Charting the future of automatic control
October 2014
News
Two thousand of the world’s foremost engineers, roboticists and mathematicians recently met in Cape Town to share research and take a look into the future of their exciting field – automatic control – at the World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). In 2011, Professor Ian Craig of the University of Pretoria became President of IFAC, a prestigious international position which he holds to this day.
Professor Ian Craig.
The conference theme was ‘Promoting automatic control for the benefit of humankind’. Topics ranged from how robot technology is being used in the Fukushima nuclear plant clean-up, to how control technology can make electricity grids smart and enterprises more intelligent, through to innovative ways in which to teach tomorrow’s engineers and scientists. The event ended on a high note with a demonstration of automatically controlled quadrocopters in autonomous flight.
“Most of us interact with automatic control systems and sensors every day. Lesser known are the pioneering control technologies used in, for example, the autonomous vehicles that mine at extreme depths to save human miners from working under almost unbearable conditions; or the revolutionary exoskeleton suits that enable workers to lift heavy machinery without feeling its weight to reduce risk of injury, while increasing productivity,” says Craig.
“IFAQ 2014 will quicken the pace of innovation in automatic control and help profile South Africa as a contributor to the field. Equally important is that the congress sparks the interest of SA’s future engineers, mathematicians and roboticists. The real dividend will be the encouragement of South African youth to consider careers in engineering, mathematics, science and robotics as these are some of the skills our country needs most,” he concludes.
For more information contact Ian Craig, University of Pretoria, +27 (0)12 420 2172, [email protected], www.ifac2014.org
Further reading:
RS South Africa shapes future engineering talent
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa is demonstrating that nurturing future engineers goes beyond traditional classrooms or competitions. On STEM Day, the company shone a light on the full spectrum of its educational initiatives.
Read more...
ABB and Compu-Power bring high-efficiency UPS innovation to IS3 X-Change 2025
News
ABB recently participated in the 31st annual IS
3X-Change 2025 in Cape Town, alongside its long-standing channel partner Compu-Power.
Read more...
Meta and partners announce completion of 2Africa subsea cable system
News
Meta, in partnership with leading global and regional telecommunications companies, has announced the completion and activation of the core 2Africa subsea cable system. This marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system.
Read more...
RS South Africa retains Level 2 B-BBEE status
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has once again achieved Level 2 B-BBEE verification.
Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...
Africa’s brightest young battery innovators
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...
Africa’s strategic role in powering the global clean energy future
News
The 2026 Africa Energy Indaba is to spotlight Africa’s mineral wealth, industrialisation potential and the urgent need for sustainable value chain development.
Read more...
Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
Read more...
Siemens and HD Hyundai to accelerate revitalisation of USA shipbuilding
News
Siemens Digital Industries Software has signed a memorandum of understanding with HD Hyundai to drive the revitalisation and modernisation of the commercial shipbuilding industry in the USA.
Read more...
Accelerating Africa’s smart manufacturing future
News
Automation Day, a dedicated one-day conference within the Manufacturing Indaba 2026, will bring together industry leaders, innovators and policymakers for an in-depth exploration of how automation is reshaping Africa’s manufacturing landscape.
Read more...
printer friendly version