This special issue explores how AI-driven innovations, digital/mobile technologies, and the metaverse are converging to revolutionize sustainability, human-machine interaction, and application domains such as business, education, healthcare, tourism, and engineering. The issue aims to bring together interdisciplinary perspectives on how immersive, accessible, and intelligent systems in the metaverse can drive sustainable, inclusive, and impactful change.

1. AI & Metaverse for Sustainable Business and Smart Management

-Virtual marketplaces and decentralized commerce in the metaverse

-AI-powered decision-making in digital twins and metaverse business environments

-Blockchain and smart contracts for sustainable supply chain transparency

-Metaverse-enhanced mobile platforms for inclusive entrepreneurship

2. Immersive and AI-Based Pedagogies in Engineering and Higher Education

-XR and AI in metaverse-based teaching and experiential learning

-Virtual laboratories and skill simulations for engineering education

-AI tutors, learning analytics, and intelligent assessment in 3D learning environments

-Gamification and storytelling for concept-based immersive learning

3. Metaverse for Public Health and Digital Healthcare Transformation

-AI avatars, virtual clinics, and digital twins for patient care in the metaverse

-Remote diagnostics and rehabilitation using immersive healthcare platforms

-Privacy-preserving AI in healthcare-related virtual environments

-Accessibility in virtual healthcare spaces for diverse populations

4. Environmental Monitoring and Protection through Virtual Environments

-AI and IoT for environmental simulation in the metaverse

-Digital twins of ecosystems for predictive conservation

-Immersive citizen science and sustainability education platforms

-Visualizing climate models and policy impacts in virtual reality

5. Tourism 5.0: Smart, Sustainable, and Immersive Experiences

-Virtual tourism experiences and cultural preservation in the metaverse

-AI for personalization and multilingual interaction in virtual travel

-Sustainable tourism modeling using immersive simulations

-Blockchain and NFTs for eco-tourism and virtual souvenirs

6. Inclusive Human-Machine Interaction and AI for All

-AI-driven accessibility features in immersive virtual spaces

-Multimodal interaction (voice, gesture, gaze) in metaverse environments

-Ethical and cultural design of avatars and virtual presence

-Embodied AI and emotion-aware agents in metaverse interactions

7. Engineering Applications and Digital Infrastructure for the Metaverse

-AI-enabled design and simulation of smart infrastructure

-Virtual prototyping and maintenance in construction and manufacturing

-Cyber-physical system integration with immersive engineering environments

-Robotics and AI-driven collaboration in digital engineering labs

AI-driven innovations; Digital/mobile technologies; Human-Machine Interaction; Metaverse