COVID 19 generated an unprecedented demand for remote work and created a demand for mass collaboration tools that let designers work as unified teams, without a physical presence. For many tasks, it’s relatively simple, but in the architecture, engineering and construction space, substantially different systems, designs and skills must be sequenced correctly to deliver a project on time and on budget.  Effective project management of an already difficult task, along with simultaneous mass collaboration, is highly challenging. 

Autodesk Workshop XR Senior Director and General Manager Nicolas Fonta talks to Jim Anderton about how the power of artificial intelligence allows widely dispersed engineering and design teams to work cohesively to deliver projects on time and on budget. 

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The post AI powered mass collaboration for engineering appeared first on Engineering.com.

Building engineering is a unique form of craft and science, blending multiple materials, processes and design methodologies. Cabling a modern structure means coping with power and signal conductors which must be routed efficiently through complex structures, a 3D puzzle which challenges even the most experienced engineers.

Toronto-based Augmenta is an AI powered generates optimized layouts without tedious and time-consuming at the design level. Augment co-founder Aaron Szymanski discusses this design first with Jim Anderton.

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The post An AI first: building electrical layout appeared first on Engineering.com.

Few emerging technologies have generated as much interest, research and concern as AI, and in the engineering space, it’s no different. It is now clear that AI represents a tool of unprecedented power to streamline engineering workflows, but at the rapid pace of development, it is quickly evolving into something more.

The art and science of engineering is now changing in real time, as agentic AI not only performs the singular design and development tasks, but collaborates with other AI systems in ways which aren’t fully understood by the people using them.

It sounds scary, but the actual future is exactly the opposite, according to Autodesk Senior Director of AI Research, Dr. Tonya Custis. She is a true AI tech insider, and she discusses this important topic in conversation with Jim Anderton.

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The post The future of artificial intelligence isn’t what you think  appeared first on Engineering.com.

Mechatronics blends mechanical engineering, electronics, control systems, and computing into one intelligent system. Without it, self-parking cars, smart thermostats, and precision robotics simply won’t work reliably in the real world. This blend of mechanical systems, electronics and software has blurred the lines between traditional engineering disciplines, especially with the rapid and ongoing development of artificial intelligence.

Dr. Hoe Seng Ooi, Chief Technology Officer at Taipei-based NexAIoT, thinks that mechatronics is the key to unlocking “physical AI” on the street and in our homes, and he joins Jim Anderton on the podcast to explain why.

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The post Why the future is mechatronic appeared first on Engineering.com.

In 1908, the Ford Motor Company introduce the Model T, the first truly affordable, mass-produced automobile in history. Ford’s assembly line techniques were so advanced for the time that the Ford production system and management strategy was called “Fordism” and was regarded as the future of all manufacturing.

Today, the Ford Motor Company is attempting to do it again, with a major project to rework the massive Louisville Assembly complex into a paragon of modern automotive manufacturing, replacing the traditional linear assembly lines with a root-and-branch structure that will involve discrete assembly of major modules, based on large-format aluminum die castings. The goal is to create a $30,000 midsize electric pickup, a wide-open market that is currently unexploited.

The automotive industry is watching, and if successful, the project could give Ford a significant advantage in the transition to electric vehicles.

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The post The Model T Ford revolutionized the automotive industry. Ford is trying to do it again. appeared first on Engineering.com.

This episode of Industry Insights & Trends is brought to you by Siemens.

Engineering design is an iterative process. It’s been said that engineering is not about design, but redesign, and the stepwise pathway toward verified, proved in production ready parts and assemblies is frequently restrained by testing and validation.

But what if the design tools can themselves flag the designer about trouble very early in the design process? It’s a “shift left” in the design timeline, and it represents a way to build better, faster and with less risk. Advanced engineering software tools such as Siemens NX Performance Predictor deliver these benefits without the need to extensively retrain design personnel.

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Learn more: engineering.com is hosting Design Like a Pro: The Power of Simulation in Your Workflow webinar on Monday, September 29, 2025. Registration and attendance is free.

The post From idea to impact: Accelerating the engineering workflows appeared first on Engineering.com.

Inflation pressures notwithstanding, economic indicators right now are quite robust, despite political uncertainty and tariffs. 70% of the US economy depends on consumption, and consumption is still strong, but there is a troubling trend that is little discussed.

The top 20% of American income earners now represent over half of all consumption, and consumer goods manufacturers are responding with a decided shift upmarket. Luxury SUVs have replaced simple cars and light trucks for automakers, for example, but no one knows what the implications are for the economy if this trend continues. 

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The post 20% of the population now drive the consumer economy appeared first on Engineering.com.

Edge computing is the logical extension of the smart sensor technology which drastically improved control of manufacturing processes in the 1980s and ‘90s. Moving the computational burden down to the plant floor has multiple benefits, but it has also created new challenges. Where does artificial intelligence fit in? What does process control really mean when human interaction in manufacturing technology is limited? What’s the future for data in manufacturing?

Digi International Principal Engineer Kevin Johnson discusses the issues in conversation with engineering.com’s Jim Anderton.

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The post What happens when edge computing with AI comes to the shop floor? appeared first on Engineering.com.

Since World War II, the heavy tank has been king on the battlefield, combining power, mobility with protection for its crew. The war in Ukraine however, has turned the notion of the powerful, heavily armored main battle tank as the spearhead of the assault, on its head. Cheap, simple drones are destroying large numbers of tanks on the battlefield, and they’re doing it with relatively small explosive warheads. Can tanks be redesigned with sufficient passive protection to withstand a future battlefield teeming with attack drones?

In Ukraine, the answer is no, but the future will likely involve smaller, faster, automated tracked fighting vehicles, and probably drones tasked specifically with defending against other drones. In the future, quality appears to be winning over quantity. 

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The post The war in Ukraine: The end of armor as we know it appeared first on Engineering.com.

This episode of Manufacturing the Future is brought to you by Fortinet.

Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing technology has evolved from steam, to electricity, and today, to data. Data is the cartilage and sinew of the vast skeleton of manufacturing and commerce, and when that information was passed solely through copper conductors, it was relatively secure.

Today however, wireless technology has evolved into a virtual backbone, operating at macro and micro scales. Individual machines on an assembly line may be Bluetooth connected to handheld devices, and Wi-Fi is a given for intra-plant monitoring and control, with the Internet providing operational control and monitoring on a global scale. Vulnerability of these systems is a growing problem, both for the need to keep nefarious actors out of industrial systems, and to protect valuable IP.

Engineering.com’s Jim Anderton spoke with Rod Locke, Director of Product Management with Fortinet about the severity of the industrial security problem, and what manufacturers can do about it.  

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Learn more about Fortinet’s industry-leading OT Security Solutions.

The post Securing critical manufacturing data: It takes more than a simple firewall appeared first on Engineering.com.