IMPENDING PARADIGM SHIFT IN ENGINEERING AND 3RD INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Amitabha Ghosh

Senior Scientist National Academy of Sciences India Honorary Distinguished Professor IIT Kanpur and BESU Shibpur

Paradigm shift in technology brings overwhelming transformations in the society affecting almost all spheres of activities. In the recorded history only twice such changes took place. These are usually referred to as INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS. The first IR happened during the period 17751830 and the second IR started in the 1960s and reached its maturity in the 1990s.

Industrial Revolutions in the Human History

First IR: 1775 Emergence of Prime Movers. Technology and Manufacturing became the deciding factor for World Power

Second IR: 1970 Emergence of Microelectronics, Computers and Communication. Knowledge-based industry and Information Technology transfo-rmed the society and started playing a major role in World Economy.

Yearly Pig Iron Production in England -1000 1000 Tons)

100

10 1700 1750 1800

Railway Newcomens Atmospheric Engine (1712) James Watts Rotary Trevithiks Separate Condenser Engine Real Steam (1769) (1788) Engine (1802)

Second Industrial Revolution

First Industrial Revolution

Third IR:

Engineering based on Biomimetics and advanced systems based upon the principles of Synthetic Biology will follow the principles of biology and life science. The emergence of such systems will take the society to a situation beyond the science fictions. Maximum impact will be on health care and artificial intelligence. Man still may not be able to create artificial life but many future machines will possess many of the attributes of a living organism.

Presently it is difficult to identify the appropriate parameter to mark the event

The Second Industrial Revolution was characterized by 2 dimensional miniaturization. Objective was to manipulate information. The Third Industrial revolution will be characterized by 3 dimensional miniaturization. Objective will be to manipulate material.

But Why Miniaturize?

To understand the importance of miniaturization and its need one has to examine the trend of development in technology

Degree of Automation & Intelligence Level

Autonomous Humanoid Robots

Intelligent Microrobots/ Manipulating Blood Cells

Mars Land Rover

CNC Machining Centre

Micro Machine Tool

Molecular Motor

1/Size

Trend of Miniaturization
Macro Meso
Traditional Processes

Micro Level of material manipulation

Current Micro & RP Technology

Nano technology

Nano Atomic

2000

Time

??

Miniaturization will be a very major feature in future machines for many reasons
# Lower cost and higher packing density makes it possible to incorporate a very large number of variety of sensors which is essential to make a machine intelligent and autonomous. # Non invasive health care can be possible through miniaturization. # Low energy and low material consumption leading to better conservation of resources. # Fast response and disposable. # New laws of physics and chemistry for small scale may be necessary for particular applications.

It should not be forgotten that miniaturization will be unavoidable for making not only small things but for developing systems of macroscopic sizes also miniaturization will be a very important activity
Compact packing of very large number of sensors Making actuators relatively more powerful Reducing the cost for necessary social impact

The trend of change in fabricating miniaturized systems through the new capability for manipulating material at micro, nano and molecular levels can be represented by the next diagram in a schematic manner.

Impact of Miniaturization on Various Aspects of Futuristic Systems

Configuration and Design Material Actuation Sensing and Control Fabrication and Manufacturing Energy Source

Intelligent systems major characteristics depend on the massively parallel arrangement of miniaturized devices like all living organisms. This is not only to just increase the information collection ability but to use the advantages of scaling laws

In Design

In Fabrication

In Operation

Monolithic Structures Miniaturization Massive Parallelism Soft Material Bottom-Up Approach Self Assembly of Materials at Micro, Nano and Molecular Levels Self Replicating Intelligent Self Learning Self Correcting

Energy

Biochemical Metabolism, Photosynthesis

Scaling of different types of forces

10
Surface Tension Van der Waal s Electrostatic Gravity/Electromagnetic

10 Force (N) 10

10 10 10 10 10

Object Radius (m)

Electrostatic Force ~ l Inertia Force/Electromagnetic Force(Const. Heat Flow) ~ l Electromagnetic Force(Const. Current Density) ~ l

