Search Results (69)

This review examines advancements in smart home security through the integration of home automation technologies. Various security systems, including surveillance cameras, smart locks, and motion sensors, are analyzed, highlighting their effectiveness in enhancing home security. These systems enable users to monitor and control their homes in real-time, providing an additional layer of security. The document also examines how these security systems can enhance the quality of life for users by providing greater convenience and control over their domestic environment. The ability to receive instant alerts and access video recordings from anywhere allows users to respond quickly to unexpected situations, thereby increasing their sense of security and well-being. Additionally, the challenges and future trends in this field are addressed, emphasizing the importance of designing solutions that are intuitive and easy to use. As technology continues to evolve, it is crucial for developers and manufacturers to focus on creating products that seamlessly integrate into users’ daily lives, facilitating their adoption and use. This comprehensive state-of-the-art review, based on the Scopus database, provides a detailed overview of the current status and future potential of smart home security systems. It highlights how ongoing innovation in this field can lead to the development of more advanced and efficient solutions that not only protect homes but also enhance the overall user experience. Full article

Smart home devices and home automation systems, which control features such as lights, blinds, heaters, door locks, cameras, and speakers, have become increasingly popular and can be found in homes worldwide. Central to these systems are smart home hubs, which serve as the primary control units, allowing users to manage connected devices from anywhere in the world. While this feature is convenient, it also makes smart home hubs attractive targets for cyberattacks. Unfortunately, the average user lacks substantial cybersecurity knowledge, making the security of these systems crucial. This is particularly important as smart home systems are expected to safeguard users’ privacy and security within their homes. This paper synthesizes eight prevalent cybersecurity challenges associated with smart home hubs through a systematic literature review. The review process involved identifying relevant keywords, searching, and screening 713 papers in multiple rounds to arrive at a final selection of 16 papers, which were then summarized and synthesized. This process included research from Scopus published between January 2019 and November 2024 and excluded papers on prototypes or individual features. The study is limited by scarce academic sources on open-source smart home hubs, strict selection criteria, rapid technological changes, and some subjectivity in study inclusion. The security of extensible smart home hubs is a complex and evolving issue. This review provides a foundation for understanding the key challenges and potential solutions, which is useful for future research and development to secure this increasingly important part of our everyday homes. Full article

There are over 300 million smart homes worldwide and 60.4 million smart homes in the US, using devices like smart thermostats, smart plugs, smart door locks, etc. Yet in this age of smart and connected devices, we still use paper-based sticky notes on doors to display messages such as “Busy, do not disturb”, “In a Zoom meeting”, etc. In this project, a novel IoT-connected digital sticky note system was developed where the user can wirelessly send messages from a smartphone to a sticky note display. The sticky note displays can be hung on the doors of offices, hotels, homes, etc. The display could be updated with the user’s message sent from anywhere in the world. The key design challenge was to develop the display unit to consume as little power as possible to increase battery life. A prototype of the proposed system was developed comprising ultra-low-power sticky note display units consuming only 404 µA average current and having a battery life of more than six months, with a Wi-Fi-connected hub unit, an MQTT server, and a smartphone app for composing the message. Full article

In the aftermath of the global pandemic, the widespread embrace of flexible working models has led to suboptimal occupancy levels in office buildings. Despite this shift, traditional space management practices persist, contributing to increased energy consumption per person. This study investigates how integrating smart lock systems can enhance space utilization within flexible working environments, ultimately reducing energy use. A case study of an office building in Milan, Italy, is used to evaluate the proposed approach. The methodology includes a comprehensive assessment of building design and functionality, coupled with impact analyses using Building Energy Modeling and Life Cycle Assessment. The results indicate that innovative occupancy management strategies can achieve energy savings of from 9% up to 14% compared to baseline operational energy use, leading to a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 7.5 to 17.6 kgCO₂eq/m² depending on occupancy scenarios. The life cycle assessment reveals that, while smart locks introduce an initial embodied carbon footprint of approximately 2 tons of CO₂, that is recovered through the savings obtained after a few months of installation. The findings demonstrate that this methodology is effective in buildings that allow both functional and temporal flexibility, enabling partial shutdowns and the redirection of certain services when not in use, ultimately improving energy efficiency through lean interventions. Full article

Weaned Angus-cross steers (n = 69; body weight [BW] = 233 ± 29 kg) were used for the following purposes: (1) develop an assay to measure 3-methylhistidine (3MH) in blood samples to monitor changes in protein turnover, and (2) evaluate the effects of an implant (Revalor-G, 40 mg of trenbolone acetate, 8 mg of estradiol) or an implant plus individual supplementation via SuperSmart Feeder (SSF; C-Lock Inc., Rapid City, SD, USA) on animal growth, muscle growth, and nitrogen retention patterns in backgrounded beef steers. Steers were blocked by weight, trained to precision supplementation via SSF, and then assigned to one of three treatments: (1) grazing only [G], (2) grazing with implant [GI], or (3) grazing with implant plus individual animal supplementation via SSF at 0.75% BW [GIS] for 56 d of grazing study. Steers grazed a cowpea and pearl millet mixture until d 42, when forage became limiting, and steers were transitioned to an oat and annual ryegrass baleage. Steers were weighed and blood was collected every 14 d to determine plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), creatinine (CREAT), and 3-methylhistidine (3MH) concentrations. Ultrasound measurements of ribeye area (REA) were collected on d 0, 28, and 56. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX with treatment, day, and two-way interaction in the model. A novel, robust method for the determination of 3MH was developed and validated. The development of this 3MH method allows us to monitor changes in protein turnover in cattle over time, a metric which is related to production efficiency. A treatment-by-day interaction (p = 0.0050) was observed for BW and REA. Steer BW did not differ (p > 0.05) on d 0, 14, or 28 between treatments; however, on d 42, GI and GIS steers had a greater (p < 0.01) BW than G steers. On d 56, BW was greater (p < 0.0001) for GIS than GI and G, which not differ (p > 0.05). Total BW gain during the 56 d study was greater (p < 0.001) by 54% for GIS compared to GI or G. For GI, the total BW gain was greater (p < 0.01) by 18% compared to G. On d 56, the REA of GI and GIS steers was greater (p < 0.001) than of G steers. Steers in the GI treatment group had a greater PUN and PUN–CREAT ratio concentrations than the GIS steers. Both G and GI steers had greater 3-methylhistidine (3MH) concentrations compared to GIS steers on d 28. Our results demonstrate that the supplementation of implanted steers improves growth and improves nitrogen utilization during backgrounding on forage diets. This research illustrates that animal and muscle growth may be limited in grazing animals implanted with combination implants (estrogenic and androgenic compounds) when supplementation is not included. Full article

As Internet of Things (IoT) technology continues to advance, there is a growing awareness of IoT security within the industry. Quantum communication technology can potentially significantly improve the communication security of IoT devices. Based on semi-quantum cryptography and utilizing single photons, this paper introduces two semi-quantum secure direct communication (SQSDC) protocols for use in smart door locks. Protocol 1 is more efficient, and the efficiency analysis shows that the communication efficiency is as high as 28.57%. Security analysis demonstrates the asymptotic security of the protocols, effectively resisting intercept–measure–resend attacks and entangle–measure attacks from potential eavesdroppers. The extended SQSDC protocol (protocol 2) builds upon protocol 1 by enabling a single qubit to transmit two bits of information, resulting in a double efficiency outcome. Full article

The foldable tail wing system of UAVs offers advantages such as reducing the envelope size and improving storage space utilization. However, due to the compact tail wing space, achieving multi-modal locking and unlocking functionality presents significant challenges. This paper designs a new smart SMA actuator for the use of UAV foldable tail wings. The prototype testing demonstrated the advantages and engineering practicality of the actuator. The core content includes three main parts: thermomechanical testing of the SMA actuation performance, structural design of the actuator, and the fabrication and actuation testing of the prototype. The key parameters related to actuation performance, such as phase transformation temperature and actuation force, were determined through DSC and tensile testing. The geometric parameters of the tail wing were determined through kinetics and kinematic analyses. Through the linkage design of two kinematic pairs, the SMA actuator enables both the deployment and locking of the tail wing. The prototype testing results of the folding tail wing show that, after vibration and temperature variation tests, the SMA actuator is still able to output an actuation stroke of 2.15 mm within 20 ms. The SMA actuator integrates locking for both modes of the tail wing and unlocking during mode transitions, offering advantages such as fast response and minimal space requirements. It provides an effective solution tailored to the needs of the foldable tail wing system. Full article

