The November 2026 issue of Design World explores how functional safety, motion control, industrial networking, and artificial intelligence are influencing the next generation of automation systems. Across machine manufacturing, infrastructure, robotics, and process applications, the central message is clear: improving productivity requires more than faster equipment. It requires better integration between control, safety, communication, and intelligent monitoring.
Safety Engineering Must Keep Pace with Machine Automation
The cover story features B&R representatives Franz Kaufleitner and Stefan Schönegger discussing the growing gap between conventional machine control and safety engineering. While standard automation platforms have become increasingly open and flexible, safety systems have often remained more restrictive and difficult to adapt.
B&R's Safety+ approach aims to narrow this gap through open programming, more intelligent safety responses, and closer integration with motion control. Rather than forcing an entire machine to stop whenever a safety-related event occurs, the objective is to enable more targeted responses based on the actual operating condition and associated risk.
From an engineering perspective, this is an important development. A safety function should protect personnel and equipment without unnecessarily disrupting production. However, more flexible safety logic also places greater demands on risk assessment, validation, diagnostics, and lifecycle management. The challenge is not simply to make safety programming easier, but to ensure that flexibility does not compromise the integrity of safety functions.
EtherCAT and Industrial Networking Continue to Evolve
The issue also launches the first installment of a four-part series examining EtherCAT, beginning with its introduction at Hannover Messe in 2003.
EtherCAT uses standard Ethernet frame structures based on IEEE 802.3 and processes data as frames pass through network devices. Its on-the-fly processing architecture allows nodes to read and insert data without requiring each device to receive, process, and retransmit an entire frame independently. This approach supports efficient communication and deterministic performance in distributed automation systems.
The series places EtherCAT in the broader industrial networking landscape, comparing its architecture with PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, and CC-Link IE. With approximately 105 million installed nodes cited in the issue, EtherCAT has established a substantial industrial footprint.
For system integrators, protocol selection should not depend on communication speed alone. Update cycles, synchronization, topology, device availability, engineering tools, diagnostics, and long-term maintenance requirements all influence the suitability of a network. The increasing coexistence of different industrial Ethernet technologies also makes interoperability and gateway strategies important considerations during system upgrades.
Surge Protection Becomes More Important for High-Power PoE++ Infrastructure
Industrial communication infrastructure increasingly depends on Power-over-Ethernet technology, particularly in intelligent transportation systems. Transtector examines how FDOT-certified surge protection helps protect network equipment deployed in environments exposed to lightning and electrical transients.
PoE++ equipment can operate at power levels of approximately 60 to 90 W, creating protection requirements that differ from those of conventional low-power Ethernet installations. Surge protection devices must be appropriately rated for the electrical load while maintaining the communication performance required by connected equipment.
Florida's Department of Transportation approved product list is also highlighted as an important reference for surge protection products, with its specifications influencing purchasing and engineering practices beyond the state.
This topic deserves attention in industrial projects because network availability is closely connected to operational continuity. Cameras, roadside controllers, communication switches, and other connected devices may all depend on the same network infrastructure. Surge protection should therefore be considered during initial system design rather than added only after equipment failures occur.
Artificial Intelligence Needs to Deliver Practical Engineering Value
Artificial intelligence appears in several sections of the November issue, but the discussion remains grounded in engineering applications rather than technology promotion.
In his Insights column, Paul Heney compares current AI discussions with the early development of the internet. He also introduces Arrowfly's AI for Engineers event, scheduled for September 2027 in Henderson, Nevada.
A separate retrospective by John Christy examines 45 years of CAD software development. A program originally developed for the HP-85 has evolved into C3, a Mac application capable of generating drawings from spoken, plain-language instructions.
The comparison across these technologies highlights an important engineering principle: tools and interfaces change, but the requirements for accuracy, efficiency, and understandable technical output remain.
In industrial automation, AI should be evaluated according to its actual contribution to engineering workflows. Applications such as fault diagnosis, predictive maintenance, simulation, design optimization, and technical documentation offer practical opportunities. However, engineers still need to verify generated results, understand system constraints, and maintain responsibility for safety-critical decisions.
AI-Assisted Simulation Explores New Possibilities for Drone Charging
Another application highlighted in the issue comes from SunCubes, which is using AI-assisted simulation to investigate laser-based in-flight charging for drones.
The concept explores whether drones could receive energy while operating, potentially reducing the need for frequent landings and battery replacements. Simulation tools help engineers evaluate system behavior and investigate design parameters before committing to physical prototypes.
Although this technology remains an emerging application, it illustrates how AI-supported engineering simulation can accelerate the exploration of complex technical concepts. The practical challenge will be translating simulation results into systems that meet real-world requirements for energy transfer, positioning accuracy, thermal management, and operational safety.
