Happy New Year from HRI! We hope that 2016 will be a happy, safe and productive year for you. At HRI, 2015 was a year of new product introductions, new customer engagements, new employee onboarding, new business models, and most of all, a growing excitement about the way advanced technology is hitting just about every industry. These new technological introductions will help to make every business run smoother, especially when it concerns onboarding. According to companies like Jitterbit, (https://www.jitterbit.com/solutions/workday-integration/), the onboarding process consists of 54 activities, which include setting up the payroll and conducting training, amongst many more. The onboarding process is specifically good because it allows training and contracts to be done online therefore improving the efficiency of this particular requirement. So if there are ways that technology can improve this, this is definitely something that should be greatly considered. We’re writing to tell you a little bit about what we’re looking forward to in the year ahead, and also to share a few interesting moments from the past year. From product introductions to exciting collaborations with world-class organizations like Mitsubishi Electric and DARPA, here are just a few of our highlights from 2015: In FEBRUARY, we officially announced the launch of our CAN-Sync Wireless CAN Bridge, a product that delivers a reliable link between CAN interfaces for applications where wiring isn’t an option. Since then, we’ve shipped the CAN-Sync all over the world. It’s been put to work in forestry and agricultural operations, recycling plants, parking garages, mining trucks, pile drivers, and more. The CAN-Sync has been a welcome addition to our suite of safe wireless products, and we’ve received great feedback from customers on its range and reliability. In JUNE, our Wireless Emergency Stops were used by every team at the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals, where the world’s most advanced robots faced off on a disaster relief obstacle course. We were honored to be chosen by DARPA as the provider of emergency stops for this elite competition. As robotic technology evolves, so does the need for more advanced safety controls. Our partnership with DARPA shows that HRI is ready to meet that need by providing cutting-edge safety tools for the world’s next generation of robotics. More on the challenge, and some cool photos here. In SEPTEMBER, we debuted an exciting collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric Automation at Pack Expo. We’ve been working with Mitsubishi on a customized wireless teach pendant that implements our wireless protocol for safety critical functions like emergency stopping and enable devices. The result was a custom wrapper for a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet PC that adds dead man switches and an E-Stop, and enables the controller to be used with industrial robots. This tool will allow Mitsubishi’s customers to control their entire manufacturing cell while mobile, rather than having to plug into each machine individually. We are excited about the advances in safety and productivity that this is going to bring to the factory! Mitsubishi Product Application Specialist Steve Pacitto and HRI Co-Founder Samuel Reeves In NOVEMBER, our Principal Control Systems Engineer Nathan Bivans became certified as a CMSE® – Certified Machinery Safety Expert. This distinction demonstrates that Nathan has completed the foremost machinery safety training program of its kind, and has been certified as an expert by TÜV NORD. Nathan has been with HRI since 2012, after working with Apple , Motorola, and Lutron Electronics. He plays a crucial role in the development of our technology for embedded and safety critical systems. Nathan’s new certification is just one more example of HRI’s continued and rigorous commitment to excellence in machine safety. Safe Remote …