White Paper Trends in Automation. An overview of where we are now and what awaits us tomorrow.

Automation has become less of a mystery within our society as we find more and

more automated products in our daily lives. With this growing interest and desire for

technology that makes our lives easier, more automated, what are the future trends?

Hollywood science fiction has helped to make the concepts of microsystems and

artificial intelligence household concepts, some of which are not that far-fetched and

become more probable every day. Consideration of the opinions and expertise of the

today’s technology leaders shows us what lies ahead, tomorrow and further into the

future. It is a most exciting time for Automation as this White Paper will show.

Topics covered in this discourse include:

• Microsystems: Small powerful systems that run our world

• Artificial Intelligence: A growing world of intelligent objects

• Industry 4.0: Cyber physical production systems

• Bionic Learning Network: New inspiration for automation from nature 1

Trends in Automation: an overview

Wikipedia defines Automation as:

Automation is the use of machines, control systems and information

technologies to optimize productivity in the production of goods and delivery of

services. The correct incentive for applying automation is to increase

productivity, and/or quality beyond that possible with current human labor

levels so as to realize economies of scale, and/or realize predictable quality

levels.1

Interestingly enough, the term automation, inspired by the earlier word automatic

(coming from automaton), was not widely used before 1947, when General Motors

established the automation department. At that time automation technologies were

electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic. However, Automation has exploded

since then and basic technologies described are part of a much more diverse and

dynamic basket:

• DCS - Distributed Control System

• HMI - Human Machine Interface

• SCADA - Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition

• PLC - Programmable Logic Controller

• PAC - Programmable automation controller

• Instrumentation

• Motion control

• Robotics

• Mechatronics

• Artificial Intelligence

These are all terms that we have become familiar with in today’s industrial

environment and I daresay, even in our domestic world. Automation is affecting

everything we do and is no longer limited to factory floors. Take a look around you-

everything that we interact with has varying degrees of automation.

So, where to from here? What are trends in automation and what does the future

hold?

2

Microsystems We may not be aware of it, but our professional and daily

lives are increasingly being controlled by microsystems.

These small technological marvels do big things for us.

They see, hear, make decisions and initiate the right

processes. They go quietly about their work as an

intelligent combination of sensors, processors and actuators in airbags or in the form

of an intelligent gripper with miniature camera in automation.

We even use them in our pets as a means to identify them when

they wander away from home. Microsystems engineering is thus

an expanding sector of the economy, with experts predicting

double digit growth to continue.

Microsystems engineering is providing a new impetus in mechanical and plant

engineering, the electrical industry, automotive engineering, information and

communications technology, biotechnology and medical technology. Microsystems

engineering combines sensors, actuators and processors to create intelligent

complete systems in the smallest of spaces. As an example, an intelligent gripper

(gripper with an imbedded microsystem) is no longer subordinate to a PLC. It can

function independently – without the need for an additional computer – to identify

parts, distinguish them by size, design and quality, grip them and forward them to

different users depending on the process type. In addition to a lower weight and

reduced energy requirements, an intelligent microsystems engineering gripper offers

faster response times thanks to shorter information channels.

Mini is the next big thing. As far as Dr. Volker Nestle, Head of

Research Microsystems at Festo, is concerned, the future clearly

belongs to microsystems engineering and to micropneumatics in

many areas of automation. He believes that micropneumatics and

microsystems engineering, because of their innovation potential, will also make a

significant impact in automation in the future.2

3

Artificial Intelligence In our homes, in our workplaces and in industrial manufacturing, inanimate objects

around us are becoming increasingly intelligent. Many experts believe that intelligent

machines are going to be the next big thing in science and technology. Today’s

prototypes are laying the foundations for the production of the future. But does

intelligence on the outside always mean intelligence on the inside?

Just a few short years ago, a

car was a car and a mobile

phone was a device for

making calls while on the

move. Today, a car is a highly

complex means of transport

that “communicates” with the

driver and makes driving safer and more comfortable thanks to numerous assistance

systems. Today’s mobile phone is “smart”. It can navigate, provide information about

restaurants and shopping in the local area in just a few seconds, and do all of this on

the basis of learned behaviour patterns from its owner.

So what more can we expect in the future? Experts are convinced that in the not-too-

distant future, coats will be able to record the bodily functions of the people wearing

them and alert the emergency services in the event of a problem, which will be

particularly useful for elderly people, for example. The same applies to refrigerators

which are already available with built-in computers but soon they will independently

order milk and butter when needed.

