Blockchain Papers

Sitsofe Kwame Yevu, Ann T.W. Yu, Amos Darko

No abstract is available for this record.

Gülçin Büyüközkan, Gizem Tüfekçi, Deniz Uztürk

No abstract is available for this record.

Kai Ding, Liuqun Fan, Chen Liu

No abstract is available for this record.

Radhya Sahal, Saeed Hamood Alsamhi, Kenneth N. Brown, Donna O’Shea · 6 authors

Digital twins (DTs) is a promising technology in the revolution of the industry and essential for Industry 4.0. DTs play a vital role in improving distributed manufacturing, providing up-to-date operational data representation of physical assets, supporting decision-making, and avoiding the potential risks in distributed manufacturing systems. Furthermore, DTs need to collaborate within distributed manufacturing systems to predict the risks and reach consensus-based decision-making. However, DTs collaboration suffers from single failure due to attack and connection in a centralized manner, data interoperability, authentication, and scalability. To overcome the above challenges, we have discussed the major high-level requirements for the DTs collaboration. Then, we have proposed a conceptual framework to fulfill the DTs collaboration requirements by using the combination of blockchain, predictive analysis techniques, and DTs technologies. The proposed framework aims to empower more intelligence DTs based on blockchain technology. In particular, we propose a concrete ledger-based collaborative DTs framework that focuses on real-time operational data analytics and distributed consensus algorithms. Furthermore, we describe how the conceptual framework can be applied using smart transportation system use cases, i.e., smart logistics and railway predictive maintenance. Finally, we highlighted the future direction to guide interested researchers in this interesting area.

Vincenzo Botta, Laura Fusco, Attilio Mondelli, Ivan Visconti

A major problem in blockchain-based supply chain management is the potential unreliability of digital twins when considering digital representations of physical goods. Indeed, the use of blockchain technology to trace goods is obviously ineffective if there is no strong correspondence between what is physically exchanged and the digital information that appears in blockchain transactions. In this work, we propose a model for strengthening the supply chain management of physical goods by leveraging blockchain technology along with a digital-twin verification feature. Our model can be instantiated in various scenarios and we have in particular considered the popular case of food traceability. In contrast to other models known in the literature that propose their own ad-hoc properties to assess the robustness of their supply chain management systems, in this work we use the formalism of secure computation, where processes are described through generic and natural ideal functionalities.

Maurizio Massaro

No abstract is available for this record.

Ming Li, Yelin Fu, Qiqi Chen, Ting Qu

Social manufacturing is conceptualised as a new type of networked manufacturing paradigm that supports the organisation of socialised manufacturing resources (SMRs) to satisfy the growth of personalised demands on crowd intelligence in a timely manner when co-creating open architecture products. The high participation of each stakeholder in this type of product production places a higher requirement on sufficient collaboration among social, cyber and physical spaces. However, under a decentralised social manufacturing network, the management of SMRs has encountered some real-life challenges in terms of their distributed and heterogeneous features. Hence, this paper proposes a blockchain-enabled digital twin collaboration platform (BcDTCP) as an integrated solution to address these challenges. A hybrid domain-driven design method is presented to design and implement business-knowledge driven systems. To address the heterogeneity of SMRs, a ubiquitous object structure is designed to flexibly adjust the functionality of the digital twin. Blockchain is introduced to construct a peer-to-peer network to organise the SMRs in a decentralised manner. Additionally, a timed coloured Petri net-based workflow is adopted to formulise the collaboration logic into a smart contract executed on the blockchain. Finally, a demonstrative case study is conducted to verify and evaluate the proposed BcDTCP under a 3D printing scenario.

