Running cabling in a few inches of space between trains and tunnels. Smashing apart rooms to rebuild fireproof walls. Drilling holes through foot-thick floors for cooling. Setting networking equipment on fire to see how it drips. This is how engineers at Canada Water station have spent the past few months, in a race to install 4G on the London Underground for the first time and meet a tight political deadline.

It's the lament of the spoiled Londoner that there's no mobile connection on the Underground, as though it's perfectly reasonable to expect 4G service under the Thames in a tunnel that's part of a 157-year-old train network.

But Moscow, Seoul and Toyko have connected commutes, so why can't we? The difference between those networks and our own is tunnel size. It's not easy or cheap to install 4G networks in the space of a few inches, and that's only the first of plenty of hurdles facing Transport for London (TfL) engineers and contractor Installation Technology who are trying to bring mobile connections to the Underground for the first time.

"We've been working on the idea for the better part of ten years now with no solution," says Shashi Verma, chief technology officer for TfL. So what changed? The Home Office needed a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) and money suddenly appeared. Now, the systems for ESN and commercial 4G are being trialled in parallel in a project covering the tunnels and platforms from Westminster to just beyond North Greenwich, as well as most of the station areas.

If all goes to plan, the system will go live in March, giving commuters connectivity in tunnels underground along that stretch of the Jubilee line. And if you look closely, you'll be able to see where it comes from.

Between stations of the Jubilee line, in the inches-wide gap between the train window and the wall, try to spot the black cables running along the tunnels. These are called "leaky feeders" and they are seeping radio connectivity into the tunnels, in the same way as a water pipe that's been methodically slashed would spray at intervals.

At the core of the cables is a copper wire, but the casing that normally protects the radio waves has regular apertures to passively leak out the signal.

"It's a fairly basic technology that's very low maintenance," says Martin Osborne, Head of Mobile Infrastructure Delivery at TfL. "We've been running systems using leaky feeder for 20 years."

Two leaky feeder cables have been installed: one for the commercial service and a second for the Home Office's emergency network. They join a leaky feeder cable already in place, used for drivers' radios and all three need to squeeze into the few spare inches between the tunnel wall and the trains hurtling by, without interfering with each other's signal.

To manage that, engineers used lasers to scan tunnels and 3D imaging to virtually install the cables, to see if it fit alongside trains - and discovered that they could risk placing them as close as 100mm away from each other without interference.

The team running thick cable from 500-metre drums in the dead of night when the tube isn't running have an even bigger problem to contend with: they might have connectivity, but it's not strong enough for anyone to really be able to use it.

Higher frequencies are faster and have more bandwidth, but need to be helped along by repeaters. While the emergency network happily operates at 800MHz via the leaky feeder alone, the signal strength is nowhere near enough for anyone on the train to use 4G.

TfL has built a hidden room with massive boxes of high-powered radio equipment, like a home router at a massive scale. That sends the data via a hub to convert the radio signal to optical, letting it hop onto a fibre line that also runs through the tunnels; look for the thinner, bright yellow cable along the walls. On the platforms, there are high-powered directional radios pointing into the tunnels, as well as low-power units above commuters heads, both of which connect to fibre and on to operators networks.

TfL has installed 4G server rooms to guarantee coverage in tunnels

TfL

The aim is that if you're on the train, your phone won't switch between systems, but if you emerge and head up escalators to the ticket hall, then you'll move onto a local network. "All we're doing is taking the signal from mobile operators and putting it through various different antennas and broadcasting it out across the tunnels and into the stations," says Osborne.

The eight stations in the trial are served by a "base station hotel" a mini data centre for each of the four main 4G operators to keep their own separate equipment at Canada Water station.

For the wider network, one will be needed every 15 kilometers or so, meaning as many as ten will be required. Here at Canada Water, EE has its own hotel in a nondescript room along the bus station, while the other three are setting up shop in a long corridor a few levels underground; as of our visit, only Vodafone and EE had installed equipment with weeks to go until launch.

All that may sound complex, but the system is straightforward to network specialists, who are using equipment bought off the shelf. "The challenge for us is doing it in a very difficult environment, underground, which is noisy, dirty, old and has no space," says Osborne. And that's spurred the design, with passive equipment such as leaky feeders used in locations where maintenance is a challenge, because no-one wants to have to do this work again.

To get fibre in, the pavement was ripped up. To install cooling in the other areas below ground, fist-sized holes were drilled through the concrete flooring.

On a tour of the station, one of the engineers took visitors down a bright hallway in the hidden side of Canada Water station, slipping a key into a lock at the end. "We won't all fit in," he joked, pulling the door open to reveal not another hallway or room, but the equivalent of a broadband cabinet. For fire-safety, TfL had to build a foot-wide structure out of breeze-block to house a dozen cables plugged into ports.

EE's data hotel looks like any server room, with rows of racks filled with networking equipment. But it needed a new wall for fire containment and its networking kit needed to be fire tested. That means it was taken to a lab and lit on fire, to see how material would drip from it important information for equipment installed over people's heads.

Fire isn't the only challenge. The Jubilee line is the newest part of the tube, but it still dates to 1998. Requirements were different then, so the network doesn't have enough power supply for all this additional equipment. Plus, the extra equipment gives off heat, meaning even more power is needed for cooling. To make it work, new power feeds had to be run from a local substation not easy when external permission from local residents is required and energy savings had to be found across other systems.

The installation team is already keeping an eye on temperatures outside the remit of the trial. Further down the line, trains often wait in tunnels outside Green Park station; because of the stop, trains pull hot air with them and leave some of it behind. One engineer said that spot is being monitored to see the temperature impact from a few radio boxes several stations away.

The heating and power would be less of an issue if the mobile operators were willing to upgrade their equipment to low-power alternatives. Had this project waited three years, that shift would likely already have happened, Osborne says.

But as this is only a trial, it's difficult to demand operators invest in new equipment. For the full rollout, there are hopes that operators choose or are forced to upgrade to low-power kit. "We hopefully be using [this trial] as a lever to try to encourage the industry to move to low-power solutions," Osborne says. However, the arrival of 5G will only exacerbate the heating and power woes, as higher frequency equipment demands more energy and more antennas.

For now, commuters will have to make do with 4G. Progress may feel slow, but the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has lit a fire under this project. Last year, the mayor's office got in touch with Verma. "We were told in no uncertain terms you have to build something," he said, referencing the 4G rollout.

