When Internet of Things meets Metaverse: Convergence of Physical and Cyber Worlds

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) is studied in the context of the Metaverse to provide users immersive cyber-virtual experiences in mixed reality environments. This survey introduces six typical IoT applications in the Metaverse, including collaborative healthcare, education, smart city, entertainment, real estate, and socialization. In the IoT-inspired Metaverse, we also comprehensively survey four pillar technologies that enable augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), namely, responsible artificial intelligence (AI), high-speed data communications, cost-effective mobile edge computing (MEC), and digital twins. According to the physical-world demands, we outline the current industrial efforts and seven key requirements for building the IoT-inspired Metaverse: immersion, variety, economy, civility, interactivity, authenticity, and independence. In addition, this survey describes the open issues in the IoT-inspired Metaverse, which need to be addressed to eventually achieve the convergence of physical and cyber worlds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Application of Industry 4.0 Technologies in Sustainable Logistics: A Systematic Literature Review (2012-2020) to Explore Future Research Opportunities

Nowadays, the market competition becomes increasingly fierce due to diversified customer needs, stringent environmental requirements, and global competitors. One of the most important factors for companies to not only survive but also thrive in today’s competitive market is their logistics performance. This paper aims, through a systematic literature analysis of 115 papers from 2012 to 2020, at presenting quantitative insights and comprehensive overviews of the current and future research landscapes of sustainable logistics in the Industry 4.0 era. The results show that Industry 4.0 technologies provide opportunities for improving the economic efficiency, environmental performance, and social impact of logistics sectors. However, several challenges arise with this technological transformation, i.e., trade-offs among different sustainability indicators, unclear benefits, lifecycle environmental impact, inequity issues, and technology maturity. Thus, to better tackle the current research gaps, future suggestions are given to focus on the balance among different sustainability indicators through the entire lifecycle, human-centric technological transformation, system integration and digital twin, semi-autonomous transportation solutions, smart reverse logistics, and so forth

Asset Management of Existing Concrete Bridges Using Digital Twins and BIM: a State-of-the-Art Literature Review

The need to optimize investments in bridge maintenance has created a demand for improved bridge management systems (BMS). Outdated practices in bridge inspection and constant advances in information technology have also contributed to this demand. The use of Digital Twins (DT), although well established in other industries, is still incipient for asset management and structural analysis of bridges. There is a great deal of research on Building Information Modelling (BIM) for bridge inspection, but its post-construction potential is still under-explored. This study presents a state-of-the-art review of the literature on asset management for bridges using digital models such as BIM and digital twins. The review was conducting using a systematic approach. Despite the rapid increase in research on DT and the amount of existing research on BIM, several gaps remain to be addressed, such as the lack of consensus about the definition of digital twins, which has led to wrongful categorisation of digital models as DT. The complex data flow and software compatibility required to develop a functional DT have hindered the exploitation of their full potential so far. The integration of BIM post-construction to BMS and existing automation technologies can also significantly improve current practices of bridge management.Asset Management of Existing Concrete Bridges Using Digital Twins and BIM: a State-of-the-Art Literature ReviewpublishedVersio

EG-ICE 2021 Workshop on Intelligent Computing in Engineering

The 28th EG-ICE International Workshop 2021 brings together international experts working at the interface between advanced computing and modern engineering challenges. Many engineering tasks require open-world resolutions to support multi-actor collaboration, coping with approximate models, providing effective engineer-computer interaction, search in multi-dimensional solution spaces, accommodating uncertainty, including specialist domain knowledge, performing sensor-data interpretation and dealing with incomplete knowledge. While results from computer science provide much initial support for resolution, adaptation is unavoidable and most importantly, feedback from addressing engineering challenges drives fundamental computer-science research. Competence and knowledge transfer goes both ways

A Comprehensive Review of Digital Twin -- Part 1: Modeling and Twinning Enabling Technologies

As an emerging technology in the era of Industry 4.0, digital twin is gaining unprecedented attention because of its promise to further optimize process design, quality control, health monitoring, decision and policy making, and more, by comprehensively modeling the physical world as a group of interconnected digital models. In a two-part series of papers, we examine the fundamental role of different modeling techniques, twinning enabling technologies, and uncertainty quantification and optimization methods commonly used in digital twins. This first paper presents a thorough literature review of digital twin trends across many disciplines currently pursuing this area of research. Then, digital twin modeling and twinning enabling technologies are further analyzed by classifying them into two main categories: physical-to-virtual, and virtual-to-physical, based on the direction in which data flows. Finally, this paper provides perspectives on the trajectory of digital twin technology over the next decade, and introduces a few emerging areas of research which will likely be of great use in future digital twin research. In part two of this review, the role of uncertainty quantification and optimization are discussed, a battery digital twin is demonstrated, and more perspectives on the future of digital twin are shared

The Design of an Uninhabited Air Vehicle for Remote Sensing in the Cryosphere

This document summarizes the results of the preliminary design of an Uninhabited Air Vehicle (UAV) for use in Cryospheric research. This includes the development of a mission specification with all related performance requirements. In general, the design mission of this aircraft, named the Meridian, is to takeoff from a remote base camp in either Antarctica or Greenland, fly to some area of interest, acquire data such as ice thickness and surface elevation with ground penetrating radar, then return to base. These types of missions, which to date have been flown with inhabited aircraft, can be described as both dull and dangerous. These are characteristics that support the use of a UAV for this mission. The design of the Meridian is performed in parallel to the development of the primary payload: a ground penetrating Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). This concurrent system development warranted a certain amount of flexibility in the aircraft design. This led to the development of three candidate configurations, from which the primary configuration was selected and carried through to the more detailed design phases. This process, commonly referred to as Class I and Class II design phases, was used to develop three Class I conceptual configurations, named the Red, White, and Blue designs. The three designs represent three methods of integrating the radar antennas into the aircraft structure. The Red design utilizes a structurally synergistic approach where the antennas are integrated directly into the wing structure. The White design is a more flexible approach in that the antennas are simply mounted on pylons hung below the wing. The Blue design is a hybrid of the other configurations in that it integrates the antennas into a dielectric lower wing of a biplane configuration. Weight is one of the most common performance metrics associated with the merit of a preliminary aircraft design. This is due to the fact that the acquisition and operational cost of an aircraft are directly related to the vehicle weight. In these terms, the Red concept proved to be the most weight efficient with a takeoff weight of 760 lbs, while the White was the least efficient with a takeoff weight of 1,270 lbs. However, the purpose of this design is to choose the best design with respect to the whole system. The White concept was selected as the primary configuration as it represents the most flexible in terms of antenna integration. This is vital to the risk mitigation of this aircraft development. The White design was refined in the Class II design process resulting in the Meridian UAV. The Meridian has a takeoff weight of 1,080 lbs, an empty weight of 615 lbs, and a range of 950 nm (with reserves for an additional 160 nm). The Meridian is a turboprop powered aircraft with a design cruise speed of 120 kts and a takeoff and landing distance of 1,500 ft. The aircraft has ten hardpoints along the wing for antenna mounting, and is specifically designed for cold weather operations to include anti-icing provisions, system heating and cooling, and the ability to operate from snow/ice runways. The Meridian represents the application of conventional aircraft design methodologies to a UAV. This document discusses the viability of using these methods, which are typically used on inhabited aircraft, to design an uninhabited vehicle

12th EASN International Conference on "Innovation in Aviation & Space for opening New Horizons"

Epoxy resins show a combination of thermal stability, good mechanical performance, and durability, which make these materials suitable for many applications in the Aerospace industry. Different types of curing agents can be utilized for curing epoxy systems. The use of aliphatic amines as curing agent is preferable over the toxic aromatic ones, though their incorporation increases the flammability of the resin. Recently, we have developed different hybrid strategies, where the sol-gel technique has been exploited in combination with two DOPO-based flame retardants and other synergists or the use of humic acid and ammonium polyphosphate to achieve non-dripping V-0 classification in UL 94 vertical flame spread tests, with low phosphorous loadings (e.g., 1-2 wt%). These strategies improved the flame retardancy of the epoxy matrix, without any detrimental impact on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. Finally, the formation of a hybrid silica-epoxy network accounted for the establishment of tailored interphases, due to a better dispersion of more polar additives in the hydrophobic resin

Unleashing the Power of Edge-Cloud Generative AI in Mobile Networks: A Survey of AIGC Services

Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content (AIGC) is an automated method for generating, manipulating, and modifying valuable and diverse data using AI algorithms creatively. This survey paper focuses on the deployment of AIGC applications, e.g., ChatGPT and Dall-E, at mobile edge networks, namely mobile AIGC networks, that provide personalized and customized AIGC services in real time while maintaining user privacy. We begin by introducing the background and fundamentals of generative models and the lifecycle of AIGC services at mobile AIGC networks, which includes data collection, training, finetuning, inference, and product management. We then discuss the collaborative cloud-edge-mobile infrastructure and technologies required to support AIGC services and enable users to access AIGC at mobile edge networks. Furthermore, we explore AIGCdriven creative applications and use cases for mobile AIGC networks. Additionally, we discuss the implementation, security, and privacy challenges of deploying mobile AIGC networks. Finally, we highlight some future research directions and open issues for the full realization of mobile AIGC networks