Using digitization to improve how things get done has boosted revenue by reducing downtime in connected factories. The ability to immediately analyze and respond to process upsets, and the possibility to more accurately conduct scheduled maintenance help manufacturers to save money and to increase productivity. As more plants become smarter, manufacturers need a solution "to watch the robots." In today's interview, Norman Fast, CEO of Industrial Video & Control Co. will explain how IIoT is changing industrial network video solutions and what are the current demands. Lucian Fogoros: How did IVCCO come to produce video solutions for industrial applications?

Science and technology are essential tools for innovation. In the next few years, the impact of Digital Transformation will accelerate. Internet of Things (IoT aka M2M, IIOT, IoE – though each has its specific focus) is considered the most important trend in digitization. From connected homes, cars, cities to entire industries such as healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, public sector and utilities – connected and increasingly intelligent devices are transforming entire ecosystems, and one of the components are robots. Today, in our first Robotics Q&A, Mauro Fenzi, the CEO of Comau, discusses about different types of robots that already have a huge impact on manufacturing and other industries.

Lucian Fogoros: The number of industrial robots deployed worldwide will increase to around 2.6 million units by 2019. Broken down according to sectors, around 70 percent of industrial robots are currently at work in the automotive, electrical/electronics and metal and machinery industry segments. In what other sectors should we expect a growth? Ben Wolff: Most of the industrial robots that are in use today are intended to perform repetitive tasks in highly structured environments better, faster or cheaper than humans. Structured or predictable environments have historically been more conducive to automation and robotics because the number of variables are fewer and the problem set far more limited.