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Digital twin is the digital representation of an entity, and it drives Industry 4.0. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of digital twin in the supply chain to help researchers, industry practitioners, and academics to understand the trend, development, and focus of the areas of digital twin in the supply chain. This paper found several key clusters of research, including the designing of a digital twin model, integration of a digital twin model, application of digital twin in quality control, and digital twin in digitalization. In the embryonic stage of research, digital twin was tested in the production line with limited optimization. In the development stage, the importance of digital twin in Industry 4.0 was observed, as big data, machine learning, Industrial Internet of Things, blockchain, edge computing, and cloud-based systems complemented digital twin models. Digital twin was applied to improve sustainability in manufacturing and production logistics. In the current prosperity stage with high annual publications, the recent trends of this topic focus on the integration of deep learning, data models, and artificial intelligence for digitalization. This bibliometric analysis also found that the COVID-19 pandemic drove the start of the prosperity stage of digital twin research in the supply chain. Researchers in this field are slowly moving towards applying digital twin for human-centric systems and mass personalization to prepare to transit to Industry 5.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful implementation of Human–Robot Collaboration (HRC) has become a prominent feature of smart manufacturing environments. Key industrial requirements, such as flexibility, efficiency, collaboration, consistency, and sustainability, present pressing HRC needs in the manufacturing sector. This paper provides a systemic review and an in-depth discussion of the key technologies currently being employed in smart manufacturing with HRC systems. The work presented here focuses on the design of HRC systems, with particular attention given to the various levels of Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) observed in the industry. The paper also examines the key technologies being implemented in smart manufacturing, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Collaborative Robots (Cobots), Augmented Reality (AR), and Digital Twin (DT), and discusses their applications in HRC systems. The benefits and practical instances of deploying these technologies are showcased, emphasizing the substantial prospects for growth and improvement in sectors such as automotive and food. However, the paper also addresses the limitations of HRC utilization and implementation and provides some insights into how the design of these systems should be approached in future work and research. Overall, this paper provides new insights into the current state of HRC in smart manufacturing and serves as a useful resource for those interested in the ongoing development of HRC systems in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's industry, the fourth industrial revolution is underway, characterized by the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data. One of the key pillars of this revolution is the technology of digital twin, which is rapidly gaining importance in various industries. However, the concept of digital twins is often misunderstood or misused as a buzzword, leading to confusion in its definition and applications. This observation inspired the authors of this paper to create their own demonstration applications that allow the control of both the real and virtual systems through automatic two-way communication and mutual influence in context of digital twins. The paper aims to demonstrate the use of digital twin technology aimed at discrete manufacturing events in two case studies. In order to create the digital twins for these case studies, the authors used technologies as Unity, Game4Automation, Siemens TIA portal, and Fishertechnik models. The first case study involves the creation of a digital twin for a production line model, while the second case study involves the virtual extension of a warehouse stacker using a digital twin. These case studies will form the basis for the creation of pilot courses for Industry 4.0 education and can be further modified for the development of Industry 4.0 educational materials and technical practice. In conclusion, selected technologies are affordable, which makes the presented methodologies and educational studies accessible to a wide range of researchers and solution developers tackling the issue of digital twins, with a focus on discrete manufacturing events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential benefits of Industry 4.0 have led to an increased interest in smart manufacturing. To facilitate the self-diagnosis and adaptive ability in smart milling system, a digital twin–driven intelligent algorithm for monitoring in-process milling parameters is proposed here. The algorithm can extract the radial width of cut, axial depth of cut, cutter runout parameters, and cutting constants in the end milling process at the same time only by using force sensor. It is an important breakthrough in this paper to converge two different force models to realize cyber-physical fusion for identifying milling parameters in the milling process. By using the convolution force model, digital twin technology can extract the approximate solution of milling parameters in the machining process in advance, so as to narrow the range of solution. Furthermore, the subsequent artificial intelligence algorithm can find the accurate solution of the current milling parameters in a short calculation time by cyber-physical fusion with the numerical force model considering cutter runout effect. Milling experiments are carried out to validate the proposed algorithm. It is shown that due to the complementary advantages of the convolution force model and numerical force model, the algorithm proposed in this paper can give consider to the identification accuracy and calculation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital twins have revolutionized manufacturing and maintenance, allowing us to interact with virtual yet realistic representations of the physical world in simulations to identify potential problems or opportunities for improvement. However, traditional digital twins do not have the ability to communicate with humans using natural language, which limits their potential usefulness. Although conventional natural language processing methods have proven to be effective in solving certain tasks, neuro-symbolic AI offers a new approach that leads to more robust and versatile solutions. In this paper, we propose neuro-symbolic reasoning (NSR)—a fundamental method for interacting with 3D digital twins using natural language. The method understands user requests and contexts to manipulate 3D components of digital twins and is able to read maintenance manuals and implement installations and removal procedures autonomously. A practical neuro-symbolic dataset of machine-understandable manuals, 3D models, and user queries is collected to train the neuro-symbolic reasoning interaction mechanism. The evaluation demonstrates that NSR can execute user commands accurately, achieving 96.2% accuracy on test data. The proposed method has industrial importance since it provides the technology to perform maintenance procedures, request information from manuals, and serve as a tool to interact with complex virtual machinery using natural language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comprehensive review paper investigates the possibilities and prospects of operation and maintenance (O&M) technologies in small modular reactors (SMRs). The necessity for innovation within the regulatory restrictions is a primary concern. Artificial intelligence, digital twins, and robotics are emphasized as promising