Bosch Industrie 4.0
The fourth industrial revolution is upon us and Bosch show us the way into the future
ELECTRONICS AND the Internet have revolutionised the way we function. From problemsolving to ordering a meal, every little detail in our lives has, more or less, been influenced by the advent of the Internet, and, rather significantly, the cloud.
Bosch India are set to take on the growing demand for sensors and solutions for more firstworld issues as the Internet gets even more involved in our day-to-day activities. With the Internet of Things coming into the picture, more services, facilities and locations will be inter-connected using the cloud, and this opens up a whole set of new vistas for what can be expected of connectivity.
Bosch’s Chakan plant, near Pune, has migrated to electronics for data storage and realtime updates across their entire network. Every aspect of the plant, from production units to energy usage and savings, is available through the adopted software for anyone in Bosch, anywhere in the world across all locations to view and look into. This not only makes it easier to adopt everything from smaller process improvements to major changes in function more easily and quickly, but, more importantly, also implement them in considerably smaller time-frames.
In the automobile and motorcycle spheres, one thing was made clear back in 2015 at the Bosch Press Briefing. Connectivity is one of three main focal points for Bosch, and they are going to move forward with making everything more ‘connected’ and, thereby, more accessible.
For bikes, the move has been rather swift. Technology from the pinnacle of motor racing has now filtered down to bikes in the form of Motorcycle Stability Control, a 3D sensor for roll, pitch and yaw detection, and advanced anti-lock braking systems (ABS) complete with cornering brake control. Basically, these electronic assistance systems make doing things on a bike easier than any rider would have ever thought possible.
What the future holds now is more connectivity. Bosch are actively looking at making road-users more connected with each other and with suppliers of essential services such as fuel stations, charging stations, supermarkets, and even libraries. Having electronic identification and control using cloud connectivity is becoming a more feasible idea by the day and more possibilities are being unlocked with every technological advancement.
The first steps depend on an infrastructure upgraded enough to run these cloud-connected applications in bikes, cars and commercial vehicles alike. If the system installed in the vehicle of one road-user can make other roadusers (who have the same system and app installed) aware of delays and potential hazards, it’s a win for technology. And a win that may, very soon, become a reality.