Four Industrial Revolutions

Mechanical engineering (1) is the most general of the engineering (2) disciplines. It is connected with mechanisms, machines and energy conversions. The history of mechanical engineering goes back to the time when the man first tried to make machines. We call the earlier rollers, levers (3) and pulleys (4) the work of mechanical engineering. People used slave labour to construct and operate the great engineering works of ancient times. During the Middle Ages people began to seek devices and methods of work that were more efficient and humane. Wind, water and some animals were used to provide energy for some of these new devices.

Mechanical engineering, as we understand it today, starts from the first Industrial Revolution. The first Industrial Revolution took place in England between 1760 and 1840. Metal became the main material of the engineer instead of wood, and steam gave man great reserves of power. This power drove railway engines and ships. James Watt was the key figure (5) in the early development of steam engines. He devised (6) the concept of horsepower (7) to calculate the amount of work his machines performed.

In the second Industrial Revolution, from 1880 to 1920, electricity was the main technical force. It provided power for factories that was easier and cheaper to control than steam. At that period such new industries as chemical and electrical engineering, as well as production methods such as semi-automatic (8) assembly lines appeared. In the 19^th century the engineers began to combine scientific research and practical application of its results on a vast scale (9).

The third Industrial Revolution coincided with the advent (10) of automation. The first stage of automation – mechanization, or the use of machines to do the work of animals or people, was introduced into all manufacturing processes (11). There are six basic kinds of mechanization. Classification depends on whether machines, or combination of animals and people, are responsible for the three main elements that occur in every type of activity – power, action and control.

Around the middle of the last century there occured a great scientific invention in the world. The electronic computer influenced all spheres of life. We can’t imagine our life without computers.

What is the fourth Industrial Revolution? It will be characterized by automated machines that are versatile and programmable. The machines will perform work according to different sets of computer instructions. It will be characterized by flexible, automated machinery, the most interesting example of which are robots. Now we are entering the fourth Industrial Revolution.