What We Should Have Learned From Cybersyn

Author(s):  
Dietmar Koering

Currently, a major topic is what changes will digitalization and the fourth industrial revolution bring to our society. It is clear that digital transformation of society and the introduction of new technologies will make many jobs obsolete. This process logically leads to the idea of a universal basic income (UBI). In this respect, the socialist project, Cybersyn, is of great interest because it constituted a prototype of a data- and people-related idea to solve this problem. The aim was to increase the country's production, while counteracting rising unemployment through a socialist paradigm, which is obviously pertinent to the development of Industry 4.0. Although Cybersyn can be considered as an early prototype and catalyst, today's exponentially greater computational power has made such systems real, and humans are often excluded from them. Human beings are also positively affected by digital transformation. Herein, the current work contributes to the ethical debate concerning the digital transformation of society.

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seeram Ramakrishna ◽  
Alfred Ngowi ◽  
Henk De Jager ◽  
Bankole O. Awuzie

Growing consumerism and population worldwide raises concerns about society’s sustainability aspirations. This has led to calls for concerted efforts to shift from the linear economy to a circular economy (CE), which are gaining momentum globally. CE approaches lead to a zero-waste scenario of economic growth and sustainable development. These approaches are based on semi-scientific and empirical concepts with technologies enabling 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and 6Rs (reuse, recycle, redesign, remanufacture, reduce, recover). Studies estimate that the transition to a CE would save the world in excess of a trillion dollars annually while creating new jobs, business opportunities and economic growth. The emerging industrial revolution will enhance the symbiotic pursuit of new technologies and CE to transform extant production systems and business models for sustainability. This article examines the trends, availability and readiness of fourth industrial revolution (4IR or industry 4.0) technologies (for example, Internet of Things [IoT], artificial intelligence [AI] and nanotechnology) to support and promote CE transitions within the higher education institutional context. Furthermore, it elucidates the role of universities as living laboratories for experimenting the utility of industry 4.0 technologies in driving the shift towards CE futures. The article concludes that universities should play a pivotal role in engendering CE transitions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Kohnová ◽  
Ján Papula ◽  
Nikola Salajová

Radical changes resulting from the Fourth Industrial Revolution strongly affect industrialized European countries. In particular, due to the new technologies that are characteristic of Industry 4.0, it will be essential for companies to make the necessary changes and achieve competitiveness through the implementation of these technologies. In order for companies to be able to make radical changes and innovations, they need to secure all the supporting areas in their organization. This research paper is focused on comparison of companies from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Switzerland in the context of readiness for Industry 4.0. This research was part of a research project, while data were collected in the period of 2015–2016. We have analysed companies from selected countries based on 7 areas which are closely interconnected with the business transformation and technology transformation coming from Industry 4.0. The main analysed questions focused on areas such as employee education and training, organizational culture, strategy, or organizational processes, that will be most affected by radical changes in the environment. Research has highlighted the differences between countries as a result of long-standing cultural differences, but at the same time identified the unified influence of the ongoing global debate on the need for technological innovation. With Slovak and Czech companies being below stronger innovators in the maturity of education systems, we strongly advise considering partnering in education which can bring valuable information to businesses that want to take on the wave of innovation.


Author(s):  
Hanaa Abdulraheem Yamani ◽  
Waleed Tageldin Elsigini

The current era is witnessing many changes on various levels. The information and communication revolutions are considered one of the important changes which has cast a shadow over how different institutions in society work via the phenomenon of digitization. As some of the most important institutions of society, industrial companies have been responding to this phenomenon of digital transformation to improve products and customer service while achieving a significant profitable return. This response by these institutions to the digital transformation has resulted in the emergence of the so-called fourth industrial revolution. In this context, this chapter reviews the definition of digital transformation as well as its dimensions, benefits, and obstacles. It also comments on the future of digital transformation and its relationship with industry. Ultimately it presents the fourth industrial revolution in terms of its definition, history, criteria, benefits, and the challenges it faces moving into the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. e9466
Author(s):  
Noemí Ortiz-Rey ◽  
Nicoleta González-Cancelas ◽  
Beatriz Molina Serrano ◽  
Francisco Soler-Flores ◽  
Alberto Camarero-Orive

The fourth industrial revolution is characterized by a high level of digitalization of systems and processes. This revolution has reached the Spanish ports. They have been investing for years in the implementation of new technologies, aimed at promoting sustainability and environmental quality, as well as seeking a more efficient and orderly logistics. Ports are moving towards their digital transformation, which is materialized in the well-known Ports 4.0. These intelligent ports, or Smart Ports, cover a multitude of aspects and variables. Automation, digitalization, technologies that allow interoperability, transparency, decentralization, and customer experience define the context of the application of the concept 'Ports 4.0' to the Spanish logistics-port sector. How to achieve a satisfactory digitization process that allows progress towards Port 4.0 in the Spanish port system is one of the questions being raised recently. The Spanish port world could be represented by a red ocean, since in a very generalist way it can be said that it is a marked described by a fierce competition lacking in differentiation. Therefore, with this proposal, the aim is to take the Spanish port system to a blue ocean, where a suitable strategy and innovation generate leaps in value that make competitors irrelevant because customers compare different products and services. To be able to respond to this, the Blue Ocean Strategy is planted, leaving aside the competition between ports and generating new demand. From the study carried out, it is concluded that Spanish ports still have a long way to go in terms of sustainability. It also concludes that a new management model would mean the innovation in value that is necessary for the process towards ports 4.0.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrija Popović

