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Sustainability

AI and Machine Learning in Manufacturing: Harnessing the Power of Data for Efficiency and Sustainability.

The manufacturing industry is facing some pressing challenges today, such as sustainability, skills shortage, and geopolitical instability. It’s important to mention that, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this change, it’s not alone. Other technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (ML) can also help manufacturers to create a more efficient and sustainable production process. The use of these technologies together, can make a significant impact on the industry, by creating an intelligent and adaptive manufacturing environment.

Tackling Sustainability Challenges

One of the main benefits of AI and VR in manufacturing is its ability to improve sustainability by reducing waste and energy consumption. When it comes to testing new manufacturing processes and designs, VR can provide advanced immersive solutions before they are implemented in the real world? Companies can easily identify and eliminate potential inefficiencies and waste. They can train employees on new equipment and processes to reduce the need for physical prototypes, which in return decrease energy consumption.

Reducing Skills Shortage

No alt text provided for this image — VR has the ability to address challenges with immersive training that simulates real-world manufacturing environments.

Skills shortage is one of the major problems that many companies in the industry are facing. Personally, I believe that VR has a huge potential and the ability to address these challenges with immersive, hands-on training that simulates real-world manufacturing environments, helping employees develop the specific skills required to operate complex equipment and perform advanced manufacturing tasks. Virtual factories can also offer employees brand new environment to explore and to learn from, fill the skills gap and increase productivity at the same time.

Navigating Global Instability

Geopolitical instability has become a growing issue the last few years. Some of the biggest risks the world has faced the last 2 years span from soaring energy costs, shortage of energy supply, food insecurity, international sanctions and a deglobalisation trend in order to overcome global supply chain issues.

All these factors can disrupt supply chains, which can lead to increased costs and reduced economic growth. Developing Virtual Reality experiences with the help of AI and machine Learning (ML) can help mitigate some of these risks by simulating different scenarios and test the response plans.

Creating a virtual supply chain world similar to the Metaverse may help companies simulate risks, identify issues and minimise their impact on different suppliers and logistics routes. In the face of today’s rapidly changing business environment, it is an idea worth exploring.

Creating Efficient Processes With AI

Monitoring production processes in real-time with AI-powered sensors has become a key factor to obtain important detailed data on energy consumption, waste production, and other key performance indicators. This data can be used to identify patterns and trends, areas of inefficiency and waste, and develop strategies for reducing them.

Automating repetitive, monotonous and time-consuming tasks is another area where AI-powered robots can optimise production schedules by performing tasks such as welding, painting, and assembly with a high degree of precision and speed.

AI-powered predictive maintenance systems has also proven valuable in areas where they can identify and diagnose equipment problems before they occur. I had the chance to discover some of the areas where using predictive maintenance through sensors can make a difference, including vibration analysis, thermal imaging, and equipment monioring to help extend the life of any company’s equipment.

Combining The Power of AI With Machine Learning (ML)

While many manufacturers are successfully implementing AI-powered solutions in small-scale pilot projects, they often struggle to replicate these successes at a larger scale. This is due to a number of factors, including a lack of understanding of how to integrate AI into existing systems, a lack of data and computational resources, and a lack of expertise in AI development.

Machine learning (ML) can help manufacturers overcome these hurdles and scale effective AI pilot applications. ML is a subset of AI that focuses on developing algorithms that can learn from data and improve over time. By using ML, manufacturers can create AI systems that can adapt and improve as they process even more data, which can help to overcome the limitations of traditional AI systems.

Scaling AI Through ML to Automate Processes

One of the key ways that ML can help manufacturers to scale AI is by automating the process of feature selection and model development. Feature selection is the process of identifying which data inputs are most important for a particular task, and model development is the process of creating an algorithm that can make predictions based on that data. By automating these processes, manufacturers can significantly reduce the amount of time and expertise needed to develop and implement AI systems.

Another way that ML can help manufacturers to scale AI is by providing them with more accurate predictions and better insights. Machine learning algorithms are able to learn and improve over time, which means they can provide more accurate predictions and insights than traditional AI systems. This can help manufacturers to make more informed decisions and optimise their production processes more effectively.

Conclusion

Early this year, the Word Economic Forum has released an interesting article highlighting the —6 ways to help the manufacturing sector embrace AI.

It’s important to mention that AI should work together with other technologies like Virtual Reality, Internet of Things and Augmented Reality to create a more intelligent and adaptive manufacturing environment. AI can help companies to create a more resilient and adaptive production process while VR technology can help manufacturers focus on sustainable production processes by reducing waste, increasing productivity, and providing employees with immersive, real-life training.

