Technical Skills Development for IR4.0

This article is intentended to address ordinary people of the changes that are to come as we move into the new era of Industry Revolution 4.0. Each of these technologies are very advanced and sophisticated involving a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge. Mastery of these technologies promises special roles in fulfilling the needs of Industry Revolution 4.0 for the generation to come.

When you examine the technology value chain for skills development of IR4.0 to five key industries, that can be listed as follows:

Additive Manufacturing, a synonym for 3D Printing, is the digital fabrication process of taking digital 3D design data to build up components by depositing material in layers during the manufacturing process. In 2010, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) group defined seven categories of Additive Manufacturing. These are VAT Photo Polymerisation, Material Jetting, Binder Jetting, Material Extrusion, Powder Bed Fusion, Sheet Lamination, and Directed Energy Deposition.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) empowers machine learning that enables predictions to be made based on large amounts of data. Software consolidates this data and evaluates it to make predictions. Machine learning recognises characteristics and relationships and uses algorithms to derive generalisations from them. AI uses pattern recognition and provides the machines with the ability to make decisions.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the technology that expands our view of the physical world by adding layers of digital information onto it. AR appears in direct view of an existing environment and adds sounds, videos, and graphics to it. AR applications such as Waze or Google Map is helping people navigate when driving by linking electronic maps to current GPS positions. Heads-up display is similar to a Waze application but take this one step further by projecting information like this directly on the aeroplane windshield or supplements it through a visor that the pilot wears.

Autonomous Robots, Digital Transformation Drones, Assisted Robotic Surgery are all various examples of robotics technology. These are machines that are required to do variable tasks without reprogramming. Working collaboratively with inputs from smart sensors and other devices, AI and AR will drive them to do the tasks assigned to them.

Big data and analytics is the process of gathering information and further analysing them to uncover meaningful information, such as hidden patterns, unknown correlations, market trends and customer preferences that can be used to make business decisions.

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computer systems, networks, and programs from malicious digital attacks. The attackers usually aim at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information with the purpose to extort money or interrupt the business process. Implementing effective cybersecurity measures is particularly challenging today because there are more devices than people, and attackers are becoming very innovative.

Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices that are connected to the internet thanks to cheap processors and wireless networks. IoT allows any device to add a level of digital intelligence to enable them to communicate real-time data effectively merging the digital and physical worlds. Any sensor can now be an IoT!

A Blockchain is a new form of an incorruptible Internet digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record virtually everything of value. It is a time-stamped series of non-corruptible record of data that is managed by a cluster of computers and not owned by any single entity. Each block of data is secured and bound to others using cryptographic principles. No centralised version of this information exists for a hacker to corrupt and is accessible to anyone on the internet. Uses include such things as tracking bitcoins, university certification or anything digital that has value.