4IR Archives

New Directions in Vehicle Communications

Innovation Spotlight

The IEEE Xplore Innovation Spotlight features articles on cutting-edge topics handpicked from the IEEE Xplore Digital Library of more than 6 million technical documents.

Industries Getting Smarter with New AI Visual Inspection Tool

December 9, 2021

Artificial Intelligence, Data, 4IR

Industries across the globe are under pressure to stay competitive, enhance operations and improve quality. Steps have been taken to incorporate smart and flexible capabilities on the factory floor, but a new AI visual inspection tool could help address manufacturing processes that are still frequently overlooked, such as product inspections.

Touchdown on Mars: A New Era for Space Exploration

February 11, 2021

Drones, Space, Robotics, 4IR

After a six-month space journey, two rovers and one orbiter sent by three countries are set to make history as they touchdown on Mars. As history shows though, navigating the planet is no easy task.

Secure Transport of COVID-19 Vaccines with IoT Cold Chain Monitoring

January 20, 2021

Health, IoT, 4IR, Transportation

Many vaccines, like those for COVID-19, must be kept cold. To prevent waste and breaches in the cold chain system, researchers have developed an IoT monitoring system that tracks the temperature and location of vaccines from the manufacturing plant to the patient's arm.

New Drone-Based System Supports Mobile Robots at Fulfilment Centers

December 15, 2020

Drones, Robotics, 4IR

As e-commerce companies look to modernize fulfilment centers, researchers believe drones could be the next phase of logistics and inventory management to streamline operations.

Social Networking for Smart Devices Supports Multi-User Environments

December 2, 2020

Smart Devices, Social IoT, 4IR

Combining IoT and social networks, researchers have developed a social platform to help smart objects interact and form relationships with each other.

Smart Dental App Uses AI and IoT for Early Disease Detection

November 19, 2020

Health-IoT, Artificial Intelligence, 4IR

Dental diseases affect more than half of the world's population. Using AI and IoT, researchers have developed a smart home-based dental solution that can diagnose problems earlier.

Using Predictive Analytics to Boost Holiday Sales

November 11, 2020

Big Data, Predictive Analytics, Data, 4IR

During holiday shopping season, retailers must ensure they don’t just draw shoppers online, but convert them into buyers. Using predictive analytics, researchers believe they can identify the best customers seconds after shoppers get online, enabling improved targeting for promotions.

Augmented Reality Could Transform Human-Robot Collaboration

November 4, 2020

Augmented Reality, Robotics, 4IR

Human-robot collaboration will soon be a part of our daily lives. As industries face increased demands, reserachers have created a method to give robots more autonomy with augmented reality.