F l

Number of actuators = n

F/n l/n

F/n

nF

(F/n)n=nF

Trends of Paradigm Shifts

Features

Multi component
Material

Monolithic

Hard and dumb

Actuation

Soft and smart Smart materials, ionic polymer based artificial muscles and molecules Distributed
Sensors

Electric, hydraulic, Pneumatic motors and actuators Centralized

Microscopic, mesoscopic size Limited numbers Seperated

Microscopic, nanoscale Very large numbers Integrated

External and predominantly electrical

Energy Source

Internal and biochemical and electrical

Centralized

Distributed

Size

Mostly Macroscopic
Manufacturing

Miniaturized in many cases

Top down

Bottom up and self assembled in many cases. Self replication the ultimate dream

For actuation and operation smart materials will be used which respond to electrical signals viz Electro Active Polymers, Shape Memory Alloy and some Smart Macro Molecules.

Shape Memory Alloy

Basic Principle of Bending of IPMC Beams

Molecular Motors

Energy Source
In extremely miniaturized systems the source of energy may be very different and can be localized at the places of their requirement. The major clue to such matters are expected to come from the living world. In such situations the power transmitting electrical connections can get eliminated. The maximum potential in this direction belongs to the use of hydrolysis of ATP that releases a substantial amount of free energy. In fact this is the common energy currency in all plants and other living objects.

Energy is stored in the covalent bonds between phosphates. ADP + Pi + Energy ATP Hydrolysis of ATP ADP + Pi ATP ENERGY

Fabrication and Manufacturing

Fabrication and manufacturing of microsystems is going to be the real challenge. The traditional top down approach will be very unsuitable and, sometimes, impossible to implement.

A fundamental paradigm shift is inevitable and one must switch over to the bottom up approaches which is universal in all living organisms.

Progress of TOP-DOWN & BOTTOM-UP approaches

Macro Meso

Microelectronics

Micro Level of material manipulation Nano

Chemistry biotechnology Generative Manufacturing MEMS nEMS Molecular electronics

1950

1990
Time

2010

Fabrication of Miniaturized Systems by Top Down Approach

Till now the primary process for microsystem fabrication is based on lithography. As a result the confugarations of most such devices are prdominantly 2 & dimensional. The real challenge is to create truely 3 D microsystems in a cost effective manner

The real challenge can be met with techniques adopting bottom up approach. Furthermore, economically viable fabrication will have to adopt the self assembly principle

Components that interact irreversibly give rise to disordered products

Components that can adjust positions once in contact can form ordered objects if the ordered form is the lowest energy configuration

Self Assembly Molecular Level

Pattern Generation by Self Assembly

HPB

Pattern Generation by Self Assembly

HPB

Futuristic Engineering Miniaturization

S M A R T M A T E R I A L S

Massive parallelism

Embedded Biochemical Energy Source And Control Electronics

Bottom up Fabrication And Self Assembly Based Mass Manufacturimg

From many points of view the engineering systems of the coming age will mimic the living objects. There will be a major synthesis of life science and engineering. The artificially designed and developed devices and systems will be based upon biological principles. A new branch of applied science and technology entitled Synthetic Biology has started emerging.

Traditional Engineering Physics

Mathematics and Computation for Extensive Simulation & Modeling Life Science

Chemistry Engineering of the New Era

EMERGING ENGINEERING SUBECTS

Molecular Engineering Synthetic Biology Smart Macromolecules and Intelligent Materials Manufacturing by Self Assembly of Materials Artificial Intelligence, Self Learning, Self Correction Self Replication

Thus, it is apparent that in not too distant future the subject Engineering will have a different look. It will be heavily dependent on Physical Sciences and in many cases the guiding principle will follow the living world. It may not be impossible that a very many systems and devices will depend on biochemical energy for their operation. And photosynthesis could also be a source. It can make a very major impact on the world environment and save our world

Thank You