• The University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Schneider Electric have announced the launch of a 4IR experience room at UJ’s Auckland Park campus.
• The room is designed to showcase the successful 4IR-related projects from UJ and Schneider Electric since 2016.
• Focused namely at students from the engineering faculty, the room is a practical demonstration of the inner workings of 4IR.

This time last year the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) was the only thing anyone in government would speak about, as new labs, initiatives, and projects were announced.

While the ongoing energy crisis has taken over as a top priority, 4IR remains a focus for others, as the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Schneider Electric have announced the launch of a 4IR experience room.

The room is located at UJ’s Auckland Park campus, and serves to highlight thew successful projects that the tertiary institution and Schneider Electric have partnered on since 2016.

“The experience room offers real-time demonstrations of 4IR technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), VR (Virtual Reality), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 3D printers. Schneider Electric’s vendor neutral ecosystem, EcoStruxure is also on full display, the architecture encompasses connected products, edge control layers, and apps, analytics and services in a myriad of sectors,” the company explains in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.’ Said Leonard Sweet. We must create partnerships like the one we have with Schneider Electric. 4IR entails increased interconnectivity and we must not leave others behind. We are seeing it in our factories, homes and classrooms. It is myopic to perceive 4IR as shift in technological innovation, it is an intelligence revolution,” added Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi, UJ Vice Chancellor and Principal, who was present at the unveiling.

The room is focused on engineering faculty students, offering a practical demonstration of the inner workings of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, its interconnectivity, and relevance in critical sectors such as energy.

[Image – Provided]