manufacturing
The US Inches Toward Building EV Batteries at Home
In an effort to reduce dependency on hard-to-source cobalt and Chinese manufacturing, US makers are finally getting into the cathode business.
Now You Can Rent a Robot Worker—for Less Than Paying a Human
Automation is reaching more companies, imperiling some jobs and changing the nature of others.
This Company Has a Way to Replace Plastic in Clothing
Natural Fiber Welding uses an innovative process to treat cotton and make it behave more like synthetic fibers.
Carbon-Capturing Sunglasses Offer a View of Fashion's Future
A new biomaterial created by methane-munching marine organisms can be molded into eyeglass frames, or formed into leather-like sheets.
Why Robots Can’t Sew Your T-Shirt
Machines can print textiles, cut fabric, and fold clothes. But it’s hard to train them to sew as fast and precisely as humans.
The US Needs to Get Back in the Business of Making Chips
Pandemic-induced supply disruptions and competition from China put more pressure on US companies to manufacture semiconductors at home.
Covid Forced America to Make More Stuff. What Happens Now?
A software entrepreneur pivoted to making masks at the start of the pandemic. The experience opened his eyes: “I thought, ‘Wow, the US really is behind.’”
Ford's Ever-Smarter Robots Are Speeding Up the Assembly Line
A transmission factory shows how artificial intelligence may creep into industrial processes in gradual and often imperceptible ways.
BMW’s Virtual Factory Uses AI to Hone the Assembly Line
The German automaker uses new software from chipmaker Nvidia to simulate train robots and human workers.
Intel Wants to Revive US Chipmaking. It Has to Catch Up First
The semiconductor giant announced plans to open its factories to others, but it will send some of its most advanced designs to be made in Taiwan.
A Silicon Chip Shortage Is Causing Big Issues for Automakers
Car companies have had to reduce output, pause production, and even idle shifts and entire factories.
How Steel Might Finally Kick Its Coal Habit
In order to curb the industry's prolific carbon emissions, the sector will have to transform how the material is traditionally made.
All the Stuff Humans Make Now Outweighs Earth’s Organisms
Anthropogenic mass—concrete, metal, and other human creations—has grown to be heavier than plants, animals, and microbes combined. Planet Earth is not happy.
Robots Invade the Construction Site
Boosted by advances in sensors and artificial intelligence, a new generation of machines is automating a tech-averse industry.
A Plan to Fix the US Bike Shortage
Demand for bikes has soared in the pandemic. To spur production, the US should adopt the industrial policies from the Asian countries it relies on.
The End Is Nearer for ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Food Wrappers
Your takeout may come with a dose of chemicals known as PFAS—but the FDA’s push to get rid of some of them will take five years.
In These Factories, Inspector Robot Will Check Your Work
Artificially intelligent camera systems look for defects and misplaced parts in many industries. The coronavirus pandemic makes them extra useful.
As Workers Spread Out to Halt the Virus, Robots Fill the Gaps
Social distancing requires rethinking the layout of workplaces. A new breed of robots can help keep factories and warehouses running.
The US and China Want a Divorce, but Neither Can Afford One
For all the talk of moving production and supply chains out of China, governments and companies lack the trillions that would be needed as they battle the pandemic.
The High-Stakes Race to Build More Ventilators
The US is short of ventilators to help Covid-19 patients breathe. Ford, GM, and satellite-launch company Virgin Orbit are trying to fill the gap.
What World War II Can Teach Us About Fighting the Coronavirus
Some manufacturers are racing to make ventilators, respirators, and face shields. But the situation is nothing like it was in the 1940s.
The ‘Surreal’ Frenzy Inside the US’ Biggest Mask Maker
Prestige Ameritech typically makes 250,000 masks a day. Now it's manufacturing 1 million daily, and turning away orders for 100 million more.
When AI Can’t Replace a Worker, It Watches Them Instead
Whether software that digitizes manual labor makes workers frowny or smiley will come down to how employers choose to use it.