AR Transforming Food Processing: Bridging Realities in Industry 4.0

Incorporating Cyber-Physical Systems has led industries to the concept of Industry 4.0. The term was coined in 2011 at the Hannover trade fair in Germany. Factories have paved the way for intelligent factories promoting innovative manufacturing practices. This concept has been incubated in different countries under different names, such as “Make In India” for India, “Innovative 25 Program” for Japan, and “Made in China 25” by China. Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is all about connecting people, machines, and products with each other.

- Kushagra Agrawal

The significant change brought by Industry 4.0 is making the food industry way better. It’s like going from using essential tools to a super smart system. The journey from simple food-making to Industry 4.0 is about how technology performs the job according to expectation of people. Back when people started making food, things were done by hand, using basic machines, and there wasn’t a set way to do things.

When Industry 1.0 came along, machines like steam engines made things more accessible, but it was still pretty limited. Industry 2.0 made food in large amounts with electricity and assembly lines, which made things way more efficient. Then came Industry 3.0, which used computers to complete some tasks automatically. It was a bit better, with computers and controllers to help, but everything didn’t work together that well. But now, with Industry 4.0, everything’s changed. It’s like all the cool stuff from digital tech, data crunching, smart gadgets, and robots have come together. The food world isn’t just separate parts working alone anymore. Smart factories now use info from sensors and gadgets to make food quickly and change things as needed. Using computers and data helps make better choices, like knowing what people want to eat or how to move food around.