Industrial Revolution

Demand and supply have led to changes in technologies involved in the industries over the years. It has been more than 200 years since the first industrial revolution. We can see the differences in increasing productivity and fulfilling the demand of the ever-growing population.

The First Industrial Revolution introduced the steam engine, an external combustion engine that is fired externally and transfers kinetic energy to the required components. It has an efficiency of less than 15 % but was still used in industries for manufacturing different parts, mainly mechanical. The first industrial revolution mainly comprises steam power, water power, and machinery.

The second industrial revolution started in 1900 with the introduction of the automobile, a vehicle driven by an internal combustion-based engine. The owner of the ford industry, Henry Ford, focused on increasing productivity through various assembly lines and the use of electricity. It led to an increase in the production of vehicles and significant reduction of error in manufacturing. The second industrial revolution mainly focused on Mass production, assembly line, and electricity use.

The third industrial revolution started in 1970 with the introduction of computers and electronic devices. Manual labor takes a lot of time and has less productivity. This revolution led to replacing repetitive manual tasks with automation using computers. During the time, Computer Numeric Control (C.N.C.) based machines were also introduced to ease the manufacturing process through automation. The third generation of the industrial revolution mainly focuses on computers and automation.

The fourth industrial revolution started in the early 2000s with cloud systems. Since all the work was performed with machines, it is essential to secure them from external threats and help them communicate with each other. This revolution led to the introduction of the Internet of things and cyber-physical systems. These systems secure the machine and help them communicate together through the centrally controlled device. The fourth general mainly focuses on the Internet of things and cyber-physical systems.

The fifth industrial revolution will change the industry's future and focus on Human cyber-physical systems, connecting humans with the chain of secured systems. It involves the introduction of collaborative robots, additive manufacturing, etc., to increase productivity with human involvement.