Ovidiu Vermesan, Reiner John, Patrick Pype, G. H. O. Daalderop · 11 authors

The automotive sector digitalization accelerates the technology convergence of perception, computing processing, connectivity, propulsion, and data fusion for electric connected autonomous and shared (ECAS) vehicles. This brings cutting-edge computing paradigms with embedded cognitive capabilities into vehicle domains and data infrastructure to provide holistic intrinsic and extrinsic intelligence for new mobility applications. Digital technologies are a significant enabler in achieving the sustainability goals of the green transformation of the mobility and transportation sectors. Innovation occurs predominantly in ECAS vehicles’ architecture, operations, intelligent functions, and automotive digital infrastructure. The traditional ownership model is moving toward multimodal and shared mobility services. The ECAS vehicle’s technology allows for the development of virtual automotive functions that run on shared hardware platforms with data unlocking value, and for introducing new, shared computing-based automotive features. Facilitating vehicle automation, vehicle electrification, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication is accomplished by the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), cellular/wireless connectivity, edge computing, the Internet of things (IoT), the Internet of intelligent things (IoIT), digital twins (DTs), virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) and distributed ledger technologies (DLTs). Vehicles become more intelligent, connected, functioning as edge micro servers on wheels, powered by sensors/actuators, hardware (HW), software (SW) and smart virtual functions that are integrated into the digital infrastructure. Electrification, automation, connectivity, digitalization, decarbonization, decentralization, and standardization are the main drivers that unlock intelligent vehicles' potential for sustainable green mobility applications. ECAS vehicles act as autonomous agents using swarm intelligence to communicate and exchange information, either directly or indirectly, with each other and the infrastructure, accessing independent services such as energy, high-definition maps, routes, infrastructure information, traffic lights, tolls, parking (micropayments), and finding emergent/intelligent solutions. The article gives an overview of the advances in AI technologies and applications to realize intelligent functions and optimize vehicle performance, control, and decision-making for future ECAS vehicles to support the acceleration of deployment in various mobility scenarios. ECAS vehicles, systems, sub-systems, and components are subjected to stringent regulatory frameworks, which set rigorous requirements for autonomous vehicles. An in-depth assessment of existing standards, regulations, and laws, including a thorough gap analysis, is required. Global guidelines must be provided on how to fulfill the requirements. ECAS vehicle technology trustworthiness, including AI-based HW/SW and algorithms, is necessary for developing ECAS systems across the entire automotive ecosystem. The safety and transparency of AI-based technology and the explainability of the purpose, use, benefits, and limitations of AI systems are critical for fulfilling trustworthiness requirements. The article presents ECAS vehicles’ evolution toward domain controller, zonal vehicle, and federated vehicle/edge/cloud-centric based on distributed intelligence in the vehicle and infrastructure level architectures and the role of AI techniques and methods to implement the different autonomous driving and optimization functions for sustainable green mobility.

Gaetano Volpe, Agostino Marcello Mangini, Maria Pia Fanti

The Blockchain is one of the last decade emerging technologies in software architectures. Its nature of a distributed ledger database allowing verifiable and tamper-proof transactions between untrusted parties makes it suitable for a vast class of domains concerning business processes, including Cloud Manufacturing, a new paradigm for the manufacturing industry based on cloud technologies, for which decentralization and security are key factors. However, existing solutions are still weak in terms of collaboration in providing and consuming heterogeneous services in the Cloud, therefore a standard framework is necessary to overcome this limit. In this paper, we suggest an architecture for consuming digital processes in a manufacturing environment, based on Blockchain and Smart Contracts. Our primary contribution is the integration of Blockchain with two other popular technologies: Docker, a highly portable and scalable container-based platform to run applications, and Cloud Storage. In this system, the logic of a single process is defined by the owner in a self-contained Docker image, whose digest is safely stored in the chain, while input and output files can be stored in a traditional cloud storage service. On each new consumer request, the best runner node is selected through the solution of a simple task assignment problem with a deep learning approach.

