• Enthusiasm for developments that cannot be stopped - such as the PC, which made its way into the control level of production facilities worldwide. Or the topic of Ethernet in the factory, which caused heated discussions at the end of the 1990s - and is now the basis for data continuity from the sensor to the cloud.
• Enthusiasm for the digitalization of sensor technology, which turns 'dumb' sensors into intelligent data collectors whose data can be used and exploited in the Industry 4.0 world, not least thanks to IO-Link.
• Enthusiasm for sensors that draw their energy from the environment thanks to energy harvesting - and whose radius of action is no longer limited to home automation.
• Enthusiasm for automation engineers on their way to miniaturizing the CO2 footprint of their production processes.

The first cover picture of Computer&Automation from 1998.

© WFM

• Enthusiasm for bionic swimming, gripping and flying objects, such as those presented by Festo every year and always new, and whose drive and material concepts are incorporated into the world of automation(page 78).
• Enthusiasm for developments that help and relieve people - such as robots that operate in inaccessible environments or that perform monotonous or dangerous tasks. Or cobots that work side by side with human colleagues. Or like exoskeletons that assist with physically demanding work.
• Enthusiasm for the people behind these developments as well as for those who do not shy away from the technical upheavals! Those who are not afraid of the virtual worlds that are finding their way into their everyday working lives - for example with smart glasses for remote maintenance, warehouse logistics and maintenance - and who are not afraid of working hand-in-hand with their robot colleagues.
• And last but not least, enthusiasm for an industry that gives the feeling of a big family reunion at SPS every year(page 13).

What is the fascination of automation for you? Feel free to write to me - beyond my desk, I'm a 'bookworm'.