Science fiction author and journalist Cory Doctorow is quoted in his latest book The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI that “SF writers make lousy prophets, but we can be pretty good technology critics.” The man responsible for the weblog Boing Boing and an informative newsletter at Pluralistic.net has recently produced a 222-page guide to thinking about artificial intelligence before it’s too late.
Sadly, we do not currently provide a gigantic, six-volume manufacturing series on the history of gears, bearings, couplings, brakes and motors with descriptions and details that would make the likes of Leo Tolstoy or J.R.R. Tolkien jealous with envy. One day, at the very least, I’d like to put down on paper a travel narrative about the gear and bearing shops I’ve visited since 2008 and the impact each has had on U.S. manufacturing.
Today, we travel back in time to 1996 when the Red Line train was a maze of passengers reading either the Chicago Tribune or the Chicago Sun Times. You couldn’t find a seat where you wouldn’t accidentally get hit in the face by someone flipping the pages of a big, bulky newspaper.
BMW recently launched a pilot program in Germany where AI-powered humanoid robots began working the assembly lines. Previously, the company ran a similar 10-month testing program in a U.S. plant in Spartanburg, SC. These steadfast and efficient machines worked for up to 10 hours a day handling rigorous tasks such as placing sheet metal components for welding.
I am bummed my schedule prevented a quick trip to CES 2026 in Las Vegas this year. Last year, I was wandering the technology halls studying the latest drones, e-bikes, humanoid robots, and electric motor technologies.
My daughter is currently attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI. It’s typically a six-and-a-half-hour drive according to the smartphone, but a recent expedition took eight+ hours due to a surprise blizzard coming off Lake Superior.
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Power Transmission Engineering is THE magazine of mechanical components. PTE is written for engineers and maintenance pros who specify, purchase and use gears, gear drives, bearings, motors, couplings, clutches, lubrication, seals and all other types of mechanical power transmission and motion control components.
