A robotized six degree of freedom stage for optical microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avramov, M. Z.; Ivanov, I.; Pavlov, V.; Zaharieva, K.

2013-04-01

This work represents an investigation of the possibility to use a hexapod system for optical microscopy investigation and measurements. An appropriate hexapod stage has been developed. The stage has been calibrated and used for several different optical microscopy applications. The construction of the stage is based on the classic Stewart platform and thus represents a parallel robot with 6 degree of freedom. Appropriate software is controlling the transformation of the 3 position coordinates of the moving plate and the 3 Euler angles in position velocities and accelerations of the plate motion. An embedded microcontroller is implementing the motion plan and the PID controller regulating the kinematics. By difference to the available in the market hexapods the proposed solution is with lower precision but is significantly cheaper and simple to maintain. The repeatability obtained with current implementation is 0,05 mm and 0,001 rad. A specialized DSP based video processing engine is used for both feedback computation and application specific image processing in real-time. To verify the concept some applications has been developed for specific tasks and has been used for specific measurements.

Software Tools for Design and Performance Evaluation of Intelligent Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

Self-calibration of Three-Legged Modular Reconfigurable Parallel Robots Based on Leg-End Distance Errors,” Robotica , Vol. 19, pp. 187-198. [4...9] Lintott, A. B., and Dunlop, G. R., “Parallel Topology Robot Calibration,” Robotica . [10] Vischer, P., and Clavel, R., “Kinematic Calibration...of the Parallel Delta Robot,” Robotica , Vol. 16, pp.207- 218, 1998. [11] Joshi, S.A., and Surianarayan, A., “Calibration of a 6-DOF Cable Robot Using

A pigment analysis tool for hyperspectral images of cultural heritage artifacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Di; Messinger, David W.; Howell, David

2017-05-01

The Gough Map, in the collection at the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, is one of the earliest surviving maps of Britain. Previous research deemed that it was likely created over the 15th century and afterwards it was extensively revised more than once. In 2015, the Gough Map was imaged using a hyperspectral imaging system at the Bodleian Library. The collection of the hyperspectral image (HSI) data was aimed at faded text enhancement for reading and pigment analysis for the material diversity of its composition and potentially the timeline of its creation. In this research, we introduce several methods to analyze the green pigments in the Gough Map, especially the number and spatial distribution of distinct green pigments. One approach, called the Gram Matrix, has been used to estimate the material diversity in a scene (i.e., endmember selection and dimensionality estimation). Here, we use the Gram Matrix technique to study the within-material differences of pigments in the Gough map with common visual color. We develop a pigment analysis tool that extracts visually common pixels, green pigments in this case, from the Gough Map and estimates its material diversity. It reveals that the Gough Map consists of at least six kinds of dominant green pigments. Both historical geographers and cartographic historians will benefit from this work to analyze the pigment diversity using HSI of cultural heritage artifacts.

Personnel occupied woven envelope robot power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The Human Occupied Space Teleoperator (HOST) system currently under development utilizes a flexible tunnel/Stewart table structure to provide crew access to a pressurized manned work station or POD on the space station without extravehicular activity (EVA). The HOST structure facilitates moving a work station to multiple space station locations. The system has applications to orbiter docking, space station assembly, satellite servicing, space station maintenance, and logistics support. The conceptual systems design behind HOST is described in detail.

Lower Limb Rehabilitation Using Patient Data

PubMed Central

Saadat, Mozafar

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of a 6-DoF parallel robot in tracking the movement of the foot trajectory of a paretic leg during a single stride. The foot trajectories of nine patients with a paretic leg including both males and females have been measured and analysed by a Vicon system in a gait laboratory. Based on kinematic and dynamic analysis of a 6-DoF UPS parallel robot, an algorithm was developed in MATLAB to calculate the length of the actuators and their required forces during all trajectories. The workspace and singularity points of the robot were then investigated in nine different cases. A 6-DoF UPS parallel robot prototype with high repeatability was designed and built in order to simulate a single stride. Results showed that the robot was capable of tracking all of the trajectories with the maximum position error of 1.2 mm. PMID:27721648

New Factorization Techniques and Parallel (log N) Algorithms for Forward Dynamics Solution of Single Closed-Chain Robot Manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fijany, Amir

1993-01-01

In this paper parallel 0(log N) algorithms for dynamic simulation of single closed-chain rigid multibody system as specialized to the case of a robot manipulatoar in contact with the environment are developed.

Development of a 3D Parallel Mechanism Robot Arm with Three Vertical-Axial Pneumatic Actuators Combined with a Stereo Vision System

PubMed Central

Chiang, Mao-Hsiung; Lin, Hao-Ting

2011-01-01

This study aimed to develop a novel 3D parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical-axial pneumatic actuators with a stereo vision system for path tracking control. The mechanical system and the control system are the primary novel parts for developing a 3D parallel mechanism robot. In the mechanical system, a 3D parallel mechanism robot contains three serial chains, a fixed base, a movable platform and a pneumatic servo system. The parallel mechanism are designed and analyzed first for realizing a 3D motion in the X-Y-Z coordinate system of the robot’s end-effector. The inverse kinematics and the forward kinematics of the parallel mechanism robot are investigated by using the Denavit-Hartenberg notation (D-H notation) coordinate system. The pneumatic actuators in the three vertical motion axes are modeled. In the control system, the Fourier series-based adaptive sliding-mode controller with H∞ tracking performance is used to design the path tracking controllers of the three vertical servo pneumatic actuators for realizing 3D path tracking control of the end-effector. Three optical linear scales are used to measure the position of the three pneumatic actuators. The 3D position of the end-effector is then calculated from the measuring position of the three pneumatic actuators by means of the kinematics. However, the calculated 3D position of the end-effector cannot consider the manufacturing and assembly tolerance of the joints and the parallel mechanism so that errors between the actual position and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector exist. In order to improve this situation, sensor collaboration is developed in this paper. A stereo vision system is used to collaborate with the three position sensors of the pneumatic actuators. The stereo vision system combining two CCD serves to measure the actual 3D position of the end-effector and calibrate the error between the actual and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector. Furthermore, to verify the feasibility of the proposed parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical pneumatic servo actuators, a full-scale test rig of the proposed parallel mechanism pneumatic robot is set up. Thus, simulations and experiments for different complex 3D motion profiles of the robot end-effector can be successfully achieved. The desired, the actual and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector can be compared in the complex 3D motion control. PMID:22247676

Development of a 3D parallel mechanism robot arm with three vertical-axial pneumatic actuators combined with a stereo vision system.

PubMed

Chiang, Mao-Hsiung; Lin, Hao-Ting

2011-01-01

This study aimed to develop a novel 3D parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical-axial pneumatic actuators with a stereo vision system for path tracking control. The mechanical system and the control system are the primary novel parts for developing a 3D parallel mechanism robot. In the mechanical system, a 3D parallel mechanism robot contains three serial chains, a fixed base, a movable platform and a pneumatic servo system. The parallel mechanism are designed and analyzed first for realizing a 3D motion in the X-Y-Z coordinate system of the robot's end-effector. The inverse kinematics and the forward kinematics of the parallel mechanism robot are investigated by using the Denavit-Hartenberg notation (D-H notation) coordinate system. The pneumatic actuators in the three vertical motion axes are modeled. In the control system, the Fourier series-based adaptive sliding-mode controller with H(∞) tracking performance is used to design the path tracking controllers of the three vertical servo pneumatic actuators for realizing 3D path tracking control of the end-effector. Three optical linear scales are used to measure the position of the three pneumatic actuators. The 3D position of the end-effector is then calculated from the measuring position of the three pneumatic actuators by means of the kinematics. However, the calculated 3D position of the end-effector cannot consider the manufacturing and assembly tolerance of the joints and the parallel mechanism so that errors between the actual position and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector exist. In order to improve this situation, sensor collaboration is developed in this paper. A stereo vision system is used to collaborate with the three position sensors of the pneumatic actuators. The stereo vision system combining two CCD serves to measure the actual 3D position of the end-effector and calibrate the error between the actual and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector. Furthermore, to verify the feasibility of the proposed parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical pneumatic servo actuators, a full-scale test rig of the proposed parallel mechanism pneumatic robot is set up. Thus, simulations and experiments for different complex 3D motion profiles of the robot end-effector can be successfully achieved. The desired, the actual and the calculated 3D position of the end-effector can be compared in the complex 3D motion control.

Analysis and design of a six-degree-of-freedom Stewart platform-based robotic wrist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Antrazi, Sami; Zhou, Zhen-Lei

1991-01-01

The kinematic analysis and implementation of a six degree of freedom robotic wrist which is mounted to a general open-kinetic chain manipulator to serve as a restbed for studying precision robotic assembly in space is discussed. The wrist design is based on the Stewart Platform mechanism and consists mainly of two platforms and six linear actuators driven by DC motors. Position feedback is achieved by linear displacement transducers mounted along the actuators and force feedback is obtained by a 6 degree of freedom force sensor mounted between the gripper and the payload platform. The robot wrist inverse kinematics which computes the required actuator lengths corresponding to Cartesian variables has a closed-form solution. The forward kinematics is solved iteratively using the Newton-Ralphson method which simultaneously provides a modified Jacobian Matrix which relates length velocities to Cartesian translational velocities and time rates of change of roll-pitch-yaw angles. Results of computer simulation conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the forward kinematics and Modified Jacobian Matrix are discussed.

Motion capability analysis of a quadruped robot as a parallel manipulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jingjun; Lu, Dengfeng; Zhang, Zhongxiang; Pei, Xu

2014-12-01

This paper presents the forward and inverse displacement analysis of a quadruped robot MANA as a parallel manipulator in quadruple stance phase, which is used to obtain the workspace and control the motion of the body. The robot MANA designed on the basis of the structure of quadruped mammal is able to not only walk and turn in the uneven terrain, but also accomplish various manipulating tasks as a parallel manipulator in quadruple stance phase. The latter will be the focus of this paper, however. For this purpose, the leg kinematics is primarily analyzed, which lays the foundation on the gait planning in terms of locomotion and body kinematics analysis as a parallel manipulator. When all four feet of the robot contact on the ground, by assuming there is no slipping at the feet, each contacting point is treated as a passive spherical joint and the kinematic model of parallel manipulator is established. The method for choosing six non-redundant actuated joints for the parallel manipulator from all twelve optional joints is elaborated. The inverse and forward displacement analysis of the parallel manipulator is carried out using the method of coordinate transformation. Finally, based on the inverse and forward kinematic model, two issues on obtaining the reachable workspace of parallel manipulator and planning the motion of the body are implemented and verified by ADAMS simulation.

Parallel-distributed mobile robot simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Hiroyuki; Sekiguchi, Minoru; Watanabe, Nobuo

1996-06-01

The aim of this project is to achieve an autonomous learning and growth function based on active interaction with the real world. It should also be able to autonomically acquire knowledge about the context in which jobs take place, and how the jobs are executed. This article describes a parallel distributed movable robot system simulator with an autonomous learning and growth function. The autonomous learning and growth function which we are proposing is characterized by its ability to learn and grow through interaction with the real world. When the movable robot interacts with the real world, the system compares the virtual environment simulation with the interaction result in the real world. The system then improves the virtual environment to match the real-world result more closely. This the system learns and grows. It is very important that such a simulation is time- realistic. The parallel distributed movable robot simulator was developed to simulate the space of a movable robot system with an autonomous learning and growth function. The simulator constructs a virtual space faithful to the real world and also integrates the interfaces between the user, the actual movable robot and the virtual movable robot. Using an ultrafast CG (computer graphics) system (FUJITSU AG series), time-realistic 3D CG is displayed.

Direct kinematics solution architectures for industrial robot manipulators: Bit-serial versus parallel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Kim, K.

A Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) architecture for robot direct kinematic computation suitable for industrial robot manipulators was investigated. The Denavit-Hartenberg transformations are reviewed to exploit a proper processing element, namely an augmented CORDIC. Specifically, two distinct implementations are elaborated on, such as the bit-serial and parallel. Performance of each scheme is analyzed with respect to the time to compute one location of the end-effector of a 6-links manipulator, and the number of transistors required.

A piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester based on parallel mechanism: dynamic modeling, simulation, and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, G.; Wang, D. H.

2017-03-01

Multi-directional and multi-degree-of-freedom (multi-DOF) vibration energy harvesting are attracting more and more research interest in recent years. In this paper, the principle of a piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester based on parallel mechanism is proposed to convert the energy of the six-DOF vibration to single-DOF vibrations of the limbs on the energy harvester and output voltages. The dynamic model of the piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester is established to estimate the vibrations of the limbs. On this basis, a Stewart-type piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester is developed and explored. In order to validate the established dynamic model and the analysis results, the simulation model of the Stewart-type piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester is built and tested with different vibration excitations by SimMechanics, and some preliminary experiments are carried out. The results show that the vibration of the limbs on the piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester can be estimated by the established dynamic model. The developed Stewart-type piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester can harvest the energy of multi-directional linear vibration and multi-axis rotating vibration with resonance frequencies of 17 Hz, 25 Hz, and 47 Hz. Moreover, the resonance frequencies of the developed piezoelectric six-DOF vibration energy harvester are not affected by the direction changing of the vibration excitation.

Word Calling in 3rd and 4th Graders: Exploring Student and Teacher Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couzens, Lindsay Starr

2013-01-01

Reading difficulties in elementary school-aged children may occur when two components of reading--word identification, comprehension, or both of these skills--are weak or underdeveloped (Gough, 1972; Hoover & Gough, 1990; Joshi & Aaron, 2000; Savage, 2001). One type of reading difficulty that is frequently identified by teachers is known…

Direct kinematics solution architectures for industrial robot manipulators: Bit-serial versus parallel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J.; Kim, K.

1991-01-01

A Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) architecture for robot direct kinematic computation suitable for industrial robot manipulators was investigated. The Denavit-Hartenberg transformations are reviewed to exploit a proper processing element, namely an augmented CORDIC. Specifically, two distinct implementations are elaborated on, such as the bit-serial and parallel. Performance of each scheme is analyzed with respect to the time to compute one location of the end-effector of a 6-links manipulator, and the number of transistors required.

Toward a Semiotic Theory of Choice and of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stables, Andrew; Gough, Stephen

2006-01-01

In this essay, Andrew Stables and Stephen Gough explore some of the implications for educational policy and practice of a view of living (and, therefore, of learning) as semiotic engagement. Such a view, Stables and Gough argue, has the potential to displace or circumvent essentially Cartesian models currently dominant within learning theory…

Conceptual design and kinematic analysis of a novel parallel robot for high-speed pick-and-place operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Qizhi; Xie, Fugui; Liu, Xin-Jun

2018-06-01

This paper deals with the conceptual design, kinematic analysis and workspace identification of a novel four degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) high-speed spatial parallel robot for pick-and-place operations. The proposed spatial parallel robot consists of a base, four arms and a 1½ mobile platform. The mobile platform is a major innovation that avoids output singularity and offers the advantages of both single and double platforms. To investigate the characteristics of the robot's DOFs, a line graph method based on Grassmann line geometry is adopted in mobility analysis. In addition, the inverse kinematics is derived, and the constraint conditions to identify the correct solution are also provided. On the basis of the proposed concept, the workspace of the robot is identified using a set of presupposed parameters by taking input and output transmission index as the performance evaluation criteria.

The Simple View of Reading: Assessment and Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Jenny A.; Scott, Kathleen A.

2006-01-01

The Simple View of Reading (P. B. Gough & W. Tunmer, 1986; W. A. Hoover & P. B. Gough, 1990) provides a 2-component model of reading. Each of these 2 components, decoding and comprehension, is necessary for normal reading to occur. The Simple View of Reading provides a relatively transparent model that can be used by professionals not only to…

Design and development of miniature parallel robot for eye surgery.

PubMed

Sakai, Tomoya; Harada, Kanako; Tanaka, Shinichi; Ueta, Takashi; Noda, Yasuo; Sugita, Naohiko; Mitsuishi, Mamoru

2014-01-01

A five degree-of-freedom (DOF) miniature parallel robot has been developed to precisely and safely remove the thin internal limiting membrane in the eye ground during vitreoretinal surgery. A simulator has been developed to determine the design parameters of this robot. The developed robot's size is 85 mm × 100 mm × 240 mm, and its weight is 770 g. This robot incorporates an emergency instrument retraction function to quickly remove the instrument from the eye in case of sudden intraoperative complications such as bleeding. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the robot's performance in the master-slave configuration, and the results demonstrated that it had a tracing accuracy of 40.0 μm.

Examining the Simple View of Reading among Subgroups of Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimm, Ryan Ponce

2015-01-01

The Simple View of Reading (SVR; Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Hoover & Gough, 1990) has a longstanding history as a model of reading comprehension, but it has mostly been applied to native English speakers. The SVR posits reading comprehension is a function of the interaction between word-level reading skills and oral language skills. It has been…

Parallel elastic elements improve energy efficiency on the STEPPR bipedal walking robot

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mazumdar, Anirban; Spencer, Steven J.; Hobart, Clinton

This study describes how parallel elastic elements can be used to reduce energy consumption in the electric motor driven, fully-actuated, STEPPR bipedal walking robot without compromising or significantly limiting locomotive behaviors. A physically motivated approach is used to illustrate how selectively-engaging springs for hip adduction and ankle flexion predict benefits for three different flat ground walking gaits: human walking, human-like robot walking and crouched robot walking. Based on locomotion data, springs are designed and substantial reductions in power consumption are demonstrated using a bench dynamometer. These lessons are then applied to STEPPR (Sandia Transmission-Efficient Prototype Promoting Research), a fully actuatedmore » bipedal robot designed to explore the impact of tailored joint mechanisms on walking efficiency. Featuring high-torque brushless DC motors, efficient low-ratio transmissions, and high fidelity torque control, STEPPR provides the ability to incorporate novel joint-level mechanisms without dramatically altering high level control. Unique parallel elastic designs are incorporated into STEPPR, and walking data shows that hip adduction and ankle flexion springs significantly reduce the required actuator energy at those joints for several gaits. These results suggest that parallel joint springs offer a promising means of supporting quasi-static joint torques due to body mass during walking, relieving motors of the need to support these torques and substantially improving locomotive energy efficiency.« less

Requirements for implementing real-time control functional modules on a hierarchical parallel pipelined system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheatley, Thomas E.; Michaloski, John L.; Lumia, Ronald

1989-01-01

Analysis of a robot control system leads to a broad range of processing requirements. One fundamental requirement of a robot control system is the necessity of a microcomputer system in order to provide sufficient processing capability.The use of multiple processors in a parallel architecture is beneficial for a number of reasons, including better cost performance, modular growth, increased reliability through replication, and flexibility for testing alternate control strategies via different partitioning. A survey of the progression from low level control synchronizing primitives to higher level communication tools is presented. The system communication and control mechanisms of existing robot control systems are compared to the hierarchical control model. The impact of this design methodology on the current robot control systems is explored.

Method for six-legged robot stepping on obstacles by indirect force estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yilin; Gao, Feng; Pan, Yang; Chai, Xun

2016-07-01

Adaptive gaits for legged robots often requires force sensors installed on foot-tips, however impact, temperature or humidity can affect or even damage those sensors. Efforts have been made to realize indirect force estimation on the legged robots using leg structures based on planar mechanisms. Robot Octopus III is a six-legged robot using spatial parallel mechanism(UP-2UPS) legs. This paper proposed a novel method to realize indirect force estimation on walking robot based on a spatial parallel mechanism. The direct kinematics model and the inverse kinematics model are established. The force Jacobian matrix is derived based on the kinematics model. Thus, the indirect force estimation model is established. Then, the relation between the output torques of the three motors installed on one leg to the external force exerted on the foot tip is described. Furthermore, an adaptive tripod static gait is designed. The robot alters its leg trajectory to step on obstacles by using the proposed adaptive gait. Both the indirect force estimation model and the adaptive gait are implemented and optimized in a real time control system. An experiment is carried out to validate the indirect force estimation model. The adaptive gait is tested in another experiment. Experiment results show that the robot can successfully step on a 0.2 m-high obstacle. This paper proposes a novel method to overcome obstacles for the six-legged robot using spatial parallel mechanism legs and to avoid installing the electric force sensors in harsh environment of the robot's foot tips.

A spherical parallel three degrees-of-freedom robot for ankle-foot neuro-rehabilitation.

PubMed

Malosio, Matteo; Negri, Simone Pio; Pedrocchi, Nicola; Vicentini, Federico; Caimmi, Marco; Molinari Tosatti, Lorenzo

2012-01-01

The ankle represents a fairly complex bone structure, resulting in kinematics that hinders a flawless robot-assisted recovery of foot motility in impaired subjects. The paper proposes a novel device for ankle-foot neuro-rehabilitation based on a mechatronic redesign of the remarkable Agile Eye spherical robot on the basis of clinical requisites. The kinematic design allows the positioning of the ankle articular center close to the machine rotation center with valuable benefits in term of therapy functions. The prototype, named PKAnkle, Parallel Kinematic machine for Ankle rehabilitation, provides a 6-axes load cell for the measure of subject interaction forces/torques, and it integrates a commercial EMG-acquisition system. Robot control provides active and passive therapeutic exercises.

Parallel elastic elements improve energy efficiency on the STEPPR bipedal walking robot

DOE PAGES

Mazumdar, Anirban; Spencer, Steven J.; Hobart, Clinton; ...

2016-11-23

This study describes how parallel elastic elements can be used to reduce energy consumption in the electric motor driven, fully-actuated, STEPPR bipedal walking robot without compromising or significantly limiting locomotive behaviors. A physically motivated approach is used to illustrate how selectively-engaging springs for hip adduction and ankle flexion predict benefits for three different flat ground walking gaits: human walking, human-like robot walking and crouched robot walking. Based on locomotion data, springs are designed and substantial reductions in power consumption are demonstrated using a bench dynamometer. These lessons are then applied to STEPPR (Sandia Transmission-Efficient Prototype Promoting Research), a fully actuatedmore » bipedal robot designed to explore the impact of tailored joint mechanisms on walking efficiency. Featuring high-torque brushless DC motors, efficient low-ratio transmissions, and high fidelity torque control, STEPPR provides the ability to incorporate novel joint-level mechanisms without dramatically altering high level control. Unique parallel elastic designs are incorporated into STEPPR, and walking data shows that hip adduction and ankle flexion springs significantly reduce the required actuator energy at those joints for several gaits. These results suggest that parallel joint springs offer a promising means of supporting quasi-static joint torques due to body mass during walking, relieving motors of the need to support these torques and substantially improving locomotive energy efficiency.« less

Robot-assisted ultrasound imaging: overview and development of a parallel telerobotic system.

PubMed

Monfaredi, Reza; Wilson, Emmanuel; Azizi Koutenaei, Bamshad; Labrecque, Brendan; Leroy, Kristen; Goldie, James; Louis, Eric; Swerdlow, Daniel; Cleary, Kevin

2015-02-01

Ultrasound imaging is frequently used in medicine. The quality of ultrasound images is often dependent on the skill of the sonographer. Several researchers have proposed robotic systems to aid in ultrasound image acquisition. In this paper we first provide a short overview of robot-assisted ultrasound imaging (US). We categorize robot-assisted US imaging systems into three approaches: autonomous US imaging, teleoperated US imaging, and human-robot cooperation. For each approach several systems are introduced and briefly discussed. We then describe a compact six degree of freedom parallel mechanism telerobotic system for ultrasound imaging developed by our research team. The long-term goal of this work is to enable remote ultrasound scanning through teleoperation. This parallel mechanism allows for both translation and rotation of an ultrasound probe mounted on the top plate along with force control. Our experimental results confirmed good mechanical system performance with a positioning error of < 1 mm. Phantom experiments by a radiologist showed promising results with good image quality.

Teaching: In Light of Noel Gough's and Ajay Sharma's Articles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pouliot, Chantal

2017-01-01

In their articles, Ajay Sharma (Cult Stud Sci Educ, doi:10.1007/s11422-017-9835-z, 2017) and Noel Gough (Cult Stud Sci Educ, doi:10.1007/s11422-017-9834-0, 2017) shed light on the impact neoliberalism has on the teaching of science and suggest ways to ensure that science education remains critical and socially equitable. In this paper, I…

Development of a Stereo Vision Measurement System for a 3D Three-Axial Pneumatic Parallel Mechanism Robot Arm

PubMed Central

Chiang, Mao-Hsiung; Lin, Hao-Ting; Hou, Chien-Lun

2011-01-01

In this paper, a stereo vision 3D position measurement system for a three-axial pneumatic parallel mechanism robot arm is presented. The stereo vision 3D position measurement system aims to measure the 3D trajectories of the end-effector of the robot arm. To track the end-effector of the robot arm, the circle detection algorithm is used to detect the desired target and the SAD algorithm is used to track the moving target and to search the corresponding target location along the conjugate epipolar line in the stereo pair. After camera calibration, both intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the stereo rig can be obtained, so images can be rectified according to the camera parameters. Thus, through the epipolar rectification, the stereo matching process is reduced to a horizontal search along the conjugate epipolar line. Finally, 3D trajectories of the end-effector are computed by stereo triangulation. The experimental results show that the stereo vision 3D position measurement system proposed in this paper can successfully track and measure the fifth-order polynomial trajectory and sinusoidal trajectory of the end-effector of the three- axial pneumatic parallel mechanism robot arm. PMID:22319408

A Haptic Guided Robotic System for Endoscope Positioning and Holding.

PubMed

Cabuk, Burak; Ceylan, Savas; Anik, Ihsan; Tugasaygi, Mehtap; Kizir, Selcuk

2015-01-01

To determine the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of using a robot for holding and maneuvering the endoscope in transnasal transsphenoidal surgery. The system used in this study was a Stewart Platform based robotic system that was developed by Kocaeli University Department of Mechatronics Engineering for positioning and holding of endoscope. After the first use on an artificial head model, the system was used on six fresh postmortem bodies that were provided by the Morgue Specialization Department of the Forensic Medicine Institute (Istanbul, Turkey). The setup required for robotic system was easy, the time for registration procedure and setup of the robot takes 15 minutes. The resistance was felt on haptic arm in case of contact or friction with adjacent tissues. The adaptation process was shorter with the mouse to manipulate the endoscope. The endoscopic transsphenoidal approach was achieved with the robotic system. The endoscope was guided to the sphenoid ostium with the help of the robotic arm. This robotic system can be used in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery as an endoscope positioner and holder. The robot is able to change the position easily with the help of an assistant and prevents tremor, and provides a better field of vision for work.

A Soft Parallel Kinematic Mechanism.

PubMed

White, Edward L; Case, Jennifer C; Kramer-Bottiglio, Rebecca

2018-02-01

In this article, we describe a novel holonomic soft robotic structure based on a parallel kinematic mechanism. The design is based on the Stewart platform, which uses six sensors and actuators to achieve full six-degree-of-freedom motion. Our design is much less complex than a traditional platform, since it replaces the 12 spherical and universal joints found in a traditional Stewart platform with a single highly deformable elastomer body and flexible actuators. This reduces the total number of parts in the system and simplifies the assembly process. Actuation is achieved through coiled-shape memory alloy actuators. State observation and feedback is accomplished through the use of capacitive elastomer strain gauges. The main structural element is an elastomer joint that provides antagonistic force. We report the response of the actuators and sensors individually, then report the response of the complete assembly. We show that the completed robotic system is able to achieve full position control, and we discuss the limitations associated with using responsive material actuators. We believe that control demonstrated on a single body in this work could be extended to chains of such bodies to create complex soft robots.

Clinical Pathology of the Critically Endangered Gough Bunting (Rowettia goughensis).

PubMed

Dagleish, M P; Ryan, P G; Girling, S; Bond, A L

The Gough bunting (Rowettia goughensis) is indigenous to Gough Island and critically endangered due to predation by invasive house mice (Mus musculus). A planned ecosystem restoration by eradication of house mice via aerially delivered rodenticide requires a reproductively balanced population of Gough buntings being held in captivity to avoid primary and secondary poisoning. To aid disease detection during the period of captivity, Gough buntings (n = 25; five adult females, 15 adult males and five juveniles) were captured, measured and sampled to determine reference ranges for routine haematological and biochemical parameters and to identify any faecal bacterial species and intestinal and haemoparasites. Adult females had significantly higher blood glucose (P = 0.02 and 0.05 for different analyzers) and globulins (P = 0.02) than adult males or juveniles, and juveniles had consistently higher, although not significant, concentrations of creatine kinase. Juveniles had significantly (P = 0.007) more heterophils than adults; eosinophils were rare in adults and absent in juveniles and azurophils were absent from all individuals sampled. No parasite eggs were found in the faeces and no haemoparasites were found in blood smears. Several faecal bacterial species were recorded including Enterococcus spp. (n = 12), Klebsiella spp. (n = 7), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 6), Staphylococcus intermedius (n = 1), Escherichia coli (n = 1) and Pseudomonas spp. (n = 1). No overt clinical or subclinical disease was found in any of the birds examined, which suggests they are suitable for short-term captivity during ecosystem restoration and the data will provide key haematological and biochemical reference ranges for monitoring their health. However, the capture of a reproductively balanced population may require significant effort due to the relative difficulty with which females were caught. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compliant Robot Wrist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voellmer, George

1992-01-01

Compliant element for robot wrist accepts small displacements in one direction only (to first approximation). Three such elements combined to obtain translational compliance along three orthogonal directions, without rotational compliance along any of them. Element is double-blade flexure joint in which two sheets of spring steel attached between opposing blocks, forming rectangle. Blocks moved parallel to each other in one direction only. Sheets act as double cantilever beams deforming in S-shape, keeping blocks parallel.

Rates of species introduction to a remote oceanic island.

PubMed Central

Gaston, Kevin J; Jones, Alex G; Hänel, Christine; Chown, Steven L

2003-01-01

The introduction of species to areas beyond the limits of their natural distributions has a major homogenizing influence, making previously distinct biotas more similar. The scale of introductions has frequently been commented on, but their rate and spatial pervasiveness have been less well quantified. Here, we report the findings of a detailed study of pterygote insect introductions to Gough Island, one of the most remote and supposedly pristine temperate oceanic islands, and estimate the rate at which introduced species have successfully established. Out of 99 species recorded from Gough Island, 71 are established introductions, the highest proportion documented for any Southern Ocean island. Estimating a total of approximately 233 landings on Gough Island since first human landfall, this equates to one successful establishment for every three to four landings. Generalizations drawn from other areas suggest that this may be only one-tenth of the number of pterygote species that have arrived at the island, implying that most landings may lead to the arrival of at least one alien. These rates of introduction of new species are estimated to be two to three orders of magnitude greater than background levels for Gough Island, an increase comparable to that estimated for global species extinctions (many of which occur on islands) as a consequence of human activities. PMID:12803900

Coordination of multiple robot arms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, L. K.; Soloway, D.

1987-01-01

Kinematic resolved-rate control from one robot arm is extended to the coordinated control of multiple robot arms in the movement of an object. The structure supports the general movement of one axis system (moving reference frame) with respect to another axis system (control reference frame) by one or more robot arms. The grippers of the robot arms do not have to be parallel or at any pre-disposed positions on the object. For multiarm control, the operator chooses the same moving and control reference frames for each of the robot arms. Consequently, each arm then moves as though it were carrying out the commanded motions by itself.

Dynamic modeling of parallel robots for computed-torque control implementation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Codourey, A.

1998-12-01

In recent years, increased interest in parallel robots has been observed. Their control with modern theory, such as the computed-torque method, has, however, been restrained, essentially due to the difficulty in establishing a simple dynamic model that can be calculated in real time. In this paper, a simple method based on the virtual work principle is proposed for modeling parallel robots. The mass matrix of the robot, needed for decoupling control strategies, does not explicitly appear in the formulation; however, it can be computed separately, based on kinetic energy considerations. The method is applied to the DELTA parallel robot, leadingmore » to a very efficient model that has been implemented in a real-time computed-torque control algorithm.« less

SU-F-BRE-05: Development and Evaluation of a Real-Time Robotic 6D Quality Assurance Phantom

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belcher, AH; Liu, X; Grelewicz, Z

Purpose: A 6 degree-of-freedom robotic phantom capable of reproducing dynamic tumor motion in 6D was designed to more effectively match solid tumor movements throughout pre-treatment scanning and radiation therapy. With the abundance of optical and x-ray 6D real-time tumor tracking methodologies clinically available, and the substantial dosimetric consequences of failing to consider tumor rotation as well as translation, this work presents the development and evaluation of a 6D instrument with the facility to improve quality assurance. Methods: An in-house designed and built 6D robotic motion phantom was constructed following the so-called Stewart-Gough parallel kinematics platform archetype. The device was thenmore » controlled using an inverse kinematics formulation, and precise movements in all six degrees of freedom (X, Y, Z, pitch, roll, and yaw) as well as previously obtained cranial motion, were effectively executed. The robotic phantom movements were verified using a 15 fps 6D infrared marker tracking system (Polaris, NDI), and quantitatively compared to the input trajectory. Thus, the accuracy and repeatability of 6D motion was investigated and the phantom performance was characterized. Results: Evaluation of the 6D platform demonstrated translational RMSE values of 0.196 mm, 0.260 mm, and 0.101 mm over 20 mm in X and Y and 10 mm in Z, respectively, and rotational RMSE values of 0.068 degrees, 0.0611 degrees, and 0.095 degrees over 10 degrees of pitch, roll, and yaw, respectively. The robotic stage also effectively performed controlled 6D motions, as well as reproduced cranial trajectories over 15 minutes, with a maximal RMSE of 0.044 mm translationally and 0.036 degrees rotationally. Conclusion: This 6D robotic phantom has proven to be accurate under clinical standards and capable of reproducing tumor motion in 6D. Consequently, such a robotics device has the potential to serve as a more effective system for IGRT QA that involves both translational and rotational dimensions. Research was partially funded by NIH Grant T32 EB002103-21 from NIBIB. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIBIB or NIH.« less

A 6-DOF parallel bone-grinding robot for cervical disc replacement surgery.

PubMed

Tian, Heqiang; Wang, Chenchen; Dang, Xiaoqing; Sun, Lining

2017-12-01

Artificial cervical disc replacement surgery has become an effective and main treatment method for cervical disease, which has become a more common and serious problem for people with sedentary work. To improve cervical disc replacement surgery significantly, a 6-DOF parallel bone-grinding robot is developed for cervical bone-grinding by image navigation and surgical plan. The bone-grinding robot including mechanical design and low level control is designed. The bone-grinding robot navigation is realized by optical positioning with spatial registration coordinate system defined. And a parametric robot bone-grinding plan and high level control have been developed for plane grinding for cervical top endplate and tail endplate grinding by a cylindrical grinding drill and spherical grinding for two articular surfaces of bones by a ball grinding drill. Finally, the surgical flow for a robot-assisted cervical disc replacement surgery procedure is present. The final experiments results verified the key technologies and performance of the robot-assisted surgery system concept excellently, which points out a promising clinical application with higher operability. Finally, study innovations, study limitations, and future works of this present study are discussed, and conclusions of this paper are also summarized further. This bone-grinding robot is still in the initial stage, and there are many problems to be solved from a clinical point of view. Moreover, the technique is promising and can give a good support for surgeons in future clinical work.

Testing of FTS fingers and interface using a passive compliant robot manipulator. [flight telerobot servicer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Antrazi, Sami S.

1992-01-01

This report deals with testing of a pair of robot fingers designed for the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) to grasp a cylinder type of Orbital Replaceable Unit (ORU) interface. The report first describes the objectives of the study and then the testbed consisting of a Stewart Platform-based manipulator equipped with a passive compliant platform which also serves as a force/torque sensor. Kinematic analysis is then performed to provide a closed-form solution for the force inverse kinematics and iterative solution for the force forward kinematics using the Newton's Raphson Method. Mathematical expressions are then derived to compute force/torques applied to the FTS fingers during the mating/demating with the interface. The report then presents the three parts of the experimental study on the feasibility and characteristics of the fingers. The first part obtains data of forces applied by the fingers to the interface under various misalignments, the second part determines the maximum allowable capture angles for mating, and the third part processes and interprets the obtained force/torque data.

Modified Denavit-Hartenberg parameters for better location of joint axis systems in robot arms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, L. K.

1986-01-01

The Denavit-Hartenberg parameters define the relative location of successive joint axis systems in a robot arm. A recent justifiable criticism is that one of these parameters becomes extremely large when two successive joints have near-parallel rotational axes. Geometrically, this parameter then locates a joint axis system at an excessive distance from the robot arm and, computationally, leads to an ill-conditioned transformation matrix. In this paper, a simple modification (which results from constraining a transverse vector between successive joint rotational axes to be normal to one of the rotational axes, instead of both) overcomes this criticism and favorably locates the joint axis system. An example is given for near-parallel rotational axes of the elbow and shoulder joints in a robot arm. The regular and modified parameters are extracted by an algebraic method with simulated measurement data. Unlike the modified parameters, extracted values of the regular parameters are very sensitive to measurement accuracy.

Serpentine Robot Model and Gait Design Using Autodesk Inventor and Simulink SimMechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel; Iman Alamsyah, Mohammad; Erwin; Tan, Sofyan

2014-03-01

The authors introduce gaits of a serpentine robot with linear expansion mechanism where the robot varies its length using joints with three degrees of freedom. The 3D model of the serpentine robot is drawed in Autocad Inventor® and exported to SimMechanics® for straighforward modeling of the kinematics. The gaits are important for robots designed to explore ruins of disasters where the working spaces are very tight. For maximum flexibility of the serpentine robot, we adopted a joint design with three parallel actuators, where the joint is capable of linear movement in the forward axis, and rotational movements around two other axes. The designed linear expansion gaits is calculated for forward movement when the robot is posing straight or turning laterally.

Design, fabrication and characterization of a micro-fluxgate intended for parallel robot application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirchhoff, M. R.; Bogdanski, G.; Büttgenbach, S.

2009-05-01

This paper presents a micro-magnetometer based on the fluxgate principle. Fluxgates detect the magnitude and direction of DC and low-frequency AC magnetic fields. The detectable flux density typically ranges from several 10 nT to about 1 mT. The introduced fluxgate sensor is fabricated using MEMS-technologies, basically UV depth lithography and electroplating for manufacturing high aspect ratio structures. It consists of helical copper coils around a soft magnetic nickel-iron (NiFe) core. The core is designed in so-called racetrack geometry, whereby the directional sensitivity of the sensor is considerably higher compared to common ring-core fluxgates. The electrical operation is based on analyzing the 2nd harmonic of the AC output signal. Configuration, manufacturing and selected characteristics of the fluxgate magnetometer are discussed in this work. The fluxgate builds the basis of an innovative angular sensor system for a parallel robot with HEXA-structure. Integrated into the passive joints of the parallel robot, the fluxgates are combined with permanent magnets rotating on the joint shafts. The magnet transmits the angular information via its magnetic orientation. In this way, the angles between the kinematic elements are measured, which allows self-calibration of the robot and the fast analytical solution of direct kinematics for an advanced workspace monitoring.

Biomimetic shoulder complex based on 3-PSS/S spherical parallel mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Yulei; Hu, Xinzhe; Zeng, Daxing; Zhou, Yulin

2015-01-01

The application of the parallel mechanism is still limited in the humanoid robot fields, and the existing parallel humanoid robot joint has not yet been reflected the characteristics of the parallel mechanism completely, also failed to solve the problem, such as small workspace, effectively. From the structural and functional bionic point of view, a three degrees of freedom(DOFs) spherical parallel mechanism for the shoulder complex of the humanoid robot is presented. According to the structure and kinetic characteristics analysis of the human shoulder complex, 3-PSS/S(P for prismatic pair, S for spherical pair) is chosen as the original configuration for the shouder complex. Using genetic algorithm, the optimization of the 3-PSS/S spherical parallel mechanism is performed, and the orientation workspace of the prototype mechanism is enlarged obviously. Combining the practical structure characteristics of the human shouder complex, an offset output mode, which means the output rod of the mechanism turn to any direction at the point a certain distance from the rotation center of the mechanism, is put forward, which provide possibility for the consistent of the workspace of the mechanism and the actual motion space of the human body shoulder joint. The relationship of the attitude angles between different coordinate system is derived, which establishs the foundation for the motion descriptions under different conditions and control development. The 3-PSS/S spherical parallel mechanism is proposed for the shoulder complex, and the consistence of the workspace of the mechanism and the human shoulder complex is realized by the stuctural parameter optimization and the offset output design.

Parallel robot for micro assembly with integrated innovative optical 3D-sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesselbach, Juergen; Ispas, Diana; Pokar, Gero; Soetebier, Sven; Tutsch, Rainer

2002-10-01

Recent advances in the fields of MEMS and MOEMS often require precise assembly of very small parts with an accuracy of a few microns. In order to meet this demand, a new approach using a robot based on parallel mechanisms in combination with a novel 3D-vision system has been chosen. The planar parallel robot structure with 2 DOF provides a high resolution in the XY-plane. It carries two additional serial axes for linear and rotational movement in/about z direction. In order to achieve high precision as well as good dynamic capabilities, the drive concept for the parallel (main) axes incorporates air bearings in combination with a linear electric servo motors. High accuracy position feedback is provided by optical encoders with a resolution of 0.1 μm. To allow for visualization and visual control of assembly processes, a camera module fits into the hollow tool head. It consists of a miniature CCD camera and a light source. In addition a modular gripper support is integrated into the tool head. To increase the accuracy a control loop based on an optoelectronic sensor will be implemented. As a result of an in-depth analysis of different approaches a photogrammetric system using one single camera and special beam-splitting optics was chosen. A pattern of elliptical marks is applied to the surfaces of workpiece and gripper. Using a model-based recognition algorithm the image processing software identifies the gripper and the workpiece and determines their relative position. A deviation vector is calculated and fed into the robot control to guide the gripper.

A hardware investigation of robotic SPECT for functional and molecular imaging onboard radiation therapy systems

PubMed Central

Yan, Susu; Bowsher, James; Tough, MengHeng; Cheng, Lin; Yin, Fang-Fang

2014-01-01

Purpose: To construct a robotic SPECT system and to demonstrate its capability to image a thorax phantom on a radiation therapy flat-top couch, as a step toward onboard functional and molecular imaging in radiation therapy. Methods: A robotic SPECT imaging system was constructed utilizing a gamma camera detector (Digirad 2020tc) and a robot (KUKA KR150 L110 robot). An imaging study was performed with a phantom (PET CT PhantomTM), which includes five spheres of 10, 13, 17, 22, and 28 mm diameters. The phantom was placed on a flat-top couch. SPECT projections were acquired either with a parallel-hole collimator or a single-pinhole collimator, both without background in the phantom and with background at 1/10th the sphere activity concentration. The imaging trajectories of parallel-hole and pinhole collimated detectors spanned 180° and 228°, respectively. The pinhole detector viewed an off-centered spherical common volume which encompassed the 28 and 22 mm spheres. The common volume for parallel-hole system was centered at the phantom which encompassed all five spheres in the phantom. The maneuverability of the robotic system was tested by navigating the detector to trace the phantom and flat-top table while avoiding collision and maintaining the closest possible proximity to the common volume. The robot base and tool coordinates were used for image reconstruction. Results: The robotic SPECT system was able to maneuver parallel-hole and pinhole collimated SPECT detectors in close proximity to the phantom, minimizing impact of the flat-top couch on detector radius of rotation. Without background, all five spheres were visible in the reconstructed parallel-hole image, while four spheres, all except the smallest one, were visible in the reconstructed pinhole image. With background, three spheres of 17, 22, and 28 mm diameters were readily observed with the parallel-hole imaging, and the targeted spheres (22 and 28 mm diameters) were readily observed in the pinhole region-of-interest imaging. Conclusions: Onboard SPECT could be achieved by a robot maneuvering a SPECT detector about patients in position for radiation therapy on a flat-top couch. The robot inherent coordinate frames could be an effective means to estimate detector pose for use in SPECT image reconstruction. PMID:25370663

The Stratonovich formulation of quantum feedback network rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gough, John E.

2016-12-01

We express the rules for forming quantum feedback networks using the Stratonovich form of quantum stochastic calculus rather than the Itō or SLH (J. E. Gough and M. R. James, "Quantum feedback networks: Hamiltonian formulation," Commun. Math. Phys. 287, 1109 (2009), J. E. Gough and M. R. James, "The Series product and its application to quantum feedforward and feedback networks," IEEE Trans. Autom. Control 54, 2530 (2009)) form. Remarkably the feedback reduction rule implies that we obtain the Schur complement of the matrix of Stratonovich coupling operators where we short out the internal input/output coefficients.

A robot arm simulation with a shared memory multiprocessor machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Sung-Soo; Chuang, Li-Ping

1989-01-01

A parallel processing scheme for a single chain robot arm is presented for high speed computation on a shared memory multiprocessor. A recursive formulation that is derived from a virtual work form of the d'Alembert equations of motion is utilized for robot arm dynamics. A joint drive system that consists of a motor rotor and gears is included in the arm dynamics model, in order to take into account gyroscopic effects due to the spinning of the rotor. The fine grain parallelism of mechanical and control subsystem models is exploited, based on independent computation associated with bodies, joint drive systems, and controllers. Efficiency and effectiveness of the parallel scheme are demonstrated through simulations of a telerobotic manipulator arm. Two different mechanical subsystem models, i.e., with and without gyroscopic effects, are compared, to show the trade-off between efficiency and accuracy.

A hardware investigation of robotic SPECT for functional and molecular imaging onboard radiation therapy systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Susu, E-mail: susu.yan@duke.edu; Tough, MengHeng; Bowsher, James

Purpose: To construct a robotic SPECT system and to demonstrate its capability to image a thorax phantom on a radiation therapy flat-top couch, as a step toward onboard functional and molecular imaging in radiation therapy. Methods: A robotic SPECT imaging system was constructed utilizing a gamma camera detector (Digirad 2020tc) and a robot (KUKA KR150 L110 robot). An imaging study was performed with a phantom (PET CT Phantom{sup TM}), which includes five spheres of 10, 13, 17, 22, and 28 mm diameters. The phantom was placed on a flat-top couch. SPECT projections were acquired either with a parallel-hole collimator ormore » a single-pinhole collimator, both without background in the phantom and with background at 1/10th the sphere activity concentration. The imaging trajectories of parallel-hole and pinhole collimated detectors spanned 180° and 228°, respectively. The pinhole detector viewed an off-centered spherical common volume which encompassed the 28 and 22 mm spheres. The common volume for parallel-hole system was centered at the phantom which encompassed all five spheres in the phantom. The maneuverability of the robotic system was tested by navigating the detector to trace the phantom and flat-top table while avoiding collision and maintaining the closest possible proximity to the common volume. The robot base and tool coordinates were used for image reconstruction. Results: The robotic SPECT system was able to maneuver parallel-hole and pinhole collimated SPECT detectors in close proximity to the phantom, minimizing impact of the flat-top couch on detector radius of rotation. Without background, all five spheres were visible in the reconstructed parallel-hole image, while four spheres, all except the smallest one, were visible in the reconstructed pinhole image. With background, three spheres of 17, 22, and 28 mm diameters were readily observed with the parallel-hole imaging, and the targeted spheres (22 and 28 mm diameters) were readily observed in the pinhole region-of-interest imaging. Conclusions: Onboard SPECT could be achieved by a robot maneuvering a SPECT detector about patients in position for radiation therapy on a flat-top couch. The robot inherent coordinate frames could be an effective means to estimate detector pose for use in SPECT image reconstruction.« less

Recombination rate variation in mice from an isolated island

PubMed Central

Wang, Richard J.; Gray, Melissa M.; Parmenter, Michelle D.; Broman, Karl W.; Payseur, Bret A.

2016-01-01

Recombination rate is a heritable trait that varies among individuals. Despite the major impact of recombination rate on patterns of genetic diversity and the efficacy of selection, natural variation in this phenotype remains poorly characterized. We present a comparison of genetic maps, sampling 1,212 meioses, from a unique population of wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) that recently colonized remote Gough Island. Crosses to a mainland reference strain (WSB/EiJ) reveal pervasive variation in recombination rate among Gough Island mice, including sub-chromosomal intervals spanning up to 28% of the genome. In spite of this high level of polymorphism, the genome-wide recombination rate does not significantly vary. In general, we find that recombination rate varies more when measured in smaller genomic intervals. Using the current standard genetic map of the laboratory mouse to polarize intervals with divergent recombination rates, we infer that the majority of evolutionary change occurred in one of the two tested lines of Gough Island mice. Our results confirm that natural populations harbor a high level of recombination rate polymorphism and highlight the disparities in recombination rate evolution across genomic scales. PMID:27864900

High-Frequency Replanning Under Uncertainty Using Parallel Sampling-Based Motion Planning

PubMed Central

Sun, Wen; Patil, Sachin; Alterovitz, Ron

2015-01-01

As sampling-based motion planners become faster, they can be re-executed more frequently by a robot during task execution to react to uncertainty in robot motion, obstacle motion, sensing noise, and uncertainty in the robot’s kinematic model. We investigate and analyze high-frequency replanning (HFR), where, during each period, fast sampling-based motion planners are executed in parallel as the robot simultaneously executes the first action of the best motion plan from the previous period. We consider discrete-time systems with stochastic nonlinear (but linearizable) dynamics and observation models with noise drawn from zero mean Gaussian distributions. The objective is to maximize the probability of success (i.e., avoid collision with obstacles and reach the goal) or to minimize path length subject to a lower bound on the probability of success. We show that, as parallel computation power increases, HFR offers asymptotic optimality for these objectives during each period for goal-oriented problems. We then demonstrate the effectiveness of HFR for holonomic and nonholonomic robots including car-like vehicles and steerable medical needles. PMID:26279645

Recombination rate variation in mice from an isolated island.

PubMed

Wang, Richard J; Gray, Melissa M; Parmenter, Michelle D; Broman, Karl W; Payseur, Bret A

2017-01-01

Recombination rate is a heritable trait that varies among individuals. Despite the major impact of recombination rate on patterns of genetic diversity and the efficacy of selection, natural variation in this phenotype remains poorly characterized. We present a comparison of genetic maps, sampling 1212 meioses, from a unique population of wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) that recently colonized remote Gough Island. Crosses to a mainland reference strain (WSB/EiJ) reveal pervasive variation in recombination rate among Gough Island mice, including subchromosomal intervals spanning up to 28% of the genome. In spite of this high level of polymorphism, the genomewide recombination rate does not significantly vary. In general, we find that recombination rate varies more when measured in smaller genomic intervals. Using the current standard genetic map of the laboratory mouse to polarize intervals with divergent recombination rates, we infer that the majority of evolutionary change occurred in one of the two tested lines of Gough Island mice. Our results confirm that natural populations harbour a high level of recombination rate polymorphism and highlight the disparities in recombination rate evolution across genomic scales. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reverse control for humanoid robot task recognition.

