Research Acceleration in Self-Driving Labs: Technological Roadmap toward Accelerated Materials and Molecular Discovery

The urgency of finding solutions to global energy, sustainability, and healthcare challenges has motivated rethinking of the conventional chemistry and material science workflows. Self-driving labs, emerged through integration of disruptive physical and digital technologies, including robotics, additive manufacturing, reaction miniaturization, and artificial intelligence, have the potential to accelerate the pace of materials and molecular discovery by 10–100X. Using autonomous robotic experimentation workflows, self-driving labs enable access to a larger part of the chemical universe and reduce the time-to-solution through an iterative hypothesis formulation, intelligent experiment selection, and automated testing. By providing a data-centric ion to the accelerated discovery cycle, in this perspective article, the required hardware and software technological infrastructure to unlock the true potential of self-driving labs is discussed. In particular, process intensification as an accelerator mechanism for reaction modules of self-driving labs and digitalization strategies to further accelerate the discovery cycle in chemical and materials sciences are discussed.

ICACAR 2022 Preface

In recent years, we have seen exciting new researches and developments on advanced Control, Automation, and Robotics. The computer and control technologies, intelligent control, robotics, and automation are transforming many aspects of our industry, government, health-care and society. Machines are becoming smarter thanks to computer and control algorithms enabled by intelligent control and artificial intelligence. These new developments have revolutionized industrial manufacturing, transportation, and health and societal care.The International Conference on Advanced Control, Automation, and Robotics (ICACAR 2022), organized by the International Academy of Science and Engineering for Development (IASED) was held virtually on Webex during March 26-28, 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ICACAR 2022 aims to bring together researchers, engineers, scientists and industry professionals in the areas related to advanced control, automation and robotics in a single platform and to present their stimulating research and knowledge transfer ideas in both advanced control, automation, and roboticsThe conference contained two full-day program composed of four technical sessions including four keynote speeches, 17 oral presentations, and 18 poster presentations. We were delighted and honored to invite Conference Chair Prof. Juntao Fei and Session Chair Dr. Mostafa Ranjbar who offered their kind help and great efforts to us. Meanwhile, we’d like to express our sincere gratitude to our keynote speakers Prof. Ian McAndrew, Prof. Joaquim R.R.A. Martins, Prof. Michael Milford and Prof. Angelo Cangelosi who shared their newest and outstanding research achievements in this online conference.After a couple of months well preparation and hard work, the proceeding of 2022 International Conference on Advanced Control, Automation and Robotics (ICACAR 2022) has now been smoothly published.On behalf of the conference organizing committee, we’d like to show our congratulation and sincere gratitude to all authors, peer reviewers, speakers, oral and poster presenters and listeners. We deeply appreciate their efforts in making the conference an impressive success.List of ICACAR Committee Members are available in this pdf.

Design and Implementation of OPC UA-Based VR/AR Collaboration Model Using CPS Server for VR Engineering Process

In order to cope with the changing era of the innovative management paradigm of the manufacturing industry, it is necessary to advance the construction of smart factories in the domestic manufacturing industry, and in particular, the 3D design and manufacturing content sector is highly growthable. In particular, the core technologies that enable digital transformation VR (Virtual Reality)/AR (Augmented Reality) technologies have developed rapidly in recent years, but have not yet achieved any particular results in industrial engineering. In the manufacturing industry, digital threads and collaboration systems are needed to reduce design costs that change over and over again due to the inability to respond to various problems and demands that should be considered when designing products. To this end, we propose a VR/AR collaboration model that increases efficiency of manufacturing environments such as inspection and maintenance as well as design simultaneously with participants through 3D rendering virtualization of facilities or robot 3D designs in VR/AR. We implemented converting programs and middleware CPS (Cyber Physical System) servers that convert to BOM (Bill of Material)-based 3D graphics models and CPS models to test the accuracy of data and optimization of 3D modeling and study their performance through robotic arms in real factories.