While it may have pushed the project forward, the attention from on high means added pressure. "It has been very difficult and very challenging, especially in terms of time," he told the assembled installation team, gathered together to receive a safety award. One engineer told us the time pressure was the one part of the project he would have liked to have done differently.

The mad rush to finish this trial in March may have something to do with the mayoral election in May. But of course, Khan's pressure isn't the only reason this rollout is happening. Alongside the emergency network, there are plans to hand the system to a commercial supplier to implement, selling access to the mobile operators and bringing in much needed revenue to TfL. And, for Verma, there's a further motivation.

"Delivering a train service is kind of taken for granted," he said. "Our ability to delight people is very limited." Putting Wi-Fi into the stations ahead of the 2012 Olympics did just that, Verma says. He hopes that this new feat of engineering will be enough to spark a similar effect.

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Inside the messy mission to bring 4G to the London Underground - Wired.co.uk

As easy as it is to add a second Amazon Echo smart speaker to your home network and Alexa app, it's as easy to add even more.

At its simplest, this means you can speak to the Alexa assistant from more places in the home, but there's much more you can do with multiple Echo speakers. Here is a look at what else you and your smart home can now do.

Read More:

Stereo Pairing

First up, we're going to assume you have two Echo speakers in the same room and want to increase the breadth of their soundstage by turning them into a stereo pair. This means one Echo handles the left channel of a music track, and the other looks after the right channel, creating a broader, more dynamic sound.

Stereo Pairing works with all Echo speakers from the second-generation Echo Plus and third-generation Echo Dot onwards, as well as the latest third-generation regular Echo, and new Echo Studio.

So long as you have a pair of the same Echo speakers (two Echo Dots, or two Echo Studios, for example) you can create a stereo pair. To do this, follow these instructions:

On the next screen you'll be asked to confirm which two Echo speakers you want to pair together. Remember, these need to be the same type of Echo speaker.

Three Echo Dots make a home-wide sound system for $150Amazon

You then need to tell the app which Echo speaker is left and which is right. The app doesn't let you play a sound to identify each speaker (which can be confusing if they both look the same and you've forgotten which is which), but you can easily swap them later if you get it wrong.

Tap Next after you have picked the two speakers, and the setup is complete. Now you will see this newly created stereo pair under your list of Speaker Groups in the Alexa app. When speaking to these Echos, Alexa will only reply out of whichever is closest to you.

Home Theatre and Surround Sound

Expanding on this concept, multiple Echo speakers can also be used to create a surround sound system for your Amazon Fire TV device.

We've explained this in greater detail here, but in short the feature lets you pair up to four Echo speakers and the Echo Sub to create a home cinema system.

You can add two or four Echos (as long as they are all the same) and the Sub is optional. Using the new Echo Studio also opens the door to Dolby Atmos, with the speakers firing sound upwards and bouncing it off the ceiling to add depth to whatever you are watching.

Music in multiple rooms

Setting up a multi-room speaker group with AlexaGearBrain

The Alexa app makes it easy to name each Echo then assign them to a room or floor in your home. This means you can ask the assistant to play music "in the kitchen" or "upstairs", no matter which Echo you ask.

You can also ask Alexa to play music everywhere, so the same track will play, perfectly synchronized, through all the Echo speakers on your network. This is great way to create a Sonos-like sound system on a budget (since a set of two Echo Dots currently costs $60.)

What's more, you can ask Alexa to play from different sound sources on each Echo. That way, one person can play a radio station from TuneIn in the kitchen, while someone else has their favorite Spotify playlist on in the living room.

There are a couple of down sides here though, as third-party Alexa speakers like those from Sonos cannot be added to an Alexa multi-room setup, as the feature is exclusive to Echo products.

By default, you cannot play different music from the same source in different rooms. But, this is possible if you pay $14.99 a month for an Amazon Music Unlimited family plan. This gives you access to 50 million songs and the ability to create up to six user accounts.

Once set up, you can play different tracks through up to six different Echo speakers in the same home.

To set up a multi-room music group of Echo speakers, follow these instructions:

Here, you will be asked to name the new group (such as Living Room, Downstairs or Everywhere). Then tap on the speakers you want to include in the group, and tap Save.

Now, you can say to any Echo speaker in the home: "Alexa, play [artist name] everywhere" and every Echo will be brought to life.

Create a home intercom system

Echo speakers show a green light when being dropped in onGearBrain

With two or more Echo speakers in your home, you can create an intercom system. Once set up, you can say to one Echo: "Alexa, drop in on the living room," and a two-way audio connection is established between the two Echos, meaning people in the two rooms can talk to each other.

We have previously written about how to get started with Alexa Drop In here.

This feature may only have limited uses for some, but it's a handy way to drop in on the kitchen to see if dinner is ready, or for getting the kids to come downstairs.

When an Echo is being dropped in on, its light pulses green to let you know someone elsewhere in the house is listening.

Broadcast messages across the home

Similar to drop-in, this feature lets you broadcast recorded messages to every Echo in the home, but without listening in through their microphones. All you have to do is say: "Alexa, broadcast [message]," and Alexa will play your message to every other Echo. Instead of "broadcast," you can also say "announce".

Read more from the original source:
The benefits of installing multiple Amazon Echos in your smart home - Gearbrain

To close observers of Queer Eye, design expert Bobby Berk seems to have the most taxing job of the Fab Five. While Jonathan Van Ness cuts hair and preaches the gospel of beard oil, and Tan France fixes a withering eye on the makeover subjects closet, Berk spends most of an episode offscreen. By the end of each installmentjust days after the Fab Five first meet their subjectBerk has torn up floorboards, gutted the kitchen, and repainted the entire house.

Berk, who has run his own design consultancy and retail business for years, says the speed and scope of Queer Eye makeovers would be impossible if it werent for his background in home building. His latest venture, a furniture collection with A.R.T. Furniture, is a natural evolution of his design career.

We caught up with Berk recently to talk about the line and how he manages such ambitious projects on Queer Eye.

Fast Company: You recently released a collection with A.R.T. Furniture and its new CEO, Jeff Young. What inspired the line?

Bobby Berk: The inspiration for the furniture line comes from fans that watch Queer Eye and constantly message me, I wish that you could pick out all the furniture for my house. I wish you could help me design my house. I had manufactured some of my own furniture for my stores, but I had never really done a mass line that was attainable for almost anyone.

I think of your home like your phone charger. You need to get a full charge or youre not going to make it through the rest of the day or the next day. Putting things in your home that make you happy, relaxed, and grounded can really have a huge impact on your mental health.

