Autonomic System Research Articles

Mathematical foundation of High-Dimensional Data Analysis: Leveraging Topology and Geometry for Enhanced Model Interpretability in AI

One of the most important challenges for modern AI and machine learning is the analysis of high-dimensional data. Traditional methods face serious complications in such cases due to high complexity of datasets: the curse of dimensionality, overfitting, and lack of transparency of model behavior. In this paper, we adopt a novel approach to analyze high-dimensional data; topological and geometric techniques will be exploited, taking advantage of better model interpretability and deeper insights into the structure. Precisely, we discuss Topological Data Analysis, mainly Persistent Homology (Edelsbrunner et al., 2002), which allows the extraction of topological features-like loops and connected components that enable the extracting knowledge about the global structure of data. We also see how some concepts of differential geometry and Riemannian geometry (Do Carmo, 1976) can be used to cast light on manifold data structure lying at the heart of any attempt at modeling intrinsic patterns in high-dimensional spaces. We will review how these mathematical pillars, combined with state-of-the-art techniques for dimensionality reduction like t-SNE, UMAP, Principal Component Analysis, are able to provide interpretable and low-dimensional representations of high-dimensional data that can be used to understand models and make decisions. Case studies are also included, which explain the practical working of these methods in AI systems and show how much complex models can be made transparent using these, especially in domains that are very critical, such as healthcare (Caruana et al., 2015), finance (Chen et al., 2018), and autonomous systems ( Wang et al., 2019). We also discuss some of the difficulties in using these methods for practical applications: computational complexity; the need for large-scale data processing (Bengio et al., 2007); and integration of topological and geometric intuition with the rest of the machine learning pipeline (Zhu et al., 2020). We conclude with possible future directions of research toward fine-tuning these methods and exploring their broader applicability to AI in its quest for more robust, interpretable, and reliable AI models. Given this work, we focus on how linking topology, geometry, and AI bears great promise for solving one of today's critical challenges: model interpretability in high-dimensional data analysis.

The Future of Artificial Intelligence: Trends and Predictions

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved rapidly, transforming diverse industries and societal functions. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of AI's current landscape, examining its advancements, applications, and ethical challenges. Key trends are explored, including innovations in machine learning and deep learning, AI’s expanding role across industries, and its potential for addressing climate change and sustainability. Furthermore, the paper highlights AI's role in enhancing human-machine collaboration, paving the way for systems that augment rather than replace human capabilities. Predictions for AI’s future are discussed, such as the emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI), advancements in autonomous systems, the impact of quantum computing on AI, and innovations in AI-specific hardware. The paper also examines ethical and societal challenges, such as privacy, algorithmic bias, and the need for global governance, addressing the urgent call for responsible AI. In light of these trends, the paper emphasizes future research directions, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and a focus on explainable, robust, and resilient AI models. This work aims to shed light on the transformative potential of AI while advocating for ethical practices to ensure a positive and sustainable impact on society.

Optimizing Delegation in Collaborative Human-AI Hybrid Teams

When humans and autonomous systems operate together as what we refer to as a hybrid team, we of course wish to ensure the team operates successfully and effectively. We refer to team members as agents. In our proposed framework, we address the case of hybrid teams in which, at any time, only one team member (the control agent) is authorized to act as control for the team. To determine the best selection of a control agent, we propose the addition of an AI manager (via Reinforcement Learning) which learns as an outside observer of the team. The manager learns a model of behavior linking observations of agent performance and the environment/world the team is operating in, and from these observations makes the most desirable selection of a control agent. From our review of current state of the art, we present a novel manager model for oversight of hybrid teams by our support for diverse agents and decision-maker operations across multiple time steps and decisions. In our model, we restrict the manager’s task by introducing a set of constraints. The manager constraints indicate acceptable team operation, so a violation occurs if the team enters a condition which is unacceptable and requires manager intervention. To ensure minimal added complexity or potential inefficiency for the team, the manager should attempt to minimize the number of times the team reaches a constraint violation and requires subsequent manager intervention. Therefore, our manager is optimizing its selection of authorized agents to boost overall team performance while minimizing the frequency of manager intervention. We demonstrate our manager’s performance in a simulated driving scenario representing the case of a hybrid team of agents composed of a human driver and autonomous driving system. We perform experiments for our driving scenario with interfering vehicles, indicating the need for collision avoidance and proper speed control. Our results indicate a positive impact on our manager, with some cases resulting in increased team performance up to \(\approx 187\%\) that of the best solo agent performance.

