Cyber-Physical Systems Technologies Research Articles

Smart Factory integration in industrial engineering curriculum: Preparing students for industry 4.0 challenges

This paper discusses the integration of Smart Factory technology into Industrial and Systems Engineering education, focusing on its transformative impact and educational implications. Smart factories are revolutionizing the modern manufacturing industry by leveraging Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and cutting-edge technologies. Through the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), these factories enhance production efficiency, minimize costs, and elevate the overall quality of their goods and services. Understanding the impact of smart factories and the educational implications that follow from this technology is crucial. Doing so enables us to prepare students for the challenges of the modern manufacturing industry, fostering a more informed, skilled, and adaptable workforce. Therefore, this research highlights the benefits of incorporating smart factory concepts into industrial engineering education to prepare students for “Industry 4.0” challenges. By providing hands-on experience with smart factory technology, this research aims to enhance industrial engineering students' theoretical knowledge and practical understanding of smart factories.

Research on the Smart Broad Bean Harvesting System and the Self-Adaptive Control Method Based on CPS Technologies

With the rapid development of new-generation cyber–physical system (CPS) technologies, the smart operation and management of the broad bean harvesting system are enabled. This paper proposed a smart broad bean harvesting system (SBHS) and a self-adaptive control method based on CPS technologies. Firstly, the overall architecture of the SBHS is designed, which consists of four main components, namely optimal intelligent perception environment configuration, digital twin model construction, virtual simulation and real-time optimization, self-adaptive adjustment and control. Then, three key enabling technologies are discussed in detail, namely, intelligent perception environment configuration for the SBHS, digital twin model construction for the SBHS, colored Petri net (CPN)-based self-adaptive analysis and control of the harvesting system. Lastly, a proof-of-concept experiment based on a cooperative company is presented to illustrate the main work logic and advantage of the proposed SBHS. After the edge–cloud cooperative intelligent harvesting environment is configured, the CPN model for the workflow of the SBHS is created to analyze and optimize the harvesting processes. In addition, a management and control platform are developed to further illustrate the implementation of the proposed SBHS and the self-adaptive control method.

In search of Smell in the Metaverse: Cyber-Physical Systems and Digital Scent Technology

L’objectif de cet article est d'étudier l’état de la recherche relative à la conception d’expériences olfactives numériques. Il s’agit d’un aspect supplémentaire de l’interaction homme-machine qui constituera la base des scénarios futurs, tels que celui du métavers. L’implication multisensorielle est en effet au cœur de la création de l’Internet des corps, qui fera converger les dimensions physique et numérique. Dans le même temps, elle ouvre la voie à de nouveaux problèmes, qui seront également analysés dans le cadre d'une étude de cas portant sur une startup opérant dans ce secteur.

Examination of Cyber-Physical System Applications in Manufacturing Enterprises with the Unified Technology Acceptance and Utilization Theory

In this study, the perception, acceptance and usage status of Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs) which seem likely to become a more dominant tool in the industrial sector in the coming years, in manufacturing industry enterprises, and the advantages it provides to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector are examined in line with the requirements of the sector. In this regard, the study will offer comprehensive insights to researchers, scientists, and decision-makers within industrial sectors, as well as institutions and organizations tasked with making strategic decisions. In addition, as with any new technology, the importance of determining the attitudes of staff and managers, who are the users of the technology, towards CPS was evaluated with an acceptance model developed by considering industrial conditions. By applying a questionnaire with open-ended questions including the opinions of SMEs, it is aimed to examine the factors in the Unified Technology Acceptance and Utilization Theory (UTAUT) model whose effects on usage are advocated. analysis demonstrate that the major hesitations of the enterprises are concentrated on the high costs of the technology, the lack of human resource competence to use the systems and the lack of solution partners in case of possible failures, but they still have positive opinion about the use. The study's findings shed light on the factors influencing the feasibility of CPS technology in the industrial sector. These results can serve as a guide for conceptualization, policy support, planning, and the development of new management strategies that will be essential in this field in the forthcoming years.

