Since I have prepared this article for a long time, I divided it into two parts. I will share the first part of it today I hope you enjoy and benefit from my article.
Depending on the developments in information and communication technologies, we have stepped into an era where products (systems, devices, machines, goods and most generally objects) will be smart and connected. In the factory, at work, in the office, at home or outdoors; Smart-connected objects, now accessing the property of a computer, will be able to compute on their own, to varying degrees, and connect to networks and the Internet. Thanks to their connections to the Internet, a new space will be created - which we call the "Internet of Things". The number of smart-connected objects that can connect to the Internet is expected to reach as high as 50 billion in a short time. Therefore, such objects (systems, devices, machines, vehicles, etc.) will use the Internet much more than humans and in real time.
Think of cell phones that have now become our 'indispensable'. One of our most "serious" problems with them is charging isn't it? After a certain period of time we need the need to charge the device - that is, electrical energy. Now consider the new kinds of objects that number in the billions. You will easily notice that the need for electrical energy will increase wildly. Undoubtedly; The energy production to be made to meet this need and the consumption of this energy will have negative effects on human health, living life and inanimate nature.
Technology, Towards Light
It is no longer a secret that increasing levels of power and energy consumption have serious, detrimental effects on our environment and society. This will be due to electronic data processing (computing) that requires accelerating high levels of power and the electronic chips to provide it. If we do not make radical changes in the information and communication sectors, we will inevitably reach a point where we spend all our capacity to operate technology environments. What will happen in a situation like this that looks like a black hole? Optical technologies and photonic networks - referred to as APN in technology - may offer the potential to be a leading solution to this situation. Briefly; photonics; it is the physical science of light.
Chips used in computers and similar devices have microscopic wiring that generates excess heat due to high density and limits performance. Optical communication technology will be used in the cabling of the chips to reduce power consumption.
It was very difficult to handle light in the past. Now, a structure known as photonic crystal, in which the refractive index changes periodically, made it possible to confine light to a small area and improve the interaction between light and material. Possibilities for basic low-power operation of various devices based on photonic crystals such as optical switches, optical lasers, optical memory and optical random access memory have been developed.
Photonic networks use photonics-based technology to achieve the following three performance goals: Low power consumption, higher quality and capacity, and less latency. Photonics-based networking includes the use of optical and hybrid cabling. Such information-communication networks enable end-to-end information transfer between the terminal and the server. They can transfer large volumes of traffic while keeping quality high and latency low. More importantly, photonic networks will allow us to operate a more environmentally sustainable communication environment. This is because they are ultra-low power dense and potentially provide data communication services that use only one percent of the power consumption required by existing networks. The streaming capacity can be increased to the extent that you can download ten thousand 2-hour movies in less than a second.
The use of these networks will allow people to connect from any location or environment. It seems as if a new generation communication platform has seen the light, representing an important leap forward towards the goal of creating a smart, sustainable and energy efficient society.
Digital Twins of the New Age
Imagine a loom in a factory environment. This machine can perform data processing thanks to the computer hardware and software embedded in it. In fact, thanks to these features, some artificial intelligence can operate thought processes. There are sensors on this machine or connected to it that make different physical, chemical or numerical measurements. Thanks to these sensors, we comment that the machine knows its own state - a feature that has only been reserved for humans until now. We call this machine "smart-connected object" as a general descriptive term, which can be connected to local networks and the Internet in a wired or wireless way thanks to its communication hardware and software.
This machine collects data about itself and its surroundings through sensors associated with it. It produces some decisions by processing these data-with the contribution of artificial intelligence ability and performs the ones within the scope of its authority. It does not require the management of any human operator to do these. In addition, it sends the data it obtains from the sensors, the decisions it produces, and the status information about itself, in real time, to the data stores on the server computers on the Internet.
Now imagine a control room in the factory — similar to the control tower in the airfield. Suppose there are computers in this room that can connect to servers on the Internet and access data stored in those systems. These computers can create a virtual (cyber) copy of the machine in real time, based on the measurements, data and status information sent by the machine.
Therefore, a person sitting in front of the computer can watch its operation without going to the counter; can have information about the status of the loom. In addition, if he wants to make any changes in the operation of the machine, he can do this by sending commands and parameters from his computer. On the other hand, when the smart-connected machine predicts a malfunction related to itself, it can forward it to the relevant maintenance-repair unit in advance. This new maintenance concept is called "predictive maintenance".
