Industrial IoT challenges are daunting, and seven test platforms are particularly important

Smart factories, smart processes, smart grids, smart transportation systems, etc. are becoming increasingly popular, and companies are moving from proof of concept (POC) to large-scale deployment. Although these technologies are expected to improve productivity and profits, promote product development, and enhance the safety of public spaces, the highly connected digital world has security concerns.

According to IoT Evolution, Stephen Mellor, technical officer of the Industrial Internet of Things Consortium (IIC), pointed out that the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will face four major challenges: the first is security concerns. For example, if a chemical plant is attacked by hackers, the consequences will be serious, so a comprehensive security architecture must be established.

The second is connectivity. The Industrial Internet of Things not only connects new-generation factories, but also connects decades-old equipment, so the problem of inconsistent standards and protocols must be solved. The third is data analysis. Algorithms must be properly trained to produce accurate and useful data analysis results with the help of machine learning technology. The fourth is to establish a reference framework. Organizations such as IIC must work closely together.

[[210274]]

Dr. Richard Soley of the IIC noted that the IIC testbeds help identify new technologies and opportunities to solve key problems, and several of them are particularly important.

The first is the Track&Trace Testbed, which was initially designed to track process tools and later expanded to logistics equipment, especially forklifts.

The second is the Time-Sensitive Network Testbed (TSN Testbed). TSN provides more critical functions for the network, such as time synchronization, which helps to schedule traffic and manage central automation system configuration. This testbed applies TSN technology to manufacturing systems.

The third is a manufacturing quality management testing platform that uses modern sensing networks and data analysis technologies to assist factory transformation and thereby improve manufacturing quality.

Fourth, the microgrid application communication control test platform. The microgrid integrates power generation and storage to make renewable energy power generation more stable. In the short term, it is limited to campuses, enterprises, hospitals, factories and other places, but will have more extensive applications in the future.

The fifth is the INFINITE test platform, which uses software-defined networking (SDN) to create virtual domains, allowing multiple virtual domains to operate securely on a single physical network.

Sixth, the condition monitoring and predictive maintenance test platform can grasp the status of major assets, automatically predict equipment failures with advanced sensors, and notify the responsible personnel or systems, so as to take preventive measures to avoid damage to equipment or unexpected downtime.

The seventh is the smart factory network testing platform, which is designed to coordinate the production capacity of the manufacturing site to meet customer needs.