PubMed

Hak, Sovannara; Mansard, Nicolas; Stasse, Olivier; Laumond, Jean Paul

2012-12-01

Efficient methods to perform motion recognition have been developed using statistical tools. Those methods rely on primitive learning in a suitable space, for example, the latent space of the joint angle and/or adequate task spaces. Learned primitives are often sequential: A motion is segmented according to the time axis. When working with a humanoid robot, a motion can be decomposed into parallel subtasks. For example, in a waiter scenario, the robot has to keep some plates horizontal with one of its arms while placing a plate on the table with its free hand. Recognition can thus not be limited to one task per consecutive segment of time. The method presented in this paper takes advantage of the knowledge of what tasks the robot is able to do and how the motion is generated from this set of known controllers, to perform a reverse engineering of an observed motion. This analysis is intended to recognize parallel tasks that have been used to generate a motion. The method relies on the task-function formalism and the projection operation into the null space of a task to decouple the controllers. The approach is successfully applied on a real robot to disambiguate motion in different scenarios where two motions look similar but have different purposes.

Impedance Control of the Rehabilitation Robot Based on Sliding Mode Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jiawang; Zhou, Zude; Ai, Qingsong

As an auxiliary treatment, the 6-DOF parallel robot plays an important role in lower limb rehabilitation. In order to improve the efficiency and flexibility of the lower limb rehabilitation training, this paper studies the impedance controller based on the position control. A nonsingular terminal sliding mode control is developed to ensure the trajectory tracking precision and in contrast to traditional PID control strategy in the inner position loop, the system will be more stable. The stability of the system is proved by Lyapunov function to guarantee the convergence of the control errors. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the target impedance model and show that the parallel robot can adjust gait trajectory online according to the human-machine interaction force to meet the gait request of patients, and changing the impedance parameters can meet the demands of different stages of rehabilitation training.

Genetics of Rapid and Extreme Size Evolution in Island Mice.

PubMed

Gray, Melissa M; Parmenter, Michelle D; Hogan, Caley A; Ford, Irene; Cuthbert, Richard J; Ryan, Peter G; Broman, Karl W; Payseur, Bret A

2015-09-01

Organisms on islands provide a revealing window into the process of adaptation. Populations that colonize islands often evolve substantial differences in body size from their mainland relatives. Although the ecological drivers of this phenomenon have received considerable attention, its genetic basis remains poorly understood. We use house mice (subspecies: Mus musculus domesticus) from remote Gough Island to provide a genetic portrait of rapid and extreme size evolution. In just a few hundred generations, Gough Island mice evolved the largest body size among wild house mice from around the world. Through comparisons with a smaller-bodied wild-derived strain from the same subspecies (WSB/EiJ), we demonstrate that Gough Island mice achieve their exceptional body weight primarily by growing faster during the 6 weeks after birth. We use genetic mapping in large F(2) intercrosses between Gough Island mice and WSB/EiJ to identify 19 quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for the evolution of 16-week weight trajectories: 8 QTL for body weight and 11 QTL for growth rate. QTL exhibit modest effects that are mostly additive. We conclude that body size evolution on islands can be genetically complex, even when substantial size changes occur rapidly. In comparisons to published studies of laboratory strains of mice that were artificially selected for divergent body sizes, we discover that the overall genetic profile of size evolution in nature and in the laboratory is similar, but many contributing loci are distinct. Our results underscore the power of genetically characterizing the entire growth trajectory in wild populations and lay the foundation necessary for identifying the mutations responsible for extreme body size evolution in nature. Copyright © 2015 by the Genetics Society of America.

Trajectory control of an articulated robot with a parallel drive arm based on splines under tension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Seung-Jong

Today's industrial robots controlled by mini/micro computers are basically simple positioning devices. The positioning accuracy depends on the mathematical description of the robot configuration to place the end-effector at the desired position and orientation within the workspace and on following the specified path which requires the trajectory planner. In addition, the consideration of joint velocity, acceleration, and jerk trajectories are essential for trajectory planning of industrial robots to obtain smooth operation. The newly designed 6 DOF articulated robot with a parallel drive arm mechanism which permits the joint actuators to be placed in the same horizontal line to reduce the arm inertia and to increase load capacity and stiffness is selected. First, the forward kinematic and inverse kinematic problems are examined. The forward kinematic equations are successfully derived based on Denavit-Hartenberg notation with independent joint angle constraints. The inverse kinematic problems are solved using the arm-wrist partitioned approach with independent joint angle constraints. Three types of curve fitting methods used in trajectory planning, i.e., certain degree polynomial functions, cubic spline functions, and cubic spline functions under tension, are compared to select the best possible method to satisfy both smooth joint trajectories and positioning accuracy for a robot trajectory planner. Cubic spline functions under tension is the method selected for the new trajectory planner. This method is implemented for a 6 DOF articulated robot with a parallel drive arm mechanism to improve the smoothness of the joint trajectories and the positioning accuracy of the manipulator. Also, this approach is compared with existing trajectory planners, 4-3-4 polynomials and cubic spline functions, via circular arc motion simulations. The new trajectory planner using cubic spline functions under tension is implemented into the microprocessor based robot controller and motors to produce combined arc and straight-line motion. The simulation and experiment show interesting results by demonstrating smooth motion in both acceleration and jerk and significant improvements of positioning accuracy in trajectory planning.

Preliminary Pseudo 3-D Imagery of the State Line Fault, Stewart Valley, Nevada Using Seismic Reflection Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saldaña, S. C.; Snelson, C. M.; Taylor, W. J.; Beachly, M.; Cox, C. M.; Davis, R.; Stropky, M.; Phillips, R.; Robins, C.; Cothrun, C.

2007-12-01

The Pahrump Fault system is located in the central Basin and Range region and consists of three main fault zones: the Nopah range front fault zone, the State Line fault zone and the Spring Mountains range fault zone. The State Line fault zone is made up north-west trending dextral strike-slip faults that run parallel to the Nevada- California border. Previous geologic and geophysical studies conducted in and around Stewart Valley, located ~90 km from Las Vegas, Nevada, have constrained the location of the State Line fault zone to within a few kilometers. The goals of this project were to use seismic methods to definitively locate the northwestern most trace of the State Line fault and produce pseudo 3-D seismic cross-sections that can then be used to characterize the subsurface geometry and determine the slip of the State Line fault. During July 2007, four seismic lines were acquired in Stewart Valley: two normal and two parallel to the mapped traces of the State Line fault. Presented here are preliminary results from the two seismic lines acquired normal to the fault. These lines were acquired utilizing a 144-channel geode system with each of the 4.5 Hz vertical geophones set out at 5 m intervals to produce a 595 m long profile to the north and a 715 m long profile to the south. The vibroseis was programmed to produce an 8 s linear sweep from 20-160 Hz. These data returned excellent signal to noise and reveal subsurface lithology that will subsequently be used to resolve the subsurface geometry of the State Line fault. This knowledge will then enhance our understanding of the evolution of the State Line fault. Knowing how the State Line fault has evolved gives insight into the stick-slip fault evolution for the region and may improve understanding of how stress has been partitioned from larger strike-slip systems such as the San Andreas fault.

Genetics of Rapid and Extreme Size Evolution in Island Mice

PubMed Central

Gray, Melissa M.; Parmenter, Michelle D.; Hogan, Caley A.; Ford, Irene; Cuthbert, Richard J.; Ryan, Peter G.; Broman, Karl W.; Payseur, Bret A.

2015-01-01

Organisms on islands provide a revealing window into the process of adaptation. Populations that colonize islands often evolve substantial differences in body size from their mainland relatives. Although the ecological drivers of this phenomenon have received considerable attention, its genetic basis remains poorly understood. We use house mice (subspecies: Mus musculus domesticus) from remote Gough Island to provide a genetic portrait of rapid and extreme size evolution. In just a few hundred generations, Gough Island mice evolved the largest body size among wild house mice from around the world. Through comparisons with a smaller-bodied wild-derived strain from the same subspecies (WSB/EiJ), we demonstrate that Gough Island mice achieve their exceptional body weight primarily by growing faster during the 6 weeks after birth. We use genetic mapping in large F2 intercrosses between Gough Island mice and WSB/EiJ to identify 19 quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for the evolution of 16-week weight trajectories: 8 QTL for body weight and 11 QTL for growth rate. QTL exhibit modest effects that are mostly additive. We conclude that body size evolution on islands can be genetically complex, even when substantial size changes occur rapidly. In comparisons to published studies of laboratory strains of mice that were artificially selected for divergent body sizes, we discover that the overall genetic profile of size evolution in nature and in the laboratory is similar, but many contributing loci are distinct. Our results underscore the power of genetically characterizing the entire growth trajectory in wild populations and lay the foundation necessary for identifying the mutations responsible for extreme body size evolution in nature. PMID:26199233

Collision-induced post-plateau volcanism: Evidence from a seamount on Ontong Java Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanyu, Takeshi; Tejada, Maria Luisa G.; Shimizu, Kenji; Ishizuka, Osamu; Fujii, Toshiyuki; Kimura, Jun-Ichi; Chang, Qing; Senda, Ryoko; Miyazaki, Takashi; Hirahara, Yuka; Vaglarov, Bogdan S.; Goto, Kosuke T.; Ishikawa, Akira

2017-12-01

Many seamounts on the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) occur near the Stewart Arch, a topographic high that extends parallel to the North Solomon Trench along the southern margins of the plateau. Despite the thick sediment cover, several volcanic cones with strong acoustic reflection were discovered on the submarine flank of the Nuugurigia Seamount. From such volcanic cones, basalts were successfully sampled by dredging. Radiometric dating of basalts and ferromanganese encrustation indicate eruption age of 20-25 Ma, significantly younger than the 122 Ma main OJP plateau and post-plateau basalts. The age range coincides with the collision of the OJP with the Solomon Arc. The Nuugurigia basalts geochemically differ from any other rocks sampled on the OJP so far. They are alkali basalts with elevated Sr, low Zr and Hf, and Enriched Mantle-I (EMI)-like isotopic composition. Parental magmas of these alkali basalts may have formed by small-degree melting of peridotitic mantle impregnated with recycled pyroxenite material having enriched geochemical composition in the OJP's mantle root. We conclude that small-volume alkali basalts from the enriched mantle root migrated through faults or fractures caused by the collision along the Stewart Arch to form the seamount. Our results suggest that the collision of the OJP with the Solomon arc played an important role in the origin of similar post-plateau seamounts along the Stewart Arch.

Multisensory architectures for action-oriented perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alba, L.; Arena, P.; De Fiore, S.; Listán, J.; Patané, L.; Salem, A.; Scordino, G.; Webb, B.

2007-05-01

In order to solve the navigation problem of a mobile robot in an unstructured environment a versatile sensory system and efficient locomotion control algorithms are necessary. In this paper an innovative sensory system for action-oriented perception applied to a legged robot is presented. An important problem we address is how to utilize a large variety and number of sensors, while having systems that can operate in real time. Our solution is to use sensory systems that incorporate analog and parallel processing, inspired by biological systems, to reduce the required data exchange with the motor control layer. In particular, as concerns the visual system, we use the Eye-RIS v1.1 board made by Anafocus, which is based on a fully parallel mixed-signal array sensor-processor chip. The hearing sensor is inspired by the cricket hearing system and allows efficient localization of a specific sound source with a very simple analog circuit. Our robot utilizes additional sensors for touch, posture, load, distance, and heading, and thus requires customized and parallel processing for concurrent acquisition. Therefore a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based hardware was used to manage the multi-sensory acquisition and processing. This choice was made because FPGAs permit the implementation of customized digital logic blocks that can operate in parallel allowing the sensors to be driven simultaneously. With this approach the multi-sensory architecture proposed can achieve real time capabilities.

Error modeling and sensitivity analysis of a parallel robot with SCARA(selective compliance assembly robot arm) motions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuzhen; Xie, Fugui; Liu, Xinjun; Zhou, Yanhua

2014-07-01

Parallel robots with SCARA(selective compliance assembly robot arm) motions are utilized widely in the field of high speed pick-and-place manipulation. Error modeling for these robots generally simplifies the parallelogram structures included by the robots as a link. As the established error model fails to reflect the error feature of the parallelogram structures, the effect of accuracy design and kinematic calibration based on the error model come to be undermined. An error modeling methodology is proposed to establish an error model of parallel robots with parallelogram structures. The error model can embody the geometric errors of all joints, including the joints of parallelogram structures. Thus it can contain more exhaustively the factors that reduce the accuracy of the robot. Based on the error model and some sensitivity indices defined in the sense of statistics, sensitivity analysis is carried out. Accordingly, some atlases are depicted to express each geometric error's influence on the moving platform's pose errors. From these atlases, the geometric errors that have greater impact on the accuracy of the moving platform are identified, and some sensitive areas where the pose errors of the moving platform are extremely sensitive to the geometric errors are also figured out. By taking into account the error factors which are generally neglected in all existing modeling methods, the proposed modeling method can thoroughly disclose the process of error transmission and enhance the efficacy of accuracy design and calibration.

Research in computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortega, J. M.

1986-01-01

Various graduate research activities in the field of computer science are reported. Among the topics discussed are: (1) failure probabilities in multi-version software; (2) Gaussian Elimination on parallel computers; (3) three dimensional Poisson solvers on parallel/vector computers; (4) automated task decomposition for multiple robot arms; (5) multi-color incomplete cholesky conjugate gradient methods on the Cyber 205; and (6) parallel implementation of iterative methods for solving linear equations.

Conceptual design of a hybrid parallel mechanism for mask exchanging of TMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianping; Zhou, Hongfei; Li, Kexuan; Zhou, Zengxiang; Zhai, Chao

2015-10-01

Mask exchange system is an important part of the Multi-Object Broadband Imaging Echellette (MOBIE) on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). To solve the problem of stiffness changing with the gravity vector of the mask exchange system in the MOBIE, the hybrid parallel mechanism design method was introduced into the whole research. By using the characteristics of high stiffness and precision of parallel structure, combined with large moving range of serial structure, a conceptual design of a hybrid parallel mask exchange system based on 3-RPS parallel mechanism was presented. According to the position requirements of the MOBIE, the SolidWorks structure model of the hybrid parallel mask exchange robot was established and the appropriate installation position without interfering with the related components and light path in the MOBIE of TMT was analyzed. Simulation results in SolidWorks suggested that 3-RPS parallel platform had good stiffness property in different gravity vector directions. Furthermore, through the research of the mechanism theory, the inverse kinematics solution of the 3-RPS parallel platform was calculated and the mathematical relationship between the attitude angle of moving platform and the angle of ball-hinges on the moving platform was established, in order to analyze the attitude adjustment ability of the hybrid parallel mask exchange robot. The proposed conceptual design has some guiding significance for the design of mask exchange system of the MOBIE on TMT.

Development of wall climbing robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kojima, Hisao; Toyama, Ryousei; Kobayashi, Kengo

1992-03-01

A configuration design is presented for a wall-climbing robot with high payload which is capable of moving on diversified surfaces of walls including the wall surface to ceilings in every direction. A developed quadruped wall climbing robot, NINJYA-1, is introduced. NINJYA-1 is composed of legs based on a 3D parallel link mechanism and a VM (Valve-regulated Multiple) sucker which will be able to suck even if there are grooves and a small difference in level. A wall climbing robot which supports rescue operation at a high building using a VM sucker is also introduced. Finally, a wall climbing robot named Disk Rover with a disk-type magnetic wheel is shown. The wheel shape is calculated by FEM. The disk-type magnetic wheel has a force three times more powerful than the one heretofore in use.

Issues of planning trajectory of parallel robots taking into account zones of singularity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybak, L. A.; Khalapyan, S. Y.; Gaponenko, E. V.

2018-03-01

A method for determining the design characteristics of a parallel robot necessary to provide specified parameters of its working space that satisfy the controllability requirement is developed. The experimental verification of the proposed method was carried out using an approximate planar 3-RPR mechanism.

Careers and people

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2010-02-01

Douglas Gough of the University of Cambridge in the UK has won this year's gold medal for astronomy from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). Gough is best known for his work on stellar astrophysics, in particular for recognizing that oscillations of the Sun's surface could be used to probe its interior. He then applied the technique to other stars, coining the term "astroseismology". Meanwhile, the RAS has awarded its gold medal for geophysics to John Woodhouse of the University of Oxford. Woodhouse has advanced our theoretical understanding of the Earth's interior and helped to produce some of the first reliable maps of it. The medals and the society's other awards will be presented at its national meeting in Glasgow on 12-16 April.

Analysis of a closed-kinematic chain robot manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Pooran, Farhad J.

1988-01-01

Presented are the research results from the research grant entitled: Active Control of Robot Manipulators, sponsored by the Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA) under grant number NAG-780. This report considers a class of robot manipulators based on the closed-kinematic chain mechanism (CKCM). This type of robot manipulators mainly consists of two platforms, one is stationary and the other moving, and they are coupled together through a number of in-parallel actuators. Using spatial geometry and homogeneous transformation, a closed-form solution is derived for the inverse kinematic problem of the six-degree-of-freedom manipulator, built to study robotic assembly in space. Iterative Newton Raphson method is employed to solve the forward kinematic problem. Finally, the equations of motion of the above manipulators are obtained by employing the Lagrangian method. Study of the manipulator dynamics is performed using computer simulation whose results show that the robot actuating forces are strongly dependent on the mass and centroid locations of the robot links.

Effectiveness of the Stewart Method in the Evaluation of Blood Gas Parameters.

PubMed

Gezer, Mustafa; Bulucu, Fatih; Ozturk, Kadir; Kilic, Selim; Kaldirim, Umit; Eyi, Yusuf Emrah

2015-03-01

In 1981, Peter A. Stewart published a paper describing his concept for employing Strong Ion Difference. In this study we compared the HCO3 levels and Anion Gap (AG) calculated using the classic method and the Stewart method. Four hundred nine (409) arterial blood gases of 90 patients were collected retrospectively. Some were obtained from the same patients in different times and conditions. All blood samples were evaluated using the same device (ABL 800 Blood Gas Analyzer). HCO3 level and AG were calculated using the Stewart method via the website AcidBase.org. HCO3 levels, AG and strong ion difference (SID) were calculated using the Stewart method, incorporating the parameters of age, serum lactate, glucose, sodium, and pH, etc. According to classic method, the levels of HCO3 and AG were 22.4±7.2 mEq/L and 20.1±4.1 mEq/L respectively. According to Stewart method, the levels of HCO3 and AG were 22.6±7.4 and 19.9±4.5 mEq/L respectively. There was strong correlation between the classic method and the Stewart method for calculating HCO3 and AG. The Stewart method may be more effective in the evaluation of complex metabolic acidosis.

Robot-assisted mechanical therapy attenuates stroke-induced limb skeletal muscle injury.

PubMed

Sen, Chandan K; Khanna, Savita; Harris, Hallie; Stewart, Richard; Balch, Maria; Heigel, Mallory; Teplitsky, Seth; Gnyawali, Surya; Rink, Cameron

2017-03-01

The efficacy and optimization of poststroke physical therapy paradigms is challenged in part by a lack of objective tools available to researchers for systematic preclinical testing. This work represents a maiden effort to develop a robot-assisted mechanical therapy (RAMT) device to objectively address the significance of mechanical physiotherapy on poststroke outcomes. Wistar rats were subjected to right hemisphere middle-cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. After 24 h, rats were split into control (RAMT - ) or RAMT + groups (30 min daily RAMT over the stroke-affected gastrocnemius) and were followed up to poststroke d 14. RAMT + increased perfusion 1.5-fold in stroke-affected gastrocnemius as compared to RAMT - controls. Furthermore, RAMT + rats demonstrated improved poststroke track width (11% wider), stride length (21% longer), and travel distance (61% greater), as objectively measured using software-automated testing platforms. Stroke injury acutely increased myostatin (3-fold) and lowered brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression (0.6-fold) in the stroke-affected gastrocnemius, as compared to the contralateral one. RAMT attenuated the stroke-induced increase in myostatin and increased BDNF expression in skeletal muscle. Additional RAMT-sensitive myokine targets in skeletal muscle (IL-1ra and IP-10/CXCL10) were identified from a cytokine array. Taken together, outcomes suggest stroke acutely influences signal transduction in hindlimb skeletal muscle. Regimens based on mechanical therapy have the clear potential to protect hindlimb function from such adverse influence.-Sen, C. K., Khanna, S., Harris, H., Stewart, R., Balch, M., Heigel, M., Teplitsky, S., Gnyawali, S., Rink, C. Robot-assisted mechanical therapy attenuates stroke-induced limb skeletal muscle injury. © FASEB.

Robot-assisted mechanical therapy attenuates stroke-induced limb skeletal muscle injury

PubMed Central

Sen, Chandan K.; Khanna, Savita; Harris, Hallie; Stewart, Richard; Balch, Maria; Heigel, Mallory; Teplitsky, Seth; Gnyawali, Surya; Rink, Cameron

2017-01-01

The efficacy and optimization of poststroke physical therapy paradigms is challenged in part by a lack of objective tools available to researchers for systematic preclinical testing. This work represents a maiden effort to develop a robot-assisted mechanical therapy (RAMT) device to objectively address the significance of mechanical physiotherapy on poststroke outcomes. Wistar rats were subjected to right hemisphere middle-cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. After 24 h, rats were split into control (RAMT−) or RAMT+ groups (30 min daily RAMT over the stroke-affected gastrocnemius) and were followed up to poststroke d 14. RAMT+ increased perfusion 1.5-fold in stroke-affected gastrocnemius as compared to RAMT− controls. Furthermore, RAMT+ rats demonstrated improved poststroke track width (11% wider), stride length (21% longer), and travel distance (61% greater), as objectively measured using software-automated testing platforms. Stroke injury acutely increased myostatin (3-fold) and lowered brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression (0.6-fold) in the stroke-affected gastrocnemius, as compared to the contralateral one. RAMT attenuated the stroke-induced increase in myostatin and increased BDNF expression in skeletal muscle. Additional RAMT-sensitive myokine targets in skeletal muscle (IL-1ra and IP-10/CXCL10) were identified from a cytokine array. Taken together, outcomes suggest stroke acutely influences signal transduction in hindlimb skeletal muscle. Regimens based on mechanical therapy have the clear potential to protect hindlimb function from such adverse influence.—Sen, C. K., Khanna, S., Harris, H., Stewart, R., Balch, M., Heigel, M., Teplitsky, S., Gnyawali, S., Rink, C. Robot-assisted mechanical therapy attenuates stroke-induced limb skeletal muscle injury. PMID:27895105

Mobile Robot Self-Localization System Using Single Webcam Distance Measurement Technology in Indoor Environments

PubMed Central

Li, I-Hsum; Chen, Ming-Chang; Wang, Wei-Yen; Su, Shun-Feng; Lai, To-Wen

2014-01-01

A single-webcam distance measurement technique for indoor robot localization is proposed in this paper. The proposed localization technique uses webcams that are available in an existing surveillance environment. The developed image-based distance measurement system (IBDMS) and parallel lines distance measurement system (PLDMS) have two merits. Firstly, only one webcam is required for estimating the distance. Secondly, the set-up of IBDMS and PLDMS is easy, which only one known-dimension rectangle pattern is needed, i.e., a ground tile. Some common and simple image processing techniques, i.e., background subtraction are used to capture the robot in real time. Thus, for the purposes of indoor robot localization, the proposed method does not need to use expensive high-resolution webcams and complicated pattern recognition methods but just few simple estimating formulas. From the experimental results, the proposed robot localization method is reliable and effective in an indoor environment. PMID:24473282

Mobile robot self-localization system using single webcam distance measurement technology in indoor environments.

PubMed

Li, I-Hsum; Chen, Ming-Chang; Wang, Wei-Yen; Su, Shun-Feng; Lai, To-Wen

2014-01-27

A single-webcam distance measurement technique for indoor robot localization is proposed in this paper. The proposed localization technique uses webcams that are available in an existing surveillance environment. The developed image-based distance measurement system (IBDMS) and parallel lines distance measurement system (PLDMS) have two merits. Firstly, only one webcam is required for estimating the distance. Secondly, the set-up of IBDMS and PLDMS is easy, which only one known-dimension rectangle pattern is needed, i.e., a ground tile. Some common and simple image processing techniques, i.e., background subtraction are used to capture the robot in real time. Thus, for the purposes of indoor robot localization, the proposed method does not need to use expensive high-resolution webcams and complicated pattern recognition methods but just few simple estimating formulas. From the experimental results, the proposed robot localization method is reliable and effective in an indoor environment.

Parallel processing architecture for computing inverse differential kinematic equations of the PUMA arm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hsia, T. C.; Lu, G. Z.; Han, W. H.

1987-01-01

In advanced robot control problems, on-line computation of inverse Jacobian solution is frequently required. Parallel processing architecture is an effective way to reduce computation time. A parallel processing architecture is developed for the inverse Jacobian (inverse differential kinematic equation) of the PUMA arm. The proposed pipeline/parallel algorithm can be inplemented on an IC chip using systolic linear arrays. This implementation requires 27 processing cells and 25 time units. Computation time is thus significantly reduced.

Novel Door-opening Method for Six-legged Robots Based on Only Force Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhi-Jun; Gao, Feng; Pan, Yang

2017-09-01

Current door-opening methods are mainly developed on tracked, wheeled and biped robots by applying multi-DOF manipulators and vision systems. However, door-opening methods for six-legged robots are seldom studied, especially using 0-DOF tools to operate and only force sensing to detect. A novel door-opening method for six-legged robots is developed and implemented to the six-parallel-legged robot. The kinematic model of the six-parallel-legged robot is established and the model of measuring the positional relationship between the robot and the door is proposed. The measurement model is completely based on only force sensing. The real-time trajectory planning method and the control strategy are designed. The trajectory planning method allows the maximum angle between the sagittal axis of the robot body and the normal line of the door plane to be 45º. A 0-DOF tool mounted to the robot body is applied to operate. By integrating with the body, the tool has 6 DOFs and enough workspace to operate. The loose grasp achieved by the tool helps release the inner force in the tool. Experiments are carried out to validate the method. The results show that the method is effective and robust in opening doors wider than 1 m. This paper proposes a novel door-opening method for six-legged robots, which notably uses a 0-DOF tool and only force sensing to detect and open the door.

Kinematics Simulation Analysis of Packaging Robot with Joint Clearance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y. W.; Meng, W. J.; Wang, L. Q.; Cui, G. H.

2018-03-01

Considering the influence of joint clearance on the motion error, repeated positioning accuracy and overall position of the machine, this paper presents simulation analysis of a packaging robot — 2 degrees of freedom(DOF) planar parallel robot based on the characteristics of high precision and fast speed of packaging equipment. The motion constraint equation of the mechanism is established, and the analysis and simulation of the motion error are carried out in the case of turning the revolute clearance. The simulation results show that the size of the joint clearance will affect the movement accuracy and packaging efficiency of the packaging robot. The analysis provides a reference point of view for the packaging equipment design and selection criteria and has a great significance on the packaging industry automation.

The contact condition influence on stability and energy efficiency of quadruped robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Jingtao; Wang, Tianmiao; Gao, Feng

2008-10-01

Quadruped robot has attribute of serial and parallel manipulator with multi-loop mechanism, with more DOF of each leg and intermittent contact with ground during walking, the trot gait of quadruped robot belongs to dynamic waking, compared to the crawl gait, the walking speed is higher, but the robot becomes unstable, it is difficult to keep dynamically stable walking. In this paper, we mainly analyze the condition for the quadruped robot to realize dynamically stable walking, establish centroid orbit equation based on ZMP (Zero Moment Point) stability theory, on the other hand , we study contact impact and friction influence on stability and energy efficiency. Because of the periodic contact between foots and ground, the contact impact and friction are considered to establish spring-damp nonlinear dynamics model. Robot need to be controlled to meet ZMP stability condition and contact constraint condition. Based on the virtual prototyping model, we study control algorithm considering contact condition, the contact compensator and friction compensator are adopted. The contact force and the influence of different contact conditions on the energy efficiency during whole gait cycle are obtained.

Disturbance-Estimated Adaptive Backstepping Sliding Mode Control of a Pneumatic Muscles-Driven Ankle Rehabilitation Robot

PubMed Central

Ai, Qingsong; Zhu, Chengxiang; Zuo, Jie; Liu, Quan; Xie, Sheng Q.; Yang, Ming

2017-01-01

A rehabilitation robot plays an important role in relieving the therapists’ burden and helping patients with ankle injuries to perform more accurate and effective rehabilitation training. However, a majority of current ankle rehabilitation robots are rigid and have drawbacks in terms of complex structure, poor flexibility and lack of safety. Taking advantages of pneumatic muscles’ good flexibility and light weight, we developed a novel two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) parallel compliant ankle rehabilitation robot actuated by pneumatic muscles (PMs). To solve the PM’s nonlinear characteristics during operation and to tackle the human-robot uncertainties in rehabilitation, an adaptive backstepping sliding mode control (ABS-SMC) method is proposed in this paper. The human-robot external disturbance can be estimated by an observer, who is then used to adjust the robot output to accommodate external changes. The system stability is guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Experimental results on the compliant ankle rehabilitation robot show that the proposed ABS-SMC is able to estimate the external disturbance online and adjust the control output in real time during operation, resulting in a higher trajectory tracking accuracy and better response performance especially in dynamic conditions. PMID:29283406

Phylogenetic affinities of the Fregetta storm-petrels are not black and white.

PubMed

Robertson, Bruce C; Stephenson, Brent M; Ronconi, Robert A; Goldstien, Sharyn J; Shepherd, Lara; Tennyson, Alan; Carlile, Nicholas; Ryan, Peter G

2016-04-01

The Fregetta storm-petrels generally are regarded to comprise two species: black-bellied storm-petrels F. tropica (monotypic) breed at Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands (46-63°S), and white-bellied storm-petrels F. grallaria breed at south temperate islands (28-37°S), with four recognized subspecies. Confusion surrounds the status of birds at Gough Island (40°S), central South Atlantic, which have been attributed usually to a white-bellied form of black-bellied storm-petrel F. t. melanoleuca. We use cytochrome b and nuclear β-fibrinogen gene sequences to show that F. t. melanoleuca are present during the breeding season at Gough and islands in the nearby Tristan da Cunha archipelago (37°S), exhibiting limited divergence from F. t. tropica. We also show that there is greater diversity among F. grallaria populations, with eastern South Pacific F. g. segethi and F. g. titan differing by c. 0.011, and both differing from western South Pacific nominate F. g. grallaria by c. 0.059. The Tristan archipelago supports a population of F. grallaria closely allied to the nominate form, as well as a distinct form identified as F. g. leucogaster. Further research is needed to assess how F. grallaria and F. tropica segregate in sympatry at Tristan and Gough, and why this is the only location where both species have white-bellies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disturbance-Estimated Adaptive Backstepping Sliding Mode Control of a Pneumatic Muscles-Driven Ankle Rehabilitation Robot.

PubMed

Ai, Qingsong; Zhu, Chengxiang; Zuo, Jie; Meng, Wei; Liu, Quan; Xie, Sheng Q; Yang, Ming

2017-12-28

A rehabilitation robot plays an important role in relieving the therapists' burden and helping patients with ankle injuries to perform more accurate and effective rehabilitation training. However, a majority of current ankle rehabilitation robots are rigid and have drawbacks in terms of complex structure, poor flexibility and lack of safety. Taking advantages of pneumatic muscles' good flexibility and light weight, we developed a novel two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) parallel compliant ankle rehabilitation robot actuated by pneumatic muscles (PMs). To solve the PM's nonlinear characteristics during operation and to tackle the human-robot uncertainties in rehabilitation, an adaptive backstepping sliding mode control (ABS-SMC) method is proposed in this paper. The human-robot external disturbance can be estimated by an observer, who is then used to adjust the robot output to accommodate external changes. The system stability is guaranteed by the Lyapunov stability theorem. Experimental results on the compliant ankle rehabilitation robot show that the proposed ABS-SMC is able to estimate the external disturbance online and adjust the control output in real time during operation, resulting in a higher trajectory tracking accuracy and better response performance especially in dynamic conditions.

Laboratory on Legs: An Architecture for Adjustable Morphology with Legged Robots

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

fit within the body of the robot. Additional capabilities will largely depend upon a given activity, and should be easily reconfigurable to maximize...mobile robots, the essential units of actuation, computation, and sensing must be designed to fit within the body of the robot. Additional...PackBot,36 among others. Two parallel rails, 40 cm long and spaced at a center-to-center distance of 14 cm, span the length of the each robot’s body

Intrinsic interactive reinforcement learning - Using error-related potentials for real world human-robot interaction.

PubMed

Kim, Su Kyoung; Kirchner, Elsa Andrea; Stefes, Arne; Kirchner, Frank

2017-12-14

Reinforcement learning (RL) enables robots to learn its optimal behavioral strategy in dynamic environments based on feedback. Explicit human feedback during robot RL is advantageous, since an explicit reward function can be easily adapted. However, it is very demanding and tiresome for a human to continuously and explicitly generate feedback. Therefore, the development of implicit approaches is of high relevance. In this paper, we used an error-related potential (ErrP), an event-related activity in the human electroencephalogram (EEG), as an intrinsically generated implicit feedback (rewards) for RL. Initially we validated our approach with seven subjects in a simulated robot learning scenario. ErrPs were detected online in single trial with a balanced accuracy (bACC) of 91%, which was sufficient to learn to recognize gestures and the correct mapping between human gestures and robot actions in parallel. Finally, we validated our approach in a real robot scenario, in which seven subjects freely chose gestures and the real robot correctly learned the mapping between gestures and actions (ErrP detection (90% bACC)). In this paper, we demonstrated that intrinsically generated EEG-based human feedback in RL can successfully be used to implicitly improve gesture-based robot control during human-robot interaction. We call our approach intrinsic interactive RL.

Towards Optimal Platform-Based Robot Design for Ankle Rehabilitation: The State of the Art and Future Prospects.

PubMed

Miao, Qing; Zhang, Mingming; Wang, Congzhe; Li, Hongsheng

2018-01-01

This review aims to compare existing robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation techniques in terms of robot design. Included studies mainly consist of selected papers in two published reviews involving a variety of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation techniques. A free search was also made in Google Scholar and Scopus by using keywords "ankle ∗ ," and "robot ∗ ," and ("rehabilitat ∗ " or "treat ∗ "). The search is limited to English-language articles published between January 1980 and September 2016. Results show that existing robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation techniques can be classified into wearable exoskeleton and platform-based devices. Platform-based devices are mostly developed for the treatment of a variety of ankle musculoskeletal and neurological injuries, while wearable ones focus more on ankle-related gait training. In terms of robot design, comparative analysis indicates that an ideal ankle rehabilitation robot should have aligned rotation center as the ankle joint, appropriate workspace, and actuation torque, no matter how many degrees of freedom (DOFs) it has. Single-DOF ankle robots are mostly developed for specific applications, while multi-DOF devices are more suitable for comprehensive ankle rehabilitation exercises. Other factors including posture adjustability and sensing functions should also be considered to promote related clinical applications. An ankle rehabilitation robot with reconfigurability to maximize its functions will be a new research point towards optimal design, especially on parallel mechanisms.

Space-time modeling using environmental constraints in a mobile robot system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slack, Marc G.

1990-01-01

Grid-based models of a robot's local environment have been used by many researchers building mobile robot control systems. The attraction of grid-based models is their clear parallel between the internal model and the external world. However, the discrete nature of such representations does not match well with the continuous nature of actions and usually serves to limit the abilities of the robot. This work describes a spatial modeling system that extracts information from a grid-based representation to form a symbolic representation of the robot's local environment. The approach makes a separation between the representation provided by the sensing system and the representation used by the action system. Separation allows asynchronous operation between sensing and action in a mobile robot, as well as the generation of a more continuous representation upon which to base actions.

Evolving locomotion for a 12-DOF quadruped robot in simulated environments.

PubMed

Klaus, Gordon; Glette, Kyrre; Høvin, Mats

2013-05-01

We demonstrate the power of evolutionary robotics (ER) by comparing to a more traditional approach its performance and cost on the task of simulated robot locomotion. A novel quadruped robot is introduced, the legs of which - each having three non-coplanar degrees of freedom - are very maneuverable. Using a simplistic control architecture and a physics simulation of the robot, gaits are designed both by hand and using a highly parallel evolutionary algorithm (EA). It is found that the EA produces, in a small fraction of the time that takes to design by hand, gaits that travel at two to four times the speed of the hand-designed one. The flexibility of this approach is demonstrated by applying it across a range of differently configured simulators. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar Convection.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-30

multimode convection equations ByJ U RI TOOMR E, .fii14’tiri’ Si~ww- riVn~iNtt, of ( ’’I’’rotifui l~ iider . (’’I’rotou S0304ii V’ S D. 0. GOUGH . i rr of

Ultra wide-band localization and SLAM: a comparative study for mobile robot navigation.

PubMed

Segura, Marcelo J; Auat Cheein, Fernando A; Toibero, Juan M; Mut, Vicente; Carelli, Ricardo

2011-01-01

In this work, a comparative study between an Ultra Wide-Band (UWB) localization system and a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm is presented. Due to its high bandwidth and short pulses length, UWB potentially allows great accuracy in range measurements based on Time of Arrival (TOA) estimation. SLAM algorithms recursively estimates the map of an environment and the pose (position and orientation) of a mobile robot within that environment. The comparative study presented here involves the performance analysis of implementing in parallel an UWB localization based system and a SLAM algorithm on a mobile robot navigating within an environment. Real time results as well as error analysis are also shown in this work.

Motion control of planar parallel robot using the fuzzy descriptor system approach.

PubMed

Vermeiren, Laurent; Dequidt, Antoine; Afroun, Mohamed; Guerra, Thierry-Marie

2012-09-01

This work presents the control of a two-degree of freedom parallel robot manipulator. A quasi-LPV approach, through the so-called TS fuzzy model and LMI constraints problems is used. Moreover, in this context a way to derive interesting control laws is to keep the descriptor form of the mechanical system. Therefore, new LMI problems have to be defined that helps to reduce the conservatism of the usual results. Some relaxations are also proposed to leave the pure quadratic stability/stabilization framework. A comparison study between the classical control strategies from robotics and the control design using TS fuzzy descriptor models is carried out to show the interest of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 49780 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-15

... MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION Sunshine Act Meetings TIME AND DATE: Electronic... CONSIDERED: Discuss and vote on the candidate for Executive Director of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L.... Monroe, Executive Assistant, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, and Federal Register...

Experimental study of trajectory planning and control of a high precision robot manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Antrazi, Sami S.

1991-01-01

The kinematic and trajectory planning is presented for a 6 DOF end-effector whose design was based on the Stewart Platform mechanism. The end-effector was used as a testbed for studying robotic assembly of NASA hardware with passive compliance. Vector analysis was employed to derive a closed-form solution for the end-effector inverse kinematic transformation. A computationally efficient numerical solution was obtained for the end-effector forward kinematic transformation using Newton-Raphson method. Three trajectory planning schemes, two for fine motion and one for gross motion, were developed for the end-effector. Experiments conducted to evaluate the performance of the trajectory planning schemes showed excellent tracking quality with minimal errors. Current activities focus on implementing the developed trajectory planning schemes on mating and demating space-rated connectors and using the compliant platform to acquire forces/torques applied on the end-effector during the assembly task.

Dynamic Modeling and Interactive Performance of PARM: A Parallel Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Robot Using Impedance Control for Patients after Stroke

PubMed Central

Shi, Yingying; Misgeld, Berno J. E.

2018-01-01

The robot-assisted therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in the improvements of limb function and even activities of daily living for patients after stroke. This paper presents an interactive upper-limb rehabilitation robot with a parallel mechanism and an isometric screen embedded in the platform to display trajectories. In the dynamic modeling for impedance control, the effects of friction and inertia are reduced by introducing the principle of virtual work and derivative of Jacobian matrix. To achieve the assist-as-needed impedance control for arbitrary trajectories, the strategy based on orthogonal deviations is proposed. Simulations and experiments were performed to validate the dynamic modeling and impedance control. Besides, to investigate the influence of the impedance in practice, a subject participated in experiments and performed two types of movements with the robot, that is, rectilinear and circular movements, under four conditions, that is, with/without resistance or impedance, respectively. The results showed that the impedance and resistance affected both mean absolute error and standard deviation of movements and also demonstrated the significant differences between movements with/without impedance and resistance (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the error patterns were discussed, which suggested that the impedance environment was capable of alleviating movement deviations by compensating the synergetic inadequacy between the shoulder and elbow joints. PMID:29850004

Kinematics and dynamics of a six-degree-of-freedom robot manipulator with closed kinematic chain mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Pooran, Farhad J.

1989-01-01

This paper deals with a class of robot manipulators built based on the kinematic chain mechanism (CKCM). This class of CKCM manipulators consists of a fixed and a moving platform coupled together via a number of in-parallel actuators. A closed-form solution is derived for the inverse kinematic problem of a six-degre-of-freedom CKCM manipulator designed to study robotic applications in space. Iterative Newton-Raphson method is employed to solve the forward kinematic problem. Dynamics of the above manipulator is derived using the Lagrangian approach. Computer simulation of the dynamical equations shows that the actuating forces are strongly dependent on the mass and centroid of the robot links.

Parallel conjugate gradient algorithms for manipulator dynamic simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fijany, Amir; Scheld, Robert E.

1989-01-01

Parallel conjugate gradient algorithms for the computation of multibody dynamics are developed for the specialized case of a robot manipulator. For an n-dimensional positive-definite linear system, the Classical Conjugate Gradient (CCG) algorithms are guaranteed to converge in n iterations, each with a computation cost of O(n); this leads to a total computational cost of O(n sq) on a serial processor. A conjugate gradient algorithms is presented that provide greater efficiency using a preconditioner, which reduces the number of iterations required, and by exploiting parallelism, which reduces the cost of each iteration. Two Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) algorithms are proposed which respectively use a diagonal and a tridiagonal matrix, composed of the diagonal and tridiagonal elements of the mass matrix, as preconditioners. Parallel algorithms are developed to compute the preconditioners and their inversions in O(log sub 2 n) steps using n processors. A parallel algorithm is also presented which, on the same architecture, achieves the computational time of O(log sub 2 n) for each iteration. Simulation results for a seven degree-of-freedom manipulator are presented. Variants of the proposed algorithms are also developed which can be efficiently implemented on the Robot Mathematics Processor (RMP).

Dynamic Modeling and Interactive Performance of PARM: A Parallel Upper-Limb Rehabilitation Robot Using Impedance Control for Patients after Stroke.

PubMed

Guang, Hui; Ji, Linhong; Shi, Yingying; Misgeld, Berno J E

2018-01-01

The robot-assisted therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in the improvements of limb function and even activities of daily living for patients after stroke. This paper presents an interactive upper-limb rehabilitation robot with a parallel mechanism and an isometric screen embedded in the platform to display trajectories. In the dynamic modeling for impedance control, the effects of friction and inertia are reduced by introducing the principle of virtual work and derivative of Jacobian matrix. To achieve the assist-as-needed impedance control for arbitrary trajectories, the strategy based on orthogonal deviations is proposed. Simulations and experiments were performed to validate the dynamic modeling and impedance control. Besides, to investigate the influence of the impedance in practice, a subject participated in experiments and performed two types of movements with the robot, that is, rectilinear and circular movements, under four conditions, that is, with/without resistance or impedance, respectively. The results showed that the impedance and resistance affected both mean absolute error and standard deviation of movements and also demonstrated the significant differences between movements with/without impedance and resistance ( p < 0.001). Furthermore, the error patterns were discussed, which suggested that the impedance environment was capable of alleviating movement deviations by compensating the synergetic inadequacy between the shoulder and elbow joints.

The Origin of EM1 Signatures in Basalts From Tristan da Cunha and Gough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stracke, A.; Willbold, M.; Hemond, C.

2004-12-01

A long-standing hypothesis is that enriched mantle 1 (EM-1)-type ocean island basalt (OIB) sources contain pelagic sediments. Pelagic sediments range in composition from clays to calcareous or siliceous oozes and encompass a wide range of chemical compositions [1]. For geochemical purposes the use of the term pelagic sediments is often restricted to a special group of pelagic sediments with distinctive enrichment of Rare Earth Elements (REE). The geochemical composition of such REE-enriched pelagic sediments, however, is by no means representative of the geochemical composition of pelagic sediments in general. The extremely high REE/non-REE element ratios in REE-enriched pelagic sediments (e.g. high Lu/Hf, Sm/Hf, La/Nb, La/Th, Eu/Ti, and Gd/Ti ratios) translate into high 176Hf/177Hf ratios for given 143Nd/144Nd ratios with time. OIB sources containing this special variety of REE-enriched pelagic sediment should therefore plot above the oceanic basalt array and mixing arrays with these sources are expected to have a shallow slope in a Hf-Nd isotope diagram. Here we present new Hf-Nd isotope and trace element data for EM-1-type OIB from Tristan da Cunha and Gough in the South Atlantic Ocean. The samples from Tristan have a small range in Hf-Nd isotopic composition and plot within the oceanic basalt array in a Hf-Nd isotope diagram. Samples from Gough form a trend with a slope slightly steeper than that of the ocean basalt array in a Hf-Nd isotope diagram. OIB in general have a very restricted range in Gd/Ti and Sm/Hf ratios, and high La/Nb are associated with low Lu/Hf ratios. In detail, samples from Tristan and Gough have the lowest Lu/Hf and highest La/Nb ratios. Thus from the combined Hf-Nd isotope and trace element composition of basalts from Tristan and Gough involvement of this special variety of (REE-enriched) pelagic sediments can be excluded. Similar observations are made, and thus similar arguments hold, for other EM-1-type localities (Walvis ridge [2] and Pitcairn island [3]). Due to the considerable spread in geochemical composition of pelagic or any other group of sediments (e.g. marine sediments with a higher proportion of terrigenous components), it is difficult to attribute characteristic elemental or isotopic signatures to certain groups of sediment. Moreover, subducting sediments are complex mixtures of different types of sediment [1]. Thus it is difficult to find unique evidence either in favor of or against the involvement of sediments in general at Tristan and Gough, or any other individual OIB locality. Also, it appears highly unlikely that sub-arc processing has an equalizing effect on the composition of different subducting sediments [4]. Associating the similar isotopic characteristics of certain OIB groups and/or mantle-end-members (e.g. EM-1) to recycled sediments is therefore also problematic. [1] Plank, T. and C. H. Langmuir, Chem. Geol., 145, 325-394, 1998. [2] Salters, V. J. M. and X. Li, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 68, A554, 2004. [3] Eisele, J., M. Sharma, J. G. Galer, J. Blichert-Toft, C. W. Devey and A. W. Hofmann, Earth Plan. Sci. Lett., 196, 197-212, 2002. [4] Johnson, M. C. and T. Plank, Geochem., Geophys., Geosys., 1, pp. 29, 1999.

Underwater EVA training in the WETF with astronaut Robert L. Stewart

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Underwater extravehicular activity (EVA) training in the weightless environment training facility (WETF) with astronaut Robert L. Stewart. Stewart is simulating a planned EVA using the mobile foot restraint device and a one-G version of the Canadian-built remote manipulator system.

Towards Optimal Platform-Based Robot Design for Ankle Rehabilitation: The State of the Art and Future Prospects

PubMed Central

Li, Hongsheng

2018-01-01

This review aims to compare existing robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation techniques in terms of robot design. Included studies mainly consist of selected papers in two published reviews involving a variety of robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation techniques. A free search was also made in Google Scholar and Scopus by using keywords “ankle∗,” and “robot∗,” and (“rehabilitat∗” or “treat∗”). The search is limited to English-language articles published between January 1980 and September 2016. Results show that existing robot-assisted ankle rehabilitation techniques can be classified into wearable exoskeleton and platform-based devices. Platform-based devices are mostly developed for the treatment of a variety of ankle musculoskeletal and neurological injuries, while wearable ones focus more on ankle-related gait training. In terms of robot design, comparative analysis indicates that an ideal ankle rehabilitation robot should have aligned rotation center as the ankle joint, appropriate workspace, and actuation torque, no matter how many degrees of freedom (DOFs) it has. Single-DOF ankle robots are mostly developed for specific applications, while multi-DOF devices are more suitable for comprehensive ankle rehabilitation exercises. Other factors including posture adjustability and sensing functions should also be considered to promote related clinical applications. An ankle rehabilitation robot with reconfigurability to maximize its functions will be a new research point towards optimal design, especially on parallel mechanisms. PMID:29736230

Analysis of parameters for technological equipment of parallel kinematics based on rods of variable length for processing accuracy assurance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koltsov, A. G.; Shamutdinov, A. H.; Blokhin, D. A.; Krivonos, E. V.

2018-01-01

A new classification of parallel kinematics mechanisms on symmetry coefficient, being proportional to mechanism stiffness and accuracy of the processing product using the technological equipment under study, is proposed. A new version of the Stewart platform with a high symmetry coefficient is presented for analysis. The workspace of the mechanism under study is described, this space being a complex solid figure. The workspace end points are reached by the center of the mobile platform which moves in parallel related to the base plate. Parameters affecting the processing accuracy, namely the static and dynamic stiffness, natural vibration frequencies are determined. The capability assessment of the mechanism operation under various loads, taking into account resonance phenomena at different points of the workspace, was conducted. The study proved that stiffness and therefore, processing accuracy with the use of the above mentioned mechanisms are comparable with the stiffness and accuracy of medium-sized series-produced machines.

Astronauts McNair and Stewart prepare for reentry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Astronauts Ronald E. McNair and Robert L. Stewart prepare for the re-entry phase of the shuttle Challenger near the end of the 41-B mission. The are stationed behind the crew commander and pilot. Stewart is already wearing his helmet. McNair is stowing some of his gear.

Development of a Pneumatic Robot for MRI-guided Transperineal Prostate Biopsy and Brachytherapy: New Approaches

PubMed Central

Song, Sang-Eun; Cho, Nathan B.; Fischer, Gregory; Hata, Nobuhito; Tempany, Clare; Fichtinger, Gabor; Iordachita, Iulian

2011-01-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) guided prostate biopsy and brachytherapy has been introduced in order to enhance the cancer detection and treatment. For the accurate needle positioning, a number of robotic assistants have been developed. However, problems exist due to the strong magnetic field and limited workspace. Pneumatically actuated robots have shown the minimum distraction in the environment but the confined workspace limits optimal robot design and thus controllability is often poor. To overcome the problem, a simple external damping mechanism using timing belts was sought and a 1-DOF mechanism test result indicated sufficient positioning accuracy. Based on the damping mechanism and modular system design approach, a new workspace-optimized 4-DOF parallel robot was developed for the MRI-guided prostate biopsy and brachytherapy. A preliminary evaluation of the robot was conducted using previously developed pneumatic controller and satisfying results were obtained. PMID:21399734

Hierarchical Compliance Control of a Soft Ankle Rehabilitation Robot Actuated by Pneumatic Muscles

PubMed Central

Liu, Quan; Liu, Aiming; Meng, Wei; Ai, Qingsong; Xie, Sheng Q.