Synergies between Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Game Theory for Complex Decision-Making

The special focus of this paper is to discuss a likely intersection of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and game theory, pointing at the importance of this synthesis both in mathematics and engineering. As these domains develop various means of addressing decision-making problems become more and more sophisticated and can be used in different areas such as economics, security, and social sciences. We will also address selected game-theoretic issues including the concept of decision making in terms of Nash equilibria or in the distinction of games as being cooperative or non-cooperative and how they work in synergy with machine learning approaches bringing in reinforcements and deep learning to leverage forecasting and strategizing. The paper makes references to problem-oriented branches of studies such as autonomous systems or market strategies stressing the importance of the novel direction for further studies. Within the scope of machine learning and game theory the goal is to implement better complex models which utilize real world intricacies for enhancing decision making within a populated agent environment.

Revolutionizing Sustainable Energy: Cutting-Edge AI Applications and Innovations

The intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sustainable energy is paving the way for groundbreaking innovations that promise to revolutionize how we produce, consume, and manage energy. This paper delves into cutting-edge applications of AI, including advanced predictive analytics, blockchain integration, and autonomous energy systems, highlighting their potential to transform the sustainable energy landscape. By showcasing real-world applications and future directions, we underscore AI's role in driving sustainable practices and addressing global energy challenges.

Large Scale Ultrafast Manufacturing of Wireless Soft Bioelectronics Enabled by Autonomous Robot Arm Printing Assisted by a Computer Vision-Enabled Guidance System for Personalized Wound Healing.

A Customized wound patch for Advanced tissue Regeneration with Electric field (CARE), featuring an autonomous robot arm printing system guided by a computer vision-enabled guidance system for fast image recognition is introduced. CARE addresses the growing demand for flexible, stretchable, and wireless adhesive bioelectronics tailored for electrotherapy, which is suitable for rapid adaptation to individual patients and practical implementation in a comfortable design. The visual guidance system integrating a 6-axis robot arm enables scans from multiple angles to provide a 3D map of complex and curved wounds. The size of electrodes and the geometries of power-receiving coil are essential components of the CARE and are determined by a MATLAB simulation, ensuring efficient wireless power transfer. Three heterogeneous inks possessing different rheological behaviors can be extruded and printed sequentially on the flexible substrates, supporting fast manufacturing of large customized bioelectronic patches. CARE can stimulate wounds up to 10 mm in depth with an electric field strength of 88.8 mVmm-1. In vitro studies reveal the ability to accelerate cell migration by a factor of 1.6 and 1.9 for human dermal fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells, respectively. This study highlights the potential of CARE as a clinical wound therapy method to accelerate healing.

An Explainable Data-Driven Optimization Method for Unmanned Autonomous System Performance Assessment

Unmanned autonomous systems (UASs), including drones and robotics, are widely employed across various fields. Despite significant advances in AI-enhanced intelligent systems, there remains a notable deficiency in the interpretability and comprehensive quantitative evaluation of these systems. The existing literature has primarily focused on constructing evaluation frameworks and methods, but has often overlooked the rationality and reliability of these methods. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an innovative optimization evaluation method for data-driven unmanned autonomous systems. By optimizing the weights of existing indicators based on data distribution characteristics, this method enhances the stability and reliability of assessment outcomes. Furthermore, interpretability techniques such as Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIMEs) and Partial Dependence Plots (PDPs) were employed to verify the effectiveness of the designed evaluation indicators, thereby ensuring the robustness of the evaluation system. The experimental results validated the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Advanced Computational Intelligence Techniques for Real-Time Decision-Making in Autonomous Systems

This research explores advanced computational intelligence techniques aimed at enhancing real-time decision-making in autonomous systems. The increasing reliance on autonomous technologies across sectors such as transportation, healthcare, and industrial automation demands robust, adaptive, and reliable decision-making frameworks. This study introduces a novel hybrid model that integrates Reinforcement Learning (RL), Deep Neural Networks (DNN), and Fuzzy Logic to enable autonomous systems to make accurate and timely decisions in complex, dynamic environments. The proposed framework leverages RL for adaptive decision-making, DNNs for pattern recognition and prediction, and Fuzzy Logic for handling uncertainty in system states. Experimental evaluations were conducted using high-fidelity simulations across three scenarios: autonomous vehicle navigation, real-time patient monitoring in healthcare, and robotic process automation. Results indicate a 25% improvement in decision accuracy, a 30% reduction in response time, and enhanced robustness against environmental variability compared to conventional decision-making methods. The findings underscore the effectiveness of computational intelligence in supporting critical decisions in real-time, marking a significant step toward more capable and reliable autonomous systems.

