Inaugural Editorial of the Journal of Machine Design and Automation Intelligence ( JMDAI )

In the age of Industry 4.0, one of the key issues of manufacturing is the development of highly integrated and fully flexible production systems, which can be dynamically reconfigured and adapted to changes in products and markets. From the production planning point of view, dedicated machines generally perform efficiently when producing standardized goods in high quantities, but they lack versatility, and might easily become underworked and even obsolete. Therefore, closing the gap between efficiency and versatility requires the development of machines that meet both requirements. Such features are claimed not only for machines used in manufacturing processes, but also for testing machines and end-user equipment. Another important issue in modern machinery is safety, which is subject to demanding technical and normative requirements. Indeed, when direct human-machine interaction is needed, a significant danger potential exists. This is especially true in collaborative tasks in which machines’ movements occur simultaneously with operator tasks. Furthermore, highly demanding requirements, related to the reduction of energy consumption, the adoption of recycling materials and the minimization of the environmental footprint have gained increasing importance in machine design. Machine Design and Automation Intelligence involves the conception, design, and development of machines, where requisites like autonomy, adaptability, human compatibility, and intelligence are increasing. This requires


Introduction
In the age of Industry 4.0, one of the key issues of manufacturing is the development of highly integrated and fully flexible production systems, which can be dynamically reconfigured and adapted to changes in products and markets. From the production planning point of view, dedicated machines generally perform efficiently when producing standardized goods in high quantities, but they lack versatility, and might easily become underworked and even obsolete. Therefore, closing the gap between efficiency and versatility requires the development of machines that meet both requirements. Such features are claimed not only for machines used in manufacturing processes, but also for testing machines and end-user equipment. Another important issue in modern machinery is safety, which is subject to demanding technical and normative requirements. Indeed, when direct human-machine interaction is needed, a significant danger potential exists. This is especially true in collaborative tasks in which machines' movements occur simultaneously with operator tasks. Furthermore, highly demanding requirements, related to the reduction of energy consumption, the adoption of recycling materials and the minimization of the environmental footprint have gained increasing importance in machine design.
Machine Design and Automation Intelligence involves the conception, design, and development of machines, where requisites like autonomy, adaptability, human compatibility, and intelligence are increasing. This requires knowledge on basic sciences and multiple engineering topics, such as physics, mathematics, mechanical drawing, mechanics, machine theory, materials, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, manufacturing processes, computation, sensors, actuators, mechatronics, automation, control, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and other subjects. As the industry evolves and becomes more demanding, it is worth focusing on new directions and the most promising achievements in Machine Design and Automation Intelligence to develop machines that meet the industry and consumer requirements. Despite the ongoing research, a real breakthrough is still hampered, since conventional approaches involve an increased overall complexity, so that all machine requirements can be met.
The idea of creating the JMDAI came from the Editors-in-chief research experience and their contact with many researchers, namely while organizing the International Conference on Machine Design (https://www.mdconferences.com/). The conference is held every two years and gathers researchers in the field Machine Design and Automation Intelligence, dealing with experimental, numerical and analytical issues. That experience led the Editors-in-chief to believe that a new, high quality, journal within the field of Machine Design and Automation Intelligence was required. Therefore, the JMDAI emerged to fill an existing gap in the editorial panorama, for attracting both theoretical and practical studies within key areas of a strong interdisciplinary field. In sum, the creation of the JMDAI represents a key opportunity to gather knowledge on Machine Design and Automation Intelligence in a single location and provide a broader view on the subject to those interested in learning more about it.
The JMDAI is committed to provide a streamlined submission process, rapid review and publication, and a high level of author service at every stage. Accepted papers will be immediately published online by De Gruyter.
The JMDAI is highly cross disciplinary, welcoming works that draw from the fields of mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering, mathematical and physical modelling, manufacture process engineering and computer science, to cite a few. Cutting edge contributions in numerical modelling, machine theory, structural design, materials, sensors and actuators, intelligent control and advanced data processing algorithms are welcome. The subjects addressed by the JMDAI are highly topical, as machine designers are currently facing intense pressure to find new ways to reduce energy consumption, increase safety and deploy automation and self-learning capabilities. This has led to a significant focus on novel structural design, construction optimization techniques and artificial intelligence.

Topics
The JMDAI constitutes a privileged forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange their expertise on all aspects of machine design and automation, including (but not limited to): -design and engineering of mechanisms and machines -kinematics, dynamics and optimization of mechanisms and machines -nonlinear phenomena in mechanisms and machines -intelligent materials for machine design -advanced instrumentation and actuation systems -micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) -signal conditioning and data processing -automation technology -intelligent monitoring and control -artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms -human-machine interfaces and haptic systems -digital twins and industrial internet of things -robotic systems, soft robotics, CNC machines, mechatronics, micromachines -reliability, maintenance and safety -experimental testing techniques

The contents of the inaugural issues
The inaugural issues of the JMDAI will favor review papers by top researchers, related to all aspects of Machine Design and Automation Intelligence. Guest-edited topical collections on specific fields, especially by the editorial board, are also expected.

The editorial team
The editorial team is composed of the

Invitation to contribute
The JMDAI welcomes cutting edge contributions on theoretical, analytical and numerical methods. Highly practical research is also welcome to ensure a connection between academic research and developments and applications of Machine Design and Automation Intelligence in industrial sectors, encompassing the manufacturing, testing and enduser application industries.
The JMDAI invites the research community to submit papers, reviews, case studies, brief communications, and comments on relevant work to the progress of Machine Design and Automation Intelligence. Please do not hesitate to contact us.
António M. Lopes and Lucas F. M. da Silva Editors-in-Chief

The publisher's perspective
De Gruyter is proud to extend its engineering journal portfolio by JMDAI, because machine design is an applied scientific subject with the potential of exponential growths, as it serves two distinct, however interdependent groups of researchers -those within faculty and those in the industry: the research projects in engineering become constantly more complex and specialized, so that the required machinery cannot be supplied by the industry, as economy of scale prohibits economic production. Thus, institutes are forced to help themselves here! The machines developed in this way, which are only produced in single-digit quantities, are far ahead of industrial development. The journal has the potential to bring both groups together at an early stage. De Gruyter is firmly convinced of the growing scientific impact of JMDAI in the years to come. We welcome your ideas and suggestions, as readers or as authors, and encourage you to actively participate in making this journal a major hub for findings in machine design! Wolfgang Boettner Senior Journal Manager Medicine & STEM, DE GRUYTER.