Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Computing and Artificial Intelligence".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 14544

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering Hankyong National University, Anseong 17579, Republic of Korea
Interests: compact modeling for circuit simulation; device modeling for TCAD simulation; device characterization; steep-switching device; GAA NW-FET; 2D material transistor; neuromorphic device
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Department of Artificial Intelligence, Silla University, Busan 46958, Republic of Korea
Interests: fuzzy neural network; image processing; medical image recognition; biosignal processing; genetic algorithm; watermarking
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School of IT Convergence, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 44610, Republic of Korea
Interests: virtual/mixed reality; human computer interaction; virtual human
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Institute of Digital Anti-Aging Healthcare, Inje University, Gimhae 50834, Republic of Korea
Interests: aging science; applied artificial intelligence; digital healthcare; human computer interaction; software engineering
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Department of Business Administration, Seoul Women’s University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: information systems; e-business and management; business analytics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will comprise selected papers from the ICFICE 2023, which was held at the NhaTrang Horizon Hotel of Vietnam on 10-13th January 2023.

Following ICFICE 2023, we will organize a Special Issue, soliciting original research papers with all technical aspects of computer science, information, and communication engineering. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Communication System and Applications
  • Networking and Security
  • AI and Intelligent Information System
  • Multimedia and Digital Convergence
  • Semiconductor and Communication Services
  • Biomedical Imaging and Engineering
  • Ubiquitous Sensor Network
  • Database and Internet Application
  • IoT and Big Data
  • IT Convergence Technology
  • Industrial Session

Prof. Dr. Yun Seop Yu
Prof. Dr. Kwang-Baek Kim
Dr. Dongsik Jo
Prof. Dr. Hee-Cheol Kim
Dr. Jongtae Lee
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • communication system
  • networking
  • smart security
  • intelligent information system
  • artificial intelligence
  • machine learning
  • biomedical imaging
  • multimedia and digital convergence
  • semiconductors
  • ubiquitous sensor network
  • database
  • internet application
  • big data
  • Internet of Thing(IOT)
  • information technology(IT) convergence
  • augmented reality(AR)/virtual reality(VR)
  • metaverse

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3192 KiB  
Article
Real-Time Motion Adaptation with Spatial Perception for an Augmented Reality Character
by Daehwan Kim, Hyunsic Chae, Yongwan Kim, Jinsung Choi, Ki-Hong Kim and Dongsik Jo
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14020650 - 12 Jan 2024
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Virtual characters are now widely used in games, computer-generated (CG) movies, virtual reality (VR), and communication media. The continued technological innovations in motion capture mean that a more natural representation of a three-dimensional character’s motion should be achievable. Many researchers have investigated how [...] Read more.
Virtual characters are now widely used in games, computer-generated (CG) movies, virtual reality (VR), and communication media. The continued technological innovations in motion capture mean that a more natural representation of a three-dimensional character’s motion should be achievable. Many researchers have investigated how virtual characters interact with their surrounding environment through spatial relationships, which were introduced for adapting and preserving character motion. However, technical problems should be resolved to enable the control of characters in augmented reality (AR) environments that combine with the real world, and this can be achieved by adapting motion to environmental differences using original motion datasets. In this paper, we investigate a novel method for preserving automatic motion adaptation for a virtual character in AR environments. We used specific object (e.g., puddle) recognition and the spatial properties of the user’s surrounding space, e.g., object types and positions, and ran validation experiments to provide accurate motion to improve the AR experience. Our experimental study showed positive results in terms of smooth motion in AR configurations. We also found that the participants using AR felt a greater sense of co-presence with the character through adapted motion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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31 pages, 2742 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Foreign Language Learning in Virtual Reality: A Comprehensive Theoretical Framework Based on Constructivism and Cognitive Load Theory (VR-CCL)
by Chuanxiang Song, Seong-Yoon Shin and Kwang-Seong Shin
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12557; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312557 - 21 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2319
Abstract
With the widespread application of virtual reality (VR) in education, optimizing foreign language learning in VR has become a focal point of research. This paper introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework (VR-CCL) based on constructivism and cognitive load theory to enhance foreign language learning [...] Read more.
