In a world burdened by air pollution, the integration of state-of-the-art sensor calibration techniques utilizing Quantum Computing (QC) and Machine Learning (ML) holds promise for enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of air quality monitoring systems in smart cities. This article investigates the process of calibrating inexpensive optical fine-dust sensors through advanced methodologies such as Deep Learning (DL) and Quantum Machine Learning (QML). The objective of the project is to compare four sophisticated algorithms from both the classical and quantum realms to discern their disparities and explore possible alternative approaches to improve the precision and dependability of particulate matter measurements in urban air quality surveillance. Classical Feed-Forward Neural Networks (FFNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models are evaluated against their quantum counterparts: Variational Quantum Regressors (VQR) and Quantum LSTM (QLSTM) circuits. Through meticulous testing, including hyperparameter optimization and cross-validation, the study assesses the potential of quantum models to refine calibration performance. Our analysis shows that: the FFNN model achieved superior calibration accuracy on the test set compared to the VQR model in terms of lower L1 loss function (2.92 vs 4.81); the QLSTM slightly outperformed the LSTM model (loss on the test set: 2.70 vs 2.77), despite using fewer trainable weights (66 vs 482).
In a world burdened by air pollution, the integration of state-of-the-art sensor calibration techniques utilizing Quantum Computing (QC) and Machine Learning (ML) holds promise for enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of air quality monitoring systems in smart cities. This article investigates the process of calibrating inexpensive optical fine-dust sensors through advanced methodologies such as Deep Learning (DL) and Quantum Machine Learning (QML). The objective of the project is to compare four sophisticated algorithms from both the classical and quantum realms to discern their disparities and explore possible alternative approaches to improve the precision and dependability of particulate matter measurements in urban air quality surveillance. Classical Feed-Forward Neural Networks (FFNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models are evaluated against their quantum counterparts: Variational Quantum Regressors (VQR) and Quantum LSTM (QLSTM) circuits. Through meticulous testing, including hyperparameter optimization and cross-validation, the study assesses the potential of quantum models to refine calibration performance. Our analysis shows that: the FFNN model achieved superior calibration accuracy on the test set compared to the VQR model in terms of lower L1 loss function (2.92 vs 4.81); the QLSTM slightly outperformed the LSTM model (loss on the test set: 2.70 vs 2.77), despite using fewer trainable weights (66 vs 482).
Quantum machine learning (QML) has emerged as a promising method for overcoming the computational limitations of classical machine learning when analyzing large and complex data sets. This project investigates the application of QML algorithms to real-world science and engineering problems, with a focus on civil and environmental engineering datasets. We develop and evaluate a Python-based system, implemented in Google Colab, that integrates multiple quantum computing frameworks, including PennyLane, TensorFlow Quantum, and Qiskit, to implement and compare several QML models against their classical counterparts. The proposed system explores a range of algorithms such as Quantum Neural Networks, Quantum Support Vector Machines, Quantum Principal Component Analysis, and Quantum Logistic Regression across at least five engineering use cases, including structural health monitoring, traffic flow prediction, air quality, flood forecasting, and pollution modeling. Performance is evaluated using accuracy, computational efficiency, and scalability. The results highlight scenarios in which QML demonstrates a potential advantage over a classical approach, while also identifying the current limitations that come with near-term quantum devices. This work contributes to a modular framework for learning and applying quantum machine learning and provides insight into its practical viability and application within science and engineering applications.
Air pollution forecasting is a critical challenge in environmental science. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) are two of the most harmful gases, contributing significantly to respiratory illnesses and environmental degradation. Accurate predictions of NO2and CO levels help mitigate the adverse effects of pollutants on public health. A hybrid quantum-classical machine learning model is developed, integrating a feature map, variational ansatz, and quantum regressor optimized with multiple optimizers. The results are compared with classical machine learning model, such as Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), demonstrating the potential of quantum computing in predictive modeling. Experimental results using the air quality dataset reveal that the proposed model achieves superior performance compared to traditional approaches, as measured by MSE, RMSE, MAE, and R2. The findings suggest that quantum-enhanced neural networks provide a promising avenue for real-time air pollution forecasting, enabling proactive pollution control measures.
