The future of automation and self service

As next-generation technologies converge, the old categories and verticals in many areas of automation and self-service are doing so as well. These emerging technologies include the Internet of Things, 5G networks, Web 3.0, and artificial intelligence and robotics (including drones and autonomous mobile robots).

This coincides with a global push to respond to sustainability and climate concerns, along with resource issues like water, power and components (such as rare-earth metals for chipset manufacturing).

Consumers, governments, businesses and industries are pushing for a more accessible, equitable, and humane experience from production pipelines to consumer-facing self-service solutions — and all while boosting efficiency and ROI, cutting cost and waste and pursuing profits.

This has led to new families of technology innovation, from research on 6G networks to further assist with the massive data requirements of the interconnected smart cities and smart factories of tomorrow to innovation in renewable energy and wireless power transmission (both short- and long-range).

In this white paper, we'll take a look at some of the leading trends, including risks and opportunities, that are included in what industrialist Jan Diekmann has called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also dubbed "Industry 4.0."