Or imagine a washing machine that

will only wash at times when

electricity is cheap. Industrial

production is set to form complex

networks over what is known as

the “Internet of Things”, in which

the raw material will communicate

with the processing system and tell

the system what to do with it.3

4

Industry 4.0 Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Wahlster, is one

of the world’s leading experts in Artificial

Intelligence and he believes that Cyber Physical

Production systems will revolutionise the

manufacturing industry. In this new automation

environment, the product or work piece will

determine what services it requires from the

plant. What he is proposing is not far from being a reality and there are currently

examples of what he calls Industry 4.0. 4

The example he cites already exists in the Logistics environment. Blood Plasma bags

have a specific temperature requirement i.e. their temperature cannot exceed a

certain threshold. Technology exists that allows the blood plasma bags to monitor the

ambient temperature of its surroundings during transport using a cyber-physical

system installed in the packaging. When a defined set point is exceeded, the

packaging triggers an alarm and alerts the refrigeration system of the truck in which it

is being transported. The truck then reacts and lowers the temperature accordingly.

Another example of this new technology is found in the inBin. It is the first real

intelligent bin to have been developed in the world. inBin communicates with people

and machines, makes decisions independently, monitors environmental conditions

and controls logistics processes. The intelligent bin uses inverted light barriers to

locate its position and integrated sensors to measure important environmental

parameters such as air temperature. The inBin can therefore decide whether it is at

the right location in a complex storage system with different climate zones. What

makes the intelligent bin truly special is its ability not only to communicate with other

inBins in order to optimise the logistics process, but also to establish contact with

humans.

This new architecture for production systems can be implemented gradually through

the upgrading of existing production facilities, which means that these Cyber Physical

Production systems can be rolled out into existing production facilities and is not only

intended for new factories.

5

There are already signs that industry is moving from rigid central industrial control to

decentralised intelligence. Vast numbers of sensors are recording their environment

with incredible precision and are making their own decisions in embedded processor

systems, independently of a central production control system. The only things

missing right now are comprehensive wireless networking of the components, the

permanent exchange of information, the merging of different sensor evaluations for

the identification of complex events and critical states and their situation dependent

interpretation, as well as further action planning based on these findings.

In today’s factories, huge volumes of data are being assimilated at many

decentralized points. It goes without saying that humans cannot possibly process all

this information at the same time. Machine intelligence of course can, and it would be

more beneficial to the factory of the future if the machines communicated this

information directly with one another. The advantage of this is that production

processes could be made more efficient, flexible and cost effective. Prof. Dr.

Wahlster is proposing distributing small, low cost wireless sensors throughout a

production plant, allowing objects to register their environment and communicate

wirelessly. Different types of sensors, such as opto-electrical, pressure, temperature

and infrared, could work together to create an overall picture of the situation, sensing

what is currently going on in their environment.

5

6

In the world of “Industry 4.0”, products and production facilities will become active

system components, controlling their own production and logistics. They will contain

cyber-physical systems that link cyberspace with the real physical world. However,

they are different from current mechatronic systems as they have the ability to

interact with their environment, plan and adapt their own behaviour to suit their

environment and learn new behavioural patterns and strategies and thus be self

optimising. This will cater for small production batches with rapid product changes

and a large number of variants to be produced efficiently.

Embedded sensor/actuator components, machine-to-machine communication and

active semantic product memories are giving rise to new optimisation methods in

order to conserve resources in industrial environments. This will facilitate

environmentally friendly and sophisticated production at a reasonable cost in the

future. The ability of machines to understand a given situation will also result in a

whole new level of quality in industrial production. The interaction between large

numbers of individual components will produce solutions that have never before been

programmed in a production plant. In physics and biology we call this phenomenon

‘emergence’.

A good example is an ant colony, in

which the individual insect is not

particularly intelligent, but when a

large number of ants work together

they can produce astonishing

solutions from finding food to fending

off predators; not to mention the

impressive anthills which dot the

African landscape. In essence, the

whole is greater than the sum of its

parts. This phenomenon is also found

in “Factory 4.0”. If a component is damaged or if a part fails completely, the

remaining operational components together develop a type of self healing process,

which identifies the damage, estimates its extent, finds alternative solutions for the

current production task and authorises corresponding maintenance or repair work.

