In the last blog post I discussed why IIoT is transformative and that IIoT nodes have to be autonomous and collaborative. This post talks about how collaboration, ie communication by sharing of information is a key ingredient for true paradigm shifting digital IIoT solutions.
Imagine a city community buzzing with life where each citizen has their own specialty - the baker crafts delicious treats, the mechanic keeps vehicles running smoothly, and the journalist observes the surrounding landscape and reports on it. But even the most skilled individuals can't achieve much alone. This is where the city's infrastructure comes in - the bustling networks of transport and communication.
So, while individuals hold immense potential (autonomous), it's their collaborative spirit (collaborative), enabled by a robust infrastructure, that truly transforms a community into a thriving, efficient metropolis. Just like a city needs its infrastructure networks to function, smart manufacturing relies on its communication infrastructure to unlock the full potential of its IIoT solutions. There is however a missing ingredient, that is the common understanding of the structure and responsibilities the network of individuals and their roles - in other words a common language and understanding (model).
Imagine now a factory where an operator using a digital app connected to a machine detecting a slight vibration, alerting a maintenance operator through is app which triggers a task to diagnose the machine. This information then is shared so that the supervisor can use his production optimization app, adjusting parameters on other machines to maintain overall efficiency. This collaboration thrives on a reliable communication infrastructure, the digital backbone of the factory. It ensures real-time data exchange, minimizes latency, and enables seamless coordination between operators and using their apps, regardless of their location or function.
Without this critical infrastructure and information sharing factory efficiencies are critically hindered. Taking this back to the city analogy - while individual apps hold immense potential, it's their collaborative spirit, enabled by a strong communication infrastructure, that truly unlocks the transformative power of IIoT in smart manufacturing. In the network dynamics of an IIoT solution, communication is the lifeblood of collaboration. IIoT nodes have to actively exchange data through robust communication protocols, sharing insights, experiences, and real-time updates.
That is why the recent discussion topics about Unified Name Space (UNS), pub/sub, communication protocols such as MQTT, etc. is so interesting. These are technological solution that enable the infrastructure for collaboration. They define the language and common understanding of the factory (model). It is critically important that we understand that the goal is collaboration - that is what makes IIoT solution more productive. With that let's explore some of the core concepts that are needed for collaboration.
Shared Goals or Common Goals
Collaborative nodes work towards a common objective, be it optimizing production processes, enhancing safety, or predicting equipment failures. They understand the bigger picture and tailor their actions accordingly. Imagine a fleet of connected drones optimizing search patterns for an emergency response by sharing real-time information about terrain and obstacles.
Understanding the business objectives of the manufacturing enterprise is critical and ensuring that all solutions are built uniquely to execute on these objectives is a key success factor. Deming's rule "Create constancy of purpose..." still applies!
Communication capabilities
IIoT nodes must have robust communication protocols to exchange data with other nodes, both within their immediate vicinity and potentially across wider networks. This communication must be based on a common understanding of the factory environment, an interpretable model of the world they exit in. This model needs to include both the equipment (automated or not), the product being produced, materials used, the automation systems and their data, and the humans that operate them.
In this context concepts such as UNS are a key enabler for communication and therefore collaboration, it is the semantics of the language. Communication protocols such as MQTT are also critical since they enable exchange of information in a dynamic networked environment. MQTT with UNS are the base infrastructure for collaboration and supplemented with an interpretable artifact model as described in a previous post provide the required infrastructure for collaboration.
Network Dynamics
IIoT networks with their autonomous and collaborative nodes have an emergent behavior that can exhibits intelligence and is highly adaptive. It's like watching a spider web over time. Not only might the spider add new strands or repair broken ones, but the individual insects moving across it create changing patterns and interactions.
Network dynamics seeks to understand the rules and forces behind these changes, and their impact on the network's overall behavior. It's a paradigm shift, fundamentally reimagining how industries operate and unlocking transformative potential across various dimensions. It is also why IIoT is much more than just the technology being used and more important not all technology enables true IIoT solutions.