So I really wanted to make a line that translated that and made it affordable. I thought it would be kind of an asshole thing to get on Queer Eye every day and preach that changing your home can change your lifebut only if youve got a lot of money. I wanted it to be good quality furniture that youre going to keep for years.

FC: You said this feels like a natural evolution. Can you talk about what brought you to this point in your career, and how your background prepared you for an opportunity like Queer Eye?

BB: I dont even know if Id really call it a career. Every single job that Ive ever had, every part of my career, has always been in entertainment, even though it technically wasnt what you would traditionally think of as entertainment.I was a server at Applebees. As a server, I was an entertainer. I was giving those customers not just food, but an experience. The [better] experience youd give them, the more tips youd get.

Working at the Gap, it was about an experience. I would give [women who came in] the best gay best friend helping you pick out your clothes experience you could have. People enjoyed it, and they came back for it. Even selling long-distance service as a telemarketerthat was also entertainment. I would use different accents and be different characters.

People always say theres no way we get those houses done from Tuesday to Friday. And the thing is, we do.

So it was all about the experience that I was giving people, no matter what industry I was in. And I think that has helped me with Queer Eye. Maya Angelou said that people will never remember what you said to them. They will only remember how you made them feel. People may not remember exactly what I said on the show or exactly what Jonathan said, but theyll remember how it made them feel inside.

FC: I want to talk about how youre so productive on Queer Eye, because you seem downright superhuman. How do you manage to pack an entire renovation into just a few days?

BB: My planning for an episode usually starts a few weeks before. There have been episodes where there was no planning available. But usually our heroes are cast a few weeks before we meet them, so my team is usually able to go to the heros home beforehand. I dont meet them, but I at least check out their space and get basic measurements. We often give them new flooring or window shades or kitchen cabinets, and those are the type of things where there is no way to do it the week of. So if we are planning on doing a big renovation, those things do have to be planned out. So we will usually go out there a week or two before, and well figure out a game plan on the major things.

Before we start filming, my team has found a [makeshift] warehouse, and we basically turn it into a big store of our own. We pre-order tons of art and accessories and candles and pillows and bedding, and we just line this warehouse full of stuff that I could possibly use. That way, were not running around the city the day were filming and going to all these different stores. Often I will figure out the main pieces of furniture that I need because for the most part, stores dont stock things anymore. You cant just go into a West Elm and be like, I want this sofa.

FC: But you do usually incorporate personal elements into your decor. How do you weave that into your process, especially if youre stocking your warehouse ahead of time?

BB: The type of art that we order is so random and so crazy. Sometimes well pick things and Im like, There is no way were ever going to use this. This is awful. But then Ill get to a heros home and Im like, That awful piece of art that I would never have imagined I would ever use in a home is so perfect for them. Itll be something weird and quirky that Ive learned about their personality, and when they see that [art], theyre like, Oh my god, you get me!

For example, AJ in season one who came out to his stepmother. I [found out] that the very first trip he and his boyfriend took together was to Miami. So in his bedroom, I put up a piece of wall art that had MIA, the Miami airport code. He saw that and was like, This reminds me of the first trip we took. And I said, Thats exactly why its on the wall. Those are the type of things that I listen for.

When you come in and you completely change somebodys home, [you] dont want them to feel like theyre not walking into their own home. I want there to be so many personal things that theyre like, This is my home, and this is exactly the way I wouldve done it if I knew how to put things together like this. We accomplish a lot of that with art and family photos. If they dont have photos, I have great people on my team. Their job is to start knocking on doors and calling their families. Sometimes, that is happening even before, as our producers are interviewing their family members and finding out their story.

FC: So theres a lot of preparation that goes into each episode behind the scenes. How long are you allotted for what we actually see on Queer Eye?

BB: For the most part, our [filming] schedule usually is Tuesday to Friday. So on Tuesday we meet them; we call that ambush day. And thats when I truly start digging through their personal stuff and finding stuff out about them. On my first visits to their home, I dont dig through their stuff. Its really just sizing the actual space up. When you see me find something interesting in their home the day we meet them, I want that to be real. I dont want to be like, Ooh, so producers, I found this picture thats probably gonna make them cry. Im going to have it here, so be sure to have a camera on me when I find it. There are shows out there like that, but weve always been very, very aware of not doing that. I really do want to be shocked or disgusted for real that day when you are seeing it for the first time on TV.

People always say theres no way we get those houses done from Tuesday to Friday. And the thing is, we do. All the clean-out that you see, which often can take the entire first day or more, and all of the construction, painting, flooring, furniture installation, drapes, artthat really is done between Tuesday and Friday. The preparation is in order for us to have everything we need to get that accomplished.

FC: And while youre doing that preparation, youre also working on other episodes, right?

BB: Yes, very much so. Its not like the week before youre filming, you have nothing to do and youre just prepping for that episodewhile were installing, were also still prepping for the next week and the week after. Were making sure that the things that we ordered are arriving, and thats a whole job in its own, handling the tracking and the logistics and the project managing. At any given time, were working on [up to] four heroes. Were installing one, and were prepping for two to three more.

If I didnt have that experience, I think Queer Eye would have definitely broken me.

[In] season one and two, I just had one team, which made it really, really hard. Season three and four, we learned that I would have Tommywho was like my main man and had been with me through all of season one and twoand another team leader. So one week I would be installing a heros home with Tommy, and then at the same time, I would be preparing for the next weeks episode, [which the other team leader] Nate would be project managing, and then it would rotate. The next week, Tommy would be preparing for the next episode as I was installing with Nate and his team. That made life way easier, so weve become a very well-oiled machine now. Tommy also did this on Extreme Home Makeover, so he was really great about teaching me the ins and outs of how to prepare for this show.

FC: How structured are your filming days? Do you have a daily routine?

BB: Theres just no way. You have to roll with the punches because with installation, you never know what youre going to run into. In season two, when we were doing some construction for [Mayor Ted Terry], we ran into a huge termite infestation, which he didnt know about. So that threw the schedule off. Also, a retailer was supposed to be sending a huge shipment of furniture that we ordered, which never showed up. So that week, we actually did have to send out multiple cars to stores all over the city and try to pull as much furniture off their floors as we possibly could to furnish the house.

In season three with Joey Greene: On Wednesday night there was a big storm, and it knocked a tree down, and it took the power out for the whole campground. We were in there with flashlights trying to paint and get stuff done in the dark.

