Intelligent predictive maintenance and industry 5.0: AI, conversational agents and metaverses

Predictive maintenance aims to estimate the remaining service life of equipment to avoid breakdowns. This approach has been around for several decades, but has evolved with the digital revolution of the 20th century. In 2011, this revolution gave rise to Industry 4.0, introduced by Angela Merkel, then Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, at the Hannover Fair in Germany. Industry 4.0 incorporates the Internet of Things, Big Data, the cloud, data analysis, robotics and artificial intelligence. However, some companies have noted a drop in productivity due to excessive automation and a reduction in human presence.

In response, the European Commission adopted Industry 5.0 in 2021. This new model puts people at the center of decision-making, and supports the sustainable development goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030. This article introduces Industry 5.0, with a focus on predictive maintenance. It is aimed at readers who wish to explore modern methods for estimating the RUL (Remaining Useful Life) of equipment. RUL is essential for anticipating the remaining service life of machines, a central element in predictive maintenance. We describe the most innovative methods of Industry 5.0, without going into technological detail.

§ 1 traces the evolution of industrial revolutions up to Industry 5.0, analyzing its impact on predictive maintenance, including the role of the human being, sustainability and system resilience. It also explores the link between intelligent predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies such as conversational agents and the metaverse.

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