<P> The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial Revolution of the 18th century . It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres . It is marked by emerging technology breakthroughs in a number of fields, including robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, nanotechnology, quantum computing, biotechnology, The Internet of Things, The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), fifth - generation wireless technologies (5G), additive manufacturing / 3D printing and autonomous vehicles . Klaus Schwab has associated it with the "second machine age" in terms of the effects of digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) on the economy, but added a broader role for advances in biological technologies . It is disrupting almost every industry in every country . And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of entire systems of production, management, and governance . </P> <P> Schwab sees as part of this revolution "emerging technology breakthroughs" in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, quantum computing and nanotechnology . The fourth wave of the industrial revolution is expected to see the heavy implementation of several emerging technologies with a high potential of disruptive effects . </P> <P> The First Industrial Revolution took place from the 18th to 19th centuries in Europe and America . It was a period when mostly agrarian, rural societies became industrial and urban . The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution . </P>

Where can the fourth industrial revolution be used