COVID-19 doesn’t seem to be stopping companies from advancing their product lines and introducing new technology.

Siemens has fortified the Department of Defense with the Digital Thread for Defense, a product development system. AGILOX has given us the autonomous forklift. Meanwhile, SEGGER has added industrial automation applications to Raspberry Pi.

Emerson has introduced the Branson GCX Series of ultrasonic generators that combine user-friendly digital controls, while SnapEDA has launched a new KiCad plugin to help engineers design electronics faster.

Could they actually be creating these advancements from home?

Rob Spiegel has covered automation and control for 19 years, 17 of them for Design News. Other topics he has covered include supply chain technology, alternative energy, and cybersecurity. For 10 years, he was the owner and publisher of the food magazine Chile Pepper.