Evaluation of Smartphone Inertial Sensor Performance for Cross-Platform Mobile Applications

PubMed Central

Kos, Anton; Tomažič, Sašo; Umek, Anton

2016-01-01

Smartphone sensors are being increasingly used in mobile applications. The performance of sensors varies considerably among different smartphone models and the development of a cross-platform mobile application might be a very complex and demanding task. A publicly accessible resource containing real-life-situation smartphone sensor parameters could be of great help for cross-platform developers. To address this issue we have designed and implemented a pilot participatory sensing application for measuring, gathering, and analyzing smartphone sensor parameters. We start with smartphone accelerometer and gyroscope bias and noise parameters. The application database presently includes sensor parameters of more than 60 different smartphone models of different platforms. It is a modest, but important start, offering information on several statistical parameters of the measured smartphone sensors and insights into their performance. The next step, a large-scale cloud-based version of the application, is already planned. The large database of smartphone sensor parameters may prove particularly useful for cross-platform developers. It may also be interesting for individual participants who would be able to check-up and compare their smartphone sensors against a large number of similar or identical models. PMID:27049391

Energy-Efficient Hosting Rich Content from Mobile Platforms with Relative Proximity Sensing.

PubMed

Park, Ki-Woong; Lee, Younho; Baek, Sung Hoon

2017-08-08

In this paper, we present a tiny networked mobile platform, termed Tiny-Web-Thing ( T-Wing ), which allows the sharing of data-intensive content among objects in cyber physical systems. The object includes mobile platforms like a smartphone, and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms for Human-to-Human (H2H), Human-to-Machine (H2M), Machine-to-Human (M2H), and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. T-Wing makes it possible to host rich web content directly on their objects, which nearby objects can access instantaneously. Using a new mechanism that allows the Wi-Fi interface of the object to be turned on purely on-demand, T-Wing achieves very high energy efficiency. We have implemented T-Wing on an embedded board, and present evaluation results from our testbed. From the evaluation result of T-Wing , we compare our system against alternative approaches to implement this functionality using only the cellular or Wi-Fi (but not both), and show that in typical usage, T-Wing consumes less than 15× the energy and is faster by an order of magnitude.

Control of an automated mobile manipulator using artificial immune system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deepak, B. B. V. L.; Parhi, Dayal R.

2016-03-01

This paper addresses the coordination and control of a wheeled mobile manipulator (WMM) using artificial immune system. The aim of the developed methodology is to navigate the system autonomously and transport jobs and tools in manufacturing environments. This study integrates the kinematic structures of a four-axis manipulator and a differential wheeled mobile platform. The motion of the developed WMM is controlled by the complete system of parametric equation in terms of joint velocities and makes the robot to follow desired trajectories by the manipulator and platform within its workspace. The developed robot system performs its action intelligently according to the sensed environmental criteria within its search space. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed immune-based motion planner for WMM, simulations as well as experimental results are presented in various unknown environments.

Citizen Sensors for SHM: Towards a Crowdsourcing Platform

PubMed Central

Ozer, Ekin; Feng, Maria Q.; Feng, Dongming

2015-01-01

This paper presents an innovative structural health monitoring (SHM) platform in terms of how it integrates smartphone sensors, the web, and crowdsourcing. The ubiquity of smartphones has provided an opportunity to create low-cost sensor networks for SHM. Crowdsourcing has given rise to citizen initiatives becoming a vast source of inexpensive, valuable but heterogeneous data. Previously, the authors have investigated the reliability of smartphone accelerometers for vibration-based SHM. This paper takes a step further to integrate mobile sensing and web-based computing for a prospective crowdsourcing-based SHM platform. An iOS application was developed to enable citizens to measure structural vibration and upload the data to a server with smartphones. A web-based platform was developed to collect and process the data automatically and store the processed data, such as modal properties of the structure, for long-term SHM purposes. Finally, the integrated mobile and web-based platforms were tested to collect the low-amplitude ambient vibration data of a bridge structure. Possible sources of uncertainties related to citizens were investigated, including the phone location, coupling conditions, and sampling duration. The field test results showed that the vibration data acquired by smartphones operated by citizens without expertise are useful for identifying structural modal properties with high accuracy. This platform can be further developed into an automated, smart, sustainable, cost-free system for long-term monitoring of structural integrity of spatially distributed urban infrastructure. Citizen Sensors for SHM will be a novel participatory sensing platform in the way that it offers hybrid solutions to transitional crowdsourcing parameters. PMID:26102490

Flow-through nanohole array based sensor implemented on analogue smartphone components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez-Cruz, Juan; Nair, Srijit; Ascanio, Gabriel; Escobedo, Carlos

2017-08-01

Mobile communications have massively populated the consumer electronics market over the past few years and it is now ubiquitous, providing a timeless opportunity for the development of smartphone-based technologies as point-of-care (POC) diagnosis tools1 . The expectation for a fully integrated smartphone-based sensor that enables applications such as environmental monitoring, explosive detection and biomedical analysis has increased among the scientific community in the past few years2,3. The commercialization forecast for smartphone-based sensing technologies is very promising, but reliable, miniature and cost-effective sensing platforms that can adapt to portable electronics in still under development. In this work, we present an integrated sensing platform based on flow-through metallic nanohole arrays. The nanohole arrays are 260 nm in diameter and 520 nm in pitch, fabricated using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) lithography. A white LED resembling a smartphone flash LED serves as light source to excite surface plasmons and the signal is recorded via a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) module. The sensing abilities of the integrated sensing platform is demonstrated for the detection of (i) changes in bulk refractive index (RI), (ii) real-time monitoring of surface modification by receptor-analyte system of streptavidin-biotin.

Fast neutron counting in a mobile, trailer-based search platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayward, Jason P.; Sparger, John; Fabris, Lorenzo; Newby, Robert J.

2017-12-01

Trailer-based search platforms for detection of radiological and nuclear threats are often based upon coded aperture gamma-ray imaging, because this method can be rendered insensitive to local variations in gamma background while still localizing the source well. Since gamma source emissions are rather easily shielded, in this work we consider the addition of fast neutron counting to a mobile platform for detection of sources containing Pu. A proof-of-concept system capable of combined gamma and neutron coded-aperture imaging was built inside of a trailer and used to detect a 252Cf source while driving along a roadway. Neutron detector types employed included EJ-309 in a detector plane and EJ-299-33 in a front mask plane. While the 252Cf gamma emissions were not readily detectable while driving by at 16.9 m standoff, the neutron emissions can be detected while moving. Mobile detection performance for this system and a scaled-up system design are presented, along with implications for threat sensing.

Husbandry Emissions Estimation: Fusion of Mobile Surface and Airborne Remote Sensing and Mobile Surface In Situ Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leifer, I.; Hall, J. L.; Melton, C.; Tratt, D. M.; Chang, C. S.; Buckland, K. N.; Frash, J.; Leen, J. B.; Van Damme, M.; Clarisse, L.

2017-12-01

Emissions of methane and ammonia from intensive animal husbandry are important drivers of climate and photochemical and aerosol pollution. Husbandry emission estimates are somewhat uncertain because of their dependence on practices, temperature, micro-climate, and other factors, leading to variations in emission factors up to an order-of-magnitude. Mobile in situ measurements are increasingly being applied to derive trace gas emissions by Gaussian plume inversion; however, inversion with incomplete information can lead to erroneous emissions and incorrect source location. Mobile in situ concentration and wind data and mobile remote sensing column data from the Chino Dairy Complex in the Los Angeles Basin were collected near simultaneously (within 1-10 s, depending on speed) while transecting plumes, approximately orthogonal to winds. This analysis included airborne remote sensing trace gas information. MISTIR collected vertical column FTIR data simultaneously with in situ concentration data acquired by the AMOG-Surveyor while both vehicles traveled in convoy. The column measurements are insensitive to the turbulence characterization needed in Gaussian plume inversion of concentration data and thus provide a flux reference for evaluating in situ data inversions. Four different approaches were used on inversions for a single dairy, and also for the aggregate dairy complex plume. Approaches were based on differing levels of "knowledge" used in the inversion from solely the in situ platform and a single gas to a combination of information from all platforms and multiple gases. Derived dairy complex fluxes differed significantly from those estimated by other studies of the Chino complex. Analysis of long term satellite data showed that this most likely results from seasonality effects, highlighting the pitfalls of applying annualized extensions of flux measurements to a single campaign instantiation.

Demonstration of UAV deployment and control of mobile wireless sensing networks for modal analysis of structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Hao; Hirose, Mitsuhito; Greenwood, William; Xiao, Yong; Lynch, Jerome; Zekkos, Dimitrios; Kamat, Vineet

2016-04-01

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can serve as a powerful mobile sensing platform for assessing the health of civil infrastructure systems. To date, the majority of their uses have been dedicated to vision and laser-based spatial imaging using on-board cameras and LiDAR units, respectively. Comparatively less work has focused on integration of other sensing modalities relevant to structural monitoring applications. The overarching goal of this study is to explore the ability for UAVs to deploy a network of wireless sensors on structures for controlled vibration testing. The study develops a UAV platform with an integrated robotic gripper that can be used to install wireless sensors in structures, drop a heavy weight for the introduction of impact loads, and to uninstall wireless sensors for reinstallation elsewhere. A pose estimation algorithm is embedded in the UAV to estimate the location of the UAV during sensor placement and impact load introduction. The Martlet wireless sensor network architecture is integrated with the UAV to provide the UAV a mobile sensing capability. The UAV is programmed to command field deployed Martlets, aggregate and temporarily store data from the wireless sensor network, and to communicate data to a fixed base station on site. This study demonstrates the integrated UAV system using a simply supported beam in the lab with Martlet wireless sensors placed by the UAV and impact load testing performed. The study verifies the feasibility of the integrated UAV-wireless monitoring system architecture with accurate modal characteristics of the beam estimated by modal analysis.

Off-the-shelf mobile handset environments for deploying accelerometer based gait and activity analysis algorithms.

PubMed

Hynes, Martin; Wang, Han; Kilmartin, Liam

2009-01-01

Over the last decade, there has been substantial research interest in the application of accelerometry data for many forms of automated gait and activity analysis algorithms. This paper introduces a summary of new "of-the-shelf" mobile phone handset platforms containing embedded accelerometers which support the development of custom software to implement real time analysis of the accelerometer data. An overview of the main software programming environments which support the development of such software, including Java ME based JSR 256 API, C++ based Motion Sensor API and the Python based "aXYZ" module, is provided. Finally, a sample application is introduced and its performance evaluated in order to illustrate how a standard mobile phone can be used to detect gait activity using such a non-intrusive and easily accepted sensing platform.

Energy-Efficient Hosting Rich Content from Mobile Platforms with Relative Proximity Sensing

PubMed Central

Baek, Sung Hoon

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a tiny networked mobile platform, termed Tiny-Web-Thing (T-Wing), which allows the sharing of data-intensive content among objects in cyber physical systems. The object includes mobile platforms like a smartphone, and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms for Human-to-Human (H2H), Human-to-Machine (H2M), Machine-to-Human (M2H), and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications. T-Wing makes it possible to host rich web content directly on their objects, which nearby objects can access instantaneously. Using a new mechanism that allows the Wi-Fi interface of the object to be turned on purely on-demand, T-Wing achieves very high energy efficiency. We have implemented T-Wing on an embedded board, and present evaluation results from our testbed. From the evaluation result of T-Wing, we compare our system against alternative approaches to implement this functionality using only the cellular or Wi-Fi (but not both), and show that in typical usage, T-Wing consumes less than 15× the energy and is faster by an order of magnitude. PMID:28786942

Platform-dependent optimization considerations for mHealth applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaghyan, Sahak; Akopian, David; Sarukhanyan, Hakob

2015-03-01

Modern mobile devices contain integrated sensors that enable multitude of applications in such fields as mobile health (mHealth), entertainment, sports, etc. Human physical activity monitoring is one of such the emerging applications. There exists a range of challenges that relate to activity monitoring tasks, and, particularly, exploiting optimal solutions and architectures for respective mobile software application development. This work addresses mobile computations related to integrated inertial sensors for activity monitoring, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, integrated global positioning system (GPS) and WLAN-based positioning, that can be used for activity monitoring. Some of the aspects will be discussed in this paper. Each of the sensing data sources has its own characteristics such as specific data formats, data rates, signal acquisition durations etc., and these specifications affect energy consumption. Energy consumption significantly varies as sensor data acquisition is followed by data analysis including various transformations and signal processing algorithms. This paper will address several aspects of more optimal activity monitoring implementations exploiting state-of-the-art capabilities of modern platforms.

Volttron version 5.0

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

VOLTTRON is an agent execution platform providing services to its agents that allow them to easily communicate with physical devices and other resources. VOLTTRON delivers an innovative distributed control and sensing software platform that supports modern control strategies, including agent-based and transaction-based controls. It enables mobile and stationary software agents to perform information gathering, processing, and control actions. VOLTTRON can independently manage a wide range of applications, such as HVAC systems, electric vehicles, distributed energy or entire building loads, leading to improved operational efficiency.