With the widespread application of virtual reality (VR) in education, optimizing foreign language learning in VR has become a focal point of research. This paper introduces a comprehensive theoretical framework (VR-CCL) based on constructivism and cognitive load theory to enhance foreign language learning in VR. Through a literature review, we explore the applications of VR in education, foreign language learning theories, and prior works on technology-assisted language learning. We further detail the three main components of the VR-CCL framework and validate its effectiveness through two case studies: Duolingo VR and Rosetta Stone VR. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limitations of the framework and its implications for educators and developers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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14 pages, 5776 KiB  
Article
Deep Learning-Based Multimodal Trajectory Prediction with Traffic Light
by Seoyoung Lee, Hyogyeong Park, Yeonhwi You, Sungjung Yong and Il-Young Moon
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(22), 12339; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212339 - 15 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1234
Abstract
Trajectory prediction is essential for the safe driving of autonomous vehicles. With the advancement of advanced sensors and deep learning technologies, attempts have been made to reflect complex interactions. In this study, we propose a deep learning-based Multimodal Trajectory Prediction method that reflects [...] Read more.
Trajectory prediction is essential for the safe driving of autonomous vehicles. With the advancement of advanced sensors and deep learning technologies, attempts have been made to reflect complex interactions. In this study, we propose a deep learning-based Multimodal Trajectory Prediction method that reflects traffic light conditions in complex urban intersection situations. Based on existing state-of-the-art research, the multi-path of multi-agents was predicted using a generative model, and the actor’s trajectory information, state, social interaction, and traffic light state, and scene context were reflected. Performance evaluation was conducted using metrics commonly used to evaluate the performance of stochastic trajectory prediction models. This study is meaningful in that trajectory prediction was performed by reflecting realistic elements of traffic lights in a complex urban environment. Future research will need to be conducted on efficient ways to reduce time and computational performance while reflecting different real-world environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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22 pages, 14847 KiB  
Article
Saturation-Based Airlight Color Restoration of Hazy Images
by Young-Su Chung and Nam-Ho Kim
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(22), 12186; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212186 - 9 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 732
Abstract
Typically, images captured in adverse weather conditions such as haze or smog exhibit light gray or white color on screen; therefore, existing hazy image restoration studies have performed dehazing under the same assumption. However, hazy images captured under actual weather conditions tend to [...] Read more.
Typically, images captured in adverse weather conditions such as haze or smog exhibit light gray or white color on screen; therefore, existing hazy image restoration studies have performed dehazing under the same assumption. However, hazy images captured under actual weather conditions tend to change color because of various environmental factors such as dust, chemical substances, sea, and lighting. Color-shifted hazy images have hindered accurate color perception of the images, and due to the dark haze color, they have worsened visibility compared to conventional hazy images. Therefore, various color correction-based dehazing algorithms have recently been implemented to restore colorcast images. However, existing color restoration studies are limited in that they struggle to distinguish between haze and objects, particularly when haze veils and images have a similar color or when objects with a high saturation value occupy a significant portion of the scene, resulting in overly grayish images and distorted colors. Therefore, we propose a saturation-based dehazing method that extracts only the hue of the cast airlight and preserves the information of the object. First, the proposed color correction method uses a dominant color extraction method for the clustering of CIELAB(LAB) color images and then assigns area scores to the classified clusters. Sorting of the airlight areas is performed using the area score, and gray world-based white balance is performed by extracting the hue of the area. Finally, the saturation of the restored image is used to separate and process the distant objects and airlight, and dehazing is performed by applying a weighting value to the depth map based on the average luminance. Our color restoration method prevents excessive gray tone and color distortion. In particular, the proposed dehazing method improves upon existing issues where near-field information is lost and noise is introduced in the far field as visibility improves. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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13 pages, 2621 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of Low-Light Images Using Illumination Estimate and Local Steering Kernel
by Bong-Won Cheon and Nam-Ho Kim
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(20), 11394; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132011394 - 17 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1096
Abstract
Images acquired in low-light conditions often have poor visibility. These images considerably degrade the performance of algorithms when used in computer vision and multi-media systems. Several methods for low-light image enhancement have been proposed to address these issues; furthermore, various techniques have been [...] Read more.