Most of the time as a designer, youre doing a home over a period of a year, and youre doing the install over a few weeks or few months. But my design firm actually focuses on working with home builders, so we will design five homes in a community at once. Granted, well design those sometimes over a year from start to finish, from when we first look at the architectural plans to breaking ground. But when we install them, well sometimes install five homesand when I say install the whole home, I mean everythingin less than a week. Well pull in with a few tractor trailer loads for these homes, and well knock them out in a few days. And when we install these model homes, we usually start installing on a Monday, and 9 times out of 10, their grand opening will be that Saturday. So its not like we can [say] we need a few extra days. If I didnt have that experience, I think Queer Eye would have definitely broken me.

FC: Can you share any details on your budget per episode? Because the challenge for you isnt just maximizing your productivity, but doing so within a budget.

BB: Our budget is way lower than you think it is. We really have to stretch the dollar. I cant share much, because I have before, and I got yelled at. But the budget is low.I would say 80% of my budget is eaten up on construction. This is just a random number, but lets say that normally installing a floor over a couple of weeks costs a dollar. I need that floor installed in a couple of hours, if not overnight. So what they would normally charge a dollar for, theyll charge me $50 for because they need to send in 10 people from the construction team to get that done. So my construction costs are hugely inflated just because of the manpower they have to throw at it to get it done in the time that we need.

In the very beginning, we werent even allowed to say what the show was, so wed have to call up retailers and say, Were doing a makeover show and wondering if you want to partner with us.

FC: Im surprised to hear that was the case, even with Netflix behind you.

BB: I understand because having my own retail stores before, I would have shows contact us all the time wanting things for free. And [most of the time], it wasnt beneficial. The Housewives used to contact us all the time and said, You should do our house. Its going to give you so much exposure. And no, thats not the kind of exposure I want.

All of us really were cast and hired because were experts in our field. Especially in the beginning, it really took a village. Not that our producers arent amazingbut it really took us working with our producers to leverage the relationships we had in our real careers to make the show happen. For season three and four, even though my furniture collection with A.R.T. wasnt out yet, they provided 50% or more of the furniture we needed.

FC: Now that youve done this for a few years, is there anything youve found especially surprising about being a part of Queer Eye?

BB: I would say the biggest surprise was that it was successful. None of us thought it would be. We were like, Oh, this is cute. Well film for five months and then go back to our normal lives. That didnt happen. Were the luckiest little boys in the world, we always say. I think the success is due to the social impact that weve been able to have on peoplejust the philosophy of loving yourself and taking care of yourself and accepting yourself.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

See the rest here:
Queer Eye's Bobby Berk on productivity and home renovations - Fast Company

Ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday, immigrant advocates (with some help from Jennifer Lopez) are reminding voters that President Donald Trumps immigration policies have come at the expense of kids in cages.

During the Super Bowls halftime show on Sunday night, J. Lo performed Born in the USA while surrounded by children sitting in what looked like cages an apparent critique of the Trump administrations immigration detention policies:

And on Monday, the immigrant advocacy group RAICES invoked the same imagery, announcing that it had installed a dozen exhibitions of children covered in mylar blankets in chain-link cages throughout Des Moines, including at caucus sites and city hall. Each installation plays a real recording of a child who was kept in detention:

Both J. Lo and immigrant advocates are trying to draw attention back to a crisis that the public appears to have forgotten.

In June 2018, photos emerged of children kept in border patrol holding facilities known as hierleras, Spanish for iceboxes, where they slept on concrete floors with nothing but mylar blankets in chain-link pens. The facilities werent designed for long-term stays; under federal guidelines, migrants are supposed to be either released into the interior of the US or sent to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody within 72 hours. But in practice, migrants were held much longer than that, sometimes for additional days or weeks at a time.

The photos inspired mass protests nationwide, including a sit-in at the Capitol where advocates wrapped themselves in mylar blankets. Few of Trumps immigration policies perhaps only his travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries have drawn so much public outrage.

Many court rulings and congressional hearings later, migrants are still forced to live in inhumane conditions in under-regulated detention centers, leading some to even go on hunger strikes.

The situation has changed to some degree: Courts have ordered the administration to provide migrants with at least some basic amenities in detention including soap, toothbrushes, and sleeping pads. Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer at RAICES, said the organization is still hearing from migrants that they and their children are being detained in the hierleras, but not on the same scale as before.

Nor is the US detaining as many children as it once was. In May 2019, when apprehensions of migrants at the southern border peaked, the Department of Health and Human Services reported that it had an average of over 13,000 children in custody. As of September 2019, the most recent month for which data is available, that number had decreased by over 50 percent to 6,000 children.

The decrease could be attributed to the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico policy, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, under which more than 60,000 asylum seekers, including both adults and children, have been sent back to Mexico to wait for their immigration court hearings in the US. Rather than detaining families, the Trump administration has said that it is now sending the vast majority of families back to Mexico instead.

But even if the phenomenon of kids in cages is no longer the most pressing crisis facing the immigrant advocacy community, its a way to create conversation around Trumps more recent immigration actions.

Despite the meaty discussion of former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julin Castros proposal to decriminalize border crossings early in the Democratic primary race, immigration has received a cursory treatment in the Democratic debates. And since the summer of 2018, when Trumps policy of separating immigrant families stoked public outrage, the presidents many efforts to dismantle the asylum system, cut down on refugee admissions, send migrants back to Central America, and keep out low-income immigrants have gone largely unnoticed.

The lack of attention on these policies has frustrated immigrant advocates. But theyre trying to spur political mobilization by invoking kids in cages as a kind of shorthand for everything they think the public should find abhorrent about Trumps immigration policies. Much like Trump supporters Build the Wall mantra, kids in cages has become an effective political messaging tool.

The horrors at our border and throughout our immigration system are too often ignored by the public and politicians, Andiola in a statement. Were asking people in Iowa and across the country: Dont look away from the terrors enacted in your name. This anti-immigrant crackdown has to end.

Visit link:
Jennifer Lopez wants you to remember the kids in cages - Vox.com

February 4, 2020 - As part of the EU project "Palace of life - City of changes", the archaeological research at the Old Town Hall in Split will begin at the end of this week.

TCN has already announced that the neo-Gothic Old Town Hall building in the Split Pjaca will undergo a complete transformation.

Namely, the building will retain its current size, layout, and height. Renovations will be carried out on the floors, all floor structures, and the roof.