Air pollution poses a significant threat to public health, exacerbated by the rapid industrialization and urbanization of modern society. While traditional deep learning offers predictive capabilities, recent advancements in quantum machine learning (QML) present a compelling alternative. Here, we introduce a scalable hybrid framework that integrates variational quantum circuits with quantum annealing. Leveraging a neuromorphic quantum computing platform to transcend the qubit limitations of the NISQ era, we model particulate matter (PM2.5) dynamics using high-density urban data from the UK. We demonstrate that our Quantum Neural Networks (QNNs) exhibit an intrinsic resilience to input volatility, significantly outperforming classical baselines (MLP and LSTM) on raw, high-entropy environmental data. Furthermore, we successfully scaled the model to 172 qubits, observing a synergistic enhancement when coupled with wavelet decomposition that achieves state-of-the-art predictive fidelity. These findings establish a critical benchmark for quantum utility, proving that scalable, neuromorphic quantum machine learning can now address complex, non-linear real-world problems.
Abstract Our study proposes the MDQ-3L framework, a multi-metric, quantum-aware hierarchy for benchmarking classical machine learning, deep learning, and quantum machine learning models in air quality prediction. PM2.5, PM10, NO, NO2, NOx, NH3, CO, SO2, O3, Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene were considered predictors of AQI. Seventeen ML regressors, nine DL models, and seven QML circuits were evaluated using MAE, MSE, RMSE, R², RMSLE, MAPE, and QML-specific expressibility (0.739-2.0) and entangling power (0-0.398). Aggregated via min-max normalization and weights, the framework penalizes negative R² and high structural costs, yielding CatBoost and DBN as top performers, while QML trailed by 25–40% in composite scores due to generalization gaps and barren plateau risks. MDQ-3L aligns circuits to targets, reducing QCNN/TTN penalties by ~ 30% relative to non-benchmarked rankings. Our approach exposes QML limitations under NISQ constraints (4–6 qubits, shallow depth), supporting low-entanglement ansätze like SELR/HEA for 10–15% potential gains, and provides an interpretable tool for hybrid environmental modeling, advancing Quantum Machine Intelligence benchmarks.
Despite the growing impact of emissions on our health and the environment, there remains an unmet need for emission concentration prediction and forecasting. The accumulating monitoring station and satellite data make the problem well-suited for quantum machine learning. This work takes a quantum machine learning approach to the spatiotemporal prediction of emission concentration. A quantum quanvolutional neural network model was developed and compared to a classical spatiotemporal ConvLSTM model using an evaluation framework of baseline models and metrics of per-pixel loss and intersection over union accuracy. The quantum quanvolutional neural network developed successfully generates one-hour-ahead emission concentration forecasts with increasingly lower loss (6.5% and 30.5% less) and higher accuracy (18.4% and 18.6% higher) compared to the input-independent and random baselines at the end of training. The quantum model was also comparable to the classical ConvLSTM model, with slightly lower loss (4%) but also slightly lower accuracy (3.7%). The study’s results suggest that the quantum machine learning approach has the potential to improve emission concentration modeling and could become a powerful tool for accurately predicting air pollution.
Quantum Machine Learning (QML) has emerged as a transformative paradigm that integrates the computational advantages of quantum computing with the adaptive intelligence of machine learning to solve complex optimization problems in smart computing systems. Traditional optimization techniques often struggle with high-dimensional search spaces, combinatorial complexity, computational overhead, and scalability limitations in applications such as intelligent transportation, healthcare analytics, smart manufacturing, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructures. QML approaches exploit quantum superposition, entanglement, and quantum parallelism to accelerate optimization tasks and enhance predictive performance beyond classical machine learning capabilities. This research proposes a hybrid Quantum Machine Learning optimization framework that combines Variational Quantum Circuits (VQCs), Quantum Neural Networks (QNNs), and classical deep learning models to address resource allocation, task scheduling, energy optimization, and intelligent decision-making in smart computing environments. The proposed framework integrates quantum-enhanced feature extraction, adaptive optimization layers, and reinforcement-based learning mechanisms to improve convergence speed and computational efficiency. Experimental analysis is performed using benchmark optimization datasets and simulated quantum environments to evaluate accuracy, execution time, energy efficiency, and scalability. Comparative results demonstrate that the proposed QML-based framework achieves superior optimization accuracy, reduced computational latency, and improved resource utilization when compared with traditional machine learning and classical metaheuristic optimization methods. Furthermore, the study highlights the practical significance of hybrid quantum-classical architectures in next-generation intelligent systems where large-scale optimization and real-time decision support are critical. The findings suggest that QML can significantly contribute to the advancement of sustainable, adaptive, and high-performance smart computing ecosystems while opening new directions for future quantum-aware intelligent infrastructures.