Digital Product Passport: How It Can Ensure More Sustainability

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Digital Product Passport How It Can Ensure More Sustainability

Working economically sustainably and effectively – companies worldwide are facing this challenge. Successful digitization is a crucial key, to implementing environmental standards and remaining competitive. Thanks to intelligent solutions, companies are optimising production processes and, simultaneously, digitising quality-related workflows.

Digital product passport as a solution? Many machine builders are involved in constructing a plant, such as a power plant, each supplying highly specialised products, including pumps. Such an industrial pump consists of complex parts that come from different producers.

Digital Product Pass Bundles Data

In addition to delivering the physical device, the pump manufacturer must provide many supporting documents, including dimensional drawings, 3D models, or proof of quality. These come mainly from his suppliers and require appropriate coordination. The plant constructor himself, in turn, coordinates this information with the companies involved and forwards it to those responsible on the construction site and the customer in good time. Managing these tons of documents requires an enormous manual effort without intelligent software support.

An innovative, cloud-based process solution offers a consolidated view of all technical data and documents and reviews and approvals of a project. It also depicts quality control and the elimination of defects. And not only in our own company but also along the entire supply chain.

Quality Along The Supply Chain

For example, if a fault occurs in a power plant, the operator reports the incident online to the relevant plant manufacturer. A technician on site checks the system using a checklist on the tablet, determines the cause of a defective pump, and creates a digital defect report. This message goes to the pump manufacturer, who analyzes the error and arranges for it to be rectified. At the same time, the machine builder uses the analysis data to avoid such disruptions in the future, for example, by adapting the design. The advantage of Computer-Aided Quality (CAQ) is that the information is efficiently sent to the right place. Because the earlier a source of error becomes apparent, the higher the cost savings.

Digital Product Pass: More Sustainability And “Refurbishment”

Companies digitally map the entire life cycle of industrial goods using a standard, process-oriented data environment for technical documentation, project communication, and quality management. This is where the digital product passport (DPP), a proposal by the EU Commission as part of the “Green Deal,” comes into play.

This contains all information about the composition and history of a product and ensures transparency. The shared data environment acts as a “single point of truth” that includes all documentation about the product and makes it available for further use. The product passport thus supports an environmentally friendly circular economy, from the sustainable extraction of raw materials to professional recycling.

ALSO READ: Against Data Scraping: Meta Pseudonymous Facebook Identifiers

Against Data Scraping: Meta Pseudonymous Facebook Identifiers

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Push Against Data Scraping Meta Pseudonymous Facebook Identifiers

Facebook wants to protect its platform against unauthorized data scraping. For this purpose, the Facebook identifiers are provided with a time stamp, among other things. Unauthorized data scraping on social networks can have quite unpleasant consequences for users. For example, it is not uncommon for hackers to use captured email addresses for phishing attacks. But passwords can also fall into the wrong hands in this way.

Facebook wants to protect its users from this future better. To this end, the social network intends to have the previously used Facebook identifiers work pseudonymously.

What Distinguishes The New Facebook Identifiers From The Old Ones?

Identifiers are used in URLs to assign content uniquely. On Facebook, for example, this can be people but also posts, pictures and videos.

The identifiers on Facebook were previously called FBI’s. The social network uses them to “load content for people.”

According to Facebook, the new Facebook identifiers are part of “an ongoing series to combat data abuse.” They will receive an additional letter called PFBIDs in the future.

The social network combines the previous FBIDs with a new timestamp type with pseudonymized Facebook identifiers.

What Does Facebook Intend To Do With This Change?

With the PFBIDs, Facebook wants to “create a unique identifier that rotates over time.” The previous identifier thus expires, which prevents access.

These identifiers are part of our work to prevent unauthorized data scraping and make it harder for attackers to guess, connect, and access data repeatedly.

In unauthorized data scraping, identifiers would often be guessed. Scrapers also collect identifiers and compare them with telephone numbers or other publicly available data. According to Facebook, this is how they create “reusable data sets that are sometimes sold for a profit.”

With the PFBIDs, Facebook wants to prevent precisely this unauthorized data scraping. Hackers can no longer guess the data or access it repeatedly.