Ultra low-cost, portable smartphone optosensors for mobile point-of-care diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Li-Ju; Chang, Yu-Chung; Sun, Rongrong; Li, Lei

2018-02-01

Smartphone optosensors with integrated optical components make mobile point-of-care (MPoC) diagnostics be done near patients' side. It'll especially have a significant impact on healthcare delivery in rural or remote areas. Current FDA-approved PoC devices achieving clinical level are still at high cost and not affordable in rural hospitals. We present a series of ultra low-cost smartphone optical sensing devices for mobile point-of-care diagnosis. Aiming different targeting analytes and sensing mechanisms, we developed custom required optical components for each smartphone optosensros. These optical devices include spectrum readers, colorimetric readers for microplate, lateral flow device readers, and chemiluminescence readers. By integrating our unique designed optical components into smartphone optosening platform, the anlaytes can be precisely detected. Clinical testing results show the clinical usability of our smartphone optosensors. Ultra low-cost portable smartphone optosensors are affordable for rural/remote doctors.

A novel plasmonic interferometry and the potential applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, J.; Pornsuwancharoen, N.; Youplao, P.; Aziz, M. S.; Chiangga, S.; Jaglan, J.; Amiri, I. S.; Yupapin, P.

2018-03-01

In this article, we have proposed the plasmonic interferometry concept and analytical details given. By using the conventional optical interferometry, which can be simply calculated by using the relationship between the electric field and electron mobility, the interference mobility visibility (fringe visibility) can be observed. The surface plasmons in the sensing arm of the Michelson interferometer is constructed by the stacked layers of the silicon-graphene-gold, allows to characterize the spatial resolution of light beams in terms of the electron mobility down to 100-nm scales, with measured coherence lengths as low as ∼100 nm for an incident wavelength of 1550 nm. We have demonstrated a compact plasmonic interferometer that can apply to the electron mean free paths measurement, from which the precise determination can be used for the high-resolution mean free path measurement and sensing applications. This system provides the practical simulation device parameters that can be fabricated and tested by the experimental platform.

Smartphone-Based Food Diagnostic Technologies: A Review.

PubMed

Rateni, Giovanni; Dario, Paolo; Cavallo, Filippo

2017-06-20

A new generation of mobile sensing approaches offers significant advantages over traditional platforms in terms of test speed, control, low cost, ease-of-operation, and data management, and requires minimal equipment and user involvement. The marriage of novel sensing technologies with cellphones enables the development of powerful lab-on-smartphone platforms for many important applications including medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety analysis. This paper reviews the recent advancements and developments in the field of smartphone-based food diagnostic technologies, with an emphasis on custom modules to enhance smartphone sensing capabilities. These devices typically comprise multiple components such as detectors, sample processors, disposable chips, batteries and software, which are integrated with a commercial smartphone. One of the most important aspects of developing these systems is the integration of these components onto a compact and lightweight platform that requires minimal power. To date, researchers have demonstrated several promising approaches employing various sensing techniques and device configurations. We aim to provide a systematic classification according to the detection strategy, providing a critical discussion of strengths and weaknesses. We have also extended the analysis to the food scanning devices that are increasingly populating the Internet of Things (IoT) market, demonstrating how this field is indeed promising, as the research outputs are quickly capitalized on new start-up companies.

Smartphone-Based Food Diagnostic Technologies: A Review

PubMed Central

Rateni, Giovanni; Dario, Paolo; Cavallo, Filippo

2017-01-01

A new generation of mobile sensing approaches offers significant advantages over traditional platforms in terms of test speed, control, low cost, ease-of-operation, and data management, and requires minimal equipment and user involvement. The marriage of novel sensing technologies with cellphones enables the development of powerful lab-on-smartphone platforms for many important applications including medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety analysis. This paper reviews the recent advancements and developments in the field of smartphone-based food diagnostic technologies, with an emphasis on custom modules to enhance smartphone sensing capabilities. These devices typically comprise multiple components such as detectors, sample processors, disposable chips, batteries and software, which are integrated with a commercial smartphone. One of the most important aspects of developing these systems is the integration of these components onto a compact and lightweight platform that requires minimal power. To date, researchers have demonstrated several promising approaches employing various sensing techniques and device configurations. We aim to provide a systematic classification according to the detection strategy, providing a critical discussion of strengths and weaknesses. We have also extended the analysis to the food scanning devices that are increasingly populating the Internet of Things (IoT) market, demonstrating how this field is indeed promising, as the research outputs are quickly capitalized on new start-up companies. PMID:28632188

An airborne robotic platform for mapping thermal structure in surface water bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, S. E.; Chung, M.; Detweiler, C.; Ore, J. P.

2015-12-01

The significance of thermal heterogeneities in small surface water bodies as drivers of mixing and for habitat provision is increasingly recognized, yet obtaining three-dimensionally resolved observations of the thermal structure of lakes and rivers remains challenging. For relatively shallow water bodies, observations of water temperature from aerial platforms are attractive: they do not require shoreline access, they can be quickly and easily deployed and redeployed, facilitating repeated sampling, and they can rapidly move between measurement locations, allowing multiple measurements to be made during single flights. However, they are also subject to well-known limitations including payload, flight duration and operability, and their effectiveness as a mobile platform for thermal sensing is still poorly characterized. In this talk, I will introduce an aerial thermal sensing platform that enables water temperature measurements to be made and spatially located throughout a water column, and present preliminary results from initial field experiments comparing in-situ temperature observations to those made from the UAS platform. The results highlight the potential scalability of the platform to provide high-resolution 3D thermal mapping of a ~1 ha lake in 2-3 flights (circa 1 hour), sufficient to resolve diurnal variations. Operability constraints and key needs for further development are also identified.

SOBER-MCS: Sociability-Oriented and Battery Efficient Recruitment for Mobile Crowd-Sensing

PubMed Central

Anjomshoa, Fazel

2018-01-01

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is aiming at being an integral part of the next generation networking services by introducing pervasiveness and ubiquitous interconnectivity of uniquely-identifiable objects. The massive availability of personalized smart devices such as smartphones and wearables enable their penetration into the IoT ecosystem with their built-in sensors, particularly in Mobile Crowd-Sensing (MCS) campaigns. The MCS systems achieve the objectives of the large-scale non-dedicated sensing concept in the IoT if a sufficient number of participants are engaged to the collaborative data acquisition process. Therefore, user recruitment is a key challenge in MCS, which requires effective incentivization of cooperative, truthful and trustworthy users. A grand concern for the participants is the battery drain on the mobile devices. It is a known fact that battery drain in a smartphone is a function of the user activity, which can be modeled under various contexts. With this in mind, we propose a new social activity-aware recruitment policy, namely Sociability-Oriented and Battery-Efficient Recruitment for Mobile Crowd-Sensing (SOBER-MCS). SOBER-MCS uses sociability and the residual power of the participant smartphones as two primary criteria in the selection of participating devices. The former is an indicator of the participant willingness toward sensing campaigns, whereas the latter is used to prioritize personal use over crowd-sensing under critical battery levels. We use sociability profiles that were obtained in our previous work and use those values to simulate the sociability behavior of a large pool of participants in an MCS environment. Through simulations, we show that SOBER-MCS is able to introduce battery savings up to 18.5% while improving user and platform utilities by 12% and 20%, respectively. PMID:29772779

SOBER-MCS: Sociability-Oriented and Battery Efficient Recruitment for Mobile Crowd-Sensing.

PubMed

Anjomshoa, Fazel; Kantarci, Burak

2018-05-17

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is aiming at being an integral part of the next generation networking services by introducing pervasiveness and ubiquitous interconnectivity of uniquely-identifiable objects. The massive availability of personalized smart devices such as smartphones and wearables enable their penetration into the IoT ecosystem with their built-in sensors, particularly in Mobile Crowd-Sensing (MCS) campaigns. The MCS systems achieve the objectives of the large-scale non-dedicated sensing concept in the IoT if a sufficient number of participants are engaged to the collaborative data acquisition process. Therefore, user recruitment is a key challenge in MCS, which requires effective incentivization of cooperative, truthful and trustworthy users. A grand concern for the participants is the battery drain on the mobile devices. It is a known fact that battery drain in a smartphone is a function of the user activity, which can be modeled under various contexts. With this in mind, we propose a new social activity-aware recruitment policy, namely Sociability-Oriented and Battery-Efficient Recruitment for Mobile Crowd-Sensing (SOBER-MCS). SOBER-MCS uses sociability and the residual power of the participant smartphones as two primary criteria in the selection of participating devices. The former is an indicator of the participant willingness toward sensing campaigns, whereas the latter is used to prioritize personal use over crowd-sensing under critical battery levels. We use sociability profiles that were obtained in our previous work and use those values to simulate the sociability behavior of a large pool of participants in an MCS environment. Through simulations, we show that SOBER-MCS is able to introduce battery savings up to 18.5% while improving user and platform utilities by 12% and 20%, respectively.

Sensing and Storing the Blood Pressure Measure by Patients through A Platform and Mobile Devices †.

PubMed

Villarreal, Vladimir; Nielsen, Mel; Samudio, Manuel

2018-06-03

In this article, we present a platform that allows for the integration of different applications for the follow-up of patients with chronic diseases. We developed two elements: a mobile and a web application. The mobile application allows the capture and processing of vital signs for patients with high blood pressure (hypertension). This application allows for the patient to store the data obtained, provides historical information and trends of the stored measures, and provides alerts and recommendations according to ranges of measures that were obtained. The web application allows the doctor and patients to obtain updated information of the disease behavior through the measures obtained. We used different biometric devices including an efimomanometer, glucometer, scale, and a thermometer with a wi-fi connection. Through this web application, we also generated information about average measures at a given time, by age, by region, and by a specific date. The developed system was evaluated in a medical center with different types of patients.

A Wearable Mobile Sensor Platform to Assist Fruit Grading

PubMed Central

Aroca, Rafael V.; Gomes, Rafael B.; Dantas, Rummennigue R.; Calbo, Adonai G.; Gonçalves, Luiz M. G.

2013-01-01

Wearable computing is a form of ubiquitous computing that offers flexible and useful tools for users. Specifically, glove-based systems have been used in the last 30 years in a variety of applications, but mostly focusing on sensing people's attributes, such as finger bending and heart rate. In contrast, we propose in this work a novel flexible and reconfigurable instrumentation platform in the form of a glove, which can be used to analyze and measure attributes of fruits by just pointing or touching them with the proposed glove. An architecture for such a platform is designed and its application for intuitive fruit grading is also presented, including experimental results for several fruits. PMID:23666134

Development and Evaluation of a Web 2.0-Based Ubiquitous Learning Platform for Schoolyard Plant Identification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Haur; Chu, Hui-Chun; Chen, Beyin; Cheng, Zheng Shan

2014-01-01

The rapid progress of wireless communication, sensing, and mobile technologies has enabled students to learn in an environment that combines learning resources from both the real world and the digital world. It can be viewed as a new learning style which has been called context-aware ubiquitous learning. Most context-aware ubiquitous learning…

Challenges in paper-based fluorogenic optical sensing with smartphones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulep, Tiffany-Heather; Yoon, Jeong-Yeol

2018-05-01

Application of optically superior, tunable fluorescent nanotechnologies have long been demonstrated throughout many chemical and biological sensing applications. Combined with microfluidics technologies, i.e. on lab-on-a-chip platforms, such fluorescent nanotechnologies have often enabled extreme sensitivity, sometimes down to single molecule level. Within recent years there has been a peak interest in translating fluorescent nanotechnology onto paper-based platforms for chemical and biological sensing, as a simple, low-cost, disposable alternative to conventional silicone-based microfluidic substrates. On the other hand, smartphone integration as an optical detection system as well as user interface and data processing component has been widely attempted, serving as a gateway to on-board quantitative processing, enhanced mobility, and interconnectivity with informational networks. Smartphone sensing can be integrated to these paper-based fluorogenic assays towards demonstrating extreme sensitivity as well as ease-of-use and low-cost. However, with these emerging technologies there are always technical limitations that must be addressed; for example, paper's autofluorescence that perturbs fluorogenic sensing; smartphone flash's limitations in fluorescent excitation; smartphone camera's limitations in detecting narrow-band fluorescent emission, etc. In this review, physical optical setups, digital enhancement algorithms, and various fluorescent measurement techniques are discussed and pinpointed as areas of opportunities to further improve paper-based fluorogenic optical sensing with smartphones.

Sensing Slow Mobility and Interesting Locations for Lombardy Region (italy): a Case Study Using Pointwise Geolocated Open Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brovelli, M. A.; Oxoli, D.; Zurbarán, M. A.

2016-06-01

During the past years Web 2.0 technologies have caused the emergence of platforms where users can share data related to their activities which in some cases are then publicly released with open licenses. Popular categories for this include community platforms where users can upload GPS tracks collected during slow travel activities (e.g. hiking, biking and horse riding) and platforms where users share their geolocated photos. However, due to the high heterogeneity of the information available on the Web, the sole use of these user-generated contents makes it an ambitious challenge to understand slow mobility flows as well as to detect the most visited locations in a region. Exploiting the available data on community sharing websites allows to collect near real-time open data streams and enables rigorous spatial-temporal analysis. This work presents an approach for collecting, unifying and analysing pointwise geolocated open data available from different sources with the aim of identifying the main locations and destinations of slow mobility activities. For this purpose, we collected pointwise open data from the Wikiloc platform, Twitter, Flickr and Foursquare. The analysis was confined to the data uploaded in Lombardy Region (Northern Italy) - corresponding to millions of pointwise data. Collected data was processed through the use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in order to organize them into a suitable database. This allowed to run statistical analyses on data distribution in both time and space by enabling the detection of users' slow mobility preferences as well as places of interest at a regional scale.