2017-01-01

Traditional compliance control of a rehabilitation robot is implemented in task space by using impedance or admittance control algorithms. The soft robot actuated by pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) is becoming prominent for patients as it enables the compliance being adjusted in each active link, which, however, has not been reported in the literature. This paper proposes a new compliance control method of a soft ankle rehabilitation robot that is driven by four PMAs configured in parallel to enable three degrees of freedom movement of the ankle joint. A new hierarchical compliance control structure, including a low-level compliance adjustment controller in joint space and a high-level admittance controller in task space, is designed. An adaptive compliance control paradigm is further developed by taking into account patient’s active contribution and movement ability during a previous period of time, in order to provide robot assistance only when it is necessarily required. Experiments on healthy and impaired human subjects were conducted to verify the adaptive hierarchical compliance control scheme. The results show that the robot hierarchical compliance can be online adjusted according to the participant’s assessment. The robot reduces its assistance output when participants contribute more and vice versa, thus providing a potentially feasible solution to the patient-in-loop cooperative training strategy. PMID:29255412

76 FR 63329 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-12

... MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION Sunshine Act Meetings TIME AND DATE: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, October 27, 2011. PLACE: The offices of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall..., Executive Director, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, and Federal Register Liaison Officer...

Hierarchical Compliance Control of a Soft Ankle Rehabilitation Robot Actuated by Pneumatic Muscles.

PubMed

Liu, Quan; Liu, Aiming; Meng, Wei; Ai, Qingsong; Xie, Sheng Q

2017-01-01

Traditional compliance control of a rehabilitation robot is implemented in task space by using impedance or admittance control algorithms. The soft robot actuated by pneumatic muscle actuators (PMAs) is becoming prominent for patients as it enables the compliance being adjusted in each active link, which, however, has not been reported in the literature. This paper proposes a new compliance control method of a soft ankle rehabilitation robot that is driven by four PMAs configured in parallel to enable three degrees of freedom movement of the ankle joint. A new hierarchical compliance control structure, including a low-level compliance adjustment controller in joint space and a high-level admittance controller in task space, is designed. An adaptive compliance control paradigm is further developed by taking into account patient's active contribution and movement ability during a previous period of time, in order to provide robot assistance only when it is necessarily required. Experiments on healthy and impaired human subjects were conducted to verify the adaptive hierarchical compliance control scheme. The results show that the robot hierarchical compliance can be online adjusted according to the participant's assessment. The robot reduces its assistance output when participants contribute more and vice versa , thus providing a potentially feasible solution to the patient-in-loop cooperative training strategy.

Planning in subsumption architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chalfant, Eugene C.

1994-01-01

A subsumption planner using a parallel distributed computational paradigm based on the subsumption architecture for control of real-world capable robots is described. Virtual sensor state space is used as a planning tool to visualize the robot's anticipated effect on its environment. Decision sequences are generated based on the environmental situation expected at the time the robot must commit to a decision. Between decision points, the robot performs in a preprogrammed manner. A rudimentary, domain-specific partial world model contains enough information to extrapolate the end results of the rote behavior between decision points. A collective network of predictors operates in parallel with the reactive network forming a recurrrent network which generates plans as a hierarchy. Details of a plan segment are generated only when its execution is imminent. The use of the subsumption planner is demonstrated by a simple maze navigation problem.

Underwater views of STS-11 crewman Robert L. Stewart during EVA training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

Underwater views of STS-11 crewman Robert L. Stewart during extravehicular activity (EVA) training in the cargo bay in the weightless environment training facility (WETF) in bldg 27. Stewart busies himself with donning and doffing of the manned maneuvering unit (MMU) in a mockup of the Shuttle's cargo bay.

Robot Hand Grips Cylinders Securely

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parma, George F.

1989-01-01

Jaws and linkage accommodate various sizes. Robot hand includes two pairs of parallel jaws that grasp rods, pipes, tubes, struts, and other long, heavy cylindrical objects. Hand features compact rotary drive and butterfly configuration simplifying approach and gripping maneuvers of robot. Parallelogram linkages maintain alignment of each jaw with other jaws. One bar of each linkage connected to one of two concentric, counterrotating shafts; rotation of shafts moves jaws in each pair toward or away from each other to grasp or release workpiece. Each jaw includes rigid gripping pad lined with rubber to give firm grip and to prevent damage to workpiece. Inner cylindrical surface (corner) of each jaw tapers off to flat sides. Enables jaw to grasp workpieces with diameters larger than or equal to twice the corner radius.

Ultra Wide-Band Localization and SLAM: A Comparative Study for Mobile Robot Navigation

PubMed Central

Segura, Marcelo J.; Auat Cheein, Fernando A.; Toibero, Juan M.; Mut, Vicente; Carelli, Ricardo

2011-01-01

In this work, a comparative study between an Ultra Wide-Band (UWB) localization system and a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm is presented. Due to its high bandwidth and short pulses length, UWB potentially allows great accuracy in range measurements based on Time of Arrival (TOA) estimation. SLAM algorithms recursively estimates the map of an environment and the pose (position and orientation) of a mobile robot within that environment. The comparative study presented here involves the performance analysis of implementing in parallel an UWB localization based system and a SLAM algorithm on a mobile robot navigating within an environment. Real time results as well as error analysis are also shown in this work. PMID:22319397

A 3-DOF parallel robot with spherical motion for the rehabilitation and evaluation of balance performance.

PubMed

Patanè, Fabrizio; Cappa, Paolo

2011-04-01

In this paper a novel electrically actuated parallel robot with three degrees-of-freedom (3 DOF) for dynamic postural studies is presented. The design has been described, the solution to the inverse kinematics has been found, and a numerical solution for the direct kinematics has been proposed. The workspace of the implemented robot is characterized by an angular range of motion of about ±10° for roll and pitch when yaw is in the range ±15°. The robot was constructed and the orientation accuracy was tested by means of an optoelectronic system and by imposing a sinusoidal input, with a frequency of 1 Hz and amplitude of 10°, along the three axes, in sequence. The collected data indicated a phase delay of 1° and an amplitude error of 0.5%-1.5%; similar values were observed for cross-axis sensitivity errors. We also conducted a clinical application on a group of normal subjects, who were standing in equilibrium on the robot base with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC), which was rotated with a tri-axial sinusoidal trajectory with a frequency of 0.5 Hz and amplitude 5° for roll and pitch and 10° for the yaw. The postural configuration of the subjects was recorded with an optoelectronic system. However, due to the mainly technical nature of this paper, only initial validation outcomes are reported here. The clinical application showed that only the tilt and displacement on the sagittal pane of head, trunk, and pelvis in the trials conducted with eyes closed were affected by drift and that the reduction of the yaw rotation and of the mediolateral translation was not a controlled parameter, as happened, instead, for the other anatomical directions.

Social Justice Leadership in Action: The Case of Tony Stewart

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canfield-Davis, Kathy; Gardiner, Mary E.; Joki, Russell A.

2009-01-01

Reflecting on the 140th anniversary of the Fourteenth Amendment (ratified July, 1868), this qualitative case study described a response by educator-activist Tony Stewart to the Aryan Nations, a neo-Nazi hate group that attempted to intimidate Stewart's community, Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, between 1972-2000. Stewart galvanized community response using…

78 FR 65960 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-04

... MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION Sunshine Act Meetings TIME AND DATE: 9:00 a.m. to... section has been updated.) PLACE: The offices of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, 130... David J. Hayes the position of Trustee Emeritus of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation...

Robot acting on moving bodies (RAMBO): Preliminary results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Larry S.; Dementhon, Daniel; Bestul, Thor; Ziavras, Sotirios; Srinivasan, H. V.; Siddalingaiah, Madju; Harwood, David

1989-01-01

A robot system called RAMBO is being developed. It is equipped with a camera, which, given a sequence of simple tasks, can perform these tasks on a moving object. RAMBO is given a complete geometric model of the object. A low level vision module extracts and groups characteristic features in images of the object. The positions of the object are determined in a sequence of images, and a motion estimate of the object is obtained. This motion estimate is used to plan trajectories of the robot tool to relative locations nearby the object sufficient for achieving the tasks. More specifically, low level vision uses parallel algorithms for image enchancement by symmetric nearest neighbor filtering, edge detection by local gradient operators, and corner extraction by sector filtering. The object pose estimation is a Hough transform method accumulating position hypotheses obtained by matching triples of image features (corners) to triples of model features. To maximize computing speed, the estimate of the position in space of a triple of features is obtained by decomposing its perspective view into a product of rotations and a scaled orthographic projection. This allows the use of 2-D lookup tables at each stage of the decomposition. The position hypotheses for each possible match of model feature triples and image feature triples are calculated in parallel. Trajectory planning combines heuristic and dynamic programming techniques. Then trajectories are created using parametric cubic splines between initial and goal trajectories. All the parallel algorithms run on a Connection Machine CM-2 with 16K processors.

Design of an auto change mechanism and intelligent gripper for the space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dehoff, Paul H.; Naik, Dipak P.

1989-01-01

Robot gripping of objects in space is inherently demanding and dangerous and nowhere is this more clearly reflected than in the design of the robot gripper. An object which escapes the gripper in a micro g environment is launched not dropped. To prevent this, the gripper must have sensors and signal processing to determine that the object is properly grasped, e.g., grip points and gripping forces and, if not, to provide information to the robot to enable closed loop corrections to be made. The sensors and sensor strategies employed in the NASA/GSFC Split-Rail Parallel Gripper are described. Objectives and requirements are given followed by the design of the sensor suite, sensor fusion techniques and supporting algorithms.

Configuration optimization and experimental accuracy evaluation of a bone-attached, parallel robot for skull surgery.

PubMed

Kobler, Jan-Philipp; Nuelle, Kathrin; Lexow, G Jakob; Rau, Thomas S; Majdani, Omid; Kahrs, Lueder A; Kotlarski, Jens; Ortmaier, Tobias

2016-03-01

Minimally invasive cochlear implantation is a novel surgical technique which requires highly accurate guidance of a drilling tool along a trajectory from the mastoid surface toward the basal turn of the cochlea. The authors propose a passive, reconfigurable, parallel robot which can be directly attached to bone anchors implanted in a patient's skull, avoiding the need for surgical tracking systems. Prior to clinical trials, methods are necessary to patient specifically optimize the configuration of the mechanism with respect to accuracy and stability. Furthermore, the achievable accuracy has to be determined experimentally. A comprehensive error model of the proposed mechanism is established, taking into account all relevant error sources identified in previous studies. Two optimization criteria to exploit the given task redundancy and reconfigurability of the passive robot are derived from the model. The achievable accuracy of the optimized robot configurations is first estimated with the help of a Monte Carlo simulation approach and finally evaluated in drilling experiments using synthetic temporal bone specimen. Experimental results demonstrate that the bone-attached mechanism exhibits a mean targeting accuracy of [Formula: see text] mm under realistic conditions. A systematic targeting error is observed, which indicates that accurate identification of the passive robot's kinematic parameters could further reduce deviations from planned drill trajectories. The accuracy of the proposed mechanism demonstrates its suitability for minimally invasive cochlear implantation. Future work will focus on further evaluation experiments on temporal bone specimen.

TH-C-17A-06: A Hardware Implementation and Evaluation of Robotic SPECT: Toward Molecular Imaging Onboard Radiation Therapy Machines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, S; Touch, M; Bowsher, J

Purpose: To construct a robotic SPECT system and demonstrate its capability to image a thorax phantom on a radiation therapy flat-top couch. The system has potential for on-board functional and molecular imaging in radiation therapy. Methods: A robotic SPECT imaging system was developed utilizing a Digirad 2020tc detector and a KUKA KR150-L110 robot. An imaging study was performed with the PET CT Phantom, which includes 5 spheres: 10, 13, 17, 22 and 28 mm in diameter. Sphere-tobackground concentration ratio was 6:1 of Tc99m. The phantom was placed on a flat-top couch. SPECT projections were acquired with a parallel-hole collimator andmore » a single pinhole collimator. The robotic system navigated the detector tracing the flat-top table to maintain the closest possible proximity to the phantom. For image reconstruction, detector trajectories were described by six parameters: radius-of-rotation, x and z detector shifts, and detector rotation θ, tilt ϕ and twist γ. These six parameters were obtained from the robotic system by calibrating the robot base and tool coordinates. Results: The robotic SPECT system was able to maneuver parallel-hole and pinhole collimated SPECT detectors in close proximity to the phantom, minimizing impact of the flat-top couch on detector-to-COR (center-ofrotation) distance. In acquisitions with background at 1/6th sphere activity concentration, photopeak contamination was heavy, yet the 17, 22, and 28 mm diameter spheres were readily observed with the parallel hole imaging, and the single, targeted sphere (28 mm diameter) was readily observed in the pinhole region-of-interest (ROI) imaging. Conclusion: Onboard SPECT could be achieved by a robot maneuvering a SPECT detector about patients in position for radiation therapy on a flat-top couch. The robot inherent coordinate frame could be an effective means to estimate detector pose for use in SPECT image reconstruction. PHS/NIH/NCI grant R21-CA156390-01A1.« less

Continuum Reconfigurable Parallel Robots for Surgery: Shape Sensing and State Estimation with Uncertainty.

PubMed

Anderson, Patrick L; Mahoney, Arthur W; Webster, Robert J

2017-07-01

This paper examines shape sensing for a new class of surgical robot that consists of parallel flexible structures that can be reconfigured inside the human body. Known as CRISP robots, these devices provide access to the human body through needle-sized entry points, yet can be configured into truss-like structures capable of dexterous movement and large force application. They can also be reconfigured as needed during a surgical procedure. Since CRISP robots are elastic, they will deform when subjected to external forces or other perturbations. In this paper, we explore how to combine sensor information with mechanics-based models for CRISP robots to estimate their shapes under applied loads. The end result is a shape sensing framework for CRISP robots that will enable future research on control under applied loads, autonomous motion, force sensing, and other robot behaviors.

HyBAR: hybrid bone-attached robot for joint arthroplasty.

PubMed

Song, S; Mor, A; Jaramaz, B

2009-06-01

A number of small bone-attached surgical robots have been introduced to overcome some disadvantages of large stand-alone surgical robots. In orthopaedics, increasing demand on minimally invasive joint replacement surgery has also been encouraging small surgical robot developments. Among various technical aspects of such an approach, optimal miniaturization that maintains structural strength for high speed bone removal was investigated. By observing advantages and disadvantages from serial and parallel robot structures, a new hybrid kinematic configuration was designed for a bone-attached robot to perform precision bone removal for cutting the femoral implant cavity during patellofemoral joint arthroplasty surgery. A series of experimental tests were conducted in order to evaluate the performance of the new robot, especially with respect to accuracy of bone preparation. A miniaturized and rigidly-structured robot prototype was developed for minimally invasive bone-attached robotic surgery. A new minimally invasive modular clamping system was also introduced to enhance the robotic procedure. Foam and pig bone experimental results demonstrated a successful implementation of the new robot that eliminated a number of major design problems of a previous prototype. For small bone-attached surgical robots that utilize high speed orthopaedic tools, structural rigidity and clamping mechanism are major design issues. The new kinematic configuration using hinged prismatic joints enabled an effective miniaturization with good structural rigidity. Although minor problems still exist at the prototype stage, the new development would be a significant step towards the practical use of such a robot.

Applying High-Speed Vision Sensing to an Industrial Robot for High-Performance Position Regulation under Uncertainties

PubMed Central

Huang, Shouren; Bergström, Niklas; Yamakawa, Yuji; Senoo, Taku; Ishikawa, Masatoshi

2016-01-01

It is traditionally difficult to implement fast and accurate position regulation on an industrial robot in the presence of uncertainties. The uncertain factors can be attributed either to the industrial robot itself (e.g., a mismatch of dynamics, mechanical defects such as backlash, etc.) or to the external environment (e.g., calibration errors, misalignment or perturbations of a workpiece, etc.). This paper proposes a systematic approach to implement high-performance position regulation under uncertainties on a general industrial robot (referred to as the main robot) with minimal or no manual teaching. The method is based on a coarse-to-fine strategy that involves configuring an add-on module for the main robot’s end effector. The add-on module consists of a 1000 Hz vision sensor and a high-speed actuator to compensate for accumulated uncertainties. The main robot only focuses on fast and coarse motion, with its trajectories automatically planned by image information from a static low-cost camera. Fast and accurate peg-and-hole alignment in one dimension was implemented as an application scenario by using a commercial parallel-link robot and an add-on compensation module with one degree of freedom (DoF). Experimental results yielded an almost 100% success rate for fast peg-in-hole manipulation (with regulation accuracy at about 0.1 mm) when the workpiece was randomly placed. PMID:27483274

In-Bore Prostate Transperineal Interventions with an MRI-guided Parallel Manipulator: System Development and Preliminary Evaluation

PubMed Central

Eslami, Sohrab; Shang, Weijian; Li, Gang; Patel, Nirav; Fischer, Gregory S.; Tokuda, Junichi; Hata, Nobuhiko; Tempany, Clare M.; Iordachita, Iulian

2015-01-01

Background The robot-assisted minimally-invasive surgery is well recognized as a feasible solution for diagnosis and treatment of the prostate cancer in human. Methods In this paper the kinematics of a parallel 4 Degrees-of-Freedom (DOF) surgical manipulator designed for minimally invasive in-bore prostate percutaneous interventions through the patient's perineum. The proposed manipulator takes advantage of 4 sliders actuated by MRI-compatible piezoelectric motors and incremental rotary encoders. Errors, mostly originating from the design and manufacturing process, need to be identified and reduced before the robot is deployed in the clinical trials. Results The manipulator has undergone several experiments to evaluate the repeatability and accuracy of the needle placement which is an essential concern in percutaneous prostate interventions. Conclusion The acquired results endorse the sustainability, precision (about 1 mm in air (in x or y direction) at the needle's reference point) and reliability of the manipulator. PMID:26111458

Motion Sickness Prevention by 8 Hz Stroboscopic Environment during Actual Air Transport

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

infancy, childhood and adolescence. London: John Libby. Blumenthal, M., Goldberg, A., & Brinkmann, J. 2000. Herbal Medicine: Expanded...Gough, E., Cardenas, R., & Miller, J. C. 2005. Sleep deprivation in humans, immunodepression and glutamine supplementation . University of

Development of rehabilitation training support system for occupational therapy of upper limb motor function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morita, Yoshifumi; Hirose, Akinori; Uno, Takashi; Uchid, Masaki; Ukai, Hiroyuki; Matsui, Nobuyuki

2007-12-01

In this paper we propose a new rehabilitation training support system for upper limbs. The proposed system enables therapists to quantitatively evaluate the therapeutic effect of upper limb motor function during training, to easily change the load of resistance of training and to easily develop a new training program suitable for the subjects. For this purpose we develop control algorithms of training programs in the 3D force display robot. The 3D force display robot has parallel link mechanism with three motors. The control algorithm simulating sanding training is developed for the 3D force display robot. Moreover the teaching/training function algorithm is developed. It enables the therapists to easily make training trajectory suitable for subject's condition. The effectiveness of the developed control algorithms is verified by experiments.

The Burning of the Peggy Stewart Scenario. ArtsEdge Curricula, Lessons and Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ewald, Eileen

This lesson intends for grade 4 students to enact a scene depicting how Anthony Stewart of Maryland had to destroy his ship, the "Peggy Stewart," and its cargo of tea because he paid taxes to the British--students will add a short scene on what they think might have happened right after the burning of the ship. The lesson presents an…

78 FR 5132 - Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-24

...) DP, Orig. County Jetport. 7-Feb-13 NY Newburgh......... Stewart Intl.... 2/8347 12/10/12 ILS OR LOC RWY 9, ILS RWY 9 (CAT II), Amdt 12. 7-Feb-13 NY Newburgh......... Stewart Intl.... 2/8348 12/10/12 RNAV (GPS) RWY 9, Amdt 1. 7-Feb-13 NY Newburgh......... Stewart Intl.... 2/8349 12/10/12 RNAV (GPS) RWY...

Analytic and Computational Studies on Micro-Propulsion and Micro-detonics

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-22

Professor. • Dr. Aslan Kasimov, PostDoctoral Research Associate (Stewart), May 2004- June 2005. • Mr. Aslan Kasimov, Graduate Student (Stewart...Short continuing as his Ph.D. advisor. 2. Research completed with AFOSR support (a ) Reseach summary: Prof. D.S. Stewart (1) A.R. Kasimov and D.S...Theory of Instability and Nonlinear Evolution of Self-Sustained Detonation Waves”. Ph.D., Spring 2004. • Mr. Dave Kessler, Graduate Student (Short

Trajectory Tracking of a Planer Parallel Manipulator by Using Computed Force Control Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayram, Atilla

2017-03-01

Despite small workspace, parallel manipulators have some advantages over their serial counterparts in terms of higher speed, acceleration, rigidity, accuracy, manufacturing cost and payload. Accordingly, this type of manipulators can be used in many applications such as in high-speed machine tools, tuning machine for feeding, sensitive cutting, assembly and packaging. This paper presents a special type of planar parallel manipulator with three degrees of freedom. It is constructed as a variable geometry truss generally known planar Stewart platform. The reachable and orientation workspaces are obtained for this manipulator. The inverse kinematic analysis is solved for the trajectory tracking according to the redundancy and joint limit avoidance. Then, the dynamics model of the manipulator is established by using Virtual Work method. The simulations are performed to follow the given planar trajectories by using the dynamic equations of the variable geometry truss manipulator and computed force control method. In computed force control method, the feedback gain matrices for PD control are tuned with fixed matrices by trail end error and variable ones by means of optimization with genetic algorithm.

Pretibial Located Stewart-Treves Syndrome: Uncommon Presentation in a Bulgarian Patient!

PubMed

Tchernev, Georgi; Yungareva, Irina; Mangarov, Hristo; Stavrov, Konstantin; Lozev, Ilia; Temelkova, Ivanka; Chernin, Svetoslav; Pidakev, Ivan; Tronnier, Michael

2018-04-15

The Stewart-Treves syndrome with localisation in the region of the lower extremities is not something unusual as clinical pathology, but the clinical diagnostics is rather difficult, and it can be further complicated maximally because of: the similar locoregional findings in patients with other cutaneous malignancies. Presented is a rare form of an epithelioid variant of the Stewart Treves syndrome in a woman, aged 81, localised in the region of the lower leg and significantly advanced only for 2 months. The diagnosis was confirmed histologically and immunohistochemically. Amputation of the affected extremity was planned. Discussed are important etiopathogenetic aspects regarding the approach in patients with lymphedema and possibility for development of the Stewart Treves syndrome. Analyzing the evidence from the literature worldwide, we concluded that perhaps the only reliable (to some extent) therapeutic option in patients with Stewart Treves Syndrome is 1) the early diagnostics and 2) the following inevitable radical excision or amputation with the maximal field of surgical security in the proximal direction.

The Charlotte (TM) intra-vehicular robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swaim, Patrick L.; Thompson, Clark J.; Campbell, Perry D.

1994-01-01

NASA has identified telerobotics and telescience as essential technologies to reduce the crew extra-vehicular activity (EVA) and intra-vehicular activity (IVA) workloads. Under this project, we are developing and flight testing a novel IVA robot to relieve the crew of tedious and routine tasks. Through ground telerobotic control of this robot, we will enable ground researchers to routinely interact with experiments in space. Our approach is to develop an IVA robot system incrementally by employing a series of flight tests with increasing complexity. This approach has the advantages of providing an early IVA capability that can assist the crew, demonstrate capabilities that ground researchers can be confident of in planning for future experiments, and allow incremental refinement of system capabilities and insertion of new technology. In parallel with this approach to flight testing, we seek to establish ground test beds, in which the requirements of payload experimenters can be further investigated. In 1993 we reviewed manifested SpaceHab experiments and defined IVA robot requirements to assist in their operation. We also examined previous IVA robot designs and assessed them against flight requirements. We rejected previous design concepts on the basis of threat to crew safety, operability, and maintainability. Based on this insight, we developed an entirely new concept for IVA robotics, the CHARLOTTE robot system. Ground based testing of a prototype version of the system has already proven its ability to perform most common tasks demanded of the crew, including operation of switches, buttons, knobs, dials, and performing video surveys of experiments and switch panels.

Cooperative crossing of traffic intersections in a distributed robot system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rausch, Alexander; Oswald, Norbert; Levi, Paul

1995-09-01

In traffic scenarios a distributed robot system has to cope with problems like resource sharing, distributed planning, distributed job scheduling, etc. While travelling along a street segment can be done autonomously by each robot, crossing of an intersection as a shared resource forces the robot to coordinate its actions with those of other robots e.g. by means of negotiations. We discuss the issue of cooperation on the design of a robot control architecture. Task and sensor specific cooperation between robots requires the robots' architectures to be interlinked at different hierarchical levels. Inside each level control cycles are running in parallel and provide fast reaction on events. Internal cooperation may occur between cycles of the same level. Altogether the architecture is matrix-shaped and contains abstract control cycles with a certain degree of autonomy. Based upon the internal structure of a cycle we consider the horizontal and vertical interconnection of cycles to form an individual architecture. Thereafter we examine the linkage of several agents and its influence on an interacting architecture. A prototypical implementation of a scenario, which combines aspects of active vision and cooperation, illustrates our approach. Two vision-guided vehicles are faced with line following, intersection recognition and negotiation.

Investigation on active vibration isolation of a Stewart platform with piezoelectric actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaoxin; Xie, Xiling; Chen, Yanhao; Zhang, Zhiyi

2016-11-01

A Stewart platform with piezoelectric actuators is presented for micro-vibration isolation. The Jacobi matrix of the Stewart platform, which reveals the relationship between the position/pointing of the payload and the extensions of the six struts, is derived by kinematic analysis. The dynamic model of the Stewart platform is established by the FRF (frequency response function) synthesis method. In the active control loop, the direct feedback of integrated forces is combined with the FxLMS based adaptive feedback to dampen vibration of inherent modes and suppress transmission of periodic vibrations. Numerical simulations were conducted to prove vibration isolation performance of the Stewart platform under random and periodical disturbances, respectively. In the experiment, the output consistencies of the six piezoelectric actuators were measured at first and the theoretical Jacobi matrix as well as the feedback gain of each piezoelectric actuator was subsequently modified according to the measured consistencies. The direct feedback loop was adjusted to achieve sufficient active damping and the FxLMS based adaptive feedback control was adopted to suppress vibration transmission in the six struts. Experimental results have demonstrated that the Stewart platform can achieve 30 dB attenuation of periodical disturbances and 10-20 dB attenuation of random disturbances in the frequency range of 5-200 Hz.

Unexpected HIMU-type late-stage volcanism on the Walvis Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Homrighausen, S.; Hoernle, K.; Geldmacher, J.; Wartho, J.-A.; Hauff, F.; Portnyagin, M.; Werner, R.; van den Bogaard, P.; Garbe-Schönberg, D.

2018-06-01

Volcanic activity at many oceanic volcanoes, ridges and plateaus often reawakens after hiatuses of up to several million years. Compared to the earlier magmatic phases, this late-stage (rejuvenated/post-erosional) volcanism is commonly characterized by a distinct geochemical composition. Late-stage volcanism raises two hitherto unanswered questions: Why does volcanism restart after an extended hiatus and what is the origin of this volcanism? Here we present the first 40Ar/39Ar age and comprehensive trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic data from seamounts located on and adjacent to the Walvis Ridge in the South Atlantic ocean basin. The Walvis Ridge is the oldest submarine part of the Tristan-Gough hotspot track and is famous as the original type locality for the enriched mantle one (EM I) end member. Consistent with the bathymetric data, the age data indicates that most of these seamounts are 20-40 Myr younger than the underlying or nearby Walvis Ridge basement. The trace element and isotope data reveal a distinct compositional range from the EM I-type basement. The composition of the seamounts extend from the St. Helena HIMU (high time-integrated 238U/204Pb mantle with radiogenic Pb isotope ratios) end member to an enriched (E) Mid-Ocean-Ridge Basalt (MORB) type composition, reflecting a two-component mixing trend on all isotope diagrams. The EMORB end member could have been generated through mixing of Walvis Ridge EM I with normal (N) MORB source mantle, reflecting interaction of Tristan-Gough (EM I-type) plume melts with the upper mantle. The long volcanic quiescence and the HIMU-like geochemical signature of the seamounts are unusual for classical hotspot related late-stage volcanism, indicating that these seamounts are not related to the Tristan-Gough hotspot volcanism. Two volcanic arrays in southwestern Africa (Gibeon-Dicker Willem and Western Cape province) display similar ages to the late-stage Walvis seamounts and also have HIMU-like compositions, suggesting a larger-scale event at ∼77-49 Ma. We propose that the EM I-like mantle plumes rise from the edges of the African Large Low Shear Velocity Province (LLSVP; Tristan-Gough, Discovery and Shona hotspot), whereas the HIMU-dominated intraplate lavas (St. Helena, Gibeon-Dicker Willem and Western Cape province) and the late-stage Walvis seamounts tap material from internal portions of the African LLSVP, suggesting possible lateral and/or vertical chemical zonation of the African LLSVP.

Transillumination

MedlinePlus

... test References Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. Examination techniques and equipment. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. Seidel's Guide to Physical ...

Decerebrate posture

MedlinePlus

... posture; Decorticate posture - decerebrate posture References Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. Neurologic system. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. ...

Hypermobile joints

MedlinePlus

... Hypermobility syndrome Images Hypermobile joints References Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. Musculoskeletal system. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. ...

Views of the extravehicular activity of Astronaut Stewart during STS 41-B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Close up frontal view of Astronaut Robert L. Stewart, mission specialist, as he participates in a extravehicular activity (EVA), a few meters away from the cabin of the shuttle Challenger. The open payload bay is reflected in his helmet visor as he faces the camera. Stewart is wearing the extravehicular mobility unit (EMU) and one of the manned maneuvering units (MMU) developed for this mission.

Research in mobile robotics at ORNL/CESAR (Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mann, R.C.; Weisbin, C.R.; Pin, F.G.

1989-01-01

This paper reviews ongoing and planned research with mobile autonomous robots at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Center for Engineering Systems Advanced Research (CESAR). Specifically we report on results obtained with the robot HERMIES-IIB in navigation, intelligent sensing, learning, and on-board parallel computing in support of these functions. We briefly summarize an experiment with HERMIES-IIB that demonstrates the capability of smooth transitions between robot autonomy and tele-operation. This experiment results from collaboration among teams at the Universities of Florida, Michigan, Tennessee, and Texas; and ORNL in a program targeted at robotics for advanced nuclear power stations. We conclude bymore » summarizing ongoing R D with our new mobile robot HERMIES-III which is equipped with a seven degree-of-freedom research manipulator arm. 12 refs., 4 figs.« less

Energy and Process Optimization Assessment, Fort Stewart, GA

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-01

ER D C/ CE R L TR -0 6 -8 Energy and Process Optimization Assessment Fort Stewart, GA John L. Vavrin, Alexander M. Zhivov, William T...distribution is unlimited. ERDC/CERL TR-06-8 April 2006 Energy and Process Optimization Assessment Fort Stewart, GA John L. Vavrin, Alexander...U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Washington, DC 20314-1000 Under Work Unit 33143 ERDC/CERL TR-06-8 ii Abstract: An Energy and Process Optimization

24 CFR 576.1 - Applicability and purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS... program contained in subtitle B of title IV of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C...

A novel design for a hybrid space manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shahinpoor, MO

1991-01-01

Described are the structural design, kinematics, and characteristics of a robot manipulator for space applications and use as an articulate and powerful space shuttle manipulator. Hybrid manipulators are parallel-serial connection robots that give rise to a multitude of highly precise robot manipulators. These manipulators are modular and can be extended by additional modules over large distances. Every module has a hemispherical work space and collective modules give rise to highly dexterous symmetrical work space. Some basic designs and kinematic structures of these robot manipulators are discussed, the associated direct and inverse kinematics formulations are presented, and solutions to the inverse kinematic problem are obtained explicitly and elaborated upon. These robot manipulators are shown to have a strength-to-weight ratio that is many times larger than the value that is currently available with industrial or research manipulators. This is due to the fact that these hybrid manipulators are stress-compensated and have an ultralight weight, yet, they are extremely stiff due to the fact that force distribution in their structure is mostly axial. Actuation is prismatic and can be provided by ball screws for maximum precision.

Robot Acting on Moving Bodies (RAMBO): Interaction with tumbling objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Larry S.; Dementhon, Daniel; Bestul, Thor; Ziavras, Sotirios; Srinivasan, H. V.; Siddalingaiah, Madhu; Harwood, David

1989-01-01

Interaction with tumbling objects will become more common as human activities in space expand. Attempting to interact with a large complex object translating and rotating in space, a human operator using only his visual and mental capacities may not be able to estimate the object motion, plan actions or control those actions. A robot system (RAMBO) equipped with a camera, which, given a sequence of simple tasks, can perform these tasks on a tumbling object, is being developed. RAMBO is given a complete geometric model of the object. A low level vision module extracts and groups characteristic features in images of the object. The positions of the object are determined in a sequence of images, and a motion estimate of the object is obtained. This motion estimate is used to plan trajectories of the robot tool to relative locations rearby the object sufficient for achieving the tasks. More specifically, low level vision uses parallel algorithms for image enhancement by symmetric nearest neighbor filtering, edge detection by local gradient operators, and corner extraction by sector filtering. The object pose estimation is a Hough transform method accumulating position hypotheses obtained by matching triples of image features (corners) to triples of model features. To maximize computing speed, the estimate of the position in space of a triple of features is obtained by decomposing its perspective view into a product of rotations and a scaled orthographic projection. This allows use of 2-D lookup tables at each stage of the decomposition. The position hypotheses for each possible match of model feature triples and image feature triples are calculated in parallel. Trajectory planning combines heuristic and dynamic programming techniques. Then trajectories are created using dynamic interpolations between initial and goal trajectories. All the parallel algorithms run on a Connection Machine CM-2 with 16K processors.

Blood pressure measurement

MedlinePlus

... pubmed/27979896 . Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW. Examination techniques and equipment. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. Seidel's Guide to Physical ...

Interpretation as Adaptation: Education for Survival in Uncertain Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, Steve; Stables, Andrew

2012-01-01

The argument challenges dominant approaches to education for sustainability through adopting a theoretical framework grounded in broad ontological realism but epistemological relativism, consonant with both Darwin and a fully semiotic account of living and learning (Stables & Gough, 2006; Stables, 2005, 2006). This framework draws together strands…

International Symposium on Gas Kinetics (8th) Held in Nottingham, England on 15-20 July 1984. Abstracts

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-20

Hall 16.00 -17.30 Tea, Hugh Stewart Hall 19.00 Buffet/Reception, Hugh Stewart Hall 19.00- 24.00 Cash bar in Hugh Stewart Hall Accesion For STATEMENT ...transfer involving highly vibrationally excited molecules J. R. Barker (SRI), T. C. Brown and K. D. King (Adelaide) 10.45-11.15 Coffee SESSION IV...D. King (Adelaide) and R. G. Gilbert (Sydney) 15.15-15.35 J4 Quantitative intermolecular energy transfer efficiencies from thermal studies C. D. Eley

Reshaping the All-Volunteer Force of the United States to Increase its Utility: A Reassessment of Over Forty Years of Experience

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-23

War] and the long campaign to ‘settle’ the Indian problem on the frontier.” Richard W. Stewart , ed., American Military His- tory Volume 1: The United...144. 6 Ibid., 167. 7 Stewart , ed., American Military History Volume I, 17. 5 structure that allowed for quick expansion. “This marked the...11 Stewart , ed., American Military History Volume 1, 304. 12 Ibid., 312. 13 Huntington, 161. The origins

Airpower, Afghanistan, and the Future of Warfare: An Alternative View

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

Air War, 15. 19. Beaumont et al., “Rout of the Taliban.” 20. Bonin , “First Year,” 30. 21. Ibid. 22. Ricks and Struck, “US Troops Coordinating...over 1,000 US conventional forces in Afghanistan when the Taliban fell. Bonin , “First Year,” 33; and Stewart, US Army in Afghanistan. 30. Secretary of... Bonin , “First Year,” 34; and Stewart, US Army in Afghanistan, 24. 50. Haas to the author, letter. 51. Stewart, US Army in Afghanistan, 24. 52. Glasser

A Parallel Randomized Clinical Trial Examining the Return of Urinary Continence after Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy with or without a Small Intestinal Submucosa Bladder Neck Sling.

PubMed

Bahler, Clinton D; Sundaram, Chandru P; Kella, Naveen; Lucas, Steven M; Boger, Michelle A; Gardner, Thomas A; Koch, Michael O

2016-07-01

Urinary continence is a driver of quality of life after radical prostatectomy. In this study we evaluated the impact of a biological bladder neck sling on the return of urinary continence after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. This study compared early continence in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with a sling and without a sling in a 2-group, 1:1, parallel, randomized controlled trial. Patients were blinded to group assignment. The primary outcome was defined as urinary continence (0 to 1 pad per day) at 1 month postoperatively. Inclusion criteria were organ confined prostate cancer and a prostate specific antigen less than 15 ng/ml. Exclusion criteria were any prior surgery on the prostate, a history of neurogenic bladder and history of pelvic radiation. A chi-squared test was used for the primary outcome. A total of 147 patients were randomized (control 74, sling 73) and 92% were available for primary end point analysis at 1 month. There were no significant differences in baseline or perioperative data except that operating room time was 20.1 minutes longer for the sling group (p=0.04). The continence rate was similar between the control and sling groups at 1 month (47.1% vs 55.2%, p=0.34) and 12 months (86.7% vs 94.5%, p=0.15), respectively. Adverse events were similar between the control and sling groups (10.8% vs 13.7%, p=0.59). The application of an absorbable urethral sling at robot-assisted radical prostatectomy was well tolerated with no increase in obstructive symptoms in this randomized trial. However, the sling failed to show a significant improvement in continence. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 38235 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Technical Amendments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-26

.... DATES: Effective Date: June 26, 2013. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Kortnee Stewart, Defense.... Kortnee Stewart, Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations System. Therefore, 48 CFR parts 225 and 252 are...

Cancer Data and Statistics Tools

MedlinePlus

... Joseph Jacqueline W. Miller Mona Saraiya Judith Lee Smith Sherri L. Stewart Mary C. White Debra Younginer ... MD, MPH Simple Singh, MD, MPH Judith Lee Smith, PhD Sherri L. Stewart, PhD Eric Tai, MD, ...

Preclinical evaluation of an MRI-compatible pneumatic robot for angulated needle placement in transperineal prostate interventions.

PubMed

Tokuda, Junichi; Song, Sang-Eun; Fischer, Gregory S; Iordachita, Iulian I; Seifabadi, Reza; Cho, Nathan B; Tuncali, Kemal; Fichtinger, Gabor; Tempany, Clare M; Hata, Nobuhiko

2012-11-01

To evaluate the targeting accuracy of a small profile MRI-compatible pneumatic robot for needle placement that can angulate a needle insertion path into a large accessible target volume. We extended our MRI-compatible pneumatic robot for needle placement to utilize its four degrees-of-freedom (4-DOF) mechanism with two parallel triangular structures and support transperineal prostate biopsies in a closed-bore magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The robot is designed to guide a needle toward a lesion so that a radiologist can manually insert it in the bore. The robot is integrated with navigation software that allows an operator to plan angulated needle insertion by selecting a target and an entry point. The targeting error was evaluated while the angle between the needle insertion path and the static magnetic field was between -5.7° and 5.7° horizontally and between -5.7° and 4.3° vertically in the MRI scanner after sterilizing and draping the device. The robot positioned the needle for angulated insertion as specified on the navigation software with overall targeting error of 0.8 ± 0.5mm along the horizontal axis and 0.8 ± 0.8mm along the vertical axis. The two-dimensional root-mean-square targeting error on the axial slices as containing the targets was 1.4mm. Our preclinical evaluation demonstrated that the MRI-compatible pneumatic robot for needle placement with the capability to angulate the needle insertion path provides targeting accuracy feasible for clinical MRI-guided prostate interventions. The clinical feasibility has to be established in a clinical study.

Robotic Assistance for Ultrasound-Guided Prostate Brachytherapy

PubMed Central

Fichtinger, Gabor; Fiene, Jonathan P.; Kennedy, Christopher W.; Kronreif, Gernot; Iordachita, Iulian; Song, Danny Y.; Burdette, Everette C.; Kazanzides, Peter

2016-01-01

We present a robotically assisted prostate brachytherapy system and test results in training phantoms and Phase-I clinical trials. The system consists of a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and a spatially co-registered robot, fully integrated with an FDA-approved commercial treatment planning system. The salient feature of the system is a small parallel robot affixed to the mounting posts of the template. The robot replaces the template interchangeably, using the same coordinate system. Established clinical hardware, workflow and calibration remain intact. In all phantom experiments, we recorded the first insertion attempt without adjustment. All clinically relevant locations in the prostate were reached. Non-parallel needle trajectories were achieved. The pre-insertion transverse and rotational errors (measured with a Polaris optical tracker relative to the template’s coordinate frame) were 0.25mm (STD=0.17mm) and 0.75° (STD=0.37°). In phantoms, needle tip placement errors measured in TRUS were 1.04mm (STD=0.50mm). A Phase-I clinical feasibility and safety trial has been successfully completed with the system. We encountered needle tip positioning errors of a magnitude greater than 4mm in only 2 out of 179 robotically guided needles, in contrast to manual template guidance where errors of this magnitude are much more common. Further clinical trials are necessary to determine whether the apparent benefits of the robotic assistant will lead to improvements in clinical efficacy and outcomes. PMID:18650122

4. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September 10, 1936 WEST ELEVATION. - Washington Anderson House, Texas Route 79 at Northeast edge of Round Rock, Round Rock, Williamson County, TX

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer May ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer May 12, 1936 SOUTHEAST ELEVATION (SOUTH FRONT AND EAST SIDE). - Baxter-Fennell House, 202 East Walnut Street, Seguin, Guadalupe County, TX

8. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer June ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

8. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer June 26, 1936 GENERAL VIEW AFTER 1919 STORM (SOUTHWEST ELEVATION). - Conrad Meuly House & Store, 210 Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, TX

3. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September 10, 1936 NORTH ELEVATION (REAR). - Washington Anderson House, Texas Route 79 at Northeast edge of Round Rock, Round Rock, Williamson County, TX

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer April ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer April 24, 1936 EAST ELEVATION (FRONT). - O'Henry House, Lone Star Brewery, 600 Lone Star Boulevard, San Antonio, Bexar County, TX

76 FR 63326 - Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-12

... Courthouse, 700 Stewart Street, Seattle, Washington, 98101-1271, and refer to United States of America v... United States Courthouse, 700 Stewart Street, Seattle, Washington, 98101-1271. In addition, the proposed...

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November 27, 1936 SOUTH ELEVATION (FRONT). - Judge Sebron G. Sneed House, Route I-35 & Bluff Springs Road, Austin, Travis County, TX

12. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer December ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

12. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer December 7, 1936 SOUTH ELEVATION OF SCHOOL (REAR). - Fort McKavett, West of Menard on Farm Road 864, Fort McKavett, Menard County, TX

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

2. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September 10, 1936 SOUTHEAST ELEVATION. - Washington Anderson House, Texas Route 79 at Northeast edge of Round Rock, Round Rock, Williamson County, TX

7. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer June ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer June 26, 1936 GENERAL VIEW PRIOR TO 1919 STORM (EAST ELEVATION). - Conrad Meuly House & Store, 210 Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, TX

Focus on South Africa. Varieties of English Around the World, Volume 15.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Klerk, Vivian, Ed.

Essays on English in South Africa and its neighboring countries include: "A History of English in South Africa" (Len Lanham); "English in South African Society: A Preliminary Overview" (Bill Branford); "Black English in South Africa" (David Gough); "Language Contact, Transmission, Shift: South African Indian…

Treatment Effects for Adolescent Struggling Readers: An Application of Moderated Mediation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Greg; Fletcher, Jack M.; Stuebing, Karla K.; Barth, Amy E.; Vaughn, Sharon

2013-01-01

This study used multigroup structural equations to evaluate the possibility that a theory-driven, evidence-based, yearlong reading program for sixth-grade struggling readers moderates the interrelationships among elements of the simple model of reading (i.e., listening comprehension, word reading, and reading comprehension; Hoover & Gough,…

Learning Mathematics through Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, John

2015-01-01

When considering the use of games for teaching mathematics, educators should distinguish between an "activity" and a "game". Gough (1999) states that "A 'game' needs to have two or more players, who take turns, each competing to achieve a 'winning' situation of some kind, each able to exercise some choice about how to move…

Kinesthetic Feedback During 2DOF Wrist Movements via a Novel MR-Compatible Robot.

PubMed

Erwin, Andrew; O'Malley, Marcia K; Ress, David; Sergi, Fabrizio

2017-09-01

We demonstrate the interaction control capabilities of the MR-SoftWrist, a novel MR-compatible robot capable of applying accurate kinesthetic feedback to wrist pointing movements executed during fMRI. The MR-SoftWrist, based on a novel design that combines parallel piezoelectric actuation with compliant force feedback, is capable of delivering 1.5 N [Formula: see text] of torque to the wrist of an interacting subject about the flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation axes. The robot workspace, defined by admissible wrist rotation angles, fully includes a circle with a 20 deg radius. Via dynamic characterization, we demonstrate capability for transparent operation with low (10% of maximum torque output) backdrivability torques at nominal speeds. Moreover, we demonstrate a 5.5 Hz stiffness control bandwidth for a 14 dB range of virtual stiffness values, corresponding to 25%-125% of the device's physical reflected stiffness in the nominal configuration. We finally validate the possibility of operation during fMRI via a case study involving one healthy subject. Our validation experiment demonstrates the capability of the device to apply kinesthetic feedback to elicit distinguishable kinetic and neural responses without significant degradation of image quality or task-induced head movements. With this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of MR-compatible devices like the MR-SoftWrist to be used in support of motor control experiments investigating wrist pointing under robot-applied force fields. Such future studies may elucidate fundamental neural mechanisms enabling robot-assisted motor skill learning, which is crucial for robot-aided neurorehabilitation.

4. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November 27, 1936 SOUTHWEST ELEVATION OF SECOND FLOOR FIREPLACE. - Judge Sebron G. Sneed House, Route I-35 & Bluff Springs Road, Austin, Travis County, TX

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September 10, 1936 SOUTH ELEVATION (FRONT). - Washington Anderson House, Texas Route 79 at Northeast edge of Round Rock, Round Rock, Williamson County, TX

32 CFR 636.29 - Go-carts, minibikes, and all terrain vehicles (ATV's).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.29 Go-carts, minibikes, and all terrain vehicles (ATV's... applicable Georgia State Law and Fort Stewart traffic laws and regulations contained in this part. (b) “Go...

The Contribution of Naming Speed to the Simple View of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Timothy C.; Kirby, John R.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether naming speed makes a contribution to the prediction of reading comprehension, after taking into account the product of word decoding and listening comprehension (i.e., the Simple View of Reading; [Gough, P.B. & Tunmer, W.E. (1986). "Remedial and Special Education 7," 6-10]), and…

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer November 27, 1936 SOUTHWEST ELEVATION (SOUTH FRONT AND WEST SIDE). - Judge Sebron G. Sneed House, Route I-35 & Bluff Springs Road, Austin, Travis County, TX

Design and Construction of an Ice-in-Tank Diurnal Ice Storage for the PX Building at Fort Stewart, GA

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-01

of a Eutectic Salt System 16 0 11 Energy Characteristics of Fort Stewart PX on a Hot Day 21 12 Peak Day Load Profile for Fort Stewart 21 13 Chiller...at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ in FY 88. An ice-shucking and a eutectic salt DIS cooling system are scheduled to be installed in the coming years. The...water, ice, or freezing eutectic salt . Ice and salt systems can be grouped • together as phase-change systems. In a recent survey of over a hundred

5. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer September 10, 1936 WEST ELEVATION OF FIREPLACE IN CENTER ROOM. - Washington Anderson House, Texas Route 79 at Northeast edge of Round Rock, Round Rock, Williamson County, TX

Quasar evolution - Not a deficit at 'low' redshifts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Avni, Y.; Schiller, N.

1983-01-01

Hawkins and Stewart (1981) have argued that the conventional interpretation of complete quasar samples in terms of a cosmological evolution of quasars is not unique. It has been suggested that these data can also be interpreted as due to a deficit in the density of quasars. Hawkins and Stewart have argued that such a deficit could be either apparent, due to an observational selection which biases against the inclusion of low-z quasars, or real, due to a lower density of quasars at low redshifts. The present investigation is concerned with this new interpretation. In order to test the interpretation of Hawkins and Stewart (1981) as directly as possible, the investigation is restricted to the same type of quasar samples considered by Hawkins and Stewart. It is found that the obtained results contradict clearly Hawkins and Stewart's assertion. Quasar evolution is not just a deficit of quasars at low redshifts, neither apparent nor real.

Automatic tracking of laparoscopic instruments for autonomous control of a cameraman robot.

PubMed

Khoiy, Keyvan Amini; Mirbagheri, Alireza; Farahmand, Farzam

2016-01-01

An automated instrument tracking procedure was designed and developed for autonomous control of a cameraman robot during laparoscopic surgery. The procedure was based on an innovative marker-free segmentation algorithm for detecting the tip of the surgical instruments in laparoscopic images. A compound measure of Saturation and Value components of HSV color space was incorporated that was enhanced further using the Hue component and some essential characteristics of the instrument segment, e.g., crossing the image boundaries. The procedure was then integrated into the controlling system of the RoboLens cameraman robot, within a triple-thread parallel processing scheme, such that the tip is always kept at the center of the image. Assessment of the performance of the system on prerecorded real surgery movies revealed an accuracy rate of 97% for high quality images and about 80% for those suffering from poor lighting and/or blood, water and smoke noises. A reasonably satisfying performance was also observed when employing the system for autonomous control of the robot in a laparoscopic surgery phantom, with a mean time delay of 200ms. It was concluded that with further developments, the proposed procedure can provide a practical solution for autonomous control of cameraman robots during laparoscopic surgery operations.

A small cable tunnel inspection robot design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xiaolong; Guo, Xiaoxue; Huang, Jiangcheng; Xiao, Jie

2017-04-01

Modern city mainly rely on internal electricity cable tunnel, this can reduce the influence of high voltage over-head lines of urban city appearance and function. In order to reduce the dangers of cable tunnel artificial inspection and high labor intensity, we design a small caterpillar chassis in combination with two degrees of freedom robot with two degrees of freedom camera pan and tilt, used in the cable tunnel inspection work. Caterpillar chassis adopts simple return roller, damping structure. Mechanical arm with three parallel shafts, finish the up and down and rotated action. Two degrees of freedom camera pan and tilt are used to monitor cable tunnel with 360 °no dead angle. It looks simple, practical and efficient.

Real-time optical flow estimation on a GPU for a skied-steered mobile robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kniaz, V. V.

