THE Transformers and Terminator film franchises have brought us to the realm of the impossible, where robots are like human beings — they can walk, talk and behave like one. But in this century everything is possible.
The creation of the robot “Sophia” in 2016, for instance, has proven that everything is possible in this modern era. In the film The 6th Day by Roger Spottiswoode, the theory of human cloning seems far-fetched until the achievement by Dr Ian Wilmut from Scotland in 1997.
He produced Dolly, the first cloned sheep that made headlines all over the world.
Thus, the Industrial Revolution 4.0, or 4IR, will produce vast changes in various sectors.
Education, business, transfer of technology and the professional sectors could be affected by 4IR. The first industrial revolution began in 1760 when hand-production machines were replaced by machines and factory tools that used steam and water power.
The second revolution saw mass production involving the use of electricity. Electronics, information and technology systems and robotics started in the third revolution, and 4IR is the use of cloud technology.
The sector that will benefit most from 4IR is the construction industry. In Malaysia, an example of this is the Building Information Modelling. This intelligent 3D model-based process gives architecture, engineering, and construction professionals the insight and tools to plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure more efficiently.
Another approach is the Highway Information Modelling (HIM). HIM is used as a specialist project monitoring tool to visualise, control and track the contractor’s progress to make sure that he complies with the design requirement. This helps construction players minimise errors during the construction stage and helps reduce cost.
The 3D printing system used by architects to produce a small-scale prototype has been transformed to be used in mass construction projects. In China, 3D printing is used to build a house.
In addition, the use of Industrialised Building System can minimise the cost of labour and speed up the project completion.
4IR can bring advantages to certain areas. It is expected to make changes to people’s lives, work and communication. But it will be a worrying time for the incoming generation because many of the jobs will become obsolete. The X and Y generations may survive the revolution, but generation Z and the following generations will face challenging times.
According to the World Economic Forum, 65 per cent of children in primary education will end up working in jobs that haven’t been created.
A 2013 research by Oxford University showed that obsolete jobs included data entry, library technicians, accounts clerks, photographic process workers, processing machine operator, tax preparer, cargo and freight agents, horologists, insurance underwriters, mathematical technicians, title examiners, abstractors, searchers and telemarketers. It is expected that 46.4 per cent of jobs in manufacturing, 32.3 per cent in finance and 44 per cent in wholesale and retail will be gone by 2030.
The most challenging will be in the education sector. This sector must revise needs and demands, and make changes to the education system to cater to the future. Future generations need to be prepared to adapt to the changes brought by 4IR.
ADRINA ROSSEIRA ABU TALIP
Lecturer, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Construction Engineering and Project Management, UiTM Pasir Gudang, Johor