Roberto Brandín, Sepehr Abrishami

Purpose The emergence of new digital technologies in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution presents a turning point that could change the fate of the traditional ways of designing, build and manage asset data. Disruptive technologies such as Blockchain and theInternet of things (IoT) are one of the main pillars that are driving this revolution. The integration of decentralised networks and automated workflows has the potential to become a pivotal factor in construction projects, especially in supply chain ecosystems within the off-site manufacturing field. Obstacles related to fragmented information, interoperability, transparency and “big data” management are the main drivers for change that the industry needs to address. Whilst organisations and users can automate workflows and processes by utilising IoT technology to transfer data without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction, the interaction, storage and management of the data generated are not safe or reliable. Design/methodology/approach The approach outlined in this paper addresses the challenges that IoT and centralised networks present. Blockchain, a peer-to-peer distributed database, offers the possibility to support and maintain the asset information without interruptions in all the stages of the life cycle. The synergy between these technologies, along with other techniques, methods and platforms (such as building information modeling (BIM)), based on a single environment, will support information traceability from the strategic definition to end of life. Findings The framework of this study presents an excellent opportunity to apply new workflows and processes with the application of new technologies and protocols. It benefits from a well-established platform such as BIM to enable the coordination and management of digital assets as well as giving illustration and collaboration to the supply chain members. IoT and Blockchain are the other layers that work together with the third layer (BIM). This framework proposed the use of these platforms to ensure the information traceability of physical and digital assets, data automation and information management, in a dynamic supply chain ecosystem, bringing efficiency and transparency to stakeholders and users. Practical implications This study provides an exploratory framework to be used by the supply chain members in offsite manufacturing, and the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in general, to track asset information throughout their entire life cycle securely and transparently. Originality/value This paper contributes to the knowledge of IoT, Blockchain technology and BIM use in offsite manufacturing under the AEC industry. It provides a basis for future research by professionals, experts and academics regarding these technologies and their workflows.

Jonas Greco Onias, Paulo Roberto de Lima Musolino, Alexandre Acácio de Andrade, Júlio Francisco Blumetti Facó · 5 authors

The consumption of contemporary society is based on the manufacture of products that need some industrial procedure to obtain them. This need for manufacturing has been present since the beginning of the organization of human beings in societies, including the manufacture of artisans, the current production of products and services is driven by phenomena such as demand for customized products, energy efficiency, environmental impact, carbon footprint. and others. In this scenario, Industry 4.0 appears, spreading a new industrial archetype, marked by a new level of socio-technical interaction. Each small decentralized process in the factory is self-controlled and capable of responding to different situations autonomously. This article wants to show a case study of interoperability between agv systems in a production line and its corresponding optimization.

Mohd Javaid, Abid Haleem, Ravi Pratap Singh, Shahbaz Khan · 5 authors

Industry 4.0 involves innovations with upcoming digital technologies, and blockchain is one of them. Blockchain can be incorporated to improve security, privacy, and data transparency both for small and large enterprises. Industry 4.0 is a synthesis of the new production methods that allow manufacturers to achieve their target more rapidly. Research has been conducted on various Industry 4.0 technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big data, and Blockchain, and how they could create significant interruptions in recent years. These technologies provide various possibilities in the world of manufacturing and supply chain. Blockchain is a technology that has gained much recognition and can enhance the manufacturing and supply chain environment. Various fields now have fascinating insights into the advantages of blockchain. Several research articles on “Blockchain” and “Industry 4.0” from Google Scholar, Scopus, and other relevant sources are identified and reviewed for this study. This paper discusses the major potential of Blockchain in Industry 4.0. Various drivers, enablers, and associated capabilities of Blockchain technology for Industry 4.0 are discussed for insights. Different Industry 4.0 spheres/sub-domains for Blockchain technology realisation are also discussed. Finally, we have identified and studied fourteen significant applications of Blockchain in Industry 4.0. It is a range of new developments and hope for immense opportunities that are changing Industry 4.0. This technology would work to achieve amplified outcomes and work individually to enhance the process.

