Day: May 19, 2022

The world is rapidly moving from human-directed manufacturing using computerized assembly lines to largely automated smart factories that manufacture more efficiently using real-time data. Considered by many to be the fourth industrial revolution, or “Industry 4.0,” this transformation requires a bevy of technologies to deliver on its promise of ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). From smart devices to machine-learning systems to pervasive communications, the need for ultra-high speeds and reliability requires technologies that can connect in a variety of situations while remaining compliant with regional regulations.  Technology and telecommunications providers have created a solution—5G private networks—to address the challenge. 

The manufacturing …

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

Why China is still obsessed with disinfecting everything

In a one-minute video that went viral in China in early May, three government workers in hazmat suits spray disinfectant all over someone’s home: inside the fridge, under the television, over the couch. On social media, Chinese people worried about whether their home would experience the same treatment if they were unlucky enough to catch the virus.

Outside China, people have mostly moved on from worrying about …