Industry 4.0 - fourth industrial revolution

a reply to: supermilkman

Here is my crystal ball for 2017:

1 - Material sciences will have several breakthroughs at once. First, graphene will be used in packaging materials. Next, it will show up in a battery that will make everybody facepalm. It will also show up in building materials and recreational goods (bikes, fishing rods, crash helmets, rafts, etc.). Everybody will think this came from outer space. It is just the jump from lab to real world has been going on for a while from several directions. This year is one of those "AHA!" moments. There are other 2D materials also standing in the wings ready to strut and fret their hour upon the stage.

2 - A quantum computer will be created. Not a full, general purpose machine, but one that interfaces with regular computers (hybrid). This has to happen first because once a general purpose QC is made RSA encryption goes out the window. Should somebody figure out the twin prime conjecture then quantum encryption becomes mandatory because composite numbers will be easy to figure out (at least the bounds will be known and defined which makes decomposition of composites of primes easier).

3 - Zero emission power plants will be quickly adopted. There is a demo plant coming online this spring which is going to blow the socks off of utility execs. They won't even know what to do with the "excess" CO2 until somebody takes the "waste" off their hands and turns it into construction material. Within five years there will be a race among industry to "upcycle" (get more than one product out of an industrial process) EVERYTHING.

4 - The hydrocarbon industry suffers a near collapse. Pres Obama is banning off shore drilling. What is left? Fracking? Sorry Pres elect, that will not happen despite your bullying. States will pass laws prohibiting it kind of like the Federal law on mary jane keeps states' hands tied. Turn about is fair play.

5 - There will be at least three major announcements on human disease (as in cured or reversed). This will be welcomed news to many people EXCEPT the insurance industry (and lets not fool ourselves, it is an industry). Transhumanism is fine and all but getting implants to see in the dark is lame at the end of the day if you have to take insulin injections to choke down genetically modified food stuff.

We are nearing the top of the ladder of the high dive! The next ten years are going make people's mind swim. We may even skip some of the 3.0 and 4.0 stuff and end up beyond that. We get fusion, we are off this planet and heading to the stars. That is just our nature.

One word of warning, we have to do this as a human race. We need to take care of each other when we venture into the see of stars. People with weird characters in their name that you can't pronounce, people who use funny alphabets, live below the poverty line, even our sworn enemies (whoever they are), we do this together. Or we accomplish something that we do NOT need to do as a human race--become extinct.

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Honestly, I did not see this until waaay later in the day!

The same geometry could even be applied to large-scale structural materials, they suggest. For example, concrete for a structure such a bridge might be made with this porous geometry, providing comparable strength with a fraction of the weight. This approach would have the additional benefit of providing good insulation because of the large amount of enclosed airspace within it.

MITNews.edu: Researchers design one of the strongest, lightest materials known.

So why is this so cool? Because they figured out it is not the material but the geometry of what they make that matters. Other materials may just as effective. And it can be applied to nearly every aspect of manufacturing and building. This example starts with graphene... right on time! Imagine, a bridge made of 2D flakes you can drive a semi over!

You must believe that the we are strictly physical beings if you think that uploading a mind to a computer would be possible..

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

So I guess technology will actually make life more depressing and even dangerous? I guess natural holistic lifestyle is the real solution.

The more I think about it the more life does seem like it would be depressing with data-ism or whatever.

a reply to: andy06shake

Watch these videos of industry 4.0 Machine processes will basically do most of the work. Humans don't need to slave long hours anymore.







People need to quit thinking the sky is falling.

a reply to: supermilkman

Here's a video of a hydrogen fuel cell car.

a reply to: supermilkman

Thing with that thought is that when we replace a significant percentage of our labor force with robotics we are left to deal with the mass unemployment that goes hand in hand with such a scheme.

Mass unemployment leads to poverty and destitution hence significant social unrest amungst our respective populations.

Significant social unrest leads to class and civil war which breeds stagnation with little or no economic growth.

Fact is Humanity is not yet ready to down tools and embrace a Utopian society, for that to work we require a paradigm shift the likes of which Humanity has never seen.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: supermilkman

Thing with that thought is that when we replace a significant percentage of our labor force with robotics we are left to deal with the mass unemployment that goes hand in hand with such a scheme.

Mass unemployment leads to poverty and destitution hence significant social unrest amungst our respective populations.

Significant social unrest leads to class and civil war which breeds stagnation with little or no economic growth.

Fact is Humanity is not yet ready to down tools and embrace a Utopian society, for that to work we require a paradigm shift the likes of which Humanity has never seen.

People would still work. It just won't be as strenuous. There would be more free time to relax or study. One could use their free time to go to school. If there was free 2 year college tuition paid by taxes then one can go to school and get a certification/degree in their free time.

I think people would rather relax at home than being bogged down with work.

a reply to: supermilkman

And the only way you could ever get a 4 hr work day, 16 hr work week is by creating a new currency.

New currency would have more buying power. The USD's value in the states is being devalued. It has more buying power in other countries which is one of the many reasons why businesses are being outsourced in the first place.

New currency and changing business model for industry is key.

a reply to: supermilkman

In an ideal world i would agree, but "There" world is far from ideal.

If people were not forced to work to survive they may just start thinking for themselves.