Architect of the project, Josip Rui, said that by removing the existing walls and modifying the inter-story structures, the intention is to achieve an open and flexible exhibition space on all three floors. This will allow the heritage facility to be used for new functions and to hold seminars, lectures, concerts, receptions, and the like.

The Old Town Hall could also serve as a place where the mayor would occasionally receive high-ranking guests, and suitable furniture for the first floor will be specially brought in for the occasion. The dropped ceiling will be removed and a wooden cassette ceiling installed, with thermal insulation required. The base of the pillars in the loggia that were cut off during the earlier interventions will be reconstructed and add the missing part of the stone base.

The existing wooden windows and doors will be replaced with new ones, but in the same style. Anti-theft foil is envisaged on the windows, with additional thermal insulation and sun protection.

On the ground floor, the reception area, souvenir shop, control room, and toilets will be located along the existing loggia and the exhibition area, and all the facilities mentioned above will occupy a quarter of the space, while the rest will be used for exhibiting. An 18th-century illustrated monograph of Diocletian's Palace, authored by Scottish architect Robert Adam, will be displayed on the touch screen.

The north side of Old Town Hall will provide access for people with disabilities, up to the ground floor level by a ramp, and access to the second floor by elevator. A stone staircase with a wrought iron fence will be retained. On the first and second floors, there will be showrooms, and the attic is intended for mechanical installations, storage, and office space.

Recall, at the end of last year, the City of Split Administration announced a competition for archaeological research and the renovation and interior decoration of the historic building located in the Split Pjaca, or Peoples Square.

These activities are an integral part of the EU project "Palace of life - City of changes", financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the ITU Mechanism of the Urban Agglomeration of Split, and the value of this part of the works is estimated at 7.2 million kuna.

Slobodna Dalmacija announced that the archaeological research at the Old Town Hall finally begins at the end of this week.

Renovation works precede these works, and their goal is to fully discover and protect the archaeological layers and structures of the building. They are expected to be completed in March 2020, when renovation and interior design work is scheduled to begin.

The interior design project is signed by Nikolina Jelavi Mitrovi, who designed and executed 12 permanent exhibitions of museums in Croatia and more than 130 exhibitions in our leading museums and galleries. For the Vukovar City Museum housed in the Eltz Castle and the Museum Alka of Sinj, she received prestigious European awards.

The designer notes that, given the importance of the building, it was approached with the utmost care and that all possible installation equipment would be kept as hidden or as noticeable as possible.

In addition to the installation of a modern ventilation system, a microclimate control system is envisaged, which will allow the exposure of the most sensitive and valuable exhibits. The first and second floors will havemicroclimatecontrol when needed, so that the most sensitive exhibits can be exposed, says Jelavi Mitrovi, adding that there will be automatic glass doors on the floors that provide stable microclimate conditions.

Unlike the existing lighting, the new lighting will be flexible, able to move around, and allow for better adjustment of light intensity depending on the purpose. There will be built-in speakers on the ceilings.

The project envisages a system of dismantling panels that will allow the window openings to be covered, thus providing more exhibition space.

No use of the walls is envisioned, but the exhibitions will be shown exclusively on the billboards. The space is a bit darker as the walls will not be white, and the use of disassembly panels will be used. The panels will be able to change color depending on the exhibition, notes the designer, pointing out that the panels will be able to be placed freely in the space, but also against the wall using a special suspension system to create a continuous exhibition surface.

The coat of arms on a glass wall in the center window is planned on the first floor, which was created when the town hall was Neo-Gothic. The coats of arms will be made of colored glass, and not painted on glass as it is now.

Incredibly, this space has not been valorized so far as a building and a site of significant events in the history of the city. It is time it is presented adequately.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCNs dedicated page.

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Archaeological Exploration at Old Town Hall in Split Begins this Week - Total Croatia News

P

ropelled by the unveiling of its new East and West concept, BetConstruct is returning to ICE Londonthis year with a host of groundbreaking new releases, a never-before-seen project, and ambitious expansion plans for the months ahead.

Last year, with a brand-new Chief Product Officer in tow to spearhead its development efforts, BetConstruct launched its latest company concept: East and West.At the start of a new decade, the leading betting and gaming supplier boasts 15 offices worldwide, and one on almost every continent of the globe. As new CPO Edgar Mkrtchyan is keen to highlight, its offering is now so diverse that it can appeal to almost any player and operator around the world, and at ICE London this week, its all-encompassing stand will be a testament to that.

As in previous years, BetConstructs new concept has been the driving force behind several new launches and fresh ideas that are set to be showcased at the expo across 4-6 February. But before these big reveals, however, a disruptive new plan which Mkrtchyan describes as a never before seen project is set to be unveiled.

Across all of its regional offices and development hubs, BetConstruct harnesses the skills and passion of around 3,000 members of staff and its next big plan involves tapping into this huge source of industry knowledge and expertise.With all the knowledge and experience collected over the years of being in business we find ourselves qualified enough to deliver industry-facing education for those who want to enter iGaming, explained Mkrtchyan. The scale of our expertise reaches from the very essentials of gaming and betting up to full-on project management.

Recognising the breadth and depth of the companys collective knowledge, BetConstruct will be shortly establishing its new Betting Academy, a training program that can train up personnel to become leaders in their fields, from traders to risk managers, in any iGaming business across the globe. Since the initial goal is to provide the opportunity of delivering professionally trained staff to our partners, their opinion will matter the most, which is why we will first share our ideas with our existing operators at ICE, added Mkrtchyan.

Meanwhile, following groundbreaking launches such as the AI-driven live tracking tool, AJNA, the sports betting side of the business looks set to be a hive of activity at this years ICE. Sports data products are as vital as water thats what our founder and CEO said three years ago at our H2O Data seminar, said Mkrtchyan. This huge domain, which includes odds feeds, is powered by FeedConstruct, our sports data provider, which is always striving for innovation and improvement. To back up our sports betting offering, the company offers live sports video streaming, statistics with 20-years historical data, and scouting data. Together, these four products provide potent fuel for any sports betting business.

This February, FeedConstruct will be showcasing a host of new releases, with an innovative spin-off associated with each of the brands four cornerstones of sports data. The first of these, DeePro, is a deep data collecting tool for basketball designed to step up a teams performance, indicating the effectiveness of decisions made by coaches and the results of players training routines.

Our tool takes into account all the intricacies of the game, all the minute details and features in order to deliver reports and game statistics including individual player data, said Mkrtchyan. Its designed to perform via automated hot keys and special functionalities which allow the scout to collect and process deep data easier and faster. As for the rest, Id like keep the intrigue for FeedConstruct and let them shine when present their ground-breaking solutions in London this February.