We are at the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and its implications on the society are far-reaching. The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive overview of the implications that Industry 4.0 has on the Sustainable Development Goals from the UN Agenda 2030, based on the review and the analysis of the available literature. The paper is structured to give an insight into the basic concepts of Industry 4.0 and Sustainable Development, then moves through the implications of new technologies on the Sustainable Development Goals, and finally, points out the areas that need to be addressed by policymakers. This paper just tapped into the potentials and issues that the Fourth Industrial Revolution brings while leaving the room for in-depth research of any of the analyzed areas.


Author(s):  
Swikriti Sheela Nath

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, finally, will change not only what we do but also who we are. It will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we devote to work and leisure, and how we developour careers, cultivate our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships. The technological revolution in the modern developing environment in which innovative technologies and trends such as the virtual reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics are fundamentally altering the way of living, working and relationships to one another, is known as Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 or Industrie 4.0. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is reshaping every sphere of human life — from government to commerce; from education to healthcare. It is even impacting humanvalues, opportunities, relationships and identities by modifying virtual as well as physical worlds of human beings.


Author(s):  
Marcelo Teixeira de Azevedo ◽  
Alaide Barbosa Martins ◽  
Sergio Takeo Kofuji

Nowadays, there is a digital transformation in industry, which is being referred to as a new revolution, known as the fourth industrial revolution. Today, we are in the fourth industrial revolution, which strongly supports itself at enabling technologies, such as: Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cyber-physical systems (CPS) and cloud computing. These technologies are working cooperatively to promote a digital transformation in the forms of: Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet Consortium and Advanced Manufacturing. To meet these needs and as a proof of concept, a platform for digital transformation for a water issue is proposed with the objective of achieving an efficient management of resources linked to rational use of water. For the platform definition, a survey was performed of the process of a water treatment plant from the third industrial revolution and improved the process by applying the concepts of digital transformation to improve the new platform.


Author(s):  
Marina Slonimska ◽  
Nadezhda Dubko ◽  
Elena Veretennikova

Relevance of the research topic. The information and knowledge flow management is an important component for regional development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. It allows taking advantage of the opportunities hidden in the digital transformation of the business community and providing the transformations necessary to reorient development towards inclusive and sustainable growth. Formulation of the problem. Managing the process of introducing Industry 4.0 technologies based on effective state and collective strategies opens up opportunities for regional development, but requires the development of special decision support tools, scientific substantiation of the model of systemic transformation of the region, identification of the main stakeholders and the mechanism of their interaction. Analysis of recent research and publications. The works of such researchers as Yasheva G. A. and Fateev V. S. (Belarus), Lenchuk E. B. (Russia), Götz M. and Jankowska B. (Poland), Ciffolilli A. and Muscio A. (Italy) and others are devoted to the issues of territorial and regional development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Selection of unexplored parts of the general problem. The mechanism of small businesses involving in the process of the necessary systemic transformation in the context of the fourth industrial revolution has not been sufficiently studied. Setting the task, the purpose of the study. The purpose of the study is to analyze the theories of regional development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution and to propose an organizational and economic mechanism for the digital transformation of the regional business community, including the SMEs’ sector. Method or methodology for conducting research. The research used the methods of analogies, analysis and synthesis, sociological survey. Presentation of the main material (results of work). The article analyzes the main concepts of regional development, concludes that it is necessary to consolidate regional actors according to the ‘Quadruple Helix’ model based on inter-organizational information systems in order to introduce Industry 4.0 technologies. An algorithm for the development of an electronic platform from a cluster site to an information system of integrated supply chains is proposed on the example of the Novopolotsk innovative and industrial petrochemical cluster. The field of application of results. The results of the research can be used by companies providing activity in regional development and small business support, in scientific and educational institutions, in public administration. Conclusions according to the article. Networked connections between regional actors, innovation networks based on the open innovation paradigm and integrated supply chains promote region development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, this requires appropriate institutional conditions.


European View ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Schäfer

The fourth industrial revolution is different from the previous three. This is because machines and artificial intelligence play a significant role in enhancing productivity and wealth creation, which directly changes and challenges the role of human beings. The fourth industrial revolution will also intensify globalisation. Therefore, technology will become much more significant, because regions and societies that cope positively with the technological impact of the fourth industrial revolution will have a better economic and social future. This article argues that the EU can play an important role in developing an environment appropriate for the fourth industrial revolution, an environment that is vibrant and open to new technologies. Member states would profit from an EU-wide coordinated framework for this area. The EU has to establish new common policies for the market-oriented diffusion and widespread use of new technologies.


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