Meat 4.0: Principles and Applications of Industry 4.0 Technologies in the Meat Industry

Meat 4.0 refers to the application the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) technologies in the meat sector. Industry 4.0 components, such as robotics, Internet of Things, Big Data, augmented reality, cybersecurity, and blockchain, have recently transformed many industrial and manufacturing sectors, including agri-food sectors, such as the meat industry. The need for digitalised and automated solutions throughout the whole food supply chain has increased remarkably during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review will introduce the concept of Meat 4.0, highlight its main enablers, and provide an updated overview of recent developments and applications of Industry 4.0 innovations and advanced techniques in digital transformation and process automation of the meat industry. A particular focus will be put on the role of Meat 4.0 enablers in meat processing, preservation and analyses of quality, safety and authenticity. Our literature review shows that Industry 4.0 has significant potential to improve the way meat is processed, preserved, and analysed, reduce food waste and loss, develop safe meat products of high quality, and prevent meat fraud. Despite the current challenges, growing literature shows that the meat sector can be highly automated using smart technologies, such as robots and smart sensors based on spectroscopy and imaging technology.

Warehouse robot market boosted by Covid pandemic and technological innovations

Purpose>This paper aims to provide details of recent commercial and technological developments that are driving robotic warehouse automation.Design/methodology/approach>Following a short introduction, this first provides a commercial background and identifies the factors driving the market growth. It then gives examples of robotics companies, products and applications that exploit innovations in artificial intelligence (AI). It then considers future prospects, and finally, brief conclusions are drawn.Findings>Amazon’s acquisition of Kiva led to a community of new robot manufacturers and the realisation by major e-commerce companies that robotic automation would be required to maintain competitiveness. The Covid pandemic caused a surge in e-commerce and a critical shortage of labour, which further highlighted the need for automation and boosted robotic deployments. Recent advances in AI have resulted in a rapidly growing community of companies producing AI-powered robots which offer advanced capabilities such as mixed product picking, sorting and kitting. These are being deployed by a growing number of e-commerce and logistics companies and are paving the way towards ever-higher levels of warehouse automation. Full automation will soon become a reality.Originality/value>This paper identifies the factors driving the rapidly developing warehouse robot business by considering the companies, products, technology and applications.

MODIFYING “MANUFACTURING PROCESSES” LABORATORY FOR ONLINE/HYBRID LEARNING DUE TO COVID-19

This paper aims to present innovative modifications of the contents and delivery mode of “Manufacturing Processes” laboratory for Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering students during the global pandemic due to coronavirus (COVID-19). The objective was to maintain high level of student engagement and academic rigor, while minimizing face-to-face activities in the lab and ensuring social distancing when performing lab activities. Modifications are done in the lab to replace some of the previous activities heavily focused on machining processes with additive manufacturing, as activities focusing on machining processes need more face-to-face interactions. Out of three labs and one final project, the major modifications have been done to casting lab to make it fully online and to final project to make it about 90% online. Students were allowed for face-to-face activities that are very critical to students’ learning, and all other activities were performed virtually either by synchronous or asynchronous classes. In the other two labs (bulk deformation, i.e., forging and rolling, lab and the machining lab), students were divided into groups and they took turn to take face-to-face instructions in order to maintain social distancing and safety in the lab. Students were surveyed at the end of the semester to assess their perceptions on the modifications done in the lab and level of engagement in the course, and whether learning outcomes were achieved. Students found the level of engagement appropriate and agree that they have learned new and key concepts of various manufacturing processes and will be able to apply knowledge in the real-life applications. However, the students also reported that hybrid-mode lab instruction cannot completely replace in-person lab instruction, as many of them faced challenges to keep themselves engaged and motivated in all online lab activities. Copyright © 2021 by ASME

Advancement in production engineering education through Virtual Learning Factory Toolkit concept

