TEACHING INDUSTRY 4.0

Industry 4.0 is a term that was introduced by the German government at the time of the Hannover Fair in 2011 in relation to an initiative brought forward to support German industry in addressing future challenges. It refers to the 4th industrial revolution, in which disruptive digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI), are exercising a notable impact on industrial production. Industry 4.0 takes the emphasis on digital technology of recent decades to a whole new level with the help of interconnectivity through the Internet of Things (IoT), real-time data access, and the introduction of cyber-physical systems. This paper focuses on the design of an educational module for higher education mechatronics students. Introducing Industry 4.0 into a mechatronics curriculum will reinforce the integration of student competences in flexible and rapid manufacturing. The module includes notions of machine learning and deep machine learning, which are essential in robotics and behavioral robotics and closely interact with control theory. The results of a pilot training activity in the field are also illustrated and discussed.