In the end, leveraging machine learning to help create better AI-powered systems that can be used to simulate different scenarios will give manufacturers the ability to identify potential risks, create more effective production processes, and stay competitive in today’s rapidly changing business environment.

Quelle:

Foto. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Augmented Reality (AR) and Internet of Things (IoT) can help manufacturers to create more sustainable production processes.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-machine-learning-manufacturing-harnessing-power-data-letrange/?trackingId=FEhkedfTRwi5QjL7LnRqtQ%253D%253D

12. Mai 2023 0 comment

Examples

VR and Its Impact on Sustainability

The impacts of climate change, though very real, are exceedingly hard to imagine. Climatologists say the icebergs will melt, the weather will hit extremes, and cities will be arid concrete jungles—these are scary probabilities, so why isn’t more being done to mitigate this future? One answer may be that individuals simply cannot visualize how the effects of climate change will impact their lifestyle. Few people have experienced the magnitude of an actual iceberg to understand what it means for it to melt away.

While some environmental advocates, governments, and scientists are doing their best to shed light on the urgency of the issue, there are a substantial amount of people across the globe who still do not grasp the severity of climate change. A 2019 study by Pew Research Center shows that “a median of 20% of people across countries (surveyed) consider global warming a minor threat, while 9% say it is not a threat.” So how do we change this? Step in, Virtual Reality.

Using VR for the Climate Change Cause

Virtual reality (VR) refers to a simulated environment created by software that uses sight and sound to produce a seemingly physical or real experience of that environment for users. There are a number of reasons VR is a promising option for helping scientists advocate the need for climate action, the primary one being how it can create an immersive, almost physical experience.

One of the most notable demonstrations of this is Stanford University’s Ocean Acidification Experience (SOAE). As described in an article on Forbes, the SOAE project portrays the effect of climate change on marine ecosystems by letting the user choose to be a diver or a pink coral living in an underwater reef. Over a specific period (quickened through time-lapse), the user begins to see sea creatures around them dying because of ocean acidification. This goes on until the reef is left almost barren. While the experience itself is astonishing, the results are even more staggering. Studies showed that those who participated in the simulation retained information about ocean acidification more than three weeks after the experience, and their test scores on the topic increased by more than 100%. The most noteworthy finding though was perhaps how VR increased participants’ knowledge and empathy, with the Stanford study noting that “participants who explored more of the virtual space formed deeper cognitive associations with the science content.”

In fact, other studies also show that VR can change one’s attitude towards the environment, thus promoting positive climate action. This is one of virtual reality’s many capabilities that can promote climate adaptation and mitigation. Consider the case of Turner Station, an African-American community southeast of Baltimore. As sea levels rise, the town is facing increased flooding. Due to this, residents were directed to virtually watch their home’s flood and experience the impacts of climate change at a community meeting, so as to better understand the situation and prepare for it. To quote Jackie Specht, the coastal science program manager for The Nature Conservancy’s Maryland/DC Chapter, “If it’s hard to imagine, it’s hard to face and prioritize, especially when there are so many tangible issues that [people are] facing in the day-to-day.” In this way, awareness-building experiences through VR can help garner community support for climate resilience projects.

Bringing Climate Change Home

Bringing these experiences to consumers is no longer out of reach with companies now creating more approachable and affordable VR products that use headsets and smartphones alone to transport users to new virtual worlds. Innovations like these show that VR can be accessible to the masses. Expanding libraries of virtual experiences and games, coupled with portability and ease of use mean scientists can finally educate and demonstrate the urgency and magnitude of the climate crisis to a captive audience in the comfort of their homes.

Scientists can now use the technology’s engaging features to demonstrate how the growing danger of climate change will affect not just the world at large but the actual lifestyles of individuals. This could range from showing individuals what climate change means for their residential expenses, including altered heating and cooling expenses, to longer-term implications like experiencing heatwaves in cooler regions and tropical storms in coastal regions. “This is Climate Change” is one such experience by Participant Media and Condition One, which takes participants through a four-part virtual docu-series that fully immerses them in four jarring impacts of climate change: Famine, Feast, Melting Ice and Fire.

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Virtual Reality’s ability to immerse and engage users can be used to finally get people to be proactive about climate change. Projects like SOAE or climate researcher Julian Calil’s rising sea levels VR program for cities like Turner Station can help turn the vague, imperceptible issue of climate change into a tangible reality. In turn, this can motivate people to push for policy change for a sustainable future.

QUELLE:

Foto: image credit: Image found on Pixbay: https://pixabay.com/photos/clouds-virtual-reality-game-ar-1845517/

https://energycentral.com/c/ee/vr-and-its-impact-sustainability

18. Dezember 2020 0 comment