Using Mobile & Personal Sensing Technologies to Support Health Behavior Change in Everyday Life: Lessons Learned

PubMed Central

Klasnja, Predrag; Consolvo, Sunny; McDonald, David W.; Landay, James A.; Pratt, Wanda

2009-01-01

Lifestyle modification is a key facet of the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Mobile devices that people already carry provide a promising platform for facilitating these lifestyle changes. This paper describes key lessons learned from the development and evaluation of two mobile systems for encouraging physical activity. We argue that by supporting persistent cognitive activation of health goals, encouraging an extensive range of relevant healthy behaviors, focusing on long-term patterns of activity, and facilitating social support as an optional but not primary motivator, systems can be developed that effectively motivate behavior change and provide support when and where people make decisions that affect their health. PMID:20351876

Atmospheric anthropic impacts tracked by the French atmospheric mobile observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuesta, J.; Chazette, P.; Flamant, P. H.

2009-04-01

A new ATmospheric Mobile ObServatory, so called "ATMOS", has been developed by the LiMAG "Lidar, Meteorology and Geophysics" team of the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) in France, in order to contribute to international field campaigns for studying atmospheric physico-chemistry, air quality and climate (i.e. aerosols, clouds, trace gazes, atmospheric dynamics and energy budget) and the ground-based validation of satellite observations. ATMOS has been deployed in the framework of i) LISAIR, for monitoring air quality in Paris in 2005, ii) AMMA "African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis", in Tamanrasset and in Niamey for observing the aerosols and the atmospheric boundary layer in the Sahara and in the Sahel in 2006, iii) COPS "Convectively and Orographycally driven Precipitation Study" in the Rhin Valley in 2007 and iv) the validation of the spatial mission CALIPSO, launched in April 2006. In the coming years, ATMOS will be deployed i) in the Paris Megacity, in the framework of MEGAPOLI (2009-2010), ii) in southern France (near Marseille) for the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment CHARMEX (2011-2012) and iii) the validation of ADM-Aeolus in 2010-2011 and Earth-Care in 2012. ATMOS payload is modular, accounting for the different platforms, instruments and measuring techniques. The deployment of ATMOS is an essential contribution to field campaigns, complementing the fixed sites, and a potential alternative of airborne platforms, heavier and more expensive. ATMOS mobile payload comprises both the remote sensing platform MOBILIS ("Moyens mOBIles de téLédetection de l'IPSL") and the in-situ physico-chemical station SAMMO ("Station Aérosols et chiMie MObile"). MOBILIS is an autonomous and high-performance system constituted by a full set of active and passive remote sensing instrumentation (i.e. Lidars and radiometers), whose payload may be adapted for either i) long term fixed monitoring in a maritime container or a shelter, ii) ground-based transect observation onboard small car and ii) an airborne deployment in an ultra-light airplane (ULA). SAMMO is a fully equipped in-situ sensor payload, oriented to pollution monitoring (i.e. particles and trace gazes), onboard a truck.

Decentralized asset management for collaborative sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malhotra, Raj P.; Pribilski, Michael J.; Toole, Patrick A.; Agate, Craig

2017-05-01

There has been increased impetus to leverage Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) for collaborative sensing applications in which many platforms work together to provide critical situation awareness in dynamic environments. Such applications require critical sensor observations to be made at the right place and time to facilitate the detection, tracking, and classification of ground-based objects. This further requires rapid response to real-world events and the balancing of multiple, competing mission objectives. In this context, human operators become overwhelmed with management of many platforms. Further, current automated planning paradigms tend to be centralized and don't scale up well to many collaborating platforms. We introduce a decentralized approach based upon information-theory and distributed fusion which enable us to scale up to large numbers of collaborating Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) platforms. This is exercised against a military application involving the autonomous detection, tracking, and classification of critical mobile targets. We further show that, based upon monte-carlo simulation results, our decentralized approach out-performs more static management strategies employed by human operators and achieves similar results to a centralized approach while being scalable and robust to degradation of communication. Finally, we describe the limitations of our approach and future directions for our research.

Multi-Sensor Methods for Mobile Radar Motion Capture and Compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakata, Robert

Remote sensing has many applications, including surveying and mapping, geophysics exploration, military surveillance, search and rescue and counter-terrorism operations. Remote sensor systems typically use visible image, infrared or radar sensors. Camera based image sensors can provide high spatial resolution but are limited to line-of-sight capture during daylight. Infrared sensors have lower resolution but can operate during darkness. Radar sensors can provide high resolution motion measurements, even when obscured by weather, clouds and smoke and can penetrate walls and collapsed structures constructed with non-metallic materials up to 1 m to 2 m in depth depending on the wavelength and transmitter power level. However, any platform motion will degrade the target signal of interest. In this dissertation, we investigate alternative methodologies to capture platform motion, including a Body Area Network (BAN) that doesn't require external fixed location sensors, allowing full mobility of the user. We also investigated platform stabilization and motion compensation techniques to reduce and remove the signal distortion introduced by the platform motion. We evaluated secondary ultrasonic and radar sensors to stabilize the platform resulting in an average 5 dB of Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) improvement. We also implemented a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) motion compensation algorithm that improved the SIR by 18 dB on average. These techniques could be deployed on a quadcopter platform and enable the detection of respiratory motion using an onboard radar sensor.

Development of Ultra-Low Power Metal Oxide Sensors and Arrays for Embedded Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutz, Brent; Wind, Rikard; Kostelecky, Clayton; Routkevitch, Dmitri; Deininger, Debra

2011-09-01

Metal oxide semiconductor sensors are widely used as individual sensors and in arrays, and a variety of designs for low power microhotplates have been demonstrated.1 Synkera Technologies has developed an embeddable chemical microsensor platform, based on a unique ceramic MEMS technology, for practical implementation in cell phones and other mobile electronic devices. Key features of this microsensor platform are (1) small size, (2) ultra-low power consumption, (3) high chemical sensitivity, (4) accurate response to a wide-range of threats, and (5) low cost. The sensor platform is enabled by a combination of advances in ceramic micromachining, and precision deposition of sensing films inside the high aspect ratio pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO).

Spatial surveys of CH4 emissions with a mobile multi-gas sensing platform during DISCOVER-AQ and CAREBEIJING-NCP field campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, L.; Sun, K.; Miller, D. J.; Zhu, T.; Zondlo, M. A.

2013-12-01

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas, which has a greenhouse warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2) on a per molecule basis and century timescale. Since pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of CH4 has increased by 150% and contributes significantly to global warming. CH4 emits from a wide range of both anthropogenic and natural sources, which make the CH4 emission measurements difficult. As a result, there is still a large uncertainty in the partitioning of estimated CH4 emissions. Mobile platforms have been used and demonstrated as an effective tool to map the CH4 emissions and provide a large spatial coverage over cities and localized rural sources. However, the information we can get is very limited based on the measured atmospheric CH4 concentrations solely, due to the complexity of the various CH4 sources and limited time resolution. We have developed a mobile multi-gas open-path laser-based sensing platform that performs high resolution (5 Hz), in-situ and simultaneous measurements of NH3, CH4, CO2, N2O, CO and H2O. The combination of six important trace gases helps to understand the characteristics of different CH4 sources and identify them. With this mobile platform, we have participated and perform spatial surveys in two field campaigns: DISCOVER-AQ in California and CAREBEIJING-NCP in China. During the DISCOVER-AQ campaigns, our mobile platform has covered around 4300 km (81 hours) in winter 2013 including agricultural regions in San Joaquin Valley and multiple cities urban areas along the coast. In the CAREBEIJING-NCP campaign, a survey along 3300 km (61 hours) of roadway in Beijing and its surrounding North China Plain has been conducted in June, 2013. A wide variety of CH4 emission sources have been identified and measured, such as livestock farming, oil/gas drilling, wastewater treatment, landfill, biomass burning and motor vehicles (include liquefied nature gas (LNG) vehicles). For example, the averaged value of measured CH4 in Tulare County, CA is ~2.44 ppmv with a maximum and minimum value of 1.91 ppmv and 67.80 ppmv, respectively. The dominant sources in Tulare County are dairy farms. Whereas in Beijing , the mean value of measured CH4 concentration for a full day sampling on the fourth ring road is ~2.40 ppmv with a minimum and maximum value of 2.18 ppmv and 12.8 ppmv CH4. The major sources in Beijing are motor vehicles, wastewater treatment facilities and gas stations. We analyze the signatures of different CH4 emission sources and provide their partitioning in our sample dataset.

Laser-Camera Vision Sensing for Spacecraft Mobile Robot Navigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maluf, David A.; Khalil, Ahmad S.; Dorais, Gregory A.; Gawdiak, Yuri

2002-01-01

The advent of spacecraft mobile robots-free-flyng sensor platforms and communications devices intended to accompany astronauts or remotely operate on space missions both inside and outside of a spacecraft-has demanded the development of a simple and effective navigation schema. One such system under exploration involves the use of a laser-camera arrangement to predict relative positioning of the mobile robot. By projecting laser beams from the robot, a 3D reference frame can be introduced. Thus, as the robot shifts in position, the position reference frame produced by the laser images is correspondingly altered. Using normalization and camera registration techniques presented in this paper, the relative translation and rotation of the robot in 3D are determined from these reference frame transformations.

BALANCE: Towards a Usable Pervasive Wellness Application with Accurate Activity Inference

PubMed Central

Denning, Tamara; Andrew, Adrienne; Chaudhri, Rohit; Hartung, Carl; Lester, Jonathan; Borriello, Gaetano; Duncan, Glen

2010-01-01

Technology offers the potential to objectively monitor people’s eating and activity behaviors and encourage healthier lifestyles. BALANCE is a mobile phone-based system for long term wellness management. The BALANCE system automatically detects the user’s caloric expenditure via sensor data from a Mobile Sensing Platform unit worn on the hip. Users manually enter information on foods eaten via an interface on an N95 mobile phone. Initial validation experiments measuring oxygen consumption during treadmill walking and jogging show that the system’s estimate of caloric output is within 87% of the actual value. Future work will refine and continue to evaluate the system’s efficacy and develop more robust data input and activity inference methods. PMID:20445819

Laboratory on legs: an architecture for adjustable morphology with legged robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynes, G. Clark; Pusey, Jason; Knopf, Ryan; Johnson, Aaron M.; Koditschek, Daniel E.

2012-06-01

For mobile robots, the essential units of actuation, computation, and sensing must be designed to fit within the body of the robot. Additional capabilities will largely depend upon a given activity, and should be easily reconfigurable to maximize the diversity of applications and experiments. To address this issue, we introduce a modular architecture originally developed and tested in the design and implementation of the X-RHex hexapod that allows the robot to operate as a mobile laboratory on legs. In the present paper we will introduce the specification, design and very earliest operational data of Canid, an actively driven compliant-spined quadruped whose completely different morphology and intended dynamical operating point are nevertheless built around exactly the same "Lab on Legs" actuation, computation, and sensing infrastructure. We will review as well, more briefly a second RHex variation, the XRL platform, built using the same components.

Mobile Autonomous Sensing Unit (MASU): A Framework That Supports Distributed Pervasive Data Sensing

PubMed Central

Medina, Esunly; Lopez, David; Meseguer, Roc; Ochoa, Sergio F.; Royo, Dolors; Santos, Rodrigo

2016-01-01

Pervasive data sensing is a major issue that transverses various research areas and application domains. It allows identifying people’s behaviour and patterns without overwhelming the monitored persons. Although there are many pervasive data sensing applications, they are typically focused on addressing specific problems in a single application domain, making them difficult to generalize or reuse. On the other hand, the platforms for supporting pervasive data sensing impose restrictions to the devices and operational environments that make them unsuitable for monitoring loosely-coupled or fully distributed work. In order to help address this challenge this paper present a framework that supports distributed pervasive data sensing in a generic way. Developers can use this framework to facilitate the implementations of their applications, thus reducing complexity and effort in such an activity. The framework was evaluated using simulations and also through an empirical test, and the obtained results indicate that it is useful to support such a sensing activity in loosely-coupled or fully distributed work scenarios. PMID:27409617

Logic-centered architecture for ubiquitous health monitoring.

PubMed

Lewandowski, Jacek; Arochena, Hisbel E; Naguib, Raouf N G; Chao, Kuo-Ming; Garcia-Perez, Alexeis

2014-09-01

One of the key points to maintain and boost research and development in the area of smart wearable systems (SWS) is the development of integrated architectures for intelligent services, as well as wearable systems and devices for health and wellness management. This paper presents such a generic architecture for multiparametric, intelligent and ubiquitous wireless sensing platforms. It is a transparent, smartphone-based sensing framework with customizable wireless interfaces and plug'n'play capability to easily interconnect third party sensor devices. It caters to wireless body, personal, and near-me area networks. A pivotal part of the platform is the integrated inference engine/runtime environment that allows the mobile device to serve as a user-adaptable personal health assistant. The novelty of this system lays in a rapid visual development and remote deployment model. The complementary visual Inference Engine Editor that comes with the package enables artificial intelligence specialists, alongside with medical experts, to build data processing models by assembling different components and instantly deploying them (remotely) on patient mobile devices. In this paper, the new logic-centered software architecture for ubiquitous health monitoring applications is described, followed by a discussion as to how it helps to shift focus from software and hardware development, to medical and health process-centered design of new SWS applications.

