AI for Real-Time Industrial Automation and Control Systems

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue titled “AI for Real-Time Industrial Automation and Control Systems”.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing, and industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies is reshaping the landscape of modern industrial automation. Intelligent systems capable of adaptive control, fault detection, and predictive decision-making are forming the foundation of next-generation manufacturing and process industries.

This Special Issue will focus on the integration of AI with real-time control strategies to enhance performance, flexibility, and resilience in industrial environments — a key challenge and opportunity for the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions.

This Special Issue aims to provide a platform on which researchers and practitioners may share the latest advances, methodologies, and applications of AI-driven control and automation in real-time industrial contexts.

Topics of interest include theoretical developments, practical implementations, and interdisciplinary studies that align with the journal’s scope on automation, robotics, control systems, and intelligent manufacturing.

Our goal is to build a collection of at least ten high-quality contributions that explore how AI can enable more efficient, autonomous, and intelligent industrial systems.

In this Special Issue, both original research papers and comprehensive review articles are welcome.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to,

• AI-based control and optimization algorithms for industrial systems;
• Machine learning and deep learning for predictive maintenance;
• Edge AI and distributed intelligence for real-time control;
• Digital twins and model-based reinforcement learning;
• AI in programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and SCADA systems;
• Human–machine collaboration and adaptive control interfaces;
• Real-time data analytics and decision support in manufacturing;
• Cyber–physical systems and Industry 5.0 applications;
• Fault detection, diagnosis, and anomaly prediction using AI;
• Applications of AI in process automation, robotics, and smart factories.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Prof. Dr. Nuno Miguel Fonseca Ferreira
Guest Editor

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. Electronics 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.

• artificial intelligence
• industrial automation
• real-time control
• machine learning
• predictive maintenance
• edge computing
• digital twin
• reinforcement learning
• smart manufacturing
• cyber–physical systems