Nowadays, it is very important to secure our home perfectly. To make our life easier and more secure, we are presenting our smart door lock system project. We implement an IoT-based smart door lock system using an ESP32-CAM and an Android application in this project. Most of the time in our daily life, we forget to lock our doors and later we suffer from confusion about whether we locked all doors perfectly or not. In this project, we implement a smart door lock system, by which the owner can see the visitor’s picture and then lock or unlock their doors from anywhere and at any time using the Android application. Whenever visitors come to visit the home and press the doorbell, the owner will receive a notification on his/her smartphone and then the owner can see the visitor’s picture by using the Android app. After checking the visitor, the owner can let them enter the house by unlocking the door remotely. If the door is locked perfectly, then the door lock signal in the application will show a green signal. If the door is not locked perfectly, the signal will show red and then the owner can remotely lock their door easily from anywhere. In this project, we have also utilized a theft alert. If anyone comes in front of the door and tries to enter the house forcefully then a theft alert notification will be sent to the owner’s smartphone and a Buzzer Alert will ring in the house loudly so that the neighbors can be aware of the theft and can take action. The automatic door lock feature is also available in this system. Full article

Yoga enhances acceptance, compassion, physicality, mental and emotional awareness, and spiritual benefits through breath techniques, postures, and body locks, while swimming improves flexibility, strength, and body awareness. The fusion of yoga and swimming, particularly the aqua yoga asana method, offers a balanced lifestyle for athletes and non-performers, enhancing their performance. Our study examined the feasibility of incorporating yoga and swimming practice into Romanian subjects’ lifestyles, designing a factor analysis in SmartPLS software, based on an online survey. This study assessed participants’ knowledge of yoga’s theory and philosophy, as well as their perceptions of the benefits of swimming practice for social and health issues. Our 250 young swimming athletes train in Bucharest’s sports clubs. According to our study, Romanian participants practice yoga and swimming as often as possible to reduce stress, improve concentration for work-related tasks, and improve joint elasticity, balance, and muscular tone. The high coefficient of path analysis (0.667) proved that those who practice yoga asanas have a high level of awareness and understand the fundamentals of the practice. The second coefficient of path analysis (0.857) shows that those who understand yoga better are convinced of its positive effects on society and their health. Thus, yoga and swimming are substitutes for other approaches in prevention and therapy, making it a beneficial tool for pre-performance swimming. Full article

Smart security devices, such as smart locks, smart cameras, and smart intruder alarms are increasingly popular with users due to the enhanced convenience and new features that they offer. A significant part of this convenience is provided by the device’s companion smartphone app. Information on whether secure and ethical development practices have been used in the creation of these applications is unavailable to the end user. As this work shows, this means that users are impacted both by potential third-party attackers that aim to compromise their device, and more subtle threats introduced by developers, who may track their use of their devices and illegally collect data that violate users’ privacy. Our results suggest that users of every application tested are susceptible to at least one potential commonly found vulnerability regardless of whether their device is offered by a known brand name or a lesser-known manufacturer. We present an overview of the most common vulnerabilities found in the scanned code and discuss the shortcomings of state-of-the-art automated scanners when looking at less structured programming languages such as C and C++. Finally, we also discuss potential methods for mitigation, and provide recommendations for developers to follow with respect to secure coding practices. Full article

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to revolutionize the way we interact with our living spaces, the concept of smart homes has become increasingly prevalent. However, along with the convenience and connectivity offered by IoT-enabled devices in smart homes comes a range of security challenges. This paper explores the landscape of smart-home security. In contrast to similar surveys, this study also examines the particularities of popular categories of smart devices, like home assistants, TVs, AR/VR, locks, sensors, etc. It examines various security threats and vulnerabilities inherent in smart-home ecosystems, including unauthorized access, data breaches, and device tampering. Additionally, the paper discusses existing security mechanisms and protocols designed to mitigate these risks, such as encryption, authentication, and intrusion-detection systems. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of user awareness and education in maintaining the security of smart-home environments. Finally, the paper proposes future research directions and recommendations for enhancing smart-home security with IoT, including the development of robust security best practices and standards, improved device authentication methods, and more effective intrusion-detection techniques. By addressing these challenges, the potential of IoT-enabled smart homes to enhance convenience and efficiency while ensuring privacy, security, and cyber-resilience can be realized. Full article

