Kirby Risk Summer 2022_Digital

I t’s hard to believe that the futuristic technology featured in the Jetsons cartoon is commonplace today. Although cars still don’t fly, we do have smart watches, flat screen TVs, video calls and intelligent robots. Alexa, Siri and Google can do more than offer a few laughs when asked to tell a joke. Their smart technology can automate entire homes by controlling lighting, starting appliances and even starting your car. Smart technologies like automation, artificial intelligence and augmented and virtual reality are becoming commonplace and driving the way businesses run on a daily basis. These technologies are increasing productivity, saving money and keeping employees safe. WORKPLACE AUTOMATION — ARE HUMANS BEING REPLACED? Large scale manufacturing certainly uses robots to automate production line processes, but those robots aren’t sitting on sales calls with customers or hiring new employees. Workplace

catch it and notify decision-makers that it’s time to dispatch a preventive maintenance team.” Beyond manufacturing, AI is also used to aid in smarter automations on both large and small scales. The automations a human resource department uses to create a smooth onboarding process may have started with AI when a potential new employee’s application was received. According to Forbes , AI pre screening is used at large companies to make sure an applicant is a good fit to interview. Once the determination is made, the automated onboarding process starts with a trigger to interview the candidate. Some basic everyday programs use AI too. Within the last couple years, Microsoft rolled out a new editor in Word that uses AI to offer suggestions for rewriting entire sentences rather than just grammar or spelling. Even email is using AI to keep a user’s inbox clean and relevant. Emails can be automated by turning them into tasks. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AR AND VR? Augmented Reality, or AR, is an interactive experience where an individual’s current environmental setting is computer enhanced. Think Snapchat filter — you and your environment on your phone with some fun add-ins or filters that slightly change what is actually happening. AR can also be used for space planning. Smart phone apps give users the ability to visualize Artificial intelligence is a key component of many smart technologies.

changes from wall paint colors and furniture to lighting fixtures. Acuity Brands® Augmented Reality (AR) Visualization Tool is an app that allows a user to view lighting fixtures in their space. The app allows you to scan your space, choose your selected fixture, and place the AR fixture where desired. The app will even show illuminated fixtures and adjust the finishes to visualize a product in your space. AR can also be used for training. Vuforia Expert Capture allows tenured experts the ability to capture step-by-step procedures and best practices as they work. The program uses Microsoft HoloLens, RealWear HMT-1 and mobile devices to record a process. The augmented instructions can then be used by a new or reassigned employee to learn how a particular machine works and the process for using said machine. Safety warnings or additional tips and information can be inserted at each step. Workers just follow location markers at each step which allows them to safely learn new skills quicker. The procedure is documented to improve efficiency and compliance. Virtual Reality, or VR, takes the same components of AR to another level by producing an entirely computer-generated simulation of an alternate world, according to Tulane University School of Professional Advancement. VR creates immersive simulations using special equipment such as computers, sensors, headsets and gloves. Like AR, VR technology provides flexible education and training opportunities that are safer and more cost effective. Kirby Risk Commodities Center uses Siemens VR for training employees to build custom panel

boards that support the Unassembled Power Board service for Kirby Risk Electrical Supply. “We were concerned about how we were going to properly train all of our employees,” says Jessica Scheid, Operations Manager – Distribution Services. “The virtual training from Siemens was very successful. The team thought it was cool, too.” Smart technologies surround us from the time we wake up until we go to bed. These technologies help us get ready for the day and stick with us throughout, offering efficiencies in our daily work routine. AI and automation hide in plain sight while AR and VR take center stage when used. Will robots take over for humans? Not entirely, but they will certainly create a safer, more productive work and home life.

automation can be seen in almost all sectors of business from global manufacturing enterprises to local mom and pop businesses. According to Cisco, workplace automation is the application of processes or systems using technology (software and/or hardware) to do repeatable or predictable workflows without requiring manual intervention. Most automation in the workplace comes in the form of cloud-based software. “Automation takes a lot of forms,” Fred Townes, Chief Product Officer at READY Education, stated in a Business News Daily article. “For small businesses, the most important thing is [repetition]. When you find something you do more than once that adds value … you want to look into automation.” Many workers use some form of an automated system without even realizing it. Common workplace automations include IT ticket systems, human resource onboarding, sales

invoicing, marketing, data entry, reporting and more. Kirby Risk relies on many of these programs for day to-day business. Kirby Risk Service Center also uses automations to aid in production and accuracy. “Kirby Risk Service Center has wire cutting machines that are automated,” says Michael Miller, Engineering Manager.

“They complete several tasks following instructions from a database.”

WHAT IS AI?

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the development of computer systems that are able to perform tasks that require human intelligence. These tasks include learning, planning and problem-solving. Machine learning is one of the most common types of AI. Machines learn through data collection. According to Business News Daily, “Machine learning can rapidly analyze the data as it comes in, identifying patterns and anomalies. If a machine in the manufacturing plant is working at a reduced capacity, a machine-learning algorithm can

AI VR AR

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