Industry 4.0 – what is it?

Industry 4.0 received its name in honor of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is an innovative paradigm for the global implementation of cyber-physical technologies in the spheres of production, everyday life, labor relations and leisure. As a result of such implementation, the scenarios in the economic, industrial and social sectors are likely to radically change. The paradigm implies the massive use of cyber-physical technologies in accordance with the needs of society.

Origins of the appearance

The concept of industry 4.0 has been developed since 1988 and is associated with progress in the field of IT technologies and robotics, industry and home automation. It owes its name to a cohort of German figures from the world of science, politics and business in 2011, who gave it the following decoding: “the introduction of cyber-physical phenomena into industrial processes to increase the competitiveness of the German manufacturing industry.”

Motivators of the revolution

The main stimulating factors of Industry 4.0 are such high-tech and IT industries as: blockchain, 3D printing, virtual reality, quantum measurements, digital microelectronics, etc. And the main ideological inspirers for the development of the industry can be considered economic pragmatism and a positivist worldview.

What changes are coming

The fourth industrial revolution should radically change literally all areas of society, changing the technological system, reshaping the labor market, creating innovative technologies and reforming political structures. At the same time, they even predict a transformation of a person’s identity. Industry 4.0 can develop according to the following scenarios:

• Under the pressure of new parameters of reality, a person’s personality structure may change.
• A person can gradually and then completely free himself from routine and the need to work physically.
• The economy may be transformed beyond recognition.
• Society can become socially stratified due to the uselessness of many professions.
• The labor market will be mainly interested in the creative and intellectual abilities of citizens.
• Widespread automation can lead to getting rid of routine.
• The spread of worldwide globalization with the penetration of digital reality into everyday life can lead to total control over social phenomena and events.
• Virtual and augmented reality with the creation of different virtual environments (worlds in the world) can lead to isolation of people from each other.

conclusions

The fourth industrial revolution, according to experts, has serious reasons to disrupt the world order of the current system and lead to its further collapse, creating global instability on the planet. The future of the world order depends on human reaction to such transformations. In the meantime, we have to observe the rapid development of Industry 4.0 with global changes already beginning.

Nowadays you can already find on sale many elements, parts, and machines that are designed to introduce Industry 4.0 technologies into industrial production. One of the leaders in this field is Omron - its products are distinguished not only by their quality, but also by their advanced technologies.