Abstract
Purpose of ReviewThis paper provides an overview of the role of humans and robots in smart factories, their connection to Industry 4.0, and which progress they make when it comes to related technologies.Recent FindingsThe current study shows that a decade was not enough to provide a reference implementation or application of Industry 4.0, like smart factories. In 2011, Industry 4.0 was mentioned for the first time in the scientific community. Industry 4.0 arrived with many new enabling technologies and buzzwords, e.g., Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and Digital Twins (DT).SummaryThis paper first defines smart factories and smart manufacturing in relation to the role of humans and robots. Followed by an overview of selected technologies in smart factories. Concluded by future prospects and its’ relation to smart manufacturing.
Highlights
Purpose of Review This paper provides an overview of the role of humans and robots in smart factories, their connection to Industry 4.0, and which progress they make when it comes to related technologies
Processes are digitized, robots are carrying out work, and the human is in charge to supervise manufacturing and other quality ensuring processes. Places, where such manufacturing is executed, are called smart factories. These are smart in a way that their production machines are permanently coordinated with each other and they self-control while ensuring the highest efficiency
Smart manufacturing can be defined as an intelligent manufacturing process composed of a physical representation, connected to its digital twin through a digital thread
Summary
“The factory of the future will have two employees: a human and a dog. The task of the human will be to feed the dog. Processes are digitized, robots are carrying out work (or collaborate), and the human is in charge to supervise manufacturing and other quality ensuring processes. Places, where such manufacturing is executed, are called smart factories. In order to achieve a high level of automation combined with flexibility as introduced above, human skills must be described and transferred to automated machines (e.g., industrial robots). If this is not possible, proper collaboration between human and machine is needed [6]. How new manufacturing and automation tools change the smart factories will be described afterwards, as well as the future of smart manufacturing and smart factories
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