The progress of technology and the development of test machines have always been pivotal to the advancement of human society. From the advent of electricity, which led to inventions like the light bulb and the telephone, to the rise of the internet and the emergence of giants such as Google, Baidu, and Alibaba, and now to the era of big data and the Internet of Things (IoT), technology has been a driving force.

In the early days, test machines were modeled after those from the Soviet Union, featuring large-scale mechanical counterbalances with dial indicators to read the results. Later, as our country's technological development progressed with the introduction of computer technology, we began to learn from Europe and America, leading to the development of closed-loop control systems with computer displays and testing capabilities. The evolution of the internet continues unabated, but it seems that test machines have reached a standstill here. When will Industry 4.0 arrive? It appears as though it may never come to this field.

The implementation of a computer closed-loop control system has seemingly trapped the manufacturing industry in the present. When customers ask if there is a touch screen available for the four-ball machine, the answer is yes. However, touch screens are not cutting-edge technology; they are merely an alternative display method. But is it practical to have a touch screen that gets greasy from oil in an oil testing experiment? Perhaps voice control and human-computer interaction would be more appropriate, where the operator can speak to the four-ball machine to perform work and analyze results. But do our enterprises really need to invest in such costly procurement and experimental procedures?

Instead of focusing on flashy but impractical new technologies, it would be better to enhance the stability and operability of machines and improve their precision. For instance, customers may not always install test machines on a perfectly level surface. Could the test machines be equipped with self-adjusting balance capabilities to make the experimental results more accurate? The experiments conducted by test machines typically involve physical tests such as stretching, bending, compressing, and friction. The placement and clamping of samples have always been a critical aspect. Clamping too tightly can cause the sample to break, while clamping too loosely can lead to slipping. This issue currently relies on the operator's control. Could there be an option to add pneumatic or electric clamping that allows the test machine to automatically adjust the clamping force?

Test machines have traditionally been divided into two categories: digital display and microcomputer control. Microcomputer control has already met the needs of most customers, with the only requirement being a more refined and accurate system. Customers with limited budgets often opt for digital display, which has always been a weak point in terms of data acquisition and output. Could there be an option to add a larger screen configuration to enrich the data and provide data output capabilities such as USB or Bluetooth, assisting small and medium-sized enterprises in completing their experimental reports?