Images acquired in low-light conditions often have poor visibility. These images considerably degrade the performance of algorithms when used in computer vision and multi-media systems. Several methods for low-light image enhancement have been proposed to address these issues; furthermore, various techniques have been used to restore close-to-normal light conditions or improve visibility. However, there are problems with the enhanced image, such as saturation of local light sources, color distortion, and amplified noise. In this study, we propose a low-light image enhancement technique using illumination component estimation and a local steering kernel to address this problem. The proposed method estimates the illumination components in low-light images and obtains the images with illumination enhancement based on Retinex theory. The resulting image is then color-corrected and denoised using a local steering kernel. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, low-light images taken under various conditions are simulated using the proposed method, and it demonstrates visual and quantitative superiority to the existing methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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20 pages, 18484 KiB  
Article
Contrast Enhancement-Based Preprocessing Process to Improve Deep Learning Object Task Performance and Results
by Tae-su Wang, Gi Tae Kim, Minyoung Kim and Jongwook Jang
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(19), 10760; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910760 - 27 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1840
Abstract
Excessive lighting or sunlight can make it difficult to judge visually. The same goes for cameras that function like the human eye. In the field of computer vision, object tasks have a significant impact on performance depending on how much object information is [...] Read more.
Excessive lighting or sunlight can make it difficult to judge visually. The same goes for cameras that function like the human eye. In the field of computer vision, object tasks have a significant impact on performance depending on how much object information is provided. Light presents difficulties in recognizing objects, and recognition is not easy in shadows or dark areas. In this paper, we propose a contrast enhancement-based preprocessing process to obtain improved results in object recognition tasks by solving problems that occur due to light or lighting conditions. The proposed preprocessing process involves the steps of extracting optimal values, generating optimal images, and evaluating quality and similarity, and it can be applied to the generation of training and input data. As a result of an experiment in which the preprocessing process was applied to an object task, the object task results for areas with shadows or low contrast were improved while the existing performance was maintained for datasets that require contrast enhancement technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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18 pages, 2836 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Clustering and Indoor Movement Path Generation from Wi-Fi Fingerprint Data Using Bounding Boxes and Grid Cells
by Hong-Gi Shin, Daesung Lee, Chi-Gon Hwang and Chang-Pyo Yoon
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(19), 10647; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131910647 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 693
Abstract
Recently, various application fields utilizing Wi-Fi fingerprint data have been under research. However, fingerprint data collected from a specific location does not include relevant information, such as continuity. Therefore, most indoor positioning technologies predict the user’s location based on location signals collected at [...] Read more.
Recently, various application fields utilizing Wi-Fi fingerprint data have been under research. However, fingerprint data collected from a specific location does not include relevant information, such as continuity. Therefore, most indoor positioning technologies predict the user’s location based on location signals collected at specific points within the indoor space, without taking into account the user’s movements. Hence, there is a need for technology that improves the accuracy of indoor positioning while moving. This paper proposes a technique to generate movement path data by applying the concepts of “BB” and “Grid Cell” from computer vision to Wi-Fi fingerprint data. This approach represents data points as bounding boxes (BBs), then establishes grid cells and clusters of these BBs to generate adjacency information. Subsequently, movement path data are created based on this information. We utilized the movement path information generated from the dataset as training data for machine learning and introduced an enhanced indoor positioning technology. First, the experiments in this paper assessed the performance of the proposed technology based on the number of paths in the LSTM model. Second, the performance of clustering methods was compared through experiments. Finally, we evaluated the performance of various machine learning models. The experimental results confirmed a maximum accuracy of 94.48% when determining the location based on route information. Clustering performance improved accuracy by up to 3%. In comparative experiments with machine learning models, accuracy improved by up to 2.8%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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19 pages, 8167 KiB  
Article
Modeling and Performance Analysis of Three Zone-Based Registration Scheme in Wireless Communication Networks
by Hee-Seon Jang and Jang-Hyun Baek
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(18), 10064; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131810064 - 6 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 630
Abstract
For wireless communication networks, researchers have proposed many schemes to reduce the cost of location registration and paging signals caused by the mobility of user equipment (UE). Among them, a zone-based method that designates one zone (1Z, group of cells) as a registration [...] Read more.
