What will the smart factory of the future look like in the Internet of Things era?

The Internet of Things will allow hundreds of billions of machines, devices and other objects to be connected to each other, while allowing instantaneous analysis of the big data they produce. Cities, houses, transportation systems, communication networks, production facilities, and public utilities. Imagine a world where almost any device can be connected to any other device via the Internet, sharing information in real time. Embedded motherboard plays an important role in hardware support.

The transformation of smart factories in the future will be influenced by three key technologies: robotics, 3D printing and the Internet of Things. The next generation of intelligent, versatile, mobile, and inexpensive robots will bring automation to startups and small businesses, providing customers with an unprecedented level of personalization. Using 3D printing will revolutionize the way we produce parts, greatly reducing waste and enabling unprecedented creativity.

Recognizing this change, Intel, Cisco, IBM, AT&T, General Electric and others announced in May 2014 the formation of the Industrial Internet Alliance, a nonprofit open membership organization that aims to establish common standards so that information can flow freely from machine to machine. Such projects show that at least some key, tech-savvy American companies are taking the industrial Internet seriously.

To see how the industrial Internet works inside a factory, Anthony van Agtmael, a leading economist at the World Bank, visited GE's new industrial battery plant in Schenectady in the Hudson Valley.

Surrounded, ironically, by the old buildings that once housed GE's lightbulb and generator factories, the plant is a veritable rust-to-smart transformation. At the $170 million facility, GE deployed its own Industrial Internet, an advanced system of sensors that track and record every parameter in the production process, from contaminants and sources to temperature and station numbers, allowing any potential inconsistencies to be digitally traced back to their source and corrected.

Eight features to read smart factories

The appearance and operation mode of smart factory are completely different from that of traditional factory, which is manifested in many aspects (equipment, organization, process, indicators and mentality.

1. Smart factories are highly automated and usually small;

2. Cutting-edge materials can be widely used, almost no waste;

3. Closely monitor every part of the process and almost completely eliminate defects;

4. System operators, designers and researchers work side by side here;

5. The operation of the factory is no longer limited to standard working hours, but 24/7 operation;

6. Smart factories are small and clean, and can be located in the urban center of smart belt innovation zone;

7. Compared with low cost, customers need more tailored, excellent quality, fast delivery and novel design;

8. Customer orders, raw materials, parts suppliers, production, delivery and maintenance are all controlled by the same information system;

The Internet of Things will lead to a new system in which machines, components, products, manufacturers, suppliers, customers and just about everyone and everything else can "talk" to each other. The goal is to reduce the time from order to product, move toward zero defects, zero downtime, and eliminate all system waste.