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Chapter 5

Current Issues in

Mechanical Engineering

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Current Issues in Engineering

Today’s contents

5.1 Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0)

5.2 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

5.3 COVID-19 Pandemic

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Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0)

IR4.0 refers to a new phase in the Industrial Revolution that focuses heavily on:

    • Interconnectivity,
    • Automation,
    • Machine learning, and
    • Real-time data

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Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0)

Why IR4.0 is important:

    • Increased productivity
    • Improved efficiency
    • Increased Knowledge Sharing and Collaborative Working
    • Flexibility and agility
    • Easier compliance
    • Reduce costs
    • Innovation opportunities
    • Higher revenues and profitability

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Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0)

As an example, the application of IR4.0 in manufacturing industry:

“Swiss giant ABB used the latter in an Australian cement kiln. A computer-based system mimics the actions of an “ideal” operator, using real-time metrics to adjust kiln feed, fuel flow, and fan-damper position. The company found that the new tools boosted throughput by up to 5 percent.” – McKinsey & Company

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Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0)

In Malaysia:

The National 4IR Policy launched in July 2021 is the guiding principle for Malaysia to stay ahead of the 4IR curve. It should be utilised to harness the power of science and knowledge as the most important drivers for development, progress and prosperity, now, and in the foreseeable future. Malaysia needs to take advantage of this window of transformational opportunity, to uplift its people, businesses and government.

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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Founded by the United Nations, the Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.

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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

SDG No.

SDG Name

Goal

1

No poverty

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2

Zero hunger

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

3

Good health & well-being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

4

Quality education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5

Gender equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6

Clean water & sanitation

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7

Affordable & clean energy

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

8

Decent work & economic growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9

Industry, innovation & infrastructure

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

SDG No.

SDG Name

Goal

10

Reduced inequalities

Reduce inequality within and among countries

11

Sustainable cities & communities

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12

Responsible consumption & production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13

Climate action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

14

Life below water

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

15

Life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

16

Peace, justice & strong institutions

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17

Partnership for the goals

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Some of the activities/initiatives/efforts related to the SDG:

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COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic cripple various industries, while some has been maintained to some extent.

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COVID-19 pandemic has caused supply chains disruption, shortage of people and materials, and excessive control of expenses.

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COVID-19 Pandemic

What are ways engineering are playing a role in responding to the pandemic?

  • The genetic structure of the virus was sequenced within weeks of its discovery, and it was done with the help of both scientists and engineers. Optical, electrical, mechanical, computer, and chemical engineers were all involved in making that possible.

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  • Scientists are discovering the vaccines though there’s also engineering in it — to go from making 100 doses to a billion doses, that’s a huge engineering challenge.

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COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • Engineers are also working on maintaining the integrity of the supply chain — getting equipment such as masks to where they’re needed, and getting the right chemicals together to make vaccines and therapeutics, and those come from all over the world.

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  • The application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate the rapid development of therapeutics (healing of disease) and vaccines. Artificial intelligence processes a lot of information to identify promising routes to therapeutic interventions.

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COVID-19 Pandemic

What are innovations that engineers are bringing to the response effort?

  • The speed and scale of diagnostic tests for COVID-19 have improved greatly, and engineers have brought artificial intelligence, automation, and process control to industry’s development of those diagnostics. The increase in testing capability is due in great measure to these engineering tools.

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  • Some engineering companies are using what’s called a “digital twin” — a computer model of the real world that can help them adjust to the real world. They model systems in the real world — such as the pandemic, or manufacturing processes — which lets them anticipate problems and plan what to do. The model is continually improved by putting in more real-world data as it emerges.

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Class Activity

In 10-minutes, briefly draft a community-based project that has the elements of:-

    • IR4.0
    • SDG
    • COVID-19 pandemic

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Students will be randomly selected to briefly share and explain their ideas.

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What we have learned today?

Let’s reflect

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End of Lecture 5.0

Introduction to Mechanical Engineering