Software and Architecture Orchestration for Process Control in Industry 4.0 Enabled by Cyber-Physical Systems Technologies

In the context of Industry 4.0, this paper explores the vital role of advanced technologies, including Cyber–Physical Systems (CPS), Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in enhancing data valorization and management within industries. These technologies are integral to addressing the challenges of producing highly customized products in mass, necessitating the complete digitization and integration of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) for flexible and automated manufacturing processes. The paper emphasizes the importance of interoperability through Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA), Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS), and Resource-as-a-Service (RaaS) to achieve seamless integration across systems, which is critical for the Industry 4.0 vision of a fully interconnected, autonomous industry. Furthermore, it discusses the evolution towards Supply Chain 4.0, highlighting the need for Transportation Management Systems (TMS) enhanced by GPS and real-time data for efficient logistics. A guideline for implementing CPS within Industry 4.0 environments is provided, focusing on a case study of real-time data acquisition from logistics vehicles using CPS devices. The study proposes a CPS architecture and a generic platform for asset tracking to address integration challenges efficiently and facilitate the easy incorporation of new components and applications. Preliminary tests indicate the platform’s real-time performance is satisfactory, with negligible delay under test conditions, showcasing its potential for logistics applications and beyond.

Internet of Things Driven Automated Production Systems using Machine Learning

With the advent of Industry 4.0, integrating Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has become crucial in automated production. This study examines the interplay between technological advancements and human factors, particularly the social aspects within this dynamic environment. In the context of Industry 4.0, where CPS and IoT intersect, human factors significantly impact the design, implementation, and operation of automated production systems. This research highlights the mutually beneficial interactions among CPS, IoT, and human-centric components, focusing on how these technologies influence social interactions in automated industrial settings. The integration of intelligent robots and human operators fosters new collaboration and communication models. Understanding these social interactions is key to enhancing the effectiveness and productivity of Industry 4.0 manufacturing. Additionally, the study examines the role of social networks, where CPS and IoT technologies facilitate essential connections between humans and machines. In summary, this research emphasizes the need to incorporate social aspects into developing and implementing Industry 4.0 technologies. Recognizing the impact of CPS, IoT, and human factors on social interactions and networks enables a more comprehensive and efficient technological integration in Industry 4.0.

Safeguarding Industry 4.0: A Machine Learning Approach for Cyber-Physical Systems Security and Sustainability

The proliferation of connected objects, with over 8 billion IoT devices currently and a projected increase to 41 billion by 2027, signifies the widespread integration of technology in sectors like Smart City, Industry 4.0, e-commerce, and e-health. This study focuses on the security assessment of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) in manufacturing processes, utilizing six supervised algorithms on a dataset with 61 features. The results not only offer valuable insights into security but also contribute to the optimization of machine learning models. This research implicitly addresses the sustainability aspect by acknowledging the broader impact of CPS technologies. Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) optimization of machine learning models not only fits in with the industry 4.0 framework’s overarching goal of promoting environmentally friendly practices, but it also creates a vital connection between sustainability and the security paradigm that these complex systems are built upon. This mutually beneficial relationship highlights how improving machine learning algorithms with the goal of reducing environmental impact also helps to strengthen the security infrastructure of CPS. Industry 4.0 prioritizes environmental responsibility by emphasizing the development and application of eco-conscious practices. It also acknowledges the interdependence of sustainability and security within the framework of dynamic cyber-physical ecosystems.

A Data Analysis Framework Based on Cyber–Physical Systems to Support Data-Driven Decision-Making for Construction Sustainability

The construction industry has seen significant advances with the rapid development of cyber–physical systems (CPS). However, the dynamic and complex nature of construction projects still presents various engineering problems throughout their lifecycle. Traditional data analysis methods for engineering problems are inefficient due to the difficulty of collecting, processing, and aggregating data from disparate CPS systems. The lack of practical data analysis methods for solving engineering problems severely affects the sustainability of construction projects. This article develops a CPS-based data analysis framework, the spatial, temporal, and dynamic dimensional data analysis framework, which integrates the data analysis process, decision-making methods, and CPS technologies. It aims to facilitate more efficient data-driven decision-making on engineering issues to improve the sustainability of construction projects. The proposed framework has been implemented in a case study of the Shanghai Planetarium project to demonstrate its applicability and effectiveness.

