Some Amazon made in the US hid a fantastic option for privacy. Alexa +’s arrival will disappear

In recent times Amazon launched three models of his family with an interesting option that yes, was only available in the US and in English: local processing of voice recordings. That prevented users from They had to send those recordings to the Amazon cloud and supposed an interesting improvement in privacy. That option will soon stop being available. Less privacy. The products that allowed this feature, explain In The Vergeit was the Echo Dot (4th generation), echo show 10, and echo show 15. As of March 28, those devices of the Amazon Echo family will stop being able to process the audio locally on the device itself. Thus, all audio clips will end up transferred to their servers to be processed in their cloud infrastructure. AI as an excuse. In Ars Technica They indicate how Amazon has explained in an email to this publication that the change is due to the new use of AI models in Alexa+. Specifically, they assure, By continuing to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative functions that depend on the processing power of the safe cloud of Amazon, we have decided to stop supporting this function. Alexa+ in sight. After this decision is the launch of Alexa+the new version of this voice assistant that will now be enhanced by AI models. To process these models, however, the power of the Amazon cloud is needed, which according to the company makes it impossible for requests to be processed at home as happened so far. Voice recognition. The new AI system that will govern these devices will also have more advanced options to recognize the voice of who is using it and thus be able to respond more precisely and contextually, something that the company calls Voice ID. This characteristic forces Amazon to eliminate the privacy function that was present before, although very limitedly: it is likely that many users of these models did not even know that such privacy characteristic was available. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to in your echo. Users of these devices will not be able to avoid this sending of audio clips even if Alexa+will not use: Amazon will also send those audios even if they do not use said service with ia. The Alexa+ service based on AI models will be included in the Amazon Prime subscription. Another condemnation for privacy. Apart from that special option, the Amazon Echo family devices allow to control certain privacy options like him time that the recordings were stored If they reach their servers. Controversies of the past. In April 2019 it was revealed how Amazon employees listened recordings with the excuse of improving the service. That made The controversy will jump And in fact they already had problems with the suspicion about privacy When Alexa began to be available in Spanish. Amazon promises to protect that data. In that email to Ars Technica Amazon also assured that “Alexa’s voice requests are always sent to the Amazon security cloud, which was designed with security protection layers to keep customer information safe.” They also point out that there will still be various controls to refine that way of managing user data. In Xataka | The announcement of the new Alexa hides an awkward truth: the silent sunset of the Solo-Voz interface

Within the most advanced chips manufacturing machines there is something incredible: small supernovae

