Page 11 - trends in automation

“At the end of the day, the main beneficiaries
of Factory 4.0 will be humans.”
Wolfgang Wahlster, DFKI Saarbrücken
the packaging. When a defined threshold is exceeded, the
packaging triggers an alarm and alerts the refrigerated
truck, for example. The truck can then react and lower the
temperature. This technology is already being used for the
transport of blood plasma bags. The major advantage here is
the direct communication between the object and the climate
control without the need for human interaction.
How long will it be until the first Industry 4.0 production plants
commence operation and can existing plants also be converted
or upgraded?
Wahlster: The big advantage of Industry 4.0 is that it can be
implemented gradually. With cyber-physical systems, you
can convert a factory while it is in operation. This involves
integrating sensors as required, fitting system components
with miniature servers and replacing the bus system. This
means that you can start with individual machines and then
convert the entire plant. The much talked about “fourth
industrial revolution” is actually machine evolution. There is
no Factory 4.0 yet in commercial operation, but research and
industry partners are working hard to make it a reality.
At the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
in Kaiserslautern, south west Germany, we have been operating
the world’s first smart factory as a living laboratory for a
number of years. This is used as a reference architecture for
Industry 4.0. The first new factories that fully comply with the
Industry 4.0 principle will go into production in five years’ time at
the earliest. Things are moving faster in the area of conversion
and upgrading of existing plants. Here, it can be assumed that
the first plants will be operating according to some cyber-
physical production principles in two to three years’ time.
Will people still be needed in the industrial production of the
future?
Wahlster: More than ever. Complex, one-of-a-kind premium
products cannot be produced without the work of skilled
workers. In Factory 4.0, production will follow the pace set
by the human workers and not the other way around, as is
currently the case with centralised control. However, some of
the tasks that people perform in the future will be different.
A new generation of intelligent lightweight robots will work
together directly with the human workers. In Industry 4.0,
the robot will actively cooperate with humans, as it will have
humanoid avoidance behaviour thanks to its intelligent sensors
and thus no longer present a danger for humans. Because it
senses its environment and can assess even complex situations,
it can support employees in performing manual tasks as part
of an industrial assistance system. Festo is a pioneer in this field
thanks to its research in the area of bionics. The dedicated
development team has achieved a major step forward with the
Bionic Handling Assistant and the ExoHand. At the end of the
day, the main beneficiaries of Factory 4.0 will be humans.
Issue 23 trends in automation
Inspiration 8 – 9