IoT Labs

The Internet of Things encompasses more than just transportation, healthcare, and smart homes—it also operates in industrial environments. Such settings require the evaluation and maintenance of vast volumes of data, necessitating the gradual elimination of outdated systems and the restructuring of operational models.

Recently, numerous countries have issued national development strategies, like the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing (USA), Industry 4.0 (Germany), and Made in China 2025 (China), alongside the widespread application of information technology in manufacturing. These strategies share a common goal of achieving smart production, which relies on the interoperability, integration, and convergence of the physical and cyber domains.

A subset of the Internet of Things, known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), focuses on industrial production. It can be broadly described as the implementation of IoT at an industrial level to support the digital transformation of various industry sectors, including manufacturing, processing, and retail. IIoT enhances control, automation, and interconnectivity of production systems, extending beyond business boundaries. This results in improved coordination, increased productivity, resource conservation, and avoidance of capital expenses.

In addition to production control, the immense volume of generated data can be leveraged using analysis tools such as IoT Analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) to generate valuable insights that aid in decision-making. The key distinction between industrial and consumer IoT lies in the fact that the former is integral to critical system operations, and any malfunctions can lead to production disruptions and economic losses. Consequently, IIoT systems must exhibit exceptionally high levels of reliability, availability, resilience, and cyber security.

The field of Industrial IoT continues to evolve, with its undeniable impact on production and steady recognition of its benefits by industry researchers. The physical and digital realms of construction are unified through Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and the concept of Manufacturing as a Service (MaaS) emerges, allowing production to be provided as a service to users. Cloud MaaS platforms (CmaaS) play a crucial role by offering interoperability and independence, paving the way for large-scale intelligent applications and productive collaborations.