FMRG: Cyber: Manufacturing USA: NextG-Enabled Manufacturing of the Future (NextGEM)

与传统的静态顺序制造模式相比，未来的智能制造应该是灵活、通用、可扩展、模块化和即插即用的。这种未来的制造模式对超低延迟、高度灵活的连接、高可靠性和高计算智能有严格的要求。然而，当前较长的端到端延迟、有限的灵活性以及车间中缺乏计算智能，对实现这样的未来制造范例构成了关键障碍。5G和未来的6G(NextG)无线通信的到来是克服这些具有挑战性的障碍并从根本上重塑未来制造业的关键，因为NextG提供了独特的高灵活性、超低延迟、高速和高可靠性的无线通信能力，以满足延迟关键型制造中的苛刻要求。该项目将开发下一代制造(NextGEM)研究框架、开放接入的NextGEM网络基础设施，以及受启发的试验台，以支持和展示变革性制造能力。该项目的成果不仅将推进超低延迟制造的知识库，而且将使能技术转化为广泛的实践。创造的知识、方法和工具将转变广泛的延迟关键型制造部门和其他面临类似挑战的行业，以实现重要的商业价值，例如提高运营效率、减少缺陷和不断涌现的新业务模式以推动增长。该项目还将作为一个平台，扩大不同群体的参与，包括来自STEM中代表性不足的少数群体的参与，以创造下一代数字制造劳动力。这对于确保美国制造业在工业4.0经济增长和繁荣的前沿处于领先地位至关重要。拟议的NextGEM的总体目标是通过利用NextG无线通信技术来支持延迟关键型制造业。该项目将在罗格斯大学试验5G制造平台的基础上：(1)创建NextGEM研究框架，通过支持NextG的实时传感和通信、动态信息元学习和即插即用边缘控制的新能力，生成关于未来制造的知识；(2)创建开放访问的NextGEM网络基础设施，为最终用户社区提供访问、互操作和重复使用的试验台、数据和软件服务；(3)促进教育和劳动力发展，以培养和培养下一代人才，以加强美国在工业4.0领域的全球领导地位；以及(4)动员不同的利益攸关方组成公私创新生态系统，以推进知识库并为NextGEM开发使能技术。该项目将帮助塑造具有智能、灵活性、机动性、多功能性和可扩展性的未来制造业格局。这个未来制造业奖由工程局(ENG)的电气、通信和网络系统司(ECCS)、技术、创新和伙伴关系局(TIP)和国际科学与工程办公室(OISE)支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Future smart manufacturing should be flexible, versatile, scalable, modular, and plug-and-play in contrast to the conventional static sequential manufacturing paradigm. This future manufacturing paradigm has stringent requirements of ultra-low latency, highly flexible connectivity, high reliability, and high computing intelligence. However, the current long end-to-end latency, limited flexibility, and the lack of computational intelligence in shop floors impose critical barriers to achieve such a future manufacturing paradigm. The advent of 5G and future 6G (NextG) wireless communication holds the key to overcome these challenging barriers and reshape future manufacturing fundamentally because NextG provides unique wireless communication capabilities of high flexibility, ultra-low latency, high speed, and high reliability to meet the demanding requirements in latency-critical manufacturing. This project will develop a NextG-enabled manufacturing (NextGEM) research framework, an open-access NextGEM cyberinfrastructure, and use-inspired testbeds to enable and demonstrate transformative manufacturing capabilities. The outcome of this project will not only advance the knowledge base of ultra-low latency manufacturing but also translate the enabling technologies into broad practice. The created knowledge, methods, and tools will transform a wide spectrum of latency-critical manufacturing sectors and other industries with similar challenges to realize significant business values such as improved operation efficiencies, reduced defects, and emerging new business models to drive growth. This project will also serve as a platform to broaden the participation of diverse groups including those from underrepresented minority groups in STEM to create the next generation of the digital manufacturing workforce. This is critical to ensure American manufacturing leadership at the forefront of Industry 4.0 economic growth and prosperity.The overarching goal of the proposed NextGEM is to empower latency-critical manufacturing by leveraging NextG wireless communication technologies. Building upon a trial 5G-enabled manufacturing platform at Rutgers, the project will: (1) create a NextGEM research framework to generate the knowledge of future manufacturing enabled by the new capabilities of NextG-enabled real-time sensing and communication, dynamics-informed meta-learning, and plug-and-play edge control; (2) create an open-access NextGEM cyberinfrastructure to provide the testbed, data, and software services for the end-user community to access, interoperate, and reuse; (3) facilitate education and workforce development to nurture and grow the next generation of talent to strengthen the global U.S. leadership in Industry 4.0; and (4) engage the diverse stakeholders to form a public-private innovation ecosystem to advance the knowledge base and develop enabling technologies for NextGEM. The project will help shape the future manufacturing landscape with the essence of intelligence, flexibility, mobility, versatility, and scalability.This Future Manufacturing award is supported by the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) in the Directorate for Engineering (ENG), the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), and the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.