Start to question the reality and motivations of the world in which they life. "They" certainly don't want that happening on any kind of grandesque scale.

I like the idea of graphene but are you sure it's actually 10x stronger than steel? It looks like it easily breaks.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: supermilkman

In an ideal world i would agree, but "There" world is far from ideal.

If people were not forced to work to survive they may just start thinking for themselves.

Start to question the reality and motivations of the world in which they life. "They" certainly don't want that happening on any kind of grandesque scale.

People would still work, just not as much. Besides some have lived their entire life on social security.

You basically have two types of people: one that is dependent on others and one that is extremely motivated by money.

a reply to: supermilkman

OK this graphene stuff is actually interesting. I'm bookmarking it.

a reply to: DeadMoonJester

It's probably possible. Nothing really surprises me anymore.

originally posted by: TEOTWAWKIAIFF
a reply to: supermilkman

Here is my crystal ball for 2017:

1 - Material sciences will have several breakthroughs at once. First, graphene will be used in packaging materials. Next, it will show up in a battery that will make everybody facepalm. It will also show up in building materials and recreational goods (bikes, fishing rods, crash helmets, rafts, etc.). Everybody will think this came from outer space. It is just the jump from lab to real world has been going on for a while from several directions. This year is one of those "AHA!" moments. There are other 2D materials also standing in the wings ready to strut and fret their hour upon the stage.

This is good. We need more resources. Adding elements to the periodic table is a good thing.

2 - A quantum computer will be created. Not a full, general purpose machine, but one that interfaces with regular computers (hybrid). This has to happen first because once a general purpose QC is made RSA encryption goes out the window. Should somebody figure out the twin prime conjecture then quantum encryption becomes mandatory because composite numbers will be easy to figure out (at least the bounds will be known and defined which makes decomposition of composites of primes easier).

Not sure what a quantum computer is but there is already super computers. China's Sunway TaihuLite and Tianhe-2 are the fastest super computers in the world.

3 - Zero emission power plants will be quickly adopted. There is a demo plant coming online this spring which is going to blow the socks off of utility execs. They won't even know what to do with the "excess" CO2 until somebody takes the "waste" off their hands and turns it into construction material. Within five years there will be a race among industry to "upcycle" (get more than one product out of an industrial process) EVERYTHING.

Yes, clean sustainable energy production is integral. It will also be more efficient than coal and oil. Hydrogen fuel cell, electricity, biofuels, wind and solar power are viable energy production methods.

4 - The hydrocarbon industry suffers a near collapse. Pres Obama is banning off shore drilling. What is left? Fracking? Sorry Pres elect, that will not happen despite your bullying. States will pass laws prohibiting it kind of like the Federal law on mary jane keeps states' hands tied. Turn about is fair play.

Oil is going to be around for about 40-50 years according to estimates. Besides, oil lobbyists are too greedy to stop off-shore drilling or fracking. However the fossil fuels will eventually be used up and we will have no choice but to go elsewhere for energy and fuel.

5 - There will be at least three major announcements on human disease (as in cured or reversed). This will be welcomed news to many people EXCEPT the insurance industry (and lets not fool ourselves, it is an industry). Transhumanism is fine and all but getting implants to see in the dark is lame at the end of the day if you have to take insulin injections to choke down genetically modified food stuff.

Yes, I think there will be more nation-wide pandemics due to overseas traveling and our food supply. I don't think GMO's are bad however.

We are nearing the top of the ladder of the high dive! The next ten years are going make people's mind swim. We may even skip some of the 3.0 and 4.0 stuff and end up beyond that. We get fusion, we are off this planet and heading to the stars. That is just our nature.

Yes, technology will probably be our demise. I actually see the CERN destroying the universe. That or blasting through the star gates.

One word of warning, we have to do this as a human race. We need to take care of each other when we venture into the see of stars. People with weird characters in their name that you can't pronounce, people who use funny alphabets, live below the poverty line, even our sworn enemies (whoever they are), we do this together. Or we accomplish something that we do NOT need to do as a human race--become extinct.

Yes, we need an empathic civilization. People are meant to develop their spirituality with each other, not fight amongst ourselves.

a reply to: supermilkman

Like "Basic" from The Expanse books?

Kind of heading in that direction i suppose.

a reply to: andy06shake

I'll have too research it. Never heard of it.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: supermilkman

Like "Basic" from The Expanse books?

Kind of heading in that direction i suppose.

Thanks for the Expanse stuff. It actually has a lot of good ideas.

a reply to: supermilkman

There would be more free time to relax or study. One could use their free time to go to school. If there was free 2 year college tuition paid by taxes then one can go to school and get a certification/degree in their free time.

You swallowed the cool aid they've been saying for the last 30 years. People displaced by machines are finding it hard to eat when the whole industry they were trained in no longer exists

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: supermilkman

There would be more free time to relax or study. One could use their free time to go to school. If there was free 2 year college tuition paid by taxes then one can go to school and get a certification/degree in their free time.

You swallowed the cool aid they've been saying for the last 30 years. People displaced by machines are finding it hard to eat when the whole industry they were trained in no longer exists

I think automation was always meant to take the workload off people. Machines will do repetitive, unpleasant tasks as long as it has energy and regular maintenance.

Put more people on social security, let the robots do the work. The people that still want to work can keep working and move up in the world. More power to them.