A Cyber–Physical Systems-Based Double-Layer Mapping Petri Net Model for Factory Process Flow Control

This study is concerned with the imperfect virtual-reality mapping relationship in cyber–physical systems (CPSs) and the challenge faced in knowledge-based decisions. Regarding those problems, a double-layer mapping Petri net (DMPN) model is proposed. By deploying the programmable automation gateway PAG200, combining the CPS technology with the principle of Petri net and establishing the monitoring Petri net in the cyber space, this model realizes mapping between the physical entity and the digital object. Meanwhile, the knowledge-based decision problem in CPS is defined as a Petri net conflict. In accordance with this, a control network for resolving the conflict is established. Finally, through a practical case, the workflow of DMPN is illustrated and a task allocation algorithm and a quality decision algorithm are proposed to resolve Petri net conflicts. Consequently, it is proven that DMPN is feasible in solving actual production process flow control. At the same time, it also provides a solution for enterprise workflow analysis.

Review on the key technologies of power grid cyber‐physical systems simulation

AbstractA Cyber‐Physical System (CPS) is a spatiotemporal multi‐dimensional and heterogeneous hybrid autonomous system composed of deep integration of information resources and physical systems. With the development of digitisation and digitalisation, a large number of data acquisition equipment, computing equipment, and electrical equipment are interconnected between the power grid and the information communication network. The power grid has thus been restructured as a mature and highly complex CPS. In order to promote the development of power grid CPS technologies and provide a reference for relevant researchers in the field, the origin and concept of CPS and features in power grid CPS are introduced firstly. Then the key technologies of power grid CPS simulation are discussed and further analysed from three perspectives, including modelling theory, simulation methods, and system‐level simulation. On this basis, the application of CPS simulation technology in future power grids has been prospected.

Cyber-physical oil spill monitoring and detection for offshore petroleum risk management service

Petroleum industry has started to embrace the advanced petroleum cyber-physical system (CPS) technologies. Offshore petroleum CPS is particularly hard to build, mainly due to the difficulty in detecting and preventing offshore oil leaking. During the oil exploration and transportation process, the remote multi-sensing technology is typically employed for emerging service. It can be utilized for leak detection by enabling the underwater modeling of an offshore petroleum CPS. However, such a technology suffers from insufficient remote sensing resources and expensive computational overhead. In this work, a cross-entropy based leak detection technique is proposed to detect the oil leak, which facilitates the understanding of the oil leak induced marine pollution. Furthermore, a hierarchical parallel approach is proposed on the super computer Tianhe-2 to improve the efficiency of the proposed leak detection technique. Experimental results on Penglai oil spill events demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively identify the sources of oil spilling with accuracy up to 100%.

Research Trends on Smart Connected Products in The Industry 4.0: A Systematic Literatur Review

The Industry 4.0 concept is a new manufacturing approach that integrates smart factories, smart machines, smart systems, smart production, and smart processes into a unified network. Through applying CPS (Cyber-Physical Systems) technology, Industry 4.0 combines the physical and virtual worlds to increase company productivity and efficiency. This paper aims to explore research trends related to smart (connected) products in the Industry 4.0 era and find studies that can be developed in the future using a systematic literature review (SLR). The results of the SLR show that from 57 papers, it was found that product engineering and CPS technology were the aspects of the study that were mainly carried out. New research potentials that can be developed in the future have been identified in product engineering, smart factory, and standardization studies. Future research on SCP can be applied to the case of electric motorcycles swappable battery (EMSB).