And what is the company planning to bring to the table on the iGaming side? Everything, says Mkrtchyan. And I mean it. With an immense library of games both created in-house and supplied by big-name developers, alongside a huge range virtual sports, fantasy sports, live casino, virtual reality, poker, and more, BetConstructs iGaming suite delivered via their flagship Spring platform seems to encapsulate almost every part of the sector, both old and new. In addition, the firm is also happy to carry out customer development projects for partners who are looking for something particularly niche or tailored to their specific audience.

At ICE this year, however, the focus will be on something a little bit different: the launch of the Spring BME app, an iGaming encyclopaedia that will deliver insights and analysis direct to the smartphones of industry professionals.We expect this solution to become a compass for the industry which can lead newcomers to ultimate success as operators and drive all other industry players forward in their goals, said Mkrtchyan.

Pushing its partners to do the best business possible is at the heart of the BetConstruct ethos, and the company has invested a large amount of time into making the process of integrating its products and tools as smooth and straightforward as possible.At the show in London, its focus will be on liaising closely with existing and future partners. The brand has a talent for creating a visual spectacle, and this February the team hopes to stimulate and educate attendees with an impressive 360-degree video installation offering a panoramic view of their products and services.

This ambitious display, says Mkrtchyan, will not only showcase what BetConstruct can bring to the table, but also aim to deepen peoples knowledge of B2C operations and the state of play in the industry.We have high expectations for 2020 in terms of deals and partnerships but as always, we expect the most from ourselves, he said. We want to focus on delivering the best quality and flexibility with any of our products, and, in line with our East and West concept, we also plan to continuously expand our operations within regulated markets.

The ambitious expansion plans for this year follow hot on the heels of a number of new market entries in 2019. In the last twelve months, BetConstruct has partnered with a number of leading MGA-licensed online casino suppliers, secured a Remote Operating Licence from the UK Gambling Commission for its Live Dealer product, achieved certification for its Sportsbook in Colombia, and licensed its land-based solutions in Romania. Now the company hopes to expand further into prominent European growth markets such as Italy, Denmark and Sweden.

Meanwhile, on the product side, every single one of BetConstructs tools will continue to be rigorously tested, revised and improved, says Mkrtchyan including the companys biggest runaway successes, such as its Live Casino product. Once weve done our best, staying up to the mark is what comes next - and any further step must be a continuous uphill journey, he explained. BetConstructs in-house live casino studio is growing in a very literal way, since we are expanding the space by adding a new floor to the building. That means new games, new halls and new revenue-stream opportunities for our partners are already on the agenda for us.

In addition to that, the overall gaming suite is expanding with new highly effective promotional tools and simple mini games which find immediate preference with players and generate revenue right away without cannibalising the existing offerings.

Its one thing to provide all necessary software and tools and entirely another to support a partner on throughout their whole way to success and stable growth, Mkrtchyan added. Here at BetConstruct we do both.

Go here to read the rest:
BetConstruct to display a 360 video installation at ICE with a panoramic view of the industry - Yogonet International

Cultural center gets much-needed renovations

The work on the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, like any historic structure, is never finished.

We are always in a process of fixing, explains Craig Wolf, the board president for the nonprofit HCC, which moved into its home on Main Street after the library moved out in 1976.

The building, which was the first in Beacon to be added to the National Register of Historic Places and has been described as Norwegian Gothic in style, was designed as a library in 1872 by Richard Morris Hunt at the bequest of his brother-in-law, Joseph Howland, a Civil War general and former state treasurer.

The Howland Cultural Center (Photo by Jeff Simms)

After the library decamped a century later, it took three years to organize an effort to convert the building into a cultural center. That work has continued during the 40 years since, including an overhaul years ago of the slate roof, which was hugely expensive were hoping it will last a very long time, Wolf says.

In earlier days, he says, HCC received a good deal of support from the Beacon Community Development Agency because it was on the historic register and also in a census tract defined as lower income. Community development is now overseen by the Dutchess County Department of Planning, and the center relies more heavily on state grants and private fundraising. (It held its first gala last year and raised about $21,000.)

Along with its fundraising, the HCC board has set aside funds over the years to take care of the building and pushed ahead with four major projects.

The floor

The buildings 147-year-old floor was restored. We had to work with a contractor called Strictly Hardwood, even though our floor is soft wood, Wolf says. In the old days, when forests were younger and harvesting was newer, theyd cut long pieces, because they were cheaper to install. The contractor replaced the floor in certain spots where it was worn down, then sanded and stained it to match the original, before finishing it with coats of polyurethane.

The heat

The gas-fired heating system was replaced with twin furnaces. Its much more efficient, Wolf says. Weve seen a drop in the bills for the past couple of years.

The geothermal

This building is quite remarkable in that we have two ways to heat it: gas and geothermal, Wolf says. Installed a decade ago, the geothermal system involved drilling five water wells in the side yard, he says. It provides not only heat but air conditioning. The building had been hard to use in the summer, he says. The geothermal needed upgrading; because the main pump had failed, and the technology has advanced, the board decided to redo the entire system.

The portico

The rehabilitation of the buildings front portico and central faade (the front doors and everything above them) remains on hold until warmer weather returns.

Some of the damage at the entrance to the Howland Cultural Center that its board hopes to have repaired. (Photo by A. Rooney)

Theres a considerable amount of deterioration in some of the wood, Wolf says. Weve done temporary repairs, but we want to do it well and right and restore some missing features. Were likely to use epoxy consolidation, a process of injecting a compound into the wood which hardens up, and you shape it. Its a cross between wood and plastic, so its solid and unlikely to rot.

Were using skilled and time-consuming techniques because we dont want to throw some 2-by-4s on it, he says. In some cases, were not sure how much deterioration exists until contractors start tearing it apart.

The HCC has scheduled its second gala for May 14 and is hoping for another fundraising success. So much [work] needs to be done, Wolf says. Were building our shopping list.

The list includes window rehabilitation, replacement of some brickwork, other woodwork around the building and minor projects hither and yon: some look like maintenance, some bigger money, Wolf says. When we get into projects its hard to talk about how much they would cost because we havent had a professional or specialist in preservation do the research. But obviously were looking at the upper six figures and beyond in the coming years.

The building will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2022, which will be linchpin for a campaign. But for now, Wolf says, people who have contributed can be pleased with how much got done for good value.

