The ultimate goal of the Internet of Things (IoT), whether it is Industry 4.0 or Smart Manufacturing, is to improve a manufacturer’s speed, flexibility, individualization of products, efficiency, and scalability of production. As IoT continues to influence the engineering industry, Bosch Rexroth in a recent white paper listed the five key factors of product design that will operate in the IoT world.
Decentralized Intelligence
A decentralized intelligence or distributed intelligence system is one where the machines connect and network each other with decentralized autonomy. The control capabilities and machine logic are located at the machine level. This provides them with the ability to process data and improve the machine process on their own rather than depend solely on a single computing source, whether it is a traditional wired network or cloud network.
These machines are still connected to plant- and enterprise-level networks, but being decentralized gives them the capacity to make in-the-moment decisions for specific events. For example, the technology can be used on drive-based controls. Drive-integrated servo motors and cabinet-free drive systems, which place drive components and motion logic sequencing at individual axis, are perfect examples of this type of system.