AI-Driven Predictive Analysis for Urban Traffic Management: A Novel Approach

Urban traffic management remains one of the most complex challenges of modern cities, with congestion, inefficiencies, and accidents costing billions of dollars annually and contributing significantly to pollution and stress. Current traffic management systems are often reactive rather than predictive, responding to congestion and incidents after they occur. This paper introduces a novel AI-driven predictive analysis framework for urban traffic management that leverages advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms and real-time data inputs. The system aims to not only manage existing traffic efficiently but to predict congestion, optimize traffic flows, and enhance computer safety proactively. We explore the integration of multiple data sources—such as GPS data, traffic cameras, IoT sensors, and social media feeds—into a cohesive AI model that learns and evolves. The goal is to create a fully autonomous traffic management system that adjusts dynamically to urban changes, improving overall city mobility, sustainability, and quality of life.

Development And Testing of Arduino Based Autonomous Environmental Monitoring System

This paper presents the development of an Autonomous Environmental Monitoring System (AEMS) designed to track various environmental parameters. With the growing demand for autonomous monitoring systems in today’s modern era, we propose an Arduino-based real-time hardware solution to measure parameters such as flame, temperature, humidity, and distance. The system leverages advanced and cost-effective electronic sensors and hardware to monitor these environmental factors. We developed individual sensor modules for each parameter and integrated them into a unified multi-sensor system through sensor fusion. The collected data is then displayed on a 16 × 2 LCD module. The result is a fully functional autonomous monitoring system, tested under laboratory environmental conditions using a compact, handheld device.

Literacy Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Federated Digital Twin Scheduling for the Software-Defined Factory

As user requirements become increasingly complex, the demand for product personalization is growing, but traditional hardware-centric production relies on fixed procedures that lack the flexibility to support diverse requirements. Although bespoke manufacturing has been introduced, it provides users with only a few standardized options, limiting its ability to meet a wide range of needs. To address this issue, a new manufacturing concept called the software-defined factory has emerged. It is an autonomous manufacturing system that provides reconfigurable manufacturing services to produce tailored products. Reinforcement learning has been suggested for flexible scheduling to satisfy user requirements. However, fixed rule-based methods struggle to accommodate conflicting needs. This study proposes a novel federated digital twin scheduling that combines large language models and deep reinforcement learning algorithms to meet diverse user requirements in the software-defined factory. The large language model-based literacy module analyzes requirements in natural language and assigns weights to digital twin attributes to achieve highly relevant KPIs, which are used to guide scheduling decisions. The deep reinforcement learning-based scheduling module optimizes scheduling by selecting the job and machine with the maximum reward. Different types of user requirements, such as reducing manufacturing costs and improving productivity, are input and evaluated by comparing the flow-shop scheduling with job-shop scheduling based on reinforcement learning. Experimental results indicate that in requirement case 1 (the manufacturing cost), the proposed method outperforms flow-shop scheduling by up to 14.9% and job-shop scheduling by 5.6%. For requirement case 2 (productivity), it exceeds the flow-shop method by up to 13.4% and the job-shop baseline by 7.2%. The results confirm that the literacy DRL scheduling proposed in this paper can handle the individual characteristics of requirements.

Time Domain Design of a Marine Target Tracking System Accounting for Environmental Disturbances

Environmental disturbances represent significant challenges to the performance and accuracy of autonomous systems, especially in marine environments, where their impact varies based on disturbance severity and the employed guidance law. This paper comprehensively investigates a marine target tracking system using time-domain simulations incorporating realistic environmental disturbances. Three guidance laws and four key performance indicators are analysed to evaluate system performance under disturbed and ideal conditions. A robust and systematic evaluation pipeline is developed and applied to a case study featuring a scaled tugboat model. This approach provides a reliable method to assess tracking accuracy and robustness in adverse conditions. The results are selected from a wide range of possibilities to show the effect of the disturbances on the selected target tracking motion control scenario with two manoeuvres and two environmental conditions. The results are measured through the selected key performance indicators, and several phases are identified for each manoeuvre to extend the analysis not only to the global KPI values but also to the partial values of defined phases. They reveal the quantitative effects of environmental disturbances, exposing different system behaviours and trends. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed pipeline in quantifying tracking system performance, delivering useful understandings of the system under environmental disturbances. The broader implications of this study are substantial, offering enhanced predictive accuracy for the performance of the analysed systems, particularly in the context of target tracking. Furthermore, introducing numerical key performance indicators facilitates a more rigorous comparison of different system characteristics, enabling informed decisions in designing and optimising autonomous operations in challenging environments.

