It utilizes our four tenets: innovate, automate, integrate and enact to make, manage, move, market and maintain (M5) activities so that they are coordinated, optimized and harmonized. This involves using technologies such as adaptive engineering, additive manufacturing, data analytics, actionable intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to collect and analyze data about production processes, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes to optimize performance – all of it concerted and managed by our Digital Twine reference architecture and our other tenets via our Mantra M5 platform.
The subsequent sub-sections present our themed progression to realize the building of our Proto Factory with the intent of showcasing our mobility products as a basis for staged creation of smart and connected solutions for the future.
- Industry 4.0
- The Basis
- RPAs
- The Machine to build the machine
- IoT Gateways and Sensors
- Monetization
- Summary
This will be the key to our basis for digital enabling physcial and will showcase the art of the possible by merging it with science and engineering. Albeit we are just beginning to write this thesis, it contains the elements of our progression in different directions including monetization (where 1871 for example would fit in) because it not about “build and they will come”.
Industry 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, refers to the integration of advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and automation into manufacturing and other industrial sectors. The goal of Industry 4.0 is to create more efficient and flexible production systems that are able to quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs.
For building our Proto Factory, we will utilize our relationships and memberships at various organizations as described below.
We start the basis for innovation by being embedded at mHUB where we build our our end-to-end basis and utilize CAD, simulations, 3D printing and other technologies to ideate and iterate on our prototypes. Parametric modeling, generative design and axiomatic (rules-based) algorithmic engineering will be our fundamentals for adaptive engineering. Using 3D printing as part of the prototyping process is an effective way to quickly and inexpensively create functional prototypes, allowing us to test and refine designs before committing to more expensive and time-consuming production methods. In addition, being embedded at mHUB can provide access to a range of resources and expertise that helps us to develop and test our prototypes in a real-world setting.
Prior to setting up our smart micro factory, it is essential to ascertain that our products are manufacturable. Our member relationship with MxD, the design for manufacturing institute enable us to understand the ramifications of smart manufacturing, cyber security considerations, and the impact of supply chain issues to enable us to virtually map out the assembly process utilizing AR/VR technologies before investing on building a shop. Herewith, we will utilize the guidelines and playbooks that have been developed as part of the DoD funded Strategic Investment Projects conducted by MxD in conjunction with their Tier 1, Tier2 and Tier 3 members to showcase the art of the possible coupled with the science of engineering. This helps us have a clear understanding of the ramifications of implementing smart manufacturing and the impact of supply chain issues on our operations.
@Daley College Advanced Manufacturing Center
The Advanced Manufacturing Center @ the Richard Daley College, part of the City College of Chicago enables us visualize the operations in a physical setting, wherein multiple similar and different state-of-the-art machines coordinate in the build process. This helps us streamline operations to achieve the goals of Industry 4.0.
By leveraging the resources and expertise of the Advanced Manufacturing Center, we are able to identify opportunities for improving our production processes and implementing advanced technologies in order to achieve the goals of Industry 4.0. It will be important to for us to carefully plan and manage the implementation of any changes in order to minimize disruption and ensure a smooth transition to the new system.
In setting up our own production units, we will challenge the status quo in terms of current assembly line processes by elevating it to another dimension by utilizing robotic process automation in new and different ways to manufacture our products in the mobility sector encompassing micro-mobility for personalized active transportation (electric bikes and such), macro-mobility (transit vehicles and RVs), and hyper-mobility (drone and eVTOLs).
Robotic process automation (RPA) is a technology that allows organizations to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks by programming software bots to perform these tasks. RPA can be used in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, to improve efficiency and productivity by reducing the need for manual labor and freeing up employees to focus on more complex and value-added tasks.
In order to successfully implement RPA and other advanced technologies as part of the Proto Factory model, it will be important to carefully plan and manage the implementation process, including identifying the tasks and processes that are suitable for automation, selecting the appropriate technologies, and training employees on how to use the new systems. It will also be important to ensure that any changes are implemented in a way that minimizes disruption and maximizes the benefits to the organization.
The Machine to build the machine
Elon Musk has this notion of machines building machines that Tesla has successfully implemented in their assembly plants and Giga Factory. We want to extend that notion to build products and services that have the same DNA as the machines that make them in terms of composition, connectivity and actionable intelligence. This will further attest to our philosophy of “Born not Built” and enable future solutions to be coordinated end-to-end.
In addition to building machines that are able to manufacture other machines, it is also possible to design and build products and services that have similar characteristics to the machines that produce them. For example, these products and services could be designed to be modular, scalable, and adaptable, similar to the machines that produce them. This approach could enable more seamless integration and coordination of different parts of a system, and allow for more flexible and efficient production processes.
Overall, the idea of designing and building products and services that have the same DNA as the machines that produce them can be a powerful way to create more efficient and effective systems, and is an approach that is likely to become increasingly important as technology continues to evolve.
Monetization is essentially a critical piece of a business model. It is the process of deriving revenue from the value we offer to our users. Marketing and sales have different unique drivers as showcased in the graph. While marketing is a coordinated activity to set up cohort lists, create campaigns and persuade the masses, sales is a singular activity with a one-on-one relationship with the customer. For such downstream activities, we plan to incubate at 1871, the flagship project of The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), to build out our exacting marketing strategy and go-forward plan. We are enabling our own Customer Data Platform to have interactions with the big data of social media. As we theme out our products in the mobility segment, we will evolve it to have behavioral analysis (Hyperstate‘s Kappa platform), targeting and personalization so that it corresponds with up-stream (product development) and mid-stream (manufacturing) digital threads to provide for a holistic view for marketing and sales, and also support and service.
Monetization refers to the process of generating revenue from a business or product. This can be done through various methods, such as selling goods or services, charging for access to content or features, or earning revenue through advertising or sponsorship. Marketing and sales are important activities that help businesses reach potential customers and convince them to purchase their products or services. Marketing involves creating and executing campaigns to promote a product or service, while sales involves directly interacting with customers and closing deals. Incubation at 1871, a center for entrepreneurship, can be helpful for building out a marketing strategy and go-forward plan. Enabling a customer data platform to interact with social media data and incorporating behavioral analysis, targeting, and personalization can also be helpful for creating a holistic view for marketing, sales, and customer service.
In order to successfully realize the building of our Proto Factory, it will be important for us to carefully plan and manage the process, including setting clear goals and objectives, identifying the resources and expertise that will be needed, and developing a detailed implementation plan. Utilizing our Digital Twine reference architecture we will break the process down into smaller, more manageable stages or phases, in order to better manage the complexity of the project and ensure that progress is being made towards our ultimate goals.
As we proceed with the building of our Proto Factory, it will be important to continuously monitor and evaluate our progress and make any necessary adjustments to our plan in order to stay on track and achieve our desired outcomes. For this we will utilize our basis for integration – the Tendril Connector, and our multimodal actionable intelligence orchestrator – the TAU. In addition, it will be important to keep stakeholders informed about our progress and any challenges or setbacks we may encounter along the way.
NI+IN UCHIL Founder, CEO & Technical Evangelist
EVERYTHING CONNECTED - Numorpho's Book of Business 