Original post:
The Process of Fixing - Highlands Current

As the official trailer/motorcoach dealer of Dragzine, Flying A Motorsports offers an extensive lineup of new and used motorhomes and toterhomes, racecar trailers, stacker trailers, car haulers, and cargo trailers. Those products will be highlighted here in a monthly feature known as the Rig Of The Month.

This specific InTech Trailers model is one of its top-of-the-line, wide-body models, explains Alan Cape, President of Flying A Motorsports. It also features triple 8,000-pound Dexter torsion axles, compared to the more typical 7,000- or 6,000- pound options.

The wide-body option measures at 97 1/2-inches at the rear door, compared to 90- or 91-inches on a standard model. Cape notes this trailer series provides 2- to 3-inches in greater width throughout the inner walls and fender well openings.

Looking down, the extruded aluminum floor has recessed e-track in multiple rows along the overall length of the trailer floor. Four 5,000-pound D-rings have been fabricated into the floor. This trailer also features a wide-body option, which adds 2- to 3-inches of extra width within the walls and ramp door opening.

This one is visually sharp to me with the grey metallic aluminum exterior and black anodized trim option, Cape says. Some trailer brands have painted or powder-coated trim on the front that unfortunately tends to chip. I have been impressed with InTechs anodized aluminum as far as durability.

The raw building blocks of this trailer include an all-aluminum tube frame with an aluminum extruded floor. The triple-axle trailer features a spread axle design with electric brakes on each of the three axles.

InTech trailers are well insulated, including the two insulated cabinets in the riser area for your own installed generator and air compressor. They also have ventilation provisions to help with sound and cooling. Alan Cape

On the exterior, walk-on durability is a feature of the one-piece aluminum roof. The screwless outer walls are constructed from .040-inch aluminum. The interior walls offer the screwless design as well and the trailer is fully insulated.

A door cabinet is located in the floor for your choice of winches to install. Another larger floor cabinet further back on the floor plan can store a wealth of items out of the way.

An additional trend that Cape sees in customer popularity is to have a unit supplied with all provisions for a generator, air compressor, and additional amenities, like roof air-conditioning. Many customers like the idea of getting the trailer plumbed for air lines, a fuel tank, and lines run through the trailer for a generator, Cape notes. The factory also adds all bracing prefabricated to install roof air when the owner wants to add it themselves.

Not only can you see much more on this specific trailer in the details list below and on the Flying A website, you can also view the daily updated inventory of other trailers and use its payment calculator included on every sale page.

This trailer is also equipped with a flip-out bench in addition to the cabinet work area. Above that shelf, the interior wall is marked where bracing for a television is installed during assembly, including all television wiring, antenna installed, and power supplies.

Attention to detail goes into InTechs aluminum cabinetry. This unit has 8-foot upper and lower cabinets, with a well lighted aluminum worktop, and a full drivers closet.

For power and lighting, this trailer has a 50-amp electrical service installed with a wealth of 110-volt receptacles, along with LED lighting on the interior, workbench area, and the outer pit area.

The Cuba, Missouri sales center for Flying A Motorsports also has an extensive service and repair center. If there is ever a customer request for an option such as generators, compressors, or air-conditioning, its shop can easily offer those needs.

Flying A Motorsports has partnered with Elite Motorsports with a cooperative effort to offer individual inventories to both groups of faithful customers. Cape finishes, Each of us has a strong clientele in different sectors of motorsports; this is a great way to provide more hauler/trailer options to each of our client bases.

Trailer Specs:

Read more here:
Rig Of The Month: Flying A Motorsports 46-foot InTech Race Trailer - Dragzine.com

Food service location inspections from January 1 to January 31.Restaurants are inspected throughout the year by state and local agents. Inspection reports are submitted to the state and can be viewed by the public at http://www.pafoodsafety.pa.gov/Web/lnspection/Publiclnspection-Search.aspx.

SQUEEZE IN & DIP IN

Date of report: 01/26/2020

Town: Sunbury

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. (Slight dust accumulation on vent on Squeeze In))

SUNBUY STEAM FIRE ENGINE CO. #1

Date of report: 01/26/2020

Town: Sunbury

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. (Cooler fan covers and shelving units for beer/sodas in cooler))

TASTECRAFT

Date of report: 01/16/2020

Town: Milton

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

ASIAN EXPRESS

Date of report: 01/10/2020

Town: Sunbury

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Observed multiple pieces of equipment, in kitchen area, with an accumulation of dust, dirt, food residue, debris on non-food contact surfaces. Observed cooking equipment / pans, in the kitchen area, with encrusted grease and soil accumulation. (Cold hold coolers, fridge, freezers)) 2(Non-food contact surfaces not cleaned at a frequency to preclude accumulation of dirt and soil. (under/between clean in place items))

MAMAMACS

Date of report: 01/10/2020

Town: Sunbury

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

SUNOCO - QUICK SHOP #5

Date of report: 01/10/2020

Town: Northumberland

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

INDEPENDENCE FIRE CO

Date of report: 01/09/2020

Town: Shamokin

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Refrigerated ready to eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared in the food facility and held for more than 24 hours, located in the walk-n kitchen cooler, is not being date marked.) 2(Single use plastic containwers being re-used multiple times for food storage and/or preparation.)

M C CONEY

Date of report: 01/09/2020

Town: Mount Carmel

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Wall over the dish sink area, is made of wooden paneling, and is no longer durable, smooth, non-porous, non-absorbent or sealed.) 2(Flooring, in the grill area, heavily worm through tiles, and is not durable, smooth, non-porous, and non-absorbent.) 3(Facility does not meet current requirement of certified foodhandler on every shift.) 4(Food employee observed in preparation area, not wearing proper hair restraint, such as net or hat.) 5(A food employee was observed touching sandwich bun, a ready-to-eat food, with bare hands.)

MOUNT CARMEL AREA JR/SR HIGH

Date of report: 01/09/2020

Town: Mount Carmel

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

MOUNT CARMEL ELEMENTARY

Date of report: 01/09/2020

Town: Mount Carmel

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

NEW CHINA WOK RESTAURANT

Date of report: 01/09/2020

Town: Mount Carmel

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

DOLLAR GENERAL #398

Date of report: 01/07/2020

Town: Shamokin

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

LINE MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

Date of report: 01/07/2020

Town: Herndon

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Student self-service food was held at 48F, in the short order line area, rather than 41F or below as required.)