2016-04-01

Accurate egomotion estimation is required for mobile robot navigation. Often the egomotion is estimated using optical flow algorithms. For an accurate estimation of optical flow most of modern algorithms require high memory resources and processor speed. However simple single-board computers that control the motion of the robot usually do not provide such resources. On the other hand, most of modern single-board computers are equipped with an embedded GPU that could be used in parallel with a CPU to improve the performance of the optical flow estimation algorithm. This paper presents a new Z-flow algorithm for efficient computation of an optical flow using an embedded GPU. The algorithm is based on the phase correlation optical flow estimation and provide a real-time performance on a low cost embedded GPU. The layered optical flow model is used. Layer segmentation is performed using graph-cut algorithm with a time derivative based energy function. Such approach makes the algorithm both fast and robust in low light and low texture conditions. The algorithm implementation for a Raspberry Pi Model B computer is discussed. For evaluation of the algorithm the computer was mounted on a Hercules mobile skied-steered robot equipped with a monocular camera. The evaluation was performed using a hardware-in-the-loop simulation and experiments with Hercules mobile robot. Also the algorithm was evaluated using KITTY Optical Flow 2015 dataset. The resulting endpoint error of the optical flow calculated with the developed algorithm was low enough for navigation of the robot along the desired trajectory.

Fused smart sensor network for multi-axis forward kinematics estimation in industrial robots.

PubMed

Rodriguez-Donate, Carlos; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Rivera-Guillen, Jesus Rooney; Romero-Troncoso, Rene de Jesus

2011-01-01

Flexible manipulator robots have a wide industrial application. Robot performance requires sensing its position and orientation adequately, known as forward kinematics. Commercially available, motion controllers use high-resolution optical encoders to sense the position of each joint which cannot detect some mechanical deformations that decrease the accuracy of the robot position and orientation. To overcome those problems, several sensor fusion methods have been proposed but at expenses of high-computational load, which avoids the online measurement of the joint's angular position and the online forward kinematics estimation. The contribution of this work is to propose a fused smart sensor network to estimate the forward kinematics of an industrial robot. The developed smart processor uses Kalman filters to filter and to fuse the information of the sensor network. Two primary sensors are used: an optical encoder, and a 3-axis accelerometer. In order to obtain the position and orientation of each joint online a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used in the hardware implementation taking advantage of the parallel computation capabilities and reconfigurability of this device. With the aim of evaluating the smart sensor network performance, three real-operation-oriented paths are executed and monitored in a 6-degree of freedom robot.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Part 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trier, James

2008-01-01

"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" is one of the best critical literacy programs on television, and in this Media Literacy column the author suggests ways that teachers can use video clips from the show in their classrooms. (For Part 1, see EJ784683.)

The origin of finches on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, central South Atlantic ocean.

PubMed

Ryan, Peter G; Klicka, Luke B; Barker, Keith F; Burns, Kevin J

2013-10-01

The Nesospiza finches of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago and Rowettia goughensis from Gough Island, 380 km distant, are both derived from tanager-finches (Thraupidae) that colonized the islands by crossing more than 3000 km of ocean from South America. Sequences from two mitochondrial and four nuclear genes indicate that the Patagonian bridled finches Melanodera are the closest relatives of the South Atlantic finches. Melanodera typically was sister to Rowettia, although some genes linked it more closely to Nesospiza. There was no evidence that Rowettia and Nesospiza are sister taxa, suggesting that the South Atlantic finches evolved from separate colonization events, as apparently was the case for moorhens Gallinula spp. at the two island groups. Genetic divergence between the two island finch genera thus provides an estimate of the maximum period of time they have been present at the islands, some 3-5 million years. A brief review of colonization histories suggests that island hopping by passerine birds is infrequent among islands more than 100-200 km apart. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A neuro-inspired spike-based PID motor controller for multi-motor robots with low cost FPGAs.

PubMed

Jimenez-Fernandez, Angel; Jimenez-Moreno, Gabriel; Linares-Barranco, Alejandro; Dominguez-Morales, Manuel J; Paz-Vicente, Rafael; Civit-Balcells, Anton

2012-01-01

In this paper we present a neuro-inspired spike-based close-loop controller written in VHDL and implemented for FPGAs. This controller has been focused on controlling a DC motor speed, but only using spikes for information representation, processing and DC motor driving. It could be applied to other motors with proper driver adaptation. This controller architecture represents one of the latest layers in a Spiking Neural Network (SNN), which implements a bridge between robotics actuators and spike-based processing layers and sensors. The presented control system fuses actuation and sensors information as spikes streams, processing these spikes in hard real-time, implementing a massively parallel information processing system, through specialized spike-based circuits. This spike-based close-loop controller has been implemented into an AER platform, designed in our labs, that allows direct control of DC motors: the AER-Robot. Experimental results evidence the viability of the implementation of spike-based controllers, and hardware synthesis denotes low hardware requirements that allow replicating this controller in a high number of parallel controllers working together to allow a real-time robot control.

Virtual Sensor for Kinematic Estimation of Flexible Links in Parallel Robots

PubMed Central

Cabanes, Itziar; Mancisidor, Aitziber; Pinto, Charles

2017-01-01

The control of flexible link parallel manipulators is still an open area of research, endpoint trajectory tracking being one of the main challenges in this type of robot. The flexibility and deformations of the limbs make the estimation of the Tool Centre Point (TCP) position a challenging one. Authors have proposed different approaches to estimate this deformation and deduce the location of the TCP. However, most of these approaches require expensive measurement systems or the use of high computational cost integration methods. This work presents a novel approach based on a virtual sensor which can not only precisely estimate the deformation of the flexible links in control applications (less than 2% error), but also its derivatives (less than 6% error in velocity and 13% error in acceleration) according to simulation results. The validity of the proposed Virtual Sensor is tested in a Delta Robot, where the position of the TCP is estimated based on the Virtual Sensor measurements with less than a 0.03% of error in comparison with the flexible approach developed in ADAMS Multibody Software. PMID:28832510

Characteristics of manipulator for industrial robot with three rotational pairs having parallel axes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poteyev, M. I.

1986-01-01

The dynamics of a manipulator with three rotatinal kinematic pairs having parallel axes are analyzed, for application in an industrial robot. The system of Lagrange equations of the second kind, describing the motion of such a mechanism in terms of kinetic energy in generalized coordinates, is reduced to equations of motion in terms of Newton's laws. These are useful not only for either determining the moments of force couples which will produce a prescribed motion or, conversely determining the motion which given force couples will produce but also for solving optimization problems under constraints in both cases and for estimating dynamic errors. As a specific example, a manipulator with all three axes of vertical rotation is considered. The performance of this manipulator, namely the parameters of its motion as functions of time, is compared with that of a manipulator having one rotational and two translational kinematic pairs. Computer aided simulation of their motion on the basis of ideal models, with all three links represented by identical homogeneous bars, has yielded velocity time diagrams which indicate that the manipulator with three rotational pairs is 4.5 times faster.

A Neuro-Inspired Spike-Based PID Motor Controller for Multi-Motor Robots with Low Cost FPGAs

PubMed Central

Jimenez-Fernandez, Angel; Jimenez-Moreno, Gabriel; Linares-Barranco, Alejandro; Dominguez-Morales, Manuel J.; Paz-Vicente, Rafael; Civit-Balcells, Anton

2012-01-01

In this paper we present a neuro-inspired spike-based close-loop controller written in VHDL and implemented for FPGAs. This controller has been focused on controlling a DC motor speed, but only using spikes for information representation, processing and DC motor driving. It could be applied to other motors with proper driver adaptation. This controller architecture represents one of the latest layers in a Spiking Neural Network (SNN), which implements a bridge between robotics actuators and spike-based processing layers and sensors. The presented control system fuses actuation and sensors information as spikes streams, processing these spikes in hard real-time, implementing a massively parallel information processing system, through specialized spike-based circuits. This spike-based close-loop controller has been implemented into an AER platform, designed in our labs, that allows direct control of DC motors: the AER-Robot. Experimental results evidence the viability of the implementation of spike-based controllers, and hardware synthesis denotes low hardware requirements that allow replicating this controller in a high number of parallel controllers working together to allow a real-time robot control. PMID:22666004

Vocabulary Does Not Complicate the Simple View of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braze, David; Katz, Leonard; Magnuson, James S.; Mencl, W. Einar; Tabor, Whitney; Van Dyke, Julie A.; Gong, Tao; Johns, Clinton L.; Shankweiler, Donald P.

2016-01-01

Gough and Tunmer's (1986) simple view of reading (SVR) proposed that reading comprehension (RC) is a function of language comprehension (LC) and word recognition/decoding. Braze et al. (2007) presented data suggesting an extension of the SVR in which knowledge of vocabulary (V) affected RC over and above the effects of LC. Tunmer and Chapman…

Development of structural schemes of parallel structure manipulators using screw calculus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashoyan, G. V.; Shalyukhin, K. A.; Gaponenko, EV

2018-03-01

The paper considers the approach to the structural analysis and synthesis of parallel structure robots based on the mathematical apparatus of groups of screws and on a concept of reciprocity of screws. The results are depicted of synthesis of parallel structure robots with different numbers of degrees of freedom, corresponding to the different groups of screws. Power screws are applied with this aim, based on the principle of static-kinematic analogy; the power screws are similar to the orts of axes of not driven kinematic pairs of a corresponding connecting chain. Accordingly, kinematic screws of the outlet chain of a robot are simultaneously determined which are reciprocal to power screws of kinematic sub-chains. Solution of certain synthesis problems is illustrated with practical applications. Closed groups of screws can have eight types. The three-membered groups of screws are of greatest significance, as well as four-membered screw groups [1] and six-membered screw groups. Three-membered screw groups correspond to progressively guiding mechanisms, to spherical mechanisms, and to planar mechanisms. The four-membered group corresponds to the motion of the SCARA robot. The six-membered group includes all possible motions. From the works of A.P. Kotelnikov, F.M. Dimentberg, it is known that closed fifth-order screw groups do not exist. The article presents examples of the mechanisms corresponding to the given groups.

MASLOW: The First Step in Coin

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-06

the populace, but with little money or King 5   supervision to achieve them. Poorly run reconstruction efforts vulnerable to corruption and...population, Stewart was told, “I don’t give a fucking monkey’s about their welfare.” (Stewart 2006) In retrospect, it’s apparent that the security

76 FR 18583 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-04

... MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION Sunshine Act Meetings TIME AND DATE: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Friday, April 15, 2011. PLACE: University of Arizona Special Collections, 1510 E. University.... Dated: March 23, 2011. Ellen K. Wheeler, Executive Director, Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall...

Six-degree-of-freedom active vibration isolation using a Stewart platform mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geng, Zheng; Haynes, Leonard S.

1993-01-01

The design and control problems of a class of multidegree-of-freedom vibration isolation systems (VISs) based on a Stewart platform mechanism are studied. A prototype of a six-degree-of-freedom VIS for precision control of a wide range of space-based structures implemented in Intelligent Automation, Inc. is described. The feasibility of using a Stewart platform to achieve 6-degree-of-freedom vibration control in space applications is shown. A new Terfenol-D actuator characterized by significantly longer stroke than any commercially available Terfenol-D actuator and direct flux and strain sensors integral to the actuator is described.

A High-Resolution Seismic Survey Across the State Line fault, NV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beachly, M.; Cox, C. M.; Saldana, S. C.; Snelson, C. M.; Taylor, W. J.; Robins, C.; Davis, R.; Stropky, M.; Phillips, R.; Cothrun, C.

2007-12-01

During the summer of 2007, an investigation of the faulting in Stewart Valley was under taken, located within the central Basin and Range province ~90 km west of Las Vegas, Nevada. The goal of this study was to resolve the seismic hazard potential of the State Line fault, a right-lateral strike-slip fault that runs the length of Stewart Valley. Four seismic reflection lines were acquired, two perpendicular and two parallel to the State Line fault. What is presented is an analysis of the western and eastern seismic lines parallel to the State Line fault. The western line was acquired utilizing a 144-channel geode system with each of the 4.5 Hz vertical geophones set out at 5 m intervals to form a 715 m long profile. The eastern line employed 120 of these geophones in a 595 m long profile. A mini-vibroseis served as the seismic source every ten meters, between geophones. The vibroseis was programmed to produce an 8 s linear sweep from 20-160 Hz. Three sweeps were recorded at each shot location without acquisition filters at a sampling rate of 0.5 ms. The three shot gathers were then stacked at each location to reduce noise. The data collected had minimal noise, although; during the processing of the eastern line a notch filtered was used to remove the 60 Hz noise created by adjacent power line. These lines, acquired parallel to the State Line fault, contain matching features that serve to determine how much lateral displacement the fault has undergone. The amount of the displacement can indicate how active the fault is, and thus, what magnitude of earthquake can be expected in the future. This will in turn contribute to determining the seismic hazard potential for southern Nevada. A preliminary interpretation of the seismic reflection sections indicates an average displacement of about 20 - 38 m with greater displacement in the deeper sections of the image. The shallow depth displacement calculations are consistent with previous work in the area. The State Line fault is believed to be a result of strain partitioning from the San Andreas Fault. By studying this more localized active strike-slip fault system the results of this study can contribute to a model that provides a better understanding of the tectonics in the central Basin and Range.

Creativity, Group Pedagogy and Social Action: A Departure from Gough

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, James; Cook, Ian; Griffiths, Helen

2008-01-01

The following paper continues discussions within this journal about how the work of Delueze and Guattari can inform radical pedagogy. Building primarily on Noel Gough's 2004 paper, we take up the challenge to move towards a more creative form of "becoming cyborg" in our teaching. In contrast to work that has focused on Deleuzian theories of the…

1. Historic American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, Photographer October ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Historic American Buildings Survey E. H. Pickering, Photographer October 1936 THE HOUSE OF HARRY DORSEY GOUGH, ONE OF THE LARGEST HOUSES IN MARYLAND. BURNED IN 1824 AND ONE HALF OF IT REBUILT. THE BEL AIR ROAD WAS ORIGINALLY HIS PRIVATE ROAD TO BALTIMORE. - Perry Hall, Perry Hall Road, U.S. Route 1 vicinity, Baltimore, Independent City, MD

Adding Scents to Symbols: Using Food Fragrances with Deafblind Young People Making Choices at Mealtimes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murdoch, Heather; Gough, Anne; Boothroyd, Eileen; Williams, Kate

2014-01-01

This article is written by Heather Murdoch, research consultant for the Seashell Trust, Anne Gough, deputy headteacher at Royal School Manchester/Seashell Trust, Eileen Boothroyd, consultant for the Seashell Trust, and Kate Williams, a creative perfumer for Seven (PZ Cussons). It describes the use of food fragrances with deafblind students who are…

78 FR 21703 - Extension of Public Review and Comment Period for the Pyramid Way and McCarran Boulevard...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-11

...., Environmental Services Division Chief, 1263 S. Stewart St., Carson City, Nevada 89712 or via email to: scooke... Division, Room 104, 1263 S. Stewart St., Carson City, NV 89712, telephone: 775-888-7013. Hard copies are...

A Response to Stewart, McElwee, and Ming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Garry L.; Yu, C. T.

2010-01-01

In a recent article published in "The Behavior Analyst," Stewart, McElwee, and Ming (2010) suggested that "scientific experts in scientific contexts" should use more "technically accurate and precise labeling" when describing the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) in published articles. They concluded by stating, "We believe that…

A Stewart isolator with high-static-low-dynamic stiffness struts based on negative stiffness magnetic springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yisheng; Li, Qingpin; Yan, Bo; Luo, Yajun; Zhang, Xinong

2018-05-01

In order to improve the isolation performance of passive Stewart platforms, the negative stiffness magnetic spring (NSMS) is employed to construct high static low dynamic stiffness (HSLDS) struts. With the NSMS, the resonance frequencies of the platform can be reduced effectively without deteriorating its load bearing capacity. The model of the Stewart isolation platform with HSLDS struts is presented and the stiffness characteristic of its struts is studied firstly. Then the nonlinear dynamic model of the platform including both geometry nonlinearity and stiffness nonlinearity is established; and its simplified dynamic model is derived under the condition of small vibration. The effect of nonlinearity on the isolation performance is also evaluated. Finally, a prototype is built and the isolation performance is tested. Both simulated and experimental results demonstrate that, by using the NSMS, the resonance frequencies of the Stewart isolator are reduced and the isolation performance in all six directions is improved: the isolation frequency band is increased and extended to a lower-frequency level.

Neuropsychological profile of a male psychiatric patient with a Morgagni-Stewart-Morel syndrome.

PubMed

Hansen, Aksel; Engelhardt, Liliana; Pleschutznig, Wolfgang; Dammann, Gerhard; Vietze, Stephanie

2015-02-01

In 1765 Giovanni Morgagni described a syndrome consisting of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI), obesity and hirsutism. In 1928 Stewart and in 1930 Morel added neuropsychiatric symptoms, e.g. depression and dementia, which led to the definition of the Morgagni-Stewart-Morel Syndrome (MSM). Although mostly women were characterized in literature no gender specifity is demanded. This case report presents the rare case of a 66 year old male psychiatric patient with Morgagni-Stewart-Morel Syndrome. The patient complained of loss of concentration and difficulties with activities of daily living. Admission diagnosis was an opioid misuse on the basis of a chronic pain syndrome. In this case report we are describing clinical features, the patient history and technical (MRI) and neuropsychological tests. Although severe psychiatric symptoms and neuropsychological deficits are commonly seen in these patients, our patient showed only mild symptoms. This case reports shows the possibility of a male patient with MSM. If MSM is a separate entity or just an epiphenomena of hormone dysregulation should be investigated in further studies.

Guessing and the Rasch Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holster, Trevor A.; Lake, J.

2016-01-01

Stewart questioned Beglar's use of Rasch analysis of the Vocabulary Size Test (VST) and advocated the use of 3-parameter logistic item response theory (3PLIRT) on the basis that it models a non-zero lower asymptote for items, often called a "guessing" parameter. In support of this theory, Stewart presented fit statistics derived from…

Research Methodologies Represented (or Not) in "AJEE"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, Noel

2014-01-01

As one of the contributors to the first issue of the "Australian Journal of Environmental Education" (AJEE) in 1984 (and to a further seven issues between 1991 and 2009), and as a sometime member of its editorial board (1991-1994) and the editorial collective that edited four issues (1999-2002), Noel Gough has been privileged to witness…

The Effect of Stresses and Challenges on ’A’ School Students’ Performance and Commitment.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

ethnic background, birth order , and size of home town. b. Personality measures were assessed using 14 scales from Gough and Heilbrun’s (1965) 300-item...sisters do yott have _ brother sL-ters 11. hat. is your birth order ? (firsc born, the third born, etc.) 12. Please circle the ausber which best

Another Demo of the Unusual Thermal Properties of Rubber

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liff, Mark I.

2010-01-01

The unusual thermal behavior of rubbers, though discovered a long time ago, can still be mind-boggling for students and teachers who encounter this class of polymeric systems. Unlike other solids, stretched elastic polymers shrink upon heating. This is a manifestation of the Gough-Joule (G-J) effect. Joule in the 1850s studied the thermal behavior…

Mathematics across the Curriculum: Poetry and the Haiku

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, John

2014-01-01

In this article, John Gough describes the "haiku" and its link to mathematics. A haiku is a short Japanese form of poetry, of three lines, with five syllables in the first, seven in the second, and five in the last. Although brief, a haiku is like a meditation on, or observation of, an experience, conveyed directly through objective…

Learning control system design based on 2-D theory - An application to parallel link manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Geng, Z.; Carroll, R. L.; Lee, J. D.; Haynes, L. H.

1990-01-01

An approach to iterative learning control system design based on two-dimensional system theory is presented. A two-dimensional model for the iterative learning control system which reveals the connections between learning control systems and two-dimensional system theory is established. A learning control algorithm is proposed, and the convergence of learning using this algorithm is guaranteed by two-dimensional stability. The learning algorithm is applied successfully to the trajectory tracking control problem for a parallel link robot manipulator. The excellent performance of this learning algorithm is demonstrated by the computer simulation results.

Robotic Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

A commercially available ANDROS Mark V-A robot was used by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as the departure point in the development of the HAZBOT III, a prototype teleoperated mobile robot designed for response to emergencies. Teleoperated robots contribute significantly to reducing human injury levels by performing tasks too hazardous for humans. ANDROS' manufacturer, REMOTEC, Inc., in turn, adopted some of the JPL concepts, particularly the control panel. HAZBOT III has exceptional mobility, employs solid state electronics and brushless DC motors for safer operation, and is designed so combustible gases cannot penetrate areas containing electronics and motors. Other features include the six-degree-of-freedom manipulator, the 30-pound squeeze force parallel jaw gripper and two video cameras, one for general viewing and navigation and the other for manipulation/grasping.

Reports from the 2011 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference, October 5-7, 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Andrea

2012-01-01

This article presents reports from the 2011 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference held on October 5-7, 2011. The first report, entitled "Online Information Literacy Instruction: Challenges and Strategies," was presented by Kristine Stewart and Kyle Denlinger, University of Missouri-Columbia. Stewart and Denlinger talk about…

Plugged in

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nealy, Michelle

2005-01-01

Five years ago, Pearl Stewart, then a roving journalist for Freedom Forum, scoured the southern region of the United States to assess student newspapers at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to help them improve. To her dismay, Stewart found many student newspapers floundering under administrative red tape and budget cuts. She…

75 FR 16197 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

... MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION Sunshine Act Meetings Time and Date: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Friday, April 16, 2010. Place: The offices of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall... More Information: Ellen K. Wheeler, Executive Director, 130 South Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701, (520...

78 FR 19362 - Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel W.L. STEWART III; Invitation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-29

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [Docket No. MARAD-2013 0026] Requested Administrative Waiver of the Coastwise Trade Laws: Vessel W.L. STEWART III; Invitation for Public Comments AGENCY....gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As described by the applicant the intended service of the vessel W.L...

Full penetrance of Morgagni-Stewart-Morel syndrome in a 75-year-old woman: case report and review of the literature.

PubMed

Attanasio, Francesca; Granziera, Serena; Giantin, Valter; Manzato, Enzo

2013-02-01

Morgagni-Stewart-Morel syndrome is defined as the presence of hyperostosis frontalis interna, variably associated with metabolic, endocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The possible cause-effect relationship of these associations remains uncertain. A 75-year-old woman presented with severe frontal headache and a history of psychotic disorders. On instrumental examination she was found to have extensive frontal hyperostosis and cortical atrophy. These findings, associated to the metabolic and neuropsychiatric pattern of the patient, are consistent with a high penetrance of Morgagni-Stewart-Morel syndrome. In this clinical case seminar, we summarize the current understanding of the association between hyperostosis frontalis interna and Morgagni-Stewart-Morel, based on a MEDLINE search (case reports, original articles, and reviews published between 1928 and 2011) on this topic. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms underlying both the headache and the hyperostosis frontalis interna are discussed. A case of full penetrance of Morgagni-Stewart-Morel syndrome is reported, presenting many of the clinical features described in the literature. Metabolic and endocrine dysfunctions should be interpreted not only as isolated components of the syndrome, but also as the reason behind its pathogenesis. Endocrine or nutritional disorders may have led to an altered bone metabolism with frontal bone apposition. On the other hand, the severity of our patient's neurological and psychiatric symptoms correlates well with the severity of her hyperostosis frontalis interna and the cortical atrophy.

Kinematics of an in-parallel actuated manipulator based on the Stewart platform mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Robert L., II

1992-01-01

This paper presents kinematic equations and solutions for an in-parallel actuated robotic mechanism based on Stewart's platform. These equations are required for inverse position and resolved rate (inverse velocity) platform control. NASA LaRC has a Vehicle Emulator System (VES) platform designed by MIT which is based on Stewart's platform. The inverse position solution is straight-forward and computationally inexpensive. Given the desired position and orientation of the moving platform with respect to the base, the lengths of the prismatic leg actuators are calculated. The forward position solution is more complicated and theoretically has 16 solutions. The position and orientation of the moving platform with respect to the base is calculated given the leg actuator lengths. Two methods are pursued in this paper to solve this problem. The resolved rate (inverse velocity) solution is derived. Given the desired Cartesian velocity of the end-effector, the required leg actuator rates are calculated. The Newton-Raphson Jacobian matrix resulting from the second forward position kinematics solution is a modified inverse Jacobian matrix. Examples and simulations are given for the VES.

Periodic activations of behaviours and emotional adaptation in behaviour-based robotics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burattini, Ernesto; Rossi, Silvia

2010-09-01

The possible modulatory influence of motivations and emotions is of great interest in designing robotic adaptive systems. In this paper, an attempt is made to connect the concept of periodic behaviour activations to emotional modulation, in order to link the variability of behaviours to the circumstances in which they are activated. The impact of emotion is studied, described as timed controlled structures, on simple but conflicting reactive behaviours. Through this approach it is shown that the introduction of such asynchronies in the robot control system may lead to an adaptation in the emergent behaviour without having an explicit action selection mechanism. The emergent behaviours of a simple robot designed with both a parallel and a hierarchical architecture are evaluated and compared.

Has Stewart approach improved our ability to diagnose acid-base disorders in critically ill patients?

PubMed

Masevicius, Fabio D; Dubin, Arnaldo

2015-02-04

The Stewart approach-the application of basic physical-chemical principles of aqueous solutions to blood-is an appealing method for analyzing acid-base disorders. These principles mainly dictate that pH is determined by three independent variables, which change primarily and independently of one other. In blood plasma in vivo these variables are: (1) the PCO2; (2) the strong ion difference (SID)-the difference between the sums of all the strong (i.e., fully dissociated, chemically nonreacting) cations and all the strong anions; and (3) the nonvolatile weak acids (Atot). Accordingly, the pH and the bicarbonate levels (dependent variables) are only altered when one or more of the independent variables change. Moreover, the source of H(+) is the dissociation of water to maintain electroneutrality when the independent variables are modified. The basic principles of the Stewart approach in blood, however, have been challenged in different ways. First, the presumed independent variables are actually interdependent as occurs in situations such as: (1) the Hamburger effect (a chloride shift when CO2 is added to venous blood from the tissues); (2) the loss of Donnan equilibrium (a chloride shift from the interstitium to the intravascular compartment to balance the decrease of Atot secondary to capillary leak; and (3) the compensatory response to a primary disturbance in either independent variable. Second, the concept of water dissociation in response to changes in SID is controversial and lacks experimental evidence. In addition, the Stewart approach is not better than the conventional method for understanding acid-base disorders such as hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis secondary to a chloride-rich-fluid load. Finally, several attempts were performed to demonstrate the clinical superiority of the Stewart approach. These studies, however, have severe methodological drawbacks. In contrast, the largest study on this issue indicated the interchangeability of the Stewart and conventional methods. Although the introduction of the Stewart approach was a new insight into acid-base physiology, the method has not significantly improved our ability to understand, diagnose, and treat acid-base alterations in critically ill patients.

75 FR 63513 - Sunshine Act Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-15

... MORRIS K. UDALL AND STEWART L. UDALL FOUNDATION Sunshine Act Meetings Time and Date: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Friday, October 29, 2010. PLACE: The offices of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall... Person for More Information: Ellen K. Wheeler, Executive Director, 130 South Scott Avenue, Tucson, AZ...

Proceedings of the international conference on cybernetics and societ

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1985-01-01

This book presents the papers given at a conference on artificial intelligence, expert systems and knowledge bases. Topics considered at the conference included automating expert system development, modeling expert systems, causal maps, data covariances, robot vision, image processing, multiprocessors, parallel processing, VLSI structures, man-machine systems, human factors engineering, cognitive decision analysis, natural language, computerized control systems, and cybernetics.

Accurate multi-robot targeting for keyhole neurosurgery based on external sensor monitoring.

PubMed

Comparetti, Mirko Daniele; Vaccarella, Alberto; Dyagilev, Ilya; Shoham, Moshe; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; De Momi, Elena

2012-05-01

Robotics has recently been introduced in surgery to improve intervention accuracy, to reduce invasiveness and to allow new surgical procedures. In this framework, the ROBOCAST system is an optically surveyed multi-robot chain aimed at enhancing the accuracy of surgical probe insertion during keyhole neurosurgery procedures. The system encompasses three robots, connected as a multiple kinematic chain (serial and parallel), totalling 13 degrees of freedom, and it is used to automatically align the probe onto a desired planned trajectory. The probe is then inserted in the brain, towards the planned target, by means of a haptic interface. This paper presents a new iterative targeting approach to be used in surgical robotic navigation, where the multi-robot chain is used to align the surgical probe to the planned pose, and an external sensor is used to decrease the alignment errors. The iterative targeting was tested in an operating room environment using a skull phantom, and the targets were selected on magnetic resonance images. The proposed targeting procedure allows about 0.3 mm to be obtained as the residual median Euclidean distance between the planned and the desired targets, thus satisfying the surgical accuracy requirements (1 mm), due to the resolution of the diffused medical images. The performances proved to be independent of the robot optical sensor calibration accuracy.

A Response to Annette Gough and Jesse Bazzul. Subverting Subjectivity: An Anti-Neoliberal Reformulation of Science Education for Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levinson, Ralph

2017-01-01

In responding to Jesse Bazzul's and Annette Gough's articles I maintain that contemporary positivist science curricula cannot address the urgent issues of sustainability and biopower that confront us. Drawing on the writings and interpretations of Emmanuel Levinas I argue that contemplating the meaning of responsibility to the Other is a radically…

Development of the Navy Computer Adaptive Personality Scales (NCAPS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

Psychological Inventory (CPI) 20 Gough & Bradley (1996) Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) 11 Tellegen (1982) O*NET Work Styles 17 Borman...Force enlisted personnel. Social astuteness also has conceptual overlap with the CPI Psychological Mindedness scale. The CPI Psychological Mindedness...scale had internal consistency reliability of α = .62 (n = 6,000; 3,000 males and 3,000 females). The Psychological Mindedness scale had a 1- year

Identification of spinal tissues loaded by manual therapy: a robot-based serial dissection technique applied in porcine motion segments.

PubMed

Kawchuk, Gregory N; Carrasco, Alejandro; Beecher, Grayson; Goertzen, Darrell; Prasad, Narasimha

2010-10-15

Serial dissection of porcine motion segments during robotic control of vertebral kinematics. To identify which spinal tissues are loaded in response to manual therapy (manipulation and mobilization) and to what magnitude. Various theoretical constructs attempt to explain how manual therapies load specific spinal tissues. By using a parallel robot to control vertebral kinematics during serial dissection, it is possible to quantify the loads experienced by discrete spinal tissues undergoing common therapeutic procedures such as manual therapy. In 9 porcine cadavers, manual therapy was provided to L3 and the kinematic response of L3-L4 recorded. The exact kinematic trajectory experienced by L3-L4 in response to manual therapy was then replayed to the isolated segment by a parallel robot equipped with a 6-axis load cell. Discrete spinal tissues were then removed and the kinematic pathway replayed. The change in forces and moments following tissue removal were considered to be those applied to that specific tissue by manual therapy. In this study, both manual therapies affected spinal tissues. The intervertebral disc experienced the greatest forces and moments arising from both manipulation and mobilization. This study is the first to identify which tissues are loaded in response to manual therapy. The observation that manual therapy loads some tissues to a much greater magnitude than others offers a possible explanation for its modest treatment effect; only conditions involving these tissues may be influenced by manual therapy. Future studies are planned to determine if manual therapy can be altered to target (or avoid) specific spinal tissues.

Fused Smart Sensor Network for Multi-Axis Forward Kinematics Estimation in Industrial Robots

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Donate, Carlos; Osornio-Rios, Roque Alfredo; Rivera-Guillen, Jesus Rooney; de Jesus Romero-Troncoso, Rene

2011-01-01

Flexible manipulator robots have a wide industrial application. Robot performance requires sensing its position and orientation adequately, known as forward kinematics. Commercially available, motion controllers use high-resolution optical encoders to sense the position of each joint which cannot detect some mechanical deformations that decrease the accuracy of the robot position and orientation. To overcome those problems, several sensor fusion methods have been proposed but at expenses of high-computational load, which avoids the online measurement of the joint’s angular position and the online forward kinematics estimation. The contribution of this work is to propose a fused smart sensor network to estimate the forward kinematics of an industrial robot. The developed smart processor uses Kalman filters to filter and to fuse the information of the sensor network. Two primary sensors are used: an optical encoder, and a 3-axis accelerometer. In order to obtain the position and orientation of each joint online a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is used in the hardware implementation taking advantage of the parallel computation capabilities and reconfigurability of this device. With the aim of evaluating the smart sensor network performance, three real-operation-oriented paths are executed and monitored in a 6-degree of freedom robot. PMID:22163850

77 FR 48419 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-14

...;Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each #0;week. #0; #0; #0; #0;#0... Branch, ANE-173, FAA, New York Aircraft Certification Office, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury... York ACO, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, New York 11590; telephone 516-228-7300; fax 516-794...

Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Iron Removal and Adsorptive Media U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at Stewart, MN, Final Performance Evaluation Report

EPA Science Inventory

This report documents the activities performed and the results obtained from the one-year U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) arsenic removal technology demonstration project at the Stewart, MN facility. The main objective of the project was to evaluate the effectiveness ...

Learning for a Change: Exploring the Relationship between Education and Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vare, Paul; Scott, William

2007-01-01

Whether we view sustainable development as our greatest challenge or a subversive litany, every phase of education is now being urged to declare its support for education for sustainable development (ESD). In this paper, we explore the ideas behind ESD and, building on work by Foster and by Scott and Gough, we argue that it is necessary now to…

Musical Interlude

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radda, Chuck

2005-01-01

In this article, the author describes his use of an old obsolete and quaintly archaic form of entertainment in order to create a more lively academic discussion. He introduced the songs of Scottish folk/pop singer, Al Stewart, as an effective teaching tool in his class. Students listened to several Al Stewart songs: (1) "A League of Notions"--a…

A First Look at Sandra Day O'Connor and the First Amendment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Thomas A.

First Amendment students were unhappy to see Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart retire because his voting record demonstrated a favorable attitude toward freedom of speech and press. His replacement, Sandra Day O'Connor, was predicted to be a conservative or moderate who probably would vote consistently with Stewart in other areas, but her…

76 FR 33777 - Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Middlesex County, CT; Comprehensive Conservation...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-09

... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R5-R-2011-N043; BAC-4311-K9-S3] Stewart... comments. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intend to prepare a comprehensive... the message. Fax: Attention: Bill Perry, 413-253-8468. U.S. Mail: Bill Perry, Refuge Planner, U.S...

Switch for serial or parallel communication networks

DOEpatents

Crosette, D.B.

1994-07-19

A communication switch apparatus and a method for use in a geographically extensive serial, parallel or hybrid communication network linking a multi-processor or parallel processing system has a very low software processing overhead in order to accommodate random burst of high density data. Associated with each processor is a communication switch. A data source and a data destination, a sensor suite or robot for example, may also be associated with a switch. The configuration of the switches in the network are coordinated through a master processor node and depends on the operational phase of the multi-processor network: data acquisition, data processing, and data exchange. The master processor node passes information on the state to be assumed by each switch to the processor node associated with the switch. The processor node then operates a series of multi-state switches internal to each communication switch. The communication switch does not parse and interpret communication protocol and message routing information. During a data acquisition phase, the communication switch couples sensors producing data to the processor node associated with the switch, to a downlink destination on the communications network, or to both. It also may couple an uplink data source to its processor node. During the data exchange phase, the switch couples its processor node or an uplink data source to a downlink destination (which may include a processor node or a robot), or couples an uplink source to its processor node and its processor node to a downlink destination. 9 figs.

Evaluation of parallel reduction strategies for fusion of sensory information from a robot team

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyons, Damian M.; Leroy, Joseph

2015-05-01

The advantage of using a team of robots to search or to map an area is that by navigating the robots to different parts of the area, searching or mapping can be completed more quickly. A crucial aspect of the problem is the combination, or fusion, of data from team members to generate an integrated model of the search/mapping area. In prior work we looked at the issue of removing mutual robots views from an integrated point cloud model built from laser and stereo sensors, leading to a cleaner and more accurate model. This paper addresses a further challenge: Even with mutual views removed, the stereo data from a team of robots can quickly swamp a WiFi connection. This paper proposes and evaluates a communication and fusion approach based on the parallel reduction operation, where data is combined in a series of steps of increasing subsets of the team. Eight different strategies for selecting the subsets are evaluated for bandwidth requirements using three robot missions, each carried out with teams of four Pioneer 3-AT robots. Our results indicate that selecting groups to combine based on similar pose but distant location yields the best results.

Necessary Relief: The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akins, Julie

Despite the positive contributions of the 1987 Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (the McKinney Act), Federal emergency aid has failed to keep pace with the growing need for assistance. Less than one year after the passage of the McKinney Act, progress has been made toward meeting the emergency need for food, shelter, and health care…

Jon Stewart Comes to Class: The Learning Effects of "America (The Book)" in Introduction to American Government Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumgartner, Jody C.; Morris, Jonathan S.

2008-01-01

This project posits that incorporating political humor into the classroom can have a positive effect on learning in higher education. Specifically, we present preliminary findings from a quasi-experiment in which a humorous, "mock" textbook titled America (The Book) (Stewart, Karlin, and Javerbaum 2004) was incorporated into Introduction to…

ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER BY IRON REMOVAL AND ADSORPTIVE MEDIA USEPA DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT STEWART, MN. SIX-MONTH EVALUATION REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

This report documents the activities performed and the results obtained from the first six months of the EPA arsenic removal technology demonstration project at the Stewart, MN facility. The main objective of the project is to evaluate the effectiveness of Siemens¿ Type II AERALA...

Correcting Duporcq's theorem☆

PubMed Central

Nawratil, Georg

2014-01-01

In 1898, Ernest Duporcq stated a famous theorem about rigid-body motions with spherical trajectories, without giving a rigorous proof. Today, this theorem is again of interest, as it is strongly connected with the topic of self-motions of planar Stewart–Gough platforms. We discuss Duporcq's theorem from this point of view and demonstrate that it is not correct. Moreover, we also present a revised version of this theorem. PMID:25540467

Switch for serial or parallel communication networks

DOEpatents

Crosette, Dario B.

1994-01-01

A communication switch apparatus and a method for use in a geographically extensive serial, parallel or hybrid communication network linking a multi-processor or parallel processing system has a very low software processing overhead in order to accommodate random burst of high density data. Associated with each processor is a communication switch. A data source and a data destination, a sensor suite or robot for example, may also be associated with a switch. The configuration of the switches in the network are coordinated through a master processor node and depends on the operational phase of the multi-processor network: data acquisition, data processing, and data exchange. The master processor node passes information on the state to be assumed by each switch to the processor node associated with the switch. The processor node then operates a series of multi-state switches internal to each communication switch. The communication switch does not parse and interpret communication protocol and message routing information. During a data acquisition phase, the communication switch couples sensors producing data to the processor node associated with the switch, to a downlink destination on the communications network, or to both. It also may couple an uplink data source to its processor node. During the data exchange phase, the switch couples its processor node or an uplink data source to a downlink destination (which may include a processor node or a robot), or couples an uplink source to its processor node and its processor node to a downlink destination.

Orientation Behavior Using Registered Topographic Maps

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

integrated with the ability to reach for visual targets ( Marjanovic , Scassel- lati, & Williamson 1996). The same is true for social skills where the robot...behavior with reaching and manipula- tion tasks currently under parallel development by other members of the group ( Marjanovic et al. 1996). 8 Conclusions...in alphabet- ical order): Mike Binnard, Rod Brooks, Robert Irie, Eleni Kapogannis, Matt Marjanovic , Yoky Matsuoka, Brian Scasselatti, Nick Shectman

A PC-Based Controller for Dextrous Arms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiorini, Paolo; Seraji, Homayoun; Long, Mark

1996-01-01

This paper describes the architecture and performance of a PC-based controller for 7-DOF dextrous manipulators. The computing platform is a 486-based personal computer equipped with a bus extender to access the robot Multibus controller, together with a single board computer as the graphical engine, and with a parallel I/O board to interface with a force-torque sensor mounted on the manipulator wrist.

Flexible Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Mouse Click Motions

PubMed Central

Cha, Youngsu; Hong, Jin; Lee, Jaemin; Park, Jung-Min; Kim, Keehoon

2016-01-01

In this paper, we study energy harvesting from the mouse click motions of a robot finger and a human index finger using a piezoelectric material. The feasibility of energy harvesting from mouse click motions is experimentally and theoretically assessed. The fingers wear a glove with a pocket for including the piezoelectric material. We model the energy harvesting system through the inverse kinematic framework of parallel joints in a finger and the electromechanical coupling equations of the piezoelectric material. The model is validated through energy harvesting experiments in the robot and human fingers with the systematically varying load resistance. We find that energy harvesting is maximized at the matched load resistance to the impedance of the piezoelectric material, and the harvested energy level is tens of nJ. PMID:27399705

Toward More Innovative Program Management (Defense Acquisition Review Journal)

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

SJ (44.4 percent), thus reflecting the pattern suggested by Walk’s findings. Puccio (2002) found a strong positive relationship between psychological...preferences for ideation and intuition (N) during his development and refinement of the FourSight instrument. He found that the relationship between...can be quite problematic to perceiving (P) types. These same relationships were found to hold in the study results reported herein. Gough (1981

Acid-base disturbances in nephrotic syndrome: analysis using the CO2/HCO3 method (traditional Boston model) and the physicochemical method (Stewart model).

PubMed

Kasagi, Tomomichi; Imai, Hirokazu; Miura, Naoto; Suzuki, Keisuke; Yoshino, Masabumi; Nobata, Hironobu; Nagai, Takuhito; Banno, Shogo

2017-10-01

The Stewart model for analyzing acid-base disturbances emphasizes serum albumin levels, which are ignored in the traditional Boston model. We compared data derived using the Stewart model to those using the Boston model in patients with nephrotic syndrome. Twenty-nine patients with nephrotic syndrome and six patients without urinary protein or acid-base disturbances provided blood and urine samples for analysis that included routine biochemical and arterial blood gas tests, plasma renin activity, and aldosterone. The total concentration of non-volatile weak acids (A TOT ), apparent strong ion difference (SIDa), effective strong ion difference (SIDe), and strong ion gap (SIG) were calculated according to the formulas of Agrafiotis in the Stewart model. According to the Boston model, 25 of 29 patients (90%) had alkalemia. Eighteen patients had respiratory alkalosis, 11 had metabolic alkalosis, and 4 had both conditions. Only three patients had hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism. The Stewart model demonstrated respiratory alkalosis based on decreased PaCO 2 , metabolic alkalosis based on decreased A TOT , and metabolic acidosis based on decreased SIDa. We could diagnose metabolic alkalosis or acidosis with a normal anion gap after comparing delta A TOT [(14.09 - measured A TOT ) or (11.77 - 2.64 × Alb (g/dL))] and delta SIDa [(42.7 - measured SIDa) or (42.7 - (Na + K - Cl)]). We could also identify metabolic acidosis with an increased anion gap using SIG > 7.0 (SIG = 0.9463 × corrected anion gap-8.1956). Patients with nephrotic syndrome had primary respiratory alkalosis, decreased A TOT due to hypoalbuminemia (power to metabolic alkalosis), and decreased levels of SIDa (power to metabolic acidosis). We could detect metabolic acidosis with an increased anion gap by calculating SIG. The Stewart model in combination with the Boston model facilitates the analysis of complex acid-base disturbances in nephrotic syndrome.

Relation between coordinate systems describing the dynamics of a loaded Stewart platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrova, V. I.

2018-05-01

The paper puts forward formulae for transformation of coordinates in three coordinate frames used for the study of motion of a loaded Stewart platform, which is the central mechanism of the dynamic bench. A new method for finding the law of variation of coordinates is proposed. This method depends on solving the problem-specific system of differential equations.

Facts on Grants, 1983. A Report on Grantmaking of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mott (C.S.) Foundation, Flint, MI.

Summaries of 349 grants made in 1983 by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation are presented. The guide contains fact sheets on grants for $15,000 or above; all grants for amounts under $15,000 are listed with brief descriptions. Most of the fact sheets provide information on how grants meet the objectives of the foundation, what they might…

What Is Indigenous Research in Philosophy of Education? And What Is PESA, from an Indigenous Perspective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mika, Carl; Stewart, Georgina; Watson, Ka'imi; Silva, Keola; Martin, Brian; Matapo, Jacoba; Galuvao, Akata

2018-01-01

In this commentary, various expert authors offer their ideas on indigenous research in the philosophy of education and PESA's role from an indigenous perspective. Georgiana Stewart is the first author to step forward and explain that education is based on knowledge, and so education is centrally concerned with literacy and identity. Stewart goes…

Adapted Excerpt from "Hope against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and America's Struggle to Educate Its Children"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carr, Sarah

2014-01-01

In this amended excerpt from "Hope Against Hope", educational reform in post-Katrina New Orleans is considered from a journalistic perspective in presenting the story of Geraldlynn Stewart as she and her family navigate the new school system. In providing voices of lived experiences of Stewart as well as other individuals within this new…

Design and Optimization of a Hybrid-Driven Waist Rehabilitation Robot

PubMed Central

Zi, Bin; Yin, Guangcai; Zhang, Dan

2016-01-01

In this paper a waist rehabilitation robot driven by cables and pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) has been conceptualized and designed. In the process of mechanism design, the human body structure, the waist movement characteristics, and the actuators’ driving characteristics are the main considerable factors to make the hybrid-driven waist rehabilitation robot (HWRR) cost-effective, safe, flexible, and well-adapted. A variety of sensors are chosen to measure the position and orientation of the recovery patient to ensure patient safety at the same time as the structure design. According to the structure specialty and function, the HWRR is divided into two independent parallel robots: the waist twist device and the lower limb traction device. Then these two devices are analyzed and evaluated, respectively. Considering the characters of the human body in the HWRR, the inverse kinematics and statics are studied when the waist and the lower limb are considered as a spring and link, respectively. Based on the inverse kinematics and statics, the effect of the contraction parameter of the PAM is considered in the optimization of the waist twist device, and the lower limb traction device is optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO) to minimize the global conditioning number over the feasible workspace. As a result of the optimization, an optimal rehabilitation robot design is obtained and the condition number of the Jacobian matrix over the feasible workspace is also calculated. PMID:27983626

Social humanoid robot SARA: development of the wrist mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penčić, M.; Rackov, M.; Čavić, M.; Kiss, I.; Cioată, V. G.

2018-01-01

This paper presents the development of a wrist mechanism for humanoid robots. The research was conducted within the project which develops social humanoid robot Sara - a mobile anthropomorphic platform for researching the social behaviour of robots. There are two basic ways for the realization of humanoid wrist. The first one is based on biologically inspired structures that have variable stiffness, and the second one on low backlash mechanisms that have high stiffness. Our solution is low backlash differential mechanism that requires small actuators. Based on the kinematic-dynamic requirements, a dynamic model of the robot wrist is formed. A dynamic simulation for several hand positions was performed and the driving torques of the wrist mechanism were determined. The realized wrist has 2 DOFs and enables movements in the direction of flexion/extension 115°, ulnar/radial deviation ±45° and the combination of these two movements. It consists of a differential mechanism with three spur bevel gears, two of which are driving and identical, while the last one is the driven gear to which the robot hand is attached. Power transmission and motion from the actuator to the input links of the differential mechanism is realized with two parallel placed identical gear mechanisms. The wrist mechanism has high carrying capacity and reliability, high efficiency, a compact design and low backlash that provides high positioning accuracy and repeatability of movements, which is essential for motion control.

FT Stewart AAF, Savannah, Georgia. Revised Uniform Summary of Surface Weather Observations (RUSSWO)

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-04-18

OBSERVATIONS) 03871i FT STEWART AAF GA 67-70,73-77 SEP STATION STATION MAN, TSARS NONIN ( ~AL.L WI3ATHF:R ___ 1200-1400 CLAS NOUN$ (L.S.T.) SPEED MEAN (ENTS...0i 88:2 92.0 93.0 94t1 94.5 94.6 94.9 94.9 95.0 95.0 95.0 95.0 9590 9.0 95.0 e - , 73:1 88.31 92.5 93.4 95o 95.3 9s.6 95.8 95.8 96.1 96.1 96,1 96.1

"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart": Part 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trier, James

2008-01-01

Comedy Central's popular program "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" is the best critical media literacy program on television, and it can be used in valuable ways in the classroom as part of a media literacy pedagogy. This Media Literacy column provides an overview of the show and its accompanying website and considers ways it might be used in the…

The first lady almoner: the appointment, position, and findings of Miss Mary Stewart at the Royal Free Hospital, 1895-99.

PubMed

Cullen, Lynsey T

2013-10-01

This article examines the professional roots of the hospital almoner, a position which has been widely neglected in medical history. The first almoner was Miss Mary Stewart, a former Charity Organization Society employee, appointed at the Royal Free Hospital of central London in 1895. The Royal Free was a charitable hospital which offered free medical treatment to patients considered morally deserving but unable to afford medical care elsewhere. The role expected of Stewart was to means test patients in order to ensure that only those deemed "appropriate" received free medical treatment, and to establish the extent to which the hospital was being abused by those who could afford to contribute toward their medical care. While in office, Stewart continually reshaped the role of almoner. She fashioned the position into that of a medical social worker and undertook such duties as referring patients to other means of medical and charitable assistance, visiting patients' homes, and training almoners for positions at other voluntary hospitals. Through the examination of Mary Stewart's Almoners Report Book, this article considers the circumstances of her appointment, the role she performed, and the findings of her investigations.

A novel 4-DOF surgical instrument with modular joints and 6-Axis Force sensing capability.

PubMed

Li, Kun; Pan, Bo; Zhang, Fuhai; Gao, Wenpeng; Fu, Yili; Wang, Shuguo

2017-03-01

It is difficult for surgeons to exert appropriate forces during delicate operations due to lack of force feedback in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RMIS). A 4-DOF surgical grasper with a modular wrist and 6-axis force sensing capability is developed. A grasper integrated with a miniature force and torque sensor based on the Stewart platform is designed, and a cable tension decomposition mechanism is designed to alleviate influence of the cable tension to the sensor. A modularized wrist consisting of four joint units is designed to facilitate integration of the sensor and eliminate coupled motion of the wrist. Sensing ranges of this instrument are ±10 N and ±160 N mm, and resolutions are 1.2% in radial directions, 5% in axial direction, and 4.2% in rotational directions. An ex vivo experiment shows that this instrument prototype successfully measures the interaction forces. A 4-DOF surgical instrument with modular joints and 6-axis force sensing capability is developed. This instrument can be used for force feedback in RMIS. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Design and Optimization of a Hybrid-Driven Waist Rehabilitation Robot.

PubMed

Zi, Bin; Yin, Guangcai; Zhang, Dan

2016-12-14

In this paper a waist rehabilitation robot driven by cables and pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) has been conceptualized and designed. In the process of mechanism design, the human body structure, the waist movement characteristics, and the actuators' driving characteristics are the main considerable factors to make the hybrid-driven waist rehabilitation robot (HWRR) cost-effective, safe, flexible, and well-adapted. A variety of sensors are chosen to measure the position and orientation of the recovery patient to ensure patient safety at the same time as the structure design. According to the structure specialty and function, the HWRR is divided into two independent parallel robots: the waist twist device and the lower limb traction device. Then these two devices are analyzed and evaluated, respectively. Considering the characters of the human body in the HWRR, the inverse kinematics and statics are studied when the waist and the lower limb are considered as a spring and link, respectively. Based on the inverse kinematics and statics, the effect of the contraction parameter of the PAM is considered in the optimization of the waist twist device, and the lower limb traction device is optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO) to minimize the global conditioning number over the feasible workspace. As a result of the optimization, an optimal rehabilitation robot design is obtained and the condition number of the Jacobian matrix over the feasible workspace is also calculated.