A Software Architecture for Adaptive Modular Sensing Systems

PubMed Central

Lyle, Andrew C.; Naish, Michael D.

2010-01-01

By combining a number of simple transducer modules, an arbitrarily complex sensing system may be produced to accommodate a wide range of applications. This work outlines a novel software architecture and knowledge representation scheme that has been developed to support this type of flexible and reconfigurable modular sensing system. Template algorithms are used to embed intelligence within each module. As modules are added or removed, the composite sensor is able to automatically determine its overall geometry and assume an appropriate collective identity. A virtual machine-based middleware layer runs on top of a real-time operating system with a pre-emptive kernel, enabling platform-independent template algorithms to be written once and run on any module, irrespective of its underlying hardware architecture. Applications that may benefit from easily reconfigurable modular sensing systems include flexible inspection, mobile robotics, surveillance, and space exploration. PMID:22163614

A software architecture for adaptive modular sensing systems.

PubMed

Lyle, Andrew C; Naish, Michael D

2010-01-01

By combining a number of simple transducer modules, an arbitrarily complex sensing system may be produced to accommodate a wide range of applications. This work outlines a novel software architecture and knowledge representation scheme that has been developed to support this type of flexible and reconfigurable modular sensing system. Template algorithms are used to embed intelligence within each module. As modules are added or removed, the composite sensor is able to automatically determine its overall geometry and assume an appropriate collective identity. A virtual machine-based middleware layer runs on top of a real-time operating system with a pre-emptive kernel, enabling platform-independent template algorithms to be written once and run on any module, irrespective of its underlying hardware architecture. Applications that may benefit from easily reconfigurable modular sensing systems include flexible inspection, mobile robotics, surveillance, and space exploration.

A mobile device-based imaging spectrometer for environmental monitoring by attaching a lightweight small module to a commercial digital camera.

PubMed

Cai, Fuhong; Lu, Wen; Shi, Wuxiong; He, Sailing

2017-11-15

Spatially-explicit data are essential for remote sensing of ecological phenomena. Lately, recent innovations in mobile device platforms have led to an upsurge in on-site rapid detection. For instance, CMOS chips in smart phones and digital cameras serve as excellent sensors for scientific research. In this paper, a mobile device-based imaging spectrometer module (weighing about 99 g) is developed and equipped on a Single Lens Reflex camera. Utilizing this lightweight module, as well as commonly used photographic equipment, we demonstrate its utility through a series of on-site multispectral imaging, including ocean (or lake) water-color sensing and plant reflectance measurement. Based on the experiments we obtain 3D spectral image cubes, which can be further analyzed for environmental monitoring. Moreover, our system can be applied to many kinds of cameras, e.g., aerial camera and underwater camera. Therefore, any camera can be upgraded to an imaging spectrometer with the help of our miniaturized module. We believe it has the potential to become a versatile tool for on-site investigation into many applications.

Mobility platform coupling device and method for coupling mobility platforms

DOEpatents

Shirey, David L.; Hayward, David R.; Buttz, James H.

2002-01-01

A coupling device for connecting a first mobility platform to a second mobility platform in tandem. An example mobility platform is a robot. The coupling device has a loose link mode for normal steering conditions and a locking position, tight link mode for navigation across difficult terrain and across obstacles, for traversing chasms, and for navigating with a reduced footprint in tight steering conditions.

Automated Water Quality Survey and Evaluation Using an IoT Platform with Mobile Sensor Nodes.

PubMed

Li, Teng; Xia, Min; Chen, Jiahong; Zhao, Yuanjie; de Silva, Clarence

2017-07-28

An Internet of Things (IoT) platform with capabilities of sensing, data processing, and wireless communication has been deployed to support remote aquatic environmental monitoring. In this paper, the design and development of an IoT platform with multiple Mobile Sensor Nodes (MSN) for the spatiotemporal quality evaluation of surface water is presented. A survey planner is proposed to distribute the Sampling Locations of Interest (SLoIs) over the study area and generate paths for MSNs to visit the SLoIs, given the limited energy and time budgets. The SLoIs are chosen based on a cellular decomposition that is composed of uniform hexagonal cells. They are visited by the MSNs along a path ring generated by a planning approach that uses a spanning tree. For quality evaluation, an Online Water Quality Index (OLWQI) is developed to interpret the large quantities of online measurements. The index formulations are modified by a state-of-the-art index, the CCME WQI, which has been developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME) for off-line indexing. The proposed index has demonstrated effective and reliable performance in online indexing a large volume of measurements of water quality parameters. The IoT platform is deployed in the field, and its performance is demonstrated and discussed in this paper.

Mobile service for open data visualization on geo-based images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Kiwon; Kim, Kwangseob; Kang, Sanggoo

2015-12-01

Since the early 2010s, governments in most countries have adopted and promoted open data policy and open data platform. Korea are in the same situation, and government and public organizations have operated the public-accessible open data portal systems since 2011. The number of open data and data type have been increasing every year. These trends are more expandable or extensible on mobile environments. The purpose of this study is to design and implement a mobile application service to visualize various typed or formatted public open data with geo-based images on the mobile web. Open data cover downloadable data sets or open-accessible data application programming interface API. Geo-based images mean multi-sensor satellite imageries which are referred in geo-coordinates and matched with digital map sets. System components for mobile service are fully based on open sources and open development environments without any commercialized tools: PostgreSQL for database management system, OTB for remote sensing image processing, GDAL for data conversion, GeoServer for application server, OpenLayers for mobile web mapping, R for data analysis and D3.js for web-based data graphic processing. Mobile application in client side was implemented by using HTML5 for cross browser and cross platform. The result shows many advantageous points such as linking open data and geo-based data, integrating open data and open source, and demonstrating mobile applications with open data. It is expected that this approach is cost effective and process efficient implementation strategy for intelligent earth observing data.

Teaching smartphone and microcontroller systems using "Android Java"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tigrek, Seyitriza

Mobile devices are becoming indispensable tools for many students and educators. Mobile technology is starting a new era in the computing methodologies in many engineering disciplines and laboratories. Microcontroller extension that communicates with mobile devices will take the data acquisition and control process into a new level in the sensing technology and communication. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a framework to incorporate the new mobile platform with robust embedded systems into the engineering curriculum. For this purpose a course material is developed "Introduction to Programming Java on a Mobile Platform" to teach novice programmers how to create applications, specifically on Android. Combining an introductory level programming class with the Android platform can appeal to non-programming individuals in multiple disciplines. The proposed course curriculum reduces the learning time, and allows senior engineering students to use the new framework for their specific needs in the labs such as mobile data acquisition and control projects. This work provides techniques for instructors with modest programming background to teach cutting edge technology, which is smartphone programming. Techniques developed in this work minimize unnecessary information carried into current teaching approaches with hands-on practice. It also helps the students with minimal background requirements overcome the barriers that have evolved around computer programming. The motivation of this thesis is to create a tailored programming introductory course to teach Java programming on Android by incorporating selected efficient methods from extant literature. The mechanism proposed in this thesis is to keep students motivated by an active approach based on student-centered learning with collaborative work. Teamwork through pair programming is adapted in this teaching process. Bloom's taxonomy, along with a knowledge survey, is used as a guide to classify the information and exercise problems. A prototype curriculum is a deliverable of this research that is suitable for novice programmers-such as engineering freshmen students. It also contains advanced material that allows senior students to use mobile phone and a microcontroller system to enhance engineering laboratories.

Robust Agent Control of an Autonomous Robot with Many Sensors and Actuators

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

Overview 22 3.1 Issues of Controller Design ........................ 22 3.2 Robot Behavior Control Philosophy .................. 23 3.3 Overview of the... designed and built by our lab as an 9 Figure 1.1- Hannibal. 10 experimental platform to explore planetary micro-rover control issues (Angle 1991). When... designing the robot, careful consideration was given to mobility, sensing, and robustness issues. Much has been said concerning the advan- tages of

Urban search mobile platform modeling in hindered access conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barankova, I. I.; Mikhailova, U. V.; Kalugina, O. B.; Barankov, V. V.

2018-05-01

The article explores the control system simulation and the design of the experimental model of the rescue robot mobile platform. The functional interface, a structural functional diagram of the mobile platform control unit, and a functional control scheme for the mobile platform of secure robot were modeled. The task of design a mobile platform for urban searching in hindered access conditions is realized through the use of a mechanical basis with a chassis and crawler drive, a warning device, human heat sensors and a microcontroller based on Arduino platforms.

Room temperature multiplexed gas sensing using chemical-sensitive 3.5-nm-thin silicon transistors.

PubMed

Fahad, Hossain Mohammad; Shiraki, Hiroshi; Amani, Matin; Zhang, Chuchu; Hebbar, Vivek Srinivas; Gao, Wei; Ota, Hiroki; Hettick, Mark; Kiriya, Daisuke; Chen, Yu-Ze; Chueh, Yu-Lun; Javey, Ali

2017-03-01

There is great interest in developing a low-power gas sensing technology that can sensitively and selectively quantify the chemical composition of a target atmosphere. Nanomaterials have emerged as extremely promising candidates for this technology due to their inherent low-dimensional nature and high surface-to-volume ratio. Among these, nanoscale silicon is of great interest because pristine silicon is largely inert on its own in the context of gas sensing, unless functionalized with an appropriate gas-sensitive material. We report a chemical-sensitive field-effect transistor (CS-FET) platform based on 3.5-nm-thin silicon channel transistors. Using industry-compatible processing techniques, the conventional electrically active gate stack is replaced by an ultrathin chemical-sensitive layer that is electrically nonconducting and coupled to the 3.5-nm-thin silicon channel. We demonstrate a low-power, sensitive, and selective multiplexed gas sensing technology using this platform by detecting H 2 S, H 2 , and NO 2 at room temperature for environment, health, and safety in the oil and gas industry, offering significant advantages over existing technology. Moreover, the system described here can be readily integrated with mobile electronics for distributed sensor networks in environmental pollution mapping and personal air-quality monitors.

Room temperature multiplexed gas sensing using chemical-sensitive 3.5-nm-thin silicon transistors

PubMed Central

Fahad, Hossain Mohammad; Shiraki, Hiroshi; Amani, Matin; Zhang, Chuchu; Hebbar, Vivek Srinivas; Gao, Wei; Ota, Hiroki; Hettick, Mark; Kiriya, Daisuke; Chen, Yu-Ze; Chueh, Yu-Lun; Javey, Ali

2017-01-01

There is great interest in developing a low-power gas sensing technology that can sensitively and selectively quantify the chemical composition of a target atmosphere. Nanomaterials have emerged as extremely promising candidates for this technology due to their inherent low-dimensional nature and high surface-to-volume ratio. Among these, nanoscale silicon is of great interest because pristine silicon is largely inert on its own in the context of gas sensing, unless functionalized with an appropriate gas-sensitive material. We report a chemical-sensitive field-effect transistor (CS-FET) platform based on 3.5-nm-thin silicon channel transistors. Using industry-compatible processing techniques, the conventional electrically active gate stack is replaced by an ultrathin chemical-sensitive layer that is electrically nonconducting and coupled to the 3.5-nm-thin silicon channel. We demonstrate a low-power, sensitive, and selective multiplexed gas sensing technology using this platform by detecting H2S, H2, and NO2 at room temperature for environment, health, and safety in the oil and gas industry, offering significant advantages over existing technology. Moreover, the system described here can be readily integrated with mobile electronics for distributed sensor networks in environmental pollution mapping and personal air-quality monitors. PMID:28378017

The AirQuality SenseBox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demuth, Dustin; Nuest, Daniel; Bröring, Arne; Pebesma, Edzer

2013-04-01

In the past year, a group of open hardware enthusiasts and citizen scientists had large success in the crowd-funding of an open hardware-based sensor platform for air quality monitoring, called the Air Quality Egg. Via the kickstarter platform, the group was able to collect triple the amount of money than needed to fulfill their goals. Data generated by the Air Quality Egg is pushed to the data logging platform cosm.com, which makes the devices a part of the Internet of Things. The project aims at increasing the participation of citizens in the collection of data, the development of sensors, the operation of sensor stations, and, as data on cosm is publicly available, the sharing, visualization and analysis of data. Air Quality Eggs can measure NO2 and CO concentrations, as well as relative humidity and temperature. The chosen sensors are low-cost and have limited precision and accurracy. The Air Quality Egg consists of a stationary outdoor and a stationary indoor unit. Each outdoor unit will wirelessly transmit air quality measurements to the indoor unit, which forwards the data to cosm. Most recent versions of the Air Quality Egg allow a rough calibration of the gas sensors and on-the-fly conversion from raw sensor readings (impedance) to meaningful air quality data expressed in units of parts per billion. Data generated by these low-cost platforms are not intended to replace well-calibrated official monitoring stations, but rather augment the density of the total monitoring network with citizen sensors. To improve the usability of the Air Quality Egg, we present a new and more advanced concept, called the AirQuality SenseBox. We made the outdoor platform more autonomous and location-aware by adding solarpanels and rechargeable batteries as a power source. The AirQuality SenseBox knows its own position from a GPS device attached to the platform. As a mobile sensor platform, it can for instance be attached to vehicles. A low-cost and low-power wireless chipset reads the sensors and broadcasts the data. The data is received by gateways that convert the data and forward it to services. Although cosm is still supported, we also use services that are more common in the scientific domain, in particular the OGC Sensor Observation Service. In contrast to the ``One Sender - One Receiver'' (pair) setup proposed by the platform developers, we follow a ``Many Senders - Many Receivers'' (mesh) solution. As data is broadcasted by the platforms, it can be received and processed by any gateway, and, as the sender is not bound to the receiver, applications different from the gateways can receive and evaluate the data measured by the platform. Advantages of our solution are: (i) prepared gateways, which have more precise data at hand, can send calibration instructions to the mobile sensor platforms when those are in proximity; (ii) redundancy is obtained by adding additional gateways, to avoid the loss of data if a gateway fails; (iii) autonomous stations can be ubiquitous, are robust, do not require frequent maintenance, and can be placed at arbitrary locations; (iv) the standardized interface is vendor-independent and allows direct integration into existing analysis software.

