Cognitive computing
Sustainable manufacturing, as defined by the US Department of Commerce, is the creation of manufactured products using processes that minimise negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources and are safe and economically sound. But this vision is challenged by incomplete data and supporting systems, and compounded by the fact that the skilled workforce is ageing and valuable operator skills will be lost on retirement. Enter the ideas of cognitive manufacturing which involve the implementation and interaction of a variety of sensors and machine learning techniques that not only provide real-time monitoring, but can also perceive performance and suggest alternatives to reduce cost and environmental impacts.
So what makes cognitive manufacturing any different from the smart manufacturing systems already in use today? The answer is tied up in the idea of retention of knowledge. In today’s smart technology world, the capabilities of intelligence and reasoning still belong to the operator. By contrast, in a cognitive manufacturing environment, the manufacturing systems themselves are enabled with the capabilities of perception and the judgement to respond to dynamic fluctuations in a way that adapts production to stay within the desired target ranges. At its core, cognitive manufacturing relies on the concepts of cognitive computing and distributed reasoning engines.
Until now, cognitive computing was based on the ideas of artificial intelligence that were always limited by the constraints of the processing platforms available to execute the algorithms – as powerful as the current generation of microprocessor technology may be. That looks set to change though since the announcement by IBM that its scientists have unveiled the world’s first neurosynaptic computer chip. According to IBM, this postage-stamp size device that runs on the equivalent of a hearing-aid battery could transform technology, business and society by enabling vision, audition and multi-sensory applications through its parallel processing capabilities.
In this month’s ARC Advisory Group column, Sen Gupta examines how the documentation of organisational procedures and best practices can be used to ‘train’ the cognitive computing applications that could help to save those manufacturing companies threatened by the retirement of the current skilled workforce – more in 'The promise of cognitive computing'.
Industrie 4.0
In a related article, our own contributing editor Andrew Ashton explores the ideas of Industrie 4.0 in more detail. As analogy, Industrie 4.0 is the German government’s equivalent of the American sustainable manufacturing initiative. It is part of Germany’s High-Tech Strategy 2020 Action Plan to raise the global competitiveness of the German manufacturing industry and to ensure future gainful employment for the German labour force. Also technology based, it is designed to build on existing strengths within the German economy such as automation and control systems, security solutions and business enterprise software.
Industrie 4.0 is the distributed reasoning that happens at the edge level of the sustainable manufacturing model described above. It is multi-sensory in nature and relies on Ethernet and IP as the levellers in this convergence between the two classical domains of IT and manufacturing processes. Rockwell Automation has even gone as far as to raise the possibility of future automation controllers that are embedded in the industrialised Ethernet switches that will manage the Industrie 4.0 revolution. Readers interested in keeping abreast of the subject of convergence will find much more in the article in 'Industrie 4.0'.
Encouraging news from the SAIMC
It is great to see the newly transformed SAIMC growing from strength to strength under the leadership of Vinesh Maharaj and his mentor Johan Maartens. In its quest to get C&I recognised as a distinct engineering discipline in its own right, the organisation’s Education and Training sub-committee was recently instrumental in the formulation of the new EWSETA qualification for instrument mechanicians that was gazetted in July for public comment. Well done to councillors Johan Maartens and Eric Carter for their contributions to this initiative.
In closure, don’t forget the Society’s annual Gala Dinner at the end of the month. It promises to be even bigger and better than last year’s success. We hope to see you all there.
Steven Meyer
Editor: SA Instrumentation & Control
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