Amer A. Hijazi, Srinath Perera, Rodrigo N. Calheiros, Ali Mohammed Alashwal

Building information modeling (BIM) plays a critical role in the integration of different parties by acting as a centralized database defining their responsibilities and contractual obligations. However, resolution of conflicts among stakeholders remains a shortcoming of BIM. Blockchain is on a path to disrupt many aspects of businesses that deal with the coordination of information and trust to enable a single source of truth model with multiple control entities. The purpose of this study is to analyze construction supply chain (CSC) data delivery challenges to provide a rationale for the integration of BIM and blockchain enabling a reliable digital deliverable (RDD) for operation. Three systematic reviews and a focus group discussion are used in this study. This is the first study to develop a compelling rationale systematically for the integration of BIM and blockchain and propose an RDD model, paving the way for a single source of truth system. The study enables blockchain to be set in context of both theoretical value transfer and its practical application for CSC data delivery in the form of BIM.

Philipp Ruf, Jan Stodt, Christoph Reich

In modern industrial production lines, the integration and interconnection of various different manufacturing components, like robots, laser cutting machines, milling machines, CNC-machines, etc. allows for a higher degree of autonomous production on the shop floor. Manufacturers of these increasingly complex machines are beginning to equip their business models with bidirectional data flows to other factories. This is creating a digital, cross-company shop floor infrastructure where the transfer of information is controlled by digital contracts. To establish a trusted ecosystem, the new technology "blockchain" and a variety of technology stacks must be combined while ensuring security. Such blockchain-based frameworks enable bidirectional trust across all contract partners. Essential data flows are defined by specific technical representation of contract agreements and executed through smart contracts.This work describes a platform for rapid cross-company business model instantiation based on blockchain for establishing trust between the enterprises. It focuses on selected security aspects of the deployment- and configuration processes applied by the industrial ecosystem. A threat analysis of the platform shows the critical security risks. Based on an industrial dynamic machine leasing use case, a risk assessment and security analysis of the key platform components is carried out.

Alessandra Corneli, Berardo Naticchia, Francesco Spegni, Luca Spalazzi

Blockchain is considered a key technology of the current digital revolution and its application is spreading from cryptocurrencies to disparate processes requiring notarization. The well-known independence and contraposition of stakeholders in the AECO sector made DLT applications the hoped-for means to trust each other. Construction site management due to its complexity and the pluralism of the actors involved can be modelled as a BPMN coreography of intra-organizational processes. This aims of the work here presented is the exploitation of blockchains and smart contracts as tools to notarize the state of each intra-organizational process and to enforce compliance with the choreography

Anurag Shrivastava, K. Murali Krishna, Moti Lal Rinawa, Mukesh Soni · 6 authors

No abstract is available for this record.

Yinglei Teng, Lanlin Li, Luona Song, F. Richard Yu · 5 authors

Based on the trustless feature of blockchain, this article designs a general configurable blockchain-enabled smart manufacturing system to achieve flexible manufacturing in response to large-scale manufacturing services. With a transaction pool containing all the pending manufacturing tasks but aligning with the logic flow, the complex manufacturing structure can be uniformly tackled. Furthermore, in virtue of the contradiction between large-scale manufacturing and limited blockchain throughput, we formulate a joint optimization of the block size, task scheduling, and the supply-demand configuration to maximize the customers’ net profit with the probabilistic delay requirements, which addresses the critical issue of efficiency and latency in the blockchain-based live manufacturing process. Meanwhile, the production quality and price preference are involved. For solution, a mixed online bipartite matching-based DQN algorithm is proposed, which circumvents the high dimensionality by separating the task-manufacturer matching from the time-correlated problem. Simulation results show that the proposed flexible framework can well adopt to dynamic customer population, and achieves better convergence.

