Journal Description
Inventions
Inventions
is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal published bimonthly online by MDPI.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within Scopus, ESCI (Web of Science), Inspec, Ei Compendex and other databases.
- Journal Rank: JCR - Q2 (Engineering, Multidisciplinary) / CiteScore - Q1 (General Engineering)
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision is provided to authors approximately 18.1 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 3.6 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2026).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
Impact Factor:
2.4 (2025);
5-Year Impact Factor:
2.5 (2025)
Latest Articles
Application of a Beaufort Scale-Based Mimetic System in Camouflage Garment Design
Inventions 2026, 11(4), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040071 - 9 Jul 2026
Abstract
Camouflage design for jungle environments has conventionally relied on the static optimization of color, texture, and edge features, presuming that the background remains visually stable. This presumption diverges from real conditions, in which wind continuously alters leaf orientation and vegetation texture, leaving a
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Camouflage design for jungle environments has conventionally relied on the static optimization of color, texture, and edge features, presuming that the background remains visually stable. This presumption diverges from real conditions, in which wind continuously alters leaf orientation and vegetation texture, leaving a gap between static optimization and dynamic visual reality. To address this limitation, this study developed a systematic camouflage design process that integrates the Beaufort scale into a mimetic system for simulating vegetation sway. Dominant colors were extracted using the CIE L*a*b* color space and K-means clustering, and background maps were generated via Gaussian blur. Leaf textures from five plant species were arranged through seamless tiling and overlaid onto the backgrounds to form 15 camouflage samples. Validation employed a fuzzy logic questionnaire and eye-tracking measurements. Under the present experimental conditions, which used screen presentation under visible light, pattern A-13 performed best. Derived from the Terminalia mantaly leaf texture in the dark green variant, it achieved the most favorable balance between distinctiveness from the regional reference pattern and disruption of target–background segmentation, whereas C-15, the light green variant, consistently ranked last. The proposed process is reproducible and applicable to civilian equipment such as tents and backpacks.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Inventions)
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A Multi-Market Hierarchical Joint Clearing Optimization Method Considering Dynamic Carbon Emissions Based on Transformer
by
Xin Huang, Minjia Zheng, Gaohong Liu, Hao Yu, Borui Liao, Keteng Jiang and Haibo Li
Inventions 2026, 11(4), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040070 - 6 Jul 2026
Abstract
Against the backdrop of China’s dual-carbon goals and the development of new power systems, the large-scale integration of renewable energy has intensified system regulation requirements and imposed higher demands on the low-carbon performance and flexibility of electricity market clearing mechanisms. To address the
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Against the backdrop of China’s dual-carbon goals and the development of new power systems, the large-scale integration of renewable energy has intensified system regulation requirements and imposed higher demands on the low-carbon performance and flexibility of electricity market clearing mechanisms. To address the inability of conventional static carbon emission factors to accurately reflect the actual emission levels of coal-fired units, this paper proposes a joint energy and frequency regulation ancillary service clearing model incorporating dynamic carbon emission factors. First, a Transformer-based dynamic carbon emission factor model is developed using features such as unit output, load rate, start-up and shutdown status, and unit type to characterize the dynamic variation in the carbon emission intensity of coal-fired units. Second, a coordinated day-ahead and intraday market clearing model is established to jointly optimize unit commitment, generation scheduling, frequency regulation capacity allocation, energy storage operation, and renewable energy accommodation, thereby achieving coordinated improvements in economic efficiency, low-carbon performance, and operational flexibility. Case studies based on actual data from a provincial power grid in southern China demonstrate that the proposed model increases the renewable energy accommodation rate by 2.01%, reduces the total system cost by 1.51%, lowers total carbon emissions by 3.52%, and decreases carbon emission intensity by 5.15%. The results confirm that incorporating dynamic carbon emission factors into joint market clearing can effectively improve both the economic performance and emission reduction capability of the power system.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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Open AccessArticle
Multi-Level Power Output for Wireless Power Transfer System Based on Hardware Reuse and Inverter Mode Selection at Primary Side
by
Mingshen Wang, Xiaodong Yuan, Huiyu Miao, Huachun Han and Han Liu
Inventions 2026, 11(4), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040069 - 2 Jul 2026
Abstract
To satisfy the requirements of multi-level power output in wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, this paper proposes a multi-level power regulation strategy based on primary-side hardware reuse and inverter mode selection. The proposed approach reduces hardware complexity and control difficulty under diverse power
