i3 - May/June 2019 - 21

Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive
chairman of the World Economic Forum,
calls such developments that mix physical,
digital and biological factors "the Fourth
Industrial Revolution." He sees it as a "transformation unlike anything humankind has
experienced." While some aspects of this
"fourth revolution" appear to be extensions
of the digital revolution of the past 30 years,
many ideas that seem like science fiction
could come true (for good or bad, depending
on your perspective) or become manifestations of "the singularity," which conflates
human/machine activities.
"One of the features of this fourth industrial
revolution is that it doesn't change what we are
doing, but it changes us," Schwab said.
While Schwab laid out the basics of this
fast-evolving industry overhaul - also
dubbed "Industry 4.0" - enthusiasts and
critics have also pounced on it. Some have
used it as a forum to examine the symbiotic
relationship between humans and machines.
A few have delved into the "rights of robots."
Scholars and business analysts began looking at tax policies and other implications
such as, "Should robots pay taxes?"
Others explored the mundane/routine
realities of smart machines: if you tell your
artificial intelligence (AI) voice-activated
assistant to bring your sweater, the response
will be interpreted in context, such as
knowing it's a cold day and you're going to
a casual event - hence you'll want a warm,
brightly colored garment.
Experts say the previous industrial revolutions took shape over many generations,
while this fourth iteration is coming quickly
after the digital revolution of 30 years ago.
Others agree that we are in an age of "exponential, rather than linear" momentum.
At the core of this revolution are technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, robotics, the Internet
of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, nanotechnology, materials science,
energy storage and quantum computing.
Many of these capabilities are aided by
improvements in network distribution,
including high-speed wireless transmission, which makes inter-disciplinary collaboration more viable.
C TA . t e c h / i 3

L AT E 1 8 T H
C E N T U RY TO
E A R LY 19 T H
C E N T U RY

Harnessed water
and steam power.
Cotton gin, steamboats, textile production. Economy
moved from rural/
agriculture to urban/
manufacturing.

1 870 S TO W W 1

Electrical power for
mass production.
Telephone, light
bulb, internal combustion engine.

1980 S TO
PRESENT

Digital devices, electronics and information technology.
Personal computers,
telecom networks,
automated
production.

E A R LY 21 ST
C E N T U RY TO
TO DAY

Fusion of technologies blurs lines
between physical,
digital and biological
sectors. Augmented
reality, collaborative
robots, precision
medicine.

As Schwab explains, "Engineers, designers and architects are combining computational design, additive manufacturing,
materials engineering, and synthetic biology
to pioneer a symbiosis between microorganisms, our bodies, the products we consume
and even the buildings we inhabit."
Tim Hanley, senior partner and global
leader of industrial products and construction at Deloitte says, "Humans can
partner with machines to improve how
work is accomplished." Hanley believes
that Industry 4.0 represents the fusion of
digital and physical technologies and a
real evolution in how humans and
machines work together.
"We can think of the interrelation of physical and digital technologies as an ongoing
loop, in which connected physical assets create digital data and information that can be
analyzed to allow for more responsive,
informed decisions and actions back in the
physical world," Hanley says. On the biological side of the equation, "As machines can
handle data intensive tasks and perform
more sophisticated analyses, humans can
use that information not only to make better
decisions, but to do their jobs faster, more
safely, productively and accurately."
Hanley cites augmented reality as an early
example of this fusion. It can speed up
maintenance processes by enabling workers
to retrieve manuals or instructions within
their field of vision or allow experts at other
locations to "see what I see" and provide
training and step-by-step instruction.
He says one of the most valuable uses
of machines is to "enable humans to focus
on using their own, very human skills to
f ind new opportunities for revenue
growth and innovation."

IS IT REALLY REVOLUTIONARY?

Hanley adds, "While the Fourth Industrial
Revolution is in many ways coming right
on the heels of the digital revolution, it will
continue to evolve as new technologies
develop and mature."
Robert D. Atkinson, president of the
Information Technology and Innovation
Foundation, says this is not really a revolution. The current wave won't be "any faster
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