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Nanotechnology is the atomic and molecular engineering of matter. It is a rapidly evolving field that has the power to completely transform a variety of sectors, including industrial automation. The application of technology to manage and observe industrial operations is known as industrial automation. It is utilized in a variety of sectors, such as manufacturing, food processing, and logistics. Productivity, quality, and safety can all be enhanced with industrial automation. Here are several examples of how new and enhanced industrial automation systems are being created using nanotechnology. New forms of sensors that are smaller, more sensitive, and more robust than conventional sensors are being developed using nanomaterials. For instance, sensors that can pick up on minute changes in temperature, pressure, and chemical composition are being created using carbon nanotubes. New kinds of actuators that are more potent and responsive than conventional actuators are also being...
The status of the Environment has become a critical issue due to the fast growth in the number of industries around the world. While businesses support economic development and technical breakthroughs, their growth has resulted in many environmental issues. The state of the Environment is examined in this essay in light of the growing industrial activity. Industries have contributed significantly to pollution by releasing contaminants into the soil, water, and air. This has led to water contamination from inappropriate waste disposal, air pollution from manufacturing emissions and vehicle exhaust, and soil pollution from harmful compounds. Additionally, companies have contributed to deforestation via mining and logging, which cause habitat damage and biodiversity loss. Another effect of industrial expansion is resource depletion because of how much fossil fuel, mineral, and water enterprises need. Additionally, it significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that cause...
Industrial automation is revolutionizing manufacturing processes with the help of mechanization and data management systems. This advanced technology, known as Industry 4.0, is cost-effective and improves quality, competitiveness, time-efficiency, safety, and control. However, it also adversely affects society, including displacing jobs and impacting the environment, ethics, and economy. Therefore, we must prioritize human well-being over production, sales, and profit. In this article, we will tell you just how to do that. Every day individuals and company owners have long sought novel approaches to increase productivity in routine work. In the past, small machinery, lever, pulley, different hand tools, and working with animals helped our forefathers do most of their work manually. In manufacturing, three categories are characteristic of production processes: Manual, semi-automatic, and automatic. In the first century BC, to grind grain into flour, water wheels were started to use...
In brief, industrial automation is the use of computer-based control systems, such as PLCs, PACs, or robots, and a set of information technologies, like industrial communication systems, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), and EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) platforms, to handle different industrial processes and machinery without significant human assistance. Human involvement is replaced using powerful machinery and logical programming commands. With the increasing need to drive greater manufacturing throughput and reduce production costs, industrial automation is progressively becoming a topic of conversation among manufacturers all over the globe. They are continuously adopting various automation solutions and integrating new Industry 4.0 technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing & analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their manufacturing facilities and throughout their operations to drive greater operational efficiencies. The term Internet of...
Automation has already started to transform various industries and is expected to accelerate in the coming years. The automation revolution, powered by advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), robotics, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT), promises to revolutionize the way we live, work, and interact with each other. In the past, automation was mainly limited to repetitive and routine tasks. However, with the recent advancements in technology, automation has become more sophisticated and capable of handling complex and non-routine tasks. As a result, many industries are now exploring ways to leverage automation to improve productivity, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency. As we approach the year 2023, the pace of automation is expected to pick up significantly, with more and more businesses and organizations looking to automate their operations. This means that individuals and businesses need to be prepared for the automation...
Renewable and sustainable energy has been one of the hottest topics for the past decade. The most popular choices for the United States are all familiar to us: hydro, wind, and solar. While it seems that we have been seeing more progress with renewables every month, our current renewable energy production only supplies 20% of The United States’ total energy demands according to The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. While that figure does seem low, it has doubled in the last decade, proving that there is a considerable amount of innovation and production happening behind the scenes. Solar energy jobs and production have boomed since the last decade with an increase in jobs from about 100,000 workers to over 200,000 while decreasing the average cost of installation on residential homes by $22,000 (SEIA Comms Team). California has since become the first state to mandate all new homes be built with solar panels. If the tides are changing for our renewable energy production...
Industrial automation is the use of information technologies, robotics, machines, and control systems including processors, sensors and actuators to execute production and manufacturing tasks that are normally performed by human workers. Its goal is to improve quality, increase productivity and enhance safety in various industrial applications. Initially, the goal of industrial automation was to increase productivity (since automated systems can operate 24/7 without tiring) and reduce labor costs in the US automotive industry. However, today, 3D technologies and computer-controlled tools such as CNC machines and Robotics have shifted the focus of industrial automation to increasing flexibility and quality of manufacturing processes. For example, installation of engine pistons in automobiles could previously be performed by human workers with an error margin of 1% to 1.5%, but today the task is carried out by automated machinery with an error margin of 0.00001% – an indication of...
Resistor 1 Ohms (Ω) Ohms (Ω) Resistor 2 Ohms (Ω) Ohms (Ω) Add Results Equivalent Resistance Resistance is defined as the measure of opposition to charge flow (current flow) in an electrical circuit. It is measured in ohms and symbolized by (Ω)-a Greek letter omega. Naturally, all materials oppose current flow to some extent, and they are classified as either conductors or insulators. Conductors are materials that have very little resistance to electrons flow, they include aluminum, silver, gold, copper, and many more. Insulators, on the other hand, are materials that present very high resistance to electrons flow; examples are rubber, plastic, wood, and glass. Basically, a resistor is an ohmic device that limits the flow of current in a circuit. Most electrical circuits consist of more than one resistor. The relationship between voltage, resistance, and current in an electrical circuit with resistors is given by Ohm’s Law. Ohm’s law is expressed as: I = V/R , where I is the circuit...
