Science fiction writers are often heralded as great visionaries and predictors of future technology. But, “serious” writers, so to speak, also have their prophetic moments, even if by accident.
Consider the most famous writer in the English language, William Shakespeare. In 1611, he penned the classic play The Tempest about a shipwreck caused by an exiled Duke with magical powers.
Little did the Bard realize that more than four centuries later, a leading manufacturer would envision and create a British fighter aircraft that would carry the Tempest name. Or that this jet would be an aeronautical marvel built using several Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies.
“Since a UK Government announcement in 2018, we’ve been working at pace to utilize many advanced technologies to help create a Future Combat Air System called Tempest,” explains Austin Cook, principal technology and lead for the Factory of the Future project at BAE Systems. “Our goal on the production floor is to make major progress in machine connectivity, data collection, assembly automation, additive manufacturing and worker visualization during this time. By 2030, we need to have proven production systems in place for the Tempest, so it will be ready as a combat air system in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) by 2035.”
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