The NDE 4.0: Key Challenges, Use Cases, and Adaption

Historians split recent times into three industrial revolutions: mechanization (steam power), technical (electric power and mass production), and digital (computing and microelectronics). The world of NDE has a parallel: tools to sharpen human senses, wave application to view inside the components, and digital processing and automation. As the industry goes through the fourth revolution powered by interconnections and enhanced digitalization, NDE is also on a new horizon: NDE 4.0 with information transparency, technical assistance, autonomous, and decentralized decisions. Technologies such as IIoT, AR, AI, 5G, and blockchains are opening up new inspection and safety assurance possibilities in every industrial sector. To establish a proper foundation for technical research on this emerging subject, it is important to first research the perception of stakeholders, misconceptions around NDE, the value proposition of NDE 4.0, the challenges and opportunities, and even outline a process to pursue it. This paper presents a critical view of current thinking and major use cases for NDE 4.0 - both Industry 4.0 for NDE and NDE 4.0 for Industry; all leading up to a safer, cheaper, faster, and reliable inspection eco-system. It also dwells upon challenges such as skills relevance, adoption, and leadership in the cyber-physical world.