January 2022

n NEWS January 2022 www.drivesncontrols.com 8 Tim Marks, former secretary and president of the AEMT (the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Trades), has been presented with a lifetime contribution award at the Association’s annual award ceremony in Coventry. He was described as “the person who has probably put more work into the AEMT than anyone else in the history of the organisation, except maybe the founders”. Marks served on the AEMT council in the 1980s and was the organisation’s president twice in the 1990s. At the turn of the millennium, he became AEMT secretary on a part-time basis, which soon became a full-time job. He was convenor of the standards committee which brought a new and overhauled repair standard for rotating machinery. Tim’s son, Thomas, succeeded him and is now the AEMT’s secretary and general manager. About 200 people attended the awards ceremony which had been postponed from its original 2020 date as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The full list of winners of the 2021 awards can be found on our Web site at https://drivesncontrols.news/ey22gf TimMarks wins lifetime award for contributions to AEMT FOUR ORGANISATIONS representing the robotics and automation industry have attacked European Commission plans to place limitations on AI (artificial intelligence) and to update its machinery regulations, warning the proposed changes would disrupt manufacturing, cause severe damage to small businesses and robotics companies, and stifle innovation. The organisations – the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the German- based VDMA Robotics + Automation Association, EUnited Robotics and REInvest Robotics – are calling on European policymakers “urgently” to revisit and amend their proposals. While all four organisations say they embrace the European Commission’s vision to maintain safety, protect human rights and create a harmonised framework for artificial intelligence and robotics, they are worried that the proposed regulations, as currently drafted, would: n slow technological innovation across Europe, because of requirements for mandatory third-party certification; n hinder the adoption of AI and put European companies – especially SMEs and start-ups – at a competitive disadvantage globally; n risk disruption to regional supply chains, manufacturing and logistics operations; and n make compliance with regulation worldwide more complex and onerous. “The EU Commission’s proposals include burdensome regulations of so-called ‘high- risk AI’ and ‘high-risk machinery’,” says Patrick Schwarzkopf, MD of the VDMA Robotics + Automation and director of EUnited Robotics. “They include the introduction of extensive mandatory third-party certification requirements, which will discourage the use of AI and slow down innovation across Europe.” Dr Esben Hallundbæk Østergaard, founder of Universal Robots, and currently CEO of REInvest Robotics, which invests in robotics start-ups, warns that the proposed legislation “will hold back European robotics innovation. This is particularly concerning given robotics is the one emerging tech segment where Europe still has an edge globally. Locally, the legislation will negatively affect thousands of small businesses, factories, and manufacturers that rely on robotics and AI to automate critical operations and overcome labour shortages.” The death has been announced of Professor DavidWalters OBE, former technical director the motor-maker Brook Crompton, who was a pioneer of high-efficiency motors and led the development of Brook’sWorld (W) series motors which won a Queens Award for Industry. Professor Walters was also played a key role in a joint international project involving two trade organisations – the AEMT in the UK and EASA in the US – which examined how motor rewinds affect efficiency. The study, which found that electric motors can be repaired or rewound without losing efficiency, led to the publication of the Good Practice Guide to Maintain Motor Efficiency , on which an international repair standard has been based. In 1997, Walters was made an OBE for his service to energy efficiency. He published numerous articles on the topic – including several in Drives & Controls . In 2019, Prof Walters was presented with a Lifetime Contribution Award by the AEMT in recognition of his work on energy efficiency and motor design. Professor Walters was 86. EU AI and machinery plans ‘will disrupt manufacturing’ High-efficiency motors pioneer David Walters has died Østergaard: EC plans will hold back European robotics innovation TimMarks was presented with a lifetime contribution award at the 2021 AEMT awards