Truthful Incentive Mechanisms for Social Cost Minimization in Mobile Crowdsourcing Systems

PubMed Central

Duan, Zhuojun; Yan, Mingyuan; Cai, Zhipeng; Wang, Xiaoming; Han, Meng; Li, Yingshu

2016-01-01

With the emergence of new technologies, mobile devices are capable of undertaking computational and sensing tasks. A large number of users with these mobile devices promote the formation of the Mobile Crowdsourcing Systems (MCSs). Within a MCS, each mobile device can contribute to the crowdsourcing platform and get rewards from it. In order to achieve better performance, it is important to design a mechanism that can attract enough participants with mobile devices and then allocate the tasks among participants efficiently. In this paper, we are interested in the investigation of tasks allocation and price determination in MCSs. Two truthful auction mechanisms are proposed for different working patterns. A Vickrey–Clarke–Groves (VCG)-based auction mechanism is proposed to the continuous working pattern, and a suboptimal auction mechanism is introduced for the discontinuous working pattern. Further analysis shows that the proposed mechanisms have the properties of individual rationality and computational efficiencies. Experimental results suggest that both mechanisms guarantee all the mobile users bidding with their truthful values and the optimal maximal social cost can be achieved in the VCG-based auction mechanism. PMID:27058541

Authentication of Smartphone Users Based on Activity Recognition and Mobile Sensing.

PubMed

Ehatisham-Ul-Haq, Muhammad; Azam, Muhammad Awais; Loo, Jonathan; Shuang, Kai; Islam, Syed; Naeem, Usman; Amin, Yasar

2017-09-06

Smartphones are context-aware devices that provide a compelling platform for ubiquitous computing and assist users in accomplishing many of their routine tasks anytime and anywhere, such as sending and receiving emails. The nature of tasks conducted with these devices has evolved with the exponential increase in the sensing and computing capabilities of a smartphone. Due to the ease of use and convenience, many users tend to store their private data, such as personal identifiers and bank account details, on their smartphone. However, this sensitive data can be vulnerable if the device gets stolen or lost. A traditional approach for protecting this type of data on mobile devices is to authenticate users with mechanisms such as PINs, passwords, and fingerprint recognition. However, these techniques are vulnerable to user compliance and a plethora of attacks, such as smudge attacks. The work in this paper addresses these challenges by proposing a novel authentication framework, which is based on recognizing the behavioral traits of smartphone users using the embedded sensors of smartphone, such as Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Magnetometer. The proposed framework also provides a platform for carrying out multi-class smart user authentication, which provides different levels of access to a wide range of smartphone users. This work has been validated with a series of experiments, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

Authentication of Smartphone Users Based on Activity Recognition and Mobile Sensing

PubMed Central

Ehatisham-ul-Haq, Muhammad; Azam, Muhammad Awais; Loo, Jonathan; Shuang, Kai; Islam, Syed; Naeem, Usman; Amin, Yasar

2017-01-01

Smartphones are context-aware devices that provide a compelling platform for ubiquitous computing and assist users in accomplishing many of their routine tasks anytime and anywhere, such as sending and receiving emails. The nature of tasks conducted with these devices has evolved with the exponential increase in the sensing and computing capabilities of a smartphone. Due to the ease of use and convenience, many users tend to store their private data, such as personal identifiers and bank account details, on their smartphone. However, this sensitive data can be vulnerable if the device gets stolen or lost. A traditional approach for protecting this type of data on mobile devices is to authenticate users with mechanisms such as PINs, passwords, and fingerprint recognition. However, these techniques are vulnerable to user compliance and a plethora of attacks, such as smudge attacks. The work in this paper addresses these challenges by proposing a novel authentication framework, which is based on recognizing the behavioral traits of smartphone users using the embedded sensors of smartphone, such as Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Magnetometer. The proposed framework also provides a platform for carrying out multi-class smart user authentication, which provides different levels of access to a wide range of smartphone users. This work has been validated with a series of experiments, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. PMID:28878177

Robust Planning for Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robots in Unstructured, Dynamic Environments: An LDRD Final Report

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

EISLER, G. RICHARD

This report summarizes the analytical and experimental efforts for the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project entitled ''Robust Planning for Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robots In Unstructured, Dynamic Environments (AutoNav)''. The project goal was to develop an algorithmic-driven, multi-spectral approach to point-to-point navigation characterized by: segmented on-board trajectory planning, self-contained operation without human support for mission duration, and the development of appropriate sensors and algorithms to navigate unattended. The project was partially successful in achieving gains in sensing, path planning, navigation, and guidance. One of three experimental platforms, the Minimalist Autonomous Testbed, used a repetitive sense-and-re-plan combination to demonstratemore » the majority of elements necessary for autonomous navigation. However, a critical goal for overall success in arbitrary terrain, that of developing a sensor that is able to distinguish true obstacles that need to be avoided as a function of vehicle scale, still needs substantial research to bring to fruition.« less

Automated Water Quality Survey and Evaluation Using an IoT Platform with Mobile Sensor Nodes

PubMed Central

Li, Teng; Xia, Min; Chen, Jiahong; Zhao, Yuanjie; de Silva, Clarence

2017-01-01

An Internet of Things (IoT) platform with capabilities of sensing, data processing, and wireless communication has been deployed to support remote aquatic environmental monitoring. In this paper, the design and development of an IoT platform with multiple Mobile Sensor Nodes (MSN) for the spatiotemporal quality evaluation of surface water is presented. A survey planner is proposed to distribute the Sampling Locations of Interest (SLoIs) over the study area and generate paths for MSNs to visit the SLoIs, given the limited energy and time budgets. The SLoIs are chosen based on a cellular decomposition that is composed of uniform hexagonal cells. They are visited by the MSNs along a path ring generated by a planning approach that uses a spanning tree. For quality evaluation, an Online Water Quality Index (OLWQI) is developed to interpret the large quantities of online measurements. The index formulations are modified by a state-of-the-art index, the CCME WQI, which has been developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME) for off-line indexing. The proposed index has demonstrated effective and reliable performance in online indexing a large volume of measurements of water quality parameters. The IoT platform is deployed in the field, and its performance is demonstrated and discussed in this paper. PMID:28788098

Cooperative Mobile Sensing Systems for In Situ Measurements in Hazardous Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argrow, B.

2005-12-01

Sondes are typically deployed from manned aircraft or taken to altitude by a balloon before they are dropped. There are obvious safety and physical limitations that dictate where and how sondes are deployed. These limitations have severely constrained sonde deployment into highly dynamic and dangerous environments. Additionally, conventional parachute dropsondes provide no means for active control. The "smartsonde" idea is to integrate miniature sonde packages into micro air vehicles (MAVs). These MAVs will be ferried into the hard to reach and hazardous environments to provide in situ measurements in regions that have been heretofore out of reach. Once deployed, the MAV will provide some means of control of the sonde, to enable it to remain aloft and to provide some measure of directional control. Preliminary smartsonde communications experiments have been completed. These experiments focused on characterizing the capabilities of the 802.11.4 wireless protocol. Range measurements with 60-mW, 2.4-GHz radios showed 100% throughput rate over 2.7 km during air to ground tests. The experiments also demonstrated the integration of an in-house distributed computing system that provides the interface between the sensors, UAV flight computers, and the telemetry system. The University of Colorado's Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV) is developing an engineering system that integrates small mobile sensor attributes into flexible mobile sensor infrastructures to be deployed for in situ sensing in hazardous environments. There are three focus applications: 1) Wildfire, to address sensing, communications, situational awareness, and safety needs to support fire-fighting operations and to increase capabilities for dynamic data acquisition for modeling and prediction; 2) Polar, where heterogeneous mixes of platforms and sensors will provide in-situ data acquisition from beneath the ocean surface into the troposphere; 3) Storm, to address the challenges of volumetric in-situ data acquisition in the extremely dynamic environments of severe storms. The common thread among these applications is the need for a cooperative mobile sensing system, where sensor packages are integrated into custom platforms that enable targeting of areas of interest through the cooperative control, with varying levels of autonomy, of small unmanned vehicles. RECUV has demonstrated mobile ad hoc networks using WiFi (802.11b) radios simultaneously deployed in fixed and mobile ground nodes and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Recently, an autonomous UAV was deployed with a miniature sensor package that returned real-time temperature, pressure, and humidity data, through the ad hoc communications network. The UAV demonstrated the ability to autonomously make flight-path decisions based on the sensor data that was monitored by the flight computer. Current work is now focused on integrating the sensor package into a smartsonde to be deployed from a UAV mothership. Benign scenarios for upcoming tests to validate the collaborative mobile sensing system paradigm include scenarios with features similar to those that will be encountered in the hazardous and dynamic environments a of the wildfire, polar, and storm applications. These include a fly-through of a dust devil on the planes of eastern Colorado and deployment of a dual-mode smartsonde that transmits at high data rates while airborne then, upon landing, it switches to quiet, power-saving mode , where in situ data is logged and only transmitted when the sonde package is queried during overflights of a UAV mothership.

Compact handheld low-cost biosensor platform for remote health monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hastanin, J.; Lenaerts, C.; Gailly, P.; Jans, H.; Huang, C.; Lagae, L.; Kokkinos, D.; Fleury-Frenette, K.

2016-04-01

In this paper, we present an original concept of plasmonic-related instrumentation platform dedicated to diagnostic biosensing tests out of the laboratory. The developed instrumental platform includes both disposable one-use microfluidic affinity biochip and compact optical readout device for biochip monitoring involving mobile Internet devices for data processing and communication. The biochip includes both microfluidic and optical coupling structures formed into a single plastic slab. The microfluidic path of the biochip operates in passive capillary pumping mode. In the proof-of-concept prototype, we address specifically the sensing format involving Surface Plasmon Resonance phenomenon. The biochip is plugged in the readout device without the use of an index matching fluid. An essential advantage of the developed biochip is that its implementation involves conventional hot embossing and thin film deposition process, perfectly suited for mass production of low-cost microfluidic biochip for biochemical applications.

The Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Office Concept from a Wide Area Perspective

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-03-01

significant improvements in wireless network data rates, and enhanced mobile application platforms offers an opportunity to effectively integrate m...hardware, and mobile application platforms housing the necessary middleware software comprise the mobile landscape. The m-business network...devices. Lastly, an investigation into mobile application platforms will reveal the middleware functionality required to successfully extend suitable e

Obstacle Detection and Avoidance of a Mobile Robotic Platform Using Active Depth Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

price of nearly one tenth of a laser range finder, the Xbox Kinect uses an infrared projector and camera to capture images of its environment in three...inception. At the price of nearly one tenth of a laser range finder, the Xbox Kinect uses an infrared projector and camera to capture images of its...cropped between 280 and 480 pixels. ........11 Figure 9. RGB image captured by the camera on the Xbox Kinect. ...............................12 Figure

An overview of wireless structural health monitoring for civil structures.

PubMed

Lynch, Jerome Peter

2007-02-15

Wireless monitoring has emerged in recent years as a promising technology that could greatly impact the field of structural monitoring and infrastructure asset management. This paper is a summary of research efforts that have resulted in the design of numerous wireless sensing unit prototypes explicitly intended for implementation in civil structures. Wireless sensing units integrate wireless communications and mobile computing with sensors to deliver a relatively inexpensive sensor platform. A key design feature of wireless sensing units is the collocation of computational power and sensors; the tight integration of computing with a wireless sensing unit provides sensors with the opportunity to self-interrogate measurement data. In particular, there is strong interest in using wireless sensing units to build structural health monitoring systems that interrogate structural data for signs of damage. After the hardware and the software designs of wireless sensing units are completed, the Alamosa Canyon Bridge in New Mexico is utilized to validate their accuracy and reliability. To improve the ability of low-cost wireless sensing units to detect the onset of structural damage, the wireless sensing unit paradigm is extended to include the capability to command actuators and active sensors.

Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android

Science.gov Websites

Platform | News | NREL Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android Platform Popular NREL-Developed Transportation Mobile App Launches on Android Platform May 23, 2017 More . Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory developed the new mobile application for

Mobile Sensing Systems

PubMed Central

Macias, Elsa; Suarez, Alvaro; Lloret, Jaime

2013-01-01

Rich-sensor smart phones have made possible the recent birth of the mobile sensing research area as part of ubiquitous sensing which integrates other areas such as wireless sensor networks and web sensing. There are several types of mobile sensing: individual, participatory, opportunistic, crowd, social, etc. The object of sensing can be people-centered or environment-centered. The sensing domain can be home, urban, vehicular… Currently there are barriers that limit the social acceptance of mobile sensing systems. Examples of social barriers are privacy concerns, restrictive laws in some countries and the absence of economic incentives that might encourage people to participate in a sensing campaign. Several technical barriers are phone energy savings and the variety of sensors and software for their management. Some existing surveys partially tackle the topic of mobile sensing systems. Published papers theoretically or partially solve the above barriers. We complete the above surveys with new works, review the barriers of mobile sensing systems and propose some ideas for efficiently implementing sensing, fusion, learning, security, privacy and energy saving for any type of mobile sensing system, and propose several realistic research challenges. The main objective is to reduce the learning curve in mobile sensing systems where the complexity is very high. PMID:24351637

Mobile sensing systems.

PubMed

Macias, Elsa; Suarez, Alvaro; Lloret, Jaime

2013-12-16

Rich-sensor smart phones have made possible the recent birth of the mobile sensing research area as part of ubiquitous sensing which integrates other areas such as wireless sensor networks and web sensing. There are several types of mobile sensing: individual, participatory, opportunistic, crowd, social, etc. The object of sensing can be people-centered or environment-centered. The sensing domain can be home, urban, vehicular… Currently there are barriers that limit the social acceptance of mobile sensing systems. Examples of social barriers are privacy concerns, restrictive laws in some countries and the absence of economic incentives that might encourage people to participate in a sensing campaign. Several technical barriers are phone energy savings and the variety of sensors and software for their management. Some existing surveys partially tackle the topic of mobile sensing systems. Published papers theoretically or partially solve the above barriers. We complete the above surveys with new works, review the barriers of mobile sensing systems and propose some ideas for efficiently implementing sensing, fusion, learning, security, privacy and energy saving for any type of mobile sensing system, and propose several realistic research challenges. The main objective is to reduce the learning curve in mobile sensing systems where the complexity is very high.

Novel remote sensor systems: design, prototyping, and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayastha, V.; Gibbons, S.; Lamb, J. E.; Giedd, R. E.

2014-06-01

We have designed and tested a prototype TRL4 radio-frequency (RF) sensing platform containing a transceiver that interrogates a passive carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensor platform. The transceiver can be interfaced to a server technology such as a Bluetooth® or Wi-Fi device for further connectivity. The novelty of a very-low-frequency (VLF) implementation in the transceiver design will ultimately enable deep penetration into the ground or metal structures to communicate with buried sensing platforms. The sensor platform generally consists of printed electronic devices made of CNTs on flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and Kapton® substrates. This novel remote sensing system can be integrated with both passive and active sensing platforms. It offers unique characteristics suitable for a variety of sensing applications. The proposed sensing platforms can take on different form factors and the RF output of the sensing platforms could be modulated by humidity, temperature, pressure, strain, or vibration signals. Resonant structures were designed and constructed to operate in the very-high-frequency (VHF) and VLF ranges. In this presentation, we will report results of our continued effort to develop a commercially viable transceiver capable of interrogating the conformally mounted sensing platforms made from CNTs or silver-based nanomaterials on polyimide substrates over a broad range of frequencies. The overall performance of the sensing system with different sensing elements and at different frequency ranges will be discussed.

A haptic sensing upgrade for the current EOD robotic fleet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, Patrick

2014-06-01

The past decade and a half has seen a tremendous rise in the use of mobile manipulator robotic platforms for bomb inspection and disposal, explosive ordnance disposal, and other extremely hazardous tasks in both military and civilian settings. Skilled operators are able to control these robotic vehicles in amazing ways given the very limited situational awareness obtained from a few on-board camera views. Future generations of robotic platforms will, no doubt, provide some sort of additional force or haptic sensor feedback to further enhance the operator's interaction with the robot, especially when dealing with fragile, unstable, and explosive objects. Unfortunately, the robot operators need this capability today. This paper discusses an approach to provide existing (and future) robotic mobile manipulator platforms, with which trained operators are already familiar and highly proficient, this desired haptic and force feedback capability. The goals of this technology are to be rugged, reliable, and affordable. It should also be able to be applied to a wide range of existing robots with a wide variety of manipulator/gripper sizes and styles. Finally, the presentation of the haptic information to the operator is discussed, given the fact that control devices that physically interact with the operators are not widely available and still in the research stages.

Stiffened lipid platforms at molecular force foci.

PubMed

Anishkin, Andriy; Kung, Ching

2013-03-26

How mechanical forces are sensed remains largely mysterious. The forces that gate prokaryotic and several eukaryotic channels were found to come from the lipid membrane. Our survey of animal cells found that membrane force foci all have cholesterol-gathering proteins and are reinforced with cholesterol. This result is evident in overt force sensors at the tips of stereocilia for vertebrate hearing and the touch receptor of Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian neurons. For less specialized cells, cadherins sustain the force between neighboring cells and integrins between cells and matrix. These tension bearers also pass through and bind to a cholesterol-enriched platform before anchoring to cytoskeleton through other proteins. Cholesterol, in alliance with sphingomyelin and specialized proteins, enforces a more ordered structure in the bilayer. Such a stiffened platform can suppress mechanical noise, redirect, rescale, and confine force. We speculate that such platforms may be dynamic. The applied force may allow disordered-phase lipids to enter the platform-staging channel opening in the thinner mobile neighborhood. The platform may also contain specialized protein/lipid subdomains enclosing mechanosensitive channels to open with localized tension. Such a dynamic stage can mechanically operate structurally disparate channels or enzymes without having to tie them directly to cadherin, integrin, or other protein tethers.

[Willingness to accept an Internet-based mobility platform in different age cohorts. Empiric results of the project S-Mobil 100].

PubMed

Beil, J; Cihlar, V; Kruse, A

2015-02-01

The aim of the project S-Mobil 100 is to develop and implement a prototype of an internet-based, generation-appropriate mobility platform in the model region Siegen-Wittgenstein. In the context of an empirical preliminary study, use of technology, experience with technology, general attitudes towards technology, general technology commitment, and the willingness to accept the mobility platform were investigated in different age cohorts. The investigation was carried out using a written survey based on a standardized questionnaire. The sample of 358 persons aged 40-90 years was divided in four age cohorts (40-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75 + years). Our results show a high willingness to accept the mobility platform in the overall sample. Age, residence, income, and general technology commitment were significant predictors for the judgment of the platform. Although there were group differences in accepting the mobility platform, the older cohorts are also open-minded towards this new technology.

Research and application of mobile teaching platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ping; Xue, Hongjiao

2017-08-01

The application of mobile technology in university digital campus is ripe. This article mainly introduced the necessity of teaching platform based on mobile Internet in the teaching of higher vocational education, and the key to the construction of the feasibility of mobile learning platform, which is a feasible and effective teaching model under the new situation, worthy of promotion. The design and application of teaching platform based on mobile Internet is the change of educational ideas and working methods, and is the new starting point of Higher Vocational education.

CMMAD Usability Case Study in Support of Countermine and Hazard Sensing

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

Victor G. Walker; David I. Gertman

2010-04-01

During field trials, operator usability data were collected in support of lane clearing missions and hazard sensing for two robot platforms with Robot Intelligence Kernel (RIK) software and sensor scanning payloads onboard. The tests featured autonomous and shared robot autonomy levels where tasking of the robot used a graphical interface featuring mine location and sensor readings. The goal of this work was to provide insights that could be used to further technology development. The efficacy of countermine systems in terms of mobility, search, path planning, detection, and localization were assessed. Findings from objective and subjective operator interaction measures are reviewedmore » along with commentary from soldiers having taken part in the study who strongly endorse the system.« less

Application of remote sensing for planning purposes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hughes, T. H. (Editor)

1977-01-01

Types of remotely sensed data are many and varied but, all are primarily dependent on the sensor platform and the kind of sensing system used. A sensor platform is the type of aircraft or satellite to which a sensing system is attached; each platform has its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. Selected attributes of several current or recently used platforms are outlined. Though sensing systems are highly varied, they may be divided into various operational categories such as cameras, electromechanical scanners, and radars.

Mobile wireless network for the urban environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budulas, Peter; Luu, Brian; Gopaul, Richard

2005-05-01

As the Army transforms into the Future Force, particular attention must be paid to operations in Complex and Urban Terrain. Our adversaries increasingly draw us into operations in the urban environment and one can presume that this trend will continue in future battles. In order to ensure that the United States Army maintains battlefield dominance, the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is developing technology to equip our soldiers for the urban operations of the future. Sophisticated soldier borne systems will extend sensing to the individual soldier, and correspondingly, allow the soldier to establish an accurate picture of their surrounding environment utilizing information from local and remote assets. Robotic platforms will be an integral part of the future combat team. These platforms will augment the team with remote sensing modalities, task execution capabilities, and enhanced communication systems. To effectively utilize the products provided by each of these systems, collected data must be exchanged in real time to all affected entities. Therefore, the Army Research Laboratory is also developing the technology that will be required to support high bandwidth mobile communication in urban environments. This technology incorporates robotic systems that will allow connectivity in areas unreachable by traditional systems. This paper will address some of the issues of providing wireless connectivity in complex and urban terrain. It will further discuss approaches developed by the Army Research Laboratory to integrate communications capabilities into soldier and robotic systems and provide seamless connectivity between the elements of a combat team, and higher echelons.

Creating a Mobile Library Website

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutshall, Tom C.; Blake, Lindsay; Bandy, Sandra L.

2011-01-01

The overwhelming results were iPhones and Android devices. Since the library wasn't equipped technologically to develop an in-house application platform and because we wanted the content to work across all mobile platforms, we decided to focus on creating a mobile web-based platform. From the NLM page of mobile sites we chose the basic PubMed/…

Incentivizing Verifiable Privacy-Protection Mechanisms for Offline Crowdsensing Applications

PubMed Central

Sun, Jiajun; Liu, Ningzhong

2017-01-01

Incentive mechanisms of crowdsensing have recently been intensively explored. Most of these mechanisms mainly focus on the standard economical goals like truthfulness and utility maximization. However, enormous privacy and security challenges need to be faced directly in real-life environments, such as cost privacies. In this paper, we investigate offline verifiable privacy-protection crowdsensing issues. We firstly present a general verifiable privacy-protection incentive mechanism for the offline homogeneous and heterogeneous sensing job model. In addition, we also propose a more complex verifiable privacy-protection incentive mechanism for the offline submodular sensing job model. The two mechanisms not only explore the private protection issues of users and platform, but also ensure the verifiable correctness of payments between platform and users. Finally, we demonstrate that the two mechanisms satisfy privacy-protection, verifiable correctness of payments and the same revenue as the generic one without privacy protection. Our experiments also validate that the two mechanisms are both scalable and efficient, and applicable for mobile devices in crowdsensing applications based on auctions, where the main incentive for the user is the remuneration. PMID:28869574

Incentivizing Verifiable Privacy-Protection Mechanisms for Offline Crowdsensing Applications.

PubMed

Sun, Jiajun; Liu, Ningzhong

2017-09-04

Incentive mechanisms of crowdsensing have recently been intensively explored. Most of these mechanisms mainly focus on the standard economical goals like truthfulness and utility maximization. However, enormous privacy and security challenges need to be faced directly in real-life environments, such as cost privacies. In this paper, we investigate offline verifiable privacy-protection crowdsensing issues. We firstly present a general verifiable privacy-protection incentive mechanism for the offline homogeneous and heterogeneous sensing job model. In addition, we also propose a more complex verifiable privacy-protection incentive mechanism for the offline submodular sensing job model. The two mechanisms not only explore the private protection issues of users and platform, but also ensure the verifiable correctness of payments between platform and users. Finally, we demonstrate that the two mechanisms satisfy privacy-protection, verifiable correctness of payments and the same revenue as the generic one without privacy protection. Our experiments also validate that the two mechanisms are both scalable and efficient, and applicable for mobile devices in crowdsensing applications based on auctions, where the main incentive for the user is the remuneration.

ATHLETE as a Mobile ISRU and Regolith Construction Platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howe, A. Scott; Wilcox, Brian; Barmatz, Martin; Voecks, Gerald

2016-01-01

The All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robotic mobility platform can provide precision positioning and mobility for site preparation and regolith construction needs. ATHLETE is a multi-use platform designed to use swap-out tools and implements that can be applied to any number of tasks that need precision limb manipulation or mobility. Major capabilities include off-loading habitats, transporting surface assets, robotically assembling outposts from multiple mission manifests, and supporting science and technology objectives. This paper describes conceptual approaches for supporting NASA regolith construction research, such as additive construction, modular brick and panel factory, and mobile ISRU platform.

Unmanned aerial vehicle: A unique platform for low-altitude remote sensing for crop management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provide a unique platform for remote sensing to monitor crop fields that complements remote sensing from satellite, aircraft and ground-based platforms. The UAV-based remote sensing is versatile at ultra-low altitude to be able to provide an ultra-high-resolution imag...

