Electricity + Control May 2018

New Concepts for High Tech Hazardous Areas (SAFA) 23 – 24 May 2018 Emperors Palace, Johannesburg Enquiries: Gary Friend. Email gary@extech.co.za A-OSH EXPO/Securex South Africa 2018 22 to 24 May 2018 Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand Africa’s leading occupational health and safety (OHS) trade exhibition. Enquiries: Email info@aosh.co.za Health and Safety Management Conference 13 – 15 June 2018 The Holiday inn Rosebank Johannesburg; South Africa Enquiries: Email thabo@asbconsulting.org.za Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg Manufacturing Indaba is the leading manu- facturing event in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the annual Manufacturing Indaba and its provincial roadshows is to bring together business owners, industry leaders, government officials, capital providers and professional experts to explore opportunities and grow their manufacturing operations. Enquiries: Email thembisa@siyenzaevents.co.za NOT TO BE MISSED Manufacturing Indaba 2018 19 – 20 June 2018 POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa 17 – 19 July 2018 Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg A forum that brings together international business leaders and technical experts com- mitted to powering up a continent. Enquiries: Visit www. powergenafrica.com/2018/html

‘Alex, Please Get Me a Pizza …And bring it to theTV lounge’ Dateline: 24 April 2020

(Courtesy: MindBullets: News from the Future … published by FutureWorld.org)

A mazon has released its home robot, and it's called Alex. It works with Alexa, to buy things and stream stuff to your home. But Alex is fundamentally different; it can move around the house and help you with domestic chores. Just like the robot butler featured in sci-fi movies. Alex has been quietly, almost secretly, developed by Amazon over the last three years, and now it's ready for Prime Time. There's already a waiting list from Amazon Prime customers, who have been given first dibs on the new gadget. As Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, so prophetically said, the tech company that can conquer the home environment, ‘a computer in every home,’ is the one that will dominate the future. He was pinning his hopes onWindows, but that was decades ago. Now we have become accustomed to talking to our home computers, with phrases like ‘OK Google,’ or ‘Hey Siri.’ And half the time, our computers are in our pockets; but in reality we're just accessing the cloud. We are used to the voice interface, but what about when we need our intelligent assistants to help us up after we've fallen, or bring us a device or tool when we need it? That sounds like the job for a robot. So why not combine the two? Amazon have taken the lead with Alex, by ploughing billions into robotics and AI research.They've had warehouse robots for ages, so they know how to make mechanical assistants that are useful for humans. Rumours that Google is readying their home robot, called ‘Alpha,’ for release in the coming

Electra Mining Africa 10 – 14 September 2018

months, have neither been confirmed nor denied by the other tech giant. I hope it's true. I can't wait for the cage fight between Alex and Alpha!

Expo Centre, Nasrec in Johannesburg Gateway into Africa for further business expansion. Enquiries: Visit www.electramining.co.za

Acknowledgement Courtesy FutureWorld International Limited.

Disclaimer Despite appearances to the contrary, FutureWorld cannot and does not predict the future. Our MindBullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, challenge and stimulate strategic thinking. Use these at your own risk. Any reference to actual people, entities or events is entirely allegorical. Copyright FutureWorld International Limited.

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Barloworld Power.................................43 Beckhoff Automation............................IFC Comtest.....................................37 Countapulse Controls......................OFC ifm................................................OBC

JB Switchgear Solutions...................29 Marthinusen & Coutts......................33 MECOSA......................................14 PREI Instrumentation..........................13 SEW Eurodrive...............................IBC

Siemens..................................19 Timecount..................................36 Voltex........................................3 WIKA............................................15 ZEST WEG Group...........................31

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MAY 2018