Wenyu Dong, Bo Yang, Ke Wang, Junzhi Yan · 5 authors

Data are the basis in Digital Twin (DT) to set up bidirectional mapping between physical and virtual spaces, and realize critical environmental sensing, decision making and execution. Thus, trustworthiness is a necessity in data content as well as data operations. A dual blockchain framework is proposed to realize comprehensive data security in various DT scenarios. It is highly adaptable, scalable, evolvable, and easy to be integrated into Digital Twin Network (DTN) as enhancement.

Fabio Della Valle, Miquel Oliver

Blockchains play a crucial role in the digitalization of future supply chains (SCs). In this study, we analyzed the major influences that blockchain-based digital business strategies may play in SC operations. We conducted 18 interviews with international experts from different sectors and analyzed the collected data using the grounded theory approach, identifying four major categories. A set of three matrices is presented to address those elements that may support digital transition procedures in SCs: (1) value of trust and automation, (2) transformative role for operations, and (3) digital business strategy identification. As an additional result, a reference framework was identified for the evaluation and detection of those aspects to be taken into consideration during blockchain adoption in SCs. For use as a guide, this result comprises 22 recommendations and was framed in four progressive steps as follows: (1) identify, (2) assess, (3) design, and (4) assure.

Binni Wang, Pong Wang, Yiliu Tu

No abstract is available for this record.

Ming Li, Zhi Li, Xidian Huang, Ting Qu

No abstract is available for this record.

Vittorio Capocasale, Danilo Gotta, Stefano Musso, Guido Perboli

The recent technological progress has started a revolution in the logistic and supply chain environment, known as Logistics 4.0. Such a revolution is strongly based on information sharing and digitalization. For this reason, distributed ledger technologies (and blockchain in particular) are attracting the interest of countries and companies. However, the proper verification of data coming from oracles is a huge issue. This paper proposes a solution integrating Blockchain and IoT, by exploiting the enhanced data security and integrity provided by Narrowband-IoT. A preliminary performance evaluation of Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperladger Sawtooth is also presented.

Yasin Çelik, Ioan Petri, Yacine Rezgui

The digitalization of the construction industry has been supported recently with various building information modelling (BIM) methods applied to lifecycle stages. This has enabled the transition towards an improved management of information required in the development of different construction project tasks. In a digital construction context, traceability of models and collaboration across disciplines is required especially when dealing with sensitive data and critical infrastructures. Blockchain technology has the potential to advance the automation of processes in the construction industry by offering a higher level of data traceability, incentivising participation, and ensuring transparency with projects. This paper presents how BIM and Blockchain can be utilised to facilitate the establishment and implementation of Digital Twins for construction projects. A highway construction case study is used for demonstrating the implementation of smart contracts for managing tasks and processes across different disciplines involved in a construction project.

Raúl Poler, Αναστάσιος Καρακώστας, Stefanos Vrochidis, Angelo Marguglio · 12 authors

This paper presents a complete solution consisting of sustainable IoT-based Reliable Industrial Data Services (RIDS) able to manage the huge amount of industrial data coming from cost-effective, smart, and small size interconnected factory devices for supporting manufacturing online monitoring and control. The i4Q Framework guarantees data reliability with functions grouped into five basic capabilities around the data cycle: sensing, communication, computing infrastructure, storage, and analysis and optimisation. With the i4Q RIDS, factories will be able to handle large amounts of data, achieving adequate levels of data accuracy, precision and traceability, using it for analysis and prediction as well as to optimise the process quality and product quality in manufacturing, leading to an integrated approach to zero-defect manufacturing. The i4Q Solutions efficiently collect the raw industrial data using cost-effective instruments and state-of-the-art communication protocols, guaranteeing data accuracy and precision, reliable traceability and time stamped data integrity through distributed ledger technology and provide simulation and optimisation tools for manufacturing line continuous process qualification, quality diagnosis, reconfiguration and certification for ensuring high manufacturing efficiency and optimal manufacturing quality.