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Future Internet
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Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments
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Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments

A special issue of Future Internet (ISSN 1999-5903). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart System Infrastructure and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 9013

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yuansong Qiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Software Research Institute, Technological University of the Shannon, N37HD68 Athlone, Ireland
Interests: decentralised internet architecture; blockchain and decentralized systems; edge intelligence and computing; AI for robot control and collaboration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Blockchain technology enables append-only and immutable data storage through decentralized consensus mechanisms. Additionally, its Turing-complete smart contracts transform blockchain systems into decentralized computing platforms. These smart contracts enact predefined rules, thereby facilitating the creation of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) that govern participants through self-executing protocols. This has the potential to revolutionize collaboration across organizations, individuals, and even machines. 

In various civil and industrial domains, such as swarm assembly, warehouse management, 3D printing, disaster response, and industrial/agricultural monitoring, multi-robot/multi-drone systems play pivotal roles. Blockchain technology can enhance collaboration between these devices by enabling information sharing—such as on states, times, locations, and relations with other devices—and by achieving consensus without centralized control, particularly in untrusted environments. Moreover, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, including Generative AI, can optimize and enhance control and collaboration within these systems at the edge.

This Special Issue solicits conceptual, theoretical, and experimental contributions with regard to the challenges to and solutions for unresolved key questions that include the topics below.

Blockchain and AI-based solutions for the following:

  • Multi-robots/multi-drones;
  • Swarm robotics;
  • Autonomous mobile robots;
  • Edge device collaboration;
  • 5G-based edge collaboration;
  • Vehicular collaboration;
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) in edge environments;
  • Digital twins for multi-robots/multi-drones;
  • Robotics/edge intelligence applications.

Additional topics are as follows:

  • Blockchain systems, protocols, and algorithms for edge/robotic systems;
  • Decentralized payment and the token economy for edge/robotic systems;
  • Scalability/security/privacy issues of the abovementioned systems.

Dr. Yuansong Qiao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Future Internet is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • blockchain
  • robotics
  • multi-robots
  • multi-drones
  • swarm robotics
  • edge computing
  • edge intelligence
  • digital twin
  • AI for edge

