https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Siemens The transition to a new energy mix is making the power grid more dynamic. Siemens is coordinating a major research project designed to determine the extent to which existing control center technology can accommodate additional functions, and at which point entirely new structures and architectures will be needed. https://phys.org/news/2017-09-world-dynamic-grid-center.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:40:01 EDT news425635319 Microgrids are spreading globally, driven by technological, regulatory, economic, and environmental factors. Siemens helps build and get the best from these modern energy systems. https://phys.org/news/2016-11-technological-regulatory-economic-environmental-underpinnings.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 01 Nov 2016 08:11:08 EDT news397206661 A new offshore wind turbine from Siemens is set to lower the cost of wind power generated on the high seas. Siemens believes it is well on the way to reaching its goal of producing offshore wind energy at a total cost of less than ten euro cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by 2020. In fact, it expects that generation costs for offshore wind power plants will decline to less than eight cents per kWh by 2025. Siemens and other companies in the wind energy business agreed on this target at the beginning of June 2016. https://phys.org/news/2016-09-eight-mw-giant-offshore-power-cheaper.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 05 Sep 2016 08:03:52 EDT news392281421 New additive manufacturing technologies are making it possible to produce burner components and turbine blades in a 3D printer. When it comes to developing and implementing additive manufacturing, Siemens is ahead of the competition. The company plans to aggressively promote associated technologies. https://phys.org/news/2016-04-digital-world.html Engineering Thu, 07 Apr 2016 09:10:01 EDT news379237470 Worldwide, total oil demand keeps growing. Low prices are fueling this trend. To remain competitive, oil companies need to reduce their production costs. Siemens is supporting their efforts with a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for electrification, compressors and rotating equipment, automation, and digitization along the entire production chain—from oil drilling to processing in refineries. https://phys.org/news/2016-02-oil-gas-future.html Environment Mon, 29 Feb 2016 06:50:07 EST news375950996 Siemens is working with customers in the United States to move generation closer to load sources, increasing distributed energy sources on the grid. Many large energy users – military bases, universities, commercial campuses, etc – are looking to invest in on-site generation and infrastructure due to the significant value of increased resiliency and energy security of having their power source nearby that they can control independently from the serving utility. Microgrid design and software control easily integrates and optimizes existing energy infrastructure, renewable generation, and load sources while providing a scalable infrastructure for future expansion. https://phys.org/news/2016-02-microgrids-american-power-network.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 08 Feb 2016 09:09:26 EST news374144957 Reinhard Schopf, head of the Transport and Urban Services department of the South-German city of Böblingen, speaks about the huge efficiency benefits and the unusual story behind Sitraffic Stream, an innovative system for prioritizing urban buses and emergency vehicles. https://phys.org/news/2016-02-prioritizing-urban-buses-emergency-vehicles.html Engineering Thu, 04 Feb 2016 09:11:09 EST news373799458 At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy swept across the northeastern United States at speeds of 150 kph (more than 90 mph). Millions of people were left in the dark. In an era of climate change, energy management systems will have to become increasingly robust in order to withstand natural disasters like Sandy. Siemens Smart Grid technologies have helped for years to make power grids more resilient to hurricanes, heat waves and drought. https://phys.org/news/2015-11-grids-smart-weather-tomorrow-storms.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 02 Nov 2015 09:00:02 EST news365676212 The Allach locomotive plant on the outskirts of Munich is a high-tech location for train-related data analysis. Since 2014 it has been home to the Siemens Mobility Data Services Center. There, experts have been working hand-in-hand with the facility's Rail Service Center to translate complex streams of mobility-related data into optimized operations for customers. https://phys.org/news/2015-10-data-driven-rail.html Engineering Tue, 13 Oct 2015 10:10:01 EDT news363946799 Pharmaceutical manufacturing is governed by strict guidelines that necessitate extensive documentation of all steps in the production process. A new Siemens solution for "paperless pharma production" significantly boosts efficiency – making it easier to introduce personalized cancer therapies, for example. https://phys.org/news/2015-09-turbocharging-drug-production-paperwork.html Engineering Mon, 14 Sep 2015 09:20:01 EDT news361440607 Together with New York energy provider Con Edison, Siemens is making the power grid in Lower Manhattan more resistant to flooding-related outages. https://phys.org/news/2015-09-lightning-fast-york-city-bright.html Energy & Green Tech Fri, 04 Sep 2015 09:10:01 EDT news360573666 About a quarter of all drinking water is lost on its way to consumers. A new type of online platform equipped with networked measuring devices, sensors, and pumps, promises to provide the information needed to improve efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-digital-smarten-networks.html Engineering Fri, 28 Aug 2015 10:10:02 EDT news359972352 A new AC power connection module for near-shore wind turbines is expected to cut the cost of accessing the grid for such installations by as much as 40 percent. This solution from Siemens thus also reduces the cost of energy from offshore wind farms. In contrast to conventional AC transformer platforms, the new module can be mounted directly on the foundation of an existing wind turbine thanks to its small and lightweight dimensions, thereby minimizing materials, time expenditures and risk. A biodegradable insulating fluid also makes this decentralized solution extremely environmentally friendly. Siemens recently presented it at the EWEA offshore conference in Copenhagen. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-module-lowers-offshore-power.html Energy & Green Tech Wed, 26 Aug 2015 07:30:02 EDT news359792378 Production processes are becoming increasingly interconnected with digital communications technologies, opening new gateways for criminals operating on the Internet. The IT Security Technology Field at Siemens Corporate Technology is developing sophisticated solutions to protect against cyber crime and is subjecting them to rigorous testing, in part using its own team of hackers. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-honeypots-hackers.html Security Fri, 21 Aug 2015 08:30:01 EDT news359363711 Siemens has increased the generator capacity of its gearless offshore wind turbines from six to seven megawatts. https://phys.org/news/2015-08-offshore-turbine-boosts-energy-yield.html Energy & Green Tech Tue, 11 Aug 2015 09:16:18 EDT news358503370 At a unique lab in Trondheim, Norway, Siemens researchers are examining how power network components behave when subjected to extreme water pressures. In 2020, such a system will begin supplying energy to large oil and natural gas production sites at a depth of 3,000 meters. https://phys.org/news/2015-05-power-network-components-subjected-extreme.html Engineering Wed, 13 May 2015 09:35:23 EDT news350728428 Siemens researchers have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a weight of just 50 kilograms, delivers a continuous output of about 260 kilowatts – five times more than comparable drive systems. The motor has been specially designed for use in aircraft. Thanks to its record-setting power-to-weight ratio, larger aircraft with takeoff weights of up to two tons will now be able to use electric drives for the first time. https://phys.org/news/2015-04-world-record-electric-motor-aircraft.html Engineering Thu, 16 Apr 2015 09:30:03 EDT news348393073 Wind power may have a positive image, but setting up offshore wind farms is complicated and energy-intensive. Because Siemens promises its customers and the authorities a high degree of transparency for the environmental performance of its giant turbines, it has reviewed the actual benefit of green power for the environment. https://phys.org/news/2015-03-green-power.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 30 Mar 2015 08:40:02 EDT news346921061 Tomorrow's factory jobs will be completely different from those of today. Although they will continue to be organized around assembly stations, they will not work in rigid shifts, be subject to inflexible processes, or be restricted to a single workstation. According to Johannes Scholz and Johannes Labuttis, engineers who studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich, in 15 years most monotonous and strenuous activities will probably be a thing of the past. Scholz and Labuttis now work at Siemens Corporate Technology in Munich, where they focus on the role of humans in production processes. "In the future, workers will use their smartphones and computers to organize their shifts themselves," says Scholz. "When doing so, they will be able to take into account their personal chrono-biological attributes – for example, whether they're day people or night people. This will enable them to adapt their work assignments to their private needs and personal situations" https://phys.org/news/2015-03-personalized-factory-workstations.html Engineering Mon, 02 Mar 2015 09:30:05 EST news344507469 Siemens is researching the use of sensor networks in an advanced parking management solution that will hopefully counter the increasing parking space crisis in cities. The online magazine Pictures of the Future reports about this solution, which will be used this spring for the first time in a pilot project in Berlin. In this concept, sensor networks collect information about the parking situation in cities. The information is forwarded to the drivers in order to make it easier for them to find unoccupied parking spaces. In addition, the data is transmitted to a parking management center so that cities can intelligently manage their parking spaces. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-radar-sensors.html Engineering Thu, 26 Feb 2015 09:22:56 EST news344164966 Siemens is developing tools that ensure smart data applications abide by data protection regulations. The reliable protection of data privacy is very important because it is a precondition for people or institutions to provide applications with personal data. In cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (Fraunhofer IAIS), the researchers at Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) are therefore creating a toolbox that helps users of smart data to adhere to the data protection regulations that apply to their applications. Although a great variety of algorithms exist for making data anonymous, many of them are not suited to the software environments that are typical of smart data. The new toolbox will contain a selection of algorithms for such environments. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-intelligent-analysis-privacy.html Internet Thu, 26 Feb 2015 09:22:44 EST news344164955 Siemens has developed software, which uses advanced knowledge based data analytics to efficiently model heart valves from 3D Ultrasound images and quantify geometrical dimensions. Valve geometry features are critical for disease diagnostics as well as surgical and catheter based therapy. Today physicians are performing valve measurement using 2D imaging only, making the decision process time consuming and operator dependent, which reduces its reproducibility. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-02-automatic-quantification-heart-valves-ultrasound.html Cardiology Thu, 19 Feb 2015 08:10:05 EST news343552428 Siemens develops superconducting fault current limiters for limiting short-circuit currents in the grid. Superconductors show zero resistance below the critical temperature and below the critical current. They are thus more energy efficient than conventional series reactors. Despite the fact that superconducting components require cooling, the technology can help to reduce the power losses by half compared to the losses caused by currently usedseries reactors. Siemens will test the new superconducting fault current limiter in cooperation with the Augsburg municipal utility company and install a prototype in the grid by the end of 2015. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-superconducting-material-limits-short-circuit-currents.html Engineering Thu, 19 Feb 2015 07:13:22 EST news343552395 A new economy is taking shape – one in which sensors unblinkingly monitor the health of machines, and machines, production lines and entire factories trade logistical information in real time. Largely invisible because it's drivien by software and sensors, this new economy is ushering in a vast and expanding universe of services and opportunities for individuals and industries. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-sensor-economy-opportunities-individuals-industry.html Engineering Fri, 13 Feb 2015 09:20:02 EST news343038400 Although it is possible to detect diseases by studying a person's breath, this is by no means an easy task. However, scientists in the New Technology Field for Chemical and Optical Systems at Siemens Corporate Technology have become specialists in professionally capturing people's breath and analyzing the molecules it contains. Their goal is to detect diseases such as lung cancer merely on the basis of the breath's composition, and to do so when the illness is still at an early stage and therefore easier to treat. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-02-cancer-analysis.html Oncology & Cancer Wed, 04 Feb 2015 09:13:52 EST news342263609 Siemens is investigating entirely new concepts for X-ray systems. The aim is to achieve a radical increase in imaging resolution and to enable phase-contrast X-ray imaging. This entirely new technique helps, for instance, in the identification of tumors. Moreover, examinations involving cardiovascular diseases can be carried out without contrast agents. Nearly one out of ten patients suffer from allergic reactions to these substances. A multi-year R&D project, which is scheduled to run until 2017, brings together experts from Siemens Healthcare und Corporate Technology and includes external partners. An article on this subject is now available on the online magazine Pictures of the Future. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-radically-technologies-x-ray.html Engineering Wed, 04 Feb 2015 08:10:04 EST news342259088 A simulation software from Siemens can analyze people's behavior in emergency situations. The software known as "Crowd Control" calculates how individuals or crowds will behave and move in emergencies. The program allows experts to observe and optimize evacuation and rescue measures in advance and in real time. Making such improvements is one of the most complex tasks that security officers have to perform. https://phys.org/news/2015-02-evacuation.html Engineering Wed, 04 Feb 2015 07:54:57 EST news342258870 A new program will make it easier to combine different modes of transport. Siemens is developing a service for predicting the availability of carsharing vehicles at a given location at specific times. The forecasting tool will be incorporated into the integrated SiMobility Connect mobility platform, which links carsharing firms, public transport companies, taxis, and bike-rental services. Customers will then be able to use just one app to plan all segments of their trip and immediately see which combinations of transport modes are most advantageous at the moment or at a later time. The goal is to make the planning of inter-modal journeys (combinations of different forms of transport) more effective in order to combat growing traffic congestion in metropolitan areas. The new software also incorporates car-sharing users whose cars do not have a permanent parking space. https://phys.org/news/2015-01-intelligent-algorithm-carsharing-vehicles.html Computer Sciences Thu, 22 Jan 2015 10:00:04 EST news341138658 Siemens is developing a system that helps blind and visually impaired people walk safely through cities. In cooperation with the Technical University of Braunschweig and several partners, Siemens is working on a comprehensive assistance system for visually impaired people. The system is the result of a research project titled InMoBS. Among other things, the solution relies on the data transmitted between the traffic infrastructure and blind people's mobile devices. Critical situations occur at intersections, for example. Although walk signals usually emit a beeping sound to inform visually impaired people, but they don't know how long the light is green or where exactly it is safe to walk. To provide such information, Siemens enabled smartphones for its car2x technology, which is used to transmit data between cars and traffic infrastructures. https://phys.org/news/2015-01-app-safety-pedestrians-cities.html Software Thu, 22 Jan 2015 09:50:01 EST news341138635 There are one and a half million commercial buildings in the U.S. Less than ten percent of them have energy management systems. Technology from a Siemens company in Austin, Texas has what it takes to steadily ramp down this huge sector's appetite for energy. https://phys.org/news/2015-01-starving-energy-monster-efficient.html Energy & Green Tech Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:10:01 EST news340879877