7

The critical success factor for Industry 4.0 is an intelligent interpretation of the

environmental information. The software therefore plays a key role. It should not only

record the sensor information and relay it as a bit sequence, but it must also

understand the content in context. To this end, the factory software of the future will

also have a system of concepts that allows the function of system components,

production tasks, states and events to be clearly described. Industry 4.0 thus

facilitates high quality semantic communication, which can be understood not only by

the people in the factory, but also by the factory machines. In order for this to work,

we need standardised description languages and the Internet as a communication

platform in the factory. The current chaos created by countless bus systems will be

replaced by a single, worldwide standardised protocol: Internet Protocol on a real-

time capable WLAN or Ethernet.

In order for this concept to work, the individual machines would have miniaturised

web servers which provide services and can communicate with the work pieces in the

manufacturing process. In the changeable production environment of Industry 4.0,

the un-machined part tells the system what it should make from, and with it. The

system component must in turn communicate the services it offers to the product.

The product then decides whether and in what form it wants to accept the service

and saves it in its semantic product memory.

As already mentioned, Industry 4.0, is an imminent reality. There is no Factory 4.0 in

commercial operation yet, but research and industry partners are working hard to

change that fact. At the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in

Kaiserslautern, south-west Germany, they have been operating the world’s first smart

factory as a living laboratory for a number of years. The first new factories that fully

comply with the Industry 4.0 principle will go into production in five years’ time at the

earliest. Things are moving faster in the area of conversion and upgrading of existing

plants. Here, it can be assumed that the first plants will be operating according to

some cyber physical production principles in two to three years’ time. In the words of

Prof Wahlster “At the end of the day, the main beneficiaries of Factory 4.0 will be

humans”.4

8

Bionic Learning Network – new inspiration automation from nature Gripping, moving, controlling and measuring – nature performs all of these tasks

instinctively, easily and efficiently. What could be more logical than to examine these

natural phenomena and learn from them? This is exactly the purpose of the Bionic

Learning Network - to take a look at Nature and see what we can learn from her and

apply these principles to the field of automation and engineering. Festo develops,

tests and improves mechatronic products, processes and technologies using bionics

through the Bionic Learning Network.

The Biomechatronic Footprint documents this evolution – from a natural model to a

basic technical principle, followed by bionic adaptation and ending with industrial

application.

The Bionic Learning Network is a research network linking the company to well-

known universities, institutes, development companies and private inventors. The

members of the Bionic Learning Network represent many disciplines, backgrounds

and industries. The core team consists of engineers and designers, biologists and

9

students from Festo, universities and other companies. It works closely with

specialists from all over the world. This open, interdisciplinary teamwork offers new

perspectives and inspiration for industrial applications and possible future standard

products.

Some of the current projects that illustrate the discussed trends in automation are:

The AquaJelly, an artificial

autonomous machine based on

the jellyfish that operates within a

water basin that is equipped with

a number of charging stations

where the unit can recharge as

needed. It is powered by an

electric drive unit and controlled

by an intelligent adaptive

mechanism that emulates

swarming behaviour. The central

hemispheric dome, or body of the jellyfish, houses a ring-shaped control board with

pressure, light and radio sensors. These sensors in conjunction with a series of 8

white and 8 blue LED lights, allow communication between several AquaJellies up to

a distance of about 80cm. Each jellyfish decides autonomously, based on the

conditions it detects through the range of sensors, what action to take to avoid other

AquaJellies and when to move towards a charging station within the basin. This

movement is without pre-determined control, it relies on suitable choices based on

simple rules of behaviour per AquaJelly and thereby creates the swarming effect

similar to that of living jellyfish.5

The ExoHand is an exoskeleton that can be worn by an operator like a glove, either

over a human hand or an orthotic hand of silicone. The ExoHand is a solution for

future human-machine cooperation in industrial environments based on soft robotics.

It is designed to meet the challenge of an ageing population by functioning as an

assistance system for assembly tasks in production.

10

The fingers can be actively moved and their strength amplified through eight double-

acting pneumatic actuators which are attached to the exoskeleton of the structure

allowing the wearer to open

and close the fingers;

registered and transmitted to

the robotic hand in real time.