Identifying a Supernova is an event that astronomers usually celebrate with enthusiasm. And it is not for less if we consider that they are One of the most violent events with which we can run into the cosmos. Knowing them better is very important because it can help us understand more precision How are the latest stages of The life of mass starsand also the mechanisms that explain how the material caused by stellar synthesis can lead to new star systems. The mathematical tools handled by astrophysics current nuclear fusion that take place in the nucleus of mass stars. During the stage known as the main sequence, stars obtain their energy from the fusion of hydrogen nuclei. As this chemical element is consumed, the star begins to produce helium nuclei, and, of course, its composition begins to evolve. During this process a huge amount of energy is released and the star is forced to continuously readjust to maintain hydrostatic balance, a phenomenon that is the result of the coexistence of two opposite forces capable of compensating. One of them is the gravitational contraction, which compresses the subject of the star, pressing it without rest. And the other is the radiation and gase pressure, which is the fruit of the ignition of the nuclear oven and tries to expand the star. The small supernovae of the extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment As we have anticipated from the holder, this article does not go only from Supernovas; It is also starred by the semiconductors. A priori we can intuit that these cosmic events and integrated circuits have nothing to do, but, curiously, they do have something in common. This is the reason why I found a good idea to start this text reviewing what a supernova is and why they occur. Otherwise we could not understand in all its extension the idea in which we are about to investigate. The ultraviolet radiation generation process used by UVE lithography equipment is very similar to what happens during a Supernova In the teams of extreme ultraviolet lithography (UVE) that manufactures the Dutch company ASML, high power lasers instantly heat tens of thousands of tiny tin drops in a single second until they reach a temperature of half a million Celsius degrees. This interaction produces An extremely hot plasma that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm. This light must later be transported to the wafer thanks to a very precise mirrors and lenses system with the purpose of capturing the patterns that define the integrated circuits on a layer of photorers. Very broadly this is the strategy used by the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing machines that currently exist. And, as we have just seen, high -power lasers interpret an unquestionably protagonist role. As Jays Stewart, Chief of Research at ASML, explains in the very interesting article he has published in IEEE Spectrumthe ultraviolet radiation generation process used by UVE lithography equipment to produce avant -garde chips is very similar to what happens during a supernova. When a massive star exhausts its fuel and stops nuclear fusion processes, radiation pressure and gases is no longer able to counteract gravitational contraction. This phenomenon causes the star iron core It suddenly contracts under the enormous pressure that all layers of material that it has above. The star has lost the hydrostatic balance. At this moment all this matter loses the support that the nucleus exercised, which is now much more compact, and falls on it with enormous speed. When all that star material touches the surface of the nucleus there is a rebound effect that causes it to be fired with a huge energy towards the stellar medium, being disseminated. A supernova has just been produced. Some of them are so energetic that for a few seconds they emit more light than the entire galaxy that contains them. The tiny explosions that take place inside the UVE lithography equipment when a laser affects a tin drop produce a shock wave similar to that originating in the stellar medium, although much smaller scale. Surprisingly the mathematical equations that describe the evolution of these two types of explosions are the same. ASML engineers use them to calculate very precisely how the evolution of the shock wave that triggers plasma balls within the UVE equipment will be. And astrophysicians use them to describe the remains of the supernovas and deduce the properties of the star explosion that originated them. A Supernova has 10⁴⁵ times more energy That an explosion of tin, but thanks to this parallel, ASML engineers have been able to solve the complex problem derived from tin residues inside their most advanced lithography equipment. Image | ASML More information | IEEE Spectrum In Xataka | ‘Focus: The Asml Way’: The book that reveals the secrets of the most powerful European company in the chips industry

How to scan a product and check with these apps if it is European and what country comes from

Let’s tell you How to scan a product to know if it is European or what concrete country is coming. You can also know the relations that this country has with Spain, the description of the product, and if it is a foreigner you can even know the European alternatives. Due to the geopolitical context, many initiatives of this nature are emerging. In this case it is Several mobile applications They analyze the barcode or the product logo, and they tell you if they are European. We will tell you both the main apps to do this and the way to use them. Apps to know if a product is European Let’s start with a small list with Some applications for scanning products and know if they are European or not. At the moment, there is no multiplatform unified app, but we have several independent apps available for Android or iOS. BUY European for Android: A quite new app that analyzes the products for its barcode, and tells you the company to which they belong and the country they are. Is on Google Play. BUY European for iOS: It is not the same app as for Android, but does the same. You analyze the product barcode and tell you if they are European. It is in the App Store. Buyfromeu for Android and iOS: It allows you to know if a product is really made in Europe, and gives you alternatives. It also allows you to look for alternative for online services. Do not escape anything, you only use a search engine, and this is multiplatform. Is on Google Playand In the App Store. Buyeuropean for iOS: An app that does not analyze the barcode, but the face or cover of the product. Then look for that product and tells you its origin, and it is not European even gives you alternatives. It is in the App Store. How these apps are used In most cases, all you have to do is install the app and give permission to access the camera of your mobile. This permit is necessary to take photos of the barcode or the front of the product you want to analyze. Once you have done this, simply take a picture of the product or bar code, it depends on the app. Sometimes it is not even necessary to take the picture, you just have to point towards it. In any case, When reading the application, it will show you the product data And he will tell you if it is European or not. What this app does when detecting if the product is not European depends on each one, in some cases an alternative can be offered. What you can know with certainty is when one of these products is from some country on the continent. In Xataka Basics | 61 European alternatives to Google, X, Gmail, Chrome, Maps, Dropbox, Google Drive, WhatsApp and other popular services

