The Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution
printing starts with loose material and then builds an object
into a three-dimensional shape using a digital template.
The technology is being used in a broad range of
applications, from large (wind turbines) to small (medical
implants). For the moment, it is primarily limited to
applications in the automotive, aerospace and medical
industries. Unlike mass-produced manufactured goods,
3D-printed products can be easily customized. As
current size, cost and speed constraints are progressively
overcome, 3D printing will become more pervasive to
include integrated electronic components such as circuit
boards and even human cells and organs. Researchers are
already working on 4D, a process that would create a new
generation of self-altering products capable of responding
to environmental changes such as heat and humidity. This
technology could be used in clothing or footwear, as well
as in health-related products such as implants designed to
adapt to the human body.
Advanced robotics
Until recently, the use of robots was confined to tightly
controlled tasks in specific industries such as automotive.
Today, however, robots are increasingly used across all
sectors and for a wide range of tasks from precision
agriculture to nursing. Rapid progress in robotics will soon
make collaboration between humans and machines an
everyday reality. Moreover, because of other technological
advances, robots are becoming more adaptive and flexible,
with their structural and functional design inspired by
complex biological structures (an extension of a process
called biomimicry, whereby nature’s patterns and strategies
are imitated).
Advances in sensors are enabling robots to understand and
respond better to their environment and to engage in a
broader variety of tasks such as household chores. Contrary
to the past when they had to be programmed through
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