For wireless communication networks, researchers have proposed many schemes to reduce the cost of location registration and paging signals caused by the mobility of user equipment (UE). Among them, a zone-based method that designates one zone (1Z, group of cells) as a registration area (RA) and then performs registration whenever the UE leaves the RA is commonly adopted due to its convenient implementation. However, the performance of 1Z is known to be very poor when the UE frequently crosses the RA’s boundary requesting location updates. Two or three zone-based schemes (2Z or 3Z) have since been recommended to overcome these limitations. In our previous work, we analyzed the performances of 1Z, 2Z, and 3Z systems while assuming a square-shaped zone. However, there is no reason why the shape of the zone is limited to a square. This paper analyzes the performance of 3Z while assuming a hexagonal-shaped rather than a square-shaped zone. Using a semi-Markov process theory, registration and paging costs are evaluated after defining states in 3Z operations and calculating the transition probability between states. Based on various realistic parameters, the numerical results showed that the 3Z outperformed 1Z and 2Z for most call-to-mobility ratio (CMR) values. The performance of 3Z was improved more when the registration cost decreased if the probability of returning to the previously registered zone increased or the time staying in the zone decreased. The 3Z system is easy to implement with simple software modifications. It can be dynamically applied as an efficient mobility management method in the future for various devices that will emerge in the 5G/6G environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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21 pages, 4405 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Key Characteristics and Theoretical Framework for Research on the Metaverse
by Chuanxiang Song, Seong-Yoon Shin and Kwang-Seong Shin
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7628; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137628 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4021
Abstract
This study presents an insightful examination of the conceptual and practical facets of the Metaverse by establishing a novel theoretical framework underpinned by an empirical case study of the Sandbox platform. Anchored in the principles of legality, virtual-reality integration, technological affinity, and community-driven [...] Read more.
This study presents an insightful examination of the conceptual and practical facets of the Metaverse by establishing a novel theoretical framework underpinned by an empirical case study of the Sandbox platform. Anchored in the principles of legality, virtual-reality integration, technological affinity, and community-driven innovation, the paper elucidates the inherent characteristics and potentialities of the Metaverse. Through meticulous research, the paper investigates the antecedents and evolution of the Metaverse, postulating an open, decentralized, and self-regulating ecosystem predicated on user-generated content and engagement. Furthermore, an in-depth case study of the Sandbox elucidates the practical applications, challenges, and opportunities associated with the operationalization of the Metaverse. The study showcases how avant-garde technologies such as blockchain, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence are instrumental in fostering immersive experiences, safeguarding virtual asset ownership, and facilitating tailored services. Moreover, the paper accentuates the indispensable role of community engagement and continuous innovation in cultivating a flourishing Metaverse environment. The analysis exposes that the burgeoning development of the Metaverse is intrinsically linked to the amalgamation of the virtual and the tangible, extending the frontiers of the digital economy. While shedding light on the virtues of the Metaverse, the study recognizes its nascent state and encourages further scholarly inquiry to comprehend and navigate its complexities. This research contributes significantly to the academic and practical understanding of the Metaverse, serving as a cornerstone for future investigations and technological advancements in this paradigm-shifting domain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Future Information & Communication Engineering 2023)
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