Since the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the paradigm of manufacturing has been rapidly changing. Factories are no longer mere collections of automated equipment, but are evolving into "intelligent ecosystems" that make decisions, collaborate, and optimize energy.

The recently published eBook "Autonomy Meets Intelligence," sponsored by STMicroelectronics and Mouser Electronics, identifies the marriage of "autonomy" and "intelligence" as the key to this transformation.

ST experts who participated in the eBook emphasized that autonomy and intelligence must be clearly distinguished.

Autonomy is the ability of a system to perform tasks on its own without human intervention, and intelligence is the ability to understand and make judgments about its surroundings.

For example, if a self-driving robot's movement according to a map is autonomy, then recognizing obstacles and avoiding them is the realm of intelligence.

While Industry 4.0 led the digitalization of factories, Industry 5.0 focuses on collaboration between humans and machines.

Industry 5.0, which is spreading mainly in Europe, prioritizes human safety and well-being, and automation technology is developing in a way that complements human capabilities.

The key technology accelerating the intelligence of smart factories is 'edge AI'.

Image analysis and machine learning tasks that previously required high-performance MPUs (Microprocessor Units) are now possible with MCUs (Microcontroller Units).

ST's new MCU 'STM32N6' has a built-in NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and can even perform camera-based vision processing.

ST experts say, “Industry “High-performance AI, such as large-scale language models, is not necessary in the field,” they said, adding, “Lightweight and efficient edge AI is more suitable.”

Processing data at the edge reduces latency, enables stable operation even in the event of network failures, and offers security advantages.

The industrial sector accounts for 37% of global energy consumption.

Rising energy costs and tightening carbon regulations are putting a strain on manufacturing.

Accordingly, energy optimization has emerged as a key task across all plant operations, including motor control, power conversion, and equipment maintenance.

ST's GaN and SiC-based power semiconductors deliver high efficiency even in high-voltage and high-temperature environments, while isolated gate drivers such as the STGAP series enhance the safety of high-voltage equipment.

AI-based motor control precisely adjusts power according to load, reducing energy waste, and predictive maintenance technology detects equipment failures in advance to prevent unnecessary downtime.

Another key to smart factories is ‘sensing.’

Robots and automated equipment must accurately perceive their surroundings to move safely. For this purpose, various sensors such as vision sensors, ToF sensors, radar, and ultrasound are used.

Recent sensors go beyond simple data collection and perform intelligent functions such as FSM, MLC, and ISPU on their own.

In other words, the sensor itself is evolving into a 'smart sensor' that performs primary analysis and transmits only necessary information to the upper system.

This is an essential technology in the Industry 5.0 environment where people and robots work together, as it reduces network load and increases response speed.

The future of smart manufacturing goes beyond simple automation and is moving toward a "human-centered factory" that combines autonomy and intelligence.

STMicroelectronics is at the center of this transformation, building a technology ecosystem that encompasses all areas, including MCUs, power semiconductors, sensors, and AI models.

Meanwhile, Mouser's extensive list of eBooks can be found at https://resources.mouser.com/manufacturer-ebooks/.