In recent years, Industry 4.0 has gained relevance in the manufacturing sector. On one hand, it is expected that this new paradigm will affect the entire value chain and increase the capabilities of the manufacturing system as a whole, in terms of interoperability and communication throughout factories and beyond. On the other hand, considering that small and medium-sized enterprises represent one of the main forces in economic development and employment generation, focus is shifting toward said manufacturing paradigm in order to ensure competitiveness in the market in the nearby future. However, economic factors could stand in the way of this migration. Thus, digital retrofit is seen as a possibility for the integration of Industry 4.0, paving the way for unappealing technologies to large investment opportunities. In this article, a thorough literary review is performed regarding the formal implementation of Industry 4.0 applications. The result is the Asset Administration Shell model. Afterward, a methodology is proposed for the design and implementation of the Asset Administration Shell, leading to a digital retrofit approach for manufacturing resources. Finally, the methodology is applied in a turning station, thereby validating an increase in the communication and interoperability of the station, which can be used to add overall value to the manufacturing system.

Robotic-assisted rehabilitation is currently being applied to improve the effectiveness of human gait rehabilitation and recover the mobility and strength after a stroke or spinal cord injury; a robotic assistant can allow the active participation of the patient and the supervision of the collected data and decrease the labor required from therapists during the patient’s training exercises. The goal of gait rehabilitation with robotic-based assistance is to restore motor function by using diverse control strategies, taking account of the physical interaction with the lower limbs of the patient. Over the last few years, researchers have extracted useful information from the patient’s biological signals that can effectively reflect movement intention and muscle activation. One way to evaluate progress in rehabilitation is through isokinetic prototype tests that describe the dynamic characteristics of an isokinetic leg extension device for rehabilitation and control action. These tests use an isokinetic system to assess muscle strength and performance in a patient during isometric or isokinetic contraction. An experimental prototype shown in the following work allows the device’s performance to be evaluated in a controlled environment before the patient’s use. New features provide a control system that can be teleoperated for distributed structures, enabling the remote operation and management of the device. In order to achieve physical recovery from musculoskeletal injuries in the lower limbs and the reintegration of the affected subject into society as an independent and autonomous individual in their daily activities, a control model that introduces a medical isokinetic rehabilitation protocol is presented, in which the element that carries out such protocol consists of a magnetic particle brake whose control action is strongly influenced by the dynamics of the system when in contact with the end user—specifically, the patient’s legs in the stretch from the knee to the ankle. The results of these tests are valuable for health professionals seeking to measure their patient’s progress during the rehabilitation process and determine when it is safe and appropriate to advance in their treatment.

Advances in informatics technologies have enabled new ways of attention in a health-care system. This kind of approach is commonly referred as a telemedicine. In this context, this work proposes an environment that facilitates the execution of a specific protocol of physical rehabilitation on a patient by a health care specialist through tele-operating technical aids. For this purpose, a service-oriented architecture was designed and implemented. In addition, considering the dynamics of the system oriented to occurrence of discrete events, formal modelling tool known as Coloured Petri Nets were used for validation and verification. Finally, numerous rehabilitation protocols were tested without presenting alterations with respect to the technical model.

The present study contains an experimental analysis of the vibratory response in a low-cylinder engine motorcycle at varying suspension preloads. Three different speed bumps of varying heights were used to subject the motorcycle to different vibrations. The analysis was carried out in three domains: time, frequency, and time-frequency. A triaxial accelerometer was used to measure the vibrations at the seat of the vehicle. The results indicated that the suspension system became more differentiated as the height of the bumps increased. However, for lower bumps, the action of the three spring preloads studied was quite similar. Quantitatively, only the higher bump showed a significant difference between the set preloads. The spectral distribution revealed that the frequency of interest was below 20 Hz for all the studied cases, which is in the same range of human body natural frequencies. The findings of this research can be utilized to enhance the design of low-cost motorcycles, thereby improving the safety and comfort of their drivers and passengers. This study constitutes a significant step towards developing an affordable system capable of gathering sufficient data to support the creation of evidence-based public health policies and propose new transport industry standards based on field measurements.

Purpose: This paper investigates the biomechanical effect of thermoformed aligners equipped with complementary biomechanical attachments (CBAs) on periodontal ligaments (PDLs) during the expansion process of the maxillary arch. The analysis was conducted using advanced simulations based on the finite element method (FEM). Methods: High-resolution 3D CAD models were created for four tooth types: canine, first premolar, second premolar, and first molar. Additional 3D models were developed for aligners, CBAs, and PDLs. These were integrated into a comprehensive FEM model to simulate clinical rehabilitation scenarios. Validation was achieved through comparative analysis with empirical medical data. Results: The FEM simulations revealed the following: for canine, the displacement was 0.134 mm with a maximum stress of 4.822 KPa in the amelocemental junction. For the first premolar, the displacement was 0.132 mm at a maximum stress of 3.273 KPa in the amelocemental junction. The second premolar had a displacement of 0.129 mm and a stress of 1.358 KPa at 1 mm from the amelocemental junction; and first molar had a displacement of 0.124 mm and a maximum stress of 2.440 KPa. Conclusions: The inclusion of CBAs significantly reduced tooth tipping during maxillary arch expansion. Among the models tested, the vestibular CBA demonstrated superior performance, delivering optimal tooth movement when combined with thermoformed aligners. Significance: FEM techniques provide a robust and cost-effective alternative to in vivo experimentation, offering precise and reliable insights into the biomechanical efficacy of CBAs in thermoformed aligners. This approach minimizes experimental variability and accelerates the evaluation of innovative orthodontic configurations.