Search Results (36)

This comprehensive review maps the fast-evolving landscape in which artificial intelligence (AI) and deep-learning (DL) techniques converge with the Internet of Things (IoT) to manage energy, comfort, and sustainability across smart environments. A PRISMA-guided search of four databases retrieved 1358 records; after applying inclusion criteria, 143 peer-reviewed studies published between January 2019 and April 2025 were analyzed. This review shows that AI-driven controllers—especially deep-reinforcement-learning agents—deliver median energy savings of 18–35% for HVAC and other major loads, consistently outperforming rule-based and model-predictive baselines. The evidence further reveals a rapid diversification of methods: graph-neural-network models now capture spatial interdependencies in dense sensor grids, federated-learning pilots address data-privacy constraints, and early integrations of large language models hint at natural-language analytics and control interfaces for heterogeneous IoT devices. Yet large-scale deployment remains hindered by fragmented and proprietary datasets, unresolved privacy and cybersecurity risks associated with continuous IoT telemetry, the growing carbon and compute footprints of ever-larger models, and poor interoperability among legacy equipment and modern edge nodes. The authors of researches therefore converges on several priorities: open, high-fidelity benchmarks that marry multivariate IoT sensor data with standardized metadata and occupant feedback; energy-aware, edge-optimized architectures that lower latency and power draw; privacy-centric learning frameworks that satisfy tightening regulations; hybrid physics-informed and explainable models that shorten commissioning time; and digital-twin platforms enriched by language-model reasoning to translate raw telemetry into actionable insights for facility managers and end users. Addressing these gaps will be pivotal to transforming isolated pilots into ubiquitous, trustworthy, and human-centered IoT ecosystems capable of delivering measurable gains in efficiency, resilience, and occupant wellbeing at scale. Full article

The digital transformation of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction sector is accelerating the adoption of digital platforms as critical enablers of data integration, stakeholder collaboration and process optimization. This paper presents a systematic review of 125 peer-reviewed journal articles (2015–2025), selected through a PRISMA-guided search using the Scopus database, with inclusion criteria focused on English-language academic literature on platform-enabled digitalization in the built environment. Studies were grouped into six thematic domains, i.e., artificial intelligence in construction, digital twin integration, lifecycle cost management, BIM-GIS for underground utilities, energy systems and public administration, based on a combination of literature precedent and domain relevance. Unlike existing reviews focused on single technologies or sectors, this work offers a cross-sectoral synthesis, highlighting shared challenges and opportunities across disciplines and lifecycle stages. It identifies the functional roles, enabling technologies and systemic barriers affecting digital platform adoption, such as fragmented data sources, limited interoperability between systems and siloed organizational processes. These barriers hinder the development of integrated and adaptive digital ecosystems capable of supporting real-time decision-making, participatory planning and sustainable infrastructure management. The study advocates for modular, human-centered platforms underpinned by standardized ontologies, explainable AI and participatory governance models. It also highlights the importance of emerging technologies, including large language models and federated learning, as well as context-specific platform strategies, especially for applications in the Global South. Full article

Real-time, high-resolution monitoring of chemically diverse water pollutants remains a critical challenge for smart water management. Here, we report a fully integrated, multi-modal nano-sensor array, combining graphene field-effect transistors, Ag/Au-nanostar surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates, and CdSe/ZnS quantum dot fluorescence, coupled to an edge-deployable CNN-LSTM architecture that fuses raw electrochemical, vibrational, and photoluminescent signals without manual feature engineering. The 45 mm × 20 mm microfluidic manifold enables continuous flow-through sampling, while 8-bit-quantised inference executes in 31 ms at <12 W. Laboratory calibration over 28,000 samples achieved limits of detection of 12 ppt (Pb²⁺), 17 pM (atrazine) and 87 ng L⁻¹ (nanoplastics), with R² ≥ 0.93 and a mean absolute percentage error <6%. A 24 h deployment in the Cherwell River reproduced natural concentration fluctuations with field R² ≥ 0.92. SHAP and Grad-CAM analyses reveal that the network bases its predictions on Dirac-point shifts, characteristic Raman bands, and early-time fluorescence-quenching kinetics, providing mechanistic interpretability. The platform therefore offers a scalable route to smart water grids, point-of-use drinking water sentinels, and rapid environmental incident response. Future work will address sensor drift through antifouling coatings, enhance cross-site generalisation via federated learning, and create physics-informed digital twins for self-calibrating global monitoring networks. Full article