Comparison of Middlewares in Edge-to-Edge and Edge-to-Cloud Communication for Distributed ROS 2 Systems

AbstractThe increased data transmission and number of devices involved in communications among distributed systems make it challenging yet significantly necessary to have an efficient and reliable networking middleware. In robotics and autonomous systems, the wide application of ROS 2 brings the possibility of utilizing various networking middlewares together with DDS in ROS 2 for better communication among edge devices or between edge devices and the cloud. However, there is a lack of comprehensive communication performance comparison of integrating these networking middlewares with ROS 2. In this study, we provide a quantitative analysis for the communication performance of utilized networking middlewares including MQTT and Zenoh alongside DDS in ROS 2 among a multiple host system. For a complete and reliable comparison, we calculate the latency and throughput of these middlewares by sending distinct amounts and types of data through different network setups including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and 4G. To further extend the evaluation to real-world application scenarios, we assess the drift error (the position changes) over time caused by these networking middlewares with the robot moving in an identical square-shaped path. Our results show that CycloneDDS performs better under Ethernet while Zenoh performs better under Wi-Fi and 4G. In the actual robot test, the robot moving trajectory drift error over time (96 s) via Zenoh is the smallest. It is worth noting we have a discussion of the CPU utilization of these networking middlewares and the perfosrmance impact caused by enabling the security feature in ROS 2 at the end of the paper.

Pterygoid implant-based maxillary full-arch rehabilitation using an autonomous robot system: A case report.

Pterygoid implant placement has been proven to be a viable option in full-arch implant rehabilitation for extremely atrophic maxillae. Nevertheless, the utilization of pterygoid implants remains a challenge for the dentist due to the difficulties of accessing the surgical site and poor visibility. To address these difficulties, digital techniques have been used to enhance the accuracy of pterygoid implant placement. This clinical case describes the application of an autonomous robot system to enhance the precision and efficacy of pterygoid implant placement. The results demonstrated that the integration of automation and real-time imaging provided by the robot system significantly improved the safety and accuracy of the surgical procedure.

A DSS development study for document distribution networks for preparing autonomous vehicle-integrated distribution systems

A DSS development study for document distribution networks for preparing autonomous vehicle-integrated distribution systems

Compassionate Care with Autonomous AI Humanoid Robots in Future Healthcare Delivery: A Multisensory Simulation of Next-Generation Models

The integration of AI and robotics in healthcare raises concerns, and additional issues regarding autonomous systems are anticipated. Effective communication is crucial for robots to be seen as “caring”, necessitating advanced mechatronic design and natural language processing (NLP). This paper examines the potential of humanoid robots to autonomously replicate compassionate care. The study employs computational simulations using mathematical and agent-based modeling to analyze human–robot interactions (HRIs) surpassing Tetsuya Tanioka’s TRETON. It incorporates stochastic elements (through neuromorphic computing) and quantum-inspired concepts (through the lens of Martha Rogers’ theory), running simulations over 100 iterations to analyze complex behaviors. Multisensory simulations (visual and audio) demonstrate the significance of “dynamic communication”, (relational) “entanglement”, and (healthcare system and robot’s function) “superpositioning” in HRIs. Quantum and neuromorphic computing may enable humanoid robots to empathetically respond to human emotions, based on Jean Watson’s ten caritas processes for creating transpersonal states. Autonomous AI humanoid robots will redefine the norms of “caring”. Establishing “pluralistic agreements” through open discussions among stakeholders worldwide is necessary to align innovations with the values of compassionate care within a “posthumanist” framework, where the compassionate care provided by Level 4 robots meets human expectations. Achieving compassionate care with autonomous AI humanoid robots involves translating nursing, communication, computer science, and engineering concepts into robotic care representations while considering ethical discourses through collaborative efforts. Nurses should lead the design and implementation of AI and robots guided by “technological knowing” in Rozzano Locsin’s TCCN theory.

