"Technology" has become the choice word to describe a product or practice that aids in the general advancement of human civilization through the application of mathematics, science, techniques, trades, and the arts. "Modern technology," also called cutting-edge, or high technology, is an essentially fluid concept, referring to the current most advanced technology with the greatest horizon in front of it.
Industry 4.0 examples
At this moment in time, "modern technology" is synonymous with Industry 4.0, and Industry 4.0 encompasses the following technological advances: ultra-fast computers, sensors, complicated communication networks, vast code sources, new organizational structures, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Together, these entities form more advanced, automated, and productive organizations. In essence, Industry 4.0 represents an engrained, network-enabled, sub-structure, built using modern technology, and incorporating every industry. Like the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700’s, Industry 4.0 is reinventing how our world runs.
“Industry 4.0 is simply shorthand for a full cyber-physical integration of a company’s operations. It’s the Internet of (industrial) Things integrated with operations technology and business systems. This not only breaks down enterprise silos but, ultimately, enables ecosystems that link suppliers, partners, distributors, and users in a powerful value chain.”
-Analog Devices’ whitepaper Now to Next
The Industry 4.0 technology pillars
Industry 4.0 is not just a single technology. Rather, it's a culmination of several different technologies. As such, there are four essential, interdependent technologies allowing Industry 4.0 to exist.
Networks: Industry 4.0 and IIoT
A specific subset of Industry 4.0 is often referred to as IIoT, or Industrial Internet of Things, the network infrastructure connecting every thing together. Albeit a broad term, the Internet of Things is essential to Industry 4.0; it provides the connectivity and communication powering companies, enterprise silos, business divisions, processes, and more. There are, however, challenges with connecting certain thingsto each other; many times these individual things use completely separate protocols and systems, as well as different performance specifications.
For example, the operation of standard IT infrastructure and OT infrastructure requires dramatically different resources. The use of Industrial Ethernet standards is insufficient for combining the different technologies. However, due to recent breakthroughs in IEEE-based time-sensitive networks (TSNs), industrial companies can now deploy a single IEEE-standard Ethernet network that carries both the time-critical control traffic of OT systems, and the regular best-effort traffic of IT systems.
Processing: The role of AI in Industry 4.0
Sensors have historically been a fundamental trait of industrial systems. For example, analog oil temperature sensors in gas-powered machinery have long been an indication of general machine health in manufacturing systems. However, as networking speeds and sizes increase, more sensors can be connected to a single system, and more data is created. This data must be communicated, processed, interpreted, and organized – and this requires processing power. Alternatively, controlling more machinery faster demands robust amounts of processing power.
Depending on the industry and application, processing can occur in a variety of ways. However, one thing is certain: processing must be done in real time. RTOS (Real Time Operating System) processing can be done via local processing nodes with high-efficiency CPUs which aggregate their data to a central processing hub or server systems. Alternatively, all data and control can be managed by a single server infrastructure. And in artificial intelligence-based applications, AI-at-the-edge technology places large amounts of processing power on a single node, with the ability to process complex algorithms on small devices, natively. Regardless of the processing structure used, a vast amount of processing power is required to fuel Industry 4.0.
HMI: human machine interfaces
In historic, industrial settings, humans controlled systems and quality control of a process that started and ended with humans. Industry 4.0, however, demands less work from humans and more work from machines, the caveat being that humans can intervene with the machine to understand, interact with, and alter the automated systems that run it. As a result, human-machine-interface systems have become an integral part of Industry 4.0. HMIs come in many forms, with complexities ranging from control rooms akin to mission control, to small displays that show small amounts of information for a very specific single process. Regardless of the breadth of technology, HMI is a critical part of Industry 4.0; it's the communication bridge between creator and creation.
Safety and security: Industry 4.0 security challenges
In all automation applications, even those outside of Industry 4.0, safety and security are of utmost importance. Automation reduces the amount of human error potential in any process, while simultaneously reducing the amount of human understanding of a process. Since machines are not designed with the same level of human understanding and self-preservation as humans, many levels of redundancy, safety measures, and thresholds must be taken in order to ensure the preservation of a system in the event of a machine failure.
Concurrently, automated processes are also subject to security breaches from external sources, especially when connected to external networks. Network and component-based barriers must be erected safely in order to ensure the integrity of Industry 4.0 systems is not breached. With the sheer depth of exposure points, the opportunity to "hack" a network-based Industry 4.0 system can be staggering. Many steps must be taken to ensure that the system remains both operable and safe.
Conclusion: The impact of Industry 4.0
Across all sectors of our world -- commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc. -- the modern technology being used for the Industry 4.0 revolution is fundamentally reinventing how businesses operate. Industry 4.0 is an IoT integration of a company’s operational technology and information technology designed to optimize commercial, industrial, manufacturing, and agricultural systems. While there are many sub-technologies that make Industry 4.0 possible, it's clear that state-of-the-art networks, powerful processing systems, intuitive HMIs, and robust safety and security systems must be implemented in tandem to ensure a successful Industry 4.0 transformation for a company.