Analysis of three-dimensionally proliferated sensor architectures for flexible SSA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cunio, Phillip M.; Flewelling, Brien

2018-05-01

The evolution of space into a congested, contested, and competitive regime drives a commensurate need for awareness of events there. As the number of systems on orbit grows, so will the need for sensing and tracking these systems. One avenue for advanced sensing capability is a widespread network of small but capable Space Situational Awareness (SSA) sensors, proliferated widely in the three-dimensional volume extending from the Earth's surface to the Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) belt, incorporating multiple different varieties and types of sensors. Due to the freedom of movement afforded by solid surfaces and atmosphere, some of these sensors may have substantial mobility. Accordingly, designing a network for maximum SSA coverage at reasonable cost may entail heterogeneous architectures with common logistics (including modular sensor packages or mobility platforms, which may be flexibly re-assigned). Smaller mobile sensors leveraging Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components and software are appealing for their ability to simplify logistics versus large, monolithic, uniquely-exquisite sensor systems. This paper examines concepts for such sensor systems, and analyzes the costs associated with their use, while assessing the benefits (including reduced gap time, weather resilience, and multiple-sensor coverage) that such an architecture enables. Recommendations for preferred modes and mixes of fielding sensors in a heterogeneous architecture are made, and directions for future related research are suggested.

Mobile Technologies for the Discovery, Analysis, and Engineering of the Global Microbiome.

PubMed

Ballard, Zachary S; Brown, Calvin; Ozcan, Aydogan

2018-04-24

The microbiome has been heralded as a gauge of and contributor to both human health and environmental conditions. Current challenges in probing, engineering, and harnessing the microbiome stem from its microscopic and nanoscopic nature, diversity and complexity of interactions among its members and hosts, as well as the spatiotemporal sampling and in situ measurement limitations induced by the restricted capabilities and norm of existing technologies, leaving some of the constituents of the microbiome unknown. To facilitate significant progress in the microbiome field, deeper understanding of the constituents' individual behavior, interactions with others, and biodiversity are needed. Also crucial is the generation of multimodal data from a variety of subjects and environments over time. Mobile imaging and sensing technologies, particularly through smartphone-based platforms, can potentially meet some of these needs in field-portable, cost-effective, and massively scalable manners by circumventing the need for bulky, expensive instrumentation. In this Perspective, we outline how mobile sensing and imaging technologies could lead the way to unprecedented insight into the microbiome, potentially shedding light on various microbiome-related mysteries of today, including the composition and function of human, animal, plant, and environmental microbiomes. Finally, we conclude with a look at the future, propose a computational microbiome engineering and optimization framework, and discuss its potential impact and applications.

Plasmonics Enhanced Smartphone Fluorescence Microscopy.

PubMed

Wei, Qingshan; Acuna, Guillermo; Kim, Seungkyeum; Vietz, Carolin; Tseng, Derek; Chae, Jongjae; Shir, Daniel; Luo, Wei; Tinnefeld, Philip; Ozcan, Aydogan

2017-05-18

Smartphone fluorescence microscopy has various applications in point-of-care (POC) testing and diagnostics, ranging from e.g., quantification of immunoassays, detection of microorganisms, to sensing of viruses. An important need in smartphone-based microscopy and sensing techniques is to improve the detection sensitivity to enable quantification of extremely low concentrations of target molecules. Here, we demonstrate a general strategy to enhance the detection sensitivity of a smartphone-based fluorescence microscope by using surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF) created by a thin metal-film. In this plasmonic design, the samples are placed on a silver-coated glass slide with a thin spacer, and excited by a laser-diode from the backside through a glass hemisphere, generating surface plasmon polaritons. We optimized this mobile SEF system by tuning the metal-film thickness, spacer distance, excitation angle and polarization, and achieved ~10-fold enhancement in fluorescence intensity compared to a bare glass substrate, which enabled us to image single fluorescent particles as small as 50 nm in diameter and single quantum-dots. Furthermore, we quantified the detection limit of this platform by using DNA origami-based brightness standards, demonstrating that ~80 fluorophores per diffraction-limited spot can be readily detected by our mobile microscope, which opens up new opportunities for POC diagnostics and sensing applications in resource-limited-settings.

Smartphones Based Mobile Mapping Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Hamad, A.; El-Sheimy, N.

2014-06-01

The past 20 years have witnessed an explosive growth in the demand for geo-spatial data. This demand has numerous sources and takes many forms; however, the net effect is an ever-increasing thirst for data that is more accurate, has higher density, is produced more rapidly, and is acquired less expensively. For mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects, this has been achieved through the major development of Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS). MMS integrate various navigation and remote sensing technologies which allow mapping from moving platforms (e.g. cars, airplanes, boats, etc.) to obtain the 3D coordinates of the points of interest. Such systems obtain accuracies that are suitable for all but the most demanding mapping and engineering applications. However, this accuracy doesn't come cheaply. As a consequence of the platform and navigation and mapping technologies used, even an "inexpensive" system costs well over 200 000 USD. Today's mobile phones are getting ever more sophisticated. Phone makers are determined to reduce the gap between computers and mobile phones. Smartphones, in addition to becoming status symbols, are increasingly being equipped with extended Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities, Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) inertial sensors, extremely powerful computing power and very high resolution cameras. Using all of these components, smartphones have the potential to replace the traditional land MMS and portable GPS/GIS equipment. This paper introduces an innovative application of smartphones as a very low cost portable MMS for mapping and GIS applications.

Mobile mapping and eddy covariance flux measurements of NH3 emissions from cattle feedlots with a portable laser-based open-path sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, L.; Sun, K.; Pan, D.; Golston, L.; Stanton, L. G.; Ham, J. M.; Shonkwiler, K. B.; Nash, C.; Zondlo, M. A.

2014-12-01

Ammonia (NH3) is the dominant alkaline species in the atmosphere and an important compound in the global nitrogen cycle. There is a large uncertainty in NH3 emission inventory from agriculture, which is the largest source of NH3, including livestock farming and fertilizer applications. In recent years, a quantum cascade laser (QCL)-based open-path sensor has been developed to provide high-resolution, fast-response and high-sensitivity NH3 measurements. It has a detection limit of 150 pptv with a sample rate up to 20 Hz. This sensor has been integrated into a mobile platform mounted on the roof of a car to perform measurement of multiple trace gases. We have also used the sensor for eddy covariance (EC) flux measurements. The mobile sensing method provides high spatial resolution and fast mapping of measured gases. Meanwhile, the EC flux method offers accurate flux measurements and resolves the diurnal variability of NH3emissions. During the DISCOVER-AQ and FRAPPÉ field campaigns in 2014, this mobile platform was used to study NH3 emissions from cattle feedlot near Fort Morgan, Colorado. This specific feedlot was mapped multiple times in different days to study the variability of its plume characteristics. At the same time, we set up another open-path NH3 sensor with LICOR open-path sensors to perform EC flux measurements of NH3, CH4 and CO2 simultaneously in the same cattle feedlot as shown in Fig. 1. NH3/CH4 emission flux ratio show a strong temperature dependence from EC flux measurements. The median value of measured NH3 and CH4 emission flux ratio is 0.60 ppmv/ppmv. In contrast, the median value of ΔNH3/ΔCH4 ratios measured from mobile platform is 0.53 ppmv/ppmv for the same farm. The combination of mobile mapping and EC flux measurements with the same open-path sensors greatly improves understanding of NH3 emissions both spatially and temporally.

Applang - A DSL for specification of mobile applications for android platform based on textX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosanović, Milan; Dejanović, Igor; Milosavljević, Gordana

2016-06-01

Mobile platforms become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives thus making more pressure to software developers to develop more applications faster and with the support for different mobile operating systems. To foster the faster development of mobile services and applications and to support various mobile operating systems a new software development approaches must be undertaken. Domain-Specific Languages (DSL) are a viable approach that promise to solve a problem of target platform diversity as well as to facilitate rapid application development and shorter time-to-market. This paper presents Applang, a DSL for the specification of mobile applications for the Android platform, based on textX meta-language. The application is described using Applang DSL and the source code for a target platform is automatically generated by the provided code generator. The same application defined using single Applang source can be transformed to various targets with little or no manual modifications.

Detecting submerged features in water: modeling, sensors, and measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostater, Charles R., Jr.; Bassetti, Luce

2004-11-01

It is becoming more important to understand the remote sensing systems and associated autonomous or semi-autonomous methodologies (robotic & mechatronics) that may be utilized in freshwater and marine aquatic environments. This need comes from several issues related not only to advances in our scientific understanding and technological capabilities, but also from the desire to insure that the risk associated with UXO (unexploded ordnance), related submerged mines, as well as submerged targets (such as submerged aquatic vegetation) and debris left from previous human activities are remotely sensed and identified followed by reduced risks through detection and removal. This paper will describe (a) remote sensing systems, (b) platforms (fixed and mobile, as well as to demonstrate (c) the value of thinking in terms of scalability as well as modularity in the design and application of new systems now being constructed within our laboratory and other laboratories, as well as future systems. New remote sensing systems - moving or fixed sensing systems, as well as autonomous or semi-autonomous robotic and mechatronic systems will be essential to secure domestic preparedness for humanitarian reasons. These remote sensing systems hold tremendous value, if thoughtfully designed for other applications which include environmental monitoring in ambient environments.

Mobile Networked Sensors for Environmental Observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, W. J.

2005-12-01

The development of the first embedded networked sensing (ENS) systems has been rapidly followed by their successful deployment for investigations in environments ranging from forest ecosystems, to rivers and lakes, and to subsurface soil observations. As ENS systems have been deployed, many technology challenges have been successfully addressed. For example, the requirements for local and remote data access and long operating life have been encountered and solved with a novel hierarchical network architecture and unique, low power platforms. This presentation will describe this progress and also the development and applications of a new ENS system addressing the most current challenges: A robotic ENS platform providing precise, reliable, and sustained observation capability with diverse sensing capabilities that may adapt to environmental dynamics. In the development of methods for autonomous observation by networked sensors, many applications have emerged requiring spatially and temporally intensive data sampling. Examples include the mapping of forest understory solar radiation, autonomous acquisition of imaging for plant phenology, and mapping of contaminant concentration in aquatic systems. Common to these applications is the need to actively and continuously configure the location and orientation of sensors for high fidelity mapping of the spatial distribution of phenomena. To address this primary environmental observation need, a new sensing platform, Networked Infomechanical Systems (NIMS) has been developed. NIMS relies on deployed aerial infrastructure (for example, cable suspension systems) in the natural environment to permit robotic devices to precisely and reliably move or remain stationary as required at elevations that may lie directly in or above the forest canopy or within a river or stream. NIMS systems are suspended to allow devices to translate a sensor node horizontally, and also to raise and lower devices. Examples of sensors that are now carried by NIMS include sensors for visible wavelength imaging, thermal infrared temperature mapping, microclimate, solar radiation, and for water quality and physical characterization of aquatic systems. NIMS devices include compact embedded computing, wireless network connectivity to surrounding static sensors, and remote Internet access. Exploiting this onboard computing allows NIMS devices to follow precise scanning protocols and self-calibration procedures. This presentation will describe permanent facility NIMS systems deployed at the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve. Rapidly deployable NIMS permitting short term, highly mobile experiments will also be discussed. This includes the Thermal Mapper system that simultaneously samples plant physical structure (using laser position sensing and imaging) along with plant surface temperature (using high spatial resolution thermal infrared sensing). This compact system has been applied to the investigation of thermal characteristics of alpine plants in varying soil surfaces at the White Mountains Research Station. Other NIMS applications and results to be described include novel spatial mapping of nitrate concentration and other variables in flowing streams. Finally, this presentation will also address the many future applications of observatories linking investigators with remote mobile and static sensor networks. This research is supported by the NSF0331481 ITR program. Research has been performed in collaboration with R. Ambrose, K. Bible, D. Estrin, E. Graham, M. Hamilton, M. Hanson, T. Harmon, G. Pottie, P. Rundel, M. Srivastava, and G. Sukhatme

Android Based Mobile Environment for Moodle Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Clunie, Gisela T.; Clunie, Clifton; Castillo, Aris; Rangel, Norman

2013-01-01

This paper is about the development of a platform that eases, throughout Android based mobile devices, mobility of users of virtual courses at Technological University of Panama. The platform deploys computational techniques such as "web services," design patterns, ontologies and mobile technologies to allow mobile devices communicate…

Rapid imaging, detection and quantification of Giardia lamblia cysts using mobile-phone based fluorescent microscopy and machine learning.