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To satisfy the requirements of multi-level power output in wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, this paper proposes a multi-level power regulation strategy based on primary-side hardware reuse and inverter mode selection. The proposed approach reduces hardware complexity and control difficulty under diverse power demands, while eliminating the performance degradation of inverters induced by wide-range duty-cycle modulation. In this study, the configuration of the established system is first presented. Maintaining the inherent output connection of the full-bridge inverter, two operational modes realized via power device gating control are analyzed and deduced. On this basis, an analytical circuit model is constructed for the multi-level power output system incorporating primary-side hardware reuse, and the corresponding static characteristics of the system are investigated. Combined with the application of receiving coils with different specifications, a refined multi-level power output scheme relying on inverter mode selection is further formulated. Finally, experimental validation demonstrates that the prototype system achieves four discrete power levels simply through primary-side hardware reuse and mode switching, without modifying circuit connections or adjusting duty ratios. The maximum received power under each level reaches 405 W, 212 W, 101 W and 51 W, respectively; meanwhile, the corresponding DC–DC efficiency is maintained at 92.6%, 91.5%, 92.3% and 90.92%.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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Economic Analysis of Nuclear Energy Storage’s Participation in the Energy/Secondary Frequency Regulation Auxiliary Services Market
by
Ge Qin, Yunbo Wu, Dongyuan Li, Yufeng Wang, Baisen Zhang, Chutong Wang, Jiaoshen Xu and Haifeng Liang
Inventions 2026, 11(4), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040068 - 1 Jul 2026
Abstract
In response to the contradiction between the insufficient flexibility of nuclear power due to the high proportion of renewable energy grid connection and the increasing demand for system frequency regulations, this paper proposes a coordinated operation model of a nuclear–storage consortium. It uses
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In response to the contradiction between the insufficient flexibility of nuclear power due to the high proportion of renewable energy grid connection and the increasing demand for system frequency regulations, this paper proposes a coordinated operation model of a nuclear–storage consortium. It uses all-vanadium redox flow batteries as the flexibility transformation solution. Referring to the PJM market and the Guangdong electricity market mechanism, a two-tier optimization model for the nuclear power–energy storage consortium’s participation in the electricity energy/secondary frequency regulation market is constructed. The upper layer optimizes the scale of energy storage configuration, and the lower layer realizes joint clearing based on the Security-Constrained Unit Commitment–Security-Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCUC-SCED) framework. It takes into account the nuclear frequency regulation safety share constraint and energy storage performance coefficient. The case analysis demonstrates that the configuration of 70 MW/70 MWh vanadium redox flow batteries can increase the annualized net income of the consortium by 2.8429 million yuan, mainly by shifting the nuclear power regulation space from the energy market to the high-value frequency regulation market. This study verifies the feasibility of the nuclear–storage synergy model in enhancing market competitiveness while ensuring nuclear safety, providing a quantitative reference for the flexibility transformation of nuclear power and the design of power market mechanisms.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and Challenges in Emerging Power Systems: 3rd Edition)
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Open AccessArticle
Smart Ear-Mounted Heart Rate Monitoring Device as a Proof-of-Concept Platform for Calving Monitoring in Dairy Cows
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Mónica B. Torres Dávila, Miguel Á. García Sánchez, Mario Molina Almaraz, Eduardo García Sánchez, Luis E. Bañuelos García, José C. Torres Dávila, Ma. del Rosario Martínez Blanco, Luis O. Solís Sánchez, Gerardo Sánchez Sandoval and Luis H. Mendoza Huizar
Inventions 2026, 11(4), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040067 - 25 Jun 2026
Abstract
Calving in cattle is divided into two main stages: dilation and expulsion, during which timely assistance can reduce reproductive losses. This study presents a smart ear-mounted device as a proof-of-concept heart-rate monitoring platform for calving-stage assessment in dairy cows. The prototype preserves the
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Calving in cattle is divided into two main stages: dilation and expulsion, during which timely assistance can reduce reproductive losses. This study presents a smart ear-mounted device as a proof-of-concept heart-rate monitoring platform for calving-stage assessment in dairy cows. The prototype preserves the form factor of a conventional ear tag and integrates a MAX30105 optical sensor, an Arduino Nano microcontroller, local micro-SD storage, and an autonomous power supply. Field tests were conducted in Holstein cows at Rancho El Pinar, Trancoso, Zacatecas, Mexico. Heart rate was recorded every 10 min and grouped according to physiological stages around calving. The results showed distinctive heart rate patterns, with higher values during dilation and lower values after delivery, supporting the use of ear-mounted heart rate monitoring as a non-invasive descriptive marker of stage-related physiological variation around labor. An average temperature profile from 70 h before to 50 h after calving was also incorporated as complementary descriptive evidence of peripartum physiological variation. Because heart rate is a non-specific physiological variable affected by stress, movement, ambient temperature, feeding, health status, and sensor contact, the present study does not propose HR as a stand-alone or definitive predictor of calving or dystocia. Instead, the device is presented as a proof-of-concept platform for future multi-indicator monitoring and validation studies. The proposed system is presented as a proof-of-concept invention that combines a practical wearable format with physiological monitoring and a conceptual decision-support logic that remains to be validated and integrated with additional indicators before any field implementation.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Inventions)
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A Comparative Study on the Insulation Properties of Different Epoxy Materials for UHV DC Bushing Insulators
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Xining Li, Hao Tang, Kai Liu, Huichuan Tang, Yi Zhang and Guangning Wu
Inventions 2026, 11(4), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040066 - 24 Jun 2026
Abstract
Ultra-high-voltage direct-current (UHVDC) transmission systems impose stringent requirements on the reliability of insulation materials used in converter transformer bushings. Epoxy resin systems are key insulating materials in resin-impregnated paper (RIP) capacitor bushings, and their processing characteristics, curing behavior, and electrical properties directly affect
