From decentralized control and real-time decisions to modular manufacturing and equipment monitoring, the promises of the Industrial Internet of Things are staggering. Machine evolution is about to take a giant leap, and we are on the verge of everything.
“It started with the first industrialization—mechanization and steam,” said Stewart Wilson, system consultant at Rittal, who spoke at the recent Control Panel Automation Show. “The second one was being able to take electric power and build up production lines. From there, we get into the digital revolution. What we've done now is the Industrial Internet of Things. It’s going to be a way to interconnect a variety of devices.”