AI is driving the fourth industrial revolution — and Philly companies are helping lead the way
Industry 4.0, the sweeping digitization of how goods are designed, used and maintained, is being driven by new technology, changes in workforce demographics, reindustrialization, regulation enforcement and a push towards sustainability, said Nick Lopez, principal at Deloitte, said at Phorum 2025.
From life sciences to advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies are reshaping entire industries, panelists said at the event last week.
'AI, [Internet of Things], 3D geospatial data, the list goes on and these technologies are accelerating very quickly,' Lopez said. 'There's huge potential to improve efficiency and productivity across industries, which will have a positive impact on all of our lives.'
More than just efficiency, Industry 4.0 is about reimagining what's possible when technology augments human expertise, whether that's catching errors before they happen, building smarter cities or accelerating life-saving medical breakthroughs
This fourth wave of industrial progress builds on previous revolutions — mechanization, electrification and computerization — by adding a new digital layer. AI now joins forces with technologies like the Internet of Things and digital twins, virtual models of real-world systems that can be used to simulate and improve operations in real time.
More AI pharma coming soon
Right now, AI is good at generating content and analyzing data, but a 'neuroscience approach' to AI is what's coming, said Denise Holt, cofounder of the SpatialWeb Foundation.
'AI that can actually mimic biological intelligence and model predictions for the future,' she said. 'To be able to have an understanding of the world and operate with knowledge of a digital representation of visible things.'
One version of this is active inference AI, which takes in sensory data, collects feedback and updates its understanding of its surroundings, she said. Another example is spatial web protocol, which would be a digital representation of physical things.
Similar work is happening in the life sciences industry with knowledge graphs, which collect information about what happens in manufacturing and can then be used to make predictions. While pharma companies face tight regulations, momentum is building, said Vishal Prasad, CTO at GSK.
'People are adopting it,' he said. 'With an LLM engine and basically a knowledge graph behind it that is really allowing them to make very good decisions in a very short period of time with very little effort.'
AI infrastructure analysis to plan construction
Companies are investing in tools that don't just process data, but adapt and learn from it.
Philadelphia-based companies are among those pushing the frontier.
Patrick Cozzi, chief platform officer at Bentley Systems and founder of Cesium, described how Cesium worked with Epic Games to create 3D tiles for real-time digital modeling. The tech started in gaming, but now powers everything from urban planning to national defense.
Cozzi explained how drones, GPS sensors and dash cams are being deployed to detect infrastructure issues like broken towers and cracked roadways.
AI is even helping plan developments more intelligently — estimating parking needs, for instance, before a single shovel hits dirt.
The next hurdle: data security
Still, security and data ownership are looming concerns for developers, especially in regulated industries like healthcare.
'The protocol of the spatial web, it has security baked in,' Holt said. 'Whereas right now, we're trying to use all these emerging technologies in the most unsecured environment, the World Wide Web.'
In this context, the security permissions would have set expirations, she added.
Plus, there is so much data out there and so much more data that will be coming in, companies have to think about how they're keeping up with it and its security, Lopez said.
'We're seeing more of this in terms of being able to analyze what's on your servers, what's in your cloud, understanding what's important,' Lopez said. 'Where it needs to be stored, in terms of security policies.
Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Technical.ly
15 hours ago
- Technical.ly
Philly's FORT Robotics lands $19M to scale machine safety platform
Biotech has always been a regional strength, and there's news about wins in that sector, but the Philly ecosystem also saw strong performance that points to other sectors on the rise. Robotics is one: On the heels of last year's Ghost Robotics acquisition and the continuing success of Burro, this month brought an announcement that FORT Robotics added a major chunk to its Series B, upping its total raise to over $60 million. Meanwhile, Dispatch Bio emerged from stealth and announced it had raised $216 million over the last three years. Plus, tech workforce development program Hopeworks received a donation from Dell Technologies to launch AI hubs. Get all the details on the latest money moves below the hiring trends chart. FORT Robotics raises $18.9 million FORT Robotics, which makes wireless functional safety systems for autonomous machines, raised an additional $18.9 million for its Series B round. The Center City company previously raised $25 million for its Series B, in 2022. Since then, the company launched a new hardware system that offers distributed control over internet protocol and wireless networks and allows users to control fleets of machines. It's now expanding its reach to industries beyond agriculture, construction and warehousing, FORT's CEO Samuel Reeves told 'This next period will be all about extending and enhancing our existing platform,' Reeves said. 'Building more comprehensive safety solutions that can continue to displace traditional machine control systems.' The company now has 550 customers, he said, and this additional funding will help increase its operations to support them. Hopeworks partners with Dell to increase AI education Dell Technologies donated equipment to tech workforce development org Hopeworks to launch AI Innovation Hubs at both its Camden and Philly campuses. Hopeworks declined to share the dollar amount of the donation. The hubs include Dell Pro Max workstations, which allows users to run large language models and store large amounts of data, according to Hopeworks CEO Dan Rhoton. The workstations will be infused into all aspects of Hopeworks training, including as a mock interview tool, lessons on how to use AI for productivity and integrating it into its work experience programs. The plan is to open up these AI hubs to other workforce organizations in the city, allowing more people to become familiar with the technology, he said. Dell's support also allowed Hopeworks to start an AI navigators program, where program participants will go out into the community and teach about AI. 'In an AI-powered world, our young adults aren't limited by knowing the right people or going to the right school or knowing how to write an email the right way,' Rhoton said. 'AI can eliminate a lot of those equity gaps.' Dispatch Bio launches with $216B after three years in stealth Biotech company Dispatch Bio emerged from stealth at the end of July, announcing it had raised $216 million since being founded in 2022. The company is developing a treatment for solid tumors, an antigen called Flare that identifies solid tumor cells and directs the body's immune system to those cells. Dispatch announced it closed a second installment of its Series A funding round, raising another $100 million. The company's original Series A closed in 2023 and raised over $100 million, Sabah Oney, CEO of Dispatch, told 'The financing will support Dispatch's growth, further expand its platform capabilities, and advance its first therapeutic candidate into clinical studies through … initial data readout,' Oney said. While the company has a presence in both Philly and San Francisco, 75% of the company's employees and its research and development facility are based in the Philly area, he said. More Money Moves: Global biopharma company AbbVie will acquire cell therapy company Capstan Therapeutics for $2.1 billion. A Penn spinout, Capstan's headquarters is in San Diego, but its research operations are in Philly. Social services organization SEAMAAC was selected to receive a $500,000 grant by Asian Americans Advancing Justice to support digital skills, AI literacy and job readiness training. Exton-based business communications company White Label Communications acquired Grupo NGN, an AI communications platform. Penn Spinout Carisma Therapeutics entered a merger agreement with OrthoCellix. This deal comes shortly after the company laid off most of its staff earlier this year. Statewide digital equity nonprofit KINBER received an ARPA Digital Connectivity Technology Program grant from the PA Broadband Development Authority to distribute 200 laptops to community partners across the state.
Technical.ly
a day ago
- Technical.ly
2025 AI Horizons Pittsburgh Summit
Date and Time 12:00am Location Bakery Square, Pittsburgh Ticket Information Go to event Event Description The race for AI adoption, commercialization, and market leadership is on. Join the world's leading researchers, innovators, and adopters as we explore how AI is transforming healthcare, manufacturing, defense, finance, robotics, and beyond.