Today, Smart Assistants (SAs) are supported by significantly improved Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) engines as well as AI-enabled decision support, enabling efficient information communication, easy appliance/device control, and seamless access to entertainment services, among others. In fact, an increasing number of modern households are being equipped with SAs, which promise to enhance user experience in the context of smart environments through verbal interaction. Currently, the market in SAs is dominated by products manufactured by technology giants that provide well designed off-the-shelf solutions. However, their simple setup and ease of use come with trade-offs, as these SAs abide by proprietary and/or closed-source architectures and offer limited functionality. Their enforced vendor lock-in does not provide (power) users with the ability to build custom conversational applications through their SAs. On the other hand, employing an open-source approach for building and deploying an SA (which comes with a significant overhead) necessitates expertise in multiple domains and fluency in the multimodal technologies used to build the envisioned applications. In this context, this paper proposes a methodology for developing and deploying conversational applications on the edge on top of an open-source software and hardware infrastructure via a multilayer architecture that simplifies low-level complexity and reduces learning overhead. The proposed approach facilitates the rapid development of applications by third-party developers, thereby enabling the establishment of a marketplace of customized applications aimed at the smart assisted living domain, among others. The supporting framework supports application developers, device owners, and ecosystem administrators in building, testing, uploading, and deploying applications, remotely controlling devices, and monitoring device performance. A demonstration of this methodology is presented and discussed focusing on health and assisted living applications for the elderly. Full article

Some of the barriers preventing virtual reality (VR) from being widely adopted are the cost and unfamiliarity of VR systems. Here, we propose that in many cases, the specialized controllers shipped with most VR head-mounted displays can be replaced by a regular smartphone, cutting the cost of the system, and allowing users to interact in VR using a device they are already familiar with. To achieve this, we developed SmartVR Pointer, an approach that uses smartphones to replace the specialized controllers for two essential operations in VR: selection and navigation by teleporting. In SmartVR Pointer, a camera mounted on the head-mounted display (HMD) is tilted downwards so that it points to where the user will naturally be holding their phone in front of them. SmartVR Pointer supports three selection modalities: tracker based, gaze based, and combined/hybrid. In the tracker-based SmartVR Pointer selection, we use image-based tracking to track a QR code displayed on the phone screen and then map the phone’s position to a pointer shown within the field of view of the camera in the virtual environment. In the gaze-based selection modality, the user controls the pointer using their gaze and taps on the phone for selection. The combined technique is a hybrid between gaze-based interaction in VR and tracker-based Augmented Reality. It allows the user to control a VR pointer that looks and behaves like a mouse pointer by moving their smartphone to select objects within the virtual environment, and to interact with the selected objects using the smartphone’s touch screen. The touchscreen is used for selection and dragging. The SmartVR Pointer is simple and requires no calibration and no complex hardware assembly or disassembly. We demonstrate successful interactive applications of SmartVR Pointer in a VR environment with a demo where the user navigates in the virtual environment using teleportation points on the floor and then solves a Tetris-style key-and-lock challenge. Full article

Blockchain technology is becoming more prominent and is being used in many different industries. Data islands have emerged as a result of the difficulty in transferring assets and exchanging information between blockchains because of differences in the underlying technology. Cross-chain technology is becoming increasingly prevalent as a solution to the data security problem. Decentralized blockchain networks frequently use the Hashed Timelock Contract (HTLC) to solve the problem of balancing atomicity and time sensitivity. However, it suffers from drawbacks such as limited security and privacy protection capabilities. To overcome these limitations, a secure and fully functional system named the Exchange Smart Contract (ExchangeSC) has been developed; the ExchangeSC can integrate smart contracts and Paillier homomorphic encryption into the Mid-Account HTLC (MA-HTLC) cross-chain protocol. This integration effectively resolves the problem of low security and privacy protection in the HTLC cross-chain protocol. Specifically, the locked information in the solution is encrypted using homomorphic encryption before uploading to the blockchain, which is operated by participating nodes in the ciphertext domain. The ExchangeSC demonstrates reasonable performance on the official testing network’s EVM platform. Further evaluation of the ExchangeSC-based HTLC cross-chain reveals its superior security and lower time cost compared to the BitXHub cross-chain project. Full article

Advancements in electric vehicle technology have promoted the development trend of smart and low-carbon environmental protection. The design and optimization of electric vehicle braking systems faces multiple challenges, including the reasonable allocation and control of braking torque to improve energy economy and braking performance. In this paper, a multi-source braking force system and its control strategy are proposed with the aim of enhancing braking strength, safety, and energy economy during the braking process. Firstly, an ENMPC (explicit nonlinear model predictive control)-based braking force control strategy is proposed to replace the traditional ABS strategy in order to improve braking strength and safety while providing a foundation for the participation of the drive motor in ABS (anti-lock braking system) regulation. Secondly, a grey wolf algorithm is used to rationally allocate mechanical and electrical braking forces, with power consumption as the fitness function, to obtain the optimal allocation method and provide potential for EMB (electro–mechanical brake) optimization. Finally, simulation tests verify that the proposed method can improve braking strength, safety, and energy economy for different road conditions, and compared to other methods, it shows good performance. Full article