Security, Privacy, and Digital Sovereignty in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0

Dear Colleagues,

The development of the industry at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries led to the emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous robotics, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud computing, big data analysis, blockchain, and cyber-physical systems, all of which are used in Industry 4.0. The increasing dominance of technology over people and the prioritization of economic benefits over the natural environment, observed in Industry 4.0, quickly led to the next industrial revolution, Industry 5.0. The new expectation is to place humans at the center of industrial activity and to consider the conditions for sustainable development and crisis resilience. This forces the modification and adaptation of modern technologies, especially Information and Communications Technology (ICT), to meet the requirements of Industry 5.0, under constraints such as system and personal security, data privacy, and digital sovereignty. In such an industrial ecosystem, new security threats and requirements for protection methods also arise.

This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for industrial applications, human–computer collaboration, and AI-enabled industrial systems to address the three fundamental pillars of Industry 5.0: human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience. Original research papers are welcome, as are comprehensive review articles on cybersecurity and cybersovereignty in manufacturing and communication processes, particularly in 5G vertical industries, privacy protection, human–robot interfaces, collaborative robots, cyber-physical systems, digital twins, and more. We welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Secure human–robot interfaces;
• Collaborative robots and their security;
• Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies and applications;
• Applied machine learning and deep learning;
• Computer vision and sensor fusion;
• Data analytics and decision making;
• Digital twins and digital thread integration;
• Simulation and emulation of modern production systems;
• Cloud/edge computing platforms for Industry 4.0/5.0;
• Sensing and secure sensor integration;
• Wireless embedded intelligent systems;
• Mobile access to industrial platforms;
• Future of industrial workers;
• AR/VR for operators;
• Green processes and assessment;
• Process monitoring and optimization;
• Blockchain for manufacturing;
• Planning and managing resilient supply chains;
• Ecosystem and platform models;
• Artificial intelligence for Industry 5.0 and the security of machine learning;
• Cyber–physical and digital industrial systems;
• Sovereignty of Industrial IoT and networks;
• Cognitive industrial processes and systems;
• Society 5.0 and the future of e-Health;
• 5G vertical Industries and Industry 4.0/5.0;
• Telecommunication operators' role in Industry 5.0;
• New IT security threats in Industry 5.0.

Prof. Dr. Zbigniew Kotulski
Guest Editor

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