Google is going to kill a mythical app in all Android. The AI ​​is to blame

He debuted almost ten years ago, and Google has made official the announcement of his death. He Google assistant He was born in 2016 with a simple purpose: to become a simple assistant for basic and automatic day -to -day basis. Put alarms, establish reminders, draw quick routes with Google Maps. Functions that are performed in a few steps in the apps, and that the assistant could solve with a single voice command. But this is not enough for Google, which wants me to Gemini be everywhere. The company’s new artificial intelligence will be the official replacement of Google Assistant, which will cease to be available on phones at the end of this year. It is not good news. Helping for almost a decade. Google Assistant has been with us since 2016already level of functionality was extremely polished. It allowed to interact with both native and compatible applications (Spotify, YouTube, etc.) to perform simple tasks in seconds. Since Gemini was launched for Android, this became the native assistant of the system, but we could always go to the settings to make Google Assistant again the native option. At the end of this year, it will cease to be possible. Gemini is natural evolution, but it has a way ahead. Gemini will be better and more complete than the Google assistant, but worries that at this point he will keep it hard to perform the simplest tasks. In Xataka We deepen how Gemini behaves in front of Assistant in simple tasks As what to do on the weekend, what can we eat today, its limitations when interacting with native system functions (panel shine, telephone sound, etc.). It is a great assistant, but it is not yet polished. Ia, we want or not. In the new Gemini era, we want or not (unless we disable the app and we stay without assistant), all the phones will have the integrated Google AI. This is great news at the level of possibilities: we can generate images, access Gemini Live advanced voice, and have an assistant that will end up being much more complete and useful than Assistant. For those who are not too comfortable with Google’s AI, comment that OpenAi already works For ChatgPPT, it can be used as a native voice assistant on Android, a great option to have the advanced voice mode in a few seconds (although it will be difficult to access other apps). The future of the industry. Google’s pass is the logical, even more so if you manage to integrate (as you are already doing) Gemini on all telephone with its operating system. Apple wants to battle with Siri’s advanced mode, But he is choking And there is no defined date for an AI that should already be present on the iPhone. What seems clear is that, if technological ones want to conquer us, they have to do so by introducing it natively in the system, not as an APP available more. Image | Xataka In Xataka | Gemini Advance functions that become free in March 2025

A bomb is directed to Ukraine from the US. It is called GLSDB and is Boeing’s antidote to the “offensive triangle” of Russia