The growing relevance of digitalization in production requires the enhancement of human skills and competences in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Higher education has to cope with this need by providing the necessary ICT skills to future industrial engineers, so that they have a good understanding of the complexity of industries in the 21st century. This paper presents the conceptual development and testing of a Virtual Learning Factory Toolkit (VLFT) that integrates digital tools used in production management with engineering education. The digital tools integrated into the VLFT can help students to exploit enabling technologies such as simulation and virtual reality in their manufacturing studies and practical projects with industrial companies. Moreover, digital tools were tested by using a structured workflow that consists of different learning activities related to manufacturing system configuration. Students practised the digital tools with the help of use cases in the form of joint learning labs, after which the students' feedback was collected and analysed.Alternate :Digitaliseerimise kasvav tähtsus tootmises nõuab info- ja kommunikatsioonitehnoloogia (IKT) osas töötajate oskuste ning pädevuste parendamist. Kõrgharidus peab selle vajadusega toime tulema, pakkudes tulevastele tööstusinseneridele vajalikke IKT-oskusi, andmaks neile hea arusaama 21. sajandi tööstuse keerukusest. Käesolevas artiklis on tutvustatud virtuaalse õppetehase tööriistakomplekti (VLFT) kontseptsiooni väljatöötamist ja katsetamist, kus on ühendatud tootmise juhtimises ning inseneriõppes kasutatavad digitaalsed tööriistad. VLFT-sse integreeritud digitaalsed tööriistad aitavad õppuritel kasutada tootmisalastes õpingutes ja tööstusettevõtetele suunatud praktilistes projektides digi tehnoloogiaid, nagu simulatsioon ning virtuaalne reaalsus. Lisaks testiti digitaalseid tööriistu, kasutades struktureeritud töövoogu, mis koosneb tootmissüsteemi konfiguratsiooniga sidustatud eri õppetegevustest. Õppurid praktiseerisid kasutamisjuhtumite abil uudseid digivahendeid ühistes virtuaalõppelaborites, seejärel koguti ja analüüsiti õppurite tagasisidet.

Making It Happen: Findings From Processes Implemented to Continue Operating a University Makerspace During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Manufacturing as a field is built on developing processes and protocols to overcome a myriad of problems. This foundation was put to the test in Manufacturing Education by the disruption brought from the COVID-19 pandemic. This work describes the approach taken to establish processes for the continued use of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Makerspace during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NJIT Makerspace is an Advanced Manufacturing facility consisting of additive, subtractive, and metrology equipment. The Makerspace serves multiple areas at NJIT, including the University's Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MNET) program, freshman orientation/design courses, and open use by the student population for varied pursuits. A process was developed to allow continued operation of the NJIT Makerspace under state guidelines and was implemented in the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester. This process included new training measures towards access of the NJIT Makerspace's general tools, polymer additive manufacturing units (3D printers), and laser cutters. In addition, processes were outlined for the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed in the NJIT Makerspace, the donning and reapplication of PPE during Makerspace use, cleaning during Makerspace operation, and adhering to the social distance configuration in the Makerspace. The open question was whether these needed processes interfered with student's achieving their personal objectives. This question was researched under three separate conditions. The first condition is in support of the MNET program, where the NJIT Makerspace houses a junior level manufacturing course utilizing manual machining (e.g. milling and turning). The second condition is an introductory freshman course that provides students with an overview of NJIT's resources including the Makerspace. This course provides students with training to access NJIT Makerspace systems, which is reinforced with a NJIT Makerspace project that students currently have an option to pursue virtually or in person. The final condition is the general use of the NJIT Makerspace by students with varied interests. The presented findings from Fall 2020 will not only provide guidance for hands-on Manufacturing Education during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also potential options for safety processes that could be used in other applied academic activities. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

