4IR: What it is all about

4ir
4IR

If you are in Tech industry, you are familiar with the abbreviation 4IR, and thus this post, being a brief introduction of the term, might not be for you. To the rest of us, I mean those who are confounded by the mention of 4IR that has become so popular among the tech-savvy and has even been name dropped severally by newspaper article writers and columnists, today I will tell you, in a nutshell, all you need to know about this seemingly incomprehensible term.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0, abbreviated as just 4IR is a term used to describe the fusion of the digital, biological, and physical worlds, as well as the growing utilization of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and advanced wireless technologies. In other quarters, 4IR is also described as the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices using modern smart technology. In this case, large-scale machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the internet of things (IoT) are integrated for increased automation, improved communication and self-monitoring, and production of smart machines that can analyze and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention. Both of the above definitions point to the same thing: that the integration of technology with every aspect of our lives has become so obvious that today everything we do has a ting of automation, and the technologies are intertwining so beautifully that you cannot draw a clear boundary between any two of them.

Origin of the Term

Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, is credited with coining the phrase Fourth Industrial Revolution in a 2015 article. In 2016, “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution” was the theme of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Switzerland.  This was followed by the Forum’s announcement on October 10, 2016 that it will open its Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco, the US. To popularize the term even further, Schwab launched a widely circulated book titled “The Fourth Industrial Revolution.” where he expounds on the deemed era of 4IR. In his description of the fourth era, Schwab includes technologies that combine hardware, software, and biology (cyber-physical systems), and emphasizes advances in communication and connectivity. He further states that he expects this era to be marked by breakthroughs in emerging technologies in fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, the internet of things, the industrial internet of things, decentralized consensus, fifth-generation wireless technologies, 3D printing, and fully autonomous vehicles.

How are things different from the Third Revolution?

The Third Industrial Revolution, also known as the Digital Revolution, occurred in the late 20th century and was characterized by extensive use of computers and communication technologies in the production process, so much so that machines began to abrogate the need for human power. That said, life in the 4IR era can be captured by the following four tenets:

Interconnection

This is the ability of machines, devices, sensors, and people to connect and communicate with each other via the Internet of things, or the internet of people (IoP).

Information transparency

The transparency afforded by Industry 4.0 technology provides operators with comprehensive information to inform decisions. Inter-connectivity allows operators to collect immense amounts of data and information from all points in the manufacturing process, identify key areas that can benefit from improvement to increase functionality.

Technical assistance

This is where technological facility of systems assist humans in decision-making and problem-solving, and help humans with difficult or unsafe tasks.

Decentralized decisions

The ability of cyber physical systems to make decisions on their own and to perform their tasks as autonomously as possible. Only in the case of exceptions, interference, or conflicting goals, are tasks delegated to a higher level.

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