Visualization of Key Performance Indicators in the Production System in the Context of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 has revolutionized the methods to automate and analyze a process, as is the case of implementing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that reflect the correct functioning of a working task. Besides, the use of the Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and other technologies in Industry 4.0 provide an enormous amount of data. For these reasons, this article presents the design of a methodology that contains stages of process analysis, design, implementation, and validation to obtain an interface that shows key production indicators in a simple and friendly way. The cloud platform receives the information from the machine using OPC and MQTT protocols implemented in a low-cost hardware device without changing the current automation hardware platform.

An Efficient SDFRM Security System for Blockchain Based Internet of Things

Blockchain has recently sparked interest in both the technological and business firms. The Internet of Things's (IoT) core principle emerged due to the connectivity of several new technologies, including wireless technology, the Internet, embedded automation systems, and micro-electromechanical devices. Manufacturing environments and operations have been successfully converted by implementing recent advanced technology like Cloud Computing (CC), Cyber-Physical System (CSP), Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Enterprise Model, and other technological innovations into the fourth industrial revolution referred to as Industry 4.0. Data management is defined as the process of accumulation in order to make better business decisions, and process, secure and store information about a company. In the incipient model, there are interconnected contrivances and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) interactions, and transaction data are stored on the Blockchain. Security is a challenging aspect that must be punctiliously considered during the design and development phases of a CSP. In this research article, we proposed a Secure and Distributed Framework for Resource Management (SDFRM) in Industry 4.0 environments within a distributed and collaborative Industry 4.0 system, the dynamic and trust-based Distributed Management Framework (DMF) of shared resource access. Such issues are focused by taking into account of the traditional characteristics of IoT/Industrial Internet of Things’ (IIoT)-predicated environments, an SDFRM in Industry 4.0 environments within a distributed and collaborative Industry 4.0 system. Also, to ensure strong privacy over the procedures associated with Access Control (AC), a privacy-preserving method is proposed and integrated into the DMF. The proposed DMF, based on blockchain technology and peer-to-peer networks, allows dynamic access management and system governance without using third parties who could be attacked. We worked hard to design and implement the proposal to demonstrate its viability and evaluate its performance. Our proposal outperforms the Multichain Blockchain in terms of successful storage transactions with an achieved average throughput of 98.15%.

Research on Economic Theory Under the Operation of Business Model 4.0

With the emergence of intelligent technology for cyber-physical systems (CPS), manufacturers’ production has come to the age of Industry 4.0, and the corresponding Business Model 4.0 has been born. Under Business Model 4.0, can consumers and producers obtain instant, sufficient, and transparent product or service information through the Internet in mutually beneficial behaviors? This article examines the economic system under the operation of Business Model 4.0 from the perspective of relevant theories of economics and attempt to analyze the theoretical mechanism of the operation of Business Model 4.0. It is found in the article that under the process of Business Model 4.0, it should be possible to quickly and easily achieve the conditions of Pareto efficient allocation in the economic theory. However, everyone involved in the Internet has to behave in favor of others in this Business Model 4.0. If this factor is lacking, the efficiency of the economic system may disappear.

Active, Passive and Cyber-Physical Adaptive Façade Strategies

In view of the required energy savings in the building sector, there is an urgent need for innovative and sustainable solutions to increase the performance of building envelopes. Adaptive façades can make an important contribution, whereby passive low-tech strategies and active high-tech solutions are apparently incompatible. In current digitalization, new technologies and methods for the implementation of adaptive façades emerge in the framework of Cyber-Physical Systems. The investigation follows the research question: How can active and passive approaches of adaptive façades be mediated and what potential do Cyber-Physical Systems have for the implementation of hybrid solution approaches in the future? The article presents a comparative case study of the two research projects ADAPTEX and PRÄKLIMA as examples of passive and active adaptation strategies in the façade industry. In this context, the potential for further research of Cyber-Physical Systems in the application domain of adaptive façades as a catalyst for high-performance and multifunctional solutions, and as a mediator between both strategies, is highlighted. The main findings are the potential application of cyber-physical system technologies to the design and monitoring of passive adaptive façade solutions, as well as the possible integration of passively conceptualized components into active overall systems.

