The Four Key Technologies of Industry 4.0 Transforming Manufacturing Development Over the Next 20 Years

2019-04-08

The era of Industry 4.0 has arrived, and the manufacturing sector is undoubtedly at the forefront. AFP
Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, follows three previous revolutions powered by the steam engine, electricity, and automation. Driven by digitalization, Industry 4.0 represents the digital transformation of manufacturing. It involves four key technologies: data, analytics, automated equipment, human-machine interaction, and digital twins. These technologies will inevitably impact manufacturing, bringing both huge opportunities and challenges.
Renowned venture capitalist Barry Eggers shared in an interview with Forbes the four key technologies driving Industry 4.0 and pointed out that these technologies will shape the development of manufacturing over the next 10 to 20 years.
First is connectivity and integration technology; second is analytics and artificial intelligence; third is human-machine interaction technology. Through touch, voice interfaces, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), people interact more easily with machines. Barry is optimistic about the huge potential of AR. Lastly, digital twin technology helps people rapidly create things, such as with 3D printing.
Barry believes that industrial revolutions take time. With the evolution of Industry 4.0, 40-50% of machines will need to be replaced or upgraded, adding sensors and connectivity to make machines smarter. For example, driven to reduce downtime and stay ahead of competitors, Tesla applied these concepts to create a smart factory. Another example is Zume Pizza, which uses robots to make pizza faster and has achieved great benefits.
Barry also cited his invested startup Parsable as an example. The company provides mobile productivity tools for workers, digitizing workloads and processes into apps. Employees can record workflows with videos or images, allowing companies to access all data, identify which processes and steps improve productivity, optimize production flows, and achieve peak performance.
The themes of Industry 4.0 span IoT, robotics, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. Each theme applies beyond manufacturing, intersecting various technologies and fields. However, as IoT develops, every connected object may become a potential attack point, introducing more cybersecurity threats. Barry urges that security considerations must move beyond traditional IT enterprise thinking.
The four key technologies are driving Industry 4.0 and triggering a manufacturing transformation revolution. Besides the resulting business opportunities and cross-technology industry cooperation, security concerns are also one of the key future issues.

Article source: http://www.digitimes.com.tw/iot/article.asp?cat=158&cat1=&cat2=20&id=0000529025_668LEFP53DPQO44KYTJ1M&social_share=y

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