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Ultra-high-voltage direct-current (UHVDC) transmission systems impose stringent requirements on the reliability of insulation materials used in converter transformer bushings. Epoxy resin systems are key insulating materials in resin-impregnated paper (RIP) capacitor bushings, and their processing characteristics, curing behavior, and electrical properties directly affect bushing performance. In this study, two epoxy insulation systems used for resin-impregnated paper (RIP) bushings, namely the imported Araldite LY1564/Aradur 3486 system and the domestic EP-2020/CA-3015 system, were systematically investigated through viscosity, curing, and electrical property tests. The results show that the viscosities of both resins decreased significantly with increasing temperature. At 60 °C, the viscosities of Resin A and Resin B were 151.6 mPa·s and 156.3 mPa·s, respectively. The mixed resin–hardener systems exhibited similar viscosity evolution and comparable pot life characteristics. DSC measurements revealed two-stage curing reactions for both materials, with first exothermic peak temperatures of 65.4 °C and 96.3 °C and second peak temperatures of 269.3 °C and 269.8 °C for Materials A and B, respectively. Electrical testing demonstrated that both materials exhibited similar temperature-dependent dielectric and resistivity behavior, with dielectric loss increasing at elevated temperatures and resistivity decreasing as temperature increased. The volume resistivity trends and dielectric characteristics of the two materials remained highly consistent throughout the investigated temperature range. The results indicate that Material B exhibits processing performance, curing characteristics, and electrical insulation properties comparable to those of Material A. Therefore, Material B demonstrates strong potential for application in UHVDC RIP bushing insulation systems and provides a promising alternative for the localization of key insulating materials.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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Trustworthy Educational Risk Modeling with Calibrated Probabilities, Conformal Uncertainty, Explainable AI, and Graph-Based Refinement
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Menna M. S. Elmasry, Mona G. Gafar and M. A. Elsabagh
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030065 - 22 Jun 2026
Abstract
Student dropout remains an important challenge in higher education because it affects degree completion, institutional resource efficiency, workforce preparation, and students’ long-term socioeconomic opportunities. This requires not only accurate predictions but also decision support that is both reliable and aware of uncertainty. This
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Student dropout remains an important challenge in higher education because it affects degree completion, institutional resource efficiency, workforce preparation, and students’ long-term socioeconomic opportunities. This requires not only accurate predictions but also decision support that is both reliable and aware of uncertainty. This study posits that the amalgamation of probabilistic modeling, uncertainty quantification, and graph-based refinement can augment both predictive reliability and decision support for the early detection of dropouts. A reliability-centered predictive framework is presented, integrating Educational Competition Optimization (ECO)-based feature selection, probabilistic Support Vector Classification (SVC), isotonic regression for probability calibration, and split conformal prediction for distribution-free uncertainty quantification. In addition, a similarity-driven Graph-based Fuzzy Cellular Automata (Graph-FCA) refinement mechanism is developed, where student relationships are modeled using a k-nearest neighbor graph with radial basis function similarity. Entropy-based confidence weighting is used to control uncertainty-aware propagation. An Explainable Artificial Intelligence layer based on SHAP provides both global and local interpretability, and fairness-aware evaluation assesses consistency across demographic groups. The suggested framework maintains predictive performance while improving probabilistic reliability. The Graph-FCA refinement achieves an accuracy of 0.7503, which is close to the calibrated ECO–SVC baseline (Accuracy = 0.7537; Macro-F1 = 0.6704) and also reduces the Brier score. The conformal prediction layer achieves empirical coverage close to the desired confidence level, ensuring reliable uncertainty estimates. The ECO–SVC–Conformal–GraphFCA framework transforms traditional classification into a reliable, understandable, and uncertainty-aware early warning system, enhancing its usefulness for ethical and informed decision-making in engineering education.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Design, Modeling and Computing Methods)
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Multi-Channel Monitoring System with Nanosecond Resolution for Intermittent Faults in Electrical Connectors
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Wanbin Ren, Yuchen Liao, Yinnan Zhang, Yuan Meng and Chao Zhang
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030064 - 17 Jun 2026
Abstract
Intermittent faults in electrical connectors refer to cases in which contact resistance exceeds a specified threshold for microseconds or less, causing transient power or signal interruptions. Accurate detection and quantitative recording of these events are important for connector reliability evaluation. In this work,
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Intermittent faults in electrical connectors refer to cases in which contact resistance exceeds a specified threshold for microseconds or less, causing transient power or signal interruptions. Accurate detection and quantitative recording of these events are important for connector reliability evaluation. In this work, an eight-channel monitoring system with nanosecond resolution for intermittent faults in electrical connectors is developed, enabling quantitative recording of intermittent events together with dynamic contact resistance (DCR) waveform acquisition. Two-stage programmable amplification is used for DCR measurement, while threshold comparison and FPGA-abased quadrature multiphase oversampling are combined to capture intermittent events. The system supports DCR measurement over 1 mΩ–10,000 mΩ with a maximum relative error of 0.41%, and provides 1.25 ns equivalent time resolution for intermittent event monitoring, with an expanded uncertainty of 0.28 ns–0.54 ns over 20 ns–10 μs. Vibration tests on high-speed connectors further demonstrate that the system captures real intermittent events under mechanical excitation and measures their durations with a maximum relative error of 0.66% relative to oscilloscope results.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and New Trends in Signal Processing: 2nd Edition)
