The 4th Industrial Revolution (News - Alert), or “Industry 4.0”, is a term used to describe dramatic changes to manufacturing that will occur when advanced production methods and factory automation are super-charged by real-time artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Efficiency improvements are expected to be on par with the advent of mechanized production in the 1700s, or the first harnessing of electrical energy a century later.
Most of the buzz surrounding Industry 4.0 is focused on the cutting-edge robots, drones, and sensors that will make smart factories resemble science fiction, but they are only part of the story. Behind the scenes, three emerging technologies are being mobilized to empower a “central nervous system” to connect and control smart factory elements in real time.
1. Private 5G
High density machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, with data rates from 1-20 Gb/sec., requires the bandwidth and ultra-low latency that only 5G wireless can provide. This ties the development of smart factories to that of 5G technology. Specifically, private 5G networks, built and operated for and by private companies, are the first and most important pillar of Industry 4.0.
Private 5G networks can be tailored to optimize characteristics like reliability, security, and mobility that are essential for factories with hundreds of thousands of industrial IoT sensors imbedded in infrastructure, tools, and equipment. Self-contained private 5G networks also allow organizations to safeguard their intellectual property.
Despite the obvious benefits, Private 5G also introduces logistical challenges for manufacturers as they construct and maintain their own networks. Alternatives like hybrid 5G networks (shared RAN), where the radio access network and spectrum of a public network are leveraged but proprietary services remain within the enterprise, alleviate some of this burden. Private 5G in indoor settings can also be simplified through the use of cost-effective, short-range, small cells that can be deployed virtually anywhere.
2. Edge Computing
Hybrid networks are one application of the second enabler of Industry 4.0, edge computing. This distributed data center model brings data analysis, processing, and storage that was once performed at the Core data center closer to the use case. For hybrid networks, data is filtered at the point of use so that no confidential company information ever reaches the public network. Edge computing reduces latency and bolsters computing capacity, both essential for smart factories relying on split second processing, transportation, and maintenance decisions.
Predictive maintenance is taken to the next level with Industry 4.0, as real-time sensor data is used to predict equipment failures and instantly intervene with equipment shut-downs or repairs. Augmented reality will also become a mainstay of smart factories and other industrial settings, allowing workers in hazardous environments to integrate environmental data or expert assistance over an AR/VR device. The < 20ms latency required for these applications can only be achieved with edge computing.
3. Real Time Spectrum (News - Alert) Analysis
For over half a century, the spectrum analyzer has been an essential tool for measuring signal power and frequency. Today, spectrum analysis has become the third essential pillar of Industry 4.0 deployment and assurance. With 5G operating across multiple frequency bands, including the high frequency millimeter wave, RF spectrum analysis is essential for interference testing and signal verification. 5G time division duplex (TDD) transmission requires innovative persistence spectrum analysis to separate in-band signals from low level interference.
Smart factory private 5G networks rely on spectrum analysis to monitor the performance of network slices as they intersect other wireless and land-based signals. Spectrum clearance is another critical task when bands that were previously used for other purposes are reassigned to private networks. A portable spectrum analyzer can perform all these important tests, along with related functions like fiber testing and small cell verification.
6G and Industry 5.0?
With emerging Private 5G, Edge Computing, and Spectrum Analysis technologies intertwined with the success of Industry 4.0, it’s hard to imagine what the future might hold. Some experts predict Industry 5.0 will represent a return to more human-centric production, with a high level of interaction between workers and machines. This might alleviate the fears of those who believe Industry 4.0 and AI threaten to make humans obsolete.
The terabit speeds and imperceptible latency of 6G networks could be the perfect complement to this new industrial internet of things (IIoT) plateau. With 6G expected to rely on more diverse, high-frequency airwaves and highly integrated mobile edge technology, these three fundamental enablers could be called upon once again to empower the next giant leap.
