What is the purpose of a gauge or an instrument?  When does a process need to be monitored in a way that can be measured?  Prior to the industrial revolution, gauges and mechanical instrumentation were almost unheard of.  That changed with the introduction of machines that performed functions that had previously been done through manpower.  As manufacturing became more and more automated, there had to be ways of ensuring that these large and complex machines were operating properly.  Early factories and manufacturing facilities had to learn the hard way that a machine that is not being properly monitored can be both dangerous and inefficient.  Furthermore, many large-scale operations require accurate measurements in order for their processes to be achieved successfully.  As automation and technology continue to develop, instrumentation continues to develop in order to accommodate it.  How might the future of instrumentation shape up?  Based on trends of today, there are some predictions that can be made.

• Simplification – In the last several years, digital technologies have made many measurements much easier to make. Easy-to-read displays will likely continue into the future, allowing for instrumentation that is more approachable and usable to the general public.
• Networking – We are already seeing an increase in networked instrumentation in manufacturing plants around the world. Instead of physically viewing instrumentation near the process that it’s measuring, networked systems can transmit the required data to a single hub that can compile and analyze the data for usable purposes.  Even your local electric and water companies may already be using technologies that can read your home meters from a truck or office.
• Lasers – The use of lasers and infrared to measure substances, positions, temperatures, and pressures will only continue to develop to permit more effective and safe measurements in difficult environments that would otherwise be very expensive, difficult, or risky to do otherwise.