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Transient Simulation and Optimization of Windage Loss in Flywheel Energy Storage Systems
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Andrew H. Gould and Alireza Fath
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030063 - 17 Jun 2026
Abstract
Global shifts in energy policy have contributed to an increase in electricity generation from renewable sources, which introduces unique issues with volatility and grid reliability. Robust grid-scale energy storage methods must fill the gap between generation and consumption. Flywheel energy storage (FES) is
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Global shifts in energy policy have contributed to an increase in electricity generation from renewable sources, which introduces unique issues with volatility and grid reliability. Robust grid-scale energy storage methods must fill the gap between generation and consumption. Flywheel energy storage (FES) is a mechanical technology that utilizes the stored kinetic energy of a rotating body, but is typically only suited for shorter-term frequency regulation due to significant windage losses. In this work, a novel Python 3.13-based simulation and optimization tool is presented and used to optimize geometric design parameters for efficiency, energy density, and other metrics. The simulation utilizes a 1 degree-of-freedom, multi-regime fluid friction model with a time-marching algorithm. The optimization functionality utilizes pyswarms, a particle swarm optimization package, with adjustable search parameters and cost functions to evaluate simulation results. Optimization parameters include geometric parameters of rotor radius, shaft radius, airgap width, and airgap height; material properties of mass and moment of inertia; and initial angular velocity. An optimal initial angular velocity is found for a particular geometry, lasting 30 times longer until self-discharge versus the worst values. This work can inform the design of flywheel systems to minimize windage losses and promote the technology’s utility for longer-term energy storage.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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A Wind Power Prediction Approach on the Grounds of FCM Fuzzy Clustering and TCN–Transformer
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Muyao Lv, Zejia Liu, Chao Zhang, Yujie Gao, Zhihan Zhang, Yihua Zhu, Chao Luo and Jiawei Yu
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030062 - 16 Jun 2026
Abstract
With the goal of achieving more accurate wind power predictions by accounting for meteorological influences comprising wind speed, together with wind direction and air pressure, this thesis proposes a method combining fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering with a TCN–Transformer hybrid model. After preprocessing the
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With the goal of achieving more accurate wind power predictions by accounting for meteorological influences comprising wind speed, together with wind direction and air pressure, this thesis proposes a method combining fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering with a TCN–Transformer hybrid model. After preprocessing the data to remove outage and missing records, we apply the Pearson correlation coefficient to identify average wind speed and wind direction that are suitable to serve as input features for the model, together with the atmospheric pressure, as key input features. FCM clustering is then applied to partition the data into low- and high-wind-speed operating conditions, mitigating the accuracy loss caused by uniform modeling. A TCN–Transformer model is subsequently constructed, integrating local temporal feature extraction with global dependency modeling to perform prediction under each condition. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed FCM–TCN–Transformer framework consistently achieves superior forecasting performance under both low-wind-speed and high-wind-speed conditions. Compared with benchmark models, including TCN, LSTM, GRU, BiGRU, and Transformer, the proposed method achieves lower prediction errors and higher prediction accuracy across different forecasting horizons. Furthermore, repeated experiments with multiple random seeds verify the robustness and stability of the proposed framework. These results indicate that FCM-based wind regime classification effectively reduces data heterogeneity, while the hybrid TCN–Transformer architecture successfully captures both local temporal patterns and long-range temporal dependencies. Therefore, the proposed framework provides an effective and reliable solution for short-term wind power forecasting and contributes to the secure integration of wind energy into modern power systems.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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An Intelligent Computing Architecture for Ultra-Short-Term Wind Power Forecasting: Integrating Dual-Stage Signal Processing and Optimized Deep Learning
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Yuting Zhang and Xiaonan Shen
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030061 - 16 Jun 2026
Abstract
The integration of wind energy into power systems relies on forecasting technologies to address operational challenges caused by its volatility and intermittency. This paper proposes a computing architecture for ultra-short-term wind power forecasting. The methodology integrates an adaptive dual-stage signal processing technique with
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The integration of wind energy into power systems relies on forecasting technologies to address operational challenges caused by its volatility and intermittency. This paper proposes a computing architecture for ultra-short-term wind power forecasting. The methodology integrates an adaptive dual-stage signal processing technique with an optimized deep learning model. To manage the non-stationarity of meteorological variables, the Pearson and Maximal Information Coefficient (MIC) analyses are employed for feature selection. The ICEEMDAN algorithm is then used for initial decomposition, followed by sample entropy and K-Means clustering to assess component complexity. Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) is applied only to the high-frequency component to further separate stochastic fluctuations while preserving relatively stable trend components. A Convolutional Neural Network-Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (CNN-BiLSTM) network is constructed to forecast the resulting multi-scale components. To reduce reliance on manual empirical tuning, the Crested Porcupine Optimizer (CPO) is used to fine-tune key network hyperparameters. Evaluations using operational wind-farm data indicate that the developed hybrid method captures the temporal dynamics of wind power and yields lower prediction errors than the tested benchmark models. This research provides a data-driven computing framework for renewable-energy forecasting and related operational analysis.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Design, Modeling and Computing Methods)
