Synesis

Daedalus is conceived to enable the full exploitation of the CPS’ virtualized intelligence concept, through the adoption of a completely distributed automation platform based on IEC-61499 standard, fostering the creation of a Digital Ecosystem that could go beyond the current limits of manufacturing control systems and propose an ever-growing market of innovative solutions for the design, engineering, production and maintenance of plants’ automation.

Mass-customization of wearable products are offered as a higher added value to the broad public and have to compete with ready-to-wear offer. However, people with specific requirements are not covered by the current mass-customised products. This is the case of the elderly, disabled, diabetic and obese population groups when wearing textiles, clothing, footwear and textile-based orthotic goods. Further, at present, available knowledge and flexibility of production equipment and machinery of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in these traditional industries (even those that already offer made-to-measure products to the mass public) is unable to respond to the individual needs among such heterogeneous groups. The FASHION-ABLE project has solved this problem with a comprehensive set of solutions.

To face increasing competitive pressures, European industry must develop methods and enabling technologies towards a personalized, customer oriented and sustainable manufacturing. This statement is well understood by many companies, shared by policy maker at the European Commission (e.g. as per the “Factory of the Future” multi-annual road-map), and empowered by the current funding programmes for industrial research (Horizon2020). Manufacturers are demanded to merge the need to be reactive towards customer needs and wishes (customized products), with the requisite to be proactive towards ecological and social impact (sustainable products). This concept points out two key elements whose impact on manufacturing is complex and interdepended: Customization and Sustainability. Within the CTC 3-year project methods and innovative enabling technologies are developed and integrated to enable a local flexible manufacturing of green personalized furniture close to the customer.Keywordsfurniture sectormini-factoryshort supply chaingreen labelcustomization

In order to stay competitive and avoid being smashed by large companies, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to establish and manage dynamic and non-hierarchical networks to respond to market opportunities, ensuring a quick response, unique products with competitive prices and high product quality. This article proposes an innovative methodological approach and ICT platform to support non-hierarchical collaboration between SMEs for customised product design and manufacturing. The ICT services are based on mapping a methodology on an open source platform in order to apply low cost solutions to SMEs. Two case studies in the fashion industry have been analysed and used to test the proposed approach for network management.

In order to stay competitive, European manufacturing companies need to enter new market segments implementing innovative production methodologies to strengthen their collaborative networks. Consumer needs and expectations of specific target groups - such as elderly, obese, disabled, or diabetic persons - are arising as challenging opportunities for European consumer goods companies which are asked to supply small series of functional and fashionable products of high quality, affordable price and eco-compatible. This paper aims at proposing an innovative collaborative Reference Model that supports in Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) supply networks in meeting the needs of specific consumer target groups.

We recently applied time domain near infrared diffuse optical spectroscopy (TD-NIRS) to monitor hemodynamics of the cardiac wall (oxy and desoxyhemoglobin concentration, saturation, oedema) on anesthetized swine models. Published results prove that NIRS signal can provide information on myocardial hemodynamic parameters not obtainable with conventional diagnostic clinical tools.1 Nevertheless, the high cost of equipment, acquisition length, sensitivity to ambient light are factors limiting its clinical adoption. This paper introduces a novel approach, based on the use of wavelength and code division multiplexing, applicable to TD-NIRS as well as diffuse optical imaging systems (both topography and tomography); the approach, called WS-CDM (wavelength and space code division mltiplexing), essentially consists of a double stage intensity modulation of multiwavelength CW laser sources using orthogonal codes and their parallel correlation-based decoding after propagation in the tissue; it promises better signal to noise ratio (SNR), higher acquisition speed, robustness to ambient light and lower costs compared to both the conventional systems and the more recent spread spectrum approach based on single modulation with pseudo-random bit sequences (PRBS).2 Parallel acquisition of several wavelengths and from several locations is achievable. TD-NIRS experimental results guided Matlab-based simulations aimed at correlating different coding sequences, lengths, spectrum spreading factor, with the WS-CDM performances on such tissues (achievable SNR, acquisition and reconstruction speed, robustness to channel inequalization, ...). Simulations results and preliminary experimental validation confirm the significant improvements that WS-CDM could bring to diffuse optical imaging (not limited to cardiac functional imaging).