We call the "cyber-physical system" where the physical system (bench) is working on the one hand and the real-time virtual copy of this system is created on the computer on the other. This is one of the most important elements of the Industry 4.0 vision. As will be noted; In this case, the virtual (cyber) copy created on the computer is in a sense the "digital twin" of the physical system.
A digital twin is the generation or collection of digital data that represents a physical object. Digital twins are virtual representations of real world environments, products or assets. While manufacturers use digital twins to manage the performance and efficiency of machines and factories, urban planners use it to simulate the impact of new developments and roads.
Cognitive twins will not only simulate environments, they will also proactively help design solutions. Digital twin computing; It will make it possible to test in different environments through real-world-scale reproductions that were previously impossible by copying, combining and modifying various digital twins of objects and people.
This information can go so far as to immediately enter applications such as traffic congestion forecast systems and even make accurate predictions in the field of disease control.
Digital twin computing; It is predicted that it makes it possible to integrate people's minds, thoughts, habits and attitudes into their digital twins. This could allow a person's digital twin to perform certain tasks and make decisions in cyberspace instead of the real person. On the other hand, this innovation will need to be brought to the agenda in terms of ethical and social responsibility.
Towards a Life with Robots
Robot; It is a machine that can be programmed by a computer, capable of automatically performing a series of complex actions. Robots can be directed to an external or embedded control device. Some robots have a human shape. On the other hand, it doesn't matter much what robots look like, which generally have a shape according to what they do.
Robots can exhibit artificial intelligence applications and establish a relationship with the outside world thanks to their embedded information-communication hardware and software. With these features, robots are considered as intelligent and connected (communicative) machines. The type of robot that can make decisions and act on their own without any operator intervention is called "autonomous robot". Depending on the variety and depth of these features, it is classified as autonomous and semi-autonomous. Machines that fall into the robot category; Industrial robots, medical operation robots, microscopic nano robots, robot swarms that are programmed collectively and take action, etc. It may show such a common variety. Each robot exhibits examples of artificial intelligence by displaying vital features in accordance with its class or by automating certain actions.
Autonomous robot; It is a robot that performs desired behaviors or tasks with a high degree of autonomy. Autonomy in terms of robot; this means the ability and right of an intelligent and communicable machine to make its own decisions and translate it into action. Some factory robots show autonomous features within the defined (programmed) boundaries of their environment. An important area of robotics research is to enable the robot to cope with its environment and conditions, whether on land, underwater, in the air, underground or in space.
An autonomous robot can collect data about itself and its environment. It can work on its own for a long time without human intervention. It can move to the whole or part of the working environment without the need for human intervention; hand-arm and so on. such as can move its organs in a way that affects the environment. He can avoid situations that are harmful to people, his environment or himself. Life with robots will mean a new kind of occupational health and safety - but also new ergonomics for humans and robots.
An autonomous robot can acquire new information, or learn new ones in addition, such as new ways of performing its tasks or adapting to changes in the environment. Autonomous robots are also referred to as "learning robots" due to this feature resulting from their embedded artificial intelligence capability. Although it is predicted that autonomous robots will improve their self-care capabilities in the future, autonomous robots, like other machines, require regular maintenance.
Artificial intelligence as a service (AIaaS) and data as a service (DaaS) will be among the foundations of future digital transformation. Companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple are developing a variety of new services and tools, from robotic process automation to offering graphics processing units in the cloud. Amazon's new AWS for Everyone project will make a significant difference when it launches. This project; It will enable everyone to create business applications using their own company data, without or with very little code.
In this project, Amazon's approach will reveal the phenomenon of developer citizen ("ordinary citizen software developer") as a business user who creates new business applications without programming training. These citizen developers will leverage their digital platforms to build simple process applications with little oversight to achieve automation goals. In addition, technologies such as robotic process automation that enable businesses to automate certain tasks and processes in the offices and allow employees to spend time on higher-value jobs will be used by ordinary employees (ordinary citizen software developers).
Robotic process automation will have the potential to transform the future of business and business in the coming years. That's why many organizations are exploring how to integrate it into their workflows and systems. After all; companies will need to think and plan how robotic process automation will eventually improve staff and raise their productivity to a higher level.
As I mentioned at the beginning of my article, I will share my article with you in two parts. I am waiting for your likes and comments.