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A Novel Simulation-Oriented Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Artificial Intelligence Framework for Reliability Assessment of Energy-Embedded Pavement Structures
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Nawal Louzi, Mohammad Q. Al-Jamal and Mahmoud AlJamal
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030060 - 15 Jun 2026
Abstract
This study proposes a novel simulation-driven intelligent framework for the performance and reliability assessment of renewable energy-integrated pavement systems by unifying coupled multiphysics finite element modeling, structured dataset generation, and graph-based artificial intelligence within a single computational paradigm. The proposed pavement is formulated
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This study proposes a novel simulation-driven intelligent framework for the performance and reliability assessment of renewable energy-integrated pavement systems by unifying coupled multiphysics finite element modeling, structured dataset generation, and graph-based artificial intelligence within a single computational paradigm. The proposed pavement is formulated as a seven-layer multifunctional infrastructure system comprising the asphalt surface, intermediate binder, base layer, thermoelectric energy layer, piezoelectric insert zone, subbase, and subgrade soil, thereby enabling simultaneous consideration of structural load transfer, thermal gradient-driven energy harvesting, moisture-sensitive support behavior, and reliability-oriented performance interpretation. A three-dimensional thermo-hydro-mechanical Abaqus model was developed to simulate the concurrent effects of moving wheel load, solar heat flux, rainfall infiltration, and internal moisture diffusion, and it was subsequently used to construct an AI-ready dataset containing 6000 simulation cases and 68 variables spanning geometric, material, environmental, traffic, uncertainty, structural, thermal, hydraulic, renewable-energy, and probabilistic reliability descriptors. To preserve the physical hierarchy of the layered pavement within the learning process, a Layer-Coupled Reliability Graph Operator Network (LaRGO-Net) was proposed, in which pavement layers are represented as interacting graph nodes linked through adaptive interlayer coupling and optimized through multi-task, physics-aware, and coupling-consistent learning. Experimental evaluation across nine progressive configurations demonstrated a monotonic improvement from baseline dense and graph-convolution models to the full LaRGO-Net formulation. The final model achieved the best overall performance with mean RMSE = 0.040, mean MAE = 0.028, mean , and reliability prediction accuracy characterized by F1 = 99.21 and AUC = 99.53. These results confirm that the proposed framework provides a highly accurate, physically interpretable, and reliability-aware surrogate for next-generation pavement systems capable of simultaneously supporting structural serviceability, renewable-energy functionality, and intelligent decision-making.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technologies and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable and Intelligent Transportation Systems: Second Edition)
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Robust Multi-Output Prediction of Perovskite Solar Cell Parameters via Multi-Task Learning
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Khaled Chahine, Mohamad Arnaout, Marc Al Atem, Abdallah El Ghaly and Hassan N. Noura
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030059 - 10 Jun 2026
Abstract
Conventional machine learning models for perovskite solar cells predict photovoltaic parameters independently, disregarding the physical constraint . This approach can yield mutually incompatible predictions for the four parameters, a failure
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Conventional machine learning models for perovskite solar cells predict photovoltaic parameters independently, disregarding the physical constraint . This approach can yield mutually incompatible predictions for the four parameters, a failure mode that has not been hitherto quantified in the perovskite solar cell literature. This paper proposes a multi-head neural network with a shared backbone, physics-guided feature construction, and task-specific prediction heads, and validates it on 7176 SCAPS-1D simulations across 12 perovskite compositions. When benchmarked against architecturally matched single-task baselines, the multi-task model, optimized via 5-fold cross-validation, achieves values of at least 0.994 for all four targets, with cross-fold standard deviations of 0.001. In particular, fill factor prediction improves from (single-task) to (multi-task), a 233-fold reduction in cross-fold standard deviation. Application of a physical consistency metric developed in this work reveals that 36.5% of single-task predictions exceed a 2 PCE-unit implausibility threshold, compared to only 0.01% for the multi-task model. The multi-task model outperforms the single-task baseline in all 20-fold target comparisons, with large effect sizes (Cohen’s – ). These results confirm multi-task learning as an effective approach for achieving robust, stable, and internally consistent predictions in simulation-based photovoltaic virtual screening.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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A Drawer-Type Tablet Charging Cart for K-12 Digital Learning Infrastructure: Human-Centered Engineering Design, Opportunity Scoring, and Prototype Validation
by
Chi-Hung Lo and Yi-Lan Sun
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030058 - 7 Jun 2026
Abstract
Managing classroom tablets involves more than electrical charging; it also requires repeated retrieval and return, storage, plug alignment, custody, and queue control. This article presents the human-centered engineering design and field validation of a drawer-type tablet/laptop charging cart for kindergarten-to-grade-12 digital learning infrastructure.
