TEHRAN – With 65 publications on four-dimensional (4D) printing over a period of ten years, Iran ranks first among Islamic countries, according to a report released by the Web of Science.

The report has included data from 2014 to 2023. The country’s global ranking in 4D printing publications is 11, IRNA reported.

Iran also ranks second in publications related to the fifth generation of the industry (Industry 5.0) with 1,625 documents. Turkey (with 1,817 documents) and Malaysia (with 1,611 documents) rank first and third, respectively.

3D printing refers to the process of creating three-dimensional objects layer by layer. Each layer is placed one after another.

Four-dimensional printing (4D printing) uses the same techniques of 3D printing through computer-programmed deposition of material in successive layers to create a three-dimensional object.

However, in 4D printing, the resulting 3D shape is able to morph into different forms in response to environmental stimulus, with the 4th dimension being the time-dependent shape change after the printing.

It is, therefore, a type of programmable matter, wherein after the fabrication process, the printed product reacts with parameters within the environment (humidity, temperature, voltage) and changes its form accordingly. 

The Fifth Industrial Revolution follows the Fourth Industrial Revolution and measures the countries’ progress in the first decade of the 21st century.

This generation of industry not only focuses on meeting economic needs but also pays specific attention to environmental needs and emphasizes green production as a key priority.

The Fifth Industrial Revolution incorporates concepts such as sustainability, human-centeredness, and concern for the environment in addition to transforming the industrial structure through the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and big data, which was debated in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The fifth-generation industry seeks to strengthen the role of these technologies in response to new needs and emerging requirements in the industrial, social, and environmental fields, and this approach includes the extensive use of data and artificial intelligence to increase the flexibility of production and creation of value chains will be more powerful in the era of digital transformation.

Industry 5.0 is all about the integration of humans and machines. This means that instead of machines working independently from humans, they will work together to create things more efficiently. 

In the fifth generation of the industry, technologies such as 4D printing, collaborative robots (cobots), augmented and virtual reality, cognitive computing, digital twin and additive manufacturing are used.

Iran ranks 23 in additive manufacturing technologies, 29 in cognitive computing, 37 in virtual reality, 38 in digital twin technology, 42 in augmented reality, and 60 in collaborative robots globally.

Iran ranks first in neural network technology

According to a report released by the Web of Science database, Iran (with 17,458 documents) ranks first in neural network technology as well as multi-agent systems (with 351 documents) among Islamic countries.

The report included data in a twenty-year period from 2004 to 2023.

The country secures a ranking of 6th in neural network technology and 12th in multi-agent systems globally.

Turkey with 9,078 and Saudi Arabia with 7,971 documents in neural network technology rank second and third respectively.

In multi-agent systems, Tunis with 233 documents, and Morocco with 231 documents are placed second and third.

Iran ranks second in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and robotics among Islamic nations.

The country also ranks 16th in the world in AI technologies; 25th in visual computing and natural language processing; 17th in machine learning; and 27th in robotics.

The trend of scientific production in neural networks, machine learning, and AI technologies in Iran has been upward in the last decade compared to other AI-related technologies.

According to the results, in the field of neural networks, the trend of scientific production has been upward increasing from 950 documents in 2014 to 2,207 documents in 2023.

In machine learning, scientific productions have risen from 81 documents in 2014 to 1656 documents in 2023.

Also, in the field of artificial intelligence, scientific productions have escalated from 98 documents in 2014 to 647 documents in 2023.

Over the past 20 years, the majority of scientific productions in the field of artificial intelligence have been associated with the University of Tehran, Tabriz University, and Amirkabir University of Technology; and in visual computing and natural language processing, the University of Tehran, Amirkabir University of Technology and Sharif University of Technology are ranked first to third respectively.

The majority of scientific production in machine learning is connected to the University of Tehran, Amirkabir University of Technology, and Tarbiat Modares University; and in robotics, it is attributed to the University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, and Amirkabir University of Technology.

University of Tehran, Tabriz University, and Iran University of Science and Technology in neural networks, and Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, and University of Tehran in multi-agent systems,  account for a significant share of scientific productions.

MT/MG