ALSO READ: Cooling System Ensures Climate Neutrality Of Data Centers

Cooling System Ensures Climate Neutrality Of Data Centers

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Cooling System Ensures Climate Neutrality Of High-Density Data Centers

Schafer IT-Systems has added a cooling system to its iQdata data center solutions. The rack-based solution for edge applications, enables compliance with the energy efficiency requirements according to EU directives.

Servers are traditionally air-cooled. Liquid cooling systems are now increasingly being used. The almost entirely water-cooled “High Cap Edge” cooling system from Schafer IT-Systems, a provider of data center infrastructure, data center cooling solutions, and network technology, works according to the concept of direct hot water cooling. The rack-based overall solution for edge applications enables compliance with the efficiency requirements according to EU directives, regardless of the environmental conditions at the installation site. The aim is to achieve climate neutrality beyond classic data centers.

The cooling system is based on an integrated InRackCooler. In addition, a SlotInCooler or a BackCooler is provided for the dissipation of existing residual heat, for which a cooling capacity of a few kilowatts is sufficient. Additional cooling for other hardware modules such as network components, uninterruptible power supplies, or rack power distribution strips is unnecessary.

A New Cooling System Reduces Costs For Air Conditioning Units

Using directly hot water-cooled servers and cooling solutions such as water-conditioned Slot-InCoolers or BackCoolers reduces costs for air conditioning units and enables heat from the device to be reused, for example, for the district heating network. With a temperature spread of ten Kelvin, the “High Cap Edge” cooling system achieves a cooling capacity of fifty kilowatts. Alternatively, free cooling with an output of up to ten kilowatts at a temperature spread of six Kelvin is possible all year round.

The closed approach offers a compact cooling solution for high-density data centers, whose cooling capacity can be expanded adaptively by arranging them in series. Due to the energetic integral concept and the closed design, High Cap Edge has a minimum of necessary interfaces. Schafer IT-Systems has further developed the new cooling solution in the IQ data portfolio in cooperation with the partner Cloud&Heat Technologies in Dresden. As the product name suggests, the target application is designed for high-density data centers or edge applications with high power densities in the smallest spaces.

Schafer IT-Systems, the manufacturer of network and server cabinet solutions and data center solutions for conventional and complex applications, belongs to Schafer Werke GmbH. The owner-managed Schäfer Werke Group, headquartered in Neunkirchen, operates worldwide with the following business areas: EMW steel service center, perforated sheet metal, fully recyclable standard and special containers made of stainless steel, equipment for the data center as well as workshops and operations. 

ALSO RAED: Digital Contract Management: That’s What Matters

Digital Contract Management: That’s What Matters

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Digital Contract Management That's What Matters

Contracts are among essential documents of a company, for example, for rent & energy supply, contracts with service providers and customers, software licences, or insurance. Thanks to the right software, these can not only be received and stored digitally today but also managed – with far more potential than meets the eye at first glance.

One of the essential advantages of using software for digital contract management is the timely knowledge of upcoming contract deadlines through automatic reminders. Expensive breaches of duty can thus be avoided, and possible savings can be identified immediately, for example, if the contractual services are no longer required.

Digital Contract Management: Many Essential Functions

However, it is not only the overview of notice periods that is of decisive importance. The much more fundamental overview of all existing contracts can also be used to optimise costs. Supported by categorization, filtering, and search functions, it is possible to identify unnecessary contracts. In addition, this often results in new negotiating positions with service providers, such as replacing individual contracts with framework agreements.

Share Contract Content Remotely

In addition, of course, knowledge of the contract’s content is essential for every company – and the corresponding employees. If the responsible actors do not know the defined task or the services to be provided, breaches of contract are almost inevitable. With contract management software, the content of contracts can also be accessed remotely via the cloud in seconds and, in the case of ContractHero, can even be explicitly released for different teams.

A perfect software solution must also be easy to use – for ​​digital contract management, however, a high degree of innovation and automation is significant, e.g., automatic recognition of deadlines and contract amounts. “From the user’s point of view, the biggest challenge lies in the decision on how to manage contracts digitally in the future,” says Sebastian Wengryn, co-founder of ContractHero. “The actual use, even the transfer of all existing contracts, is very intuitive and easy with our solution.”