Two news in the last hours reflect to what extent the war in Ukraine is a nonsense. On the one hand, the United States has confirmed that he is arguing with Putin LAs lands and energy plants that would find the long -awaited fire. On the other, a package is directed from Washington to Ukraine. Inside, some bombs They promise to change the current Russian advantage in the invasion. The “offensive triangle”. They counted several analysts over the weekend that as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, Russia has perfected a strategy that, although it has not achieved decisive advances on the battlefield, is Erosioning systematically the abilities and moral of the Ukrainian forces. The approach, called by British experts such as the “offensive triangle,” combines infantry, attack drones and planning pumps to subdue Ukrainian forces at constant pressure. Tactics has been particularly effective due to Current situation of Ukrainewhich faces the reduction of western military supplies, exacerbated by the decision of the Trump administration of freeze shipments of arms and all cooperation in intelligence (now reactivated both). Although Russia still does not achieve significant strategic advances, its approach is achieving an accumulation of small victories at a high human and material cost. The key role of UMPK. One of the most novel and effective elements of this strategy has been the intensive use of UMPK planning pumpswhich have allowed Russia revive your air capacity without exposing your enemy fire planes. These bombs, which transform conventional ammunition into low -cost precision weapons, have been a key factor for Russia since Your introduction in 2023. Unlike western systems such as The JDAM from the United States (used for more than 25 years), Russian UMPK prioritize quantity over precision. Although its accuracy is less than that of its western counterparts, its explosive power is devastating. Plus: These ammunition have proven to be particularly effective against Ukrainian trenches and bunkers, since even a close impact can destroy well prepared fortifications. It is estimated that Russia will increase its production of 40,000 UMPK bombs in 2024 70,000 in 2025which will mean an even greater challenge for Ukraine. American aid: GLSDB. The response of Ukraine to the Russian offensive triangle will arrive thanks to the reactivation of military aid and intelligence cooperation in the United States. To be more exact, a New improved version of the GROUND-LAUNCHED SMALL DIAMETER BOM (GLSDB). The bomb, which debuted on the Ukrainian battlefield months ago, had a disappointing performance, especially due to the advanced electronic warfare capabilities of Russia, which led to its use was suspended. However, with the growing need for long -range armament after the decrease in reserves of Atacms missilesGLSDB has been reevaluated and modified to counteract electronic interference and improve its effectiveness. The modifications. According to Reutersthe new versions of the GLSDB include structural reinforcements to better withstand launch tensions, in addition to an optimization in Your GPS navigation systemwhich would do it more resistant to blocking and supplantation of signals (Jamming/Spoofing). In fact, to validate these improvements, 19 launch tests were carried out recently. We remember that the bomb was developed by Boeing and Saab, a precision weapon released from the ground with remote attack capacity. Its design is based on the combination of two existing components. On the one hand, the small diameter pump GBU-39/B (SDB), used in air attacks. On the other, the M26 rocket engine, which is used in multiple launcher systems m270 mlrs and M142 Himars. How it works. The system allows the GLSDB to be triggered as if it were a rocket to use and, after reaching a certain altitude, displays retractable wings that allow it to plan without propulsion to its target, using its inertial navigation system and GPS. Its scope is approximately 150 kmwhich makes it especially useful for Ukraine in its attempt to attack Russian infrastructure and supply lines at a great distance. The initial problem. Although Saab had ensured that GLSDB had high precision (with a margin of error of only one meter), reports from the front suggest that their vulnerability to the Russian electronic warfare It was greater than expected. Russia has demonstrated an effective capacity to Block GPS signalswhich affected the precision of the GLSDB and reduced its effectiveness. Interestingly, the aerial version of the SDB has worked well in the Ukrainian Air Force, which has raised doubts about why the land version suffered interference problems. It is suggested that the greatest flight distance in GLSDB may have amplified the impact of GPS signal loss. Strategic importance and versatility. Be that as it may be despite its initial problems, GLSDB is still A key piece In the Ukrainian military strategy. Its great reach places the pump above the 227 mm rockets used in the MLRS and Himars, which allows deep attacks without the need for expensive tactical ballistic missiles such as the same Atacms. In addition, it has the advantage of being compatible with multiple launch platforms, including the MLRS M270 and the Himars M142which facilitates its integration into the Ukrainian Arsenal. Plus: Another important factor is the availability of components, since both M26 engines and GBU-39/B pumps have broad “stock” in the US and other allies, which makes the GLSDB pump a viable and scalable option to maintain the pressure on Russia and cope with that moscow wear war with Your offensive triangle. Image | Saab In Xataka | Russia has crowded a surprising blow to Ukraine: 100 soldiers walking for four days inside a gas pipeline In Xataka | The problem of Ukraine is not just the lack of weapons. The US has a “button” to deactivate the artillery already sent

What news has and how to update

Let’s tell you What are the novelties of the Android Auto 14 betawith which the operating system premieres a new figure. At the moment it has arrived in Beta version, so it is still stable or advisable to install. Remember that it is the operating system that you install on the mobile but you do not use it there, but you use it on the console of the car when you connect it to your device. Although a new round number is released with it, in this new version of Android Auto There are also no external novelties That you will notice when installing. There are no changes in the interface, although small indications of the promises of what is to come. News of Android Auto 13.8 Beta This new version, as usual, It has no external news. You will not find any new option or function. Nothing changes on the outside with respect to the previous one, and there have not been some news that is being prepared as Gemini’s integration. The few novelties you are going to find are Improvements in Reading and Visualization of Notifications of messaging applications. Some errors that have been recently located, such as failures in audio reproduction, are also corrected. But otherwise, everything that changes is the internal code, where you can see that it continues to work on the arrival of Gemini, although without date for its final implementation. And why is this so slow? Because The news of Android Auto van insideand being a system to use in the car Any error in the app can be fatal. That is why in the Android Auto updates They cannot simply launch a new function and then improve it, because each failure can cost lives. How to update Android Auto Beta Being a beta phase version, you will still have to Wait a few days until you get to your final versionsince betas are closed, although In this link You can try luck in case there is any hole in the betas program, something that does not usually happen. The other method to test beta is download and install your APK fileavailable in Android Auto in Apkmirror. On this website you will have to choose between the ARM and ARM64 architectures, although if your mobile is currently almost certain that it is the ARM64. Once the file is downloaded, you have to Install the APK on your Android manually and restart. In Xataka Basics | News of Google Maps: New reports of incidents that arrive for mobile and Android Auto