Cyber-Physical Systems as Key Element to Industry 4.0: Characteristics, Applications and Related Technologies

This paper aims to review the state-of-the-art in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) as a key element to Industry 4.0 and to provide engineering managers with adequate and sufficient knowledge about CPS, highlighting their characteristics, technologies, capabilities, and applications. A three-stage research method was applied to provide an extensive search and systematic literature review (SLR). We identified, selected, and reviewed 218 publications. The convergences in specific areas in which studies are still needed were detailed. We identified 5 characteristics, 7 capabilities, 17 related technologies, and 11 areas of application. Four application areas remain as an opportunity to be explored in future research, such as environmental sustainability; smart and precision agriculture; smart construction, and social sciences. This article is the first to present a wide-ranging review of CPS and bringing together a significant number of publications. Its originality is focused on detailing and analyzing CPS characteristics, technologies, and multidisciplinary applications allowing engineering professionals and managers to identify which technologies a manufacturing equipment should integrate, as well as the level of development of each of them to achieve its full operation in Industry 4.0 environment. The main limitation of this work is the fact that new features, applications, and technologies will certainly appear soon.

Special Issue on Recent Advances in Machine Learning and Applications

Digital technologies for cyber-physical systems are rapidly advancing, and the ubiquity of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created significant challenges for academic, industrial, and service applications due to high dimensionality, noise contamination, incompleteness, inconsistency, and massive amounts of data [...]

Cyber collaborative warehouse with dual-cycle operations design

ABSTRACT Warehouse operations have been significantly improved because of the rapid advancement of cyber-physical system technologies, preparing for Work-of-the-Future. The challenge, however, is how to design a collaborative system to deliver optimal performance by multiple agents who are highly distributed but interconnected and operate with technologies that provide massive amounts of real-time data. To address the challenge, in this article, the Cyber Collaborative Protocol for Dual-Cycle Task in Future Warehouse is developed to minimise total operation cost and time. The problem is addressed in two phases; the Global and Local phases. The global phase has higher computational power, maintaining a mathematical model, while the local phase has limited computational power and time, utilising heuristics to deliver the outcome. Computer experiments are utilised for validating the designed protocol compared with other alternatives. The results show that, in all given scenarios, the newly designed protocol outperforms alternatives with statistical significance. The original contribution of this research is the design and control of Cyber Collaborative Warehouse operations with a new focus on collaborative multi-agent interactions. In addition, a major implication is that future warehouses can benefit competitively by operating with Task Administration Protocols such as the new Cyber Collaborative Protocol for Dual-Cycle Task in Future Warehouse.

Building the Value Proposition of a Digital Innovation Hub Network to Support Ecosystem Sustainability

Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) play a key role in bolstering European companies to overwhelm innovation barriers and drive Europe as the world’s primary leader in the Industry 4.0 digital revolution; they are one-stop-shop ecosystems able to provide four main functionalities (test before investing, support to find investments, innovation ecosystems, and networking, skills and training). Even if a surge in their diffusion has been registered, their sustainability is still far from being well defined in a structured way. Several approaches and methods are available from literature to ground the sustainability plan of companies’ business. Among them, the first activity to be addressed is the value proposition (VP) analysis, and the most diffused approach is the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC); this paper proposes the application of the VPC (jointly used with other methods from the VP literature) to build the VP of the HUBCAP network (supporting European small and medium-sized enterprises in the adoption of model-based design methods and tools to support cyber-physical system technologies) per each of its four main customer segments (DIHs, academic partners and research and technology organizations, technology/tool providers and technology/tool users). Results highlight the need to characterize the analysis per each of these customers, open up new opportunities to build a structured business model of the network, and constitute a basis for assessing the potential synergies with similar DIH networks. The method proposed can be applied to any other DIH or network of DIH to define their specific VP, ground the strategy to reach their sustainability, and trigger collaborations with each of the four customer segments considered in the analysis.