Home automation systems have attracted considerable attention with the advancement of communications technology. A smart home (SH) is an Internet of Things (IoT) application that utilizes the Internet to monitor and control appliances using a home automation system. Lack of IoT technology usage, unfriendly user interface, limited wireless transmission range, and high costs are the limitations of existing home automation systems. Therefore, this study presents a cost-effective and hybrid (local and remote) IoT-based home automation system with a user-friendly interface for smartphones and laptops. A prototype called IoT@HoMe is developed with an algorithm to enable the monitoring of home conditions and automate the control of home appliances over the Internet anytime and anywhere. This system utilizes a node microcontroller unit (NodeMCU) as a Wi-Fi-based gateway to connect different sensors and updates their data to Adafruit IO cloud server. The collected data from several sensors (radio-frequency identification, ultrasonic, temperature, humidity, gas, and motion sensors) can be accessed via If This Then That (IFTTT) on users’ devices (smartphones and/or laptops) over the Internet regardless of their location. A set of relays is used to connect the NodeMCU to homes under controlled appliances. The designed system is structured in a portable manner as a control box that can be attached for monitoring and controlling a real house. The proposed IoT-based system for home automation can easily and efficiently control appliances over the Internet and support home safety with autonomous operation. IoT@HoMe is a low cost and reliable automation system that reduces energy consumption and can notably provide convenience, safety, and security for SH residents.

Modern communication networks and digital control techniques are used in a smart grid. The first step is to classify the features of several communication networks and conduct a comparative investigation of the communication networks applicable to the smart grid. The integration of distributed generation has significantly increased as the global energy demand rises, and sustainable energy for electric vehicles and renewable energies worldwide are being pursued. Additional explanations for this surge include environmental concerns, the reforming of the power sector, and the advancing of small-scale electricity generation technologies. Smart monitoring and control of interconnected systems are required to successfully integrate distributed generation into an existing conventional power system. Electric-vehicles-based smart grid technologies are capable of playing this part. Smart grids are crucial to avoid becoming locked in an obsolete energy infrastructure and to draw in new investment sources and build an effective and adaptable grid system. To achieve reliability and high-quality power systems, it is also necessary to apply intelligent grid technologies at the bulk power generation and transmission levels. This paper presents smart grid applicable communication networks and electric vehicles empowering distributed generation systems. Additionally, we address some constraints and challenges and make recommendations that will give proper guidelines for academicians and researchers to resolve the current issues.

The concept of a smart city is aimed at enhancing the quality of life for urban residents, and logistic services are a crucial component of this effort. Despite this, the logistics industry has encountered issues due to the exponential growth of logistics volumes, as well as the complexity of processes and lack of transparency. Consequently, it is necessary to develop an efficient management system that offers traceability and condition monitoring capabilities to ensure the safe and high-quality delivery of goods. Moreover, it is crucial to guarantee the accuracy and dependability of distribution data. In this context, this paper proposes a blockchain-enabled IoT logistics system for the efficient tracking and management of high-price shipments. A smart contract based on blockchain technology has been designed for automatic approval and payment, with the aim of distributing shipping information exclusively among legitimate logistics parties. To ensure authentication, a zero-knowledge proof is used to conceal the blockchain address. Moreover, an intelligent parcel (iParcel) containing piezoresistive sensors is developed to pack delivered goods during the shipping process for violation detection such as severe falls or theft. The iParcels are automatically tracked and traced, and if a violation occurs, the contract is cancelled, and payment is refunded. The transaction fee per party is reasonable, particularly for high-price products that guarantee successful shipment.

Daily traffic accidents increase annually, causing a significant number of death and disability cases. Most of fatalities occur because of the late response to these emergency cases. The time after the traumatic injury is called the golden hour, where providing essential medical and surgical aid at that time increases the probability of saving human lives by one-third an average. Thus, the focus of this paper was to develop a system based on IoT for accident detection and classification. The system detects and classifies vehicle accidents based on severity level and reports the essential information about the accident to emergency services providers. The system consists of a microcontroller, GPS, and a group of sensors to determine different physical parameters related to vehicle motion. In addition, different types of machine learning classifiers were examined with the developed system to determine the most accurate classifier for the system. The classifiers are the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), Naive-Bayes Tree (NB), Decision Tree (DT), and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). The implementation of the system showed that GMM and CART models were better in terms of precision and recall. It was also shown that the severity of accidents depends mainly on the g-force value and fire occurrence.

Logistics operations significantly depend on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources, posing challenges to environmental sustainability. Achieving a balance between environmental protection and economic efficiency is vital in logistics decision-making. The concept of green logistics aims to reduce environmental externalities by adopting sustainable practices. This research explores the adoption and utilization of green logistics technologies and information systems through a structural equation model, focusing on key factors such as environmental awareness, organizational culture, and financial considerations. The research methodology involved using a specially designed questionnaire to collect data, which was subsequently analyzed through various stages. The study selected Saudi Arabia as a case study due to its rapid development in the logistics sector and its significant CO₂ emissions. Initially, a general quantitative descriptive analysis was performed on the collected responses. This was followed by more detailed analyses to uncover the finer nuances in stakeholders’ perspectives. Additionally, correlation analysis was conducted to identify significant associations between variables and to understand their potential interactions. The findings reveal high environmental awareness among stakeholders, a positive organizational culture conducive to sustainability practices, and a strong recognition of the benefits of green logistics technologies. However, there is room for improvement in technological readiness and a need for clearer government regulations and more robust policy support. Financial considerations are complex, with significant initial investments required and long-term financial benefits recognized.

Smart cities development relies on information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve all urban aspects, including governance, economy, mobility, and environment. The development is usually associated with several challenges and negative effects. This study relies on revealing ICTs challenges by firstly conducting a comprehensive literature review to identify the challenges that are most associated with ICTs. Then, a questionnaire survey was distributed among the Saudi population to study their expectations, perceptions, and concerns on the smart city concept and services. The questionnaire also investigated ICTs challenges identified from the literature review, including information security risks, privacy violation, incompatibility, and digital skill gaps. Consequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted to perceive the reasons for the incompatibility between different systems and digital skill gaps between the public. The findings show that the most likely challenges are information security risks and privacy violations, which are due to the increase in vulnerability, potential attacks, and lack of public awareness regarding personal data protection. The incompatibility between different systems and services in smart cities arouses worries among the public due to the expected high cost and difficulty of adaptation and utilization. Moreover, digital skill gaps arises between members of the population that have a low education level or are elderly persons.