While Laurence hits Spain, Aemet fears another four weeks of rain

Just a few hours ago, the high impact storm Laurence was east of the Azores. Not anymore. And on his way to the east Three fronts have already been defined that are impacting the Iberian Peninsula (or are about to do so). After the little parenthesis of the weekend, the rain is back. And it seems that he plans to stay. Three fronts? The first, the warm (a hottest mass than what we have now on the country), is entering the Gulf of Cádiz and will leave heavy rains in the Guadalquivir valley. The second will be cold and will water much more water also entering the Southwest. And finally, an occlusive one will arrive (that is, a compressed mass between two others) that will be the coup of grace and the real problem when high accumulated and heavy rains. With the aggravating thing that, after hours and hours of rain, all drain systems will begin to be collapsed. Is it dangerous? In some areas it can become, yes. For example, As Álvaro Oliver explainsthe rains that will reach the central system “will clearly exceed 50 mm and even 100 mm at many points.” If we add to that the thaw that will occur, the situation can be complicated. And, beyond that, the rains They have no heavy to send. This is what Aemet tells. And, as we say, not only Laurence is going to leave “abundant rains in large areas of our country” and will breathe “temperate air” that will boost the thaw, is that “Wednesday will be a transition day between two storms: Thursday comes another with more rain “yet. Other? How long will this last? This question has two answers: the short is that we have no idea. We already know how variable the time in spring is. The long one, however, has a lot of crumb to analyze. Because If we look at ECMWF’s weekly modelsthe European weather model, we will see that the next four weeks appear with positive anomalies in rainfall. It is true that the one that has that most accentuated trend is this that we now start, but (always according to the model) the rainfall above normal can remain much longer than expected. Image | ECMWF | Sami Ullah In Xataka | If the question is when the rain is going to end, Aemet has bad news. Especially for Andalusia

Musk, Gates, Zuckerberg and Altman believe that our mobiles have the days counted. Tim cook doesn’t have it so clear

Substitute is sought for the mobile phone. We have been looking for it for years, but it is that smartphones continue to prove to be perfect products in almost all the scenarios. However, several great technological leaders They seem clear that the mobile has an expiration dateand the AI ​​and a potential change in the way we interact with technology have the fault. Elon Musk and Neuralink. The tycoon has been trying to win the AI ​​career for some time With his startup XAI And his Grok model, but also has another startup that will end up being the one that makes the mobile disappear. It is neither more nor less than Neuralinkwhose implants could become an extraordinary option to communicate with technological devices. Bill Gates and the tattoos. The Microsoft co -founder converted to Philanthropist has already advanced in 2022 that one of the potential substitutes (or rather, accessories, at least in this case) of mobiles They are electronic tattoos. He himself ended up investing in a startup called Chaotic Moon —What was acquired by Accenture in 2015 – that combines aesthetics and biotechnology. The orientation of these tattoos is for the health moment, but it could be used for other uses. Mark Zuckerberg and glasses. Much more plausible looks like Meta and Mark Zuckerberg, than with their Ray-Ban Meta connected glasses It proposes an increasingly promising alternative to the mobile. Maybe not for everything, of course, but every time for more things. These devices can win many integers thanks to artificial intelligence, and in fact we saw how their evolution, the Project Orionit does raise a future in which perhaps the mobile is much less relevant. He already said it: His prediction is that In 2030 we will not get so much the pocket smartphone Thanks to connected glasses. Sam Altman and the AI ​​iPhone. Meanwhile, the OpenAi CEO, Sam Altman, also seems to be clear that hardware can end up being the perfect substitute for our mobile devices. We still do not know what type of device is raising, but it has joined the famous Jony Ive who for years was the head of Industrial Design in Apple. Together they have the objective of Create the “AI iPhone”. Tim Cook continues to believe on the mobile. Faced with all of them, Tim Cook believes that mobile phones still have a long way ahead. In the presentation of results of the first fiscal quarter of 2015, the Apple CEO highlighted its optimism about the future of mobiles When saying “I think there is still a lot of innovation in smartphones.” Its pro vision are for example a product that is not raised to be used outdoors, but they seem to have a rival for the finish line in study through the Project Atlas. Hardware with AI has been a failure. The truth is that a year ago the fever of devices with AI seemed to promise a turning point. However both the Humane Ai Pin like him Rabbit R1 They ended up being two great technological fiascos. None met expectations, and today both products are practically missing from the map. The optimism of Musk, Gates, Zuckerberg or Altman is striking, but today the mobile seems to continue having rope for (much) time. Image | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | Rabbit R1 and the Humane Ai Pin are too green. It turns out that we already have the best AI device in the pocket

