Global engineering and project management firm Ausenco says it anticipates a surge in asset optimisation services as the mining industry shifts its focus from capital-intensive greenfield projects to getting the most out of existing operations. [ + ]

An internationally recognised machinery safety course is to be offered in Australia in September to provide an expert level of training and an industry-wide recognised level of competence. [ + ]

CSIRO has released details about its latest crop of robots that indicates advances in ICT research will see closer collaboration between people and robots in the not-too-distant future. [ + ]

ABB will showcase the IRB 2600 industrial robot in a plasma cutting demo cell using Hypertherm equipment at National Manufacturing Week (NMW) at stand 3517. [ + ]

Rio Tinto is celebrating a milestone in the Pilbara region: 100 million tonnes moved by autonomous haul truck (AHT) since trials commenced in 2008. [ + ]

Port Kembla metal manufacturer MM has come under scrutiny from the NSW Environment Protection Authority for possibly breaching its licence conditions for dioxin emissions. [ + ]

New Zealand has continued to punch above its weight in the 2013 VEX Robotics World Championships. Of the 15 teams that made the finals of the competition, five were from NZ, with the Sack Attack competition taken out by Lynfield and Otumoetai Colleges. [ + ]

National Instruments has opened registrations for the 2013 LabVIEW Developer Days, providing an opportunity for new or existing LabVIEW users to learn about time-saving tips and expert development techniques. [ + ]

Nyrstar Hobart, formerly known as the Electrolytic Zinc Works, has been recognised for its historic engineering significance with an Engineering Heritage National Marker. [ + ]

ABB has been recognised by MIT Technology Review for its hybrid high-voltage direct current (HVDC) breaker, placing it among the 10 most important technology milestones of the past year. [ + ]

Smart technology and big data will deliver productivity in the increasingly challenging Australian mining environment, research scientists say. [ + ]

Harvard researchers have developed an inexpensive tactile sensor for robotic hands that they say is sensitive enough to turn a brute machine into a dexterous manipulator. [ + ]

Honeywell has inaugurated a new Automation Solution Centre (ASC) in Singapore as a part of its global deployment of demonstration centres around the world. [ + ]

More than 20 student teams from leading universities across Australia and New Zealand will demonstrate their engineering and mechatronics skills on an international platform in the 2013 National Instruments Autonomous Robotics Competition (NI ARC). [ + ]

Global water technology company Xylem has acquired Multitrode, a privately owned Australia-based water and wastewater technology and services company. [ + ]