In recent years, cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and digital twin (DT), have revolutionized the healthcare sector by enhancing public health and treatment quality through precise diagnosis, preventive measures, and real-time care capabilities. Despite these advancements, the massive amount of generated biomedical data puts substantial challenges associated with information security, privacy, and scalability. Applying blockchain in healthcare-based digital twins ensures data integrity, immutability, consistency, and security, making it a critical component in addressing these challenges. Federated learning (FL) has also emerged as a promising AI technique to enhance privacy and enable decentralized data processing. This paper investigates the integration of digital twin concepts with blockchain and FL in the healthcare domain, focusing on their architecture and applications. It also explores platforms and solutions that leverage these technologies for secure and scalable medical implementations. A case study on federated learning for electroencephalogram (EEG) signal classification is presented, demonstrating its potential as a diagnostic tool for brain activity analysis and neurological disorder detection. Finally, we highlight the key challenges, emerging opportunities, and future directions in advancing healthcare digital twins with blockchain and federated learning, paving the way for a more intelligent, secure, and privacy-preserving medical ecosystem. Full article

The demand for interoperable, lifecycle-oriented data exchange in the port and waterway sector is intensifying amid global digital transformation and infrastructure modernisation. Traditional Building Information Modelling (BIM) practices often fail to capture the domain-specific complexity and multidisciplinary collaboration required in maritime infrastructure. This paper critically evaluates the IFC 4.3 schema as a foundational standard for openBIM-based integration in this sector, offering a semantic alignment framework designed for the planning, design, and operational phases of port projects. Rather than proposing schema extensions, the framework interprets existing IFC constructs to model port-specific assets while supporting environmental and geospatial integration. Two case studies, a master planning project for a shipyard and a design coordination project for a ship lock complex, demonstrate the schema’s capability to facilitate federated modelling, reduce semantic discrepancies, and enable seamless data exchange across disciplines and software platforms. The research delivers actionable implementation strategies for practitioners, identifies technical limitations in current toolchains, and outlines pathways for advancing standardisation efforts. It further contributes to the evolving discourse on digital twins, GIS-BIM convergence, and semantic enrichment in infrastructure modelling. This work provides a scalable, standards-based roadmap to improve interoperability and enhance the digital maturity of port and waterway infrastructure. Full article

Brazil is among the four largest global food producers and is a significant consumer of pesticides. However, the current management of pesticide residues in Brazil faces substantial challenges, including fragmented data, limited access to reliable information, and weak inter-institutional coordination. These shortcomings hinder effective monitoring and enforcement. This study evaluates the existing framework for managing pesticide residues in food, water, and soil in Brazil, identifying gaps and proposing strategies for improvement. Key recommendations include the establishment of an inter-institutional steering committee, the development of a unified digital platform for data sharing, and the implementation of a National Pesticide Residue Management Programme (NPRMP). The NPRMP would define measurable targets to reduce contamination in food and the environment, promote sustainable agricultural practices, and enhance the monitoring of pesticide residues. Capacity-building through continuous professional training and public education campaigns is essential to ensure the programme’s successful implementation. Financial resources may be drawn from various sources, including budgetary allocations by the federal government; donations from individuals or legal entities, whether public or private, domestic or international; funds from the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FNDCT); and contributions from the National Environmental Fund. This integrated approach aims to reinforce regulatory mechanisms, safeguard public health, and ensure environmental conservation within the context of Brazil’s expanding agricultural sector. Full article