Aliexpress anniversary with tons of offers in technology: these are the best

The Black Friday or Christmas is not the only dates that we have available to save to the fullest in our purchases. There are other great events during the year, as is the case that it has just begun today: The Aliexpress Anniversary. Thanks to this new marketplace promotion, we have available a huge number of offers in all types of technological products. In addition, we also have the following discount coupons to save even more. code discount Minimum purchase Those02 2 euros 19 euros Those06 6 euros 39 euros Those08 8 euros 59 euros Those12 12 euros 89 euros Those20 20 euros 139 euros Those40 40 euros 239 euros Those60 60 euros 369 euros Those70 70 euros 469 euros All these codes They cannot accumulate or are valid with other promotionsIn addition to that they are not compatible with mobile phones or virtual products. The Aliexpress anniversary loaded with chollos begins Among all the offers we have available right now in technology, just then we leave you A selection of some of the most interesting: Asus Rog Allythe most powerful version of this portable console, by 384 euros with the code those60. Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Proa great smartwatch with a very elegant design, by 153 euros with the code those20. Sony PlayStation5 Prothe best console that Sony has to date, for 654.99 euros With the coupon those70. Xiaomi 14tan off -road mobile phone, by 365 euros. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wirelessheadphones with good sound and great noise cancellation, by 190.15 euros With the coupon those20. Asus Rog Ally Although we have already available a new version of it, it is still a great time to get this version of the Asus Rog Allywhich comes with the Z1 Extreme chip. It is a powerful portable consoleideal for squeezing even demanding games. Thanks to what comes with Windows 11 we can also use services like Xbox Game Pass, giving rise to a huge games library. It comes out by 384 euros with the code those60. * Some price may have changed from the last review Galaxy Watch5 Pro The South Korean firm has also recently launched watches, but this Watch5 pro It is still one of its best proposals to date. It offers a fast and very fluid experience, in addition to having great autonomy supported by Wear OS. Ideal right now that we can get it for 153 euros with the code those20. * Some price may have changed from the last review Sony PlayStation 5 Pro The most powerful console that Sony has manufactured to date, its new PlayStation 5 ProThis new Aliexpress anniversary is also the protagonist. It is a console that will allow us squeeze all compatible games to the maximumwhich are not precisely few (and will be more in the future). It is true that it comes without a reader, although we can buy it apart when we need it. It comes out by 654.99 euros With the coupon those70. * Some price may have changed from the last review Xiaomi 14t If we are looking for a new mobile phone and want something with a great value for money, beware of this Xiaomi 14t. It is a great phone that counts With 6.67 -inch AMOLED screenGreat power thanks to its socio mediatek dimensity 8300 ultra and a rear camera system with triple sensor that will allow us to take good photos in any scenario. We have it available for 365 euros. * Some price may have changed from the last review Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Great sound quality at a great price. That is right now what these sennheiser momentum 4 wireless offer us, some headphones that also stand out for being very comfortable to use and offer A autonomy of up to 60 hours per load (In addition to having fast charge). We can buy them in Aliexpress right now for 190.15 euros With the coupon those20. Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Aliexpress, Asus, Samsung, Sony, Xiaomi, Sennheiser In Xataka | The 17 best 2024 video games In Xataka | Best air fryers. Which to buy and 10 airfryers recommended from 50 euros

