automation

The future loves automation. Whether it's Jetsons-style powered people-movers, Henry Ford inspired assembly lines, or dystopian office filing systems, our forward thinkers have always been inspired by increasing productivity, the automated way. A new supermarket checkout system looks to be our next step into the future--at least until we have robots doing all of our shopping for us.

The new scale incorporates a camera that captures an image of non-bar-coded foods. By comparing the fruits and vegetables with images stored in a database, the system detects what type of produce it is. Consequently, the item is identified, weighed, and … Read more

It's good to see Marc Fleury go public with his new project, an open-source home automation project (not yet a company) called OpenRemote. We had talked about it back at Open Source Goat Rodeo 2008, but he seemed to be taking his time to actually release something.

The problem that I see with this idea? We already have an excellent Linux-based home automation company called Control4.

Control4 was started years ago by a pair of serial entrepreneurs, Will West and Eric Smith. That broadband in your hotel? They are almost certainly the ones who put it there (iBahn).

I used to be involved with Control4 during my time as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Thomas Weisel Venture Partners, an investor in Control4. The company was doing fantastically well back then (2003/2004), and I'm betting it has easily cleared $100 million in sales by now, and has signed up every major distributor and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) one can imagine.

This is a very, very well-run company. Is there room for an open-source competitor?… Read more

Not even a month has passed since the "Tri-Bot" has succeeded the Robosapien, and already another wheeled animatron is mounting a challenge. The "A.M.P." (Automated Musical Personality) Bot from Tiger Electronics differs from the Tri-Bot by navigating on two wheels instead of three, a feat made possible by its gyroscopic system.

It's also not meant as a kindergarten toy, according to Gearlog, measuring 2.5 feet tall and weighing in at a hefty 15 pounds. The target consumer's age is between 16 and 25, in fact, and for good reason: The A.… Read more

Your next car might know you better than most of your friends or family do.

If current research pans out, the car of the future could figure out not only where you drive, what sort of music you listen to, news preferences, what you like to eat, or whom you are calling--but it might also know how your mood affects your driving. And eventually, it could turn into the ultimate backseat driver, taking full control if it's not satisfied with the way you're manning the steering wheel.

It might sound like something from the distant future, but researchers … Read more

Poker may be considered the "game of champions" here in the States, but in other parts of the world mahjong holds that title. So it comes as little surprise to learn that it has its own version of the "iDealer" we mentioned earlier.

The "Automatic Mahjong Table" shuffles tiles that are funneled into a center unit and then miraculously elevates them in perfectly stacked rows before each player. (See video below.) There's even a dice tumbler that remains flush with the table's surface until a button is pushed, springing into action like … Read more

Levanta, a Linux data center automation company that was reborn from the ashes of Linuxcare, has closed its doors.

Levanta, which laid off the bulk of its 20 or so employees on Monday, is now seeking to sell the assets of the company, said a Levanta investor.

"Levanta won't continue as a standalone company, but we hope to find a home for its technology soon," said the investor. "Levanta has the best technology for managing Linux servers...but we couldn't wait for the market to develop. In the U.S., there's only a 10 … Read more

The technology industry loves to talk about anything that is new. Whether it's IT virtualization, SOA, or Web 2.0, venture capitalists, analysts, and the press team up and transform the latest thing into technonirvana.

OK, maybe this is just human nature, but in our business, it is important to remember that the IT triad consists of people, processes, and technology. In other words, enterprise technology ain't worth squat, unless a bunch of highly skilled nerds can monitor boxes, follow directions, and turn individual piece parts into a cohesive system.

Yup, the "people and process" part … Read more

Systems management company BMC Software on Monday said it intends to buy BladeLogic for $28 per share, or about $800 million net of cash acquired.

BladeLogic, which went public last year under the ticker BLOG, makes tools for automating jobs in data centers, such as configuring servers and provisioning storage appliances.

BMC said the software will be added to its existing product portfolio and bring it a "significant, high-growth revenue stream."

The acquisition comes at the tail end of a wave of consolidation in the data center software field, which started out earlier this decade.

With the growing … Read more

Setting up a wireless network of home-security gadgets can be a pricey venture. So a California company hopes to produce a line of low-cost gear for home automation that might appeal to the Sears and Wal-Mart set.

Petaluma, Calif.-based Threshold, a privately held company founded three and a half years ago by a former Nokia GM, is developing a set of gadgets that include front-door Webcams, motion sensors, and light controls that can talk wirelessly to a control device and the PC. The system will let people automate tasks like timing interior lights, monitoring the front door while on … Read more