Photo: Large-scale 3D printer BigRep One (credit: BigRep)

Photo: Large-scale 3D printer BigRep One (credit: BigRep)

Photo: Opportunities from Industry 4.0 for remanufacturing, and its key enablers (credits: Shanshan Yang, Aravind Raghavendra M. R., Jacek Kaminski and Helene Pepin)

Photo: Opportunities from Industry 4.0 for remanufacturing, and its key enablers (credits: Shanshan Yang, Aravind Raghavendra M. R., Jacek Kaminski and Helene Pepin)

Illustration Photo: 2016: Fourth year horticulture student Jesse Lafian with a prototype of his new soil moisture sensor. (credits: Jesse Fafian / University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: 2016: Fourth year horticulture student Jesse Lafian with a prototype of his new soil moisture sensor. (credits: Jesse Fafian / University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Walmart associates and shareholders from around the globe come together in Fayetteville, Arkansas to attend the 2011 Walmart Shareholders' Meeting. (credits: Walmart / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Walmart associates and shareholders from around the globe come together in Fayetteville, Arkansas to attend the 2011 Walmart Shareholders' Meeting. (credits: Walmart / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Mobile Industrial Robot (MiR-robot) for internal transportation and logistics (credits: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Mobile Industrial Robot (MiR-robot) for internal transportation and logistics (credits: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Thermal power plant (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Thermal power plant (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Photo: Example MCS-enabled architecture for Industry 4.0 (credit: Virginia Pilloni)

Photo: Example MCS-enabled architecture for Industry 4.0 (credit: Virginia Pilloni)

Figure : Popular techniques for Industry 4.0 and research topics in the context of smart warehouse (credit: Xiulong Liu, Jiannong Cao, Yanni Yang and Shan Jiang)

Figure : Popular techniques for Industry 4.0 and research topics in the context of smart warehouse (credit: Xiulong Liu, Jiannong Cao, Yanni Yang and Shan Jiang)

Illustration Photo: Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (credits: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: Corporate / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (credits: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: Corporate / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Photo: Robot-based transport eases and optimises factory workers’ jobs and reduces production time by 25% (credits: PRNewsfoto/SEAT SA)

Photo: Robot-based transport eases and optimises factory workers’ jobs and reduces production time by 25% (credits: PRNewsfoto/SEAT SA)

Photo: Robot-based transport eases and optimises factory workers’ jobs and reduces production time by 25% (credits: PRNewsfoto/SEAT SA)

Photo: 125 automated guided vehicles (AGV) share the workspace every day with 7,000 employees at the SEAT factory in Martorell (credits: PRNewsfoto/SEAT SA)

Photo: 125 automated guided vehicles (AGV) share the workspace every day with 7,000 employees at the SEAT factory in Martorell (credits: PRNewsfoto/SEAT SA)

Illustration Photo: NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is advancing the additive construction technology needed to create sustainable housing for deep space exploration. (credits: NASA / Joel Kowsky / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is advancing the additive construction technology needed to create sustainable housing for deep space exploration. (credits: NASA / Joel Kowsky / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Picture: ASEAN's map (credit: download from Dreamtimes.com)

Illustration Picture: ASEAN's map (credit: download from Dreamtimes.com)

Illustration Photo: Innovation (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Innovation (CC0 Creative Commons from Pixabay.com)

Illustration Photo: Industrial robot (credits: Tecnalia / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Industrial robot (credits: Tecnalia / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Picture: Customizing and making payment of crispy (credits: Mehmet Karaköse and Hasan Yetiş)

Picture: Customizing and making payment of crispy (credits: Mehmet Karaköse and Hasan Yetiş)

Illustration Photo: Robots at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (credits: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: Corporate / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Robots at Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (credits: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: Corporate / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: A Pratt and Whitney technician programs a robot to safely move a hopper that will hold pieces of an M55 rocket warhead at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. Once programmed, the robot will be operated safely from the Control Room. This technology protects the workforce by limiting the need for human interaction with the munitions during operations. (credits: PEO ACWA / Flickr Creative Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: A Pratt and Whitney technician programs a robot to safely move a hopper that will hold pieces of an M55 rocket warhead at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. Once programmed, the robot will be operated safely from the Control Room. This technology protects the workforce by limiting the need for human interaction with the munitions during operations. (credits: PEO ACWA / Flickr Creative Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Kingspan Energy’s latest solar PV project on their warehouse roof in Selby - spanning 30,000m² of commercial roof space, making it the largest rooftop solar renovation project in the UK. (credits: U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Kingspan Energy’s latest solar PV project on their warehouse roof in Selby - spanning 30,000m² of commercial roof space, making it the largest rooftop solar renovation project in the UK. (credits: U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0))

Photo: Stable supply chains thanks to digital assistants (credit: Bosch)

Photo: App for truck drivers (credit: Bosch)

