Musings on Automation: Does Technology Lead Applications?
Published on : Tuesday 06-12-2022
When a break-through happens in one field, it spurs imagination in developers in other fields, says PV Sivaram.
Anand was in an excited mood today. Reason for this excitement was that the annual season for campus recruitments had started. Of course Anand, being just into his first semester, could only play the role of an interested observer from the side lines, but he was excited, as he would be an active participant in three years' time. Alongside he was also wondering what would be the prospects for employment when his turn came. I let him first pour out his slightly incoherent observations about the exciting companies who were making the pitch, and the ‘package’ being offered. After some time, he started with asking about what new technologies would be in vogue in future, and which companies might find most for automation.
I thought I will offer some clarity on these thoughts, since many in the student population might be having similar questions sprouting in their mind. It is good to have young people thinking freely, but it is important to give direction to this speculation so that at some time in future, there might be results of great value. A fundamental question, which crops up time and again, is whether technology development is pursued to solve a problem; or is it that a developed technology is used to address the problem; or, since a product becomes available, an application is constructed around it? Which comes first – the egg, the chick or the hen?
There are three different teams who are working on development, in loose coordination with each other. There are the people who are working on manufacturing methods, who try to refine the products and means to manufacture. There are the people who are developing machines used in manufacture, who continuously try to find more efficient algorithms and strategies to serve the new methods developed by the first team. The third team is the people who work at developing components for automation, which will sit inside the machines. These new components offer enhanced specifications, and make it easier to realise the developments of the second team.
Automation consists of the following ingredients – the components (the sensors, actuators, the controllers, software, and communication), the algorithms of control (open loops, closed loops, speed control, position control and so on), and the interfaces to humans for interacting with the automation. There is development going on continuously – to improve features, to improve accuracy, to improve ease of operation. There are also below the surface developments – to improve ease of installation, to improve diagnostics and debug, to reduce power consumption and so on.
At this point, Anand interjected, so it is the problem which comes first, and then automation comes up as a solution? Nay, not so, I had to counter. In life things do not move so linearly or smoothly. I will give you an example. Highly rugged modules with specification for operation in hostile environments are developed for space applications. These components might be very rugged and suitable for use in extreme conditions. So, a spinoff development could take shape to make controllers or sensors for deployment in underground coal mines which are a challenge to regular automation components. Another example – due to miniaturisation in electronics, it becomes possible to mount processor and wireless communication components on one board. This can lead to automation architecture for distributed controls. Actually, when a break-through happens in one field, it spurs imagination in developers in other fields of work and gives rise to dramatically innovative solutions.
By this point, Anand exhausted his store of patience. Yet he tried another sally. Will development continue forever like this? Last time we discussed the serious side-effects of technology. I had to only smile at this philosophical question, put forth in a naive manner.
My dear Anand, there are two things which drive development by man. These two things are greed and laziness. Man would like to maximise his profit at all times, and he would like to put in minimal effort. This gives rise to all inventions – tools, machines, automation and all that follows. As long as these basic traits of man do not change, developments and innovation will keep happening.
PV Sivaram, Evangelist for Digital Transformation and Industrial Automation, is mentor and member of steering committee at C4i4. He retired as the Non-Executive Chairman of B&R Industrial Automation and earlier the Managing Director. He is a past President of the Automation Industries Association (AIA). After his graduation in Electronics Engineering from IIT-Madras in 1976, Sivaram began his career at BARC. He shifted to Siemens Ltd and has considerable experience in Distributed Systems, SCADA, DCS, and microcontroller applications.
Sivaram believes strongly that digitalisation and adoption of the technology and practices of Industry4.0 is essential for MSME of India. He works to bring these concepts clearer to the people for whom it is important. He believes SAMARTH UDYOG is nearer to the needs of India, and we must strike our own path to Digital Transformation. Foremost task ahead is to prepare people for living in a digital world. He is convinced that the new technologies need to be explored and driven into shop floor applications by young people. We need a set of people to work as Digital Champions in every organisation.
