Industry 4.0 and Engineering for a Sustainable Future

Book excerpt: This unique volume considers the emergence of “Industry 4.0” (i4.0) and the many ways the multifaceted field of Engineering is transforming our ideas and our options around sustainability. It points to emerging technological advances that are facilitating industrial process improvements to artificial intelligence’s promise to help us live “smartly” and manage energy demand. Engineering for a sustainable future is an exploding area of research. This book provides coverage of key case studies from industrial partners such as Ericsson, British Telecom (BT), BMW, Matrixx and research from different UK and international institutions. Examines Smart Engineering Design; Considers how Communication Technologies are developing in the age of i4.0 (from 4G to 6G and beyond); Using interesting case studies from large manufacturers such as BMW to examine Rapid Prototyping and Digital manufacturing; Covers some key issues about Big Data and network security and discusses “Blockchain”; Provides fresh insight into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality; Discusses global warming and discusses how urban heat islands are having a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of inhabitants in major cities; Provides interesting case studies to determine the industry 4.0 (I4.0) readiness of eight Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs).