Discrete event simulation and virtual reality use in industry: new opportunities and future trends

This paper reviews the area of combined discrete event simulation (DES) and virtual reality (VR) use within industry. While establishing a state of the art for progress in this area, this paper makes the case for VR DES as the vehicle of choice for complex data analysis through interactive simulation models, highlighting both its advantages and current limitations. This paper reviews active research topics such as VR and DES real-time integration, communication protocols, system design considerations, model validation, and applications of VR and DES. While summarizing future research directions for this technology combination, the case is made for smart factory adoption of VR DES as a new platform for scenario testing and decision making. It is put that in order for VR DES to fully meet the visualization requirements of both Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet visions of digital manufacturing, further research is required in the areas of lower latency image processing, DES delivery as a service, gesture recognition for VR DES interaction, and linkage of DES to real-time data streams and Big Data sets

Energy-efficient through-life smart design, manufacturing and operation of ships in an industry 4.0 environment

Energy efficiency is an important factor in the marine industry to help reduce manufacturing and operational costs as well as the impact on the environment. In the face of global competition and cost-effectiveness, ship builders and operators today require a major overhaul in the entire ship design, manufacturing and operation process to achieve these goals. This paper highlights smart design, manufacturing and operation as the way forward in an industry 4.0 (i4) era from designing for better energy efficiency to more intelligent ships and smart operation through-life. The paper (i) draws parallels between ship design, manufacturing and operation processes, (ii) identifies key challenges facing such a temporal (lifecycle) as opposed to spatial (mass) products, (iii) proposes a closed-loop ship lifecycle framework and (iv) outlines potential future directions in smart design, manufacturing and operation of ships in an industry 4.0 value chain so as to achieve more energy-efficient vessels. Through computational intelligence and cyber-physical integration, we envision that industry 4.0 can revolutionise ship design, manufacturing and operations in a smart product through-life process in the near future

Panel on future challenges in modeling methodology

This panel paper presents the views of six researchers and practitioners of simulation modeling. Collectively we attempt to address a range of key future challenges to modeling methodology. It is hoped that the views of this paper, and the presentations made by the panelists at the 2004 Winter Simulation Conference will raise awareness and stimulate further discussion on the future of modeling methodology in areas such as modeling problems in business applications, human factors and geographically dispersed networks; rapid model development and maintenance; legacy modeling approaches; markup languages; virtual interactive process design and simulation; standards; and Grid computing

Transdisciplinarity seen through Information, Communication, Computation, (Inter-)Action and Cognition

Similar to oil that acted as a basic raw material and key driving force of industrial society, information acts as a raw material and principal mover of knowledge society in the knowledge production, propagation and application. New developments in information processing and information communication technologies allow increasingly complex and accurate descriptions, representations and models, which are often multi-parameter, multi-perspective, multi-level and multidimensional. This leads to the necessity of collaborative work between different domains with corresponding specialist competences, sciences and research traditions. We present several major transdisciplinary unification projects for information and knowledge, which proceed on the descriptive, logical and the level of generative mechanisms. Parallel process of boundary crossing and transdisciplinary activity is going on in the applied domains. Technological artifacts are becoming increasingly complex and their design is strongly user-centered, which brings in not only the function and various technological qualities but also other aspects including esthetic, user experience, ethics and sustainability with social and environmental dimensions. When integrating knowledge from a variety of fields, with contributions from different groups of stakeholders, numerous challenges are met in establishing common view and common course of action. In this context, information is our environment, and informational ecology determines both epistemology and spaces for action. We present some insights into the current state of the art of transdisciplinary theory and practice of information studies and informatics. We depict different facets of transdisciplinarity as we see it from our different research fields that include information studies, computability, human-computer interaction, multi-operating-systems environments and philosophy.Comment: Chapter in a forthcoming book: Information Studies and the Quest for Transdisciplinarity - Forthcoming book in World Scientific. Mark Burgin and Wolfgang Hofkirchner, Editor

State of the Industry 4.0 in the Andalusian food sector

The food industry is a key issue in the economic structure of Andalusia, due to both the weight and position of this industry in the economy and its advantages and potentials. The term Industry 4.0 carries many meanings. It seeks to describe the intelligent factory, with all the processes interconnected by Internet of things (IOT). Early advances in this field have involved the incorporation of greater flexibility and individualization of the manufacturing processes. The implementation of the framework proposed by Industry 4.0. is a need for the industry in general, and for Andalusian food industry in particular, and should be seen as a great opportunity of progress for the sector. It is expected that, along with others, the food and beverage industry will be pioneer in the adoption of flexible and individualized manufacturing processes. This work constitutes the state of the art, through bibliographic review, of the application of the proposed paradigm by the Industry 4.0. to the food industry.Telefónica, through the “Cátedra de Telefónica Inteligencia en la Red”Paloma Luna Garrid

The interaction of lean and building information modeling in construction

Lean construction and Building Information Modeling are quite different initiatives, but both are having profound impacts on the construction industry. A rigorous analysis of the myriad specific interactions between them indicates that a synergy exists which, if properly understood in theoretical terms, can be exploited to improve construction processes beyond the degree to which it might be improved by application of either of these paradigms independently. Using a matrix that juxtaposes BIM functionalities with prescriptive lean construction principles, fifty-six interactions have been identified, all but four of which represent constructive interaction. Although evidence for the majority of these has been found, the matrix is not considered complete, but rather a framework for research to explore the degree of validity of the interactions. Construction executives, managers, designers and developers of IT systems for construction can also benefit from the framework as an aid to recognizing the potential synergies when planning their lean and BIM adoption strategies

Digital Transformation, Applications, and Vulnerabilities in Maritime and Shipbuilding Ecosystems

The evolution of maritime and shipbuilding supply chains toward digital ecosystems increases operational complexity and needs reliable communication and coordination. As labor and suppliers shift to digital platforms, interconnection, information transparency, and decentralized choices become ubiquitous. In this sense, Industry 4.0 enables smart digitalization in these environments. Many applications exist in two distinct but interrelated areas related to shipbuilding design and shipyard operational performance. New digital tools, such as virtual prototypes and augmented reality, begin to be used in the design phases, during the commissioning/quality control activities, and for training workers and crews. An application relates to using Virtual Prototypes and Augmented Reality during all the design and construction phases. Another application relates to the cybersecurity protection of operational networks that support shipbuilding supply chains that ensures the flow of material and labor to the shipyards. This protection requires a holistic approach to evaluate their vulnerability and understand ripple effects. This paper presents the applications of Industry 4.0 for the areas mentioned above. The first case in shipbuilding design is an example of how the virtual prototype of a ship, together with wearable devices enabling augmented reality, can be used for the quality control of the construction of ship systems. For the second case, we propose developing an artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity supply network framework that characterizes and monitors shipbuilding supply networks and determines ripple effects from disruptions caused by cyberattacks. This framework extends a novel risk management framework developed by Diaz and Smith and Smith and Diaz that considers complex tiered networks