The Semantic Product Memory: An Interactive Black Box for Smart Objects

Low-cost and compact digital storage, sensors and radio modules make it possible to embed a digital memory into a product for recording all relevant events throughout the entire lifecycle of the artifact. By capturing and interpreting ambient conditions and user actions, such computationally enhanced products have a data shadow and are able to perceive and control their environment, to analyze their observations and to communicate with other smart objects and human users about their lifelog data. In the introductory section of this chapter, we illustrate the innovation and application potential offered through the concept of semantic product memories by an imaginative scenario. Then we provide a taxonomy of the wide variety of digital object memories: from mobile cyber-physical systems to semantic product memories in open-loop applications. We show that extended customer information, traceability and increased quality assurance have been the drivers for the rudimentary forerunners of product memories in the food industry. Then we discuss the benefits and risks of semantic product memories for producers as well as consumers. We argue that active semantic product memories will play a key role in the upcoming fourth industrial revolution based on cyber-physical production systems. Finally, we provide an overview of the structure and content of the remainder of this book.