“Manufacturing has always been a technology-driven industry. But now more than ever, the forces of digital transformation are impacting every business, bringing new and exciting possibilities but also a great number of challenges.”
I have long been a fan of Bernard Marr’s articles on the real world use of AI. In this article he partners with Todd Edmunds, Global CTO of Industrial IoT and Edge Computing at Dell Technologies, to discuss 4 emerging technologies that will transform manufacturing: AI, Digital Twins, Edge Computing and 5G.
Artificial Intelligence and Data Management
You will find many articles on my blog here that talk about data as the foundation of Industry 4.0. If you then take that data and use AI/ML to interpret and learn from it, you create a powerful opportunity to drive improvements.
Digital Twins
A 3D simulation, based on real data, that allows you to explore behaviours of machinery and production under different conditions, allowing you to predict failures and understand performance.
Edge Computing
Intelligent devices that not only collect data but can process and interpret it, at the collection point. Able to instantly react to a situation with minimal lag. Able to pre-process data and only send back what is needed, e.g. a summary.
5G
Manufacturing plants are notoriously problematic for WIFI and other networking, very large areas, lots of metal and sources of interferance, easy for cables to get damaged etc. 5G offers the opportunity for secure private networks, with high speed and very high bandwidths, thus providing a wealth of opportunities.
For the full article and accompanying video <click here>
Industry 4.0 / IIoT 