I imagine something keeps monitors how many times the lift has gone up and down for maintenance reasons. Maybe a nice model monitors fluid pressure in the hydraulics to watch for leaks. Perhaps a model watches strain, or balance, to prevent a catastrophic failure. Maybe those are just sensors but if they can’t report their values they shutdown for safety’s sake. There are all kinds of reasonable scenarios that don’t rely on bad people trying to screw or cheat someone.
None of these features require internet or a windows machine, most of them do not require a computer or even a microcontroller. Strain gauges can be useful for checking for an imbalanced load, but they cannot inspect the metal for you.
