But there have been concerns expressed over reliability, integrity and security of this kind of wireless system, which have hampered its adoption.
To overcome these obstacles, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has launched the ‘Wireless Systems for Industrial Environments’ project, working with private-sector collaborators and standards organisations. According to NIST, this is the “first-ever” set of science-based guidelines on how to make a wireless factory.
The guide aims to help users select the best wireless system for “any” specific industrial environment, custom-design the setup to make it work, successfully deploy it, and then ensure that the network performs as needed. It also includes a series of best-practice case studies, demonstrating what strategies can be used to improve and optimise wireless in different factory situations.
"For example, one scenario looks at a common but often overlooked problem when using wireless communications: dealing with the RF interference that may arise from microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices and other non-operational items that personnel are using," Rick Candell, electronics engineer in NIST's Engineering Laboratory, said. "The guide tells how to identify the sources of such interference, measure how they impact factory operations, and then use the data to choose the most appropriate solution from those described in the text."
According to Candell, future guides from NIST will address more advanced communications scenarios such as wireless technologies for control of mobile and collaborative robotics in the factory.
