Aircraft maintenance is a highly relevant procedure in many industries, yet obtaining qualified personnel to carry it out is a difficult task. Training in such techniques is complex and requires access to facilities and materials that are not readily available. Virtual reality can be a tool to improve this situation. This paper presents the whole process of design, development, and evaluation of a virtual environment that allows users to perform some of the main tasks required in aircraft maintenance after landing or for take-off. By following a user-centered design methodology and the Octalysis framework to apply motivation and engagement techniques, a gamified virtual environment was developed that allows the user to practice specific aircraft maintenance techniques. The environment was tested by users of different profiles who answered questionnaires to evaluate the perceived gamification, usability, and the feeling of sickness from the experience. The analysis of the data corroborates the good performance of the VR environment in these fields.

This scoping review investigates the integration of augmented reality within Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0, focusing on its applications across various industrial sectors. The study analyzes 74 relevant articles published since 2014, coinciding with the emergence of Industry 4.0. Since the introduction of the Industry 5.0 concept in 2021, there has been a noticeable increase in publications, reflecting a shift toward applications that prioritize personalization, sustainability, and human-centric innovations. The findings highlight the versatility of augmented reality in enhancing productivity, efficiency, safety, and work quality across industries such as robotics, automotive, education, and construction. However, the implementation of artificial intelligence within augmented reality applications remains limited, revealing a significant opportunity for future research to optimize their integration and functionality. The review emphasizes the importance of developing augmented reality solutions tailored to specific industrial needs, aligned with the principles of Industry 5.0, and leveraging versatile, cost-effective hardware like mobile devices and smartglasses to ensure accessibility and scalability.

The use of smartphone-based Serious Games in mental health care is an emerging and promising research field. Combining the intrinsic characteristics of games (e.g., interactiveness, immersiveness, playfulness, user-tailoring and engaging nature) with the capabilities of smartphones (e.g., versatility, ubiquitous connectivity, built-in sensors and anywhere–anytime nature) yields great potential to deliver innovative psychological treatments, which are engaging, effective, fun and always available. This article presents a scoping review, based on the PRISMA (scoping review extension) guidelines, of the field of smartphone-based serious games for mental health care. The review combines an analysis of the technical characteristics, including game design, smartphone and game-specific features, with psychological dimensions, including type and purpose of use, underlying psychological frameworks and strategies. It also explores the integration of psychological features into Serious Games and summarizes the findings of evaluations performed. A systematic search identified 40 smartphone-based Serious Games for mental health care. The majority consist of standalone and self-administrable interventions, applying a myriad of psychological strategies to address a wide range of psychological symptoms and disorders. The findings explore the potential of Serious Games as treatments and for enhancing patient engagement; we conclude by proposing several avenues for future research in order to identify best practices and success factors.

This paper describes a new technological evolution of the Sucre project, which aims to foster a vocation for science and develop computational thinking and programming skills in pre-university students. This improved version is called Sucre4Stem and has been designed from the Internet of Things perspective. At a technological level, we differentiate two main tools, SucreCore and SucreCode . SucreCore provides a new, more compact design, encapsulates an advanced microcontroller and supports wireless connectivity with the ability to create online variables and functions. SucreCode , the block-based visual programming tool, has a revamped interface and allows wireless communication with SucreCore . At the pedagogical level, Sucre4Stem makes it easier to implement new group dynamics and to create novel types of collaborative projects between groups of students. In this article, we also explore how these collaborative projects can be carried out by taking advantage of the different types of communications between SucreCore and the server-side platform using shared online variables and functions.

The rapid expansion of online education has generated large volumes of learner interaction data, highlighting the need for intelligent systems capable of transforming this information into personalized guidance. Educational Recommender Systems (ERS) represent a key application of big data analytics and machine learning, offering adaptive learning pathways that respond to diverse student needs. For widespread adoption, these systems must align with pedagogical principles while ensuring transparency, interpretability, and seamless integration into Learning Management Systems (LMS). This paper introduces a comprehensive framework and implementation of an ERS designed for platforms such as Moodle. The system integrates big data processing pipelines to support scalability, real-time interaction, and multi-layered personalization, including data collection, preprocessing, recommendation generation, and retrieval. A detailed use case demonstrates its deployment in a real educational environment, underlining both technical feasibility and pedagogical value. Finally, the paper discusses challenges such as data sparsity, learner model complexity, and evaluation of effectiveness, offering directions for future research at the intersection of big data technologies and digital education. By bridging theoretical models with operational platforms, this work contributes to sustainable and data-driven personalization in online learning ecosystems.

Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder, with detrimental effects on the patient's well-being, high disability, and a huge associated societal and economic cost. There are evidence-based treatments, but it is difficult to reach all people in need. Internet-based interventions, and more recently smartphone-based interventions, were explored to overcome barriers to access. Evidence shows them to be effective alternatives to traditional treatments. This paper presents the protocol of a pilot study whose primary aim is to investigate the efficacy of a smartphone-based serious game intervention for patients with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. This randomized controlled pilot trial protocol foresees two arms design: 1/ smartphone- based serious game intervention (based on Cognitive Behavior Therapy with particular emphasis on Behavioral Activation and Physical Activity), 2/ waiting list control group. The study is expected to recruit 40 participants (18+), which will be randomly assigned to one of the experimental conditions. The duration of the intervention is two months. The primary outcome measure will be depressive symptomatology. Secondary outcomes will include other variables such as physical activity, resilience, anxiety, depression impairment, and positive and negative affect. Treatment expectation, satisfaction, usability, and game playability will also be measured. The data will be analyzed based on the intention-to-treat and per protocol analyses. The study aims to establish initial evidence for the efficacy of a smartphone-based serious game intervention, to serve as input for a larger-scale randomized control trial. The intervention exploits advanced smartphone capabilities, such as the use of a serious game as delivery mode, with the potential benefit of engagement and treatment adherence, and motion sensors to monitor and stimulate physical activity. As a secondary objective, the study aims to gather initial evidence on the user's expectations, satisfaction, usability and playability of the serious game as a treatment.