Industrial digital twins at the nexus of NextG wireless networks and computational intelligence: A survey

Shah Zeb, Aamir Mahmood*, Syed Ali Hassan, MD. Jalil Piran, Mikael Gidlund, Mohsen Guizani

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

    107 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    By amalgamating recent communication and control technologies, computing and data analytics techniques, and modular manufacturing, Industry 4.0 promotes integrating cyber–physical worlds through cyber–physical systems (CPS) and digital twin (DT) for monitoring, optimization, and prognostics of industrial processes. A DT enables interaction with the digital image of the industrial physical objects/processes to simulate, analyze, and control their real-time operation. DT is rapidly diffusing in numerous industries with the interdisciplinary advances in the industrial Internet of things (IIoT), edge and cloud computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and advanced data analytics. However, the existing literature lacks in identifying and discussing the role and requirements of these technologies in DT-enabled industries from the communication and computing perspective. In this article, we first present the functional aspects, appeal, and innovative use of DT in smart industries. Then, we elaborate on this perspective by systematically reviewing and reflecting on recent research trends in next-generation (NextG) wireless technologies (e.g., 5G-and-Beyond networks) and design tools, and current computational intelligence paradigms (e.g., edge and cloud computing-enabled data analytics, federated learning). Moreover, we discuss the DT deployment strategies at different communication layers to meet the monitoring and control requirements of industrial applications. We also outline several key reflections and future research challenges and directions to facilitate industrial DT’s adoption.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number103309
    Number of pages23
    JournalJournal of Network and Computer Applications
    Volume200
    Early online date11 Jan 2022
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 19 Jan 2022

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Industrial digital twins at the nexus of NextG wireless networks and computational intelligence: A survey'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this