Technical.ly
07-08-2025
- Technical.ly
Robots that work with humans, rather than replacing them? Young people are lining up to join PA's Precision Cobotics
This story was reported with support from Pennsylvania Gets It Done and the BusinessPA team at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Their work connecting businesses to financial resources, strategic partnerships and tailored guidance aims to build a stronger, more successful Pennsylvania economy. Startup profile: Precision Cobotics Founded by: Alex Corckran, Josh Horvath, John Bridgen Year founded: 2022 Headquarters: Lititz, PA Sector: Robotics Funding and valuation: Private equity, undisclosed by the company Key ecosystem partners: Millersville University, Lancaster County STEM Alliance, Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Career Ready Lancaster!, Bright Side Opportunities Center, Church World Service Lancaster and others. After seeing over a thousand young people engage with his company's workforce development program, John Bridgen can't agree with a phrase he hears all the time: 'No one wants to work anymore.' As president of Lancaster-based robotics company Precision Cobotics, Bridgen says he sees proof of the opposite almost every day. His inbox is filled with inquiries from young people eager to join the company, drawn in by Robotics Worx, a program created to cultivate local talent. 'When you value people and it aligns with some of their interests, they're more than happy to be part of your workforce,' Bridgen told '[Companies] need to look inward as to why they're not somewhere people want to work.' Located next to the Lancaster airport, Precision is helping shape the county's emerging tech ecosystem. Once known primarily for its quiet farms and Amish communities, the region has recently seen a series of business wins. Bridgen gives a lot of credit to the Steinman Foundation and its spinout the Lancaster County STEM Alliance, which awarded Robotics Worx $50,000 in launch funding. 'We have all these cool companies here,' Bridgen said. 'How do we get the upcoming talent in the area to be aware of it so they don't leave?' Founded in 2022, Precision Cobotics helps manufacturers integrate robotics into their operations. The company started with a mission to be a 'lean integrator,' according to Bridgen, specializing in quick deployments for smaller manufacturing firms. Today, it works with Fortune 500 clients, including what Bridgen described as a top-three global automotive company, a major aerospace firm and a leading confectionery brand. He declined to name them due to non-disclosure agreements. While the company builds relationships with global corporations, it's gaining local recognition. The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce recognized Precision Cobotics with the 2025 Thomas T. Baldridge Catalyst Award for its efforts to enhance the region's economic vitality and community well-being — and to rebrand manufacturing for the next generation. 'You need people to deploy robots' to build out American manufacturing In collaboration with Millersville University, Robotics Worx integrates with several Lancaster school districts and technical colleges to offer students internships, apprenticeships and other educational opportunities that can help them break into advanced manufacturing. Traditionally, manufacturing has been seen as a dirty and potentially dangerous career path, Bridgen said, but with the rise of robotics, it's increasingly viewed as a tech-driven field. This reframe is also happening in other parts of the state, driven by government pushes like Southwestern PA's New Economy Collaborative and the state-led Manufacturing PA Initiative. 'It's ironic because people would say robots take jobs, but what we're finding is you need people to deploy robots,' Bridgen said. 'These young students get it, and it's kind of a great, timely solution to the needs of building out manufacturing in America.' Almost half of the participants in the Robotics Worx program are from demographics traditionally underrepresented in the workforce, according to Bridgen. The US manufacturing sector in 2020 was more than 70% male and nearly 80% white, according to the National Academy of Sciences. During this past year, more than 1,500 students participated in the program, with over 60 students landing internships and three students securing full-time positions in the industry, according to Precision Cobotics' most recent community impact report. Robotics as a 'sport' that captures student interest The company's mission to train the next generation of advanced manufacturing workers links to its roots as an intern-led endeavor at its inception. Back in 2018, a group of manufacturing companies that had been operating in the region for over 100 years started to notice trends in automation and manufacturing labor shortages and became interested in cobotics – a field of robotics focused on designing robots that work alongside humans rather than replacing them. So they put interns to work crafting cobotics solutions. 'They started using interns to test out solving problems within their own manufacturing businesses, relatively successfully,' Bridgen said. 'It's been really beneficial for me to get hands-on experience outside of the classroom.' Chris Shenberger, Student and Robotics Worx mentor When the company was founded and Bridgen joined in 2022, he brought experience as a coach for the FIRST Robotics program, a national nonprofit founded by inventor Dean Kamen. Bridgen saw how much grade-school students enjoyed solving problems and building things, and realized it could be a model. '[Kamen's] philosophy was all these kids are into basketball and other sports that don't really have much of a likely professional career path,' Bridgen said, 'so how do we make robotics, automation, programming, mechanical engineering — all these skills that the world has jobs for — a sport to capture people?' Those ideas, that interns can do great work and young people love solving problems, are still at the heart of the company. 'It's been really beneficial for me to get hands-on experience outside of the classroom,' said Chris Shenberger, a Millersville University student and former Robotics Worx participant who now mentors others in the program. 'And it's really meaningful to see how it helps other students, especially the high schoolers.' Looking ahead, Precision Cobotics is eyeing opportunities to expand with new automation centers, but all potential growth would need to be aligned with the company's team-first culture, according to Bridgen. 'We want to be purposeful and very intentional about how we grow, because our culture is such an important part of that, and we don't want to lose it,' Bridgen said. 'We need to make sure, as we experience success, we don't lose what really matters.'
