From the industrial to the Human-centric revolution: Transitioning from an industry-focused society to one centered around humanity
The SEISMEC project is a unique blend of diverse piloting experiences viewed through the lens of social sciences and human centricity. Instead of focusing solely on digital tools, SEISMEC takes a bidirectional approach that aligns with European values like sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience, all crucial aspects of the industry 5.0 concept.
But how has humanity managed to reach the foothills of industry 5.0? Let’s take a brief look at how the concept of the industrial revolution has morphed and evolved over the centuries!
First Industrial Revolution: Steam-powered dreams
The First Industrial Revolution took place in the 18th century with the introduction of steam power and mechanizing production. This industrial transition was significant because it utilized the already-known steam power for productive purposes, leading to a significant boost in human productivity. Instead of relying on manual labor for tasks like weaving, steam engines were employed for faster and greater results. While traditional spinning wheels could only produce a certain number of threads, mechanized versions were able to increase production capacity by eight times in the same timeframe. Furthermore, innovations such as steam-powered ships and locomotives, introduced about a century later, revolutionized transportation by enabling humans and goods to travel long distances in significantly less time.
Second Industrial Revolution: Electricity sparks!
The Second Industrial Revolution started in the late 19th century and is known as the Technological Revolution. After 1870, the massive growth of rail and telegraph networks made it possible for people to travel and exchange ideas in a way never before possible, leading to a new era of globalization. New technological systems, such as telephones and electricity, as well as the inventions of the automobile and the airplane introduced a new era and helped establish the second industrial revolution as the most important to happen yet.
Third Industrial Revolution: A for Automation!
The Third Industrial Revolutionstarted in the mid-20th century and introduced computers, advanced telecommunications, and data analysis to manufacturing. Factories began to incorporate programmable logic controllers (PLCs) into machinery to automate processes and gather and exchange data.
Fourth Industrial Revolution: proudly presenting AI and VR!
The Fourth Industrial Revolution -also known as Industry 4.0-, was the next phase in the digitization of the manufacturing sector that we currently experience and enjoy. This new iteration is driven by disruptive trends including the rise of data and connectivity, analytics, human-machine interaction, and improvements in robotics.
What’s next?
And just like that we have now reached the promised land of Industry 5.0.
As defined by the EU commission:
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‘’Industry 5.0 provides a vision of industry that aims beyond efficiency and productivity as the sole goals and reinforces the role and the contribution of industry to society. It places the wellbeing of the worker at the centre of the production process and uses new technologies to provide prosperity beyond jobs and growth while respecting the production limits of the planet. It complements the existing ‘Industry 4.0’ approach by specifically putting research and innovation at the service of the transition to a sustainable, human-centric and resilient European industry.’’ |
Reflecting back on our journey through history, we can clearly observe that each industrial revolution thus far has been fundamentally driven by technology and a pressing need to ease and improve critical aspects of humans’ lives. Now, it is time to turn around and focus back on the ‘human’ standing at the other end, and how our interactions with technology and digitalization have shaped us and will continue to do so. At SEISMEC, we are now spearheading the effort to put humans first in this new adventure to pilot the shift towards a human-centric industry!
Interested? Check out these references!