Linear potentiometers register

the position of the finger and

force applied by each drive

unit. The corresponding

pressure in the chambers is

regulated by piezo proportional

valves whilst pressure sensors on the vale terminal regulate the pressure and give

feedback on the force exerted by the cylinder. All this controlled by a CoDeSys-

compliant controller.6

The BionicOpter is an ultralight flying object

inspired by the dragonfly. Just like its model

in nature, the BionicOpter can fly in all

directions and execute the most complicated

flight manoeuvres. This unique way of flying

is made possible by lightweight construction

and the integration of functions: components

such as sensors, actuators and mechanical

components, together with open- and closed-

loop control systems, which are installed in a

very tight space and matched accurately to

one another. Despite the complexity of the system, it can be operated via a

smartphone. Flapping frequency amplitude and installation angle are controlled by

software and electronics, all the operator has to do is steer. A micro-controller

calculates the parameters that can be mechanically adjusted using recorded flight

data and a processor actuates the individual servomotors on each wing and those on

each wing joint or root, to create movement. The BionicOpter has a wingspan of

63cm, a body length of 44cm and weights only 175grams. It is made from flexible

11

polyamide and terpolymer for a sturdy yet flexible and light system. This is a clear

example of a powerful microsystem and energy efficiency.7

At first glance, the Bionic Handling Assistant appears to be no more than an

innovative gripper arm based on the flexibility of an elephant’s trunk. However, this

“gripper” combines a range of new technologies ranging from manufacturing

concepts to products, control technology and software.

Manufactured

through the process

of Selective Laser

Sintering (SLS), or

3D printing, the

Bionic Handling

Assistant is made from polyamide for maximum flexibility with low density while

pneumatics give controlled rigidity when required. Proportional valves control the

pressure in the 3 actuator chambers of the gripper arm which allows for precisely

controlled use of compressed air and lower air consumption. Cable potentiometers

on the outside of the actuator sections of the ‘trunk’, determine its extension and

control the position of the system in space.

The hand axis contains an additional 3 actuators around a ball joint which change the

angle of the gripper by up to 30 degrees, giving the Bionic Handling Assistant eleven

degrees of freedom. This means that the travel paths do not have to be linear, as

opposed to conventional handling systems. An entirely new control algorithm was

used to develop a kinetic model to calculate the exact position of the gripper and the

system uses reverse transformation to determine the position in global coordinates.

The adaptive gripper is also pneumatically driven and uses

three fingers based on the Fin Ray Effect®, another innovation

developed by Leif Kniese from EvoLogics in Berlin, and

derived from the movement of the fish’s tail fin. It is the first

Bionic Learning Network future concept to make the leap to

production. Newer supplements to the system include image

and voice recognition, allowing the gripper to autonomously

12

grasp objects without programming or manual control. This is done via a camera

located within the gripper module and through a defined set of commands

respectively.

The ‘brain’ of the Bionic Handling Assistant is a multi-axis controller equipped with

functions for electric and pneumatic movement, measurement and control. The

structural resilience of the system permits safe and direct contact between a person

and the machine. This also creates new methods of interaction in the scope of

human-machine cooperation.8

Conclusion There is a definite trend in automation to move to more intelligent forms of control.

The same trend has existed from the start and we have seen how the more traditional

forms of automation like electric, hydraulic and pneumatic become more ‘intelligent’.

However, the advancement of automation is now accelerating at a significant rate.

Many experts agree that we are sitting on the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution

and production technology as we know it will be revolutionised. These are exciting

times and companies like Festo are at the forefront of pioneering the technology and

innovation of the future.

13

References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation

2. Trends in Automation, Issue 23. Festo. Dr. V Nestle; Small in size, big in ability. The

future belongs to microsystems engineering: pg 20-21.

3. Trends in Automation, Issue 23. Festo. Dr. P Post; When Things start to Think: pg 14-

19.

4. Trends in Automation, Issue 23. Festo. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Wolfgang Wahlster;

(R)evolution 4.0: pg 6-9

5. http://www.uberb2b.com/b4b-presents-the-first-industry-4-0-mini-conference. January

23, 2013. Berlin 4 Business; Screenshot

6. www.festo.com/Bionic Learning Network: AquaJelly. Project Initiator Dr Wilfried Stoll.

Festo AG & Co. KG

7. www.festo.com/Bionic Learning Network: ExoHand. Project Initiator Dr Wilfried Stoll.

Festo AG & Co. KG

8. www.festo.com/Bionic Learning Network: BionicOpter. Project Initiator Dr Wilfried

Stoll. Festo AG & Co. KG

9. www.festo.com/Bionic Learning Network: Bionic Handling Assistant. Project Initiator

Dr Wilfried Stoll. Festo AG & Co. KG

14