Emerging Technologies and Applications in Intelligent Manufacturing

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid advances in science and technology are accelerating a profound transformation of modern industry. In this context, artificial intelligence has emerged as a key enabler of intelligent manufacturing and an important driver of next-generation industrialization. Industrial development is shifting from scale expansion toward higher efficiency, sustainability, and innovation-led growth. However, conventional manufacturing systems continue to face persistent challenges, including production bottlenecks, inefficient resource allocation, limited process intelligence, and insufficient coordination across industrial value chains. By enabling data-driven perception, decision-making, optimization, and autonomous operation throughout the manufacturing lifecycle, artificial intelligence provides a powerful framework for addressing these challenges.

Intelligent manufacturing is built upon the convergence of advanced manufacturing systems and enabling digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, the Industrial Internet, industrial big data, robotics, machine vision, intelligent sensing, digital twins, cloud–edge computing, and other cyber–physical technologies. This convergence is reshaping manufacturing into an increasingly data-driven, connected, and adaptive system. Multi-source heterogeneous data acquisition provides the foundation for real-time monitoring, process visualization, and transparent production management. The integration of industrial big data with AI-based modeling and optimization enables process-state prediction, fault diagnosis, adaptive parameter control, and the coordinated optimization of productivity, quality, and energy efficiency. Robotics and embodied intelligent systems are extending automation to complex and unstructured manufacturing tasks, while machine-vision-based inspection systems enable rapid, precise, and scalable defect detection. Meanwhile, intelligent management and control platforms support equipment operation, predictive maintenance, and energy-efficiency optimization across distributed production environments. Beyond individual factories, AI-driven supply-chain systems further improve demand forecasting, flexible production, and resource coordination across the industrial value chain.

Recent advances in intelligent manufacturing are establishing a new paradigm that integrates sensing, decision-making, execution, and lifecycle maintenance. This paradigm spans diverse manufacturing processes, including conventional machining, additive manufacturing, plastic forming, and non-traditional machining, and supports the production of critical components for aerospace, rail transit, 5G communications, and other strategic industries. At the same time, intelligent manufacturing is rapidly extending into emerging areas such as low-altitude equipment, high-end medical devices, brain–computer interface systems, and intelligent construction. These application domains require the close integration of advanced equipment manufacturing, information sensing, data processing, and AI-enabled edge–cloud operation and maintenance. Such developments highlight the growing role of intelligent manufacturing as a key enabler of industrial upgrading and next-generation engineering technologies.

This Special Issue, entitled “Emerging Technologies and Applications in Intelligent,” invites original research articles and review papers that advance the theory, methodology, technology, and application of intelligent manufacturing. We particularly welcome studies on artificial intelligence for manufacturing; the Industrial Internet; industrial big data; intelligent sensing and multi-source data fusion; machine vision and intelligent quality inspection; digital twins; robotics and embodied intelligent systems; humanoid robots, including joint reducers, actuator modules, and precision transmission systems; cloud–edge collaborative manufacturing; intelligent operation, maintenance, and management; and other cyber–physical technologies for advanced manufacturing. Contributions addressing application-driven innovation are also encouraged, particularly in high-end medical devices, low-altitude equipment, brain–computer interfaces, intelligent construction, aerospace, rail transit, and next-generation industrial systems.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.

Topics include but are not limited to:
•    Artificial intelligence and machine learning for intelligent manufacturing
•    Embodied intelligence and embodied robotic systems
•    Humanoid robots, including joint reducers, actuator modules, and precision transmission systems
•    Industrial Internet and Industrial Internet of Things
•    Industrial big data analytics and data-driven manufacturing optimization
•    Machine vision, visual inspection, and intelligent quality control
•    Intelligent sensing, data acquisition, and multi-source data fusion
•    Digital twins for manufacturing systems, equipment, and production lines
•    Cloud–edge collaborative manufacturing and intelligent operation and maintenance
•    High-end medical-device manufacturing
•    Low-altitude equipment, unmanned aerial systems, and related intelligent manufacturing technologies
•    Brain–computer interface devices and intelligent neurotechnology manufacturing
•    Intelligent construction, smart infrastructure, and automated construction technologies