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Managing classroom tablets involves more than electrical charging; it also requires repeated retrieval and return, storage, plug alignment, custody, and queue control. This article presents the human-centered engineering design and field validation of a drawer-type tablet/laptop charging cart for kindergarten-to-grade-12 digital learning infrastructure. Its main contribution is a bilateral drawer-access architecture that converts a conventional front-door, single-queue cabinet into a two-sided parallel-handling product, with design decisions linked to observed school workflows through Lean Product and Process Development, jobs-to-be-done inquiry, opportunity scoring, competitor benchmarking, product-essence mapping, and prototype testing. Field observations at three schools identified six critical handling events; effective storage with reduced queueing was the highest-priority opportunity (importance = 8.6, satisfaction = 5.7, opportunity score = 11.5). Among four access concepts, the drawer-type concept achieved the shortest handling time (4.4 s/device), outperforming front-opening fixed-shelf (7.2 s/device), front-opening movable-rack (8.2 s/device), and top-opening (6.8 s/device) concepts. In classroom validation, average handling time decreased from 10.9 to 4.8 s/device, and throughput increased from 5.5 to 12.5 devices/min. These design-stage, descriptive results indicate that bilateral drawer access can reduce serial queueing while preserving storage, charging, and custody functions. They support prototype refinement rather than population-level causal inference.
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(This article belongs to the Topic Innovation, Communication and Engineering, 2nd Edition)
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Ultra-Stable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries Enabled by Trace Ionic Liquid–Polar Solvent Synergistic Induction of Vertically Oriented (101) Facet Epitaxial Growth
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Fenglin Zhang, Die Chen, Luo Zhang, Chenxia Zhao, Ming Zhang, Xinyi Li, Ting He, Zimiao Lu, Xiaohong He, Gengpei Xia and Dingyu Yang
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030057 - 4 Jun 2026
Abstract
Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for grid-scale storage due to their safety, low cost, and environmental benignity. However, water-dipole enrichment in the inner Helmholtz plane (IHP) of Zn anodes triggers hydrogen evolution, corrosion, and dendrites, limiting cycle life. We report a trace
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Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for grid-scale storage due to their safety, low cost, and environmental benignity. However, water-dipole enrichment in the inner Helmholtz plane (IHP) of Zn anodes triggers hydrogen evolution, corrosion, and dendrites, limiting cycle life. We report a trace “ionic liquid–polar solvent coupling” strategy: adding only 0.01 M EMIMBF4 and 0.03 M DMSO to 2 M ZnSO4 electrolyte. Hydrophobic EMIM+ adsorbs on the IHP to expel interfacial water, while BF4− enters the primary solvation shell and DMSO penetrates both first and second shells of Zn2+, forming a water-deficient coordination environment. This interfacial–solvation synergy suppresses parasitic reactions and directs preferentially oriented Zn deposition exclusively along the (101) facet, enabling dense vertical plating and in situ formation of a compact, inorganic-rich SEI (ZnCO3–ZnSO3–Zn(OH)2). Consequently, Zn||Zn cells cycle stably for >5362 h at 1 mA cm−2/1 mAh cm−2; Zn||Cu cells achieve 1300 cycles with 99.8% average Coulombic efficiency; and Zn||V2O5 full cells retain 326.4 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles. This work shows that minimal additive loading can simultaneously engineer the electrode–electrolyte interface and crystallographic deposition pathway, offering a simple yet robust design for ultra-stable AZIBs.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electrode Material for Electrochemical Production Conversion and Storage of Energy)
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A Simple Automated Method for Microstructural Fluorescence Image Analysis to Determine the Degree of Polyploidy in Mono- and Dicotyledonous Plant Cells
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Dmitriy A. Serov, Dmitry A. Zakharov, Natalia A. Semenova, Maxim E. Astashev, Valery A. Kozlov, Alexey S. Dorokhov, Andrey Yu. Izmailov and Sergey V. Gudkov
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030056 - 4 Jun 2026
Abstract
An evaluation of plant ploidy is an important task in breeding and biotechnology. Current methods of ploidy assessment (flow cytofluorometry and microscopy) are time-consuming and costly, and not applicable to real-world agricultural conditions. We developed an automated method for ploidy assessment based on
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An evaluation of plant ploidy is an important task in breeding and biotechnology. Current methods of ploidy assessment (flow cytofluorometry and microscopy) are time-consuming and costly, and not applicable to real-world agricultural conditions. We developed an automated method for ploidy assessment based on fluorescence microscopy, which aims to accelerate and reduce the cost of plant ploidy analysis. The method is based on the automated selection of plant nuclei in fluorescence micrographs, followed by analysis of nuclear area, fluorescence intensity of the Hoechst DNA-binding probe, and nuclear geometry (circularity, roundness, solidity). The study was conducted on monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants with known genome sizes. Triticum aestivum Wt (6n, hexaploid) and Temp (4n, tetraploid) are monocotyledonous, and Capsella bursa-pastoris (4n, tetraploid) and Capsella rubella (2n, dT/iploid) are dicotyledonous. A simple fluorescent staining protocol combined with automated analysis using our ImageJ macro enables reliable separation of both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants by genome size with an accuracy close (for dicots) or comparable (for monocots) to flow cytofluorometry. For ploidy separation in monocots, the most sensitive parameters are fluorescence intensity, nucleus area, and circularity. For ploidy separation in dicots, the most sensitive parameters are nucleus area, fluorescence intensity, and circularity.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inventions and Innovation in Smart Sensing Technologies for Agriculture: 2nd Edition)
