Frost & Sullivan releases white paper series on future of factory automation

Frost & Sullivan has released a white paper series, “The Future of Automation,” comprising four papers: “A Primer,” “Artificial Intelligence,” “Edge Computing,” and “Augmented Reality.” The series provides insight on the effect of these technologies on the automation of future factories, the key aspects that are driving the market currently, and some of the challenges that are restraining faster adoption of these technologies in the field of industrial automation.

In particular, the three trends of artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing (Edge), and augmented reality (AR) have been identified as factors that can strongly influence automation in the following ways:

• AI has the potential to transform human-centered engineering models into automated systems, facilitating continuous operational learning and resulting in productivity gains that can exceed existing human-led approaches.
• Edge can help expand PLC functionalities with additional computing power and personalized operational needs without sweeping changes to production architecture.
• AR will be the human-machine interface of the future, enabling operators with high transparency and superior insights into controllers, machines, and production processes.

"With the convergence of advanced technologies, industrial automation is expected to go through a phase of explosive growth in the coming years,” said Karthik Sundaram, industrial IoT programme manager at Frost & Sullivan. “Emerging technology paradigms such as AI, Edge, and AR are poised to drive the evolution of control process automation from the early days of control switches and relays to advanced control systems.”

To download a complimentary copy of the white paper series, visit www.siemens.com/global/en/home/products/automation/topic-areas/tia/future-of-automation.html/.