Secured Multiple Times In The Cloud

In addition, the flexibility to connect to other digital tools and the ability to customise the application environment play a significant role, including the possibility of your views, categories, and keywords. The backup of contract documents has been one of the arguments for digitization that has been neglected so far: While the loss of paper contracts after shredding or fire often goes undetected. The documents are usually irretrievably lost, and digital contracts in the cloud are secured multiple ways. What’s more, they remain up to date. Because with a software solution like ContractHero, the complete contract history can be mapped, and team members will never work based on an outdated version again.

ALSO READ: Researchers Are Developing A New Battery – Made Of Aluminum & Sulfur

Researchers Are Developing A New Battery – Made Of Aluminum & Sulfur

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Researchers Are Developing A New Battery – Made Of Aluminum & Sulfur

Researchers have developed a new type of battery made of aluminum and sulfur. Both materials are relatively inexpensive and readily available. The storm, therefore, costs only one-sixth of a classic lithium-ion battery. 

The importance of batteries is increasing in a world where we rely on renewable energy sources. According to statistics, around 24.4 percent of all passenger cars will be electric in 2030. In absolute numbers, that’s approximately 11.55 million vehicles.

At the same time, the electricity mix is ​​becoming greener, and new capacities for solar, hydro, and wind power are connected to the grid. However, huge batteries are always needed to have energy in reserve when we need it.

There are already some new concepts for this, such as a battery based on carbon dioxide or plastic. However, the price is limited because a good battery must also be affordable.

New Battery On Sulfur And Aluminum

A new proposal is now coming from various scientists, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). You rely on a battery made of abundantly available and inexpensive materials. The electrodes consist of aluminum and sulfur. Molten salt becomes a cheap electrolyte.

This brings with it several advantages. Because today’s lithium-ion batteries are highly flammable. However, this can be avoided by using salt. In addition, aluminum is considered a material with high availability on the international market. Sulfur, in turn, is a waste product from various processes and is relatively cheap.

New Cells Are Particularly Robust And Can Be Used Flexibly

The prototype has already withstood hundreds of undamaged charging cycles and costs only one-sixth of a lithium-ion cell. The salt used also prevents corrosion of the electrodes. For comparison: With conventional batteries, a little “dirt” always settles on the anode or cathode, impairs performance.

The researchers meanwhile speak of small or medium-sized buildings as possible locations. The new sulfur-aluminum battery can also be used to store electric charging stations.

In contrast to classic approaches, no active cooling is necessary. The battery cools itself when it is charged and discharged. However, it is still unclear when the new battery will be on the market. Further tests should first show the potential of the technology.

ALSO READ: Android 13: All Information About The New Google Update

Android 13: All Information About The New Google Update

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Android 13 All Information About The New Google Update

Google has released the full version of Android 13. The update promises more data protection and has a new design. We have all the information about the innovations. Google announced Android 13, the Google Pixel 6a, and Pixel Buds Pro at Google I/O. The full version of the update is now available and brings some innovations.

Android 13: This Has Changed The Design

The design of Android is always a manufacturer’s choice. That’s why we’re focusing on the software of Google smartphones. As soon as the surfaces from manufacturers such as Samsung or OPPO appear, we will report more about them.

Google has added some features to its “Material-You” theme, which first appeared with Android 12. With Android 13, third-party providers can adapt their app icons to the colour palettes of the backgrounds. Also, Google has customised some of its apps.

Some adjustments under the surface are essential for foldable tablets. Because they get a taskbar and receive optimization for the larger displays, Google and other companies like TikTok are already working on optimised tablet apps. Some of them are already done.

Android 13: New Settings And More Data Protection

Android 13 offers more settings than the previous version. Users can also decide which app is used in which language. WhatsApp can be used in German, for example, and Telegram in English.

Google has also adjusted the quick settings. There is now a QR code scanner. The grounds and the on/off button are now in the lower right corner.

The topic of data protection has played a more significant role for Google for several years. With Android 13, for example, you can decide that apps can only access a specific photo and no longer your entire photo album. Also, apps need permission to send notifications. This also ensures more digital detox.

