This work encourages the cooperation of different IoT technologies in industrial environments for avoiding social disruption in novel Industry 4.0 paradigms. For this, Green I3A Smart Factory (GreenISF) scenario is presented, where the deployment of a collaborative mesh network based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Long Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) technologies promotes Human-Machine collaboration towards Socially Sustainable Factories. In order to encourage human-centric architectures in such environments, our smart wristband prototype OperaBLE is introduced in this work as key enabler for Human-in-the-Loop systems. Thus, the network deployed in GreenISF is composed of Body Area Networks (BANs) which monitor labour activity and reinforce security at work by embedding sensors in regulatory industrial clothes. These networks cooperate with our BLE mesh infrastructure aimed to fulfil the major challenges Industry 4.0: zero fails, total coverage and sustainability. Furthermore, a Context Information Network based on LoRaWAN complements our mesh network to provide the system with valuable environmental data and prevent operators from harmful workplaces. The system is connected to a fog server responsible for preprocessing raw data that will be stored in a global cloud server. The experiments carried out highlight the contribution of OperaBLE towards safer working conditions and a sustainable digitalisation of Industry 4.0.

Current sensor networks need to be improved and updated to satisfy new essential requirements of the Internet of Things, where cutting-edge applications will appear. These requirements are: total coverage, zero fails (high performance), scalability and sustainability (hardware and software). We are going to evaluate Bluetooth Low Energy as wireless transmission technology and as the ideal candidate for these improvements, due to its low power consumption, its low cost radio chips and its ability to communicate with users directly, using their smartphones or smartbands. However, this technology is relatively recent, and standard network topologies are not able to fulfil its new requirements. To address these shortcomings, the implementation of other more flexible topologies (as the mesh topology) will be very interesting. After studying it in depth, we have identified certain weaknesses, for example, specific devices are needed to provide network scalability, and the need to choose between high performance or sustainability. In this paper, after presenting the studies carried out on these new technologies, we propose a new packet format and a new BLE mesh topology, with two different configurations: Individual Mesh and Collaborative Mesh. Our results show how this topology improves the scalability, sustainability, coverage and performance.

Industry 4.0 is leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution transforming traditional factories into smart factories governed by the Internet of Things (IoT). In order to assist smart factory employees, this paper introduces OperaBLE, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wearable proposal which is aimed at enhancing working conditions and efficiency in Industry 4.0 scenarios. We have developed two innovative algorithms for OperaBLE focused on power awareness as the key-enabling attribute towards success: Low-Frequency Movement Characterisation Algorithm (LoMoCA) and Adaptive Heart Rate Algorithm (AHRA). Novel experiments have been carried out using OperaBLE to determine its operability, reliability, and lifespan. Results obtained during experimentation demonstrate how OperaBLE empowers human-machine collaboration embedding workers in closed-loop performance and ensuring nonharmful working conditions by means of power-aware algorithms. OperaBLE is due to bring digitalisation into smart factories, playing an essential role in the emerging wearable revolution to arise in the following years towards smart production systems.