Babybot: a biologically inspired developing robotic agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metta, Giorgio; Panerai, Francesco M.; Sandini, Giulio

2000-10-01

The study of development, either artificial or biological, can highlight the mechanisms underlying learning and adaptive behavior. We shall argue whether developmental studies might provide a different and potentially interesting perspective either on how to build an artificial adaptive agent, or on understanding how the brain solves sensory, motor, and cognitive tasks. It is our opinion that the acquisition of the proper behavior might indeed be facilitated because within an ecological context, the agent, its adaptive structure and the environment dynamically interact thus constraining the otherwise difficult learning problem. In very general terms we shall describe the proposed approach and supporting biological related facts. In order to further analyze these aspects from the modeling point of view, we shall demonstrate how a twelve degrees of freedom baby humanoid robot acquires orienting and reaching behaviors, and what advantages the proposed framework might offer. In particular, the experimental setup consists of five degrees-of-freedom (dof) robot head, and an off-the-shelf six dof robot manipulator, both mounted on a rotating base: i.e. the torso. From the sensory point of view, the robot is equipped with two space-variant cameras, an inertial sensor simulating the vestibular system, and proprioceptive information through motor encoders. The biological parallel is exploited at many implementation levels. It is worth mentioning, for example, the space- variant eyes, exploiting foveal and peripheral vision in a single arrangement, the inertial sensor providing efficient image stabilization (vestibulo-ocular reflex).

A Tribute to Roy J. Stewart: He Helped Make Our Sign Language Immortal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gannon, Jack K.

2004-01-01

Roy J. Stewart made two very significant contributions to Deaf America. He was a key member of a Gallaudet alumni committee (along with Harley D. Drake, class of 1904, and Frederick H. Hughes, class of 1913) that raised seed money for the construction of the Edward Miner Gallaudet Memorial Library, which was influential in Gallaudet's attaining…

Tom Stewart Interview (Part II): A Little Bit About the Man Behind SPEEDE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winarski, Kathy

2004-01-01

Although admittedly shy and more comfortable as an attentive listener, Tom Stewart is also friendly and accommodating. He graciously agreed to share his thoughts about some of the important experiences in his life. Tom is that rare bird, a native Floridian, from West Palm Beach, 68 miles north of his Miami home. He received a Bachelor of Chemical…

Human-Robot Teams Collaborating Socially Organizationally, and Culturally

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

C., Myerscough, Graham, S., & Oldroyd, B. P. (2004). Honey Bee Nest Thermoregulation: Diversity Promotes Stability. Science, 305, 5682, 402-404...from biology tend to be very robust, stable, and adaptable. These systems tend to be massively parallel, with a many to one mapping of agents to...Kaminski, G., Chaline, N., & Jaisson, P. (2007). Individual experience alone can generate lasting division of labor in ants. Current Biology 17, 1308

The First Lady Almoner: The Appointment, Position, and Findings of Miss Mary Stewart at the Royal Free Hospital, 1895–99

PubMed Central

Cullen, Lynsey T.

2013-01-01

This article examines the professional roots of the hospital almoner, a position which has been widely neglected in medical history. The first almoner was Miss Mary Stewart, a former Charity Organization Society employee, appointed at the Royal Free Hospital of central London in 1895. The Royal Free was a charitable hospital which offered free medical treatment to patients considered morally deserving but unable to afford medical care elsewhere. The role expected of Stewart was to means test patients in order to ensure that only those deemed “appropriate” received free medical treatment, and to establish the extent to which the hospital was being abused by those who could afford to contribute toward their medical care. While in office, Stewart continually reshaped the role of almoner. She fashioned the position into that of a medical social worker and undertook such duties as referring patients to other means of medical and charitable assistance, visiting patients' homes, and training almoners for positions at other voluntary hospitals. Through the examination of Mary Stewart's Almoners Report Book, this article considers the circumstances of her appointment, the role she performed, and the findings of her investigations. PMID:22474098

Monte Carlo simulations of ionization potential depression in dense plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stransky, M., E-mail: stransky@fzu.cz

A particle-particle grand canonical Monte Carlo model with Coulomb pair potential interaction was used to simulate modification of ionization potentials by electrostatic microfields. The Barnes-Hut tree algorithm [J. Barnes and P. Hut, Nature 324, 446 (1986)] was used to speed up calculations of electric potential. Atomic levels were approximated to be independent of the microfields as was assumed in the original paper by Ecker and Kröll [Phys. Fluids 6, 62 (1963)]; however, the available levels were limited by the corresponding mean inter-particle distance. The code was tested on hydrogen and dense aluminum plasmas. The amount of depression was up tomore » 50% higher in the Debye-Hückel regime for hydrogen plasmas, in the high density limit, reasonable agreement was found with the Ecker-Kröll model for hydrogen plasmas and with the Stewart-Pyatt model [J. Stewart and K. Pyatt, Jr., Astrophys. J. 144, 1203 (1966)] for aluminum plasmas. Our 3D code is an improvement over the spherically symmetric simplifications of the Ecker-Kröll and Stewart-Pyatt models and is also not limited to high atomic numbers as is the underlying Thomas-Fermi model used in the Stewart-Pyatt model.« less

Cloud-Based Perception and Control of Sensor Nets and Robot Swarms

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

distributed stream processing framework provides the necessary API and infrastructure to develop and execute such applications in a cluster of computation...streaming DDDAS applications based on challenges they present to the backend Cloud control system. Figure 2 Parallel SLAM Application 3 1) Set of...the art deep learning- based object detectors can recognize among hundreds of object classes and this capability would be very useful for mobile

Design of a robotic gait trainer using spring over muscle actuators for ankle stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Bharadwaj, Kartik; Sugar, Thomas G; Koeneman, James B; Koeneman, Edward J

2005-11-01

Repetitive task training is an effective form of rehabilitation for people suffering from debilitating injuries of stroke. We present the design and working concept of a robotic gait trainer (RGT), an ankle rehabilitation device for assisting stroke patients during gait. Structurally based on a tripod mechanism, the device is a parallel robot that incorporates two pneumatically powered, double-acting, compliant, spring over muscle actuators as actuation links which move the ankle in dorsiflex ion/plantarflexion and inversion/eversion. A unique feature in the tripod design is that the human anatomy is part of the robot, the first fixed link being the patient's leg. The kinematics and workspace of the tripod device have been analyzed determining its range of motion. Experimental gait data from an able-bodied person wearing the working RGT prototype are presented.

Stewart Air National Guard Base, NY, C-5M Painting Refurbishment Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-06

is asthma due to sensitization. After sensitization, any exposure , even to levels below the occupational exposure limit, can produce an asthmatic...Consultative Services Division provide a comprehensive exposure and risk assessment of the corrosion control process conducted on the C-5M in Building...101 at Stewart Air National Guard Base, NY. This facility was previously a fuels systems maintenance facility. At the time of this assessment, the

Extension of relativistic dissipative hydrodynamics to third order

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El, Andrej; Xu, Zhe; Greiner, Carsten

2010-04-01

Following the procedure introduced by Israel and Stewart, we expand the entropy current up to the third order in the shear stress tensor παβ and derive a novel third-order evolution equation for παβ. This equation is solved for the one-dimensional Bjorken boost-invariant expansion. The scaling solutions for various values of the shear viscosity to the entropy density ratio η/s are shown to be in very good agreement with those obtained from kinetic transport calculations. For the pressure isotropy starting with 1 at τ0=0.4 fm/c, the third-order corrections to Israel-Stewart theory are approximately 10% for η/s=0.2 and more than a factor of 2 for η/s=3. We also estimate all higher-order corrections to Israel-Stewart theory and demonstrate their importance in describing highly viscous matters.

Formulating viscous hydrodynamics for large velocity gradients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pratt, Scott

2008-02-15

Viscous corrections to relativistic hydrodynamics, which are usually formulated for small velocity gradients, have recently been extended from Navier-Stokes formulations to a class of treatments based on Israel-Stewart equations. Israel-Stewart treatments, which treat the spatial components of the stress-energy tensor {tau}{sub ij} as dynamical objects, introduce new parameters, such as the relaxation times describing nonequilibrium behavior of the elements {tau}{sub ij}. By considering linear response theory and entropy constraints, we show how the additional parameters are related to fluctuations of {tau}{sub ij}. Furthermore, the Israel-Stewart parameters are analyzed for their ability to provide stable and physical solutions for sound waves.more » Finally, it is shown how these parameters, which are naturally described by correlation functions in real time, might be constrained by lattice calculations, which are based on path-integral formulations in imaginary time.« less

Cooperative intelligent robotics in space III; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Nov. 16-18, 1992

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, Jon D. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The present volume on cooperative intelligent robotics in space discusses sensing and perception, Space Station Freedom robotics, cooperative human/intelligent robot teams, and intelligent space robotics. Attention is given to space robotics reasoning and control, ground-based space applications, intelligent space robotics architectures, free-flying orbital space robotics, and cooperative intelligent robotics in space exploration. Topics addressed include proportional proximity sensing for telerobots using coherent lasar radar, ground operation of the mobile servicing system on Space Station Freedom, teleprogramming a cooperative space robotic workcell for space stations, and knowledge-based task planning for the special-purpose dextrous manipulator. Also discussed are dimensions of complexity in learning from interactive instruction, an overview of the dynamic predictive architecture for robotic assistants, recent developments at the Goddard engineering testbed, and parallel fault-tolerant robot control.

Studies on acid-base status (Stewart's model) of young camels (Camelus dromedarius) after acid-load with NH4Cl.

PubMed

Elkhair, Nawal M; Hartmann, Helmut

2010-01-01

The identification of the reference values of Stewart variables and the changes in the acid-base status of the blood and urine in relation to the age after acid-load were studied in desert species of camels. 14 healthy young camels (age: 3-5 months) and 22 adult camels (age: 5-8 years) were used to provide the reference and percentile ranges of the Stewart variables. In the experiments, 24 healthy young camels (age: < 3-5 months) were infused with 5M NH4Cl solution (dose: 1.0 ml/kg) through a permanent intravenous catheter. Venous blood and urine samples were collected before infusion (0 hours). After the start of infusion, venous blood samples were collected at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 24 hours, and urine samples were collected at 8, 24 and 48 hours. Blood and urine samples were used for the determination of the various acid-base parameters, including the non-respiratory Stewart variables. The reference range of serum-[strong ion difference = SID3] was 39-52 mmol/l for all age groups. The reference values of serum-[acid total = A-] were between 10-17 mmol/l for all age groups. Serum-[Atotprotein] and -[Atot-albumin] showed a reference range of 19-24 mmol/I and 20-28 mmol/l, respectively. By 2-8 hours after the NH4Cl-load, the Stewart variables (serum-[SID3] and serum-[A(tot-protein)]) decreased significantly, and as a consequence, the blood pH decreased. Generally, the loaded young camels showed a transient moderate hyperchloraemic acidosis with a slight hypoproteinaemic alkalosis. These malfunctions were accompanied by increased renal fractional excretion of chloride and sodium and decreased urine pH. The identified reference values of the Stewart variables can be used for the clinical diagnosis of acid-base disturbances in camels. With the assistance of the non-respiratory Stewart variables ([SID3] and [Atot]), we can detect the determining influence of strong electrolytes (Na+, K+ and Cl-) and weak acids (proteins, Pi) on the physiological and pathological acid-base status of the animals.

Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Health Care, Education, Training, and Community Services Amendments of 1990. Report (to Accompany S. 2863. Senate, 101st Congress, 2d Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

This report is submitted to accompany a bill reauthorizing the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act programs within the jurisdiction of the Committee. In the report, the Committee recommends that the bill be passed with a suggested amendment in the nature of a substitute The report is divided into six parts. Part I,…

Fracture-Correlated Lineaments at Great Bay, Southeastern New Hampshire

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey By James R. Degnan and Stewart F. Clark, Jr. Pembroke, New Hampshire 2002 In Cooperation with...Lineaments at Great Bay, Southeastern New Hampshire By James R. Degnan and Stewart F. Clark, Jr. 2 Fracture-Correlated Lineaments at Great Bay...and Mabee and others (1994). Walsh found that 24 percent of lineaments near outcrops correlate with brittle structures including joints, fracture

Groundwater modeling to evaluate interaquifer leakage in the Floridan aquifer system near Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cherry, Gregory S.

2011-01-01

Simulations using a modified regional groundwater- flow model were used to determine the amount of leakage from the Upper Floridan aquifer (UFA) through the Lower Floridan confining unit (LFC) into the Lower Floridan aquifer (LFA) resulting from pumping about 1 million gallons per day at newly constructed LFA production wells at Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart in coastal Georgia. Simulated steadystate drawdown at each of the LFA production wells closely matched observed drawdown during a 72-hour aquifer test with the observed water levels reaching steady-state by the end of the test period. However, simulated drawdown was greater than observed drawdown in the UFA because of the short duration of the aquifer test and the time required for groundwater movement through the LFC into the LFA. Steadystate simulations provide an estimate of leakage based on the long-term continuous operation of each production well. Results of model simulations indicate that interaquifer leakage accounts for 48 percent of the flow to the well at Hunter Army Airfield, and 98 percent of the flow to the well at Fort Stewart. Simulated results near the Hunter Army Airfield production well indicated that 65 percent of the leakage from the UFA to the LFA occurs within a 1-mile radius, whereas simulated results near the Fort Stewart production well indicated 80-percent leakage from the UFA to the LFA within the same radius. The greater amount of leakage to the production well near Fort Stewart can be attributed to the higher transmissivity of the UFA and higher vertical hydraulic conductivity in the LFC near the well.

Six degree-of-freedom scanning supports and manipulators based on parallel robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Comin, Fabio

1995-02-01

The exploitation of third generation SR sources heavily relies on accurate and stable positioning and scanning of samples and optical elements. In some cases, active feedback is also necessary. Normally, these tasks are carried out by serial addition of individual components, each of them providing a well-defined excursion path. On the contrary, the exploitation of the concept of parallel robots, structures in close cinematic chain, permits us to follow any given trajectory in the six-dimensional space with a large increase in accuracy and stiffness. At ESRF, the parallel robot architecture conceived some tens of years ago for flight simulators has been adapted to both actively align and operate optical elements of considerable weight and position small samples in ultrahigh vacuum. The performance of these devices gives results far superior to the initial specification and a variety of drive mechanisms are being developed to fit the different needs of the ESRF beamlines.

Floor Sensing System Using Laser Reflectivity for Localizing Everyday Objects and Robot

PubMed Central

Pyo, Yoonseok; Hasegawa, Tsutomu; Tsuji, Tokuo; Kurazume, Ryo; Morooka, Ken'ichi

2014-01-01

This paper describes a new method of measuring the position of everyday objects and a robot on the floor using distance and reflectance acquired by laser range finder (LRF). The information obtained by this method is important for a service robot working in a human daily life environment. Our method uses only one LRF together with a mirror installed on the wall. Moreover, since the area of sensing is limited to a LRF scanning plane parallel to the floor and just a few centimeters above the floor, the scanning covers the whole room with minimal invasion of privacy of a resident, and occlusion problem is mitigated by using mirror. We use the reflection intensity and position information obtained from the target surface. Although it is not possible to identify all objects by additionally using reflection values, it would be easier to identify unknown objects if we can eliminate easily identifiable objects by reflectance. In addition, we propose a method for measuring the robot's pose using the tag which has the encoded reflection pattern optically identified by the LRF. Our experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. PMID:24763253

Iain Stewart Receives 2013 Athelstan Spilhaus Award: Citation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, Tim

2014-01-01

It is a great pleasure and an honor to give the citation for the 2013 Athelstan Spilhaus awardee, Iain Stewart, professor of geoscience communication at the University of Plymouth, recognizing his truly exceptional work over the last decade in communicating geoscience to the general public. Iain has been making documentaries for the BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery for nearly a decade. These programs have huge international audiences and wide-reaching impact.

Paleolimnology of lacustrine rocks in Stewart Valley, Nevada: Evidence for Middle Miocene climatic cooling

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Starrat, S.W.

1993-04-01

Three diatom floras from Middle Miocene (Barstovian and Clarendonian) lacustrine rocks in Stewart Valley, Nevada have been distinguished. The change in floral composition between the two youngest floras may be indicative of climatic cooling over a period of about 3 m.y. (15--12 Ma). Age control is provided by radiometric (K-Ar) and vertebrate fossil data. The oldest flora is dominated by members of the genus Fragilaria'. Although most common in modern-day marshy areas, the laminated nature of the Stewart Valley strata in which this flora is found suggest that large numbers of these diatoms were washed into deeper waters, where theymore » continued to thrive as a significant part of the planktonic biomass. Stratigraphically equivalent rocks elsewhere in Stewart Valley contain abundant clusters of unopened prasinophyte algae. These unopened algal structures are thought to indicate extreme environmental stress. Environmental stress would also explain the presence of several beds of well-preserved fish fossils in stratigraphically adjacent beds. The other tow floras are preserved in a 45-m-thick section of diatomaceous shale, located about 95 m above the flora discussed above. The flora in the lower part of this section is dominated by the genus Aulacoseira (primarily A. granulata). Modern-day members of this genus are common in areas with abundant summer precipitation and mild winters. The flora in the upper part of the section is dominated by Actinocyclus cedarensis Bradbury and Krebs. If A. cedarensis can be considered an ecological analog of the late Pleistocene (glacial) representatives of the genus Stephanodiscus, then its dominant position in the flora may be indicative of a cooling event. This climate trend is also evident in paleobotanical (leaf and pollen) data from Stewart Valley, as well as many other localities across the Great Basin.« less

Richard Doll and Alice Stewart: reputation and the shaping of scientific "truth".

PubMed

Greene, Gayle

2011-01-01

As the world watched the Fukushima reactors release radionuclides into the ocean and atmosphere, the warnings of Dr. Alice Stewart about radiation risk and the reassurances of Sir Richard Doll assumed renewed relevance. Doll and Stewart, pioneer cancer epidemiologists who made major contributions in the 1950s-he by demonstrating the link between lung cancer and smoking, she by discovering that fetal X-rays double the chance of a childhood cancer-were locked into opposition about low-dose radiation risk. When she went public with the discovery that radiation at a fraction of the dose "known" to be dangerous could kill a child, her reputation plummeted, whereas Doll, foremost among her detractors, was knighted and lauded as "the world's most distinguished medical epidemiologist" for his work. Their lives and careers, so closely intertwined, took contrary courses, he becoming "more of the establishment" (as he said), while she became more oppositional. When it was discovered, after his death, that he'd been taking large sums of money from industries whose chemicals he was clearing of cancer risk, his reputation remained unscathed; it is now enshrined in the "Authorized Biography" (2009) commissioned by the Wellcome Institute, along with Doll's denigration of Stewart as an "embittered" woman and biased scientist. Stewart lived long enough to see radiation science move her way, to see international committees affirm, in the 1990s, that there is no threshold beneath which radiation ceases to be dangerous; recent evidence from Chernobyl is bearing out her warnings. But a look at the making and breaking of these reputations reveals the power of status, position, and image to shape scientific "knowledge" and social policy.

Integration of the virtual model of a Stewart platform with the avatar of a vehicle in a virtual reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbuś, K.; Ociepka, P.

2016-08-01

The development of methods of computer aided design and engineering allows conducting virtual tests, among others concerning motion simulation of technical means. The paper presents a method of integrating an object in the form of a virtual model of a Stewart platform with an avatar of a vehicle moving in a virtual environment. The area of the problem includes issues related to the problem of fidelity of mapping the work of the analyzed technical mean. The main object of investigations is a 3D model of a Stewart platform, which is a subsystem of the simulator designated for driving learning for disabled persons. The analyzed model of the platform, prepared for motion simulation, was created in the “Motion Simulation” module of a CAD/CAE class system Siemens PLM NX. Whereas the virtual environment, in which the moves the avatar of the passenger car, was elaborated in a VR class system EON Studio. The element integrating both of the mentioned software environments is a developed application that reads information from the virtual reality (VR) concerning the current position of the car avatar. Then, basing on the accepted algorithm, it sends control signals to respective joints of the model of the Stewart platform (CAD).

Materials Research of Novel Organic Piezoelectric/Ferroelectric Compounds at a H.S.I

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-06

analysis 4. http://wavefun.com 5. MOPAC2012, James J. P. Stewart, Stewart Computational Chemistry, Colorado Springs, CO, USA, HTTP://OpenMOPAC. net ... petri dish of mineral oil (to prevent electrical arcing) ripples in the mineral oil are clearly visible when a voltage is applied to the sample. We...acid. It does not appear to be ferroelectric. However, it is piezoelectric. When placed in a petri dish of mineral oil (to prevent electrical arcing

U.S. Army Medical Department Journal, October-December 2005

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

body image. The BOSS program has conducted ongoing video game Soldiers of the 421st were 100% professional, tournaments and a local summer jam in the...community. courteous, and caring. They quickly established rapport This summer was highlighted by the theater show "Beyond and put students at ease while...Wallace (((7th from left), B.F. Stout (8th from left), Dr Stewart (9th from left), Mrs. Stewart (next to husband), Robert Hausman (4th from right), BG

Cognitive Processes in Skimming Stories

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-09-01

the visual system to more complex areas of the brain suggested in models proposed by Gough (1972) and Laberge and Samuels (1974). A more realistic...course, it is also possible that being well informed is a prerequisite of being able to read quickly. In fact, G. Stevens and Oren (1963) have argued that...experiments. In some cases, training has led to improved speed but significantly lower comprehension (Graf, 1973; D. Stevens & Adams, 1968). In a study by

Extension of relativistic dissipative hydrodynamics to third order

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

El, Andrej; Xu Zhe; Greiner, Carsten

2010-04-15

Following the procedure introduced by Israel and Stewart, we expand the entropy current up to the third order in the shear stress tensor pi{sup a}lpha{sup b}eta and derive a novel third-order evolution equation for pi{sup a}lpha{sup b}eta. This equation is solved for the one-dimensional Bjorken boost-invariant expansion. The scaling solutions for various values of the shear viscosity to the entropy density ratio eta/s are shown to be in very good agreement with those obtained from kinetic transport calculations. For the pressure isotropy starting with 1 at tau{sub 0}=0.4 fm/c, the third-order corrections to Israel-Stewart theory are approximately 10% for eta/s=0.2more » and more than a factor of 2 for eta/s=3. We also estimate all higher-order corrections to Israel-Stewart theory and demonstrate their importance in describing highly viscous matters.« less

KDAC8 with High Basal Velocity Is Not Activated by N-Acetylthioureas

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-08

Pingali, Tasha B. Toro, Thao P. Nguyen, Destane S. Garrett, Kyra A. Dodson, Kyara A. Nichols, Rashad A. Haynes , Florastina Payton-Stewart, Terry J...Nguyen, Destane S. Garrett, Kyra A. Dodson, Kyara A. Nichols, Rashad A. Haynes , Florastina Payton-Stewart, Terry J. Watt* Department of Chemistry...13. Howitz KT, Bitterman KJ, Cohen HY, Lamming DW, Lavu S, Wood JG, et al. Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae

National Research Council Resident Research Associateship (NRC-RRA) program

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-08-01

Davis, C. J. Dymek, J. J. P. Stewart, H. P. Clark, W. J. Lauderdale, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 107, 5041-5046 (1985). 7. "Mechanism of the Diels - Alder ...Package" Dewar Research Group and J. J. P. Stewart, Quantum Chemistry Program Exchange, no. 506, nn, nnn, (1986) 16. "Mechanism of the Diels - Alder ...Kvisle, 0. Nirisen, M. Ystenes, and H. A. Oye, Proceedings of 1986 International Symposium on Transition Metals Catalyzed Polymerizations, Institute of

Experiments and kinematics analysis of a hand rehabilitation exoskeleton with circuitous joints.

PubMed

Zhang, Fuhai; Fu, Yili; Zhang, Qinchao; Wang, Shuguo

2015-01-01

Aiming at the hand rehabilitation of stroke patients, a wearable hand exoskeleton with circuitous joint is proposed. The circuitous joint adopts the symmetric pinion and rack mechanism (SPRM) with the parallel mechanism. The exoskeleton finger is a serial mechanism composed of three closed-chain SPRM joints in series. The kinematic equations of the open chain of the finger and the closed chains of the SPRM joints were built to analyze the kinematics of the hand rehabilitation exoskeleton. The experimental setup of the hand rehabilitation exoskeleton was built and the continuous passive motion (CPM) rehabilitation experiment and the test of human-robot interaction force measurement were conducted. Experiment results show that the mechanical design of the hand rehabilitation robot is reasonable and that the kinematic analysis is correct, thus the exoskeleton can be used for the hand rehabilitation of stroke patients.

A Feasibility Study on a Parallel Mechanism for Examining the Space Shuttle Orbiter Payload Bay Radiators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Rodney G.; LopezdelCastillo, Eduardo

1996-01-01

The goal of the project was to develop the necessary analysis tools for a feasibility study of a cable suspended robot system for examining the space shuttle orbiter payload bay radiators These tools were developed to address design issues such as workspace size, tension requirements on the cable, the necessary accuracy and resolution requirements and the stiffness and movement requirements of the system. This report describes the mathematical models for studying the inverse kinematics, statics, and stiffness of the robot. Each model is described by a matrix. The manipulator Jacobian was also related to the stiffness matrix, which characterized the stiffness of the system. Analysis tools were then developed based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the corresponding matrices. It was demonstrated how the SVD can be used to quantify the robot's performance and to provide insight into different design issues.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lockyer, Nigel S.; Smith, AJ Stewart,; et. al.

In 2004 a team from the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and the Institute for Advanced Study proposed to host the 2008 International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP) on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The proposal was approved later that year by the C-11 committee of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. The Co-Chairs were Nigel S. Lockyer (U. Penn/TRIUMF) and A.J. Stewart Smith (Princeton); Joe Kroll of U. Penn served as Deputy Chair from 2007 on. Highlights of the proposal included 1. greatly increased participation of young scientists, women scientists, and graduatemore » students 2. new emphasis on formal theory 3. increased focus on astrophysics and cosmology 4. large informal poster session (170 posters) in prime time 5. convenient, contiguous venues for all sessions and lodging 6. landmark locations for the reception and banquet. The conference program consisted of three days of parallel sessions and three days of plenary talks.« less

Reducing software mass through behavior control. [of planetary roving robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, David P.

1992-01-01

Attention is given to the tradeoff between communication and computation as regards a planetary rover (both these subsystems are very power-intensive, and both can be the major driver of the rover's power subsystem, and therefore the minimum mass and size of the rover). Software techniques that can be used to reduce the requirements on both communciation and computation, allowing the overall robot mass to be greatly reduced, are discussed. Novel approaches to autonomous control, called behavior control, employ an entirely different approach, and for many tasks will yield a similar or superior level of autonomy to traditional control techniques, while greatly reducing the computational demand. Traditional systems have several expensive processes that operate serially, while behavior techniques employ robot capabilities that run in parallel. Traditional systems make extensive world models, while behavior control systems use minimal world models or none at all.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1983-11-08

The crew assigned to the STS-41B (STS-11) mission included (seated left to right) Vance D. Brand, commander; and Robert L. Gibson, pilot. Standing left to right are mission specialists Robert L. Stewart, Ronald E. McNair, and Bruce McCandless. Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on February 3, 1984 at 8:00:00 am (EST), the STS-41B mission marked the first untethered space walks which were performed by McCandless and Stewart. The crew deployed the WESTAR-VI and PALAPA-B2 satellites.

Mathematical Model and Calibration Experiment of a Large Measurement Range Flexible Joints 6-UPUR Six-Axis Force Sensor

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yanzhi; Zhang, Caifeng; Zhang, Dan; Shi, Zhongpan; Zhao, Tieshi

2016-01-01

Nowadays improving the accuracy and enlarging the measuring range of six-axis force sensors for wider applications in aircraft landing, rocket thrust, and spacecraft docking testing experiments has become an urgent objective. However, it is still difficult to achieve high accuracy and large measuring range with traditional parallel six-axis force sensors due to the influence of the gap and friction of the joints. Therefore, to overcome the mentioned limitations, this paper proposed a 6-Universal-Prismatic-Universal-Revolute (UPUR) joints parallel mechanism with flexible joints to develop a large measurement range six-axis force sensor. The structural characteristics of the sensor are analyzed in comparison with traditional parallel sensor based on the Stewart platform. The force transfer relation of the sensor is deduced, and the force Jacobian matrix is obtained using screw theory in two cases of the ideal state and the state of flexibility of each flexible joint is considered. The prototype and loading calibration system are designed and developed. The K value method and least squares method are used to process experimental data, and in errors of kind Ι and kind II linearity are obtained. The experimental results show that the calibration error of the K value method is more than 13.4%, and the calibration error of the least squares method is 2.67%. The experimental results prove the feasibility of the sensor and the correctness of the theoretical analysis which are expected to be adopted in practical applications. PMID:27529244

Research in computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ortega, J. M.

1985-01-01

Synopses are given for NASA supported work in computer science at the University of Virginia. Some areas of research include: error seeding as a testing method; knowledge representation for engineering design; analysis of faults in a multi-version software experiment; implementation of a parallel programming environment; two computer graphics systems for visualization of pressure distribution and convective density particles; task decomposition for multiple robot arms; vectorized incomplete conjugate gradient; and iterative methods for solving linear equations on the Flex/32.

DARPA Technical Accomplishments. An Historical Review of Selected DARPA Projects. Volume 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

CARBON - CARBON METAL MATRIX C4OMPOSITES CERAMIC TURBINE BLADES RAPID SCUJDIFICATION VLSI PROCESSING GaAs IN•TEGRATED CIRCUITS INFORMATION PROCESSING...500 S. The lee of Gough Island was also used to avoid Iage ships’ motions in the heavy seas. The two other locations were selected to separate the...lower curve) trajectories of Pioneer IlL. The labels on the contours are counts per second of a heavy shielded miniature Geiger-Mueller tube. The linear

Causal hydrodynamics of gauge theory plasmas from AdS/CFT duality

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Natsuume, Makoto; Okamura, Takashi; Department of Physics, Kwansei Gakuin University, Sanda, Hyogo, 669-1337

2008-03-15

We study causal hydrodynamics (Israel-Stewart theory) of gauge theory plasmas from the AdS/CFT duality. Causal hydrodynamics requires new transport coefficients (relaxation times) and we compute them for a number of supersymmetric gauge theories including the N=4 super Yang-Mills theory. However, the relaxation times obtained from the 'shear mode' do not agree with the ones from the 'sound mode', which implies that the Israel-Stewart theory is not a sufficient framework to describe the gauge theory plasmas.

Evaluation of Military Range Berm Effectiveness in Protecting Red-cockaded Woodpecker Foraging and Nesting Habitat

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

Benning – Malone 5 Malone 5 is an unbermed SA machine gun (firing 7.62 mm or smaller caliber rounds) range with elevated firing and target boxes (~1...plots, not originally allocated. Fort Stewart – Kilo The Kilo range on Fort Stewart is an unbermed SA machine gun (firing 7.62 mm or smaller...is a bermed SA machine gun (firing 7.62 mm or smaller caliber rounds) range with elevated firing boxes and targets (~1-m high; Figures 6 and 7). The

Networks of open systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerman, Eugene

2018-08-01

Many systems of interest in science and engineering are made up of interacting subsystems. These subsystems, in turn, could be made up of collections of smaller interacting subsystems and so on. In a series of papers David Spivak with collaborators formalized these kinds of structures (systems of systems) as algebras over presentable colored operads (Spivak, 2013; Rupel and Spivak, 2013; Vagner et al., 2015). It is also very useful to consider maps between dynamical systems. This is the point of view taken by DeVille and Lerman in the study of dynamics on networks (DeVille and Lerman, 2015 [4,5]; DeVille and Lerman, 2010). The work of DeVille and Lerman was inspired by the coupled cell networks of Golubitsky, Stewart and their collaborators (Stewart et al., 2003; Golubitsky et al., 2005; Golubitsky and Stewart, 2006). The goal of this paper is to describe an algebraic structure that encompasses both approaches to systems of systems. More specifically we define a double category of open systems and construct a functor from this double category to the double category of vector spaces, linear maps and linear relations. This allows us, on one hand, to build new open systems out of collections of smaller open subsystems and on the other to keep track of maps between open systems. Consequently we obtain synchrony results for open systems which generalize the synchrony results of Golubitsky, Stewart and their collaborators for groupoid invariant vector fields on coupled cell networks.

Evaluation of Teaching Signals for Motor Control in the Cerebellum during Real-World Robot Application.

PubMed

Pinzon Morales, Ruben Dario; Hirata, Yutaka

2016-12-20

Motor learning in the cerebellum is believed to entail plastic changes at synapses between parallel fibers and Purkinje cells, induced by the teaching signal conveyed in the climbing fiber (CF) input. Despite the abundant research on the cerebellum, the nature of this signal is still a matter of debate. Two types of movement error information have been proposed to be plausible teaching signals: sensory error (SE) and motor command error (ME); however, their plausibility has not been tested in the real world. Here, we conducted a comparison of different types of CF teaching signals in real-world engineering applications by using a realistic neuronal network model of the cerebellum. We employed a direct current motor (simple task) and a two-wheeled balancing robot (difficult task). We demonstrate that SE, ME or a linear combination of the two is sufficient to yield comparable performance in a simple task. When the task is more difficult, although SE slightly outperformed ME, these types of error information are all able to adequately control the robot. We categorize granular cells according to their inputs and the error signal revealing that different granule cells are preferably engaged for SE, ME or their combination. Thus, unlike previous theoretical and simulation studies that support either SE or ME, it is demonstrated for the first time in a real-world engineering application that both SE and ME are adequate as the CF teaching signal in a realistic computational cerebellar model, even when the control task is as difficult as stabilizing a two-wheeled balancing robot.

Evaluation of Teaching Signals for Motor Control in the Cerebellum during Real-World Robot Application

PubMed Central

Pinzon Morales, Ruben Dario; Hirata, Yutaka

2016-01-01

Motor learning in the cerebellum is believed to entail plastic changes at synapses between parallel fibers and Purkinje cells, induced by the teaching signal conveyed in the climbing fiber (CF) input. Despite the abundant research on the cerebellum, the nature of this signal is still a matter of debate. Two types of movement error information have been proposed to be plausible teaching signals: sensory error (SE) and motor command error (ME); however, their plausibility has not been tested in the real world. Here, we conducted a comparison of different types of CF teaching signals in real-world engineering applications by using a realistic neuronal network model of the cerebellum. We employed a direct current motor (simple task) and a two-wheeled balancing robot (difficult task). We demonstrate that SE, ME or a linear combination of the two is sufficient to yield comparable performance in a simple task. When the task is more difficult, although SE slightly outperformed ME, these types of error information are all able to adequately control the robot. We categorize granular cells according to their inputs and the error signal revealing that different granule cells are preferably engaged for SE, ME or their combination. Thus, unlike previous theoretical and simulation studies that support either SE or ME, it is demonstrated for the first time in a real-world engineering application that both SE and ME are adequate as the CF teaching signal in a realistic computational cerebellar model, even when the control task is as difficult as stabilizing a two-wheeled balancing robot. PMID:27999381

The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halpern, Paul

2005-08-01

Praise for The Great Beyond "A marvelous book-very clear, very readable. A brilliant introduction to the math and physics of higher dimensions, from Flatland to superstrings. Its greatest strength is a wealth of fascinating historical narrative and anecdote. I enjoyed it enormously." -Ian Stewart, author of Flatterland "A remarkable journey from Plato's cave to the farthest reaches of human thought and scientific knowledge. This mind-boggling book allows readers to dream strange visions of hyperspace, chase light waves, explore Klein's quantum odyssey and Kaluza's cocoon, leap through parallel universes, and grasp the very essence of conscience and cosmos. Buy this book and feed your head." -Clifford Pickover, author of A Passion for Mathematics "Halpern looks with a bemused eye at the wildest ideas currently afoot in physics. He takes us into the personal world of those who relish and explore seemingly outlandish notions, and does it with a light, engaging style." -Gregory Benford, author of Foundation's Fear "An informative, stimulating, and thoughtful presentation at the very frontiers of contemporary physics. It is quite on a par with Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe or his more recent The Fabric of the Cosmos, and as such, deserves to receive wide non-specialist coverage among an intelligent, curious, thinking public." -Professor E. Sheldon, Contemporary Physics

Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Multi-Sensor Platform for Intruder Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-15

propagation model, with variance τi: si ~ N(b0i + b1i *logDi, τ i). The initial parameters (b0i, b1i, τ i ) of the model are unknown, and the training...that the advantage of MOO-learned mode would become more significant over time compared with the other mode. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2...nondominated sorting genetic algorithm for multi-objective optimization: NSGA-II,” in Parallel Problem Solving from Nature (PPSN VI), M. Schoenauer

Teaching: in light of Noel Gough's and Ajay Sharma's articles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pouliot, Chantal

2017-12-01

In their articles, Ajay Sharma (Cult Stud Sci Educ, doi: 10.1007/s11422-017-9835-z, 2017) and Noel Gough (Cult Stud Sci Educ, doi: 10.1007/s11422-017-9834-0, 2017) shed light on the impact neoliberalism has on the teaching of science and suggest ways to ensure that science education remains critical and socially equitable. In this paper, I illustrate how their proposals influenced my instructional choices during the fall of 2016 in a course entitled Epistemology and Education.

A response to Annette Gough and Jesse Bazzul. Subverting subjectivity: an anti-neoliberal reformulation of science education for life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levinson, Ralph

2017-12-01

In responding to Jesse Bazzul's and Annette Gough's articles I maintain that contemporary positivist science curricula cannot address the urgent issues of sustainability and biopower that confront us. Drawing on the writings and interpretations of Emmanuel Levinas I argue that contemplating the meaning of responsibility to the Other is a radically subversive activity and a means of moving from the neoliberal dominance of science education towards a science one steeped in social justice.

Pyramidal neurovision architecture for vision machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Madan M.; Knopf, George K.

1993-08-01

The vision system employed by an intelligent robot must be active; active in the sense that it must be capable of selectively acquiring the minimal amount of relevant information for a given task. An efficient active vision system architecture that is based loosely upon the parallel-hierarchical (pyramidal) structure of the biological visual pathway is presented in this paper. Although the computational architecture of the proposed pyramidal neuro-vision system is far less sophisticated than the architecture of the biological visual pathway, it does retain some essential features such as the converging multilayered structure of its biological counterpart. In terms of visual information processing, the neuro-vision system is constructed from a hierarchy of several interactive computational levels, whereupon each level contains one or more nonlinear parallel processors. Computationally efficient vision machines can be developed by utilizing both the parallel and serial information processing techniques within the pyramidal computing architecture. A computer simulation of a pyramidal vision system for active scene surveillance is presented.

Use of Parallel Micro-Platform for the Simulation the Space Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velasco Herrera, Victor Manuel; Velasco Herrera, Graciela; Rosano, Felipe Lara; Rodriguez Lozano, Salvador; Lucero Roldan Serrato, Karen

The purpose of this work is to create a parallel micro-platform, that simulates the virtual movements of a space exploration in 3D. One of the innovations presented in this design consists of the application of a lever mechanism for the transmission of the movement. The development of such a robot is a challenging task very different of the industrial manipulators due to a totally different target system of requirements. This work presents the study and simulation, aided by computer, of the movement of this parallel manipulator. The development of this model has been developed using the platform of computer aided design Unigraphics, in which it was done the geometric modeled of each one of the components and end assembly (CAD), the generation of files for the computer aided manufacture (CAM) of each one of the pieces and the kinematics simulation of the system evaluating different driving schemes. We used the toolbox (MATLAB) of aerospace and create an adaptive control module to simulate the system.

Investigations Into Internal and External Aspects of Dynamic Agent-Environment Couplings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dautenhahn, Kerstin

This paper originates from my work on `social agents'. An issue which I consider important to this kind of research is the dynamic coupling of an agent with its social and non-social environment. I hypothesize `internal dynamics' inside an agent as a basic step towards understanding. The paper therefore focuses on the internal and external dynamics which couple an agent to its environment. The issue of embodiment in animals and artifacts and its relation to `social dynamics' is discussed first. I argue that embodiment is linked to a concept of a body and is not necessarily given when running a control program on robot hardware. I stress the individual characteristics of an embodied cognitive system, as well as its social embeddedness. I outline the framework of a physical-psychological state space which changes dynamically in a self-modifying way as a holistic approach towards embodied human and artificial cognition. This framework is meant to discuss internal and external dynamics of an embodied, natural or artificial agent. In order to stress the importance of a dynamic memory I introduce the concept of an `autobiographical agent'. The second part of the paper gives an example of the implementation of a physical agent, a robot, which is dynamically coupled to its environment by balancing on a seesaw. For the control of the robot a behavior-oriented approach using the dynamical systems metaphor is used. The problem is studied through building a complete and co-adapted robot-environment system. A seesaw which varies its orientation with one or two degrees of freedom is used as the artificial `habitat'. The problem of stabilizing the body axis by active motion on a seesaw is solved by using two inclination sensors and a parallel, behavior-oriented control architecture. Some experiments are described which demonstrate the exploitation of the dynamics of the robot-environment system.

Computational structures for robotic computations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, C. S. G.; Chang, P. R.

1987-01-01

The computational problem of inverse kinematics and inverse dynamics of robot manipulators by taking advantage of parallelism and pipelining architectures is discussed. For the computation of inverse kinematic position solution, a maximum pipelined CORDIC architecture has been designed based on a functional decomposition of the closed-form joint equations. For the inverse dynamics computation, an efficient p-fold parallel algorithm to overcome the recurrence problem of the Newton-Euler equations of motion to achieve the time lower bound of O(log sub 2 n) has also been developed.

Sedimentary structure and tectonic setting of the abyssal basins adjoining the southeast part of the Ontong Java Plateau, western Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimizu, S.; Masato, N.; Miura, S.; Suetsugu, D.

2017-12-01

Ontong Java Plateau(OJP) in the western Pacific Ocean is one of the largest oceanic plateau in the world. Radioactive ages of drilling samples indicate that the most part of the OJP was emplaced about 122 Ma (Mahoney et al., 1993). Taylor (2006) proposed that the OJP formed as a single large volcanic province together with the Manihiki and Hikurangi plateaus. OJP is surrounding by East Mariana, Pigafetta, Nauru, Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins. The East Mariana and Pigafetta basins were formed at the Pacific-Izanagi ridge and the Nauru basin was formed at Pacific-Phoenix ridges (Nakanishi et al., 1992). The tectonic history of the Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins is still unknown because of lack of magnetic anomaly lineations. Tectonic setting during the OJP formation is thus a matter of controversy. To expose the tectonic setting of the Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins, we conducted the Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) survey in the basins during the research cruise by R/V Mirai of JAMSTEC in 2014. We present our preliminary results of the MCS survey in the Stewart basin(SB) and Ellice Basin(EB). After the regular data processing, we compared the seismic facies of MCS profile with DSDP Site 288 and ODP Site 1184 to assign ages to seismic reflectors. Our processing exposed several remarkable structures in the basins. The graben structures deformed only the igneous basement in the northwestern and northeastern and southwestern margins of the SB. This suggests the graben structures were formed before sedimentary layer deposited. Taylor (2006) proposed that the basin was formed by the NW-SE rifting during the separation of OJP and Manihiki Plateau around 120 Ma. Neal (1997) proposed that the NE-SW rifting formed the basin around 80 Ma. Our study supports the rifting model proposed by Neal et al. (1997) because the displacement of graben in northeastern and southwestern margins of the SB is larger than that in northwestern of the SB. We found several igneous diapirs in the SB and EB. Several diapirs intrude into Oligocene sediments, implying that the volcanism occurred after the formation of the basins. On the southern edge of SB is the outer rise called Stewart Arch (Phinney et al., 1999). We identified normal faults near the Stewart Arch. Those faults caused by the plate bending owing to the subduction of the Pacific plate.

An integrated dexterous robotic testbed for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Larry C.; Nguyen, Hai; Sauer, Edward

1992-01-01

An integrated dexterous robotic system was developed as a testbed to evaluate various robotics technologies for advanced space applications. The system configuration consisted of a Utah/MIT Dexterous Hand, a PUMA 562 arm, a stereo vision system, and a multiprocessing computer control system. In addition to these major subsystems, a proximity sensing system was integrated with the Utah/MIT Hand to provide capability for non-contact sensing of a nearby object. A high-speed fiber-optic link was used to transmit digitized proximity sensor signals back to the multiprocessing control system. The hardware system was designed to satisfy the requirements for both teleoperated and autonomous operations. The software system was designed to exploit parallel processing capability, pursue functional modularity, incorporate artificial intelligence for robot control, allow high-level symbolic robot commands, maximize reusable code, minimize compilation requirements, and provide an interactive application development and debugging environment for the end users. An overview is presented of the system hardware and software configurations, and implementation is discussed of subsystem functions.

Adaptive control of a Stewart platform-based manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Charles C.; Antrazi, Sami S.; Zhou, Zhen-Lei; Campbell, Charles E., Jr.

1993-01-01

A joint-space adaptive control scheme for controlling noncompliant motion of a Stewart platform-based manipulator (SPBM) was implemented in the Hardware Real-Time Emulator at Goddard Space Flight Center. The six-degrees of freedom SPBM uses two platforms and six linear actuators driven by dc motors. The adaptive control scheme is based on proportional-derivative controllers whose gains are adjusted by an adaptation law based on model reference adaptive control and Liapunov direct method. It is concluded that the adaptive control scheme provides superior tracking capability as compared to fixed-gain controllers.

Beam rider for an Articulated Robot Manipulator (ARM) accurate positioning of long flexible manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malachowski, M. J.

1990-01-01

Laser beam positioning and beam rider modules were incorporated into the long hollow flexible segment of an articulated robot manipulator (ARM). Using a single laser beam, the system determined the position of the distal ARM endtip, with millimetric precision, in six degrees of freedom, at distances of up to 10 meters. Preliminary designs, using space rated technology for the critical systems, of a two segmented physical ARM, with a single and a dual degree of freedom articulation, were developed, prototyped, and tested. To control the positioning of the physical ARM, an indirect adaptive controller, which used the mismatch between the position of the laser beam under static and dynamic conditions, was devised. To predict the behavior of the system and test the concept, a computer simulation model was constructed. A hierarchical artificially intelligent real time ADA operating system program structure was created. The software was designed for implementation on a dedicated VME bus based Intel 80386 administered parallel processing multi-tasking computer system.

Control of a small working robot on a large flexible manipulator for suppressing vibrations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Soo Han

1991-01-01

The short term objective of this research is the completion of experimental configuration of the Small Articulated Robot (SAM) and the derivations of the actuator dynamics of the Robotic Arm, Large and Flexible (RALF). In order to control vibrations SAM should have larger bandwidth than that of the vibrations. The bandwidth of SAM consist of 3 parts; structural rigidity, processing speed of controller, and motor speed. The structural rigidity was increased to a reasonably high value by attaching aluminum angles at weak points and replacing thin side plates by thicker ones. The high processing speed of the controller was achieved by using parallel processors (three 68000 process, three interface board, and one main processor (IBM-XT)). Maximum joint speed and acceleration of SAM is known as about 4 rad/s and 15 rad/sq s. Hence SAM can move only .04 rad at 3 Hz which is the natural frequency of RALF. This will be checked by experiment.

Computed tomography (CT)-compatible remote center of motion needle steering robot: Fusing CT images and electromagnetic sensor data.

PubMed

Shahriari, Navid; Heerink, Wout; van Katwijk, Tim; Hekman, Edsko; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Misra, Sarthak

2017-07-01

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death, and early detection can reduce the mortality rate. Patients with lung nodules greater than 10 mm usually undergo a computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy. However, aligning the needle with the target is difficult and the needle tends to deflect from a straight path. In this work, we present a CT-compatible robotic system, which can both position the needle at the puncture point and also insert and rotate the needle. The robot has a remote-center-of-motion arm which is achieved through a parallel mechanism. A new needle steering scheme is also developed where CT images are fused with electromagnetic (EM) sensor data using an unscented Kalman filter. The data fusion allows us to steer the needle using the real-time EM tracker data. The robot design and the steering scheme are validated using three experimental cases. Experimental Case I and II evaluate the accuracy and CT-compatibility of the robot arm, respectively. In experimental Case III, the needle is steered towards 5 real targets embedded in an anthropomorphic gelatin phantom of the thorax. The mean targeting error for the 5 experiments is 1.78 ± 0.70 mm. The proposed robotic system is shown to be CT-compatible with low targeting error. Small nodule size and large needle diameter are two risk factors that can lead to complications in lung biopsy. Our results suggest that nodules larger than 5 mm in diameter can be targeted using our method which may result in lower complication rate. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar tachocline dynamics: eddy viscosity, anti-friction, or something in between?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntyre, Michael E.

The tachocline has values of the stratification or buoyancy frequency N two or more orders of magnitude greater than the Coriolis frequency. In this and other respects it is very like the Earth's atmosphere, viewed globally, except that the Earth's solid surface is replaced by an abrupt, magnetically-constrained "tachopause" (Gough & McIntyre 1998). The tachocline is helium-poor through fast ventilation from above, down to the tachopause, on timescales of only a few million years. The corresponding sound-speed anomaly fits helioseismic data with a tachocline thickness (0.019±0.001) Rsolar, about 0.13×105km (Elliott & Gough 1999), implying large values of the gradient Richardson number such that stratification dominates vertical shear even more strongly than in the Earth's stratosphere, as earlier postulated by Spiegel & Zahn (1992). Therefore the tachocline ventilation circulation cannot be driven by vertically-transmitted frictional torques, any more than the ozone-transporting circulation and differential rotation of the Earth's stratosphere can thus be driven. Rather, the tachocline circulation must be driven mainly by the Reynolds and Maxwell stresses interior to the convection zone, through a gyroscopic pumping action and the downward-burrowing response to it. If layerwise-two-dimensional turbulence is important, then because of its potential-vorticity-transporting properties the effect will be anti-frictional rather than eddy-viscosity-like. In order to correctly predict the differential rotation of the Sun's convection zone, even qualitatively, a convection-zone model must be fully coupled to a tachocline model.

A Robotics-Based Approach to Modeling of Choice Reaching Experiments on Visual Attention

PubMed Central

Strauss, Soeren; Heinke, Dietmar

2012-01-01

The paper presents a robotics-based model for choice reaching experiments on visual attention. In these experiments participants were asked to make rapid reach movements toward a target in an odd-color search task, i.e., reaching for a green square among red squares and vice versa (e.g., Song and Nakayama, 2008). Interestingly these studies found that in a high number of trials movements were initially directed toward a distractor and only later were adjusted toward the target. These “curved” trajectories occurred particularly frequently when the target in the directly preceding trial had a different color (priming effect). Our model is embedded in a closed-loop control of a LEGO robot arm aiming to mimic these reach movements. The model is based on our earlier work which suggests that target selection in visual search is implemented through parallel interactions between competitive and cooperative processes in the brain (Heinke and Humphreys, 2003; Heinke and Backhaus, 2011). To link this model with the control of the robot arm we implemented a topological representation of movement parameters following the dynamic field theory (Erlhagen and Schoener, 2002). The robot arm is able to mimic the results of the odd-color search task including the priming effect and also generates human-like trajectories with a bell-shaped velocity profile. Theoretical implications and predictions are discussed in the paper. PMID:22529827

Powered orthosis and attachable power-assist device with Hydraulic Bilateral Servo System.

PubMed

Ohnishi, Kengo; Saito, Yukio; Oshima, Toru; Higashihara, Takanori

2013-01-01

This paper discusses the developments and control strategies of exoskeleton-type robot systems for the application of an upper limb powered orthosis and an attachable power-assist device for care-givers. Hydraulic Bilateral Servo System, which consist of a computer controlled motor, parallel connected hydraulic actuators, position sensors, and pressure sensors, are installed in the system to derive the joint motion of the exoskeleton arm. The types of hydraulic component structure and the control strategy are discussed in relation to the design philosophy and target joints motions.

Planning paths through a spatial hierarchy - Eliminating stair-stepping effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slack, Marc G.

1989-01-01

Stair-stepping effects are a result of the loss of spatial continuity resulting from the decomposition of space into a grid. This paper presents a path planning algorithm which eliminates stair-stepping effects induced by the grid-based spatial representation. The algorithm exploits a hierarchical spatial model to efficiently plan paths for a mobile robot operating in dynamic domains. The spatial model and path planning algorithm map to a parallel machine, allowing the system to operate incrementally, thereby accounting for unexpected events in the operating space.

Third-order dissipative hydrodynamics from the entropy principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El, Andrej; Xu, Zhe; Greiner, Carsten

2010-06-01

We review the entropy based derivation of third-order hydrodynamic equations and compare their solutions in one-dimensional boost-invariant geometry with calculations by the partonic cascade BAMPS. We demonstrate that Grad's approximation, which underlies the derivation of both Israel-Stewart and third-order equations, describes the transverse spectra from BAMPS with high accuracy. At the same time solutions of third-order equations are much closer to BAMPS results than solutions of Israel-Stewart equations. Introducing a resummation scheme for all higher-oder corrections to one-dimensional hydrodynamic equation we demonstrate the importance of higher-order terms if the Knudsen number is large.

The Stewart approach--one clinician's perspective.

PubMed

Morgan, T John

2009-05-01

Peter Stewart added controversy to an already troubled subject when he entered the clinical acid-base arena. His approach puts water dissociation at the centre of the acid-base status of body fluids. It is based on six simultaneous equations, incorporating the Laws of Mass Action, Mass Conservation, and Electrical Neutrality. Together with Gibbs-Donnan equilibria, these equations explain the diagnostically important PaCO(2)/pH relationship, and improve understanding of the physiologic basis of traditional acid-base approaches. Spin-offs have included new scanning tools for unmeasured ions, in particular the 'strong ion gap' and 'net unmeasured ions'. The most controversial feature is the designation of pH and bicarbonate concentrations as dependent variables, answerable exclusively to three independent variables. These are the strong ion difference (SID), the total concentration of non-volatile weak acid (A(TOT)), and PCO(2). Aspects of this assertion conflict with traditional renal physiology, and with current models of membrane H(+)/base transporters, oxidative phosphorylation, and proton and bicarbonate ionophores. The debate in this area is ongoing. Meanwhile, Stewart-style diagnostic and decision support systems such as the 'Strong Ion Calculator' and the web-site www.acidbase.org are now appearing.

Admittance model for the shuttle remote manipulator system in four configurations. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papadopoulos, Loukas; Tolson, Robert H.

1993-01-01

A possible scenario for robot task performance in space is to mount two small, dexterous arms to the end of the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS). As these small robots perform tasks, the flexibility of the SRMS may cause unsuccessful task executions. In order to simulate the dynamic coupling between the SRMS and the arms, admittance models of the SRMS in four brakes locked configurations were developed. The admittance model permits calculation of the SRMS end-effector response due to end-effector disturbing forces. The model will then be used in conjunction with a Stewart Platform, a vehicle emulation system. An application of the admittance model was shown by simulating the disturbing forces using two SRMS payloads, the Dextrous Orbital Servicing System (DOSS) manipulator and DOSS carrying a 1000 lb. cylinder. Mode by mode comparisons were conducted to determine the minimum number of modes required in the admittance model while retaining dynamic fidelity. It was determined that for all four SRMS configurations studied, between 4 and 6 modes of the SRMS structure (depending on the excitation loads) were sufficient to retain tolerance of 0.01 inches and 0.01 deg. These tolerances correspond to the DOSS manipulator carrying no object. When the DOSS carries the 1000 lb. cylinder, between 15 and 20 modes were sufficient, approximately three or four times as many modes as for the unloaded case.

ARC-1969-A-25541

NASA Image and Video Library

1959-08-04

FLIGHT RESEARCH BRANCH PERSONNEL-1959. FRONT ROW: George Rathert, Stu Brown, Norm McFadden, Howard Turner, Gus Brunner, Venia McCloud, Violet Shaw, Kay Rizzi, Yvonne Settle, Genevieve Ziegler, Anita Palmer, Grace Carpenter, Evelyn Olson. SECOND ROW: Bill Triplett, Alan Faye, Dick Bray, Seth Anderson, Steve Belsley, Hervey Quigley, Hank Cole, Elwood Stewart, Don Higdon, Maurie White, Dorothea Wilkinson, Dick Vomaske, Stew Rolls, Mel Sadoff, Mary Thompson, Brent Creer. BACK ROW: Ron Gerdes, Joe Douvillier, John Stewart, Rod Wingrove, Walter McNeill. Note: Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig 89

The forensic anthropology legacy of T. Dale Stewart (1901-1997).

PubMed

Ubelaker, D H

2000-03-01

T. Dale Stewart (1901-1997) began his Smithsonian career as a temporary aide to Ales Hrdlicka (1869-1943) in 1924. At the time of his death in 1997, he was regarded world-wide as an authority who led the professional development of American forensic anthropology. He was a prodigious researcher, best known for his meticulous attention to detail, balanced scientific judgment, keen sense of research design, and ability for synthesis. Stewart's publications, extensive casework for the FBI and others, his court testimony, publications, professional contacts, and organizational activity merit him a prominent place in the history of American forensic anthropology.

Mathematical models in simulation process in rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorie, Nina; Dolga, Valer; Mondoc, Alina

2012-11-01

The problems of people with disability are varied. A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. The major disabilities which can appear in people's lives are: the blindness, the deafness, the limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, the orthopedic impairment, the visual impairment. A disability is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. A disability may occur during a person's lifetime or may be present from birth. The authors conclude that some of these disabilities like physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental can be rehabilitated. Starting from this state of affairs the authors present briefly the possibility of using certain mechatronic systems for rehabilitation of persons with different disabilities. The authors focus their presentation on alternative calling the Stewart platform in order to achieve the proposed goal. The authors present a mathematical model of systems theory approach under the parallel system and described its contents can. The authors analyze in a meaningful mathematical model describing the procedure of rehabilitation process. From the affected function biomechanics and taking into account medical recommendations the authors illustrate the mathematical models of rehabilitation work. The authors assemble a whole mathematical model of parallel structure and the rehabilitation process and making simulation and highlighting the results estimated. The authors present in the end work the results envisaged in the end analysis work, conclusions and steps for future work program..

Dynamic analysis and control of lightweight manipulators with flexible parallel link mechanisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Jeh Won

1991-01-01

The flexible parallel link mechanism is designed for increased rigidity to sustain the buckling when it carries a heavy payload. Compared to a one link flexible manipulator, a two link flexible manipulator, especially the flexible parallel mechanism, has more complicated characteristics in dynamics and control. The objective of this research is the theoretical analysis and the experimental verification of dynamics and control of a two link flexible manipulator with a flexible parallel link mechanism. Nonlinear equations of motion of the lightweight manipulator are derived by the Lagrangian method in symbolic form to better understand the structure of the dynamic model. A manipulator with a flexible parallel link mechanism is a constrained dynamic system whose equations are sensitive to numerical integration error. This constrained system is solved using singular value decomposition of the constraint Jacobian matrix. The discrepancies between the analytical model and the experiment are explained using a simplified and a detailed finite element model. The step response of the analytical model and the TREETOPS model match each other well. The nonlinear dynamics is studied using a sinusoidal excitation. The actuator dynamic effect on a flexible robot was investigated. The effects are explained by the root loci and the Bode plot theoretically and experimentally. For the base performance for the advanced control scheme, a simple decoupled feedback scheme is applied.

CREW PORTRAIT - SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION 41B

NASA Image and Video Library

1983-01-01

S83-40555 (15 October 1983) --- These five astronauts are in training for the STS-41B mission, scheduled early next year. On the front row are Vance D. Brand, commander; and Robert L. Gibson, pilot. Mission specialists (back row, left to right) are Robert L. Stewart, Dr. Ronald E. McNair and Bruce McCandless II. Stewart and McCandless are wearing Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU) space suits. The STS program's second extravehicular activity (EVA) is to be performed on this flight, largely as a rehearsal for a scheduled repair visit to the Solar Maximum Satellite (SMS), on a later mission. The Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) will make its space debut on STS-41B.

Ligation of Macroscopically Detectable Arteriovenous Fistulas in Stewart-Bluefarb Syndrome

PubMed Central

Sung, Shih-Ying; Lin, Yi-Chang; Tsai, Yi-Ting; Lin, Chih-Yuan; Lee, Chung-Yi; Tsai, Chien-Sung

2014-01-01

We herein describe the case of a 21-year-old woman with Stewart-Bluefarb syndrome presenting with recurrent ulcers on the right foot and multiple congenital arteriovenous malformations. The painful recurrent ulcers and brownish macules at the dorsum of the right foot had appeared at 13 years of age, and the size of the right foot gradually became larger than the left. She underwent conservative treatment and polyvinyl alcohol embolization but the ulcer was recurrent. Two macroscopic detectable feeding arteries to arteriovenous fistulas were ligated under Doppler sonography. At her 6 month follow-up, the chronic ulcer had begun to heal and pain had been alleviated. PMID:27122807

Stewart Treves Syndrome.

PubMed

Pereira, Elisangela Samartin Pegas; Moraes, Elisa Trino de; Siqueira, Daniela Melo; Santos, Marcel Alex Soares dos

2015-01-01

Stewart-Treves Syndrome is characterized by the presence of lymphangiosarcoma on limb extremities. Rare, it occurs in 0.5% of patients who have undergone radical mastectomy with axillary node dissection. The main cause is chronic lymphedema with endothelial and lymphatic differentiation, with no direct relationship to breast cancer. Seven years after a radical right-side mastectomy with lymph node dissection and adjuvant therapy, the patient developed a lesion on her right arm. The dermatological examination revealed an erythematous nodule with bleeding surface on chronic right forearm lymphedema. After the biopsy, a lymphangiosarcoma on chronic lymphedema was diagnosed. Infrequent, this syndrome is relevant because of its associated mortality. Early diagnosis is important to improve survival and reduce complications.

Phantom solution in a non-linear Israel-Stewart theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz, Miguel; Cruz, Norman; Lepe, Samuel

2017-06-01

In this paper we present a phantom solution with a big rip singularity in a non-linear regime of the Israel-Stewart formalism. In this framework it is possible to extend this causal formalism in order to describe accelerated expansion, where assumption of near equilibrium is no longer valid. We assume a flat universe filled with a single viscous fluid ruled by a barotropic EoS, p = ωρ, which can represent a late time accelerated phase of the cosmic evolution. The solution allows to cross the phantom divide without evoking an exotic matter fluid and the effective EoS parameter is always lesser than -1 and constant in time.

In memoriam: Robert Earl Stewart, Sr., 1913-1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robbins, Chandler S.; Meanley, M.B.

1996-01-01

Robert Earl Stewart, Sr., our colleague, close friend, and mentor, was born on 16 April 1913 in Kansas City, Missouri. He graduated from high school in Grimes, Iowa, received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Iowa in 1936, and his M.S. in Zoology from the University of Michigan in 1937. His post-graduate work on the life history of the Common Yellow throat was published in the Wilson Bulletin in 1953. Bob joined the AOU in 1938, was made an Elective Member in 1949, and a Fellow in 1974. During World War II, he served with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps in the Pacific Theater.

Generic robot architecture

DOEpatents

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Few, Douglas A [Idaho Falls, ID

2010-09-21

The present invention provides methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for a generic robot architecture providing a framework that is easily portable to a variety of robot platforms and is configured to provide hardware abstractions, abstractions for generic robot attributes, environment abstractions, and robot behaviors. The generic robot architecture includes a hardware abstraction level and a robot abstraction level. The hardware abstraction level is configured for developing hardware abstractions that define, monitor, and control hardware modules available on a robot platform. The robot abstraction level is configured for defining robot attributes and provides a software framework for building robot behaviors from the robot attributes. Each of the robot attributes includes hardware information from at least one hardware abstraction. In addition, each robot attribute is configured to substantially isolate the robot behaviors from the at least one hardware abstraction.

Probe Scanning Support System by a Parallel Mechanism for Robotic Echography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoki, Yusuke; Kaneko, Kenta; Oyamada, Masami; Takachi, Yuuki; Masuda, Kohji

We propose a probe scanning support system based on force/visual servoing control for robotic echography. First, we have designed and formulated its inverse kinematics the construction of mechanism. Next, we have developed a scanning method of the ultrasound probe on body surface to construct visual servo system based on acquired echogram by the standalone medical robot to move the ultrasound probe on patient abdomen in three-dimension. The visual servo system detects local change of brightness in time series echogram, which is stabilized the position of the probe by conventional force servo system in the robot, to compensate not only periodical respiration motion but also body motion. Then we integrated control method of the visual servo with the force servo as a hybrid control in both of position and force. To confirm the ability to apply for actual abdomen, we experimented the total system to follow the gallbladder as a moving target to keep its position in the echogram by minimizing variation of reaction force on abdomen. As the result, the system has a potential to be applied to automatic detection of human internal organ.

QA4, a language for artificial intelligence.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Derksen, J. A. C.

1973-01-01

Introduction of a language for problem solving and specifically robot planning, program verification, and synthesis and theorem proving. This language, called question-answerer 4 (QA4), embodies many features that have been found useful for constructing problem solvers but have to be programmed explicitly by the user of a conventional language. The most important features of QA4 are described, and examples are provided for most of the material introduced. Language features include backtracking, parallel processing, pattern matching, set manipulation, and pattern-triggered function activation. The language is most convenient for use in an interactive way and has extensive trace and edit facilities.

The Stewart Approach – One Clinician’s Perspective

PubMed Central

Morgan, T John

2009-01-01

Peter Stewart added controversy to an already troubled subject when he entered the clinical acid-base arena. His approach puts water dissociation at the centre of the acid-base status of body fluids. It is based on six simultaneous equations, incorporating the Laws of Mass Action, Mass Conservation, and Electrical Neutrality. Together with Gibbs-Donnan equilibria, these equations explain the diagnostically important PaCO2/pH relationship, and improve understanding of the physiologic basis of traditional acid-base approaches. Spin-offs have included new scanning tools for unmeasured ions, in particular the ‘strong ion gap’ and ‘net unmeasured ions’. The most controversial feature is the designation of pH and bicarbonate concentrations as dependent variables, answerable exclusively to three independent variables. These are the strong ion difference (SID), the total concentration of non-volatile weak acid (ATOT), and PCO2. Aspects of this assertion conflict with traditional renal physiology, and with current models of membrane H+/base transporters, oxidative phosphorylation, and proton and bicarbonate ionophores. The debate in this area is ongoing. Meanwhile, Stewart-style diagnostic and decision support systems such as the ‘Strong Ion Calculator’ and the web-site www.acidbase.org are now appearing. PMID:19565024

Energy harvesting from mouse click of robot finger using piezoelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cha, Youngsu; Hong, Jin; Lee, Jaemin; Park, Jung-Min; Kim, Keehoon

2017-04-01

In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of energy harvesting from the mouse click motion using a piezoelectric energy transducer. Specifically, we use a robotic finger to realize repeatable mouse click motion. The robotic finger wears a glove with a pocket for including the piezoelectric material as an energy transducer. We propose a model for the energy harvesting system through the inverse kinematic framework of parallel joints in the finger and the electromechanical coupling equations of the piezoelectric material. Experiments are performed to elucidate the effect of the load resistance and the mouse click motion on energy harvesting.

Kinematic sensitivity of robot manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vuskovic, Marko I.

1989-01-01

Kinematic sensitivity vectors and matrices for open-loop, n degrees-of-freedom manipulators are derived. First-order sensitivity vectors are defined as partial derivatives of the manipulator's position and orientation with respect to its geometrical parameters. The four-parameter kinematic model is considered, as well as the five-parameter model in case of nominally parallel joint axes. Sensitivity vectors are expressed in terms of coordinate axes of manipulator frames. Second-order sensitivity vectors, the partial derivatives of first-order sensitivity vectors, are also considered. It is shown that second-order sensitivity vectors can be expressed as vector products of the first-order sensitivity vectors.

Higher-order continuation for the determination of robot workspace boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hentz, Gauthier; Charpentier, Isabelle; Renaud, Pierre

2016-02-01

In the medical and surgical fields, robotics may be of great interest for safer and more accurate procedures. Space constraints for a robotic assistant are however strict. Therefore, roboticists study non-conventional mechanisms with advantageous size/workspace ratios. The determination of mechanism workspace, and primarily its boundaries, is thus of major importance. This Note builds on boundary equation definition, continuation and automatic differentiation to propose a general, accurate, fast and automated method for the determination of mechanism workspace. The method is illustrated with a planar RRR mechanism and a three-dimensional Orthoglide parallel mechanism.

32 CFR 552.98 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... REGULATIONS AFFECTING MILITARY RESERVATIONS Firearms and Weapons § 552.98 Purpose. This regulation establishes... dangerous weapons and instruments on Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield (AAF) installations. ...

Solutions of conformal Israel-Stewart relativistic viscous fluid dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrochio, Hugo; Noronha, Jorge; Denicol, Gabriel S.; Luzum, Matthew; Jeon, Sangyong; Gale, Charles

2015-01-01

We use symmetry arguments developed by Gubser to construct the first radially expanding explicit solutions of the Israel-Stewart formulation of hydrodynamics. Along with a general semi-analytical solution, an exact analytical solution is given which is valid in the cold plasma limit where viscous effects from shear viscosity and the relaxation time coefficient are important. The radially expanding solutions presented in this paper can be used as nontrivial checks of numerical algorithms employed in hydrodynamic simulations of the quark-gluon plasma formed in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions. We show this explicitly by comparing such analytic and semi-analytic solutions with the corresponding numerical solutions obtained using the music viscous hydrodynamics simulation code.

A bi-hemispheric neuronal network model of the cerebellum with spontaneous climbing fiber firing produces asymmetrical motor learning during robot control.

PubMed

Pinzon-Morales, Ruben-Dario; Hirata, Yutaka

2014-01-01

To acquire and maintain precise movement controls over a lifespan, changes in the physical and physiological characteristics of muscles must be compensated for adaptively. The cerebellum plays a crucial role in such adaptation. Changes in muscle characteristics are not always symmetrical. For example, it is unlikely that muscles that bend and straighten a joint will change to the same degree. Thus, different (i.e., asymmetrical) adaptation is required for bending and straightening motions. To date, little is known about the role of the cerebellum in asymmetrical adaptation. Here, we investigate the cerebellar mechanisms required for asymmetrical adaptation using a bi-hemispheric cerebellar neuronal network model (biCNN). The bi-hemispheric structure is inspired by the observation that lesioning one hemisphere reduces motor performance asymmetrically. The biCNN model was constructed to run in real-time and used to control an unstable two-wheeled balancing robot. The load of the robot and its environment were modified to create asymmetrical perturbations. Plasticity at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses in the biCNN model was driven by error signal in the climbing fiber (cf) input. This cf input was configured to increase and decrease its firing rate from its spontaneous firing rate (approximately 1 Hz) with sensory errors in the preferred and non-preferred direction of each hemisphere, as demonstrated in the monkey cerebellum. Our results showed that asymmetrical conditions were successfully handled by the biCNN model, in contrast to a single hemisphere model or a classical non-adaptive proportional and derivative controller. Further, the spontaneous activity of the cf, while relatively small, was critical for balancing the contribution of each cerebellar hemisphere to the overall motor command sent to the robot. Eliminating the spontaneous activity compromised the asymmetrical learning capabilities of the biCNN model. Thus, we conclude that a bi-hemispheric structure and adequate spontaneous activity of cf inputs are critical for cerebellar asymmetrical motor learning.

32 CFR 552.98 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... REGULATIONS AFFECTING MILITARY RESERVATIONS Firearms and Weapons § 552.98 Purpose. This regulation establishes... dangerous weapons and instruments on Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield (AAF) installations. ...

Mars global reference atmosphere model (Mars-GRAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justus, C. G.; James, Bonnie F.

1992-01-01

Mars-GRAM is an empirical model that parameterizes the temperature, pressure, density, and wind structure of the Martian atmosphere from the surface through thermospheric altitudes. In the lower atmosphere of Mars, the model is built around parameterizations of height, latitudinal, longitudinal, and seasonal variations of temperature determined from a survey of published measurements from the Mariner and Viking programs. Pressure and density are inferred from the temperature by making use of the hydrostatic and perfect gas laws relationships. For the upper atmosphere, the thermospheric model of Stewart is used. A hydrostatic interpolation routine is used to insure a smooth transition from the lower portion of the model to the Stewart thermospheric model. Other aspects of the model are discussed.

A bi-hemispheric neuronal network model of the cerebellum with spontaneous climbing fiber firing produces asymmetrical motor learning during robot control

PubMed Central

Pinzon-Morales, Ruben-Dario; Hirata, Yutaka

2014-01-01

To acquire and maintain precise movement controls over a lifespan, changes in the physical and physiological characteristics of muscles must be compensated for adaptively. The cerebellum plays a crucial role in such adaptation. Changes in muscle characteristics are not always symmetrical. For example, it is unlikely that muscles that bend and straighten a joint will change to the same degree. Thus, different (i.e., asymmetrical) adaptation is required for bending and straightening motions. To date, little is known about the role of the cerebellum in asymmetrical adaptation. Here, we investigate the cerebellar mechanisms required for asymmetrical adaptation using a bi-hemispheric cerebellar neuronal network model (biCNN). The bi-hemispheric structure is inspired by the observation that lesioning one hemisphere reduces motor performance asymmetrically. The biCNN model was constructed to run in real-time and used to control an unstable two-wheeled balancing robot. The load of the robot and its environment were modified to create asymmetrical perturbations. Plasticity at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses in the biCNN model was driven by error signal in the climbing fiber (cf) input. This cf input was configured to increase and decrease its firing rate from its spontaneous firing rate (approximately 1 Hz) with sensory errors in the preferred and non-preferred direction of each hemisphere, as demonstrated in the monkey cerebellum. Our results showed that asymmetrical conditions were successfully handled by the biCNN model, in contrast to a single hemisphere model or a classical non-adaptive proportional and derivative controller. Further, the spontaneous activity of the cf, while relatively small, was critical for balancing the contribution of each cerebellar hemisphere to the overall motor command sent to the robot. Eliminating the spontaneous activity compromised the asymmetrical learning capabilities of the biCNN model. Thus, we conclude that a bi-hemispheric structure and adequate spontaneous activity of cf inputs are critical for cerebellar asymmetrical motor learning. PMID:25414644

Performance-based robotic assistance during rhythmic arm exercises.

PubMed

Leconte, Patricia; Ronsse, Renaud

2016-09-13

Rhythmic and discrete upper-limb movements are two fundamental motor primitives controlled by different neural pathways, at least partially. After stroke, both primitives can be impaired. Both conventional and robot-assisted therapies mainly train discrete functional movements like reaching and grasping. However, if the movements form two distinct neural and functional primitives, both should be trained to recover the complete motor repertoire. Recent studies show that rhythmic movements tend to be less impaired than discrete ones, so combining both movement types in therapy could support the execution of movements with a higher degree of impairment by movements that are performed more stably. A new performance-based assistance method was developed to train rhythmic movements with a rehabilitation robot. The algorithm uses the assist-as-needed paradigm by independently assessing and assisting movement features of smoothness, velocity, and amplitude. The method relies on different building blocks: (i) an adaptive oscillator captures the main movement harmonic in state variables, (ii) custom metrics measure the movement performance regarding the three features, and (iii) adaptive forces assist the patient. The patient is encouraged to improve performance regarding these three features with assistance forces computed in parallel to each other. The method was tested with simulated jerky signals and a pilot experiment with two stroke patients, who were instructed to make circular movements with an end-effector robot with assistance during half of the trials. Simulation data reveal sensitivity of the metrics for assessing the features while limiting interference between them. The assistance's effectiveness with stroke patients is established since it (i) adapts to the patient's real-time performance, (ii) improves patient motor performance, and (iii) does not lead the patient to slack. The smoothness assistance was by far the most used by both patients, while it provided no active mechanical work to the patient on average. Our performance-based assistance method for training rhythmic movements is a viable candidate to complement robot-assisted upper-limb therapies for training a larger motor repertoire.

Concept and design philosophy of a person-accompanying robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizoguchi, Hiroshi; Shigehara, Takaomi; Goto, Yoshiyasu; Hidai, Ken-ichi; Mishima, Taketoshi

1999-01-01

This paper proposes a person accompanying robot as a novel human collaborative robot. The person accompanying robot is such legged mobile robot that is possible to follow the person utilizing its vision. towards future aging society, human collaboration and human support are required as novel applications of robots. Such human collaborative robots share the same space with humans. But conventional robots are isolated from humans and lack the capability to observe humans. Study on human observing function of robot is crucial to realize novel robot such as service and pet robot. To collaborate and support humans properly human collaborative robot must have capability to observe and recognize humans. Study on human observing function of robot is crucial to realize novel robot such as service and pet robot. The authors are currently implementing a prototype of the proposed accompanying robot.As a base for the human observing function of the prototype robot, we have realized face tracking utilizing skin color extraction and correlation based tracking. We also develop a method for the robot to pick up human voice clearly and remotely by utilizing microphone arrays. Results of these preliminary study suggest feasibility of the proposed robot.

Characterization of robotics parallel algorithms and mapping onto a reconfigurable SIMD machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, C. S. G.; Lin, C. T.

1989-01-01

The kinematics, dynamics, Jacobian, and their corresponding inverse computations are six essential problems in the control of robot manipulators. Efficient parallel algorithms for these computations are discussed and analyzed. Their characteristics are identified and a scheme on the mapping of these algorithms to a reconfigurable parallel architecture is presented. Based on the characteristics including type of parallelism, degree of parallelism, uniformity of the operations, fundamental operations, data dependencies, and communication requirement, it is shown that most of the algorithms for robotic computations possess highly regular properties and some common structures, especially the linear recursive structure. Moreover, they are well-suited to be implemented on a single-instruction-stream multiple-data-stream (SIMD) computer with reconfigurable interconnection network. The model of a reconfigurable dual network SIMD machine with internal direct feedback is introduced. A systematic procedure internal direct feedback is introduced. A systematic procedure to map these computations to the proposed machine is presented. A new scheduling problem for SIMD machines is investigated and a heuristic algorithm, called neighborhood scheduling, that reorders the processing sequence of subtasks to reduce the communication time is described. Mapping results of a benchmark algorithm are illustrated and discussed.

Algebraic solution for the forward displacement analysis of the general 6-6 stewart mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Feng; Wei, Shimin; Zhang, Ying; Liao, Qizheng

2016-01-01

The solution for the forward displacement analysis(FDA) of the general 6-6 Stewart mechanism(i.e., the connection points of the moving and fixed platforms are not restricted to lying in a plane) has been extensively studied, but the efficiency of the solution remains to be effectively addressed. To this end, an algebraic elimination method is proposed for the FDA of the general 6-6 Stewart mechanism. The kinematic constraint equations are built using conformal geometric algebra(CGA). The kinematic constraint equations are transformed by a substitution of variables into seven equations with seven unknown variables. According to the characteristic of anti-symmetric matrices, the aforementioned seven equations can be further transformed into seven equations with four unknown variables by a substitution of variables using the Gröbner basis. Its elimination weight is increased through changing the degree of one variable, and sixteen equations with four unknown variables can be obtained using the Gröbner basis. A 40th-degree univariate polynomial equation is derived by constructing a relatively small-sized 9´9 Sylvester resultant matrix. Finally, two numerical examples are employed to verify the proposed method. The results indicate that the proposed method can effectively improve the efficiency of solution and reduce the computational burden because of the small-sized resultant matrix.

Facing acid–base disorders in the third millennium – the Stewart approach revisited

PubMed Central

Kishen, R; Honoré, Patrick M; Jacobs, R; Joannes-Boyau, O; De Waele, E; De Regt, J; Van Gorp, V; Boer, W; Spapen, HD

2014-01-01

Acid–base disorders are common in the critically ill. Most of these disorders do not cause harm and are self-limiting after appropriate resuscitation and management. Unfortunately, clinicians tend to think about an acid–base disturbance as a “disease” and spend long hours effectively treating numbers rather than the patient. Moreover, a sizable number of intensive-care physicians experience difficulties in interpreting the significance of or understanding the etiology of certain forms of acid–base disequilibria. Traditional tools for interpreting acid–base disorders may not be adequate for analyzing the complex nature of these metabolic abnormalities. Inappropriate interpretation may also lead to wrong clinical conclusions and incorrectly influence clinical management (eg, bicarbonate therapy for metabolic acidosis in different clinical situations). The Stewart approach, based on physicochemical principles, is a robust physiological concept that can facilitate the interpretation and analysis of simple, mixed, and complex acid–base disorders, thereby allowing better diagnosis of the cause of the disturbance and more timely treatment. However, as the concept does not attach importance to plasma bicarbonate, clinicians may find it complicated to use in their daily clinical practice. This article reviews various approaches to interpreting acid–base disorders and suggests the integration of base-excess and Stewart approach for a better interpretation of these metabolic disorders. PMID:24959091

Vibration isolation and dual-stage actuation pointing system for space precision payloads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Yongfang; Huang, Hai

2018-02-01

Pointing and stability requirements for future space missions are becoming more and more stringent. This work follows the pointing control method which consists of a traditional spacecraft attitude control system and a payload active pointing loop, further proposing a vibration isolation and dual-stage actuation pointing system for space precision payloads based on a soft Stewart platform. Central to the concept is using the dual-stage actuator instead of the traditional voice coil motor single-stage actuator to improve the payload active pointing capability. Based on a specified payload, the corresponding platform was designed to be installed between the spacecraft bus and the payload. The performance of the proposed system is demonstrated by preliminary closed-loop control investigations in simulations. With the ordinary spacecraft bus, the line-of-sight pointing accuracy can be controlled to below a few milliarcseconds in tip and tilt. Meanwhile, utilizing the voice coil motor with the softening spring in parallel, which is a portion of the dual-stage actuator, the system effectively achieves low-frequency motion transmission and high-frequency vibration isolation along the other four degree-of-freedom directions.

Realtime motion planning for a mobile robot in an unknown environment using a neurofuzzy based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Taixiong

2005-12-01

A neuro-fuzzy network based approach for robot motion in an unknown environment was proposed. In order to control the robot motion in an unknown environment, the behavior of the robot was classified into moving to the goal and avoiding obstacles. Then, according to the dynamics of the robot and the behavior character of the robot in an unknown environment, fuzzy control rules were introduced to control the robot motion. At last, a 6-layer neuro-fuzzy network was designed to merge from what the robot sensed to robot motion control. After being trained, the network may be used for robot motion control. Simulation results show that the proposed approach is effective for robot motion control in unknown environment.

Effect of motor dynamics on nonlinear feedback robot arm control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarn, Tzyh-Jong; Li, Zuofeng; Bejczy, Antal K.; Yun, Xiaoping

1991-01-01

A nonlinear feedback robot controller that incorporates the robot manipulator dynamics and the robot joint motor dynamics is proposed. The manipulator dynamics and the motor dynamics are coupled to obtain a third-order-dynamic model, and differential geometric control theory is applied to produce a linearized and decoupled robot controller. The derived robot controller operates in the robot task space, thus eliminating the need for decomposition of motion commands into robot joint space commands. Computer simulations are performed to verify the feasibility of the proposed robot controller. The controller is further experimentally evaluated on the PUMA 560 robot arm. The experiments show that the proposed controller produces good trajectory tracking performances and is robust in the presence of model inaccuracies. Compared with a nonlinear feedback robot controller based on the manipulator dynamics only, the proposed robot controller yields conspicuously improved performance.

INL Multi-Robot Control Interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

2005-03-30

The INL Multi-Robot Control Interface controls many robots through a single user interface. The interface includes a robot display window for each robot showing the robot’s condition. More than one window can be used depending on the number of robots. The user interface also includes a robot control window configured to receive commands for sending to the respective robot and a multi-robot common window showing information received from each robot.

System and method for seamless task-directed autonomy for robots

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nielsen, Curtis; Bruemmer, David; Few, Douglas

Systems, methods, and user interfaces are used for controlling a robot. An environment map and a robot designator are presented to a user. The user may place, move, and modify task designators on the environment map. The task designators indicate a position in the environment map and indicate a task for the robot to achieve. A control intermediary links task designators with robot instructions issued to the robot. The control intermediary analyzes a relative position between the task designators and the robot. The control intermediary uses the analysis to determine a task-oriented autonomy level for the robot and communicates targetmore » achievement information to the robot. The target achievement information may include instructions for directly guiding the robot if the task-oriented autonomy level indicates low robot initiative and may include instructions for directing the robot to determine a robot plan for achieving the task if the task-oriented autonomy level indicates high robot initiative.« less

Robotics: An Introduction to Today’s Robot and Future Trends.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-01

trial applications." What qualities define a machine as a robot? The Robot Institute of Amer- ica defines a robot as follows: "A robot is a reprogrammable ...manufactures a robot with a spin- ning wrist. Second, and this is the key feature, robots are reprogrammable and hence versatile. An automatic lathe is not...robot spot-welds an automobile frame. In Figure 8, a single robot transferring a transmission case is shown, but a total of eight robots are

In vitro relaxant and spasmolytic effects of essential oil of Pistacia integerrima Stewart ex Brandis Galls.

PubMed

Shirole, R L; Shirole, N L; Saraf, M N

2015-06-20

Pistacia integerrima J.L. Stewart ex Brandis (Family: Anacardiaceae) galls are used in Indian ethnomedicine for its anti-asthmatic, sedative and spasmolytic properties, however, there are no scientific studies demonstrating its spasmolytic activity. The present investigation deals with the evaluation of relaxant and spasmolytic activities of the essential oil isolated from the galls of Pistacia integerrima J.L. Stewart ex Brandis (EOPI). In vitro pharmacological assays were carried out on rabbit jejunum spontaneous contractions, guinea pig ileum. The present investigation studied the relaxation of basal tone of isolated guinea pig ileum by possible involvement of NO, prostaglandins, membrane Na(+) channels, potassium channel, enteric nervous system, adrenoceptors, Ca(2+) channels. Additional studies were conducted for comparison of the relaxant effects of EOPI on CaCl2 induced contraction in calcium free tyrode solution, effect on nifedipine insensitive component of ACh-induced contraction and on the contractile machinery to intracellular [Ca(2+)] on isolated guinea pig ileum. EOPI at non-relaxing dose potentiated the isoprenaline induced relaxation of rabbit jejunum. EOPI (50 µg/mL) exhibited 28% relaxation of basal tone of 60 mM K(+) induced contraction which is unaltered by preincubation with 0.5 mM hexamethonium, 0.5 µM Tetrodotoxin, 1 µM indomethacin, and 100 µM L-NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME). EOPI inhibited Ca(2+) induced contraction of isolated guinea pig ileum in Ca(2+) free medium. EOPI (10 µg/ml) potentiated the reversal of a KCl-induced tonic contraction has been observed in Ca(2+) free medium. The present investigation reinforces the use of Pistacia integerrima Stewart ex Brandis as antispasmodic in folk medicine. Moreover, it is demonstrated the involvement of β- adrenoceptors and calcium channels in this activity, but not the participation of nicotinic receptors, Na(+) channels, prostaglandins or nitric oxide. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

[Metabolic alkalosis despite hyperlactatemia and hypercapnia. Interpretation and therapy with help of the Stewart concept].

PubMed

Chappell, D; Hofmann-Kiefer, K; Jacob, M; Conzen, P; Rehm, M

2008-02-01

Acid-base disturbances are commonly found in critically ill patients and are often associated with fatal complications. The basis of a successful treatment is a thorough understanding of the causes of these disorders. The "classical methods" to explain acid-base disorders--pH, base excess and bicarbonate concentration--mostly do not provide a causal correlation to the underlying pathology. An unusual case of a combined respiratory-metabolic disorder with hyperlactatemia and hypercapnia is presented. An acidosis masked by hypochloremic and hypoalbuminemic alkalosis was identified with the help of Stewart's concept and finally permitted a successful therapy. The modern Stewart concept provides enhanced information, enabling an exact diagnosis and causal therapy even in complex cases.

Identifying Non-Hotspot Volcanism in the Young Walvis Ridge Guyot Province using High-Resolution 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnur, S.; Koppers, A. A.

2013-12-01

The Walvis Ridge is a linear volcanic feature stretching almost 3000 km from the coast of Namibia to its hypothesized origin at the Tristan and Gough hotspots in the South Atlantic. It is considered a key example of a primary hotspot trail and is frequently used as a constraint on African plate motion. Despite its importance, the Walvis Ridge has remained poorly studied, and it is unknown if all the seamounts at its young end can be attributed to a hotspot source. Only about 15 of the more than 80 volcanic centers in the young Walvis Ridge Guyot Province have been dated. A group of about 14 large (2-3 km high) seamounts forms a lineament that runs roughly perpendicular to the nearby Mid-Atlantic Ridge (38°S lineament). These seamounts do not seem to match the spatial trends of the Tristan and Gough tracks and are thought to have formed either as near-ridge seamounts or by lithospheric cracking related to the nearby fracture zone. We present here the results of 26 step heating experiments by the 40Ar/39Ar method. Experiments were conducted on groundmass, plagioclase, alkali feldspar, and biotite separates from 13 samples, representing 7 seamounts in and around the 38°S lineament. Biotite and alkali feldspar are common at the 38°S seamounts, but are rarely found elsewhere on the Walvis Ridge, providing additional evidence that these seamounts may have a unique source. The high resolution 40Ar/39Ar ages will be used to plot the age progression of volcanism along this lineament and at nearby seamounts. This information may indicate if the 38°S seamounts are part of the main hotspot trend or are related to magmatic and tectonic processes at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

TAIPAN instrument fibre positioner and Starbug robots: engineering overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staszak, Nicholas F.; Lawrence, Jon; Brown, David M.; Brown, Rebecca; Zhelem, Ross; Goodwin, Michael; Kuehn, Kyler; Lorente, Nuria P. F.; Nichani, Vijay; Waller, Lew; Case, Scott; Content, Robert; Hopkins, Andrew M.; Klauser, Urs; Pai, Naveen; Mueller, Rolf; Mali, Slavko; Vuong, Minh V.

2016-07-01

TAIPAN will conduct a stellar and galaxy survey of the Southern sky. The TAIPAN positioner is being developed as a prototype for the MANIFEST instrument on the GMT. The design for TAIPAN incorporates 150 optical fibres (with an upgrade path to 300) situated within independently controlled robotic positioners known as Starbugs. Starbugs allow precise parallel positioning of individual fibres, thus significantly reducing instrument configuration time and increasing the amount of observing time. Presented is an engineering overview of the UKST upgrade of the completely new Instrument Spider Assembly utilized to support the Starbug Fibre Positioning Robot and current status of the Starbug itself.

NACA Pilots at the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1945-07-21

The Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory’s pilot corps during the final days of World War II: from left to right, Joseph Vensel, Howard Lilly, William Swann, and Joseph Walker. William “Eb” Gough joined the group months after this photograph. These men were responsible for flying the various National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) aircraft to test new engine modifications, study ice buildup, and determine fuel performance. Vensel, a veteran pilot from Langley, was the Chief of Flight Operations and a voice of reason at the laboratory. In April 1947 Vensel was transferred to lead the new Muroc Flight Tests Unit in California until 1966. Lilly was a young pilot with recent Navy experience. Lilly also flew in the 1946 National Air Races. He followed Vensel to Muroc in July 1947 where he became the first NACA pilot to penetrate the sound barrier. On May 3, 1948, Lilly became the first NACA pilot to die in the line of duty. Swann was a young civilian pilot when he joined the NACA. He spent his entire career at the Cleveland laboratory, and led the flight operations group from the early 1960s until 1979. Two World War II veterans joined the crew after the war. Walker was a 24-year-old P–38 reconnaissance pilot. He joined the NACA as a physicist in early 1945 but soon worked his way into the cadre of pilots. Walker later gained fame as an X-plane pilot at Muroc and was killed in a June 1966 fatal crash. Gough survived being shot down twice during the war and was decorated for flying rescue missions in occupied areas.

Three-dimensional, task-specific robot therapy of the arm after stroke: a multicentre, parallel-group randomised trial.

PubMed

Klamroth-Marganska, Verena; Blanco, Javier; Campen, Katrin; Curt, Armin; Dietz, Volker; Ettlin, Thierry; Felder, Morena; Fellinghauer, Bernd; Guidali, Marco; Kollmar, Anja; Luft, Andreas; Nef, Tobias; Schuster-Amft, Corina; Stahel, Werner; Riener, Robert

2014-02-01

Arm hemiparesis secondary to stroke is common and disabling. We aimed to assess whether robotic training of an affected arm with ARMin--an exoskeleton robot that allows task-specific training in three dimensions-reduces motor impairment more effectively than does conventional therapy. In a prospective, multicentre, parallel-group randomised trial, we enrolled patients who had had motor impairment for more than 6 months and moderate-to-severe arm paresis after a cerebrovascular accident who met our eligibility criteria from four centres in Switzerland. Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive robotic or conventional therapy using a centre-stratified randomisation procedure. For both groups, therapy was given for at least 45 min three times a week for 8 weeks (total 24 sessions). The primary outcome was change in score on the arm (upper extremity) section of the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA-UE). Assessors tested patients immediately before therapy, after 4 weeks of therapy, at the end of therapy, and 16 weeks and 34 weeks after start of therapy. Assessors were masked to treatment allocation, but patients, therapists, and data analysts were unmasked. Analyses were by modified intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00719433. Between May 4, 2009, and Sept 3, 2012, 143 individuals were tested for eligibility, of whom 77 were eligible and agreed to participate. 38 patients assigned to robotic therapy and 35 assigned to conventional therapy were included in analyses. Patients assigned to robotic therapy had significantly greater improvements in motor function in the affected arm over the course of the study as measured by FMA-UE than did those assigned to conventional therapy (F=4.1, p=0.041; mean difference in score 0.78 points, 95% CI 0.03-1.53). No serious adverse events related to the study occurred. Neurorehabilitation therapy including task-oriented training with an exoskeleton robot can enhance improvement of motor function in a chronically impaired paretic arm after stroke more effectively than conventional therapy. However, the absolute difference between effects of robotic and conventional therapy in our study was small and of weak significance, which leaves the clinical relevance in question. Swiss National Science Foundation and Bangerter-Rhyner Stiftung. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The climbing crawling robot (a unique cable robot for space and Earth)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kerley, James J.; May, Edward; Eklund, Wayne

1991-01-01

Some of the greatest concerns in robotic designs have been the high center of gravity of the robot, the irregular or flat surface that the robot has to work on, the weight of the robot that has to handle heavy weights or use heavy forces, and the ability of the robot to climb straight up in the air. This climbing crawling robot handles these problems well with magnets, suction cups, or actuators. The cables give body to the robot and it performs very similar to a caterpillar. The computer program is simple and inexpensive as is the robot. One of the important features of this system is that the robot can work in pairs or triplets to handle jobs that would be extremely difficult for single robots. The light weight of the robot allows it to handle quite heavy weights. The number of feet give the robot many roots where a simple set of feet would give it trouble.

The Utilitarians Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camic, Charles

1979-01-01

Investigates the social theories of the major utilitarians (David Hume, Adam Smith, Jeremy Bentham, and John Stewart Mill), and outlines the historical process whereby the prevailing mythology concerning utilitarianism developed. (Author/KC)

Electroactive polymer and shape memory alloy actuators in biomimetics and humanoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadesse, Yonas

2013-04-01

There is a strong need to replicate natural muscles with artificial materials as the structure and function of natural muscle is optimum for articulation. Particularly, the cylindrical shape of natural muscle fiber and its interconnected structure promote the critical investigation of artificial muscles geometry and implementation in the design phase of certain platforms. Biomimetic robots and Humanoid Robot heads with Facial Expressions (HRwFE) are some of the typical platforms that can be used to study the geometrical effects of artificial muscles. It has been shown that electroactive polymer and shape memory alloy artificial muscles and their composites are some of the candidate materials that may replicate natural muscles and showed great promise for biomimetics and humanoid robots. The application of these materials to these systems reveals the challenges and associated technologies that need to be developed in parallel. This paper will focus on the computer aided design (CAD) models of conductive polymer and shape memory alloys in various biomimetic systems and Humanoid Robot with Facial Expressions (HRwFE). The design of these systems will be presented in a comparative manner primarily focusing on three critical parameters: the stress, the strain and the geometry of the artificial muscle.

With the Development of Teaching Sumo Robot are Discussed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

quan, Miao Zhi; Ke, Ma; Xin, Wei Jing

In recent years, with of robot technology progress and robot science activities, robot technology obtained fast development. The system USES the Atmega128 single-chip Atmel company as a core controller, was designed using a infrared to tube detection boundary, looking for each other, controller to tube receiving infrared data, and according to the data control motor state thus robot reached automatic control purposes. Against robot by single-chip microcomputer smallest system, By making the teaching purpose is to promote the robot sumo students' interests and let more students to participate in the robot research activities.

da Vinci robot-assisted keyhole neurosurgery: a cadaver study on feasibility and safety.

PubMed

Marcus, Hani J; Hughes-Hallett, Archie; Cundy, Thomas P; Yang, Guang-Zhong; Darzi, Ara; Nandi, Dipankar

2015-04-01

The goal of this cadaver study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of da Vinci robot-assisted keyhole neurosurgery. Several keyhole craniotomies were fashioned including supraorbital subfrontal, retrosigmoid and supracerebellar infratentorial. In each case, a simple durotomy was performed, and the flap was retracted. The da Vinci surgical system was then used to perform arachnoid dissection towards the deep-seated intracranial cisterns. It was not possible to simultaneously pass the 12-mm endoscope and instruments through the keyhole craniotomy in any of the approaches performed, limiting visualization. The articulated instruments provided greater dexterity than existing tools, but the instrument arms could not be placed in parallel through the keyhole craniotomy and, therefore, could not be advanced to the deep cisterns without significant clashing. The da Vinci console offered considerable ergonomic advantages over the existing operating room arrangement, allowing the operating surgeon to remain non-sterile and seated comfortably throughout the procedure. However, the lack of haptic feedback was a notable limitation. In conclusion, while robotic platforms have the potential to greatly enhance the performance of transcranial approaches, there is strong justification for research into next-generation robots, better suited to keyhole neurosurgery.

Obstacle Avoidance and Target Acquisition for Robot Navigation Using a Mixed Signal Analog/Digital Neuromorphic Processing System.

PubMed

Milde, Moritz B; Blum, Hermann; Dietmüller, Alexander; Sumislawska, Dora; Conradt, Jörg; Indiveri, Giacomo; Sandamirskaya, Yulia

2017-01-01

Neuromorphic hardware emulates dynamics of biological neural networks in electronic circuits offering an alternative to the von Neumann computing architecture that is low-power, inherently parallel, and event-driven. This hardware allows to implement neural-network based robotic controllers in an energy-efficient way with low latency, but requires solving the problem of device variability, characteristic for analog electronic circuits. In this work, we interfaced a mixed-signal analog-digital neuromorphic processor ROLLS to a neuromorphic dynamic vision sensor (DVS) mounted on a robotic vehicle and developed an autonomous neuromorphic agent that is able to perform neurally inspired obstacle-avoidance and target acquisition. We developed a neural network architecture that can cope with device variability and verified its robustness in different environmental situations, e.g., moving obstacles, moving target, clutter, and poor light conditions. We demonstrate how this network, combined with the properties of the DVS, allows the robot to avoid obstacles using a simple biologically-inspired dynamics. We also show how a Dynamic Neural Field for target acquisition can be implemented in spiking neuromorphic hardware. This work demonstrates an implementation of working obstacle avoidance and target acquisition using mixed signal analog/digital neuromorphic hardware.

A real-time spiking cerebellum model for learning robot control.

PubMed

Carrillo, Richard R; Ros, Eduardo; Boucheny, Christian; Coenen, Olivier J-M D

2008-01-01

We describe a neural network model of the cerebellum based on integrate-and-fire spiking neurons with conductance-based synapses. The neuron characteristics are derived from our earlier detailed models of the different cerebellar neurons. We tested the cerebellum model in a real-time control application with a robotic platform. Delays were introduced in the different sensorimotor pathways according to the biological system. The main plasticity in the cerebellar model is a spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) at the parallel fiber to Purkinje cell connections. This STDP is driven by the inferior olive (IO) activity, which encodes an error signal using a novel probabilistic low frequency model. We demonstrate the cerebellar model in a robot control system using a target-reaching task. We test whether the system learns to reach different target positions in a non-destructive way, therefore abstracting a general dynamics model. To test the system's ability to self-adapt to different dynamical situations, we present results obtained after changing the dynamics of the robotic platform significantly (its friction and load). The experimental results show that the cerebellar-based system is able to adapt dynamically to different contexts.

78 FR 9067 - Receipt of Applications for Endangered Species Permits

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-07

... County, Alabama. Permit Application Number: TE-91366A Applicant: Dr. Paul Stewart, Troy, Alabama...: TE-91373A Applicant: Jonathan Miller, Troy, Alabama. Applicant requests authorization to take...

Generation of RGB-D data for SLAM using robotic framework V-REP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gritsenko, Pavel S.; Gritsenko, Igor S.; Seidakhmet, Askar Zh.; Abduraimov, Azizbek E.

2017-09-01

In this article, we will present a methodology to debug RGB-D SLAM systems as well as to generate testing data. We have created a model of a laboratory with an area of 250 m2 (25 × 10) with set of objects of different type. V-REP Microsoft Kinect sensor simulation model was used as a basis for robot vision system. Motion path of the sensor model has multiple loops. We have written a program in V-Rep native language Lua to record data array from the Microsoft Kinect sensor model. The array includes both RGB and Depth streams with full resolution (640 × 480) for every 10 cm of the path. The simulated path has absolute accuracy, since it is a simulation, and is represented by an array of transformation matrices (4 × 4). The length of the data array is 1000 steps or 100 m. The path simulates frequently occurring cases in SLAM, including loops. It is worth noting that the path was modeled for a mobile robot and it is represented by a 2D path parallel to the floor at a height of 40 cm.

Obstacle Avoidance and Target Acquisition for Robot Navigation Using a Mixed Signal Analog/Digital Neuromorphic Processing System

PubMed Central

Milde, Moritz B.; Blum, Hermann; Dietmüller, Alexander; Sumislawska, Dora; Conradt, Jörg; Indiveri, Giacomo; Sandamirskaya, Yulia

2017-01-01

Neuromorphic hardware emulates dynamics of biological neural networks in electronic circuits offering an alternative to the von Neumann computing architecture that is low-power, inherently parallel, and event-driven. This hardware allows to implement neural-network based robotic controllers in an energy-efficient way with low latency, but requires solving the problem of device variability, characteristic for analog electronic circuits. In this work, we interfaced a mixed-signal analog-digital neuromorphic processor ROLLS to a neuromorphic dynamic vision sensor (DVS) mounted on a robotic vehicle and developed an autonomous neuromorphic agent that is able to perform neurally inspired obstacle-avoidance and target acquisition. We developed a neural network architecture that can cope with device variability and verified its robustness in different environmental situations, e.g., moving obstacles, moving target, clutter, and poor light conditions. We demonstrate how this network, combined with the properties of the DVS, allows the robot to avoid obstacles using a simple biologically-inspired dynamics. We also show how a Dynamic Neural Field for target acquisition can be implemented in spiking neuromorphic hardware. This work demonstrates an implementation of working obstacle avoidance and target acquisition using mixed signal analog/digital neuromorphic hardware. PMID:28747883

Wrist Rehabilitation Assisted by an Electromyography-Driven Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Robot After Stroke.

PubMed

Hu, Xiao-Ling; Tong, Raymond Kai-yu; Ho, Newmen S K; Xue, Jing-jing; Rong, Wei; Li, Leonard S W

2015-09-01

Augmented physical training with assistance from robot and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may introduce intensive motor improvement in chronic stroke. To compare the rehabilitation effectiveness achieved by NMES robot-assisted wrist training and that by robot-assisted training. This study was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial with a 3-month follow-up. Twenty-six hemiplegic subjects with chronic stroke were randomly assigned to receive 20-session wrist training with an electromyography (EMG)-driven NMES robot (NMES robot group, n = 11) and with an EMG-driven robot (robot group, n = 15), completed within 7 consecutive weeks. Clinical scores, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Modified Ashworth Score (MAS), and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were used to evaluate the training effects before and after the training, as well as 3 months later. An EMG parameter, muscle co-contraction index, was also applied to investigate the session-by-session variation in muscular coordination patterns during the training. The improvement in FMA (shoulder/elbow, wrist/hand) obtained in the NMES robot group was more significant than the robot group (P < .05). Significant improvement in ARAT was achieved in the NMES robot group (P < .05) but absent in the robot group. NMES robot-assisted training showed better performance in releasing muscle co-contraction than the robot-assisted across the training sessions (P < .05). The NMES robot-assisted wrist training was more effective than the pure robot. The additional NMES application in the treatment could bring more improvements in the distal motor functions and faster rehabilitation progress. © The Author(s) 2014.

D2 Delta Robot Structural Design and Kinematics Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xudong; wang, Song; Dong, Yu; Yang, Hai

2017-12-01

In this paper, a new type of Delta robot with only two degrees of freedom is proposed on the basis of multi - degree - of - freedom delta robot. In order to meet our application requirements, we have carried out structural design and analysis of the robot. Through SolidWorks modeling, combined with 3D printing technology to determine the final robot structure. In order to achieve the precise control of the robot, the kinematics analysis of the robot was carried out. The SimMechanics toolbox of MATLAB is used to establish the mechanism model, and the kinematics mathematical model is used to simulate the robot motion control in Matlab environment. Finally, according to the design mechanism, the working space of the robot is drawn by the graphic method, which lays the foundation for the motion control of the subsequent robot.

Measurement of the robot motor capability of a robot motor system: a Fitts's-law-inspired approach.

PubMed

Lin, Hsien-I; Lee, C S George

2013-07-02

Robot motor capability is a crucial factor for a robot, because it affects how accurately and rapidly a robot can perform a motion to accomplish a task constrained by spatial and temporal conditions. In this paper, we propose and derive a pseudo-index of motor performance (pIp) to characterize robot motor capability with robot kinematics, dynamics and control taken into consideration. The proposed pIp provides a quantitative measure for a robot with revolute joints, which is inspired from an index of performance in Fitts's law of human skills. Computer simulations and experiments on a PUMA 560 industrial robot were conducted to validate the proposed pIp for performing a motion accurately and rapidly.

Measurement of the Robot Motor Capability of a Robot Motor System: A Fitts's-Law-Inspired Approach

PubMed Central

Lin, Hsien-I; George Lee, C. S.

2013-01-01

Robot motor capability is a crucial factor for a robot, because it affects how accurately and rapidly a robot can perform a motion to accomplish a task constrained by spatial and temporal conditions. In this paper, we propose and derive a pseudo-index of motor performance (pIp) to characterize robot motor capability with robot kinematics, dynamics and control taken into consideration. The proposed pIp provides a quantitative measure for a robot with revolute joints, which is inspired from an index of performance in Fitts's law of human skills. Computer simulations and experiments on a PUMA 560 industrial robot were conducted to validate the proposed pIp for performing a motion accurately and rapidly. PMID:23820745

Optimal Control Method of Robot End Position and Orientation Based on Dynamic Tracking Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dalong; Xu, Lijuan

2018-01-01

In order to improve the accuracy of robot pose positioning and control, this paper proposed a dynamic tracking measurement robot pose optimization control method based on the actual measurement of D-H parameters of the robot, the parameters is taken with feedback compensation of the robot, according to the geometrical parameters obtained by robot pose tracking measurement, improved multi sensor information fusion the extended Kalan filter method, with continuous self-optimal regression, using the geometric relationship between joint axes for kinematic parameters in the model, link model parameters obtained can timely feedback to the robot, the implementation of parameter correction and compensation, finally we can get the optimal attitude angle, realize the robot pose optimization control experiments were performed. 6R dynamic tracking control of robot joint robot with independent research and development is taken as experimental subject, the simulation results show that the control method improves robot positioning accuracy, and it has the advantages of versatility, simplicity, ease of operation and so on.

Research on Robot Pose Control Technology Based on Kinematics Analysis Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dalong; Xu, Lijuan

2018-01-01

In order to improve the attitude stability of the robot, proposes an attitude control method of robot based on kinematics analysis model, solve the robot walking posture transformation, grasping and controlling the motion planning problem of robot kinematics. In Cartesian space analytical model, using three axis accelerometer, magnetometer and the three axis gyroscope for the combination of attitude measurement, the gyroscope data from Calman filter, using the four element method for robot attitude angle, according to the centroid of the moving parts of the robot corresponding to obtain stability inertia parameters, using random sampling RRT motion planning method, accurate operation to any position control of space robot, to ensure the end effector along a prescribed trajectory the implementation of attitude control. The accurate positioning of the experiment is taken using MT-R robot as the research object, the test robot. The simulation results show that the proposed method has better robustness, and higher positioning accuracy, and it improves the reliability and safety of robot operation.

Robot Tracer with Visual Camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabbar Lubis, Abdul; Dwi Lestari, Yuyun; Dafitri, Haida; Azanuddin

2017-12-01

Robot is a versatile tool that can function replace human work function. The robot is a device that can be reprogrammed according to user needs. The use of wireless networks for remote monitoring needs can be utilized to build a robot that can be monitored movement and can be monitored using blueprints and he can track the path chosen robot. This process is sent using a wireless network. For visual robot using high resolution cameras to facilitate the operator to control the robot and see the surrounding circumstances.

Using a robot to personalise health education for children with diabetes type 1: a pilot study.

PubMed

Blanson Henkemans, Olivier A; Bierman, Bert P B; Janssen, Joris; Neerincx, Mark A; Looije, Rosemarijn; van der Bosch, Hanneke; van der Giessen, Jeanine A M

2013-08-01

Assess the effects of personalised robot behaviours on the enjoyment and motivation of children (8-12) with diabetes, and on their acquisition of health knowledge, in educational play. Children (N=5) played diabetes quizzes against a personal or neutral robot on three occasions: once at the clinic, twice at home. The personal robot asked them about their names, sports and favourite colours, referred to these data during the interaction, and engaged in small talk. Fun, motivation and diabetes knowledge was measured. Child-robot interaction was observed. Children said the robot and quiz were fun, but this appreciation declined over time. With the personal robot, the children looked more at the robot and spoke more. The children mimicked the robot. Finally, an increase in knowledge about diabetes was observed. The study provides strong indication for how a personal robot can help children to improve health literacy in an enjoyable way. Children mimic the robot. When the robot is personal, they follow suit. Our results are positive and establish a good foundation for further development and testing in a larger study. Using a robot in health care could contribute to self-management in children and help them to cope with their illness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advance of Hazardous Operation Robot and its Application in Special Equipment Accident Rescue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Qin-Da; Zhou, Wei; Zheng, Geng-Feng

A survey of hazardous operation robot is given out in this article. Firstly, the latest researches such as nuclear industry robot, fire-fighting robot and explosive-handling robot are shown. Secondly, existing key technologies and their shortcomings are summarized, including moving mechanism, control system, perceptive technology and power technology. Thirdly, the trend of hazardous operation robot is predicted according to current situation. Finally, characteristics and hazards of special equipment accident, as well as feasibility of hazardous operation robot in the area of special equipment accident rescue are analyzed.

A novel semi-automatic snake robot for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery: preclinical tests in animal and human cadaver models (with video).

PubMed

Son, Jaebum; Cho, Chang Nho; Kim, Kwang Gi; Chang, Tae Young; Jung, Hyunchul; Kim, Sung Chun; Kim, Min-Tae; Yang, Nari; Kim, Tae-Yun; Sohn, Dae Kyung

2015-06-01

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is an emerging surgical technique. We aimed to design, create, and evaluate a new semi-automatic snake robot for NOTES. The snake robot employs the characteristics of both a manual endoscope and a multi-segment snake robot. This robot is inserted and retracted manually, like a classical endoscope, while its shape is controlled using embedded robot technology. The feasibility of a prototype robot for NOTES was evaluated in animals and human cadavers. The transverse stiffness and maneuverability of the snake robot appeared satisfactory. It could be advanced through the anus as far as the peritoneal cavity without any injury to adjacent organs. Preclinical tests showed that the device could navigate the peritoneal cavity. The snake robot has advantages of high transverse force and intuitive control. This new robot may be clinically superior to conventional tools for transanal NOTES.

Architectural study of the design and operation of advanced force feedback manual controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tesar, Delbert; Kim, Whee-Kuk

1990-01-01

A teleoperator system consists of a manual controller, control hardware/software, and a remote manipulator. It was employed in either hazardous or unstructured, and/or remote environments. In teleoperation, the main-in-the-loop is the central concept that brings human intelligence to the teleoperator system. When teleoperation involves contact with an uncertain environment, providing the feeling of telepresence to the human operator is one of desired characteristics of the teleoperator system. Unfortunately, most available manual controllers in bilateral or force-reflecting teleoperator systems can be characterized by their bulky size, high costs, or lack of smoothness and transparency, and elementary architectures. To investigate other alternatives, a force-reflecting, 3 degree of freedom (dof) spherical manual controller is designed, analyzed, and implemented as a test bed demonstration in this research effort. To achieve an improved level of design to meet criteria such as compactness, portability, and a somewhat enhanced force-reflecting capability, the demonstration manual controller employs high gear-ratio reducers. To reduce the effects of the inertia and friction on the system, various force control strategies are applied and their performance investigated. The spherical manual controller uses a parallel geometry to minimize inertial and gravitational effects on its primary task of transparent information transfer. As an alternative to the spherical 3-dof manual controller, a new conceptual (or parallel) spherical 3-dof module is introduced with a full kinematic analysis. Also, the resulting kinematic properties are compared to those of other typical spherical 3-dof systems. The conceptual design of a parallel 6-dof manual controller and its kinematic analysis is presented. This 6-dof manual controller is similar to the Stewart Platform with the actuators located on the base to minimize the dynamic effects. Finally, a combination of the new 3-dof and 6-dof concepts is presented as a feasible test-bed for enhanced performance in a 9-dof system.

Industrial dual arm robot manipulator for precise assembly of mechanical parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Chanhun; Kim, Doohyung; Park, Kyoungtaik; Choi, Youngjin

2007-12-01

A new structure of dual arm robot manipulator which consists of two industrial 6-DOF arms and one 2-DOF Torso is introduced. Each industrial 6-DOF arm is able to be used as a stand-alone industrial 6-DOF robot manipulator and as a part of dual arm manipulator at the same time. These structures help the robot maker which is willing to succeed in the emerging dual arm robot market in order to have high competition for the current industrial robot market at same time. Self-collision detection algorithm for multi-arm robot and kinematics algorithms for the developed dual arm robot manipulator which are implemented in our controller are introduced.

Air Quality and Road Emission Results for Fort Stewart, Georgia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kirkham, Randy R.; Driver, Crystal J.; Chamness, Mickie A.

2004-02-02

The Directorate of Public Works Environmental & Natural Resources Division (Fort Stewart /Hunter Army Airfield) contracted with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to monitor particulate matter (PM) concentrations on Fort Stewart, Georgia. The purpose of this investigation was to establish a PM sampling network using monitoring equipment typically used in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ''saturation sampling'', to determine air quality on the installation. In this initial study, the emphasis was on training-generated PM, not receptor PM loading. The majority of PM samples were 24-hr filter-based samples with sampling frequency ranging from every other day, to once every sixmore » days synchronized with the EPA 6th day national sampling schedule. Eight measurement sites were established and used to determine spatial variability in PM concentrations and evaluate whether fluctuations in PM appear to result from training activities and forest management practices on the installation. Data collected to date indicate the average installation PM2.5 concentration is lower than that of nearby urban Savannah, Georgia. At three sites near the installation perimeter, analyses to segregate PM concentrations by direction of air flow across the installation boundary indicate that air (below 80 ft) leaving the installation contains less PM2.5 than that entering the installation. This is reinforced by the observation that air near the ground is cleaner on average than the air at the top of the canopy.« less

International Assessment of Research and Development in Micromanufacturing

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-01

83 7.1. Female robot used for robot artificial insemination project...90 7.2. Male robot used for robot artificial insemination project...include building a desktop factory, “robot mating” using artificial insemination (a fish egg was actually fertilized by his students’ robots

Robot environment expert system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, J. L.

1985-01-01

The Robot Environment Expert System uses a hexidecimal tree data structure to model a complex robot environment where not only the robot arm moves, but also the robot itself and other objects may move. The hextree model allows dynamic updating, collision avoidance and path planning over time, to avoid moving objects.

Towards a sustainable modular robot system for planetary exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, S. G. M.

This thesis investigates multiple perspectives of developing an unmanned robotic system suited for planetary terrains. In this case, the unmanned system consists of unit-modular robots. This type of robot has potential to be developed and maintained as a sustainable multi-robot system while located far from direct human intervention. Some characteristics that make this possible are: the cooperation, communication and connectivity among the robot modules, flexibility of individual robot modules, capability of self-healing in the case of a failed module and the ability to generate multiple gaits by means of reconfiguration. To demonstrate the effects of high flexibility of an individual robot module, multiple modules of a four-degree-of-freedom unit-modular robot were developed. The robot was equipped with a novel connector mechanism that made self-healing possible. Also, design strategies included the use of series elastic actuators for better robot-terrain interaction. In addition, various locomotion gaits were generated and explored using the robot modules, which is essential for a modular robot system to achieve robustness and thus successfully navigate and function in a planetary environment. To investigate multi-robot task completion, a biomimetic cooperative load transportation algorithm was developed and simulated. Also, a liquid motion-inspired theory was developed consisting of a large number of robot modules. This can be used to traverse obstacles that inevitably occur in maneuvering over rough terrains such as in a planetary exploration. Keywords: Modular robot, cooperative robots, biomimetics, planetary exploration, sustainability.

32 CFR 552.101 - Prohibitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... knives with a blade length of more than 3 inches. Swords, sabers, and machetes with sharpened blades. (8... sabers within the confines of Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF when used strictly for display and ceremonies...

32 CFR 552.101 - Prohibitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... knives with a blade length of more than 3 inches. Swords, sabers, and machetes with sharpened blades. (8... sabers within the confines of Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF when used strictly for display and ceremonies...

32 CFR 552.101 - Prohibitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... knives with a blade length of more than 3 inches. Swords, sabers, and machetes with sharpened blades. (8... sabers within the confines of Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF when used strictly for display and ceremonies...

Robotic intelligence kernel

DOEpatents

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID

2009-11-17

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller. The system controller executes a robot intelligence kernel (RIK) that includes a multi-level architecture and a dynamic autonomy structure. The multi-level architecture includes a robot behavior level for defining robot behaviors, that incorporate robot attributes and a cognitive level for defining conduct modules that blend an adaptive interaction between predefined decision functions and the robot behaviors. The dynamic autonomy structure is configured for modifying a transaction capacity between an operator intervention and a robot initiative and may include multiple levels with at least a teleoperation mode configured to maximize the operator intervention and minimize the robot initiative and an autonomous mode configured to minimize the operator intervention and maximize the robot initiative. Within the RIK at least the cognitive level includes the dynamic autonomy structure.

32 CFR 552.101 - Prohibitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... knives with a blade length of more than 3 inches. Swords, sabers, and machetes with sharpened blades. (8... sabers within the confines of Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF when used strictly for display and ceremonies...

Social Dialectology in America: A Critical Rejoinder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Dennis R.

1972-01-01

Critical rejoinder to Lawrence M. Davis' Social Dialectology in America,'' Journal of English Linguistics, March 1970, p46-56. Special issue on Black Dialect: Historical and Descriptive Issues'' edited by William A. Stewart. (RS)

Saved by Bell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gisin, Nicolas

2017-01-01

In John Stewart Bell and Twentieth-Century Physics: Vision and Integrity, fellow physicist Andrew Whitaker tells the story of Bell's life and his revolutionary discovery that not everything in physics can be explained using only local variables.

Comparison of three different techniques for camera and motion control of a teleoperated robot.

PubMed

Doisy, Guillaume; Ronen, Adi; Edan, Yael

2017-01-01

This research aims to evaluate new methods for robot motion control and camera orientation control through the operator's head orientation in robot teleoperation tasks. Specifically, the use of head-tracking in a non-invasive way, without immersive virtual reality devices was combined and compared with classical control modes for robot movements and camera control. Three control conditions were tested: 1) a condition with classical joystick control of both the movements of the robot and the robot camera, 2) a condition where the robot movements were controlled by a joystick and the robot camera was controlled by the user head orientation, and 3) a condition where the movements of the robot were controlled by hand gestures and the robot camera was controlled by the user head orientation. Performance, workload metrics and their evolution as the participants gained experience with the system were evaluated in a series of experiments: for each participant, the metrics were recorded during four successive similar trials. Results shows that the concept of robot camera control by user head orientation has the potential of improving the intuitiveness of robot teleoperation interfaces, specifically for novice users. However, more development is needed to reach a margin of progression comparable to a classical joystick interface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vital signs

MedlinePlus

... assessment. In: Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW, eds. Seidel's Guide to Physical Examination . 8th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby; 2015:chap 4. Simel DL. Approach to the patient: history and ...

Sensing sociality in dogs: what may make an interactive robot social?

PubMed

Lakatos, Gabriella; Janiak, Mariusz; Malek, Lukasz; Muszynski, Robert; Konok, Veronika; Tchon, Krzysztof; Miklósi, A

2014-03-01

This study investigated whether dogs would engage in social interactions with an unfamiliar robot, utilize the communicative signals it provides and to examine whether the level of sociality shown by the robot affects the dogs' performance. We hypothesized that dogs would react to the communicative signals of a robot more successfully if the robot showed interactive social behaviour in general (towards both humans and dogs) than if it behaved in a machinelike, asocial way. The experiment consisted of an interactive phase followed by a pointing session, both with a human and a robotic experimenter. In the interaction phase, dogs witnessed a 6-min interaction episode between the owner and a human experimenter and another 6-min interaction episode between the owner and the robot. Each interaction episode was followed by the pointing phase in which the human/robot experimenter indicated the location of hidden food by using pointing gestures (two-way choice test). The results showed that in the interaction phase, the dogs' behaviour towards the robot was affected by the differential exposure. Dogs spent more time staying near the robot experimenter as compared to the human experimenter, with this difference being even more pronounced when the robot behaved socially. Similarly, dogs spent more time gazing at the head of the robot experimenter when the situation was social. Dogs achieved a significantly lower level of performance (finding the hidden food) with the pointing robot than with the pointing human; however, separate analysis of the robot sessions suggested that gestures of the socially behaving robot were easier for the dogs to comprehend than gestures of the asocially behaving robot. Thus, the level of sociality shown by the robot was not enough to elicit the same set of social behaviours from the dogs as was possible with humans, although sociality had a positive effect on dog-robot interactions.

Launchable and Retrievable Tetherobot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Younse, Paulo; Aghazarian, Hrand

2010-01-01

A proposed robotic system for scientific exploration of rough terrain would include a stationary or infrequently moving larger base robot, to which would be tethered a smaller hopping robot of the type described in the immediately preceding article. The two-robot design would extend the reach of the base robot, making it possible to explore nearby locations that might otherwise be inaccessible or too hazardous for the base robot. The system would include a launching mechanism and a motor-driven reel on the larger robot. The outer end of the tether would be attached to the smaller robot; the inner end of the tether would be attached to the reel. The figure depicts the launching and retrieval process. The launching mechanism would aim and throw the smaller robot toward a target location, and the tether would be paid out from the reel as the hopping robot flew toward the target. Upon completion of exploratory activity at the target location, the smaller robot would be made to hop and, in a coordinated motion, the tether would be wound onto the reel to pull the smaller robot back to the larger one.

Two modular neuro-fuzzy system for mobile robot navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bobyr, M. V.; Titov, V. S.; Kulabukhov, S. A.; Syryamkin, V. I.

2018-05-01

The article considers the fuzzy model for navigation of a mobile robot operating in two modes. In the first mode the mobile robot moves along a line. In the second mode, the mobile robot looks for an target in unknown space. Structural and schematic circuit of four-wheels mobile robot are presented in the article. The article describes the movement of a mobile robot based on two modular neuro-fuzzy system. The algorithm of neuro-fuzzy inference used in two modular control system for movement of a mobile robot is given in the article. The experimental model of the mobile robot and the simulation of the neuro-fuzzy algorithm used for its control are presented in the article.

[Rehabilitation and nursing-care robots].

PubMed

Hachisuka, Kenji

2016-04-01

In the extremely aged society, rehabilitation staff will be required to provide ample rehabilitation training for more stroke patients and more aged people with disabilities despite limitations in human resources. A nursing-care robot is one potential solution from the standpoint of rehabilitation. The nursing-care robot is defined as a robot which assists aged people and persons with disabilities in daily life and social life activities. The nursing-care robot consists of an independent support robot, caregiver support robot, and life support robot. Although many nursing-care robots have been developed, the most appropriate robot must be selected according to its features and the needs of patients and caregivers in the field of nursing-care.

Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) Phase 2 and Smart Autonomous Sand-Swimming Excavator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sandy, Michael

2015-01-01

The Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR) Phase 2 is an excavation robot for mining regolith on a planet like Mars. The robot is programmed using the Robotic Operating System (ROS) and it also uses a physical simulation program called Gazebo. This internship focused on various functions of the program in order to make it a more professional and efficient robot. During the internship another project called the Smart Autonomous Sand-Swimming Excavator was worked on. This is a robot that is designed to dig through sand and extract sample material. The intern worked on programming the Sand-Swimming robot, and designing the electrical system to power and control the robot.

Development of stereo endoscope system with its innovative master interface for continuous surgical operation.

PubMed

Kim, Myungjoon; Lee, Chiwon; Hong, Nhayoung; Kim, Yoon Jae; Kim, Sungwan

2017-06-24

Although robotic laparoscopic surgery has various benefits when compared with conventional open surgery and minimally invasive surgery, it also has issues to overcome and one of the issues is the discontinuous surgical flow that occurs whenever control is swapped between the endoscope system and the operating robot arm system. This can lead to problems such as collision between surgical instruments, injury to patients, and increased operation time. To achieve continuous surgical operation, a wireless controllable stereo endoscope system is proposed which enables the simultaneous control of the operating robot arm system and the endoscope system. The proposed system consists of two improved novel master interfaces (iNMIs), a four-degrees of freedom (4-DOFs) endoscope control system (ECS), and a simple three-dimensional (3D) endoscope. In order to simultaneously control the proposed system and patient side manipulators of da Vinci research kit (dVRK), the iNMIs are installed to the master tool manipulators of dVRK system. The 4-DOFs ECS consists of four servo motors and employs a two-parallel link structure to provide translational and fulcrum point motion to the simple 3D endoscope. The images acquired by the endoscope undergo stereo calibration and rectification to provide a clear 3D vision to the surgeon as available in clinically used da Vinci surgical robot systems. Tests designed to verify the accuracy, data transfer time, and power consumption of the iNMIs were performed. The workspace was calculated to estimate clinical applicability and a modified peg transfer task was conducted with three novice volunteers. The iNMIs operated for 317 min and moved in accordance with the surgeon's desire with a mean latency of 5 ms. The workspace was calculated to be 20378.3 cm 3 , which exceeds the reference workspace of 549.5 cm 3 . The novice volunteers were able to successfully execute the modified peg transfer task designed to evaluate the proposed system's overall performance. The experimental results verify that the proposed 3D endoscope system enables continuous surgical flow. The workspace is suitable for the performance of numerous types of surgeries. Therefore, the proposed system is expected to provide much higher safety and efficacy for current surgical robot systems.

Robots, systems, and methods for hazard evaluation and visualization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nielsen, Curtis W.; Bruemmer, David J.; Walton, Miles C.

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximatemore » the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.« less

Sports Training Support Method by Self-Coaching with Humanoid Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyama, S.; Ikeda, F.; Yasaka, T.

2016-09-01

This paper proposes a new training support method called self-coaching with humanoid robots. In the proposed method, two small size inexpensive humanoid robots are used because of their availability. One robot called target robot reproduces motion of a target player and another robot called reference robot reproduces motion of an expert player. The target player can recognize a target technique from the reference robot and his/her inadequate skill from the target robot. Modifying the motion of the target robot as self-coaching, the target player could get advanced cognition. Some experimental results show some possibility as the new training method and some issues of the self-coaching interface program as a future work.

US fusion effort hit by tokamak losses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwynne, Peter

2016-11-01

Stewart Prager, director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in the US, resigned in late September just weeks after a major setback at the lab's National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U).

78 FR 15935 - Information Collection Requirement; Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-13

... construction contract in Spain has adequate insurance coverage. Affected Public: Businesses or other for profit... construction contract in Spain. Kortnee Stewart, Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations System. [FR Doc. 2013...

Weatherizing America

ScienceCinema

Stewart, Zachary; Bergeron, T.J.; Barth, Dale; Qualis, Xavier; Sewall, Travis; Fransen, Richard; Gill, Tony

2017-12-09

As Recovery Act money arrives to expand home weatherization programs across the country, Zachary Stewart of Phoenix, Ariz., and others have found an exciting opportunity not only to start working again, but also to find a calling.

32 CFR 552.101 - Prohibitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... knives with a blade length of more than 3 inches. Swords, sabers, and machetes with sharpened blades. (8... sabers within the confines of Fort Stewart and Hunter AAF when used strictly for display and ceremonies...

A novel 6-DOF parallel robot and its pose errors compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Zhixin; Ye, Meiyan; Luo, Yufeng

2011-10-01

In the traditional security solution conditions, software firewall cannot intercept and respond the invasion before being attacked. And because of the high cost, the hardware firewall does not apply to the security strategy of the end nodes, so we have designed a kind of solution of embedded firewall with hardware and software. With ARM embedding Linux operating system, we have designed packet filter module and intrusion detection module to implement the basic function of firewall. Experiments and results show that that firewall has the advantages of low cost, high processing speed, high safety and the application of the computer terminals. This paper focuses on packet filtering module design and implementation.

Comparison of surgical outcomes between open and robot-assisted minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy.

PubMed

Kim, Hyeong Seok; Han, Youngmin; Kang, Jae Seung; Kim, Hongbeom; Kim, Jae Ri; Koon, Wooil; Kim, Sun-Whe; Jang, Jin-Young

2018-02-01

Robot surgery is a new method that maintains advantages and overcomes disadvantages of conventional methods, even in pancreatic surgery. This study aimed to evaluate safety and benefits of robot-assisted minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (robot PD). This study included 237 patients who underwent PD between 2015 and 2017. Demographics and surgical outcomes were evaluated. Fifty-one patients underwent robot PD and 186 underwent open PD. Robot PD group had younger age (60.7 vs. 65.4 years, P = 0.006) and lower body mass index (22.7 vs. 24.0, P = 0.007). Robot PD group had lower proportion of patients with firm or hard pancreatic texture (15.7% vs. 38.2%, P = 0.004) and smaller pancreatic duct size (2.3 vs. 3.3 mm, P = 0.002). Two groups had similar operation time (robot vs. open: 335.6 vs. 330.1 min) and complications (15.7% vs. 21.0%), including postoperative pancreatic fistula rate (6.0% vs. 12.0%). Robot PD group had lower postoperative pain score (3.7 vs. 4.1 points, P = 0.008), and shorter postoperative stay (10.6 vs. 15.3 days, P = 0.001). Robot PD is comparable to open PD in early outcomes. Robot PD is safe and feasible and enables early recovery; indication for robot PD is expected to expand in the near future. © 2017 Japanese Society of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery.

Acceptance of an assistive robot in older adults: a mixed-method study of human–robot interaction over a 1-month period in the Living Lab setting

PubMed Central

Wu, Ya-Huei; Wrobel, Jérémy; Cornuet, Mélanie; Kerhervé, Hélène; Damnée, Souad; Rigaud, Anne-Sophie

2014-01-01

Background There is growing interest in investigating acceptance of robots, which are increasingly being proposed as one form of assistive technology to support older adults, maintain their independence, and enhance their well-being. In the present study, we aimed to observe robot-acceptance in older adults, particularly subsequent to a 1-month direct experience with a robot. Subjects and methods Six older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and five cognitively intact healthy (CIH) older adults were recruited. Participants interacted with an assistive robot in the Living Lab once a week for 4 weeks. After being shown how to use the robot, participants performed tasks to simulate robot use in everyday life. Mixed methods, comprising a robot-acceptance questionnaire, semistructured interviews, usability-performance measures, and a focus group, were used. Results Both CIH and MCI subjects were able to learn how to use the robot. However, MCI subjects needed more time to perform tasks after a 1-week period of not using the robot. Both groups rated similarly on the robot-acceptance questionnaire. They showed low intention to use the robot, as well as negative attitudes toward and negative images of this device. They did not perceive it as useful in their daily life. However, they found it easy to use, amusing, and not threatening. In addition, social influence was perceived as powerful on robot adoption. Direct experience with the robot did not change the way the participants rated robots in their acceptance questionnaire. We identified several barriers to robot-acceptance, including older adults’ uneasiness with technology, feeling of stigmatization, and ethical/societal issues associated with robot use. Conclusion It is important to destigmatize images of assistive robots to facilitate their acceptance. Universal design aiming to increase the market for and production of products that are usable by everyone (to the greatest extent possible) might help to destigmatize assistive devices. PMID:24855349

Acceptance of an assistive robot in older adults: a mixed-method study of human-robot interaction over a 1-month period in the Living Lab setting.

PubMed

Wu, Ya-Huei; Wrobel, Jérémy; Cornuet, Mélanie; Kerhervé, Hélène; Damnée, Souad; Rigaud, Anne-Sophie

2014-01-01

There is growing interest in investigating acceptance of robots, which are increasingly being proposed as one form of assistive technology to support older adults, maintain their independence, and enhance their well-being. In the present study, we aimed to observe robot-acceptance in older adults, particularly subsequent to a 1-month direct experience with a robot. Six older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and five cognitively intact healthy (CIH) older adults were recruited. Participants interacted with an assistive robot in the Living Lab once a week for 4 weeks. After being shown how to use the robot, participants performed tasks to simulate robot use in everyday life. Mixed methods, comprising a robot-acceptance questionnaire, semistructured interviews, usability-performance measures, and a focus group, were used. Both CIH and MCI subjects were able to learn how to use the robot. However, MCI subjects needed more time to perform tasks after a 1-week period of not using the robot. Both groups rated similarly on the robot-acceptance questionnaire. They showed low intention to use the robot, as well as negative attitudes toward and negative images of this device. They did not perceive it as useful in their daily life. However, they found it easy to use, amusing, and not threatening. In addition, social influence was perceived as powerful on robot adoption. Direct experience with the robot did not change the way the participants rated robots in their acceptance questionnaire. We identified several barriers to robot-acceptance, including older adults' uneasiness with technology, feeling of stigmatization, and ethical/societal issues associated with robot use. It is important to destigmatize images of assistive robots to facilitate their acceptance. Universal design aiming to increase the market for and production of products that are usable by everyone (to the greatest extent possible) might help to destigmatize assistive devices.

Building a Relationship between Robot Characteristics and Teleoperation User Interfaces.

PubMed

Mortimer, Michael; Horan, Ben; Seyedmahmoudian, Mehdi

2017-03-14

The Robot Operating System (ROS) provides roboticists with a standardized and distributed framework for real-time communication between robotic systems using a microkernel environment. This paper looks at how ROS metadata, Unified Robot Description Format (URDF), Semantic Robot Description Format (SRDF), and its message description language, can be used to identify key robot characteristics to inform User Interface (UI) design for the teleoperation of heterogeneous robot teams. Logical relationships between UI components and robot characteristics are defined by a set of relationship rules created using relevant and available information including developer expertise and ROS metadata. This provides a significant opportunity to move towards a rule-driven approach for generating the designs of teleoperation UIs; in particular the reduction of the number of different UI configurations required to teleoperate each individual robot within a heterogeneous robot team. This approach is based on using an underlying rule set identifying robots that can be teleoperated using the same UI configuration due to having the same or similar robot characteristics. Aside from reducing the number of different UI configurations an operator needs to be familiar with, this approach also supports consistency in UI configurations when a teleoperator is periodically switching between different robots. To achieve this aim, a Matlab toolbox is developed providing users with the ability to define rules specifying the relationship between robot characteristics and UI components. Once rules are defined, selections that best describe the characteristics of the robot type within a particular heterogeneous robot team can be made. A main advantage of this approach is that rather than specifying discrete robots comprising the team, the user can specify characteristics of the team more generally allowing the system to deal with slight variations that may occur in the future. In fact, by using the defined relationship rules and characteristic selections, the toolbox can automatically identify a reduced set of UI configurations required to control possible robot team configurations, as opposed to the traditional ad-hoc approach to teleoperation UI design. In the results section, three test cases are presented to demonstrate how the selection of different robot characteristics builds a number of robot characteristic combinations, and how the relationship rules are used to determine a reduced set of required UI configurations needed to control each individual robot in the robot team.

System for exchanging tools and end effectors on a robot

DOEpatents

Burry, David B.; Williams, Paul M.

1991-02-19

A system and method for exchanging tools and end effectors on a robot permits exchange during a programmed task. The exchange mechanism is located off the robot, thus reducing the mass of the robot arm and permitting smaller robots to perform designated tasks. A simple spring/collet mechanism mounted on the robot is used which permits the engagement and disengagement of the tool or end effector without the need for a rotational orientation of the tool to the end effector/collet interface. As the tool changing system is not located on the robot arm no umbilical cords are located on robot.

Biologically-inspired hexapod robot design and simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Espenschied, Kenneth S.; Quinn, Roger D.

1994-01-01

The design and construction of a biologically-inspired hexapod robot is presented. A previously developed simulation is modified to include models of the DC drive motors, the motor driver circuits and their transmissions. The application of this simulation to the design and development of the robot is discussed. The mechanisms thought to be responsible for the leg coordination of the walking stick insect were previously applied to control the straight-line locomotion of a robot. We generalized these rules for a robot walking on a plane. This biologically-inspired control strategy is used to control the robot in simulation. Numerical results show that the general body motion and performance of the simulated robot is similar to that of the robot based on our preliminary experimental results.

MSFC Annual Day of Remembrance ceremony

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-25

Retired astronaut, and retired Brigadier General, Robert Stewart addresses guests and employees at the Marshall Space Flight Center’s annual “Day of Remembrance” honoring those astronauts who have passed away.

A botanical group in Lahore, 1864.

PubMed

Noltie, H J

2011-01-01

The sitters in a previously misunderstood nineteenth-century Indian group photograph are identified as four East India Company surgeons with wider interests in natural history: William Jameson, Thomas Caverhill Jerdon, John Lindsay Stewart and Hugh Francis Clarke Cleghorn, taken in Lahore at the Punjab Exhibition of 1864. The image was previously believed to depict the committee of the Madras Literary Society and to have been taken in Madras. No portraits of Jameson or Stewart have previously been known, and Jameson had mistakenly been identified as E.G. Balfour. Brief biographies are given of the individuals figured, the circumstances under which they coincided in Lahore explained, and their roles in forest conservation and the documentation of Indian biodiversity outlined. The photographer is confirmed as Samuel Bourne, and information is provided on the Scottish individuals to whom Cleghorn sent copies of the photography.

76 FR 38604 - Rogue-Umpqua Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-01

... INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Caplan, Public Affairs Officer, Umpqua National Forest, 541-957-3270 or [email protected] comments must be sent to Umpqua National Forest ATTN: Cheryl Caplan, 2900 NW. Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR...

Kinematic control of robot with degenerate wrist

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, L. K.; Moore, M. C.

1984-01-01

Kinematic resolved rate equations allow an operator with visual feedback to dynamically control a robot hand. When the robot wrist is degenerate, the computed joint angle rates exceed operational limits, and unwanted hand movements can result. The generalized matrix inverse solution can also produce unwanted responses. A method is introduced to control the robot hand in the region of the degenerate robot wrist. The method uses a coordinated movement of the first and third joints of the robot wrist to locate the second wrist joint axis for movement of the robot hand in the commanded direction. The method does not entail infinite joint angle rates.

Research on Snake-Like Robot with Controllable Scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kailin; Zhao, Yuting; Chen, Shuping

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new structure for a snake-like robot. This type of snake-like robot is different from the normal snake-like robot because it has lots of controllable scales which have a large role in helping moving. Besides, a new form of robot gait named as linear motion mode is developed based on theoretical analysis for the new mechanical structure. Through simulation and analysis in simmechanics of matlab, we proved the validity of theories about the motion mode of snake-like robot. The proposed machine construction and control method for the designed motion is verified experimentally by the independent developed snake robot.

GPS Enabled Semi-Autonomous Robot

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-01

equal and the goal has not yet been reached (i.e., any time the robot has reached a local minimum), and direct the robot to travel in a specific...whether the robot was turning or not. The challenge is overcome by ensuring the robot travels at its maximum speed at all times . Further research into...robot’s fixed reference frame was recalculated each time through the control loop. If the encoder data allows for the robot to appear to have travelled

Optimized Assistive Human-Robot Interaction Using Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Modares, Hamidreza; Ranatunga, Isura; Lewis, Frank L; Popa, Dan O

2016-03-01

An intelligent human-robot interaction (HRI) system with adjustable robot behavior is presented. The proposed HRI system assists the human operator to perform a given task with minimum workload demands and optimizes the overall human-robot system performance. Motivated by human factor studies, the presented control structure consists of two control loops. First, a robot-specific neuro-adaptive controller is designed in the inner loop to make the unknown nonlinear robot behave like a prescribed robot impedance model as perceived by a human operator. In contrast to existing neural network and adaptive impedance-based control methods, no information of the task performance or the prescribed robot impedance model parameters is required in the inner loop. Then, a task-specific outer-loop controller is designed to find the optimal parameters of the prescribed robot impedance model to adjust the robot's dynamics to the operator skills and minimize the tracking error. The outer loop includes the human operator, the robot, and the task performance details. The problem of finding the optimal parameters of the prescribed robot impedance model is transformed into a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problem which minimizes the human effort and optimizes the closed-loop behavior of the HRI system for a given task. To obviate the requirement of the knowledge of the human model, integral reinforcement learning is used to solve the given LQR problem. Simulation results on an x - y table and a robot arm, and experimental implementation results on a PR2 robot confirm the suitability of the proposed method.

Building a Relationship between Robot Characteristics and Teleoperation User Interfaces

PubMed Central

Mortimer, Michael; Horan, Ben; Seyedmahmoudian, Mehdi

2017-01-01

The Robot Operating System (ROS) provides roboticists with a standardized and distributed framework for real-time communication between robotic systems using a microkernel environment. This paper looks at how ROS metadata, Unified Robot Description Format (URDF), Semantic Robot Description Format (SRDF), and its message description language, can be used to identify key robot characteristics to inform User Interface (UI) design for the teleoperation of heterogeneous robot teams. Logical relationships between UI components and robot characteristics are defined by a set of relationship rules created using relevant and available information including developer expertise and ROS metadata. This provides a significant opportunity to move towards a rule-driven approach for generating the designs of teleoperation UIs; in particular the reduction of the number of different UI configurations required to teleoperate each individual robot within a heterogeneous robot team. This approach is based on using an underlying rule set identifying robots that can be teleoperated using the same UI configuration due to having the same or similar robot characteristics. Aside from reducing the number of different UI configurations an operator needs to be familiar with, this approach also supports consistency in UI configurations when a teleoperator is periodically switching between different robots. To achieve this aim, a Matlab toolbox is developed providing users with the ability to define rules specifying the relationship between robot characteristics and UI components. Once rules are defined, selections that best describe the characteristics of the robot type within a particular heterogeneous robot team can be made. A main advantage of this approach is that rather than specifying discrete robots comprising the team, the user can specify characteristics of the team more generally allowing the system to deal with slight variations that may occur in the future. In fact, by using the defined relationship rules and characteristic selections, the toolbox can automatically identify a reduced set of UI configurations required to control possible robot team configurations, as opposed to the traditional ad-hoc approach to teleoperation UI design. In the results section, three test cases are presented to demonstrate how the selection of different robot characteristics builds a number of robot characteristic combinations, and how the relationship rules are used to determine a reduced set of required UI configurations needed to control each individual robot in the robot team. PMID:28335431

5. GENERAL VIEW OF GARAGE AREA FROM WEST; STEPS TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. GENERAL VIEW OF GARAGE AREA FROM WEST; STEPS TO WEST FRONT ENTRANCE VISABLE TO THE RIGHT - Isaac N. Hagan House, Kentuck Knob, U.S. Route 40 vicinity (Stewart Township), Chalkhill, Fayette County, PA

39. SIGNATURE BLOCK TO THE RIGHT (SOUTH) OF WEST ENTRACE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

39. SIGNATURE BLOCK TO THE RIGHT (SOUTH) OF WEST ENTRACE DOORWAY, APPROXIMATELY 18 INCHES ABOVE GROUND - Isaac N. Hagan House, Kentuck Knob, U.S. Route 40 vicinity (Stewart Township), Chalkhill, Fayette County, PA

American Academy of Forensic Sciences

MedlinePlus

... Academy News PDF Library Proceedings Journal of Forensic Sciences Information for Authors Searchable Index Contact Information Forensic Links ... Dale Stewart Award 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting Registration ... in Forensic Science … Now What? Young Forensic Scientists Forum (YFSF) Annual ...

New methods of measuring and calibrating robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janocha, Hartmut; Diewald, Bernd

1995-10-01

ISO 9283 and RIA R15.05 define industrial robot parameters which are applied to compare the efficiency of different robots. Hitherto, however, no suitable measurement systems have been available. ICAROS is a system which combines photogrammetrical procedures with an inertial navigation system. For the first time, this combination allows the high-precision static and dynamic measurement of the position as well as of the orientation of the robot endeffector. Thus, not only the measuring data for the determination of all industrial robot parameters can be acquired. By integration of a new over-all-calibration procedure, ICAROS also allows the reduction of the absolute robot pose errors to the range of its repeatability. The integration of both system components as well as measurement and calibration results are presented in this paper, using a six-axes robot as example. A further approach also presented here takes into consideration not only the individual robot errors but also the tolerances of workpieces. This allows the adjustment of off-line programs of robots based on inexact or idealized CAD data in any pose. Thus the robot position which is defined relative to the workpiece to be processed, is achieved as required. This includes the possibility to transfer teached robot programs to other devices without additional expenditure. The adjustment is based on the measurement of the robot position using two miniaturized CCD cameras mounted near the endeffector which are carried along by the robot during the correction phase. In the area viewed by both cameras, the robot position is determined in relation to prominent geometry elements, e.g. lines or holes. The scheduled data to be compared therewith can either be calculated in modern off-line programming systems during robot programming, or they can be determined at the so-called master robot if a transfer of the robot program is desired.

Intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning for human-robot interaction in the real-world.

PubMed

Qureshi, Ahmed Hussain; Nakamura, Yutaka; Yoshikawa, Yuichiro; Ishiguro, Hiroshi

2018-03-26

For a natural social human-robot interaction, it is essential for a robot to learn the human-like social skills. However, learning such skills is notoriously hard due to the limited availability of direct instructions from people to teach a robot. In this paper, we propose an intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning framework in which an agent gets the intrinsic motivation-based rewards through the action-conditional predictive model. By using the proposed method, the robot learned the social skills from the human-robot interaction experiences gathered in the real uncontrolled environments. The results indicate that the robot not only acquired human-like social skills but also took more human-like decisions, on a test dataset, than a robot which received direct rewards for the task achievement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A deformable spherical planet exploration robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Yi-shan; Zhang, Xiu-li; Huang, Hao; Yang, Yan-feng; Jin, Wen-tao; Sang, Zhong-xun

2013-03-01

In this paper, a deformable spherical planet exploration robot has been introduced to achieve the task of environmental detection in outer space or extreme conditions. The robot imitates the morphology structure and motion mechanism of tumbleweeds. The robot is wind-driven. It consists of an axle, a spherical steel skeleton and twelve airbags. The axle is designed as two parts. The robot contracts by contracting the two-part axle. The spherical robot installs solar panels to provide energy for its control system.

Robot-assisted Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy with intrathoracic robot-sewn anastomosis.

PubMed

Jin, Runsen; Xiang, Jie; Han, Dingpei; Zhang, Yajie; Li, Hecheng

2017-11-01

This video clip demonstrated a performance of robot-assisted Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy with intrathoracic robot-sewn anastomosis. The patient had an esophageal mass located approximately 33 cm away from incisor, and robot-assisted Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy was applied for him. Importantly, a double-layer esophago-gastric anastomosis was made by robotic hand-sewn suture. Our early experience demonstrated that the robot-sewn intrathoracic anastomosis is feasible and safe with a lower complication rate and the absence of anastomotic leakage.

Robot and robot system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Behar, Alberto E. (Inventor); Marzwell, Neville I. (Inventor); Wall, Jonathan N. (Inventor); Poole, Michael D. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A robot and robot system that are capable of functioning in a zero-gravity environment are provided. The robot can include a body having a longitudinal axis and having a control unit and a power source. The robot can include a first leg pair including a first leg and a second leg. Each leg of the first leg pair can be pivotally attached to the body and constrained to pivot in a first leg pair plane that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body.

Accessibility to surgical robot technology and prostate-cancer patient behavior for prostatectomy.

PubMed

Sugihara, Toru; Yasunaga, Hideo; Matsui, Hiroki; Nagao, Go; Ishikawa, Akira; Fujimura, Tetsuya; Fukuhara, Hiroshi; Fushimi, Kiyohide; Ohori, Makoto; Homma, Yukio

2017-07-01

To examine how surgical robot emergence affects prostate-cancer patient behavior in seeking radical prostatectomy focusing on geographical accessibility. In Japan, robotic surgery was approved in April 2012. Based on data in the Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination database between April 2012 and March 2014, distance to nearest surgical robot and interval days to radical prostatectomy (divided by mean interval in 2011: % interval days to radical prostatectomy) were calculated for individual radical prostatectomy cases at non-robotic hospitals. Caseload changes regarding distance to nearest surgical robot and robot introduction were investigated. Change in % interval days to radical prostatectomy was evaluated by multivariate analysis including distance to nearest surgical robot, age, comorbidity, hospital volume, operation type, hospital academic status, bed volume and temporal progress. % Interval days to radical prostatectomy became wider for distance to nearest surgical robot <30 km. When a surgical robot emerged within 30 and 10 km, the prostatectomy caseload in non-robot hospitals reduced by 13 and 18% within 6 months, respectively, while the robot hospitals gained +101% caseload (P < 0.01 for all) Multivariate analyses including 9759 open and 5052 non-robotic minimally invasive radical prostatectomies in 483 non-robot hospitals revealed a significant inverse association between distance to nearest surgical robot and % interval days to radical prostatectomy (B = -17.3% for distance to nearest surgical robot ≥30 km and -11.7% for 10-30 km versus distance to nearest surgical robot <10 km), while younger age, high-volume hospital, open-prostatectomy provider and temporal progress were other significant factors related to % interval days to radical prostatectomy widening (P < 0.05 for all). Robotic surgery accessibility within 30 km would make patients less likely select conventional surgery. The nearer a robot was, the faster the caseload reduction was. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Human-robot interaction tests on a novel robot for gait assistance.

PubMed

Tagliamonte, Nevio Luigi; Sergi, Fabrizio; Carpino, Giorgio; Accoto, Dino; Guglielmelli, Eugenio

2013-06-01

This paper presents tests on a treadmill-based non-anthropomorphic wearable robot assisting hip and knee flexion/extension movements using compliant actuation. Validation experiments were performed on the actuators and on the robot, with specific focus on the evaluation of intrinsic backdrivability and of assistance capability. Tests on a young healthy subject were conducted. In the case of robot completely unpowered, maximum backdriving torques were found to be in the order of 10 Nm due to the robot design features (reduced swinging masses; low intrinsic mechanical impedance and high-efficiency reduction gears for the actuators). Assistance tests demonstrated that the robot can deliver torques attracting the subject towards a predicted kinematic status.

System for exchanging tools and end effectors on a robot

DOEpatents

Burry, D.B.; Williams, P.M.

1991-02-19

A system and method for exchanging tools and end effectors on a robot permits exchange during a programmed task. The exchange mechanism is located off the robot, thus reducing the mass of the robot arm and permitting smaller robots to perform designated tasks. A simple spring/collet mechanism mounted on the robot is used which permits the engagement and disengagement of the tool or end effector without the need for a rotational orientation of the tool to the end effector/collet interface. As the tool changing system is not located on the robot arm no umbilical cords are located on robot. 12 figures.

Performance and economic evaluation of the seahorse natural gas hot water heater conversion at Fort Stewart. Interim report, 1994 Summer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Winiarski, D.W.