Team-Teaching a Project-Based First-Year Seminar in Pandemic

Complete Evidence-based Practice - This paper presents a team-teaching strategy for a project-based first-year seminar during the pandemic. Three faculty members team-taught three sections of a First-Year Seminar course in Fall 2020 using project-based learning with students from five Engineering and Engineering Technology programs in the department, which encompass electrical, computer, mechanical, and manufacturing-oriented programs. This first-year seminar course has been offered in our School of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University for decades, but it was the first time that it had been offered with team-teaching in Fall 2020. In previous semesters this course was often “flavored” towards certain disciplines as it was shaped by the instructor who taught it, although it did have a set of common learning objectives for all sessions and shared teaching materials then. With team-teaching, we expect to see a higher degree of coherence between course topics and sessions, as well as similar, if not better, attainment of student learning outcomes. Besides the benefits to students, the instructors also benefit from team-teaching to share the teaching load and learn best practices from each other such as project design and LMS (online learning management system) usage. This team-teaching model can readily continue even after the pandemic is over. Throughout the course, the instructors met weekly or biweekly to share observations of the class and adjust plans for the next few weeks. Content-wise, the instructors were able to share their expertise on different topics in several formats. Besides learning about multiple topics, the students conducted two team-projects with typically three students on a team. The first project was to build a touchless candy dispenser. We invited community children and their families to visit the project room, one family at a time, for a safe “trick or treat” event, which was well-received, and the students were very proud. The second project was to provide a solution or a prototype to address a COVID-19 concern that they had observed or encountered. Every team was able to create a product webpage using the template provided by the instructors, and they made constructive comments to each other on the project webpages. After the courses were concluded, both faculty and students were surveyed anonymously to report their own experiences and perceptions of others. Most self-report and perception data were consistent, but there was some discrepancy, with possible explanations, which need to be examined in the future. The student scores in Fall 2020 were compared with previous semesters to find it similar to pre-pandemic semesters and have far fewer U (unsatisfactory) grades than in Spring 2020 when the whole campus went online midway. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

MARKETING MANAGEMENT OF QUALITY BASED ON INDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP VS. TECHNOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The purpose of this paper is to substantiate the advantages and to develop applied recommendations for marketing management of quality based on industrial and manufacturing engineering of project activities, in view of the specifics in social and technological entrepreneurship. Originality and novelty of the research are due to its following competitive advantages as compared to the existing published works. Firstly, the essence of quality management based on industrial and manufacturing engineering of project activities in the unity of social and technical criteria of quality is specified. Secondly, the specifics of the COVID-19 are determined, and the recommendations and qualitative landmarks for quality management for the purpose of economic crisis management are offered. Thirdly, the advantages are substantiated, and perspectives of marketing quality management for its systemic increase in view of all modern criteria are determined. Fourthly, the corresponding recommendations for managing products' quality separately for social and technological entrepreneurship are offered. The contribution of this paper to development of the theory and practice of quality management consists in development of marketing tools of quality management, substantiation of differences between quality management in social and technological entrepreneurship, consideration of influence of the COVID-19 crisis on quality, and development of the framework foundations for preventing the reduction of quality. © 2022. All Rights Reserved.

In time of twilight, fiduciary accountable managers ensure sustainable business growth: Existing technology increases the production

Without a doubt, covid-19 caused the global trade to a standstill and price of oil to fall unprecedently. Contrary to the common belief, people are concerned about the severity of the disease and started wearing gloves. The demand for glove has increased. This study focuses on selected factories which uses existing technologies to produce gloves. Owing to the demand, gloves are exported, thus ensuring sustainable business growth. These factories use their existing machines to produce gloves. It is noted that inhouse mechanical and chemical engineers are working around the clock to innovate the existing machineries. Also, employees are encouraged to spearhead innovative ideas into the production lines. The qualitative analysis is used for this study. The finding of this paper reveals that during unprecedented times, the demand of gloves has increased globally, which concomitantly allowed locally owned companies to increase the production gloves. Ultimately, these companies are having a good time in harvesting profit and maintaining a sustainable business growth. These companies fully adhere to sustainable product and eco-friendly

Manufacturing of a mechanical respirator valve in the context of e-learning methodology

This work shows a project-based learning methodology (PBL) compatible with e-learning within the Manufacturing Process Engineering course. Students of the Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering were proposed to carry out a project to design the manufacturing process to make a valve of a mechanical respirator for medical use. This activity was carried out during the confinement period due to the COVID 19 pandemic and this valve was chosen due to the high demand for respirators as a result of the pandemic at that time. Once the activity was applied, the evaluation process was applied and, finally, a questionnaire was passed on to students to obtain data on acceptance and perception of the activity. The results showed adequate acceptance in terms of learning, utility, and scalability. © 2021 ACM.