Illustration Photo: The new digital tower control room at NATS Swanwick control centre for London City Airport is due to enter full operations service in 2019 (credits: NATS - UK air traffic control / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: The new digital tower control room at NATS Swanwick control centre for London City Airport is due to enter full operations service in 2019 (credits: NATS - UK air traffic control / Flickr Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Photo: Robots moving and ready on point to UAV flight (credits: Barbosa GF, Hernandes AC, Luz S, Batista J, Nunes VA Becker M and Arruda M)

Photo: Robots moving and ready on point to UAV flight (credits: Barbosa GF, Hernandes AC, Luz S, Batista J, Nunes VA Becker M and Arruda M)

Illustration Photo: Using zero water withdrawal technology at the Nescafé Dolce Gusto factory in Montes Claros, Brazil (credits: Nestlé / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Using zero water withdrawal technology at the Nescafé Dolce Gusto factory in Montes Claros, Brazil (credits: Nestlé / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Picture: System architecture of the smart factory (credit: Wenshan Wang, Xiaoxiao Zhu, Liyu Wang, Qiang Qiu, Qixin Cao)

Picture: System architecture of the smart factory (credit: Wenshan Wang, Xiaoxiao Zhu, Liyu Wang, Qiang Qiu, Qixin Cao)

Illustration Photo: Communication nodes are installed alongside overhead and underground transformers. The nodes create a virtual energy network – collecting data from the smart meters and other digital equipment on the power lines, and sending it over a wireless network back to Duke Energy and then back to the customer. (credits: Duke Energy / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Communication nodes are installed alongside overhead and underground transformers. The nodes create a virtual energy network – collecting data from the smart meters and other digital equipment on the power lines, and sending it over a wireless network back to Duke Energy and then back to the customer. (credits: Duke Energy / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Arduino GPS System - Distance Display (credits: Sean Carney / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Arduino GPS System - Distance Display (credits: Sean Carney / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Solar Modules manufacture (credits: solar giga / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Illustration Photo: Solar Modules manufacture (credits: solar giga / Flickr Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Photo: Both production and products will supply data at tomorrow’s factory. (Photo: KIT)

Photo: Both production and products will supply data at tomorrow’s factory. (Photo: KIT)

Picture: The concept of Cognitive Power Electronics 4.0 by Fraunhofer IISB. Crédit: Fraunhofer IISB

Picture: The concept of Cognitive Power Electronics 4.0 by Fraunhofer IISB. Crédit: Fraunhofer IISB

Photo: Thai Industry Minister Uttama Saowanayon (credit: National News Bureau of Thailand)

Photo: Thai Industry Minister Uttama Saowanayon (credit: National News Bureau of Thailand)

Photo: Full operational prototype of Wisevine Project. (b) Placed devices. (credits: Diego Hortelano, Teresa Olivares, M. Carmen Ruiz, Celia Garrido-Hidalgo and Vicente López)

Illustration Photo: Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Centre at Cranfield University (credit: Cranfield University)

Illustration Photo: Robotics arms at a Ford Automotive plant (credits: Ford Asia Pacific / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

Illustration Photo: Robotics arms at a Ford Automotive plant (credits: Ford Asia Pacific / Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

POLE (Project Oriented Learning Environment) Project is a series of events that brings together young people from multi-disciplinary backgrounds to come up with ideas for selected topics. (Credit: ITU Pictures / Flickr CC BY 2.0)

POLE (Project Oriented Learning Environment) Project is a series of events that brings together young people from multi-disciplinary backgrounds to come up with ideas for selected topics. (Credit: ITU Pictures / Flickr CC BY 2.0)

The Universal Robots arm, which can be manually moved to teach-in positions or with the depicted touch panel (teach pendant) (credits: Astrid Weiss, Andreas Huber, Jürgen Minichberger and Markus Ikeda)

The Universal Robots arm, which can be manually moved to teach-in positions or with the depicted touch panel (teach pendant) (credits: Astrid Weiss, Andreas Huber, Jürgen Minichberger and Markus Ikeda)

Photo: Overview of smart manufacturing project (Credits: INESA/Fujitsu)

Photo: The Intelligent Dashboard visualizing the operational status of production lines for the entire factory (Location: Central monitoring room in INESA Display Materials Co., Ltd.'s color-filter manufacturing plant) (Credit: Fujitsu)

Photo: Overview of smart manufacturing project (Credits: INESA/Fujitsu)

A brief framework of the smart factory of Industry 4.0 (Credits: Shiyong Wang, Jiafu Wan, Di Li, Chunhua Zhang)

Industrial Robots at a car assembly plant (Credit: Norbert Kaiser/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

Illustration of Industry 4.0, showing the four "industrial revolutions" (Credit: Christoph Roser at AllAboutLean.com/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

Industry 4.0 is a project in the high-tech strategy of the German government, which promotes the computerization of traditional industries. (Credit: Dickdavid/Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)