Automation in Smart Factories: Trends in Robotics, IoT, and Cyber-Physical Systems in Manufacturing

Abstract

The use of Industry 4.0 technologies is reshaping conventional production, and automation in smart factories is a major contributor to this transformation. Automation enables decision-making and production systems that are up to the point thanks to the integration of Robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). The paper under review is dedicated to identifying the present-day trends and breakthroughs in industrial automation that relate, for instance, to introducing autonomous mobile robots, robotic process automation (RPA), digital twins, and edge-cloud computing, among others. Besides, it tackles given the fact that IoT and IIoT are the techs that make seamless connectivity and communication between the digital and physical systems possible. Moreover, the paper mentions the big issues, data privacy, interoperability, and protocol standardization, which have been around for some time. The current study not only gathers but also discusses the recent research and technological advancements, thus, providing a glimpse into the future of smart manufacturing and the technification of interlinked, intelligent industrial ecosystems.