Analyzing Influence Factors of Blockchain Technology in Prognostics and Health Management Based on Spherical Fuzzy DEMATEL Method and Technology Adoption Theory

Prognostics and health management (PHM) aims to reduce sudden failures during system operation, thereby improving system performance and protecting personal safety from harmful condition. Nonetheless, implementation of PHM still faces many difficulties related to security, privacy, and trustiness issues. Blockchain, an emerging technology, has great potential to resolve these problems. Adopting blockchain in PHM is a challenging task and a comprehensive analysis is required before jumping into innovation. However, scientific surveys pertaining to the topic are still scarce. In this article, a systematical exploration of the potential and influence factor of blockchain adoption in PHM is presented. combined technology adoption theory (TAT) is proposed as theoretical foundation for identifying influence factors of blockchain adoption in PHM. Twenty-one factors at both individual-level and firm-level are captured. Thirdly, a dual-ideal distance based spherical fuzzy DEMATEL is introduced to evaluate the interrelationships and importance of the influence factors with considering vagueness and hesitancy of experts’ judgements. Aiming to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness, a case study and several comparative analyses are performed finally.