The Intelligent Edge: Next-Generation IoT for Embodied, Personalized, and Industrial Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The Internet of Things (IoT) is undergoing a profound transformation; it is evolving from a network of connected sensors into a pervasive fabric of embodied intelligence that perceives, decides, and acts within our physical world. This paradigm shift is fueled by breakthroughs in on-device AI, advanced materials, and seamless human–machine collaboration, creating unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges. This Special Issue seeks to chart this emerging frontier, focusing on the convergence of intelligence, connectivity, and action across key domains: embodied AI and robotics, tinyML and on-device intelligence, advanced Industry 5.0, next-generation wearables, and proactive medical and healthcare systems.

We invite pioneering research that addresses the core technical, ethical, and systemic challenges of this new era, and are particularly interested in submissions that explore the following topics:

• Architectures and Intelligence: Federated learning for IoT swarms, neuromorphic sensing, edge–cloud orchestration, and foundation models for physical world data.
• Security and Trust: Robust cybersecurity for critical embodied systems, privacy-preserving computation for personal and medical data, and verifiable AI in safety-critical loops.
• Interaction and Integration: Human-in-the-loop IoT, digital twin fidelity and interoperability, seamless matter-like protocols, and intuitive human–robot collaboration.
• Applications and Impact: Deployments in closed-loop medical therapy, sustainable smart factories, adaptive ambient assisted living, and ethical frameworks for autonomous IoT systems.

This Special Issue aims to provide a foundational reference for researchers and practitioners building the intelligent, responsive, and trustworthy cyber-physical ecosystems of tomorrow. We welcome high-quality original research, insightful case studies, and comprehensive review articles.

Submission topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Algorithms and hardware for tinyML and on-device learning;
• IoT as a platform for embodied AI and robotic perception;
• Digital twins and the industrial metaverse;
• Wearable sensors for biomarker discovery and continuous health monitoring;
• Security, privacy, and resilience of intelligent IoT networks;
• Edge–cloud–AI orchestration frameworks;
• Sustainable and energy-harvesting IoT designs;
• Human-centric IoT and adaptive environments;
• Standardization, interoperability, and ethical governance.

We look forward to your innovative contributions to defining the future of an intelligently connected world.

Dr. Haoting Shen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• edge intelligence
• next-generation IoT
• embodied AI
• TinyML
• cyber-physical systems
• IoT security