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 1229 KiB  
Article
Towards Collaborative Edge Intelligence: Blockchain-Based Data Valuation and Scheduling for Improved Quality of Service
by Yao Du, Zehua Wang, Cyril Leung and Victor C. M. Leung
Future Internet 2024, 16(8), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16080267 - 28 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1202
Abstract
Collaborative edge intelligence, a distributed computing paradigm, refers to a system where multiple edge devices work together to process data and perform distributed machine learning (DML) tasks locally. Decentralized Internet of Things (IoT) devices share knowledge and resources to improve the quality of [...] Read more.
Collaborative edge intelligence, a distributed computing paradigm, refers to a system where multiple edge devices work together to process data and perform distributed machine learning (DML) tasks locally. Decentralized Internet of Things (IoT) devices share knowledge and resources to improve the quality of service (QoS) of the system with reduced reliance on centralized cloud infrastructure. However, the paradigm is vulnerable to free-riding attacks, where some devices benefit from the collective intelligence without contributing their fair share, potentially disincentivizing collaboration and undermining the system’s effectiveness. Moreover, data collected from heterogeneous IoT devices may contain biased information that decreases the prediction accuracy of DML models. To address these challenges, we propose a novel incentive mechanism that relies on time-dependent blockchain records and multi-access edge computing (MEC). We formulate the QoS problem as an unbounded multiple knapsack problem at the network edge. Furthermore, a decentralized valuation protocol is introduced atop blockchain to incentivize contributors and disincentivize free-riders. To improve model prediction accuracy within latency requirements, a data scheduling algorithm is given based on a curriculum learning framework. Based on our computer simulations using heterogeneous datasets, we identify two critical factors for enhancing the QoS in collaborative edge intelligence systems: (1) mitigating the impact of information loss and free-riders via decentralized data valuation and (2) optimizing the marginal utility of individual data samples by adaptive data scheduling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments)
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14 pages, 875 KiB  
Article
Digital Transformation in the Construction Sector: Blockchain, BIM and SSI for a More Sustainable and Transparent System
by Luisanna Cocco and Roberto Tonelli
Future Internet 2024, 16(7), 232; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16070232 - 28 Jun 2024
Viewed by 854
Abstract
This article presents a model built for deep digitalization in the construction industry and for making building information modeling achieve a greater level of transparency, verifiability and effectiveness for the benefit of all stakeholders. Thanks to blockchain and the self-sovereign identity paradigm, the [...] Read more.
This article presents a model built for deep digitalization in the construction industry and for making building information modeling achieve a greater level of transparency, verifiability and effectiveness for the benefit of all stakeholders. Thanks to blockchain and the self-sovereign identity paradigm, the model guarantees data integrity and transaction reliability, enabling the generation of more efficient and productive businesses. The model includes a decentralized application for notarization of the information flow in building information modeling processes; the application is implemented and tested on a local blockchain. The proposed model represents a so-called digital twin and is, hence, a huge system that manages all the information flow associated with a building throughout its life cycle, returning to individuals the control of their own data. In this model, all stakeholders operate based on so-called decentralized identifiers and DID documents, which store on-chain the fingerprints of the information flow in a common data environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments)
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22 pages, 8080 KiB  
Article
A Blockchain-Based Real-Time Power Balancing Service for Trustless Renewable Energy Grids
by Andrea Calvagna, Giovanni Marotta, Giuseppe Pappalardo and Emiliano Tramontana
Future Internet 2024, 16(5), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16050149 - 26 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1319
Abstract
We face a decentralized renewable energy production scenario, where a large number of small energy producers, i.e., prosumers, contribute to a common distributor entity, who resells energy directly to end-users. A major challenge for the distributor is to ensure power stability, constantly balancing [...] Read more.
We face a decentralized renewable energy production scenario, where a large number of small energy producers, i.e., prosumers, contribute to a common distributor entity, who resells energy directly to end-users. A major challenge for the distributor is to ensure power stability, constantly balancing produced vs consumed energy flows. In this context, being able to provide quick restore actions in response to unpredictable unbalancing events is a must, as fluctuations are the norm for renewable energy sources. To this aim, the high scalability and diversity of sources are crucial requirements for the said balancing to be actually manageable. In this study, we explored the challenges and benefits of adopting a blockchain-based software architecture as a scalable, trustless interaction platform between prosumers’ smart energy meters and the distributor. Our developed prototype accomplishes the energy load balancing service via smart contracts deployed in a real blockchain network with an increasing number of simulated prosumers. We show that the blockchain-based application managed to react in a timely manner to energy unbalances for up to a few hundred prosumers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments)
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20 pages, 3850 KiB  
Article
SeedChain: A Secure and Transparent Blockchain-Driven Framework to Revolutionize the Seed Supply Chain
by Rohit Ahuja, Sahil Chugh and Raman Singh
Future Internet 2024, 16(4), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi16040132 - 15 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1900
Abstract
Farming is a major sector required for any nation to become self-sustainable. Quality seeds heavily influence the effectiveness of farming. Seeds cultivated by breeders pass through several entities in order to reach farmers. The existing seed supply chain is opaque and intractable, which [...] Read more.
Farming is a major sector required for any nation to become self-sustainable. Quality seeds heavily influence the effectiveness of farming. Seeds cultivated by breeders pass through several entities in order to reach farmers. The existing seed supply chain is opaque and intractable, which not only hinders the growth of crops but also makes the life of a farmer miserable. Blockchain has been widely employed to enable fair and secure transactions between farmers and buyers, but concerns related to transparency and traceability in the seed supply chain, counterfeit seeds, middlemen involvement, and inefficient processes in the agricultural ecosystem have not received enough attention. To address these concerns, a blockchain-based solution is proposed that brings breeders, farmers, warehouse owners, transporters, and food corporations to a single platform to enhance transparency, traceability, and trust among trust-less parties. A smart contract updates the status of seeds from a breeder from submitted to approved. Then, a non-fungible token (NFT) corresponding to approved seeds is minted for the breeder, which records the date of cultivation and its owner (breeder). The NFT enables farmers to keep track of seeds right from the date of their cultivation and their owner, which helps them to make better decisions about picking seeds from the correct owner. Farmers directly interact with warehouses to purchase seeds, which removes the need for middlemen and improves the trust among trust-less entities. Furthermore, a tender for the transportation of seeds is auctioned on the basis of the priority location locp, Score, and bid_amount of every transporter, which provides a fair chance to every transporter to restrict the monopoly of a single transporter. The proposed system achieves immutability, decentralization, and efficiency inherently from the blockchain. We implemented the proposed scheme and deployed it on the Ethereum network. Smart contracts deployed over the Ethereum network interact with React-based web pages. The analysis and results of the proposed model indicate that it is viable and secure, as well as superior to the current seed supply chain system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments)
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22 pages, 1668 KiB  
Article
Blockchain Technology for Secure Communication and Formation Control in Smart Drone Swarms
by Athanasios Koulianos and Antonios Litke
Future Internet 2023, 15(10), 344; https://doi.org/10.3390/fi15100344 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2854
Abstract
Today, intelligent drone technology is rapidly expanding, particularly in the defense industry. A swarm of drones can communicate, share data, and make the best decisions on their own. Drone swarms can swiftly and effectively carry out missions like surveillance, reconnaissance, and rescue operations, [...] Read more.
Today, intelligent drone technology is rapidly expanding, particularly in the defense industry. A swarm of drones can communicate, share data, and make the best decisions on their own. Drone swarms can swiftly and effectively carry out missions like surveillance, reconnaissance, and rescue operations, without exposing military troops to hostile conditions. However, there are still significant problems that need to be resolved. One of them is to protect communications on these systems from threat actors. In this paper, we use blockchain technology as a defense mechanism against such issues. Drones can communicate data safely, without the need for a centralized authority (ground station), when using a blockchain to facilitate communication between them in a leader–follower hierarchy structure. Solidity has been used to create a compact, lightweight, and effective smart contract that automates the process of choosing a position in a certain swarm formation structure. Additionally, a mechanism for electing a new leader is proposed. The effectiveness of the presented model is assessed through a simulation that makes use of a DApp we created and Gazebo software. The purpose of this work is to develop a reliable and secure UAV swarm communication system that will enable widespread global adoption by numerous sectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for Decentralized Edge Environments)
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