Passive RFID-Based Inventory of Traffic Signs on Roads and Urban Environments

This paper presents a system with location functionalities for the inventory of traffic signs based on passive RFID technology. The proposed system simplifies the current video-based techniques, whose requirements regarding visibility are difficult to meet in some scenarios, such as dense urban areas. In addition, the system can be easily extended to consider any other street facilities, such as dumpsters or traffic lights. Furthermore, the system can perform the inventory process at night and at a vehicle’s usual speed, thus avoiding interfering with the normal traffic flow of the road. Moreover, the proposed system exploits the benefits of the passive RFID technologies over active RFID, which are typically employed on inventory and vehicular routing applications. Since the performance of passive RFID is not obvious for the required distance ranges on these in-motion scenarios, this paper, as its main contribution, addresses the problem in two different ways, on the one hand theoretically, presenting a radio wave propagation model at theoretical and simulation level for these scenarios; and on the other hand experimentally, comparing passive and active RFID alternatives regarding costs, power consumption, distance ranges, collision problems, and ease of reconfiguration. Finally, the performance of the proposed on-board system is experimentally validated, testing its capabilities for inventory purposesMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2016-80396-C2-2-

Battery-Less Industrial Wireless Monitoring and Control System for Improved Operational Efficiency

An industrial wireless monitoring and control system, capable of supporting energyharvesting devices through smart sensing and network management, designed for improving electrorefinery performance by applying predictive maintenance, is presented. The system is self-powered from bus bars, and features wireless communication and easy-to-access information and alarms. With cell voltage and electrolyte temperature measurements, the system enables real-time cell performance discovery and early reaction to critical production or quality disturbances such as short-circuiting, flow blockages, or electrolyte temperature excursions. Field validation shows an increase in operational performance of 30% (reaching 97%) in the detection of short circuits, which, thanks to a neural network deployed, are detected, on average, 10.5 h earlier compared to the traditional methodology. The developed system is a sustainable IoT solution, being easy to maintain after its deployment, and providing benefits of improved control and operation, increased current efficiency, and decreased maintenance costs.The authors would like to thank the Technological Corporation of Andalusia (CTA) and Atlantic Copper S.L.U. company for funding this research under projects 19/1008 and 22/1077

Subsampling OFDM-based ultrasonic data communication through metallic channels for monitoring of cargo containers

An enhanced ultrasonic communication system based on piezoelectric transducers for monitoring of goods in cargo containers is presented. The proposed system consists of several sensors placed inside the container, whose data are collected and transmitted outside it. Data transmission is carried out by an ultrasonic communication channel, in order to avoid drilling the wall of the container. The proposed data communication system is based on the transmission of a 128-OFDM signal. This modulation has been chosen due to its robustness to channels with frequency-selective fading and its spectrum efficiency. In order to increase the signal bandwidth and to reduce the power consumption at the internal node (transmitter), the proposed system exploits the non-linearity of the metallic channel to transmit at higher resonance frequencies. Moreover, power consumption at the external node (receiver) is reduced by using a subsampling based receiver, which allows its implementation by low-cost electronics.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Projects TEC2016-80396-C2-2-R and TEC2016-80396-C2-1-

Más allá del COVID-19. Diseño de un nuevo modelo de atención compartida entre farmacia comunitaria y atención primaria.

Introducción. Las farmacias comunitarias representan un papel clave en la respuesta al COVID-19 y especialmente en el control de enfermedades crónicas más allá de la pandemia. Objetivo. Diseño de un nuevo modelo de atención compartida entre farmacia comunitaria y atención primaria para prevenir la fragilidad y promover el autocuidado en personas mayores. Método. Estudio cualitativo de investigación-acción con mapeo de actores, segmentación de perfiles, grupos de discusión, entrevistas en profundidad y sesiones de diseño creativo. Las técnicas utilizadas aseguraron la participación de personas mayores y profesionales en todas las etapas de diseño. Resultados. Se generaron circuitos comunes de comunicación para los nuevos servicios y protocolos de actuación compartidos. Se propusieron nuevos roles profesionales en respuesta  a las necesidades, expectativas y preferencias de las personas mayores. Se diseñaron los servicios de detección de fragilidad, adherencia a nuevos medicamentos, toma de constantes y refuerzo terapéutico. El modelo aporta sistemas de comunicación bidireccional entre atención primaria y farmacia comunitaria y reconoce el papel de la farmacia comunitaria en la promoción del autocuidado y gestión de la patología crónica y la medicación. Conclusiones. Se evidencia la importancia de crear un ecosistema más abierto que dé lugar a innovaciones organizativas que aprovechen la proximidad y capilaridad de las oficinas de farmacia, así como la incorporación de la omnicanalidad en la atención, esencial en situaciones de crisis sanitaria como la actual. Asimismo, queda demostrado que las técnicas de diseño cooperativo favorecen la participación de los agentes involucrados, aumentando su contribución e impacto potencial sobre los resultados

Industry 4.0: A Proposal of Paradigm Organization Schemes from a Systematic Literature Review

Currently, the concept of Industry 4.0 is well known; however, it is extremely complex, as it is constantly evolving and innovating. It includes the participation of many disciplines and areas of knowledge as well as the integration of many technologies, both mature and emerging, but working in collaboration and relying on their study and implementation under the novel criteria of Cyber–Physical Systems. This study starts with an exhaustive search for updated scientific information of which a bibliometric analysis is carried out with results presented in different tables and graphs. Subsequently, based on the qualitative analysis of the references, we present two proposals for the schematic analysis of Industry 4.0 that will help academia and companies to support digital transformation studies. The results will allow us to perform a simple alternative analysis of Industry 4.0 to understand the functions and scope of the integrating technologies to achieve a better collaboration of each area of knowledge and each professional, considering the potential and limitations of each one, supporting the planning of an appropriate strategy, especially in the management of human resources, for the successful execution of the digital transformation of the industry.Agencia Española de Investigación/FEDER PID2019-107258RB-C31IDEA/FEDER 802C200000

Passive RFID-Based Inventory of Traffic Signs on Roads and Urban Environments

This paper presents a system with location functionalities for the inventory of traffic signs based on passive RFID technology. The proposed system simplifies the current video-based techniques, whose requirements regarding visibility are difficult to meet in some scenarios, such as dense urban areas. In addition, the system can be easily extended to consider any other street facilities, such as dumpsters or traffic lights. Furthermore, the system can perform the inventory process at night and at a vehicle’s usual speed, thus avoiding interfering with the normal traffic flow of the road. Moreover, the proposed system exploits the benefits of the passive RFID technologies over active RFID, which are typically employed on inventory and vehicular routing applications. Since the performance of passive RFID is not obvious for the required distance ranges on these in-motion scenarios, this paper, as its main contribution, addresses the problem in two different ways, on the one hand theoretically, presenting a radio wave propagation model at theoretical and simulation level for these scenarios; and on the other hand experimentally, comparing passive and active RFID alternatives regarding costs, power consumption, distance ranges, collision problems, and ease of reconfiguration. Finally, the performance of the proposed on-board system is experimentally validated, testing its capabilities for inventory purposes