Life in the HMI marketplace is getting much more complicated these days, now that the requirements being put on HMIs are increasing.
ARC notes that HMIs are taking on attributes of traditional SCADA applications and running more sophisticated analysis functions, just as we described in "Jump Start IT" [CONTROL--March '03, p29]. Today's HMI hardware and software may perform IT functions, such as maintaining an asset management data base or process historian, or it may use its XML and Web Services capabilities to make the bridge between plant floor systems and IT software running elsewhere.
While it does that, HMI products are also expected to monitor a process and put up operator screens, trends, and alarms. Let's not forget that HMIs still must talk to human operators and keep them informed about the process.
Although HMI hardware and software is approaching commodity status because of the COTS platform, the capabilities expected from that commodity are getting extremely complex. The first HMI vendor who can offer a reasonably priced product that does everything we have come to expect may run away with the market.
Don't be the least bit surprised if Microsoft acquires an HMI/SCADA vendor, produces a line of .NET/Web Services operator interfaces, and makes HMIs a true commodity (you heard it here first). It seems like the market is right for somebody to do just that.
Meanwhile, the products that follow in our roundup illustrate a selection of the latest HMIs you can still buy from industrial hardware and software vendors.
