Industry 5.0, developed largely
in Europe, places human well-
being at the heart of the factory.
Implementing it can be costly,
as it requires rethinking factory
management through IoT and
artificial intelligence."
Piercarlo Scimonelli
Director of Product Marketing,
STMicroelectronics
A more recent trend reverses the exit of human
workers from the factory floor and instead expands
the role of automation to work alongside them.
The focus is on a type of collaboration in which
autonomous machines enhance the capabilities
of their human colleagues. This human-centric
approach is known as Industry 5.0.
Comparing Technologies
At first glance, autonomous and intelligent
systems may appear similar, but their needs differ
in important ways. The designers responsible
for creating them must understand the different
technologies that provide these characteristics.
Microcontroller units (MCUs) provide the single-chip
solution. MCUs are highly integrated systems that
include embedded peripherals, allowing them to be
installed easily. With real-time processing capabilities
and minimal requirements for additional external
components, they are highly suitable for edge
deployment within the factory floor. Their simplicity,
speed, and low power consumption make them well
suited for the smart factory.
C h a p t e r 1 | I n t e l l i g e n c e a n d A u t o n o my o n t h e Fa c t o r y F l o o r
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Autonomy Meets Intelligence: Enabling the Future of Factory Automation Autonomy Meets Int
