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).

Laser Wire-Feed Metal Additive Manufacturing (LWAM) is a process that utilizes a laser to heat and melt a metallic alloy wire, which is then precisely positioned on a substrate, or previous layer, to build a three-dimensional metal part. LWAM technology offers several advantages, such as high speed, cost effectiveness, precision control, and the ability to create complex geometries with near-net shape features and improved metallurgical properties. However, the technology is still in its early stages of development, and its integration into the industry is ongoing. To provide a comprehensive understanding of the LWAM technology, this review article emphasizes the importance of key aspects of LWAM, including parametric modeling, monitoring systems, control algorithms, and path-planning approaches. The study aims to identify potential gaps in the existing literature and highlight future research opportunities in the field of LWAM, with the goal of advancing its industrial application.

Information entropy metrics have been applied to a wide range of problems that were abstracted as complex networks. This growing body of research is scattered in multiple disciplines, which makes it difficult to identify available metrics and understand the context in which they are applicable. In this work, a narrative literature review of information entropy metrics for complex networks is conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Existing entropy metrics are classified according to three different criteria: whether the metric provides a property of the graph or a graph component (such as the nodes), the chosen probability distribution, and the types of complex networks to which the metrics are applicable. Consequently, this work identifies the areas in need for further development aiming to guide future research efforts.

Position uncertainty is inevitable in many force-guided robotic assembly tasks. Such uncertainty can cause a significant delay, extra energy expenditure, and may even results in detriments to the mated parts or the robot itself. This article suggests a strategy for identifying the accurate hole position in force-guided robotic peg-in-hole assembly tasks through employing only the captured wrench (the Cartesian forces and torques) signals of the manipulated. In the framework of using the Contact-State (CS) modeling for such robotic tasks, the identification of the hole position is realized through detecting the CS that corresponds for the phase of the peg-on-hole, that is the phase in which the peg is located precisely on the hole. Expectation Maximization-based Gaussian Mixtures Model (EM-GMM) CS modeling scheme is employed in detecting the CS corresponding for the peg-on-hole phase. Only the wrench signals are used in modeling and detecting the phases of the assembly process. The considered peg-in-hole assembly process starts from free space and as soon as the peg touches the environment with missing the hole, a spiral search path is followed that would survey the whole environment surface. When the CS of the peg-on-hole is detected, the hole position is identified. Experiments are conducted on a KUKA Lightweight Robot (LWR) doing typical peg-in-hole assembly tasks. Multiple hole positions are considered and excellent performance of the proposed identification strategy is shown