Forces of Change in the Digital Age

Kamal Youcef-Toumi joined the MIT Mechanical Engineering Department faculty in 1985. He earned his advanced degrees (MS 1981 and ScD 1985) in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. His undergraduate degree (BS in Mechanical Engineering awarded in 1979) is from the University of Cincinnati. Professor Youcef-Toumi's research has focused primarily on design, modeling, simulation, instrumentation, and control theory. The applications of his work have included manufacturing, robotics, automation, metrology and high-speed imaging at the nano-scale. He teaches courses in the fields of automatic control systems; robotics; precision machine design and mechatronics. He played an important role in the MIT international research and education collaborations, including Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

Professor Youcef-Toumi was selected as a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator "in recognition of research and teaching accomplishments and academic potential"; awarded by President Ronald Reagan. He served as a member on several professional committees of The National Science Foundation, Chairman of the Information Technology program within The Arab Science and Technology Foundation, Member of the review committee for European Union funded Network of Excellence for Innovative Production Machines and Systems, Member of the Scientific Committee for Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum, Head of the Controls, Instrumentation and Robotics Area in the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT, Member of the MIT Council for International Programs, and Research and Strategy Advisor for Qatar Computing Research Institute, Co-Director of the Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). He is the Co-Director of the Center of Complex Engineering Systems at King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) & MIT, Director of the MIT Ibn Khaldun Fellowship Program for Saudi Arabian Women, and Director of the MIT Mechatronics Research Laboratory.

Professor Youcef-Toumi has served as a consultant for several companies including AT&T Bell Laboratories, EDO Corporation, Varian Radiation Division, Gillette Corporation, Delta Search Laboratories, Jentek Sensors, Morgan Stanley Co., General Electric, TEKES - National Technology Agency of Finland, Jordan Hospital, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Penn State University-College of Medicine - Cancer Institute, Board of Trustees at the University of Sharjah, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, United Kingdom) and Saudi Aramco. He is a senior member of IEEE and an ASME Fellow. He served as Chairman of the ASME Dynamics Systems & Control Division Robotics Panel. He was an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurement and Controls, the International Program Committee Chairman for the 2010 IFAC Symposium on Mechatronic Systems, and an Associate editor of the ASME's Dynamic Systems and Control Division (DSCD) Conference Editorial Board. He has served as Editor of several symposia/conference proceedings.

Professor Youcef-Toumi is the author of over 340 refereed publications, including a textbook on the theory and practice of direct-drive robots. He holds about 50 registered/pending patents. Professor Youcef-Toumi has been an invited lecturer at over 200 seminars at companies, research centers and universities throughout the world.

In 2018 alone, the digital transformation spending was more than USD 1 trillion. Industries that adopted digital technologies and IR4.0 concepts prospered. Their important benefits include enhanced competitiveness and better positioning in the global value chain. These are due to a greater operational effectiveness,  cost reduction, superior flexibility and automation in production, improved worker safety, along with digital services and business management. Modern organizations that embraced such digital transformation are forward-thinking, adapt  to diverse business environments, innovate in technology and beyond, refine the art of collaboration, and adjust to the changing generation of workers, talent and customers.

In this presentation, we will look briefly into some experimental results illustrating the advancements and main approaches in computing, intelligent robotic systems, and machine intelligence, along with some fundamental limitations. We will emphasize some aspects of competitiveness that relate to digital technologies and IR4.0. Continuous professional development of employees is inevitable for the digital transformation. The presentation will also cover some industry practices to illustrate the remarkable benefits, powerful investment, and emphasis on the training and development of their workforce.