Modern agriculture is increasingly challenged by the need for scalable, sustainable, and connectivity-resilient digital solutions. While existing smart farming platforms offer valuable insights, they often rely heavily on centralized cloud infrastructure, which can be impractical in rural or remote settings. To address this gap, this paper presents AGRARIAN, a hybrid AI-driven architecture that combines IoT sensor networks, UAV-based monitoring, satellite connectivity, and edge-cloud computing to deliver real-time, adaptive agricultural intelligence. AGRARIAN supports a modular and interoperable architecture structured across four layers—Sensor, Network, Data Processing, and Application—enabling flexible deployment in diverse use cases such as precision irrigation, livestock monitoring, and pest forecasting. A key innovation lies in its localized edge processing and federated AI models, which reduce reliance on continuous cloud access while maintaining analytical performance. Pilot scenarios demonstrate the system’s ability to provide timely, context-aware decision support, enhancing both operational efficiency and digital inclusion for farmers. AGRARIAN offers a robust and scalable pathway for advancing autonomous, sustainable, and connected farming systems. Full article

Based on the mobility requirements of electric vehicles, four-wheel drive (4WD) can significantly enhance driving capability and increase operational flexibility in handling. If the output of different drive motors can be effectively controlled, energy losses during the distribution process can be reduced, thereby greatly improving overall efficiency. This study presents a simulation platform for an electric vehicle with four motors as power sources. This platform also consists of the driving cycle, driver, lithium-ion battery, vehicle dynamics, and energy management system models. Two rapid-prototyping controllers integrated with the required circuit to process analog-to-digital signal conversion for input and output are utilized to carry out a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. The driving cycle, called NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), and FTP-75 (Federal Test Procedure 75) are used for evaluating the performance characteristics and response relationship among subsystems. A control strategy, called ECMS (Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy), is simulated and compared with the four-wheel average torque mode. The ECMS method considers different demanded powers and motor speeds, evaluating various drive motor power distribution combinations to search for motor power consumption and find the minimum value. As a result, it can identify the global optimal solution. Simulation results indicate that, compared to the average torque mode and rule-based control, in the pure simulation environment and HIL simulation during the UDDS driving cycle, the maximum improvement rates for pure electric energy efficiency for the 45 kW and 95 kW power systems are 6.1% and 6.0%, respectively. In the HIL simulation during the FTP-75 driving cycle, the maximum improvement rates for pure electric energy efficiency for the 45 kW and 95 kW power systems are 5.1% and 4.8%, respectively. Full article

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with additive manufacturing (AM) is driving breakthroughs in personalized rehabilitation and physical therapy solutions, enabling precise customization to individual patient needs. This article presents the current state of knowledge and perspectives of using personalized solutions for rehabilitation and physiotherapy thanks to the introduction of AI to AM. Advanced AI algorithms analyze patient-specific data such as body scans, movement patterns, and medical history to design customized assistive devices, orthoses, and prosthetics. This synergy enables the rapid prototyping and production of highly optimized solutions, improving comfort, functionality, and therapeutic outcomes. Machine learning (ML) models further streamline the process by anticipating biomechanical needs and adapting designs based on feedback, providing iterative refinement. Cutting-edge techniques leverage generative design and topology optimization to create lightweight yet durable structures that are ideally suited to the patient’s anatomy and rehabilitation goals .AI-based AM also facilitates the production of multi-material devices that combine flexibility, strength, and sensory capabilities, enabling improved monitoring and support during physical therapy. New perspectives include integrating smart sensors with printed devices, enabling real-time data collection and feedback loops for adaptive therapy. Additionally, these solutions are becoming increasingly accessible as AM technology lowers costs and improves, democratizing personalized healthcare. Future advances could lead to the widespread use of digital twins for the real-time simulation and customization of rehabilitation devices before production. AI-based virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools are also expected to combine with AM to provide immersive, patient-specific training environments along with physical aids. Collaborative platforms based on federated learning can enable healthcare providers and researchers to securely share AI insights, accelerating innovation. However, challenges such as regulatory approval, data security, and ensuring equity in access to these technologies must be addressed to fully realize their potential. One of the major gaps is the lack of large, diverse datasets to train AI models, which limits their ability to design solutions that span different demographics and conditions. Integration of AI–AM systems into personalized rehabilitation and physical therapy should focus on improving data collection and processing techniques. Full article

