The team at Automate.org, the North American trade association and a global advocate for advancing the benefits of automation, recently posted what they believe to be the top 5 emerging industrial automation trends in 2024 and invited automation enthusiasts to see these innovations at the upcoming Automate Show in Chicago, May 6-9. Let’s take a brief look at these technologies and add one additional trend that I think deserves much attention:

1. Digital Twins: The use of digital twins enable manufacturers to observe how their automation systems will interact with other equipment on the shop floor. Companies could also create virtual representations of their supply chain to see if changes are in order.
2. 3D Printing: Additive manufacturing has significantly advanced, reducing costs and increasing cycle speeds. Its adoption accelerated in 2023 across various sectors, a trend that is expected to persist.
3. Generative AI: Companies in various industries from healthcare to automotive are making investments in AI and finding new applications in the automation field. It is believed that generative AI can suggest new manufacturing solutions or speed up product development.
4. Machine Vision: Innovations in machine vision applications continue to make advances on the factory floor, impacting everything from cobots to autonomous vehicles keeping an eye out for pedestrians.
5. Humanoid robots: While humanoid robots have yet to gain universal adoption, multiple startups have introduced in 2023 advanced and affordable humanoid robots, which to date, are mostly intended for warehouse applications. It is anticipated that humanoid robots will find their value in a slew of new applications.
   
   No doubt, the future of automation is promising and expectations are high as innovative solutions continue to emerge and become increasingly affordable. As Wibu-Systems becomes more involved in the automation field, we are finding that the common component enabling all these innovations is software. And this is where we see an additional emerging trend:
    
6. Software protection and licensing: With the extensive digital transformations occurring in the manufacturing sector, the cyberthreat attack surface has expanded exponentially making cybersecurity awareness critical. Today’s automation systems are programmed to collect and share data, make decisions that trigger actions, and independently control processes. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in machine vision, robotics, and predictive maintenance makes an ever-increasing amount of critical data vulnerable and puts industrial processes at further risk. For example, additive manufacturing processes are beginning to integrate various AI and machine learning-based algorithms to exploit the full potential of the 3D technology. The trained printing model that grows from the machine learning process becomes the intellectual property of the manufacturer and must be protected from inadvertent modifications or even intentional attacks. There could be counterfeiters trying to build similar systems by abusing the property of the original maker or there might even be outright saboteurs who want to manipulate what the system can produce in practice. In addition to data and system security, companies are finding creative software licensing strategies that enable them to grow revenues through software monetization.

Let’s look at a few examples where Wibu-Systems’ customers use our CodeMeter licensing and protection technology to safeguard and monetize their software-driven automation solutions.

Daimler Buses, a pioneer in the automative industry for industrial 3D printing, has integrated CodeMeter protection and licensing into its OMNIplus 3D-printed spare parts business, providing the essential technological basis for both encrypting the critical data and for creating and delivering the necessary licenses securely.

Artiminds Robotics, a specialist in the development of software to standardize the workflow for automation with robots, utilizes the comprehensive CodeMeter security platform to protect their IP and license enforcement capabilities while empowering their customers to secure their production know-how against threats of all kinds.

B&R Industrial Automation, a global engineering company providing complete solutions for machine and factory automation, integrates CodeMeter with their Technology Guarding system to protect their IP and enable scalable business models, where users do not have to pay for machine functions they do not need. At the same time, B&R customer engineers can generate post-market sales by providing additional features that are enabled when a specific license is detected.

MVTec, a leading manufacturer of standard software for machine vision, uses the flexible CodeMeter licensing and protection platform to support a comprehensive range of architectures, operating systems, and industrial environments. For MVTec, this means a licensing system that fits perfectly with the many possible applications and use cases of its machine vision software, and the ease of having all its licensing and monetization operations in one central, cloud-facilitated, and effectively and easily managed place.

If you have interest in learning more about software licensing and protection for automation solutions, we will be at

• the Hannover Messe, April 22-26, in Hanover, Germany. Join our guided tours led by the CEO and founder himself and have a direct interaction with industry leaders like Endress+Hauser, MVtec, Phoenix Contact, and ETM (a Siemens subsidiary) to learn how they are benefitting from CodeMeter; the meeting point is our exhibit, hall 16, booth D16
• the Automate Show, May 6-9, in Chicago, IL USA. Stop by Booth 2185 and see our advanced CodeMeter software licensing and protection solutions for robotics, machine vision and imaging, motors and motion controllers, AI and machine learning, and other software-driven intelligent machine applications.