An embedded coupled tank system (CTS) based on an ARM Cortex M7 microcontroller is developed for liquid level control, utilizing three nonlinear control strategies: fuzzy logic controller (FLC), feedback linearization (FL)-based proportional integral derivative (PID) controller, and FL-based FLC. The goal is to maintain an accurate predefined water level in the second tank and compare the performance of these controllers in terms of overshoot, settling time, and tracking accuracy. The CTS model is developed using physical parameters obtained from a real experimental setup. The controllers are first simulated in Matlab/Simulink and then tested on a physical CTS prototype, featuring a microcontroller interface with pumps, actuators, and sensors for real-time control and data acquisition. A custom graphical user interface and software are developed for conducting experiments and acquiring data. Results show that FL-based FLC and FL-based PID controllers offer better overshoot and tracking performances than FLC on nonlinear CTS. However, FLC and FL-based FLC outperform FL-based PID in settling time, with FL-based FLC showing very good performance in terms of tracking accuracy, overshoot, and settling time.

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks, Microsoft Azure Internet of Things (IoT) Hub, and device twins (DvT) are increasingly recognized as core enablers of adaptive, data-driven manufacturing. This paper proposes a hierarchical IIoT framework that integrates industrial IoT networking, DvT for asset-level virtualisation, system-level digital twins (DT) for cell orchestration, and cloud-native services to support the digital transformation of brownfield, programmable logic controller (PLC)-centric modular automation (MA) environments. Traditional PLC/supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) paradigms struggle to meet interoperability, observability, and adaptability requirements at scale, motivating architectures in which DvT and IoT Hub underpin real-time orchestration, virtualisation, and predictive-maintenance workflows. Building on and extending a previously introduced conceptual model, the present work instantiates a multilayered, end-to-end design that combines a federated Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) mesh on the on-premises side, a ZigBee-based backup mesh, and a secure bridge to Azure IoT Hub, together with a systematic DvT modelling and orchestration strategy. The methodology is supported by a structured analysis of relevant IIoT and DvT design choices and by a concrete implementation in a nine-cell MA laboratory featuring a robotic arm predictive-maintenance scenario. The resulting framework sustains closed-loop monitoring, anomaly detection, and control under realistic workloads, while providing explicit envelopes for telemetry volume, buffering depth, and latency budgets in edge-cloud integration. Overall, the proposed architecture offers a transferable blueprint for evolving PLC-centric automation toward more adaptive, secure, and scalable IIoT systems and establishes a foundation for future extensions toward full DvT ecosystems, tighter artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) integration, and fifth/sixth generation (5G/6G) and time-sensitive networking (TSN) support in industrial networks.

Background: Hysterectomy, the most common major gynecological operation worldwide, consists of removal of the uterus and can be performed abdominally, vaginally, or laparoscopically. A uterine manipulator is a key device used for uterine manipulation and cannulation in hysterectomies. The challenges of conventional manipulators are to move the uterus in two distinct planes and to identify cervical landmarks during circular cut and coagulation. Material and methods: In this study, a structural synthesis of the two degrees of freedom parallel manipulator was performed considering the constraints noted by surgeons. Computer-aided design and assembly of the manipulator, the cervicovaginal cap with LEDs, and the external parts were performed before rapid prototyping. The final design of the uterine manipulator was then manufactured from stainless steel and tested on an artificial uterus model using a test chamber. Results: This article presents the design, production and testing processes of an innovative manipulator with a motion capability up to 80° workspace both in the sagittal and coronal planes and an illumination system, easily detectable by the laparoscope, was successfully implemented on the manipulator’s cervical cap in order to overcome the drawbacks of conventional uterine manipulators. Conclusions: Despite all the current studies and uterine manipulators on the market, no research has incorporated all the features mentioned above.