Zebra Blog and Podcast

If you're planning to use machine vision to assist with quality control or automate other visual inspections, there are some things you need to account for when designing your system. In the latest episode of the Industrial Automation Insider podcast, two engineers from Tri-Phase Automation explain what you should think about when spec'ing out your vision system to avoid headaches later on and make sure you get the results (and return on investment) you want.  

What's it really like to be a rookie in the NFL? That's one of the things that Adam Petrus and Hale Hentges wanted to get TJ Tampa's take on when they connected for the latest Chalk Talk. Hale's been in TJ's shoes. He knows what it's like to try to find your place as a pro athlete. But everyone's experiences are different, and TJ's experience has not been what you might expect. Hear how the all-star cornerback has been prepping for this season with the Baltimore Ravens and how he's hoping it will play out for him and his team. 

Unlike most clinicians, nurses at Hull University Teaching Hospitals don’t have to worry that patient care will be compromised due to missing equipment or medical supplies shortages. Why? They’ve found an unconventional but effective ‘cure’ using RFID. Listen to this episode to hear Hull RFID Charge Nurse Sarah Atkins explain what they did and the impact it has had thus far on clinicians, patients, and hospital operations.

Prefer to read the transcript? Or want to learn more about the Hull project? Visit the related blog post. 

When an ambulance is dispatched to a call, the assumption is that it will be fully stocked with the right equipment and medicines for EMTs to stabilize patients or perform life-saving measures in the field. But with the increased number of calls for service, it’s becoming more difficult for EMTs to maintain proper stock in their ambulances – and that has patient care implications. Why is such a fundamental task so hard to manage? That’s one of the questions we asked two public safety experts. The other question? Is there anything that can be done to reduce the wait times for ambulance services where the calls for service are exceeding EMTs’ capacity? These experts have some thoughts.

Stuart Hubbard, Senior Director of AI and Advanced Technology at Zebra, sat down with inspired software engineer Saliha Demir to find out what she has recently learned – and once misunderstood – about AI. Her early AI experiences are certainly a wake-up call to us all. Listen to what she says we all need to remember about AI (now that's she's spent more time developing AI applications and understanding its true purpose). 

In a very candid conversation, tech industry leader Tim Stoddard shares the best way to steer your career and life so that you become who you want rather than who others want you to be.

Want operational excellence throughout your manufacturing value chain? Apply value engineering methods to back-office operations, too, says Zebra Director of Operational Excellence, Cristina Chaidez. (That’s how she’s helped automotive and telecom manufacturers drive award-winning improvements.) Learn more about her approach and how she's impacted manufacturers' operations as a process engineer on the front lines as well as in the back office. Then click here to meet other Women Who Wow in industry.

Hear how T&L companies, utilities, government agencies, and other service providers are using the tablets currently installed as ELDs to inject more automation and intelligence onboard their fleet vehicles. Our guest, Michael Inglima from Ram Mounts, explains how these mobile devices are working with AI software, cameras, RFID and more to assist workers in and out of the cab as well as those coordinating goods transport and service call response. 

In this sit down, NFL Denver Broncos Coach Sean Payton revealed the common practices he’s moving away from as a coach, what’s on his vision board, what he saw in his time “in the booth" with Fox Sports, why he values RFID/data analytics so much, and what he’s looking for when deciding which players will make it on the bus.  

They say there’s two sides to every story. Well, now there’s at least two viable machine vision solutions to every problem when you invite both seasoned and early career vision system engineers to the table, and that’s making it easier to see the right path forward, according to two engineers. Find out why they feel this way, and what diversity of thought means for the impact of vision technology investments on your business.