Advanced Control Scheme Optimization for Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Water Pumping Systems

This study introduces a novel method for controlling an autonomous photovoltaic pumping system by integrating a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) control scheme with variable structure Sliding Mode Control (SMC) alongside Perturb and Observe (P&O) algorithms. The stability of the proposed SMC method is rigorously analyzed using Lyapunov’s theory. Through simulation-based comparisons, the efficacy of the SMC controller is demonstrated against traditional P&O methods. Additionally, the SMC-based system is experimentally implemented in real time using dSPACE DSP1104, showcasing its robustness in the presence of internal and external disturbances. Robustness tests reveal that the SMC controller effectively tracks Maximum Power Points (MMPs) despite significant variations in load and solar irradiation, maintaining optimal performance even under challenging conditions. The results indicate that the SMC system can achieve up to a 70% increase in water flow rates compared with systems without MPPT controllers. Furthermore, SMC demonstrated high sensitivity to sudden changes in environmental conditions, ensuring efficient power extraction from the photovoltaic panels. This study highlights the advantages of integrating SMC into Photovoltaic Water Pumping Systems (PV-WPSs), providing enhanced control capabilities and optimizing system performance. The findings contribute to the development of sustainable water supply solutions, particularly in remote areas with limited access to the electrical grid.

The potential of autonomous delivery services to increase fast food consumption.

Technological innovations in the online food delivery sector include the use of autonomous delivery vehicles. The aim of the present study was to investigate consumers' intentions to use these services once they are widely available and their motivations for using them to access unhealthy food. Online survey including a vignette describing a future world where autonomous food deliveries are in common use in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Australia. 1078 Australians aged 18 years and older, nationally representative by sex, age, and location (metropolitan versus non-metropolitan residence). Around half of the sample reported intending to use an autonomous food delivery service at least once per week for fast food (53%) and/or healthy pre-prepared food (50%). Almost two-thirds (60%) intended using autonomous vehicle deliveries to receive groceries. Around one in five (17%) anticipated an increase in their fast food intake as a result of access to autonomous delivery services compared to one in two (46%) expecting others' total fast food intake to increase. The most common reason provided for using autonomous food deliveries was increased convenience. More frequent current fast food ordering, higher socioeconomic status, younger age, and regional location were significantly associated with an anticipated increase in fast food consumption. The emergence of autonomous food delivery systems may bring both benefits and adverse consequences that in combination are likely to constitute a substantial regulatory challenge. Proactive efforts will be required to avoid negative public health nutrition outcomes of this transport evolution.

MonoFG: Monocular 3D Object Detection with Knowledge Distillation for Human-Centric Autonomous Driving Systems

Monocular 3D object detection is essential for identifying objects in road images, thus offering valuable environmental perception data that are crucial for human-centric autonomous driving systems. However, due to the inherent limitations of camera imaging, obtaining precise depth information from images alone is challenging, which hampers the accuracy of within-scene object localization. In this paper, we introduce a monocular 3D object detection method called MonoFG that uses knowledge distillation with separated foreground and background components to improve the accuracy of object localization. First, detached foreground and background distillation processes can strategically leverage the distinct positional information acquired from each location to optimize the produced global distillation effects. This step serves as the foundation for the subsequent feature and response distillation process, which focuses on the distilled foreground and background rather than isolated object distillation. Second, triple attention mechanism-based feature distillation intensifies the feature imitation and feature representation capabilities of the student network. Spatial and channel attention mechanisms encourage the student network to capture crucial pixels and channels from the teacher network, whereas a self-attention mechanism globally transfers the learned relationships between pixels. Third, localization error-based response distillation facilitates a clearer transfer of positional information from the teacher network to the student network. Only when the positioning ability of the teacher network exceeds that of the student network can knowledge be comprehensively distilled across both the foreground and background. Therefore, the distillation process is constrained to specific content, which is delineated by positioning errors that serve as the boundaries. Finally, experiments conducted on the KITTI benchmark dataset demonstrate that our method outperforms many well-known baseline methods in several representative evaluation tasks (e.g., 3D object detection and bird's-eye view (BEV) detection) involving human-centric autonomous driving systems.

Intelligent multi-robot collaborative transport system

The research on multi-robot systems has been divided into various fields, such as communication, navigation, task allocation, and collaborative transport. While significant progress has been made in each area, there has been limited research integrating these fields to build a fully autonomous multi-robot collaborative transport system. Therefore, we identify the key issues and propose a multi-robot collaborative transport system founded on ROS1 and conduct validation in a simulated environment, laying a solid foundation for the system to run on real robots. The primary contributions of this study include three key areas: (1) modeling and validating robot collaborative transport, (2) developing a visual task allocation system leveraging FastDDS service, and (3) resolving path collision issues in multi-robot navigation through both traditional methods and reinforcement learning techniques. Extensive experimental evaluations demonstrate that the proposed intelligent multi-robot collaborative transport system can autonomously navigate to target points for collaborative transport task. Performance assessments, based on the error between the target point and the object’s arrival point as well as the transport trajectory error, reveal that the system effectively completes the assigned tasks.