The terms IoT and Industry 4.0 are promising increasingly sophisticated solutions, but the realisation will depend on the inclusion of robust and reliable sensors. If the gathered data is flawed or inaccurate the performance of the whole system will be compromised. By reviewing research on robustness indicators, mechatronics and sensor properties as well as listing mechanical noise factors and providing an electromechanical trade-off example, the paper highlights the importance of considering both mechanical and electrical noise factors and robustness in early development of connected devices.