Today it is positioned as the capital of robotics

Odense’s industrial identity was marked by his shipyards. For almost a century, their engineers built some of the most advanced container in the worldincluding the giants of the Mærsk E class, which at the time were the largest load ships ever built. But the Danish naval industry had been losing ground for years. Since the end of 1970, the sector suffered a gradual replication as naval construction moved to South Korea, Japan and China, where production costs were significantly lower. To contain the crisis, the Danish government promoted state subsidies, export credits and strategic orders, but the trend was unstoppable: between 1977 and 1985, the market share of European shipyards fell from 41 % to 18 %, while Asia’s went from 46 % to 70 %, with China emerging as a key actor. They are data that appear in ‘Transforming an industry in decline‘, an analysis of Thomas Roslyng Olesen about the fall of the Danish shipyards. Odense was not immune to this change. Until the end of the 2000s, Mærsk had built many of its ships in the Odense Steel Shipyard, but the growing competition of Asian shipyards led the company to rethink its strategy. How Taipei Times collectsin 2011 Maersk commissioned Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), in South Korea, the construction of its new Triple-E Class Porter. What could have been the industrial collapse of the city became a turning point. Denmark could not compete in Costs with Asia, but found an alternative in the technological niches of high added value. Instead of building ships, The local industry began to develop more innovative marine enginesSoftware for port automation and advanced thermal systems. Odense soon follow that path. His conversion did not occur from one day to another, nor was it the result of a perfectly executed master plan. It was, rather, an emergency response. Without shipyards or large naval contracts, the city had to look for an alternative. Public investment helped, universities put their part and the industrial ecosystem did what he could with the tools he had. Robotics and automation They seemed a promising way, a way to take advantage of technical knowledge inherited from the naval industry to build something new. Universal Robots offices in Odense But transforming a city is not easy. It is not enough to attract startups or put tax incentives. Talent must be generated, convince companies to bet on staying and, above all, demonstrate that there is a market willing to sustain everything in the long term. Odense, precisely, is in this phase. His old industrial heart is filled with companies that seek to make their way to robotics, such as Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots (MIR)two of the most prominent firms that have been born in this ecosystem. Universal Robots has specialized in cobots, collaborative robots designed to work with humans in factories, without the need for safety barriers or complex programming. Unlike traditional industrial robots, which are usually confined in cells and operate with strength and speed for repetitive tasks, cobots are designed for Direct interaction with human operators. Do not confuse them with humanoid robots. Mir, meanwhile, has opted for autonomous mobile robots, machines capable of moving through warehouses and logistics centers transporting goods. A technological cluster in full boom The growth of companies such as Universal Robots has not happened in a vacuum. One of the keys to Odense’s transformation has been the development of A technological cluster specialized in roboticsthat today is one of the most dynamic in Europe. In every Denmark there are more than 300 companies dedicated to robotics and automation, and more than 160 are based in Odense. This ecosystem began to take shape between 1980 and 1990, when it began to be experimented with robotic technology in Odense’s shipyards, but its real consolidation came in the last two decades. Since 2015, the number of companies in the cluster had grown 50% In 2020, According to Odense Robotics Insight Report. In the center of this network is the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), which not only brings talent to companies in the sector, but also leads research in artificial automation and intelligence. If you ask local authorities, they have no doubts: Odense not only wants to be a reference in robotics, but to become the best city in the world for the development of robots. “Odense is already the world center of collaborative robots, but we dream of making Odense the best robotic city in the world,” They claim from the local government. It is not just a motto: it is a strategy that is already underway. One of the pillars of this plan is to develop a robotics campus, where startups, large companies and the University of Southern Denmark share research and ideas. This space should serve as an innovation core, facilitating direct contact between Emerging talent and consolidated companies. The goal is to reinforce the network that already exists between the cluster companies and make the city even more attractive to foreign investment. Odense is betting strong, but we still have to see if the play works The city has made a clear commitment: it wants robotics to be its new flagship industry. It has a well -defined strategy, investment in progress and a network of companies that is already working. But the most difficult part remains: to turn this ecosystem into a long -term sustainable model. Odense is not competing alone. Globally, robotics has become a technological career in which only a few actors can consolidate. China, with its ambition to lead world automation, is investing billions in cities such as Shenzhen and Hangzhouwhere industrial and large -scale service robots are developing, And where firms such as Unitree stand out, which seek to replicate the success that Xiaomi achieved in the mobile sector. Its domain in the manufacture of robots not only represents a technological threat to the United States, It is also generating a battle for hegemony in the robotics industry. Silicon Valley, meanwhile, remains one of … Read more

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