In an era of increasing reliance on digital health solutions, safeguarding user privacy has emerged as a paramount concern. Health applications often need to balance advanced AI functionalities with sufficient privacy measures to ensure user engagement. This paper presents the architecture of FLORA, a privacy-first ovulation-tracking application that leverages federated learning (FL), privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), and blockchain to protect user data while delivering accurate and personalized health insights. Unlike conventional centralized systems, FLORA ensures that sensitive information remains on users’ devices, with predictive algorithms powered by local computations. Blockchain technology provides immutable consent tracking and model update transparency, further improving user trust. In addition, FLORA’s design incentivizes participation through a token-based reward system, fostering collaborative data contributions. This work illustrates how the integration of cutting-edge technologies creates a secure, scalable, and user-centric health application, setting a new standard for privacy-preserving digital health platforms. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 10% of total calories from added sugars. Low-calorie sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and natural low-calorie sweeteners are used to reduce added sugar intake, but there are concerns about their long-term health impacts, especially for children. This paper describes the food and beverage television advertising landscape as it pertains to sweeteners. Methods: This cross-sectional study uses television ratings data licensed from The Nielsen Company for the United States in 2022. Nutrition facts panels and ingredient lists were collected for food and beverage product advertisements seen on television and assessed for the presence of added sugars, low-calorie sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and natural low-calorie sweeteners (forms of stevia and monk fruit), as well as whether products were high in added sugars based on federal Interagency Working Group guidelines for advertising to children. Results: Of the sweeteners examined, added sugars were most commonly found in food and beverage product advertisements seen on television (60–68% of advertisements seen across age groups), followed by low-calorie sweeteners (6–10%), sugar alcohols (2–4%), and natural low-calorie sweeteners (2%). About one-third (32–33%) of advertisements seen by 2–5- and 6–11-year-olds were high in added sugars, similar to the percentage seen by 12–17- and 18+-year-olds (34–35%). Advertisements seen for cereal (86–95%) and sweets (92–93%) were most likely to have added sugars, while those for sweets (89–90%) were most likely to be high in added sugars. Conclusions: Sweeteners are common in food and beverage product advertisements seen on television, including alternatives to added sugars for which there are concerns about long-term impacts on health. Continued monitoring and additional research on other advertising media platforms used by food and beverage companies (e.g., digital media) is needed. Full article

In recent years, rapid technological advancements have propelled blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) into prominent roles within the digital industry, each having unique applications. Blockchain, recognized for its secure and transparent data storage, and AI, a powerful tool for data analysis and decision making, exhibit common features that render them complementary. At the same time, machine learning has become a robust and influential technology, adopted by many companies to address non-trivial technical problems. This adoption is fueled by the vast amounts of data generated and utilized in daily operations. An intriguing intersection of blockchain and AI occurs in the realm of federated learning, a distributed approach allowing multiple parties to collaboratively train a shared model without centralizing data. This paper presents a decentralized platform FBLearn for the implementation of federated learning in blockchain, which enables us to harness the benefits of federated learning without the necessity of exchanging sensitive customer or product data, thereby fostering trustless collaboration. As the decentralized blockchain network is introduced in the distributed model training to replace the centralized server, global model aggregation approaches have to be utilized. This paper investigates several techniques for model aggregation based on the local model average and ensemble using either local or globally distributed validation data for model evaluation. The suggested aggregation approaches are experimentally evaluated based on two use cases of the FBLearn platform: credit risk scoring using a random forest classifier and credit card fraud detection using a logistic regression. The experimental results confirm that the suggested adaptive weight calculation and ensemble techniques based on the quality of local training data enhance the robustness of the global model. The performance evaluation metrics and ROC curves prove that the aggregation strategies successfully isolate the influence of the low-quality models on the final model. The proposed system’s ability to outperform models created with separate datasets underscores its potential to enhance collaborative efforts and to improve the accuracy of the final global model compared to each of the local models. Integrating blockchain and federated learning presents a forward-looking approach to data collaboration while addressing privacy concerns. Full article

Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO) are a rapidly emerging topic that has attracted significant interest from scientists in recent years. The initiative, strongly driven by the EU, aims to create a digital replica of the ocean to better understand and manage marine environments. The Iliad project, funded under the EU Green Deal call, is developing a framework to support multiple interoperable DTO using a federated systems-of-systems approach across various fields of applications and ocean areas, called pilots. This paper presents the results of a Water Quality DTO pilot located in the Trondheim fjord in Norway. This paper details the building blocks of DTO, specific to this environmental monitoring pilot. A crucial aspect of any DTO is data, which can be sourced internally, externally, or through a hybrid approach utilizing both. To realistically twin ocean processes, the Water Quality pilot acquires data from both surface and benthic observatories, as well as from mobile sensor platforms for on-demand data collection. Data ingested into an InfluxDB are made available to users via an API or an interface for interacting with the DTO and setting up alerts or events to support ’what-if’ scenarios. Grafana, an interactive visualization application, is used to visualize and interact with not only time-series data but also more complex data such as video streams, maps, and embedded applications. An additional visualization approach leverages game technology based on Unity and Cesium, utilizing their advanced rendering capabilities and physical computations to integrate and dynamically render real-time data from the pilot and diverse sources. This paper includes two case studies that illustrate the use of particle sensors to detect microplastics and monitor algae blooms in the fjord. Numerical models for particle fate and transport, OpenDrift and DREAM, are used to forecast the evolution of these events, simulating the distribution of observed plankton and microplastics during the forecasting period. Full article

Nowadays, online examination (exam in short) platforms are becoming more popular, demanding strong security measures for digital learning environments. This includes addressing key challenges such as head pose detection and estimation, which are integral for applications like automatic face recognition, advanced surveillance systems, intuitive human–computer interfaces, and enhancing driving safety measures. The proposed work holds significant potential in enhancing the security and reliability of online exam platforms. It achieves this by accurately classifying students’ attentiveness based on distinct head poses, a novel approach that leverages advanced techniques like federated learning and deep learning models. The proposed work aims to classify students’ attentiveness with the help of different head poses. In this work, we considered five head poses: front face, down face, right face, up face, and left face. A federated learning (FL) framework with a pre-trained deep learning model (ResNet50) was used to accomplish the classification task. To classify students’ activity (behavior) in an online exam environment using the FL framework’s local client device, we considered the ResNet50 model. However, identifying the best hyperparameters in the local client ResNet50 model is challenging. Hence, in this study, we proposed two hybrid bio-inspired optimized methods, namely, Particle Swarm Optimization with Genetic Algorithm (PSOGA) and Particle Swarm Optimization with Elitist Genetic Algorithm (PSOEGA), to fine-tune the hyperparameters of the ResNet50 model. The bio-inspired optimized methods employed in the ResNet50 model will train and classify the students’ behavior in an online exam environment. The FL framework trains the client model locally and sends the updated weights to the server model. The proposed hybrid bio-inspired algorithms outperform the GA and PSO when independently used. The proposed PSOGA not only outperforms the proposed PSOEGA but also outperforms the benchmark algorithms considered for performance evaluation by giving an accuracy of 95.97%. Full article

This paper introduces a cutting-edge data architecture designed for a smart advertising context, prioritizing efficient data flow and performance, robust security, while guaranteeing data privacy and integrity. At the core of this study lies the application of federated learning (FL) as the primary methodology, which emphasizes the authenticity and privacy of data while promptly discarding irrelevant or fraudulent information. Our innovative data model employs a semi-random role assignment strategy based on a variety of criteria to efficiently collect and amalgamate data. The architecture is composed of model nodes, data nodes, and validator nodes, where the role of each node is determined by factors such as computational capability, interconnection quality, and historical performance records. A key feature of our proposed system is the selective engagement of a subset of nodes for modeling and validation, optimizing resource use and minimizing data loss. The AROUND social network platform serves as a real-world case study, illustrating the efficacy of our data architecture in a practical setting. Both simulated and real implementations of our architecture showcase its potential to dramatically curtail network traffic and average CPU usage, while preserving the accuracy of the FL model. Remarkably, the system is capable of achieving over a 50% reduction in both network traffic and average CPU usage even when the user count escalates by twenty-fold. The click rate, user engagement, and other parameters have also been evaluated, proving that the proposed architecture’s advantages do not affect the smart advertising accuracy. These findings highlight the proposed architecture’s capacity to scale efficiently and maintain high performance in smart advertising environments, making it a valuable contribution to the evolving landscape of digital marketing and FL. Full article