technologies for autonomous operation, real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and maintenance automation, respectively. The paper argues that these technologies can improve safety, increase economic efficiency, and enhance the competitiveness of SMRs. In addition, the paper proposes a methodology for performance verification that employs separate effect tests (SETs) and integral effect tests (IETs) facilities. A realistic roadmap is also provided, suggesting a six-year timeframe for the implementation and licensing of these technologies. By combining innovative technologies and regulatory considerations, the study proposes a future direction for SMRs' operation and maintenance. The final objective of this work is to provide insights into the current status of SMRs' O&M technologies, to suggest potential paths forward, and to make SMRs a more competitive choice in the global energy market. The conclusions drawn from this review can serve as a valuable guide for researchers, plant operators, and policymakers in the nuclear energy sector. • There is an economic issue with small modular reactors (SMRs). • Currently, reducing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs is essential. • A comprehensive review has been conducted regarding regulations and technology. • Presents a realistically achievable cost reduction strategy for SMRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a rapid increase in the use of collaborative robots in manufacturing industries within the context of Industry 4.0 and smart factories. The existing human–robot interactions, simulations, and robot programming methods do not fit into these fast-paced technological advances as they are time-consuming, require engineering expertise, waste a lot of time in programming and the interaction is not trivial for non-expert operators. To tackle these challenges, we propose a digital twin (DT) approach for human–robot interactions (HRIs) in hybrid teams in this paper. We achieved this using Industry 4.0 enabling technologies, such as mixed reality, the Internet of Things, collaborative robots, and artificial intelligence. We present a use case scenario of the proposed method using Microsoft Hololens 2 and KUKA IIWA collaborative robot. The obtained results indicated that it is possible to achieve efficient human–robot interactions using these advanced technologies, even with operators who have not been trained in programming. The proposed method has further benefits, such as real-time simulation in natural environments and flexible system integration to incorporate new devices (e.g., robots or software capabilities). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital Twin (DT) technology is far from being comprehensive and mature, resulting in their piecemeal implementation in practice where some functions are automated by DTs, and others are still performed by humans. This piecemeal implementation of DTs often leaves practitioners wondering what roles (or functions) to allocate to DTs in a work system, and how might it impact humans. A lack of knowledge about the roles that humans and DTs play in a work system can result in significant costs, misallocation of resources, unrealistic expectations from DTs, and strategic misalignments. To alleviate this challenge, this paper answers the research question: When humans work with DTs, what types of roles can a DT play, and to what extent can those roles be automated? Specifically, we propose a two-dimensional conceptual framework, Levels of Digital Twin (LoDT). The framework is an integration of the types of roles a DT can play, broadly categorized under (1) Observer, (2) Analyst, (3) Decision Maker, and (4) Action Executor, and the extent of automation for each of these roles, divided into five different levels ranging from completely manual to fully automated. A particular DT can play any number of roles at varying levels. The framework can help practitioners systematically plan DT deployments, clearly communicate goals and deliverables, and lay out a strategic vision. A case study illustrates the usefulness of the framework. • Digital Twin human interaction • Digital Twin can play multiple roles in a work system. • Levels of Digital Twin framework provides a common language for understanding. • Digital Twin must be evaluated for each case – a "one size fits all" does not work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of human actions based on artificial intelligence methods to enable Human–Robot Collaboration (HRC) inside working environments remains a challenge, especially because of the necessary huge training datasets needed. Meanwhile, Digital Twins (DTs) of human centered productions are increasingly developed and used in the design and operation phases. As instance, DTs are already helping industries to design, visualize, monitor, manage, and maintain their assets more effectively. However, few works are dealing with using DTs as a dataset generator tool. Therefore, this paper explores the use of a DT of a real industrial workstation involving assembly tasks with a robotic arm interfaced with Virtual Reality (VR) to extract a digital human model. The DT simulates assembly operations performed by humans aiming to generate self-labeled data. Thereby, a Human Action Recognition dataset named InHARD-DT was created to validate a real use case in which we use the acquired auto-labeled DT data of the virtual representation of the InHARD dataset to train a Spatial–Temporal Graph Convolutional Neural Network with skeletal data on one hand. On the other hand, the Physical Twin (PT) data of the InHARD dataset was used for testing. Obtained results show the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven models for industrial energy savings heavily rely on sensor data, experimentation data and knowledge-based data. This work reveals that too much research attention was invested in making data-driven models, as supposed to ensuring the quality of industrial data. Furthermore, the true challenge within the Industry 4.0 is with data communication and infrastructure problems, not so significantly on developing modelling techniques. Current methods and data infrastructures for industrial energy savings were comprehensively reviewed to showcase the potential for a more accurate and effective digital twin-based infrastructure for the industry. With a few more development in enabling technologies such as 5G developments, Internet of Things (IoT) standardization, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain 3.0 utilization, it is but a matter of time that the industry will transition towards the digital twin-based approach. Global government efforts and policies are already inclining towards leveraging better industrial energy efficiencies and energy savings. This provides a promising future for the development of a digital twin-based energy-saving system in the industry. Foreseeing some potential challenges, this paper also discusses the importance of symbiosis between researchers and industrialists to transition from traditional industry towards a digital twin-based energy-saving industry. The novelty of this work is the current context of industrial energy savings was extended towards cutting-edge technologies for Industry 4.0. Furthermore, this work proposes to standardize and modularize industrial data infrastructure for smart energy savings. This work also serves as a concise guideline for researchers and industrialists who are looking to implement advanced energy-saving systems. Image 1 • Various countries transitioning towards Industry 4.0 via industrial analytics and energy savings. • Enabling technologies can lead to the deployment of new industrial data infrastructures. • Advances in digital twins, AI, blockchain and IoT can serve as enabling technologies. • Global policies are inclining towards improving industrial energy efficiency. • Communication between researchers and industrialist is crucial for implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]