Sensor-Based Smart Manufacturing: Selected Papers from the 30th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM2021)

Dear Colleagues,

Flexible automation and intelligent manufacturing have recently acquired a new scope, which is reflected in the term Industry 4.0, due to the enhanced capabilities and lowered cost of sensors as well as ever increasing bandwidth and performance of networks, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and progress leaps in the IT side in general. Thus, digitalization of manufacturing is a reality and further research is making it more affordable and more attractive. This Special Issue seeks to emphasize applications of sensors in the digital manufacturing context. Both individual manufacturing processes and complete manufacturing systems are targeted.

From the full scope of the Sensors Journal, the following topics are particularly akin to the Special Issue at hand, by all means in a manufacturing context: Sensor networks, Smart/Intelligent sensors, Optoelectronic and photonic sensors, Optomechanical sensors, Internet of Things, Signal processing, Data fusion and deep learning in sensor systems, Sensor interface, Human-Computer Interaction, Sensing systems, Localization and object tracking.

The topics of the conference which lend themselves in particular to the Sensors applications are as follows: (a) Manufacturing processes: new and innovative processes (additive, laser-based, hybrid etc.), (b) Machine tools: mechatronics, accuracy and metrology, intelligent machine tools, process monitoring, condition monitoring (c) Manufacturing systems: flexible / intelligent automation, multi-robot collaboration, human-robot collaboration, quality control and inspection (d) Enabling technologies: applied Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual / Augmented Reality, Digital Twins, Manufacturing networks and security

The Editors will select 10-12 papers from those published in the Conference Proceedings (Procedia Manufacturing journal). Their authors will be given the opportunity to modify and expand the papers by at least 50%, incl. title and abstract, in order to be considered for publication in Sensors special issue. Selection offers will be completed by 30 March 2021 and submission deadline will be 30 April 2021. Authors are invited to submit 4-8 page manuscripts to Conftool platform, using the pertinent instructions by 31 January 2021 at the latest after consulting the FAIM2021 site.