1995-01-01

The federal government is the largest single energy consumer in the United States cost valued at nearly $10 billion annually. The US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) supports efforts to reduce energy use and associated expenses in the federal sector. One such effort, the New Technology Demonstration Program (NTDP), seeks to evaluate new energy-saving US technologies and secure their more timely adoption by the US government. Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is one of four DOE laboratories that participate in the New Technologies Demonstration Program, providing technical expertise and equipment to evaluate new, energy-saving technologies being studiedmore » under that program. This interim report provides the results of a field evaluation that PNL conducted for DOE/FEMP and the US Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) to examine the performance of a candidate energy-saving technology-a hot water heater conversion system to convert electrically heated hot water tanks to natural gas fuel. The unit was installed at a single residence at Fort Stewart, a US Army base in Georgia, and the performance was monitored under the NTDP. Participating in this effort under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) were Gas Fired Products, developers of the technology; the Public Service Company of North Carolina; Atlanta Gas Light Company; the Army Corps of Engineers; Fort Stewart; and Pacific Northwest Laboratory.« less

Analyzing the effects of human-aware motion planning on close-proximity human-robot collaboration.

PubMed

Lasota, Przemyslaw A; Shah, Julie A

2015-02-01

The objective of this work was to examine human response to motion-level robot adaptation to determine its effect on team fluency, human satisfaction, and perceived safety and comfort. The evaluation of human response to adaptive robotic assistants has been limited, particularly in the realm of motion-level adaptation. The lack of true human-in-the-loop evaluation has made it impossible to determine whether such adaptation would lead to efficient and satisfying human-robot interaction. We conducted an experiment in which participants worked with a robot to perform a collaborative task. Participants worked with an adaptive robot incorporating human-aware motion planning and with a baseline robot using shortest-path motions. Team fluency was evaluated through a set of quantitative metrics, and human satisfaction and perceived safety and comfort were evaluated through questionnaires. When working with the adaptive robot, participants completed the task 5.57% faster, with 19.9% more concurrent motion, 2.96% less human idle time, 17.3% less robot idle time, and a 15.1% greater separation distance. Questionnaire responses indicated that participants felt safer and more comfortable when working with an adaptive robot and were more satisfied with it as a teammate than with the standard robot. People respond well to motion-level robot adaptation, and significant benefits can be achieved from its use in terms of both human-robot team fluency and human worker satisfaction. Our conclusion supports the development of technologies that could be used to implement human-aware motion planning in collaborative robots and the use of this technique for close-proximity human-robot collaboration.

Designing a social and assistive robot for seniors.

PubMed

Eftring, H; Frennert, S

2016-06-01

The development of social assistive robots is an approach with the intention of preventing and detecting falls among seniors. There is a need for a relatively low-cost mobile robot with an arm and a gripper which is small enough to navigate through private homes. User requirements of a social assistive robot were collected using workshops, a questionnaire and interviews. Two prototype versions of a robot were designed, developed and tested by senior citizens (n = 49) in laboratory trials for 2 h each and in the private homes of elderly persons (n = 18) for 3 weeks each. The user requirement analysis resulted in a specification of tasks the robot should be able to do to prevent and detect falls. It was a challenge but possible to design and develop a robot where both the senior and the robot arm could reach the necessary interaction points of the robot. The seniors experienced the robot as happy and friendly. They wanted the robot to be narrower so it could pass through narrow passages in the home and they also wanted it to be able to pass over thresholds without using ramps and to drive over carpets. User trials in seniors' homes are very important to acquire relevant knowledge for developing robots that can handle real life situations in the domestic environment. Very high reliability of a robot is needed to get feedback about how seniors experience the overall behavior of the robot and to find out if the robot could reduce falls and improve the feeling of security for seniors living alone.

Vision servo of industrial robot: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yujin

2018-04-01

Robot technology has been implemented to various areas of production and life. With the continuous development of robot applications, requirements of the robot are also getting higher and higher. In order to get better perception of the robots, vision sensors have been widely used in industrial robots. In this paper, application directions of industrial robots are reviewed. The development, classification and application of robot vision servo technology are discussed, and the development prospect of industrial robot vision servo technology is proposed.

24 CFR 576.59 - Relocation and acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS... property, permanently and involuntarily, as a direct result of acquisition, rehabilitation, or demolition...

32 CFR 636.21 - Obedience to official traffic control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Obedience to official traffic control devices... INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.21 Obedience to official traffic control devices. (a) All drivers... placed by proper authority. ...

An Integrated Framework for Human-Robot Collaborative Manipulation.

PubMed

Sheng, Weihua; Thobbi, Anand; Gu, Ye

2015-10-01

This paper presents an integrated learning framework that enables humanoid robots to perform human-robot collaborative manipulation tasks. Specifically, a table-lifting task performed jointly by a human and a humanoid robot is chosen for validation purpose. The proposed framework is split into two phases: 1) phase I-learning to grasp the table and 2) phase II-learning to perform the manipulation task. An imitation learning approach is proposed for phase I. In phase II, the behavior of the robot is controlled by a combination of two types of controllers: 1) reactive and 2) proactive. The reactive controller lets the robot take a reactive control action to make the table horizontal. The proactive controller lets the robot take proactive actions based on human motion prediction. A measure of confidence of the prediction is also generated by the motion predictor. This confidence measure determines the leader/follower behavior of the robot. Hence, the robot can autonomously switch between the behaviors during the task. Finally, the performance of the human-robot team carrying out the collaborative manipulation task is experimentally evaluated on a platform consisting of a Nao humanoid robot and a Vicon motion capture system. Results show that the proposed framework can enable the robot to carry out the collaborative manipulation task successfully.

Dynamic photogrammetric calibration of industrial robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maas, Hans-Gerd

1997-07-01

Today's developments in industrial robots focus on aims like gain of flexibility, improvement of the interaction between robots and reduction of down-times. A very important method to achieve these goals are off-line programming techniques. In contrast to conventional teach-in-robot programming techniques, where sequences of actions are defined step-by- step via remote control on the real object, off-line programming techniques design complete robot (inter-)action programs in a CAD/CAM environment. This poses high requirements to the geometric accuracy of a robot. While the repeatability of robot poses in the teach-in mode is often better than 0.1 mm, the absolute pose accuracy potential of industrial robots is usually much worse due to tolerances, eccentricities, elasticities, play, wear-out, load, temperature and insufficient knowledge of model parameters for the transformation from poses into robot axis angles. This fact necessitates robot calibration techniques, including the formulation of a robot model describing kinematics and dynamics of the robot, and a measurement technique to provide reference data. Digital photogrammetry as an accurate, economic technique with realtime potential offers itself for this purpose. The paper analyzes the requirements posed to a measurement technique by industrial robot calibration tasks. After an overview on measurement techniques used for robot calibration purposes in the past, a photogrammetric robot calibration system based on off-the- shelf lowcost hardware components will be shown and results of pilot studies will be discussed. Besides aspects of accuracy, reliability and self-calibration in a fully automatic dynamic photogrammetric system, realtime capabilities are discussed. In the pilot studies, standard deviations of 0.05 - 0.25 mm in the three coordinate directions could be achieved over a robot work range of 1.7 X 1.5 X 1.0 m3. The realtime capabilities of the technique allow to go beyond kinematic robot calibration and perform dynamic robot calibration as well as photogrammetric on-line control of a robot in action.

High precision detector robot arm system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shu, Deming; Chu, Yong

A method and high precision robot arm system are provided, for example, for X-ray nanodiffraction with an X-ray nanoprobe. The robot arm system includes duo-vertical-stages and a kinematic linkage system. A two-dimensional (2D) vertical plane ultra-precision robot arm supporting an X-ray detector provides positioning and manipulating of the X-ray detector. A vertical support for the 2D vertical plane robot arm includes spaced apart rails respectively engaging a first bearing structure and a second bearing structure carried by the 2D vertical plane robot arm.

An egocentric vision based assistive co-robot.

PubMed

Zhang, Jingzhe; Zhuang, Lishuo; Wang, Yang; Zhou, Yameng; Meng, Yan; Hua, Gang

2013-06-01

We present the prototype of an egocentric vision based assistive co-robot system. In this co-robot system, the user is wearing a pair of glasses with a forward looking camera, and is actively engaged in the control loop of the robot in navigational tasks. The egocentric vision glasses serve for two purposes. First, it serves as a source of visual input to request the robot to find a certain object in the environment. Second, the motion patterns computed from the egocentric video associated with a specific set of head movements are exploited to guide the robot to find the object. These are especially helpful for quadriplegic individuals who do not have needed hand functionality for interaction and control with other modalities (e.g., joystick). In our co-robot system, when the robot does not fulfill the object finding task in a pre-specified time window, it would actively solicit user controls for guidance. Then the users can use the egocentric vision based gesture interface to orient the robot towards the direction of the object. After that the robot will automatically navigate towards the object until it finds it. Our experiments validated the efficacy of the closed-loop design to engage the human in the loop.

Nozzle Mounting Method Optimization Based on Robot Kinematic Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chaoyue; Liao, Hanlin; Montavon, Ghislain; Deng, Sihao

2016-08-01

Nowadays, the application of industrial robots in thermal spray is gaining more and more importance. A desired coating quality depends on factors such as a balanced robot performance, a uniform scanning trajectory and stable parameters (e.g. nozzle speed, scanning step, spray angle, standoff distance). These factors also affect the mass and heat transfer as well as the coating formation. Thus, the kinematic optimization of all these aspects plays a key role in order to obtain an optimal coating quality. In this study, the robot performance was optimized from the aspect of nozzle mounting on the robot. An optimized nozzle mounting for a type F4 nozzle was designed, based on the conventional mounting method from the point of view of robot kinematics validated on a virtual robot. Robot kinematic parameters were obtained from the simulation by offline programming software and analyzed by statistical methods. The energy consumptions of different nozzle mounting methods were also compared. The results showed that it was possible to reasonably assign the amount of robot motion to each axis during the process, so achieving a constant nozzle speed. Thus, it is possible optimize robot performance and to economize robot energy.

Landsat brings understanding to the impact of industrialization

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2016-08-24

In his 1963 book, “The Quiet Crisis,” former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall lamented what he called the decline of natural resources in the United States under the advancements of industrialization and urbanization.

Video. Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery with a miniature in vivo surgical robot.

PubMed

Lehman, Amy C; Dumpert, Jason; Wood, Nathan A; Visty, Abigail Q; Farritor, Shane M; Varnell, Brandon; Oleynikov, Dmitry

2009-07-01

The application of flexible endoscopy tools for Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) is constrained due to limitations in dexterity, instrument insertion, navigation, visualization, and retraction. Miniature endolumenal robots can mitigate these constraints by providing a stable platform for visualization and dexterous manipulation. This video demonstrates the feasibility of using an endolumenal miniature robot to improve vision and to apply off-axis forces for task assistance in NOTES procedures. A two-armed miniature in vivo robot has been developed for NOTES. The robot is remotely controlled, has on-board cameras for guidance, and grasper and cautery end effectors for manipulation. Two basic configurations of the robot allow for flexibility during insertion and rigidity for visualization and tissue manipulation. Embedded magnets in the body of the robot and in an exterior surgical console are used for attaching the robot to the interior abdominal wall. This enables the surgeon to arbitrarily position the robot throughout a procedure. The visualization and task assistance capabilities of the miniature robot were demonstrated in a nonsurvivable NOTES procedure in a porcine model. An endoscope was used to create a transgastric incision and advance an overtube into the peritoneal cavity. The robot was then inserted through the overtube and into the peritoneal cavity using an endoscope. The surgeon successfully used the robot to explore the peritoneum and perform small-bowel dissection. This study has demonstrated the feasibility of inserting an endolumenal robot per os. Once deployed, the robot provided visualization and dexterous capabilities from multiple orientations. Further miniaturization and increased dexterity will enhance future capabilities.

Effect of a human-type communication robot on cognitive function in elderly women living alone.

PubMed

Tanaka, Masaaki; Ishii, Akira; Yamano, Emi; Ogikubo, Hiroki; Okazaki, Masatsugu; Kamimura, Kazuro; Konishi, Yasuharu; Emoto, Shigeru; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2012-09-01

Considering the high prevalence of dementia, it would be of great value to develop effective tools to improve cognitive function. We examined the effects of a human-type communication robot on cognitive function in elderly women living alone. In this study, 34 healthy elderly female volunteers living alone were randomized to living with either a communication robot or a control robot at home for 8 weeks. The shape, voice, and motion features of the communication robot resemble those of a 3-year-old boy, while the control robot was not designed to talk or nod. Before living with the robot and 4 and 8 weeks after living with the robot, experiments were conducted to evaluate a variety of cognitive functions as well as saliva cortisol, sleep, and subjective fatigue, motivation, and healing. The Mini-Mental State Examination score, judgement, and verbal memory function were improved after living with the communication robot; those functions were not altered with the control robot. In addition, the saliva cortisol level was decreased, nocturnal sleeping hours tended to increase, and difficulty in maintaining sleep tended to decrease with the communication robot, although alterations were not shown with the control. The proportions of the participants in whom effects on attenuation of fatigue, enhancement of motivation, and healing could be recognized were higher in the communication robot group relative to the control group. This study demonstrates that living with a human-type communication robot may be effective for improving cognitive functions in elderly women living alone.

Six axis force feedback input device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohm, Timothy (Inventor)

1998-01-01

The present invention is a low friction, low inertia, six-axis force feedback input device comprising an arm with double-jointed, tendon-driven revolute joints, a decoupled tendon-driven wrist, and a base with encoders and motors. The input device functions as a master robot manipulator of a microsurgical teleoperated robot system including a slave robot manipulator coupled to an amplifier chassis, which is coupled to a control chassis, which is coupled to a workstation with a graphical user interface. The amplifier chassis is coupled to the motors of the master robot manipulator and the control chassis is coupled to the encoders of the master robot manipulator. A force feedback can be applied to the input device and can be generated from the slave robot to enable a user to operate the slave robot via the input device without physically viewing the slave robot. Also, the force feedback can be generated from the workstation to represent fictitious forces to constrain the input device's control of the slave robot to be within imaginary predetermined boundaries.

Translational control of a graphically simulated robot arm by kinematic rate equations that overcome elbow joint singularity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, L. K.; Houck, J. A.; Carzoo, S. W.

1984-01-01

An operator commands a robot hand to move in a certain direction relative to its own axis system by specifying a velocity in that direction. This velocity command is then resolved into individual joint rotational velocities in the robot arm to effect the motion. However, the usual resolved-rate equations become singular when the robot arm is straightened. To overcome this elbow joint singularity, equations were developed which allow continued translational control of the robot hand even though the robot arm is (or is nearly) fully extended. A feature of the equations near full arm extension is that an operator simply extends and retracts the robot arm to reverse the direction of the elbow bend (difficult maneuver for the usual resolved-rate equations). Results show successful movement of a graphically simulated robot arm.

In Good Company? Perception of Movement Synchrony of a Non-Anthropomorphic Robot

PubMed Central

Lehmann, Hagen; Saez-Pons, Joan; Syrdal, Dag Sverre; Dautenhahn, Kerstin

2015-01-01

Recent technological developments like cheap sensors and the decreasing costs of computational power have brought the possibility of robotic home companions within reach. In order to be accepted it is vital for these robots to be able to participate meaningfully in social interactions with their users and to make them feel comfortable during these interactions. In this study we investigated how people respond to a situation where a companion robot is watching its user. Specifically, we tested the effect of robotic behaviours that are synchronised with the actions of a human. We evaluated the effects of these behaviours on the robot’s likeability and perceived intelligence using an online video survey. The robot used was Care-O-bot3, a non-anthropomorphic robot with a limited range of expressive motions. We found that even minimal, positively synchronised movements during an object-oriented task were interpreted by participants as engagement and created a positive disposition towards the robot. However, even negatively synchronised movements of the robot led to more positive perceptions of the robot, as compared to a robot that does not move at all. The results emphasise a) the powerful role that robot movements in general can have on participants’ perception of the robot, and b) that synchronisation of body movements can be a powerful means to enhance the positive attitude towards a non-anthropomorphic robot. PMID:26001025

Research on Modeling Technology of Virtual Robot Based on LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Huo, J. L.; Y Sun, L.; Y Hao, X.

2017-12-01

Because of the dangerous working environment, the underwater operation robot for nuclear power station needs manual teleoperation. In the process of operation, it is necessary to guide the position and orientation of the robot in real time. In this paper, the geometric modeling of the virtual robot and the working environment is accomplished by using SolidWorks software, and the accurate modeling and assembly of the robot are realized. Using LabVIEW software to read the model, and established the manipulator forward kinematics and inverse kinematics model, and realized the hierarchical modeling of virtual robot and computer graphics modeling. Experimental results show that the method studied in this paper can be successfully applied to robot control system.

Robot geometry calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayati, Samad; Tso, Kam; Roston, Gerald

1988-01-01

Autonomous robot task execution requires that the end effector of the robot be positioned accurately relative to a reference world-coordinate frame. The authors present a complete formulation to identify the actual robot geometric parameters. The method applies to any serial link manipulator with arbitrary order and combination of revolute and prismatic joints. A method is also presented to solve the inverse kinematic of the actual robot model which usually is not a so-called simple robot. Experimental results performed by utilizing a PUMA 560 with simple measurement hardware are presented. As a result of this calibration a precision move command is designed and integrated into a robot language, RCCL, and used in the NASA Telerobot Testbed.

Compensation of kinematic geometric parameters error and comparative study of accuracy testing for robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Liang; Shi, Guangming; Guan, Weibin; Zhong, Yuansheng; Li, Jin

2014-12-01

Geometric error is the main error of the industrial robot, and it plays a more significantly important fact than other error facts for robot. The compensation model of kinematic error is proposed in this article. Many methods can be used to test the robot accuracy, therefore, how to compare which method is better one. In this article, a method is used to compare two methods for robot accuracy testing. It used Laser Tracker System (LTS) and Three Coordinate Measuring instrument (TCM) to test the robot accuracy according to standard. According to the compensation result, it gets the better method which can improve the robot accuracy apparently.

24 CFR 576.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... counseling. (4) Nutritional counseling. (5) Substance abuse treatment and counseling. (6) Assistance in... 42 U.S.C. 11302. Homeless prevention means activities or programs designed to prevent the incidence... COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT General...

32 CFR 636.21 - Obedience to official traffic control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Obedience to official traffic control devices... INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.21 Obedience to official traffic control devices. (a) All drivers... placed by proper authority. ...

24. VIEW FORM NORTHWEST, WHERE HOUSE RECEDES INTO HILL, SHOWING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

24. VIEW FORM NORTHWEST, WHERE HOUSE RECEDES INTO HILL, SHOWING ROOF, CHIMNEY AND OCTAGONAL SKYLIGHT TO KITCHEN IN CENTER - Isaac N. Hagan House, Kentuck Knob, U.S. Route 40 vicinity (Stewart Township), Chalkhill, Fayette County, PA

24 CFR 576.65 - Recordkeeping.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT... ensure confidentiality of records pertaining to the provision of family violence prevention or treatment...

24 CFR 576.56 - Homeless assistance and participation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... treatment, mental health treatment, counseling, supervision, and other services essential for achieving... Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY...

4th floor sacking deck looking east from 1945 elevator to ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4th floor sacking deck looking east from 1945 elevator to 1913 elevator indicating spout used to load bulk grain into rail cars - Stewart Company Grain Elevator, 16 West Carson Street, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA

24 CFR 576.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... counseling. (4) Nutritional counseling. (5) Substance abuse treatment and counseling. (6) Assistance in... 42 U.S.C. 11302. Homeless prevention means activities or programs designed to prevent the incidence... COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT General...

32 CFR 636.21 - Obedience to official traffic control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Obedience to official traffic control devices... INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.21 Obedience to official traffic control devices. (a) All drivers... placed by proper authority. ...

24 CFR 576.59 - Relocation and acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS... property, permanently and involuntarily, as a direct result of acquisition, rehabilitation, or demolition...

Human-robot interaction modeling and simulation of supervisory control and situational awareness during field experimentation with military manned and unmanned ground vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Tony; Metcalfe, Jason; Brewster, Benjamin; Manteuffel, Christopher; Jaswa, Matthew; Tierney, Terrance

2010-04-01

The proliferation of intelligent systems in today's military demands increased focus on the optimization of human-robot interactions. Traditional studies in this domain involve large-scale field tests that require humans to operate semiautomated systems under varying conditions within military-relevant scenarios. However, provided that adequate constraints are employed, modeling and simulation can be a cost-effective alternative and supplement. The current presentation discusses a simulation effort that was executed in parallel with a field test with Soldiers operating military vehicles in an environment that represented key elements of the true operational context. In this study, "constructive" human operators were designed to represent average Soldiers executing supervisory control over an intelligent ground system. The constructive Soldiers were simulated performing the same tasks as those performed by real Soldiers during a directly analogous field test. Exercising the models in a high-fidelity virtual environment provided predictive results that represented actual performance in certain aspects, such as situational awareness, but diverged in others. These findings largely reflected the quality of modeling assumptions used to design behaviors and the quality of information available on which to articulate principles of operation. Ultimately, predictive analyses partially supported expectations, with deficiencies explicable via Soldier surveys, experimenter observations, and previously-identified knowledge gaps.

A development of intelligent entertainment robot for home life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Cheoltaek; Lee, Ju-Jang

2005-12-01

The purpose of this paper was to present the study and design idea for entertainment robot with educational purpose (IRFEE). The robot has been designed for home life considering dependability and interaction. The developed robot has three objectives - 1. Develop autonomous robot, 2. Design robot considering mobility and robustness, 3. Develop robot interface and software considering entertainment and education functionalities. The autonomous navigation was implemented by active vision based SLAM and modified EPF algorithm. The two differential wheels, the pan-tilt were designed mobility and robustness and the exterior was designed considering esthetic element and minimizing interference. The speech and tracking algorithm provided the good interface with human. The image transfer and Internet site connection is needed for service of remote connection and educational purpose.

Kinematics optimization and static analysis of a modular continuum robot used for minimally invasive surgery.

PubMed

Qi, Fei; Ju, Feng; Bai, Dong Ming; Chen, Bai

2018-02-01

For the outstanding compliance and dexterity of continuum robot, it is increasingly used in minimally invasive surgery. The wide workspace, high dexterity and strong payload capacity are essential to the continuum robot. In this article, we investigate the workspace of a cable-driven continuum robot that we proposed. The influence of section number on the workspace is discussed when robot is operated in narrow environment. Meanwhile, the structural parameters of this continuum robot are optimized to achieve better kinematic performance. Moreover, an indicator based on the dexterous solid angle for evaluating the dexterity of robot is introduced and the distal end dexterity is compared for the three-section continuum robot with different range of variables. Results imply that the wider range of variables achieve the better dexterity. Finally, the static model of robot based on the principle of virtual work is derived to analyze the relationship between the bending shape deformation and the driven force. The simulations and experiments for plane and spatial motions are conducted to validate the feasibility of model, respectively. Results of this article can contribute to the real-time control and movement and can be a design reference for cable-driven continuum robot.

Velocity-curvature patterns limit human-robot physical interaction.

PubMed

Maurice, Pauline; Huber, Meghan E; Hogan, Neville; Sternad, Dagmar

2018-01-01

Physical human-robot collaboration is becoming more common, both in industrial and service robotics. Cooperative execution of a task requires intuitive and efficient interaction between both actors. For humans, this means being able to predict and adapt to robot movements. Given that natural human movement exhibits several robust features, we examined whether human-robot physical interaction is facilitated when these features are considered in robot control. The present study investigated how humans adapt to biological and non-biological velocity patterns in robot movements. Participants held the end-effector of a robot that traced an elliptic path with either biological (two-thirds power law) or non-biological velocity profiles. Participants were instructed to minimize the force applied on the robot end-effector. Results showed that the applied force was significantly lower when the robot moved with a biological velocity pattern. With extensive practice and enhanced feedback, participants were able to decrease their force when following a non-biological velocity pattern, but never reached forces below those obtained with the 2/3 power law profile. These results suggest that some robust features observed in natural human movements are also a strong preference in guided movements. Therefore, such features should be considered in human-robot physical collaboration.

Velocity-curvature patterns limit human-robot physical interaction

PubMed Central

Maurice, Pauline; Huber, Meghan E.; Hogan, Neville; Sternad, Dagmar

2018-01-01

Physical human-robot collaboration is becoming more common, both in industrial and service robotics. Cooperative execution of a task requires intuitive and efficient interaction between both actors. For humans, this means being able to predict and adapt to robot movements. Given that natural human movement exhibits several robust features, we examined whether human-robot physical interaction is facilitated when these features are considered in robot control. The present study investigated how humans adapt to biological and non-biological velocity patterns in robot movements. Participants held the end-effector of a robot that traced an elliptic path with either biological (two-thirds power law) or non-biological velocity profiles. Participants were instructed to minimize the force applied on the robot end-effector. Results showed that the applied force was significantly lower when the robot moved with a biological velocity pattern. With extensive practice and enhanced feedback, participants were able to decrease their force when following a non-biological velocity pattern, but never reached forces below those obtained with the 2/3 power law profile. These results suggest that some robust features observed in natural human movements are also a strong preference in guided movements. Therefore, such features should be considered in human-robot physical collaboration. PMID:29744380

A soft robot capable of 2D mobility and self-sensing for obstacle detection and avoidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Lei; Tang, Yucheng; Gupta, Ujjaval; Zhu, Jian

2018-04-01

Soft robots have shown great potential for surveillance applications due to their interesting attributes including inherent flexibility, extreme adaptability, and excellent ability to move in confined spaces. High mobility combined with the sensing systems that can detect obstacles plays a significant role in performing surveillance tasks. Extensive studies have been conducted on movement mechanisms of traditional hard-bodied robots to increase their mobility. However, there are limited efforts in the literature to explore the mobility of soft robots. In addition, little attempt has been made to study the obstacle-detection capability of a soft mobile robot. In this paper, we develop a soft mobile robot capable of high mobility and self-sensing for obstacle detection and avoidance. This robot, consisting of a dielectric elastomer actuator as the robot body and four electroadhesion actuators as the robot feet, can generate 2D mobility, i.e. translations and turning in a 2D plane, by programming the actuation sequence of the robot body and feet. Furthermore, we develop a self-sensing method which models the robot body as a deformable capacitor. By measuring the real-time capacitance of the robot body, the robot can detect an obstacle when the peak capacitance drops suddenly. This sensing method utilizes the robot body itself instead of external sensors to achieve detection of obstacles, which greatly reduces the weight and complexity of the robot system. The 2D mobility and self-sensing capability ensure the success of obstacle detection and avoidance, which paves the way for the development of lightweight and intelligent soft mobile robots.

Development of an in vivo visual robot system with a magnetic anchoring mechanism and a lens cleaning mechanism for laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS).

PubMed

Feng, Haibo; Dong, Dinghui; Ma, Tengfei; Zhuang, Jinlei; Fu, Yili; Lv, Yi; Li, Liyi

2017-12-01

Surgical robot systems which can significantly improve surgical procedures have been widely used in laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS). For a relative complex surgical procedure, the development of an in vivo visual robot system for LESS can effectively improve the visualization for surgical robot systems. In this work, an in vivo visual robot system with a new mechanism for LESS was investigated. A finite element method (FEM) analysis was carried out to ensure the safety of the in vivo visual robot during the movement, which was the most important concern for surgical purposes. A master-slave control strategy was adopted, in which the control model was established by off-line experiments. The in vivo visual robot system was verified by using a phantom box. The experiment results show that the robot system can successfully realize the expected functionalities and meet the demands of LESS. The experiment results indicate that the in vivo visual robot with high manipulability has great potential in clinical application. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Application of ant colony algorithm in path planning of the data center room robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Ma, Jianming; Wang, Ying

2017-05-01

According to the Internet Data Center (IDC) room patrol robot as the background, the robot in the search path of autonomous obstacle avoidance and path planning ability, worked out in advance of the robot room patrol mission. The simulation experimental results show that the improved ant colony algorithm for IDC room patrol robot obstacle avoidance planning, makes the robot along an optimal or suboptimal and safe obstacle avoidance path to reach the target point to complete the task. To prove the feasibility of the method.

Automatic control system generation for robot design validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bacon, James A. (Inventor); English, James D. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

The specification and drawings present a new method, system and software product for and apparatus for generating a robotic validation system for a robot design. The robotic validation system for the robot design of a robotic system is automatically generated by converting a robot design into a generic robotic description using a predetermined format, then generating a control system from the generic robotic description and finally updating robot design parameters of the robotic system with an analysis tool using both the generic robot description and the control system.

Modeling and Simulation for a Surf Zone Robot

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-14

of-freedom surf zone robot is developed and tested with a physical test platform and with a simulated robot in Robot Operating System . Derived from...terrain. The application of the model to future platforms is analyzed and a broad examination of the current state of surf zone robotic systems is...public release; distribution is unlimited MODELING AND SIMULATION FOR A SURF ZONE ROBOT Eric Shuey Lieutenant, United States Navy B.S., Systems

Tool Changer For Robot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voellmer, George M.

1992-01-01

Mechanism enables robot to change tools on end of arm. Actuated by motion of robot: requires no additional electrical or pneumatic energy to make or break connection between tool and wrist at end of arm. Includes three basic subassemblies: wrist interface plate attached to robot arm at wrist, tool interface plate attached to tool, and holster. Separate tool interface plate and holster provided for each tool robot uses.

Analyzing the Effects of Human-Aware Motion Planning on Close-Proximity Human–Robot Collaboration

PubMed Central

Shah, Julie A.

2015-01-01

Objective: The objective of this work was to examine human response to motion-level robot adaptation to determine its effect on team fluency, human satisfaction, and perceived safety and comfort. Background: The evaluation of human response to adaptive robotic assistants has been limited, particularly in the realm of motion-level adaptation. The lack of true human-in-the-loop evaluation has made it impossible to determine whether such adaptation would lead to efficient and satisfying human–robot interaction. Method: We conducted an experiment in which participants worked with a robot to perform a collaborative task. Participants worked with an adaptive robot incorporating human-aware motion planning and with a baseline robot using shortest-path motions. Team fluency was evaluated through a set of quantitative metrics, and human satisfaction and perceived safety and comfort were evaluated through questionnaires. Results: When working with the adaptive robot, participants completed the task 5.57% faster, with 19.9% more concurrent motion, 2.96% less human idle time, 17.3% less robot idle time, and a 15.1% greater separation distance. Questionnaire responses indicated that participants felt safer and more comfortable when working with an adaptive robot and were more satisfied with it as a teammate than with the standard robot. Conclusion: People respond well to motion-level robot adaptation, and significant benefits can be achieved from its use in terms of both human–robot team fluency and human worker satisfaction. Application: Our conclusion supports the development of technologies that could be used to implement human-aware motion planning in collaborative robots and the use of this technique for close-proximity human–robot collaboration. PMID:25790568

Method and System for Controlling a Dexterous Robot Execution Sequence Using State Classification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Adam M. (Inventor); Quillin, Nathaniel (Inventor); Platt, Robert J., Jr. (Inventor); Pfeiffer, Joseph (Inventor); Permenter, Frank Noble (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A robotic system includes a dexterous robot and a controller. The robot includes a plurality of robotic joints, actuators for moving the joints, and sensors for measuring a characteristic of the joints, and for transmitting the characteristics as sensor signals. The controller receives the sensor signals, and is configured for executing instructions from memory, classifying the sensor signals into distinct classes via the state classification module, monitoring a system state of the robot using the classes, and controlling the robot in the execution of alternative work tasks based on the system state. A method for controlling the robot in the above system includes receiving the signals via the controller, classifying the signals using the state classification module, monitoring the present system state of the robot using the classes, and controlling the robot in the execution of alternative work tasks based on the present system state.

Research and development of service robot platform based on artificial psychology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xueyuan; Wang, Zhiliang; Wang, Fenhua; Nagai, Masatake

2007-12-01

Some related works about the control architecture of robot system are briefly summarized. According to the discussions above, this paper proposes control architecture of service robot based on artificial psychology. In this control architecture, the robot can obtain the cognition of environment through sensors, and then be handled with intelligent model, affective model and learning model, and finally express the reaction to the outside stimulation through its behavior. For better understanding the architecture, hierarchical structure is also discussed. The control system of robot can be divided into five layers, namely physical layer, drives layer, information-processing and behavior-programming layer, application layer and system inspection and control layer. This paper shows how to achieve system integration from hardware modules, software interface and fault diagnosis. Embedded system GENE-8310 is selected as the PC platform of robot APROS-I, and its primary memory media is CF card. The arms and body of the robot are constituted by 13 motors and some connecting fittings. Besides, the robot has a robot head with emotional facial expression, and the head has 13 DOFs. The emotional and intelligent model is one of the most important parts in human-machine interaction. In order to better simulate human emotion, an emotional interaction model for robot is proposed according to the theory of need levels of Maslom and mood information of Siminov. This architecture has already been used in our intelligent service robot.

In good company? Perception of movement synchrony of a non-anthropomorphic robot.

PubMed

Lehmann, Hagen; Saez-Pons, Joan; Syrdal, Dag Sverre; Dautenhahn, Kerstin

2015-01-01

Recent technological developments like cheap sensors and the decreasing costs of computational power have brought the possibility of robotic home companions within reach. In order to be accepted it is vital for these robots to be able to participate meaningfully in social interactions with their users and to make them feel comfortable during these interactions. In this study we investigated how people respond to a situation where a companion robot is watching its user. Specifically, we tested the effect of robotic behaviours that are synchronised with the actions of a human. We evaluated the effects of these behaviours on the robot's likeability and perceived intelligence using an online video survey. The robot used was Care-O-bot3, a non-anthropomorphic robot with a limited range of expressive motions. We found that even minimal, positively synchronised movements during an object-oriented task were interpreted by participants as engagement and created a positive disposition towards the robot. However, even negatively synchronised movements of the robot led to more positive perceptions of the robot, as compared to a robot that does not move at all. The results emphasise a) the powerful role that robot movements in general can have on participants' perception of the robot, and b) that synchronisation of body movements can be a powerful means to enhance the positive attitude towards a non-anthropomorphic robot.

78 FR 9789 - Airworthiness Directives; Schweizer Aircraft Corporation

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-12

... Certification Office, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 1600 Stewart Ave., suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590... inspection panel kit and stabilizer mount doublers. The Type Certificate for these helicopters transferred...: Stephen Kowalski, Aviation Safety Engineer, New York Aircraft Certification Office, Engine & Propeller...

32 CFR 636.9 - Registration requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION (SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia...: (A) $15,000.00 per person per accident for bodily injury. (B) $30,000.00 per incident for bodily injury. (C) $10,000.00 per accident for property damage. (ii) No-Fault—$5,000.00. (2) Proof of this...

32 CFR 636.36 - Alcoholic beverages.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Alcoholic beverages. 636.36 Section 636.36 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC SUPERVISION (SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia...

Study of the Navigation Method for a Snake Robot Based on the Kinematics Model with MEMS IMU.

PubMed

Zhao, Xu; Dou, Lihua; Su, Zhong; Liu, Ning

2018-03-16

A snake robot is a type of highly redundant mobile robot that significantly differs from a tracked robot, wheeled robot and legged robot. To address the issue of a snake robot performing self-localization in the application environment without assistant orientation, an autonomous navigation method is proposed based on the snake robot's motion characteristic constraints. The method realized the autonomous navigation of the snake robot with non-nodes and an external assistant using its own Micro-Electromechanical-Systems (MEMS) Inertial-Measurement-Unit (IMU). First, it studies the snake robot's motion characteristics, builds the kinematics model, and then analyses the motion constraint characteristics and motion error propagation properties. Second, it explores the snake robot's navigation layout, proposes a constraint criterion and the fixed relationship, and makes zero-state constraints based on the motion features and control modes of a snake robot. Finally, it realizes autonomous navigation positioning based on the Extended-Kalman-Filter (EKF) position estimation method under the constraints of its motion characteristics. With the self-developed snake robot, the test verifies the proposed method, and the position error is less than 5% of Total-Traveled-Distance (TDD). In a short-distance environment, this method is able to meet the requirements of a snake robot in order to perform autonomous navigation and positioning in traditional applications and can be extended to other familiar multi-link robots.

Feasibility of Synergy-Based Exoskeleton Robot Control in Hemiplegia.

PubMed

Hassan, Modar; Kadone, Hideki; Ueno, Tomoyuki; Hada, Yasushi; Sankai, Yoshiyuki; Suzuki, Kenji

2018-06-01

Here, we present a study on exoskeleton robot control based on inter-limb locomotor synergies using a robot control method developed to target hemiparesis. The robot control is based on inter-limb locomotor synergies and kinesiological information from the non-paretic leg and a walking aid cane to generate motion patterns for the assisted leg. The developed synergy-based system was tested against an autonomous robot control system in five patients with hemiparesis and varying locomotor abilities. Three of the participants were able to walk using the robot. Results from these participants showed an improved spatial symmetry ratio and more consistent step length with the synergy-based method compared with that for the autonomous method, while the increase in the range of motion for the assisted joints was larger with the autonomous system. The kinematic synergy distribution of the participants walking without the robot suggests a relationship between each participant's synergy distribution and his/her ability to control the robot: participants with two independent synergies accounting for approximately 80% of the data variability were able to walk with the robot. This observation was not consistently apparent with conventional clinical measures such as the Brunnstrom stages. This paper contributes to the field of robot-assisted locomotion therapy by introducing the concept of inter-limb synergies, demonstrating performance differences between synergy-based and autonomous robot control, and investigating the range of disability in which the system is usable.

32 CFR 636.21 - Obedience to official traffic control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Obedience to official traffic control devices... INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.21 Obedience to official traffic control devices. (a) All drivers... placed by proper authority. ...

32 CFR 636.21 - Obedience to official traffic control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Obedience to official traffic control devices... INSTALLATIONS) Fort Stewart, Georgia § 636.21 Obedience to official traffic control devices. (a) All drivers... placed by proper authority. ...

24 CFR 576.65 - Recordkeeping.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FACILITIES EMERGENCY SHELTER GRANTS PROGRAM: STEWART B. McKINNEY HOMELESS ASSISTANCE ACT Grant... confidentiality of records pertaining to the provision of family violence prevention or treatment services with...

77 FR 2990 - Federal Property Suitable as Facilities To Assist the Homeless

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-20

... 7266, Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 708-1234; TTY number for the hearing- and speech-impaired... of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11411), as amended, HUD is publishing...

External Environment Sensing by a Module on Self-reconfiguration Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goto, Tomotsugu; Uchida, Masafumi; Onogaki, Hitoshi

In the situation in which a robot and a human work together by collaborating with each other, a robot and a human share one working environment, and each interferes in each other. The boundary of each complex dynamic occupation area changes in the connection movement which is the component of collaborative works at this time. The main restraint condition which relates to the robustness of that connection movement is each physical charactristics, that is, the embodiment. A robot body is variability though the embodiment of a human is almost fixed. Therefore, the safe and the robust connection movement is brought when a robot has the robot body which is well suitable for the embodiment of a human. A purpose for this research is that the colaboration works between the self-reconfiguration robot and a human is realized. To achieve this purpose, sensing function of external environment on a module was examined. A module is a component of the self-reconfiguration robot. A robot body vibrates when a module actuates an arm actively. This vibration is observed by using some acceleration sensors. Measured datas reflects a difference of objects that it touches a robot body. In this paper, the sensing technique of external environment which identifies this difference by using the neural network is proposed.

Olfaction and Hearing Based Mobile Robot Navigation for Odor/Sound Source Search

PubMed Central

Song, Kai; Liu, Qi; Wang, Qi

2011-01-01

Bionic technology provides a new elicitation for mobile robot navigation since it explores the way to imitate biological senses. In the present study, the challenging problem was how to fuse different biological senses and guide distributed robots to cooperate with each other for target searching. This paper integrates smell, hearing and touch to design an odor/sound tracking multi-robot system. The olfactory robot tracks the chemical odor plume step by step through information fusion from gas sensors and airflow sensors, while two hearing robots localize the sound source by time delay estimation (TDE) and the geometrical position of microphone array. Furthermore, this paper presents a heading direction based mobile robot navigation algorithm, by which the robot can automatically and stably adjust its velocity and direction according to the deviation between the current heading direction measured by magnetoresistive sensor and the expected heading direction acquired through the odor/sound localization strategies. Simultaneously, one robot can communicate with the other robots via a wireless sensor network (WSN). Experimental results show that the olfactory robot can pinpoint the odor source within the distance of 2 m, while two hearing robots can quickly localize and track the olfactory robot in 2 min. The devised multi-robot system can achieve target search with a considerable success ratio and high stability. PMID:22319401

Robotic follow system and method

DOEpatents

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Anderson, Matthew O [Idaho Falls, ID

2007-05-01

Robot platforms, methods, and computer media are disclosed. The robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller, which executes instructions for a robot to follow a target in its environment. The method includes receiving a target bearing and sensing whether the robot is blocked front. If the robot is blocked in front, then the robot's motion is adjusted to avoid the nearest obstacle in front. If the robot is not blocked in front, then the method senses whether the robot is blocked toward the target bearing and if so, sets the rotational direction opposite from the target bearing, and adjusts the rotational velocity and translational velocity. If the robot is not blocked toward the target bearing, then the rotational velocity is adjusted proportional to an angle of the target bearing and the translational velocity is adjusted proportional to a distance to the nearest obstacle in front.

[Optimization of end-tool parameters based on robot hand-eye calibration].

PubMed

Zhang, Lilong; Cao, Tong; Liu, Da

2017-04-01

A new one-time registration method was developed in this research for hand-eye calibration of a surgical robot to simplify the operation process and reduce the preparation time. And a new and practical method is introduced in this research to optimize the end-tool parameters of the surgical robot based on analysis of the error sources in this registration method. In the process with one-time registration method, firstly a marker on the end-tool of the robot was recognized by a fixed binocular camera, and then the orientation and position of the marker were calculated based on the joint parameters of the robot. Secondly the relationship between the camera coordinate system and the robot base coordinate system could be established to complete the hand-eye calibration. Because of manufacturing and assembly errors of robot end-tool, an error equation was established with the transformation matrix between the robot end coordinate system and the robot end-tool coordinate system as the variable. Numerical optimization was employed to optimize end-tool parameters of the robot. The experimental results showed that the one-time registration method could significantly improve the efficiency of the robot hand-eye calibration compared with the existing methods. The parameter optimization method could significantly improve the absolute positioning accuracy of the one-time registration method. The absolute positioning accuracy of the one-time registration method can meet the requirements of the clinical surgery.

Effect of Caregiver Driven Robot-Assisted In-Ward Training in Subacute Stroke Patients: A Case Series.

PubMed

Kim, Sang Beom; Lee, Kyeong Woo; Lee, Jong Hwa; Lee, Sook Joung; Park, Jin Gee; Park, Joo Won

2018-04-01

To evaluate the effect of caregiver driven robot-assisted in-ward training in subacute stroke patients. A retrospective evaluation was performed for patients treated with caregiver driven robot-assisted in-ward training to retain gait function from June 2014 and December 2016. All patients received more than 2 weeks of caregiver driven robot-assisted in-ward training after undergoing conventional programs. The robot was used as a sitting device, a standing frame, or a high-walker depending on functional status of the patient. Patients were evaluated before and after robot training. Patient records were assessed by Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and Functional Ambulation Category (FAC). Initially, patients used the robot as a sitting device (n=6), a standing frame (n=7), or a partial body-weight support high-walker (n=2). As patient functions were improved, usage level of the robot was changed to the next level. At the end of the treatment, the robot was used as a sitting device (n=1), a standing frame (n=6), or high-walker (n=8). Scores of K-MBI (Δ17.47±10.72) and FIM (Δ19.80±12.34) were improved in all patients. Patients' usage level of the robot and functional scores were improved. Therefore, performing additional caregiver driven robot-assisted in-ward training is feasible and beneficial for subacute stroke patients.

Kinematics Control and Analysis of Industrial Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Tongbo; Cai, Fan; Li, Yongmei; Liu, Wei

2018-03-01

The robot’s development present situation, basic principle and control system are introduced briefly. Research is mainly focused on the study of the robot’s kinematics and motion control. The structural analysis of a planar articulated robot (SCARA) robot is presented,the coordinate system is established to obtain the position and orientation matrix of the end effector,a method of robot kinematics analysis based on homogeneous transformation method is proposed, and the kinematics solution of the robot is obtained.Establishment of industrial robot’s kinematics equation and formula for positive kinematics by example. Finally,the kinematic analysis of this robot was verified by examples.It provides a basis for structural design and motion control.It has active significance to promote the motion control of industrial robot.

Line trace micro-opto-electro-device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Deer; Lu, Si; Yan, Yingbai; Pang, Lin; Jin, Guofan

2001-05-01

Since micro robot has merits on small size and flexible movements, it could be used under many situations. A lot of novel designs of micro-robot have been developed recently. However, as miniaturizing the size of the micro-robot, the number of its sensor gets restricted. Then the information from the detectors becomes lack. This makes the micro robot difficult to acquire its status. A micro robot tracing a line has been designed in our lab. With the help of optoelectronic detection and logical algorithm, the micro robot could follow a black line printed on the white ground exactly. The micro robot's intelligence is realized through the program in its microprocessor. The technical details of the micro robot are as follows: dimensions: 30mm*25mm*35**; velocity: 60mm/s.

The effect of collision avoidance for autonomous robot team formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seidman, Mark H.; Yang, Shanchieh J.

2007-04-01

As technology and research advance to the era of cooperative robots, many autonomous robot team algorithms have emerged. Shape formation is a common and critical task in many cooperative robot applications. While theoretical studies of robot team formation have shown success, it is unclear whether such algorithms will perform well in a real-world environment. This work examines the effect of collision avoidance schemes on an ideal circle formation algorithm, but behaves similarly if robot-to-robot communications are in place. Our findings reveal that robots with basic collision avoidance capabilities are still able to form into a circle, under most conditions. Moreover, the robot sizes, sensing ranges, and other critical physical parameters are examined to determine their effects on algorithm's performance.

Inventory of Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic strata in Sonora, Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stewart, John H.; Poole, Forrest G.

2002-01-01

This compilation is an inventory of all known outcrops of Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic strata in Sonora, Mexico. We have not attempted an interpretation of the regional stratigraphic or structural setting of the strata. Brief summaries of the stratigraphic setting of the Sonora rocks are given in Poole and Hayes (1971), Rangin (1978), Stewart and others (1984, 1990), and Poole and Madrid (1986; 1988b). More specific information on the setting of strata of specific ages are given by Stewart and others (2002) for the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian; by Poole and others (1995a) for Ordovician shelf strata; by Poole and others (1995b) for Ordovician deep-water openbasin strata; by Poole and others (1997, 1998, 2000a) for Silurian strata; and by Poole and others (2000a) for Mississippian strata. Other reports that discuss regional aspects of Paleozoic stratigraphy include López-Ramos (1982), Peiffer-Rangin, (1979, 1988), Pérez-Ramos (1992), and Stewart and others (1997, 1999a). Structurally, the major Paleozoic feature of Sonora is the Sonora allochthon, consisting of deep-water (eugeoclinal) strata emplaced in the Permian over shelf (miogeoclinal) deposits (Poole and others, 1995a,b; Poole and Perry, 1997; 1998). The emplacement structure is generally considered to be a major Permian continental margin thrust fault that emplaced the deep-water rocks northward over shelf (miogeoclinal) deposits. An alternate interpretation has been presented by Stewart and others (2002). He proposed that the emplacement of the Sonora allochthon was along a major Permian transpressional structure that was primarily a strike-slip fault with only a minor thrust component . The Mojave-Sonora megashear has been proposed to disrupt Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic trends in Sonora. This feature is a hypothetical, left-lateral, northwest-striking fault extending across northern Sonora and the southwestern United States (Silver and Anderson, 1974; Anderson and Schmidt, 1983). It is proposed to have Jurassic displacements of about 700-800 km. Current opinion is mixed concerning whether the Mojave-Sonora megashear exists (see discussions and references in Stewart and others, 1990; 1999a). The inventory presented here is the product of a search of the literature for described Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic localities and our examination of a large number of the outcrops in the field. The individual localities are described by reference letters and numbers, locality name, latitude and longitude, a brief text on the stratigraphy of the strata, and references. Figure 1 is an index showing the location of Sonora and the location of figure 2. The location of a few localites that are outside of figure 2 are also shown on figure 1. We also include a separate description of localities that have been erroneously reported, on the based of our field examinations, to contain Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic rocks. We include a brief description of problematic strata in southern Sonora that have been described as Paleozoic, but may be at least in part Mesozoic. Figures 3-11 show the distribution of Neoproterozoic, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian strata in Sonora.

Current Status of Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy: What is the Real Benefit?

PubMed

Takenaka, Atsushi

2015-09-01

In recent years, robot-assisted radical cystectomy has received attention worldwide as a useful procedure that helps to overcome the limitations of open radical cystectomy. We compared the surgical technique, perioperative and oncological outcomes, and learning curve of robot-assisted radical cystectomy with those of open radical cystectomy. The indications for robot-assisted radical cystectomy are identical to those of open radical cystectomy. Relative contraindications are due to patient positioning in the Trendelenburg position for long periods. Urinary diversion is performed either extracorporeally with a small skin incision or intracorporeally with a totally robotic-assisted maneuver. Accordingly, robot-assisted radical cystectomy can be performed safely with an acceptable operative time, little blood loss, and low transfusion rates. The lymph node yield and positive surgical margin rate were not significantly different between robot-assisted radical cystectomy and open radical cystectomy. The survival rates after robot-assisted radical cystectomy are estimated to be similar to that after open radical cystectomy. However, the recurrence pattern is different between robot-assisted radical cystectomy and open radical cystectomy, i.e., extrapelvic lymph node recurrence and peritoneal carcinomatosis were more frequently found in patients who underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy than in those who underwent open radical cystectomy. Further validation is necessary to prove the feasibility of oncological control. A steep learning curve is one of the benefits of the new technique. The experience of only 50 robot-assisted radical prostatectomies is a minimum requirement for performing feasible robot-assisted radical cystectomy, and surgeons who have performed only 30 surgeries can reach an acceptable level of quality for robot-assisted radical cystectomy.

Research state-of-the-art of mobile robots in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Lin; Zhao, Jinglun; Zhang, Peng; Li, Shiqing

1991-03-01

Several newly developed mobile robots in china are described in the paper. It includes masterslave telerobot sixleged robot biped walking robot remote inspection robot crawler moving robot and autonomous mobi le vehicle . Some relevant technology are also described.

Haptic/graphic rehabilitation: integrating a robot into a virtual environment library and applying it to stroke therapy.

PubMed

Sharp, Ian; Patton, James; Listenberger, Molly; Case, Emily

2011-08-08

Recent research that tests interactive devices for prolonged therapy practice has revealed new prospects for robotics combined with graphical and other forms of biofeedback. Previous human-robot interactive systems have required different software commands to be implemented for each robot leading to unnecessary developmental overhead time each time a new system becomes available. For example, when a haptic/graphic virtual reality environment has been coded for one specific robot to provide haptic feedback, that specific robot would not be able to be traded for another robot without recoding the program. However, recent efforts in the open source community have proposed a wrapper class approach that can elicit nearly identical responses regardless of the robot used. The result can lead researchers across the globe to perform similar experiments using shared code. Therefore modular "switching out"of one robot for another would not affect development time. In this paper, we outline the successful creation and implementation of a wrapper class for one robot into the open-source H3DAPI, which integrates the software commands most commonly used by all robots.