The Fourth Industrial Revolution (or Industry 4.0) is the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology. Large-scale machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the internet of things (IoT) are integrated for increased automation, improved communication and self-monitoring, and production of smart machines that can analyze and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention.
The phrase Fourth Industrial Revolution was first introduced by Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, in a 2015 article published by Foreign Affairs.