Modern and emerging technologies

Cobots

Designed to work alongside human workers

Assist in tasks that require high precision or repetitive motion

Increases safety- help reduce work related injuries

Equipped with sensors and use AI to help adapt

Drones

Able to work at height in inaccessible areas

Infrastructure maintenance to inspect hard to reach areas like power lines and under bridges

Transport component parts inside automotive manufacturing plants- increase efficiency

Robots

Industrial robots can move heavy loads with accuracy and repeatability

don’t get tired or require breaks

can operate in toxic environments

reduce human error

deep sea exploration

no risk to human life during inspection or repair

Virtual reality

Immersive, simulated environments

used in collaborative design so designers can work in a virtual space

Allows for real time collaboration on complex projects

Product visualisation and prototyping- can identify design problems and speed up the product development process

Augmented reality

Enhances user’s real world view using overlays

Overlays provide information and guidance

Used in maintenance and repair to provide detailed instructions and diagrams over real world objects e.g complex wiring

Training in real-world settings by providing visual cues

AI

Uses computer systems to analyse data, make decisions and perform tasks

Autonomous systems like self driving cars, drones and delivery robots

Data analysis

Vision and image recognition systems

Automate quality control checks

3D printing

Also known as additive manufacturing

Uses thin layers of material to build up the object being manufactured

Can produce complex shapes manually

Uses materials like thermoplastics and metals

Used to make prototypes quickly and inexpensively

Custom parts in healthcare

Cloud computing

Alternative way to store data and information

Easy for teams in different locations to access and share data

Internet of Things

Cloud based technology

Interconnects devices over the internet to allow real time monitoring and control of engineering systems

Building climate control systems

Structural monitoring

Operational monitoring

Digital twins

Creates a virtual replica of a physical system

Engineers can simulate different operating conditions and test a range of scenarios without risking damage to the real system

Used in manufacturing to optimise production lines by predicting the effects of taking machinery offline for maintenance

Aircraft design to simulate performance