These Smartphones Will Receive The Update

Android 13 can now be downloaded for the following Google Pixel smartphones:

  • Pixel 6 series (6A, 6, and 6 Pro
  • Google Pixel 5 and 4a with 5G
  • Pixel 4 series (4a, 4, and 4 XL)

Smartphone users with a device from Samsung, OPPO, OnePlus, Vivo, Motorola, and Co. must be patient a little longer. Because the manufacturers still have to adapt the update for their surfaces.

ALSO READ: Twitter Has To Give Elon Musk Data On Fake Accounts

Twitter Has To Give Elon Musk Data On Fake Accounts

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Twitter Has To Give Elon Musk Data On Fake Accounts

The dispute between Elon Musk and Twitter is entering the next round. Because Elon Musk has access to the data of Twitter’s ex-product boss. But the court’s decision is a partial success for the short message service.

The court case between Elon Musk and Twitter is imminent. As early as October, both parties have to answer to a US court for the failed takeover of the short message service.

In preparation, the short message service must now grant the Tesla CEO access to data in the dispute over spam accounts. However, only by one, instead of the required 22 employees, as Bloomberg reports.

Which Data Does Twitter Have To Hand Over?

Twitter has to give Elon Musk the data from exactly one bot checker. It is the data of ex-product boss Kayvon Beykpour. Beykpour was head of consumer products until he had to leave the company in May.

Elon Musk thus gains access to the Beykpours files via spam and bot accounts. The responsible judge decided that at the Delaware Chancery Court. Beykpour joined Twitter in 2015 as part of the Periscope acquisition.

Among other things, he has worked on products such as live audio spaces and newsletters. Most recently, he and his team were responsible for expanding the user base. And it is precisely the quality of this user base that Elon Musk doubted.

What Data Does Elon Musk Not Receive?

Elon Musk wanted access to the documents of 22 employees in total. He described them as essential witnesses in the bot’s question.

However, the judge in charge rejected this. Kathleen St. J. McCormick has ruled that Twitter need not “collect, review, or submit” any documents from the other 21 additional custodians.

The Issue Of Spam Accounts

News of Elon Musk’s plans to acquire Twitter for $44 billion has made waves. But since the planned deal was announced, there has been one thing in particular: delays.

Since then, Elon Musk has repeatedly insisted that he wants to verify that “spam/fake accounts represent less than 5% of users”. Musk temporarily suspended the planned takeover for this reason. Then, in turn, the short message service released data for evaluation.

But the data did not appeal to the Tesla CEO. He dropped the deal. Both sides now have to answer before the Delaware Chancery Court. The trial is scheduled to start on October 17.

ALSO READ: Airbnb Is Arming Itself With Anti-Party Technology

Airbnb Is Arming Itself With Anti-Party Technology

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Airbnb Is Arming Itself With Anti-Party Technology

Airbnb wants to fight illegal gatherings with anti-party technology. The housing agency platform is currently testing, the tool in the US and Canada. Since its inception in 2008, Airbnb has become a global player. Since then, around one billion accommodations have been offered via the platform. The number of hosts is approximately four million.

But the boom in the platform also has its downsides. For example, after several escalated celebrations, Airbnb issued a ban on party houses.

New anti-party technology is supposed to support the platform in fighting illegal celebrations. As Fast Company reports, Airbnb now wants to test the latest tool in the US and Canada.

Airbnb Is Testing Its Anti-Party Technology In The US And Canada

According to the Fast Company report, Airbnb wants “potentially high-risk reservations” with the new anti-party technology.

The rental platform uses various factors for this. Among other things, the users’ ratings are included in the assessment. But Airbnb also examines the duration of the desired bookings and the distance to the place of residence.

The anti-party technology then calculates suspicious bookings. This way, the company wants to prevent these from being presented to the respective hosts for approval. Above all, Airbnb wants to protect its apartment and house owners from property damage or noise complaints.

The First Test In Australia Was Already Successful

The platform had previously tested its anti-party technology in Australia. Since October 2021, the number of illegal parties in the test areas has fallen by 35 per cent.

Airbnb has now rolled out the tool nationwide in Australia. Now the next test phase is starting in the USA and Canada.

This Is What Airbnb Says About The New Tool

Since the party ban was introduced in August 2020, the number of reports has fallen sharply. According to the company, the number has fallen by 44 per cent compared to the previous year. In 2021, the platform barred more than 6,600 guests after trying to break the party ban.

