Modern factories are experiencing rapid digital transformation supported by emerging technologies, such as the Industrial Internet of things (IIOT), industrial big data and cloud technologies, deep learning and deep analytics, AI, intelligent robotics, cyber-physical systems and digital twins, complemented by visual computing (including new forms of artificial vision with machine learning, novel HMI, simulation, and visualization). This is evident in the global trend of Industry 4.0. The impact of these technologies is clear in the context of high-performance manufacturing. Important improvements can be achieved in productivity, systems reliability, quality verification, etc. Manufacturing processes, based on advanced mechanical principles, are enhanced by big data analytics on industrial sensor data. In current machine tools and systems, complex sensors gather useful data, which is captured, stored, and processed with edge, fog, or cloud computing. These processes improve with digital monitoring, visual data analytics, AI, and computer vision to achieve a more productive and reliable smart factory. New value chains are also emerging from these technological changes. This book addresses these topics, including contributions deployed in production, as well as general aspects of Industry 4.0.

"This book discusses the use of machine vision and technologies in specific engineering case studies and focuses on how machine vision techniques are impacting every step of industrial processes and how smart sensors and cognitive big data analytics are supporting the automation processes in Industry 4.0 applications. Industry 4.0, the fourth industrial revolution, combines traditional manufacturing with automation and data exchange. Machine vision is used in industry for reliable product inspections, quality control, and data capture solutions. It combines different technologies to provide important information from the acquisition and analysis of images for robot-based inspection and guidance"--

The application of internet of things (IoT) technologies and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled IoT solutions has gradually become accepted by business and production organizations as an effective tool for automating several activities effectively and efficiently and developing and distributing products to the global market. Within this book, the reader will learn how to implement IoT devices, IoT-equipped machines, and AI-equipped IoT applications using models and methodologies along with an array of case studies. Advanced IoT Technologies and Applications in the Industry 4.0 Digital Economy covers the basics of IoT-equipped machines in developing and managing various activities in many industries. It discusses all of the key points of an AI-enabled IoT solution, which includes predictive analytics, robotic process automation, predictive maintenance, automated processes, IoT technologies and IoT-equipped sensors related to machines and processes, production testing systems, and product assessment processes in the production environment. The book presents the concepts and interactive methods using datasets, processing workflow charts, and architectural diagrams along with additional real-time systems for easy and fast understanding of the application of IoT-equipped machines and AI-enabled solutions in organizations and includes many case studies throughout the book to enforce reader comprehension. This book is an ideal read for industry specialists, practitioners, researchers, scientists, and engineers working or involved in the fields of Robotics, IT, Computer Science, Soft Computing, IoT, AL/ML/DL, Data Science, the Semantic Web, Knowledge Engineering, and other related fields.

In the present technological age, information is a valuable resource for both small and large enterprises as well as for our daily lives. The key enablers that link computer resources and devices together to gather, process, and distribute crucial data both locally and worldwide are network technologies. For our daily lives and commercial operations, network technologies offer effective, adaptable, and seamless communication while maximizing productivity and resources. Due to its significance, this field has undergone a significant evolution in the past few decades, moving away from traditional wired networks and toward Bluetooth, infrared, microwave, radio, and satellite networks. These days, network technologies are not employed only in computer labs, businesses, or homes; a wide range of domains, such as vehicular ad hoc networks, mobile ad hoc networks, and the Internet of Things, have been seen using network technologies. Researchers from academia and industry have worked hard to build and develop software-based network technologies, such as middleware, protocol stacks, and network software architectures, in addition to hardware-based and physical network technologies. The paradigm shift in this field is being driven primarily by software-based network technologies, which have also given rise to numerous new network innovations, including grid computing, cloud computing, fog computing, edge computing, software-defined networks, and content-centric networks. Significant efforts have been made in cellular network technologies to boost the user experience, and as a result, new cellular network technologies, including LTE, VoLTE, and 5G, have also been developed. Efforts continue to be made by researchers in these networking fields due to the demand for and importance of these technologies in present and future situations. Many of these efforts are still in progress, and there are still possibilities that need to be investigated. As a result, it’s important to stay up to date on network technology developments and look into further research difficulties that need to be resolved for the benefit of users. This book will present the most recent and leading research in the field of network technologies in order to achieve solutions for various problems that exist in this domain.

"This book articulates and accentuates various AI algorithms, fresh innovations in the IoT and blockchain spaces explaining how suggested AI algorithms come in handy in producing predictive and prescriptive insights out of big data"--

Industrial Internet of Things: Technologies, Design, and Applications addresses the complete functional framework workflow in IoT technology. It explores basic and high-level concepts, thus serving as a manual for those in the industry while also helping beginners. The book incorporates the working methodology of Industrial IoT works, is based on the latest technologies, and will cover the major challenges, issues, and advances while exploring data-based intelligent and automated systems and their implications to the real world. The book discusses data acquisition, security, learning, intelligent data analysis, and case studies related to Industrial IoT-based applications.

The field of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) digitalization is becoming more mature and stands to significantly contribute to the full development of the agenda of Industry 4.0. Although national digitalization programs have their own goals, the common focus is on the role of SMEs in global value chains. Since SMEs are known to have challenges around Industry 4.0 implementation, this book integrates experiences from 14 countries worldwide. Industry 4.0 in SMEs across the Globe: Drivers, Barriers, and Opportunities provides an in-depth overview of Industry 4.0 in SMEs, covering various national, historical, and geographical settings in nine European countries: Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Serbia, and the UK, complemented by five other countries from around the world: Brazil, China, India, Iran, and the U.S. Each chapter describes the national digitalization program, along with barriers, drivers, and opportunities to implement Industry 4.0 in local SMEs. It subsumes the findings across these countries to identify common themes and clusters of drivers, barriers, and opportunities. The book concludes that there are common approaches of SMEs across the world to adopt Industry 4.0, which are to be understood to increase industrial competitiveness globally. This book is a great resource for digitalization leaders and laggards, business consultants and researchers, as well as Ph.D. and master’s students from industrial engineering and manufacturing backgrounds. Policy makers can also use the contents to better understand the commonalities and differences of national digitalization programs and further support SMEs in their digitalization process.