Friday’s here so you know what that means – it’s time for a weekly roundup of the top stories in hiring, engineering, and aerospace including news on 3D printed rockets!
Recession Creep Continues
It’s anyone’s guess if a nationwide recession is in the cards, but according to Bloomberg, the president’s trade wars have created recession-like conditions in many parts of the country, particularly in states and counties that determined the 2016 election. The manufacturing industry is being hit particularly hard, where in “in 22 states—including electorally important ones like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania—the number of people working in factories actually fell in the first seven months of this year.
Apple Whispers Its Biggest Technology Upgrade
At its latest event, Apple spent a lot of time flexing the new cameras on the upcoming iPhone 11 models, but only in a casual throwaway line did the company mention an actually huge tech upgrade – its new ultra-wideband chip, the U1. While current applications are limited, expect developers to build around this game-changing technology that allows for highly-precise location finding. Consider this – current generation of Bluetooth devices have location accuracy of about a meter. But ultra-wideband can pinpoint objects within 30-centimeters AND transfer data at four times the speed. Truly next level stuff.
Humans and Machines Will Work in Peace
Fears of automation displacing workers continues to be unfounded. Case and point: Amazon. The industry giant is spending $700 million upskilling its workforce to work alongside robots, and admits full automation of its factories isn’t feasible for at least a decade. Machines and humans are set to coexist on factory floors as companies discover automation works best when it is designed to enhance humans’ abilities rather than replace workers.
Uber Axes Engineering Jobs
Uber reported a net loss of $5.4 billion in the second quarter of 2019. That’s billion with a B – in just three months. The company struggles to find a path toward profitability and in order to cut costs, is laying off 435 employees across its engineering and product teams. This in addition to more than 400 people let go from its marketing teams in July. As a positive sign, the company has lifted a hiring freeze.
3D Printed Rocket Company Lands a New Customer
While your average printer seems to manage a paper jam every other day, the engineers at Relatively Space have created a 3D printer that prints actual rockets. You read that correctly. The YouTube video below of a rocket printed might be the coolest thing you’ll see with your own two eyes. In its latest deal, startup Momentus is paying Relatively Space for a ride to carry satellites into orbit. Wonders never cease!
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