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Open AccessArticle
Performance Comparison of Machine Learning Across Metal, Cuda, and Software-Based Neuromorphic Simulation
by
Ryan Saini and William B. Andreopoulos
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030055 - 4 Jun 2026
Abstract
Machine learning’s computational demands necessitate optimal performance and utilization across diverse hardware architectures. This research compares computing as spiking neural networks (CSNNs, or simulated neuromorphic computing) and regular CNNs on Apple Silicon M3 Pro with Metal Performance Shaders (MPS), and NVIDIA RTX 3070
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Machine learning’s computational demands necessitate optimal performance and utilization across diverse hardware architectures. This research compares computing as spiking neural networks (CSNNs, or simulated neuromorphic computing) and regular CNNs on Apple Silicon M3 Pro with Metal Performance Shaders (MPS), and NVIDIA RTX 3070 GPU with CUDA. We run Convolutional Spiking Neural Networks (CSNNs) and traditional CNNs on two datasets (frame-based CIFAR-10; and sequential event-based DVS) to evaluate the suitability of neural net architectures and platforms for different data problems. For both CSNNs and traditional CNNs, Apple Silicon with MPS delivers better energy efficiency but longer processing times for training and inference. NVIDIA with CUDA offers faster computation in training and inference at higher energy costs for CNNs. For CSNNs, frame-based data (CIFAR-10) significantly degraded performance when proper temporal encoding was absent, while event-based data (DVS) proved more naturally suited to the CSNN architecture than frame-based inputs. Though CNNs still achieved higher empirical accuracy in the reported experiments. CSNNs also performed better on Apple Silicon (with MPS) for the sequential event-based data. RAM utilization patterns favored Apple Silicon (with MPS) across both data experiments. The CSNN architecture demanded higher memory resources than CNN, regardless of platform and dataset. NVIDIA (with CUDA) was less energy efficient for spiking neural networks (CSNNs) as compared to Apple Silicon (with MPS). We also compared how the number of time steps affects accuracy and energy consumption across hardware platforms, finding that higher accuracy correlates with energy costs as time steps increase; the accuracy-energy relation seems linear for frame-based data, while for event-based data the energy consumption remains stable increasing at higher time steps. Our cross-platform performance analysis of spiking and regular neural network architectures highlight the importance of matching platform-architecture combinations to a dataset and application requirements.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Electrical Engineering/Energy/Communications)
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Open AccessArticle
Design and Control-Oriented Simulation of a Superelastic Nitinol Steerable Microcatheter Tip for Ischemic Stroke Thrombectomy
by
Ali Basim Mahdi, Zahraa A. Mousa Al-Ibraheemi, Nabil Jalil Aklo and Amer Alomarah
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030054 - 30 May 2026
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability and thus requires specialized treatment. The present work describes the design and control-oriented simulation of a smart steerable microcatheter tip based on Nitinol superelastic alloy for thrombectomy. The proposed framework allows for predictive
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Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability and thus requires specialized treatment. The present work describes the design and control-oriented simulation of a smart steerable microcatheter tip based on Nitinol superelastic alloy for thrombectomy. The proposed framework allows for predictive and safe catheter navigation by combining experimental material characterization, electromechanical modeling, and control design. Experimental validations of key material properties, such as hemocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and full superelastic behavior, were incorporated into an environment created in MATLAB/Simulink. The bending curvature of a safe blood vessel was exactly followed by means of delay-guaranteed bandwidth-limited dynamical feedforward and feedback regulation. Simulation-based results validate steering and dynamic response, as well as safe interaction with blood vessel walls. Ultimately, from the work described in this paper, we hope to present a proposal for an entire framework for relating biomaterial properties with control performance that could stimulate safer and more efficient robot-assisted procedures in combating thromboembolic diseases.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Biotechnology and Materials)
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Application of Stochastic Resonance for Detection of Weak Signals in Electromagnetic Systems
by
Heriberto Adamas-Pérez, Pedro Javier García-Ramírez, Edmundo Antonio Gutiérrez-Domínguez, Guadalupe Jasmín Muñoz-Salazar, Jesús Aguayo Alquicira, Guillermo Ramírez-Zuñiga, Jorge Salvador Valdez Martínez, José Guadalupe Villanueva Patricio and Susana Estefany De León Aldaco
