By Scott Simmie

Many of you will remember the days before smart phones. Same goes for automated tellers, online banking, self check-outs, personal computers, 3D printers – even the internet itself. Technology hasn’t merely marched along; it’s been sprinting at an ever-accelerating pace. What’s more, it’s been doing so pretty much everywhere. From the smart devices that now populate our pockets and homes and vehicles through to autonomous mobile robots in factories, hospitals, warehouses, airports – we are in the midst of an inflection point.

If you’re in the technology industry, this era is known as Industry 4.0. And there’s no question that it is – and will continue to be – utterly transformative.

Let’s take a brief look at how we got here…and where it’s going.

Below: An InDro Robotics Sentinel inspection robot. It carries out complex autonomous inspections before returning to its base to wirelessly recharge

THE PATH TO 4.0

Industry 4.0 is also known by some as 4IR, meaning the Fourth Industrial Revolution. So it’s worth briefly reviewing the other three.

The initial Industrial Revolution began in the UK in the mid-1700s. The development of steam power, water power, and mechanisation paved the path for production of certain commodities at scale. They may seem primitive now, but these were huge innovations at the time. These efficiencies helped vault the UK to a leading economic position and the technology began rapidly spreading elsewhere in the world.

That was followed by three other industrial epochs:

• The late 1800s, where mass production lines using electrical power marked the outset of the Second Industrial Revolution
• The late 1960s saw the introduction of computers and other early IT systems, as well as significant advances in automation including simple robotic devices
• The mid-2010s ushered in Industry 4.0, often described as the integration of cyber and physical systems (more on this in a moment)

To help visualise this, we’ve tapped on Wikimedia Commons, and this graphic from Christoph Roser at AllAboutLean.com

THE FOURTH WAVE

As we saw, what’s thought of as the Third Industrial Revolution brought computers and early robotics/manufacturing advances onto the scene. Industry 4.0 can be thought of as the logical extension of the third – but with massive technological and data integration advances. As this Forbes article puts it, “The fourth industrial revolution will take what was started in the third with the adoption of computers and automation and enhance it with smart and autonomous systems fueled by data and machine learning…As a result of the support of smart machines that keep getting smarter as they get access to more data, our factories will become more efficient and productive and less wasteful.”

We asked an AI engine for its take, and it came back with a very concise definition: “Industry 4.0 is a term that describes the ongoing technological revolution that is transforming how companies operate, design, produce, and deliver goods and services.”

It also offered, helpfully, the key enabling technologies including: 

• Artificial Intelligence 
• The Internet of Things 
• Big Data Analytics 
• Augmented Reality 
• Precision Scanning and digital twins
• Robotics
• Advanced manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing

COVID-19, with its extensive isolation and social distancing, played a significant role in companies embracing Industry 4.0. A basic example many can relate to was the growth of UberEats and other food delivery services. The coding and technology – the integration of the cyber and physical words – utterly transformed much of the restaurant industry.

It would be hard to think of a sector that has not been touched by 4IR: Manufacturing, mining, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, aerospace – you name it.

INDRO 4.0

Industry 4.0 is a massive topic – with implications not only for companies seeking a competitive edge but also for workers. Many companies, according to this excellent McKinsey and Company overview (complete with compelling data and examples of ‘Lighthouses’ – companies at the pinnacle of 4.0), are re-skilling employees hand-in-hand with adopting new 4IR technologies. Europe here has taken the lead over North America.

As for InDro? The company was officially formed in 2014. That happens to be the year generally accepted as the year Industry 4.0 began. And from the beginning, this has been the realm where our R&D has taken place. As a leader in the autonomous robotic space, many of our own inventions and custom builds operate in the Industry 4.0 space. We’re particularly proud of our Sentinel inspection robot (several of which are now working autonomously for a major US energy client), and also Captis – the leading solution in inventory cycle counting and precision scanning for large warehouses and other supply chain assets. InDro Robotics was the technology incubator for Captis, produced by Cypher Robotics. It’s already on the job in Canada, and will soon be deployed in New Zealand.

Below: The Captis cycle-counting and precision scanning system

INDRO’S TAKE

Industry 4.0 isn’t just a buzzword. It is a full-fledged transformation leveraging multiple complex technologies working in synergy for greater efficiency. Most of our clients have fully embraced IR4 or are in the midst of that transformation. And we, as always, continue to develop new robots, drones and other products for this new and exciting era.

“Industry 4.0 certainly draws on the framework laid by 3.0, but the technological advances of the past decade have been truly transformative,” says InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We are definitely in the midst of a new and exciting era, and InDro will continue to develop intelligent and innovative products for Industry 4.0. And yes, when 5IR eventually comes along…we’ll be ready.”

Want to learn more about how an InDro solution can help your company in IR4? Interested in learning how a private 5G network can offer smart factories a competitive and security edge? Head of R&D Sales Luke Corbeth is always up for a thoughtful conversation.