The rise of automation in manufacturing

Connected Cars
are vehicles that use the internet to connect and communicate with one another to build safe, non-intervening traffic. Automakers can develop a cloud-based service to manage the vehicle diagnostic and driving behaviour data, integrate the data with enterprise systems and develop new innovative connected-vehicle applications. 

Electric vehicles
are also an uprising choice, in sync with the global environmental movements. Each year, they become more capable, viable and cost-effective. McKinsey claims that by 2030, the share of electrified vehicles could range anywhere from 10 to 50% of all new-car sales.

Artificial Intelligence
 is helping cars follow traffic rules and navigate past obstacles. Some estimates claim that 15% of new vehicles sold in 2030 is expected to be fully autonomous. Smart autonomous devices will be able to visually confirm the issue, determine a solution, assemble the correct tools and parts, and fix the problem at hand.

Connected cars (CC) can alert the driver about future replacements, pick out an empty parking spot, prevent potential accidents and more. Data-driven automation will also impact customer experience, marketing campaign effectiveness and lead conversion. 

Automation in Aircraft manufacturing

Even though aerospace is a highly automated field, there are some logical reasons why in some ways it’s behind the automotive industry. 

A key barrier to the adoption of robotics in aerospace is precision. Aeronautical engineering needs a certain level of accuracy, flexibility and skills that most of the tasks need to be in charge of human workers. The margin of error is slight but intolerable. Aerospace manufacturing is complex and low in volume. It has many different operations to produce very few final products, meaning that it needs a vast number of robot programs. 

The scale and size of aircraft is another factor. Large part sizes often result in operators and robots working simultaneously, meaning robots need to be mobile to travel to the aircraft part instead of the part travelling to the robot. Apart from these difficulties, technological updates are facilitating these issues more and more each year.  For example, aerospace has been investing in additive manufacturing for years because it enables new designs and has more efficient use of metals such as titanium.

Automation in Aviation

The most common automation system in the aviation industry is autopilots. Automated systems have also created a more comfortable interface for the conducting process, having a significant impact on pilots’ airmanship. Autopilot systems control the flight automatically with minimal human intervention. This technology prevents the pilot’s exhaustion, which is a well-known cause of accidents. 

Another incredible automation system is auto-throttles. Auto-throttle can control the thrust created from the engines by managing the flow of the fuel and monitoring speed indications. Functional automation reduces workload, frees attentional resources to focus on other tasks. 

Aircraft maintenance

Automation is a valuable tool to amplify the human component in airframe technical inspections. A robot will inspect identical surfaces, looking for any defects or abnormalities and even be able to do so with sensitivities and tools not possessed by the human eye. Aircraft maintenance operators also have been using blockchain technology for years to sort out their data. They also use IoT to sync multiple devices together (i.e., a mobile device with a plane) and inspect the data they need. Automated maintenance in aviation sites has helped reduce downtime, better task planning, and management.

As a society, the trust that we place in automated systems is very evident. This is the era of connection, where automation is not only replicating human effort but also connecting it to other cyber and physical systems, improving our life, unlike any other technology.