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030053 - 26 May 2026
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive analytical, numerical, and experimental study of the amplification and detection of weak signals in magnetically coupled electromagnetic systems, using an architecture consisting of three magnetically coupled coils. A rigorous mathematical model of the system is developed, which includes
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This article presents a comprehensive analytical, numerical, and experimental study of the amplification and detection of weak signals in magnetically coupled electromagnetic systems, using an architecture consisting of three magnetically coupled coils. A rigorous mathematical model of the system is developed, which includes the formulation of the mutual inductance matrix and a state-space representation that captures the dynamic interaction between the coils. It is important to note that the electromagnetic subsystem is linear and that the stochastic resonance effect is achieved by incorporating an external nonlinear bistable element. In this configuration, a weak periodic signal below a threshold is applied to the primary coil, while a controlled source of Gaussian white noise is injected into a secondary coil. A third coil functions as a sensing element, capturing the superimposed magnetic response resulting from coupling effects. The voltage induced in the sensor coil is subsequently processed by a bistable nonlinear element implemented via a Schmitt trigger, which provides the nonlinearity and bistability necessary to enable stochastic resonance and the detection of the weak periodic signal. The conditions of the SR are analyzed in terms of noise intensity, coupling coefficients, and system parameters, highlighting the existence of an optimal noise level that maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output. A detailed simulation framework has been developed in MATLAB/Simulink, enabling a systematic exploration of the parameter space and the validation of theoretical predictions. The simulation results are further supported by experimental measurements obtained from a physical prototype, which show agreement with the proposed model. The main contribution of this work lies in demonstrating that magnetically coupled electromagnetic structures can effectively interact with nonlinear bistable elements to exploit stochastic resonance in the detection of weak signals, even when the electromagnetic domain itself remains linear. The results demonstrate that magnetic coupling is an effective mechanism for mediating constructive interactions between noise and weak signals, thereby improving the detection of the latter. These results extend the applicability of stochastic resonance to hybrid electromagnetic systems and demonstrate its relevance in practical applications. Potential applications include ultra-sensitive magnetic detection, low-power signal detection, magnetic transducers, and robust signal recovery in noisy electromagnetic environments, particularly in contexts where conventional linear amplification fails.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances and New Trends in Signal Processing: 2nd Edition)
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Hybrid AI–Quantum Co-Design of a SiC-Based DAB Converter for Ultra-Fast EV Charging
by
Nikolay Hinov
Inventions 2026, 11(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11030052 - 25 May 2026
Abstract
Ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging systems are among the most demanding converter-dominated applications due to their high power levels, wide battery-voltage range, strict thermal constraints, and the need for adaptive charging control. Conventional design and tuning approaches often rely on fixed control policies
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Ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging systems are among the most demanding converter-dominated applications due to their high power levels, wide battery-voltage range, strict thermal constraints, and the need for adaptive charging control. Conventional design and tuning approaches often rely on fixed control policies and computationally expensive iterative optimization, which limits their ability to address nonlinear multi-objective trade-offs across the full charging envelope. This paper proposes a hybrid AI–quantum co-design framework for a SiC-based dual active bridge (DAB) converter intended for ultra-fast EV charging applications. The proposed approach combines a physical converter model, an AI surrogate-learning layer for rapid prediction of converter performance, and a quantum-assisted optimization layer for multi-objective exploration of design and control variables. To demonstrate the framework, a representative modular 350 kW ultra-fast charging case study is considered, implemented by four parallel 87.5 kW SiC-based DAB modules and including converter-level optimization and adaptive charging-policy refinement. The revised manuscript introduces a complete system schematic, an explicit DAB converter topology, a clarified methodological workflow, and a simulation-based proof-of-concept evaluation. Representative results indicate improved design-space exploration and more balanced trade-offs between efficiency, thermal stress, ripple, and dynamic response compared with a conventional baseline tuning approach. Although the study does not claim hardware-level quantum advantage, it provides a structured and practically interpretable computational framework for intelligent co-design of high-power charging converters.
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(This article belongs to the Section Inventions and Innovation in Design, Modeling and Computing Methods)
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