Industry 4.0: Individual Perceptions About Its Nine Technologies

Industry 4.0 is a trendy concept that everyone is talking about. However there are several concepts and technologies attached to Industry 4.0. The concept is considered as the most recent industrial revolution and takes us to the domains of automation, digitalization and information, among others. The concept is trendy, but sometimes firms and employees are not able to follow new trends. This paper summarizes a research on the concepts of industry 4.0 and the 9 technologies commonly associated to Industry 4.0 umbrella. Most of the literature recognizes it as something that can bring several benefits to firms. However, it is also pointed out, that the adoption of these technologies relies in several factors. In this paper the focus is the human factors. A group of 260 persons participated in a questionnaire where were asked about their perceptions on industry 4.0 and its technologies. The main objective was to find different responses to Industry 4.0 technologies, according to age, education level, gender or field of studies. In general, all the individuals present a similar approach. Main differences were found on Big Data, Augmented Reality and Simulation technologies.