Airbnb is constantly trying to work on the number of security incidents through new solutions, says Naba Banerjee, Airbnb product manager for trust and security. As we get more reservations and bookings, we’ll look at how things are going and how our metrics are going.

The anti-party technology builds on the company’s “Under 25” system. This excludes younger users from booking entire properties near their residence – until they have received at least three positive reviews.

ALSO READ: Jetracer: Flying Deck Chair Reaches Speeds Of Up To 250 km/h

Jetracer: Flying Deck Chair Reaches Speeds Of Up To 250 km/h

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Jetracer Flying Deck Chair Reaches Speeds Of Up To 250 kmh

Jetracer: French inventor Franky Zapata has developed a flying deck chair that can reach speeds of up to 250 km/h. Ten small turbines provide propulsion and ensure that the single-seater can take off and land vertically. This is the latest updated technology that is known. 

Franky Zapata is no stranger. The Frenchman is a professional jet ski pilot and inventor of the keyboard and the keyboard air. These are pieces of sports equipment that are powered by the recoil of water jets, allowing their pilot to hover nine meters above the water surface.

In August 2019, he again managed to cross the English Channel with the Flyboard Air. Now the Frenchman has developed a new aircraft: the so-called Jetracer. The single-seater resembles a flying deckchair and, according to Zapata, can reach a speed of up to 250 km/m.

Jetracer: Maximum Flight Altitude 3,000 Meters

The pilot of the jet racer sits unprotected outdoors. A special six-point harness fixes the body on the seat, which is made of carbon fibers. For safety, pilots must also wear a helmet and flight suits. Because turbines drive the Jetracer instead of rotors, the risk of injury is somewhat lower.

However, the ten microturbines heat up very quickly and are extremely loud. To fly agile, Zapata has installed a so-called thrust vector arrangement. This allows the jet tracer to reach a maximum height of 3,000 meters. In addition, a payload of up to 200 kilograms is possible.

Franky Zapata Is Giving Away Flights With Prototypes

So far, there is no exact flight duration and range information. Franky Zapata cites both the civil and military aviation sectors as possible uses. For example, the transport of unique materials is also possible.

It will, however, still be some time before that happens because there is still no exact production schedule for the Jetracer. However, the prototype is ready for use. Zapata is currently giving away 25 test flights in the USA. One hundred applicants are to be invited to a selection test. The 25 best then get the opportunity to fly the Jetracer.

ALSO READ: Companies Have To Suspend Video Identification Procedures

Companies Have To Suspend Video Identification Procedures

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Companies Have To Suspend Video Identification Procedures

The health insurance companies must now suspend their video identification process. For the time being insured persons, will no longer be able to identify themselves with their smartphone camera to use the online services of their health insurance company. The reason for this is a technical security gap. 

Grammatik, the digitization service provider of the healthcare system, has prohibited health insurance companies from using so-called video ident processes. According to an official statement, insured persons will no longer be able to identify themselves with their smartphone camera to use their health insurance company’s online services.

According to Gematik, the ban was unavoidable due to a “security weakness”. The national agency for digital medicine is said to have responded to a security report by the Chaos Computer Club.

Grammatik Bans Video Identification Procedures Used By Health Insurance Companies

With the so-called video ident procedure, users can identify themselves online to prove their identity and to use certain services. Among other things, they must hold their ID document in the smartphone camera and show their face.

Algorithms or service employees then check the information to confirm its authenticity. However, the video ident procedure is repeatedly criticized because fraudsters can sometimes circumvent the method with forged identity papers, for example.

Health Insurance Companies Must Take Countermeasures

Insured persons who want to register with their health insurance company for the online services will have to use other identification methods due to the ban. As an alternative, Gematik mentions checking the ID on-site in a branch or by President.

It is still unclear what specific security gap the ban is based on. According to Gematik, the identification method will only be permitted again if the health insurance companies initiate appropriate countermeasures. The digitization service provider commented:

A decision can only be made about the re-approval of VideoIdent procedures when the providers have provided concrete evidence that their systems are no longer susceptible to the weaknesses shown.

ALSO READ: Corona Warning App: Colours Show The Vaccination Status