Affordable PLCs Bring Predictive Maintenance to Smaller Infrastructure Projects
Predictive maintenance is often associated with large manufacturing facilities, sophisticated condition-monitoring platforms, and substantial investment in industrial data infrastructure. A project involving a small Alabama housing development demonstrates that the same principles can be applied on a more modest scale.
CoStream uses AutomationDirect PLCs, HMIs, and cloud connectivity to monitor pumps within a sewage system. The objective is to identify abnormal operating conditions and support maintenance decisions before equipment problems develop into service interruptions.
This application highlights an important trend in automation: predictive maintenance is becoming more accessible to smaller facilities and infrastructure operators.
A properly configured PLC can collect operating information, monitor equipment conditions, and communicate relevant data to remote monitoring platforms. When combined with appropriate alarms and historical operating records, these capabilities can provide useful maintenance information without requiring an expensive enterprise-level automation architecture.
The real value comes from selecting meaningful parameters, such as pump operating status, runtime, and abnormal operating conditions, rather than collecting large quantities of data without a defined maintenance purpose.
ABB Develops a DC Microgrid for Ferrari's Hypersail Project
The Design for Industry section also examines ABB's involvement in the Ferrari Hypersail project, where the company is developing a 48/800 Vdc microgrid architecture for a renewable-powered yacht.
The project demonstrates how DC power distribution and renewable energy integration are extending into specialized mobile applications. Managing multiple power sources and electrical loads requires coordinated power conversion, distribution, and monitoring.
Although marine applications differ from conventional factory installations, the underlying engineering challenges are familiar to industrial power specialists. Voltage conversion, protection coordination, energy management, and system integration remain fundamental requirements.
The project also illustrates how industrial electrical engineering technologies can be adapted to applications where space, weight, energy efficiency, and environmental conditions impose particularly demanding constraints.
Safety I/O Integration and Industrial Motion Applications
SMC introduces another safety-related development by integrating safety I/O directly into a valve manifold.
This approach can simplify the relationship between pneumatic equipment and machine safety systems by reducing the separation between field-level devices and control architecture. It also offers opportunities to streamline wiring and installation in machines with distributed pneumatic functions.
Meanwhile, igus presents a DeviceNet robot cable designed for up to 10 million torsional cycles, addressing the mechanical demands of repeated robotic movement. Rotor Clip reports improvements in aerospace sealing-ring qualification processes, demonstrating how manufacturing and inspection methods can influence production efficiency.
Together, these developments show that automation performance depends on more than controller processing power. Mechanical durability, field connectivity, installation complexity, and maintenance accessibility remain equally important.
Medical Design Innovation Addresses Tissue Heart Valve Durability
The Medical Design Tips supplement shifts the focus from industrial equipment to medical device engineering.
Edwards Lifesciences discusses its Resilia tissue valve technology, with co-inventor Greg Wright explaining how glycerolization and stable-capping chemistry were developed to address calcification, a major factor associated with tissue valve deterioration.
The issue reports nearly 98% freedom from structural valve deterioration at 10 years. This result highlights the importance of material science, chemical treatment, and long-term performance validation in medical device development.
Although the application differs significantly from industrial automation, the engineering lesson is relevant across industries: improving product performance often requires addressing the underlying failure mechanism rather than simply modifying the external design.
Engineering Innovation Begins with Real Problems
The November issue concludes with Mark Jones examining inventors whose work was influenced by their children. Examples include McKibben's artificial muscle and John Costik's open-source contributions to the development of artificial pancreas technology.
These stories offer a different perspective on engineering innovation. Many significant developments begin with a practical problem that existing products or systems cannot adequately solve.
For industrial automation engineers, this perspective is particularly relevant. The most useful innovations are not necessarily those with the most sophisticated technology. They are the solutions that improve safety, simplify operation, reduce maintenance requirements, and address real production constraints.
Industrial Automation Is Moving Toward More Integrated Engineering
The November 2026 issue of Design World brings together several developments that point toward a more integrated approach to industrial engineering.
Functional safety is becoming more closely connected with standard machine control. Industrial Ethernet continues to support increasingly sophisticated distributed systems. Surge protection remains important as connected infrastructure expands, while AI-assisted simulation and predictive maintenance are opening new possibilities for equipment design and operation.
From an engineering standpoint, these developments should not be viewed as separate technology trends. Their value increases when they work together. A machine with intelligent diagnostics still needs validated safety functions. A high-performance industrial network still requires suitable electrical protection. Predictive maintenance still depends on accurate field data and well-designed control logic.
The direction of industrial automation is therefore not simply toward greater connectivity or more AI. It is toward systems in which control, safety, communication, power management, and maintenance are designed as coordinated parts of the same engineering architecture.
