If it Moves, it can be made Autonomous

One of the hallmarks of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is a major transformation in the way we interact with and operate Moving Machines. So far, Moving Machines were created with intellectual labor and operated with manual labor. Very soon we will get to see streamlining of intellectual labor to design these machines and the production and manual labor aspects of operations/administration/maintenance being done away with.

Recently, I heard some remark thus - "Any Machine can be made an Autonomous Machine.”

”Not just Automated but Autonomous! That has tremendous implications for our Future Life Experience, Society, Economy and Services. In fact, the very conception of what we think of as “Machine” could drastically change.?

It is time and perhaps a tipping point for us to take cognizance of the Network of Autonomous Things (AuT), or more commonly called as Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT). IoAT is an important subset of the larger AIoT – Artificial Intelligence of Things domain.

The first two Industrial Revolutions were machine-driven -- steam power mechanized the means of production, and electrical power enabled mass production wherein humans designed, produced and operated these machines. Machine Design evolved over time and helped us increase productivity and output.

The third Industrial Revolution was defined by automation and data-enhanced production, design and operational efficiency. In each of the first three industrial revolutions, workers were made more efficient. They were able to work faster (because of assembly lines), put in longer hours (because of artificial lighting) and work more efficiently, doing the work of several people (because basic human tasks had been automated). This is what Automation delivered as countries and economies prospered.?

Now, the focus of the Fourth and subsequent Industrial Revolutions is less on helping Humans complete mundane tasks faster to more on completely freeing humans from performing manual or process-oriented tasks.?This can be enabled by a massive network of Autonomous Things that sense, act and take decisions based on gathering, analyzing and acting on massive amounts of data.

Thus the premise and promise of IoAT opens up exciting possibilities in Product and Service Innovation. It could even result in a new category of Autonomous Things Product Manager.?

The very nature of Machine Behavior could change drastically from the way we currently perceive it.?Autonomous Machines with Autonomous AI driving them, acting in concert as intelligent network entity or swarm entity; opens up all kinds of application and innovation possibilities with yet to be discovered business models.?

Autonomous Things (AuT), or the Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), are a network of devices that work on specific tasks autonomously without human interaction thanks to AI algorithms. It is about enhancing moving machines with sensors, mechanical parts, AI and analytical capabilities so that machines do tasks repetitively, efficiently, hopefully with minimal error based on data based decisions and autonomously complete its tasks.

Wikipedia defines Autonomous Things as:

"Autonomous things is an emerging term for the technological developments that are expected to bring computers into the physical environment as autonomous entities without human direction, freely moving and interacting with humans and other objects."

These devices which include Robotics, Vehicles, Drones, Appliances etc., exploit Autonomous AI to perform tasks usually done by Humans. This technology operates on a spectrum of intelligence ranging from semiautonomous to fully autonomous and across a variety of environments including air, sea and land. While currently autonomous things mainly exist in controlled environments, like in a farm or mine or warehouse, they will eventually evolve to include open public spaces. Autonomous things will also move from stand-alone to collaborative swarms, such as the drone swarms used during the Winter Olympic Games in 2018.

However, Autonomous Things cannot replace the human brain and operate most effectively with a narrowly defined, well-scoped purpose. They will be designed to do activities that Humans don’t want to do or it is dangerous to do and overcome the physical limitations of Humans.?

IoAT is expected to have such an exponential impact on the way Humans experience work that the Future of Work could be so different from what it is today because of the following factors:

• It's able to make unaided decisions.
• It draws and acts on information from multiple sources simultaneously.
• It becomes smarter over time.?

Why is it important now? Gartner expects autonomous things to be the most important tech trend in the next years.

• The line between Emerging Technology that affects the physical world and Technology that affects the Digital World is now blurry at best.
• Cost effective Sensor deployment at scale, Edge Intelligence and rapid value realization is leading to more diffusion of innovation
• Breakthroughs in AI Hardware, Algorithms and Software are driving new innovations coming out of the confluence of technologies

Some Use Cases where IoAT could play a foundational and significant role include:

- Autonomous Shuttle Vehicles

- Autonomous Vehicles such as Taxis, Trucks, Ships, Planes, Cranes, Ambulances, Tractors

- Military Drones and Lethal Autonomous Weapons

- Autonomous Retail

- Surgical Robots

In my work with AgTech / Precision Agriculture / Fleet Management, we have applied the IoAT Solutions Architecture and Product Innovation framework?to Autonomous Farming Systems. A Farming ecosystem needs several machines doing several functions such as Harvesting, Watering, Fertilizing, Monitoring, Spraying, Pest Control etc.?Here we show a solution concept prototype for Autonomous Tractors working in concert with other Autonomous Farming Equipment and Autonomous Trucks in the Supply Chain.

- GUSS: Global Unmanned Spray System

We have extended the Vehicle Platooning Innovation from Self Driving Car Technology to the IoAT. Platooning allows the formation of coordinated formation of Autonomous Things, communicate with each other, with each unit adapting to each other’s operating behavior and exhibiting Swarm Intelligence.

As promising and exciting as it sounds it is not all peaches and cream. There are inherent risks and dangers that is inherent when we have a confluence of Moving Machines + AI + Sensors. How will we know and predict how these Autonomous Things will behave and act? AI Explainability issues could become even more scaled up and manifest itself in unexplained ways. Moving Machines always pose physical threats to Humans so it is imperative to have Behavioral Laws and Constraints put in for Autonomous Things.?

Let me conclude this article with a funny scenario.?What If an alien species came to Earth and saw two types of intelligent entities moving about – Humans and Autonomous Things. What will they conclude is the more dominant “life form” on Earth? ?