Comment: Fulfilling the UK’s cyberphysical potential

The government response to the cyberphysical infrastructure consultation has set out an impressive vision of digitally-enhanced engineering and industry in the UK. £6.1 billion already invested in the Internet of Things by businesses between 2018 and 2022; £3.5 billion into robotics; £2.4 billion into augmented and virtual reality systems. Investment leading to accelerated levels of performance and global competitiveness built on new generation systems of robotics, drones and sensors woven together with AI and data analytics.

But the real issue is implementation. Who is going to have the vision and skills to design the systems and business models needed to make the tech deliver the necessary hard returns for business? With such large sums required for investment, effective applications for the long-term have to be assured.

Many elements of cyberphysical systems have been around for some years, but, as yet, haven’t led to substantial or widespread transformation in high-potential industry sectors such as defence, aerospace, rail, nuclear and manufacturing in general. Essentially that is because of the management complexity involved in cyberphysical. There is a need for end-to-end understanding of the issues — how to design, develop, execute and derive value from a digital solution — as well as co-operation and partnerships across supply chains to take full advantage of the possible gains.

Key staff for the moment tend to be very capable in some areas, perhaps in design, or in deriving value from tech, but don’t have a holistic capability — so plans and projects can easily stall or not lead to the benefits needed to justify ongoing budget spend. Often, project leads in the cyberphysical area will pitch solutions that only relate to a single set of processes, one piece of the infrastructure, without taking into account the full picture and implications. And as another example, particular skills and knowledge are needed to overcome the issues around interoperability, establishing the partnerships needed to share data across different systems.

There’s no doubt that a cyberphysical infrastructure must happen and will happen — and that those organisations who successfully adopt the tech will have a major advantage in their global markets. The question is which nations and enterprises will have the focus and energy to overcome the initial challenges involved in delivering a step change in operations.

As the government’s report has outlined, a cyberphysical infrastructure will mean some broad brush benefits: a platform for a faster cycles of innovation and improvements through virtual design and testing of models, not limited by location or physical infrastructure; improved levels of resilience through the use of data to anticipate and adapt to risks, and respond more quickly to threats and crises; be a means of enabling Net Zero transformations; and a way of supporting the ‘levelling up’ agenda by allowing people and businesses to be involved in operations whatever their location.

More specifically, for example, a technology such as a digital twin — a virtual replica that allows for the modelling and prediction of performance in all kinds of different situations — can prevent failures and sustain availability of physical assets through the use of feedback and analysis of their digital versions. Augmented Reality makes it possible to use a data fusion from different types of sensors to predict and enhance factory operations, being proactive and anticipating needs and events. This also means it’s possible to distribute expert knowledge across locations, however remote, to inform and manage performance of tasks — reducing time spent and the need for the same levels of expertise in every location. In both cases, better use of data means cost-savings, improved productivity, safety and overall competitiveness.

At Cranfield we’ve started to develop people with the full package of skills, equipping high-potential managers, those at junior and mid-range levels, with a toolkit to make the vision happen: how to understand the detail of requirements, how a data layer will add value, making sure there is a systematic approach to using data, giving people the skills to manage the range of analytics, machine learning, digital simulations and digital twins, use VR and AR. Two cohorts from major UK engineering businesses are already enrolled, with another two cohorts joining in June 2023 and October 2023.

For all its emphasis on digital representations and AI, the UK’s cyberphysical future — how soon it becomes possible and the extent of the rewards — will depend on the quality and skills of people.

John Ahmet Erkoyuncu is Professor of Digital Engineering and head of the Centre for Digital Engineering and Manufacturing at Cranfield University