LINE MOUNTAIN TREVORTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Date of report: 01/07/2020

Town: Trevorton

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

SUNOCO

Date of report: 01/07/2020

Town: Trevorton

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Employee making breakfast sandwiches and hoagies not foodhandler certified.) 2(Prepackaged hoagies not labeled properly with the complete ingredient statement.)

THE GREEK ISLE CAFE

Date of report: 01/03/2020

Town: Mount Carmel

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Food employee observed in preparation area, not wearing proper hair restraint, such as net or hat.) 2(Meat pan being stored in the ice machine, with no handle, as scoop.) 3(Dish sink has a hose attachment that is hanging below the flood rim of the sink and not an appropriate air gap.)

LONG JOHN SILVERS #31504

Date of report: 01/21/2020

Town: Shamokin Dam

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

AMATOS PIZZA

Date of report: 01/16/2020

Town: Selinsgrove

Compliant: Yes

Violations: None

BJS STEAK & RIB HOUSE

Date of report: 01/16/2020

Town: Selinsgrove

Compliant: Yes

Violations: 1(Souffle cup being used to scoop cole slaw and left stored in slaw with areas where fingers touched in contact with the food. REPEAT VIOLATION) 2(Accumulation of ice and dropped food on walk-in freezer floor in basement.) 3(Buildup of yeast-like residue inside soda gun nozzle at bar. REPEAT VIOLATION) 4(6 spray jets clogged on interior ceiling of mechanical dishwasher. Correct prior to opening today.)

SUBWAY #52838

Date of report: 01/16/2020

Town: Selinsgrove

Compliant: Yes

Link:
January 2020 restaurant inspections across the Valley - Sunbury Daily Item

Following Business Chief's visit to DHL'sinnovation center (Troisdorf),we speak toFaizan Sheikh, CEO of Avidbots to discuss the use of automaton in the cleaning industry and its partnership with DHL.

To introduce yourself, how would you describe Avidbots? What do you offer to your customers?

Avidbots is a fast-growing robotics company. Our first product is Neo, an autonomous floor-scrubbing robot used in hundreds of commercial or industrial spaces worldwide. Avidbots Neo robots are at work cleaning floors in sites such as warehouses, airports, manufacturing sites, hospitals, schools, train stations, and malls in over 15 countries. Unlike other floor-cleaning robots that are just retrofitted ride-on machines, Neo is a purpose-built robot designed to be fully autonomous. Incorporating AI, LiDar, 3D sensors, WiFi, 4G connectivity, and specialized software and hardware, Neo is able to autonomously navigate busy areas such as airports, adapting its route on the fly to avoid people or obstacles. With 24x7 remote monitoring, Neo is always operational.

What are your company strategy and goals for the next five years?

Avidbots is growing quickly. Were selling Neo robots in more than 15 countries and will add more countries in the near future. We have many global distribution partnerships and Neo is already cleaning hundreds of sites worldwide, including Paris CDG Airport, Singapores Changi Airport, and Shibuya Station in Tokyo. In the next five years, we will continue to grow installations rapidly.

What trends have you seen emerging within your industry?

In the cleaning industry, were witnessing a revolution toward automating the most repetitive and dull tasks, such as scrubbing floors. In almost every country where Avidbots operates, from Japan and Norway, to the UAE, Switzerland, Canada,USA and Australia, its difficult to find and keep cleaning staff. Turnover for cleaning jobs is between 300-400% per year, making it costly and complex for companies to maintain cleanliness at their facilities. Avidbots Neo makes scrubbing floors far less onerous. A cleaning staff member simply taps start on Neos touchscreen and the robot goes off to work, cleaning floors more effectively than a human. Facilities managers use a web-based app called Command Center to track Neos progress via real-time video feeds and see detailed cleaning reports. With janitorial staff freed from the time-consuming task of pushing or riding a floor-scrubber around at night, they can focus on higher-value tasks such as cleaning bathrooms, dusting, disinfecting, and tidying. In the robotics industry, were seeing a trend toward building robots that solve pressing problems. Robots are now past the test phase and are becoming part of our daily lives, and the ones we will see first solve everyday challenges that companies face, such as cleaning.

SEE ALSO:

In recent years, how have you seen customer use of technology evolve?

Companies have gone from seeing robots as a futuristic idea to truly seeing the value in automating repetitive, dull, or dirty tasks. They realize robots are actually just advanced machines that can help them solve everyday challenges. In general, society has moved from a vague worry that robots will take jobs to a place of understanding that automation helps people do their jobs more efficiently, just as computers do in all aspects of life. Robots are now part of the team at our customer sites. Cleaning staff love Neo because it does a time-consuming and repetitive task, freeing them up to focus on other tasks that only humans excel at, such as tidying, dusting, and cleaning hard-to-reach places.

In your opinion do you think industries are heading towards having more robotics, as opposed to a human workforce?

We havent seen job losses at our customer sites. Instead, cleaning staff integrate Neo into the team to do the time-consuming task of scrubbing floors. Of course, the long-term trend of automation will surely result in some lower-skilled jobs being eliminated, but most of these jobs are ones few people want to do. In the cleaning industry, turnover can top 400%, so clearly most people dont want to clean long-term. However, at the same time we will see low-level repetitive tasks done by robots, we will see new jobs emerge. There will always be cleaning staff, but theyll move into higher-value roles such as tidying waiting areas and cleaning bathrooms that make public environments more pleasant for everyone.

Over the last few years have you seen an increase in demand for cleaning robots? If so what is your strategy for demand increases?

Yes, demand for our Neo floor-scrubbing robot is surging. To keep up with demand, Avidbots has its own manufacturing facility in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada where we build Neo robots from the ground-up. We also work with manufacturing partners that can scale with rising demand. As we grow, Avidbots is hiring many robotics engineers, sales people, and business and marketing staff. Weve raised $37 million in venture capital funding to support global growth.

We recently featured your cleaning robots within Business Chief, can you talk through your partnership with DHL?

Avidbots is working closely with DHL Supply Chain to install Neo robots at warehouse sites in North America. Neo is uniquely suited to clean warehouses where there are many people, forklifts, pallets, boxes, and other robots constantly moving about. Being intelligent and autonomous, Neo can navigate these busy spaces with ease, avoiding obstacles and updating its path on the fly. DHL operates thousands of warehouses in 220 countries, so the skys the limit in terms of our partnership.

Image source: Avidbots

For more information on business topics in the United States, please take a look at the latest edition of Business Chief USA.

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Read more here:
Avidbots: revolutionising the cleaning industry | Technology - Business Chief