company are growing creatively, they don’t see much monetary gain, are always strained to make ends meet and they find themselves working harder every year but not really seeing the company grow. Worse, competition is growing and expenses are just too much to keep up with. You start feeling like a hamster running on a wheel – busting your behinds, but not really getting anywhere.

The problem is, for a business to be successful, it cannot stay in the same place. It must move forward or be left behind. Whether you started with a business plan or not, now is the time to create or update your plan. Business plans for design and engineering firms are never static. Your business planning allows you to reflect back on the past and make plans for the future, to allow you to move forward.

The planning process is important both in the beginning and middle. It will make you aware of the challenges that you will face ahead and help you find solutions. It allows you to look at your competition and find out what sets you apart from them, and more importantly, how to convince potential clients they need to do business with YOU. You’ll also be able to include your team and your stakeholders in the process, to ensure your team goals and their personal goals are aligned.

Effective Strategies
You may be telling yourself, “Business planning is so boring!” For creative and technical types, the planning itself can be fun and exciting – just get a bunch of these types of people together in a room and let them start brainstorming. You’ll feel the energy in the room – the excitement and zest! The real problem lies in the execution. Who wants to worry about things like financial projections, profits and losses, cash flow statements and promotional plans.

The key here is to make it your own and really make it simple. There’s really no one way to do a business plan. You may have to package it a certain way, such as having titles like “executive summary,” “values” and “objectives” but all these things really boil down to these simple questions:

– Where are we now?
– Where would we like to be one/five/ten years from now?
– How do we get there?

Answering these basic questions, you can build a good, solid foundation for your business plan. Getting down and doing the dirty work, devoting time to really ironing out what it is you want to happen will be worth it, so you can grow both your creative/technical and business side.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www.lx-group.com.au

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.