In recent years, machine learning has found applications in new and often unexpected areas. With the novel coronavirus outbreak in 2019 and 2020, it makes sense that many have tried to apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to various problems relating to the disease. From modeling the spread of the disease to searching for possible drugs and vaccines, machine learning has been integral to understanding many of the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Case Study – Disease Dynamics A simple internet search will lead you to hundreds of dashboards showing the current number of coronavirus cases around the world. This stems from how easy it is to access data relating to the virus, especially from reputable sources like Kaggle or Johns Hopkins . This data, along with sophisticated models for disease dynamics has, for example, enabled predictive modeling for the number of people who actually have the virus and the risk of hosting an event in any county in the US . Some...
The world’s first software program to be denied inventor credit on a patent has a winding past, and immense goals set before it. Stephen Thaler is hoping DABUS can make him immortal. We have all contemplated at least once what it might mean to control someone’s mind. Steven Thaler, however, has been experimenting with the idea for the last 30-plus years. His keystone project over that time has been in pursuit of an advanced AI that can reason and create autonomously. A polymath of the highest order, Thaler’s AI has trained hard to excel at stock picking, product design, and even creating art. To achieve these outcomes, Thaler relied on a discovery made early on in his work with neural networks: seeded with mental instability and pushed to the edge of death-inducing madness. These applications produced some of their best creative association right before locking up and ‘dying.’ As Thaler shifted focus from corporate work to independent consulting and his own company, he had a rich well...
The terms artificial intelligence (AI) and machining learning are used interchangeably by many, and sometimes even tech professionals and enthusiasts find it hard to draw a line between the two. There is a good reason for this; Machine Learning is a subset of AI, specifically a derivative branch of study that deals with large sets of data. Machine learning is a specialized branch of AI. If you have read about AI and machine learning in the news you may have come across the phrase, “all machine learning is AI but not all AI s machine learning.” AI is defined as a broad aspect of computer science and engineering that aims at ultimately enabling computers to do things in a similar way as a human and even surpass them. AI is, therefore, acquisition of knowledge and using it intelligently. The main component of AI is artificial neural networks which are modeled to work similarly to a human brain. On the other hand, machine learning is a more specific field about teaching machines how to...
2018 was an exciting year in the realm of technological advancements, surpassing even the most expertly stated expectations. In October 2017, international business consulting firm Gartner published their predictions for the top strategic technology trends in 2018. A year later, in October 2018, Forbes Technology Council convened a panel of experts to offer their take on the most disruptive technology breakthroughs of 2018. A comparison of Gartner’s forecast to the Council’s retrospective provides clues for what may be in store in 2019. If trends hold, it could be an even more explosive year. Gartner is a research and advisory company that operates in 100 countries and serves 15,000 client organizations across the globe. Based on their interactions with these clients, Gartner generated the insights which informed their Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2018 , a report they released in October of 2017. Making sense of a surging technological landscape that continues to bloom so...
While the topic of climate change is controversial in this day and age, it is generally accepted that mass production efforts can do more to clean and maintain the lands and oceans of our planet. As catastrophes like wildfire, famine, and powerful storms drive discussion and incite passion in the world’s population, great minds are finding ways to utilize the latest technologies in hopes of creating positive outcomes for the environment. One such technology making the leap from idea to action is blockchain. A concept first applied to the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, blockchain is a “distributed ledger technology” that is designed to make transactional data transparent, decentralized, and verifiable. Applied to projects focused on helping to sustain the environment, blockchain could allow for the creation of currency systems based upon trackable data, like carbon emissions from mass production. Trading in these currency systems, producers and consumers would be incentivized to make wiser...
Manufacturers have traditionally been at the forefront of technological developments, adopting new practices and technologies to cut down production times, costs, and waste since the early 1900’s. Recent developments in AI, machine learning, connection to the IoT, and blockchain, are already being incorporated into manufacturing businesses. Smart manufacturing is becoming more and more common as it grows through the adoption of sensors throughout production lines and the increased connectivity of machines and systems; it could be said that manufacturing is entering a new golden era of automation. Below is an examination of some of the technology that is changing manufacturing and an examination of how linking these improvements in technology together can further advance the automation of business practices. Many larger manufacturers have been developing AI (Artificial Intelligence) systems that aid robot learning, monitor all parts of the manufacturing process to detect inefficiencies...
We’ve all seen the movies; the year is 2050 and sophisticated robots have gained a mind of their own, taking over the world in a blaze of fire and panic. Whilst the prospect of artificial intelligence is a scary thought in the minds of those who aren’t well versed in current technological trends, the reality is a little less dramatic. However, this is not to say that it’s dull. In fact, AI is perhaps one of the most exciting movements of the 21st century and we’re only just getting started. Artificial Intelligence Well, in simple terms, AI is the ability of a machine or computer program to learn, specifically machines that are able to “think” and act like humans in an intelligent and measured way. With this definition in mind, it is understandable that AI is often still placed in the 21st-century bracket of futurism. However, upon closer inspection, the technology has already been established and is embedded into computerized systems of all kinds. AI is beginning to manifest itself in...