PubMed

Koydemir, Hatice Ceylan; Gorocs, Zoltan; Tseng, Derek; Cortazar, Bingen; Feng, Steve; Chan, Raymond Yan Lok; Burbano, Jordi; McLeod, Euan; Ozcan, Aydogan

2015-03-07

Rapid and sensitive detection of waterborne pathogens in drinkable and recreational water sources is crucial for treating and preventing the spread of water related diseases, especially in resource-limited settings. Here we present a field-portable and cost-effective platform for detection and quantification of Giardia lamblia cysts, one of the most common waterborne parasites, which has a thick cell wall that makes it resistant to most water disinfection techniques including chlorination. The platform consists of a smartphone coupled with an opto-mechanical attachment weighing ~205 g, which utilizes a hand-held fluorescence microscope design aligned with the camera unit of the smartphone to image custom-designed disposable water sample cassettes. Each sample cassette is composed of absorbent pads and mechanical filter membranes; a membrane with 8 μm pore size is used as a porous spacing layer to prevent the backflow of particles to the upper membrane, while the top membrane with 5 μm pore size is used to capture the individual Giardia cysts that are fluorescently labeled. A fluorescence image of the filter surface (field-of-view: ~0.8 cm(2)) is captured and wirelessly transmitted via the mobile-phone to our servers for rapid processing using a machine learning algorithm that is trained on statistical features of Giardia cysts to automatically detect and count the cysts captured on the membrane. The results are then transmitted back to the mobile-phone in less than 2 minutes and are displayed through a smart application running on the phone. This mobile platform, along with our custom-developed sample preparation protocol, enables analysis of large volumes of water (e.g., 10-20 mL) for automated detection and enumeration of Giardia cysts in ~1 hour, including all the steps of sample preparation and analysis. We evaluated the performance of this approach using flow-cytometer-enumerated Giardia-contaminated water samples, demonstrating an average cyst capture efficiency of ~79% on our filter membrane along with a machine learning based cyst counting sensitivity of ~84%, yielding a limit-of-detection of ~12 cysts per 10 mL. Providing rapid detection and quantification of microorganisms, this field-portable imaging and sensing platform running on a mobile-phone could be useful for water quality monitoring in field and resource-limited settings.

Realtime Gas Emission Monitoring at Hazardous Sites Using a Distributed Point-Source Sensing Infrastructure.

PubMed

Manes, Gianfranco; Collodi, Giovanni; Gelpi, Leonardo; Fusco, Rosanna; Ricci, Giuseppe; Manes, Antonio; Passafiume, Marco

2016-01-20

This paper describes a distributed point-source monitoring platform for gas level and leakage detection in hazardous environments. The platform, based on a wireless sensor network (WSN) architecture, is organised into sub-networks to be positioned in the plant's critical areas; each sub-net includes a gateway unit wirelessly connected to the WSN nodes, hence providing an easily deployable, stand-alone infrastructure featuring a high degree of scalability and reconfigurability. Furthermore, the system provides automated calibration routines which can be accomplished by non-specialized maintenance operators without system reliability reduction issues. Internet connectivity is provided via TCP/IP over GPRS (Internet standard protocols over mobile networks) gateways at a one-minute sampling rate. Environmental and process data are forwarded to a remote server and made available to authenticated users through a user interface that provides data rendering in various formats and multi-sensor data fusion. The platform is able to provide real-time plant management with an effective; accurate tool for immediate warning in case of critical events.

Personalized Energy Reduction Cyber-Physical System (PERCS): A gamified end-user platform for energy efficiency and demand response.

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

Sintov, Nicole; Orosz, Michael; Schultz, P. Wesley

2015-01-01

The mission of the Personalized Energy Reduction Cyber-physical System (PERCS) is to create new possibilities for improving building operating efficiency, enhancing grid reliability, avoiding costly power interruptions, and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. PERCS proposes to achieve these outcomes by engaging building occupants as partners in a user-centered smart service platform. Using a non-intrusive load monitoring approach, PERCS uses a single sensing point in each home to capture smart electric meter data in real time. The household energy signal is disaggregated into individual load signatures of common appliances (e.g., air conditioners), yielding near real-time appliance-level energy information. Users interact with PERCSmore » via a mobile phone platform that provides household- and appliance-level energy feedback, tailored recommendations, and a competitive game tied to energy use and behavioral changes. PERCS challenges traditional energy management approaches by directly engaging occupant as key elements in a technological system.« less

Stiffened lipid platforms at molecular force foci

PubMed Central

Anishkin, Andriy; Kung, Ching

2013-01-01

How mechanical forces are sensed remains largely mysterious. The forces that gate prokaryotic and several eukaryotic channels were found to come from the lipid membrane. Our survey of animal cells found that membrane force foci all have cholesterol-gathering proteins and are reinforced with cholesterol. This result is evident in overt force sensors at the tips of stereocilia for vertebrate hearing and the touch receptor of Caenorhabditis elegans and mammalian neurons. For less specialized cells, cadherins sustain the force between neighboring cells and integrins between cells and matrix. These tension bearers also pass through and bind to a cholesterol-enriched platform before anchoring to cytoskeleton through other proteins. Cholesterol, in alliance with sphingomyelin and specialized proteins, enforces a more ordered structure in the bilayer. Such a stiffened platform can suppress mechanical noise, redirect, rescale, and confine force. We speculate that such platforms may be dynamic. The applied force may allow disordered-phase lipids to enter the platform-staging channel opening in the thinner mobile neighborhood. The platform may also contain specialized protein/lipid subdomains enclosing mechanosensitive channels to open with localized tension. Such a dynamic stage can mechanically operate structurally disparate channels or enzymes without having to tie them directly to cadherin, integrin, or other protein tethers. PMID:23476066

A mobile sensing system for structural health monitoring: design and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Dapeng; Yi, Xiaohua; Wang, Yang; Lee, Kok-Meng; Guo, Jiajie

2010-05-01

This paper describes a new approach using mobile sensor networks for structural health monitoring. Compared with static sensors, mobile sensor networks offer flexible system architectures with adaptive spatial resolutions. The paper first describes the design of a mobile sensing node that is capable of maneuvering on structures built with ferromagnetic materials. The mobile sensing node can also attach/detach an accelerometer onto/from the structural surface. The performance of the prototype mobile sensor network has been validated through laboratory experiments. Two mobile sensing nodes are adopted for navigating on a steel portal frame and providing dense acceleration measurements. Transmissibility function analysis is conducted to identify structural damage using data collected by the mobile sensing nodes. This preliminary work is expected to spawn transformative changes in the use of mobile sensors for future structural health monitoring.

Autonomous mobile platform for enhanced situational awareness in Mass Casualty Incidents.

PubMed

Yang, Dongyi; Schafer, James; Wang, Sili; Ganz, Aura

2014-01-01

To enhance the efficiency of the search and rescue process of a Mass Casualty Incident, we introduce a low cost autonomous mobile platform. The mobile platform motion is controlled by an Android Smartphone mounted on a robot. The pictures and video captured by the Smartphone camera can significantly enhance the situational awareness of the incident commander leading to a more efficient search and rescue process. Moreover, the active RFID readers mounted on the mobile platform can improve the localization accuracy of victims in the disaster site in areas where the paramedics are not present, reducing the triage and evacuation time.

Drive to miniaturization: integrated optical networks on mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salour, Michael M.; Batayneh, Marwan; Figueroa, Luis

2011-11-01

With rapid growth of the Internet, bandwidth demand for data traffic is continuing to explode. In addition, emerging and future applications are becoming more and more network centric. With the proliferation of data communication platforms and data-intensive applications (e.g. cloud computing), high-bandwidth materials such as video clips dominating the Internet, and social networking tools, a networking technology is very desirable which can scale the Internet's capability (particularly its bandwidth) by two to three orders of magnitude. As the limits of Moore's law are approached, optical mesh networks based on wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) have the ability to satisfy the large- and scalable-bandwidth requirements of our future backbone telecommunication networks. In addition, this trend is also affecting other special-purpose systems in applications such as mobile platforms, automobiles, aircraft, ships, tanks, and micro unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) which are becoming independent systems roaming the sky while sensing data, processing, making decisions, and even communicating and networking with other heterogeneous systems. Recently, WDM optical technologies have seen advances in its transmission speeds, switching technologies, routing protocols, and control systems. Such advances have made WDM optical technology an appealing choice for the design of future Internet architectures. Along these lines, scientists across the entire spectrum of the network architectures from physical layer to applications have been working on developing devices and communication protocols which can take full advantage of the rapid advances in WDM technology. Nevertheless, the focus has always been on large-scale telecommunication networks that span hundreds and even thousands of miles. Given these advances, we investigate the vision and applicability of integrating the traditionally large-scale WDM optical networks into miniaturized mobile platforms such as UAVs. We explain the benefits of WDM optical technology for these applications. We also describe some of the limitations of WDM optical networks as the size of a vehicle gets smaller, such as in micro-UAVs, and study the miniaturization and communication system limitations in such environments.

SARANA: language, compiler and run-time system support for spatially aware and resource-aware mobile computing.

PubMed

Hari, Pradip; Ko, Kevin; Koukoumidis, Emmanouil; Kremer, Ulrich; Martonosi, Margaret; Ottoni, Desiree; Peh, Li-Shiuan; Zhang, Pei

2008-10-28

Increasingly, spatial awareness plays a central role in many distributed and mobile computing applications. Spatially aware applications rely on information about the geographical position of compute devices and their supported services in order to support novel functionality. While many spatial application drivers already exist in mobile and distributed computing, very little systems research has explored how best to program these applications, to express their spatial and temporal constraints, and to allow efficient implementations on highly dynamic real-world platforms. This paper proposes the SARANA system architecture, which includes language and run-time system support for spatially aware and resource-aware applications. SARANA allows users to express spatial regions of interest, as well as trade-offs between quality of result (QoR), latency and cost. The goal is to produce applications that use resources efficiently and that can be run on diverse resource-constrained platforms ranging from laptops to personal digital assistants and to smart phones. SARANA's run-time system manages QoR and cost trade-offs dynamically by tracking resource availability and locations, brokering usage/pricing agreements and migrating programs to nodes accordingly. A resource cost model permeates the SARANA system layers, permitting users to express their resource needs and QoR expectations in units that make sense to them. Although we are still early in the system development, initial versions have been demonstrated on a nine-node system prototype.

FLEXnav: a fuzzy logic expert dead-reckoning system for the Segway RMP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ojeda, Lauro; Raju, Mukunda; Borenstein, Johann

2004-09-01

Most mobile robots use a combination of absolute and relative sensing techniques for position estimation. Relative positioning techniques are generally known as dead-reckoning. Many systems use odometry as their only dead-reckoning means. However, in recent years fiber optic gyroscopes have become more affordable and are being used on many platforms to supplement odometry, especially in indoor applications. Still, if the terrain is not level (i.e., rugged or rolling terrain), the tilt of the vehicle introduces errors into the conversion of gyro readings to vehicle heading. In order to overcome this problem vehicle tilt must be measured and factored into the heading computation. A unique new mobile robot is the Segway Robotics Mobility Platform (RMP). This functionally close relative of the innovative Segway Human Transporter (HT) stabilizes a statically unstable single-axle robot dynamically, based on the principle of the inverted pendulum. While this approach works very well for human transportation, it introduces as unique set of challenges to navigation equipment using an onboard gyro. This is due to the fact that in operation the Segway RMP constantly changes its forward tilt, to prevent dynamically falling over. This paper introduces our new Fuzzy Logic Expert rule-based navigation (FLEXnav) method for fusing data from multiple gyroscopes and accelerometers in order to estimate accurately the attitude (i.e., heading and tilt) of a mobile robot. The attitude information is then further fused with wheel encoder data to estimate the three-dimensional position of the mobile robot. We have further extended this approach to include the special conditions of operation on the Segway RMP. The paper presents experimental results of a Segway RMP equipped with our system and running over moderately rugged terrain.

Hybrid motion sensing and experimental modal analysis using collocated smartphone camera and accelerometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozer, Ekin; Feng, Dongming; Feng, Maria Q.

2017-10-01

State-of-the-art multisensory technologies and heterogeneous sensor networks propose a wide range of response measurement opportunities for structural health monitoring (SHM). Measuring and fusing different physical quantities in terms of structural vibrations can provide alternative acquisition methods and improve the quality of the modal testing results. In this study, a recently introduced SHM concept, SHM with smartphones, is focused to utilize multisensory smartphone features for a hybridized structural vibration response measurement framework. Based on vibration testing of a small-scale multistory laboratory model, displacement and acceleration responses are monitored using two different smartphone sensors, an embedded camera and accelerometer, respectively. Double-integration or differentiation among different measurement types is performed to combine multisensory measurements on a comparative basis. In addition, distributed sensor signals from collocated devices are processed for modal identification, and performance of smartphone-based sensing platforms are tested under different configuration scenarios and heterogeneity levels. The results of these tests show a novel and successful implementation of a hybrid motion sensing platform through multiple sensor type and device integration. Despite the heterogeneity of motion data obtained from different smartphone devices and technologies, it is shown that multisensory response measurements can be blended for experimental modal analysis. Getting benefit from the accessibility of smartphone technology, similar smartphone-based dynamic testing methodologies can provide innovative SHM solutions with mobile, programmable, and cost-free interfaces.

Utilising the Intel RealSense Camera for Measuring Health Outcomes in Clinical Research.

PubMed

Siena, Francesco Luke; Byrom, Bill; Watts, Paul; Breedon, Philip

2018-02-05

Applications utilising 3D Camera technologies for the measurement of health outcomes in the health and wellness sector continues to expand. The Intel® RealSense™ is one of the leading 3D depth sensing cameras currently available on the market and aligns itself for use in many applications, including robotics, automation, and medical systems. One of the most prominent areas is the production of interactive solutions for rehabilitation which includes gait analysis and facial tracking. Advancements in depth camera technology has resulted in a noticeable increase in the integration of these technologies into portable platforms, suggesting significant future potential for pervasive in-clinic and field based health assessment solutions. This paper reviews the Intel RealSense technology's technical capabilities and discusses its application to clinical research and includes examples where the Intel RealSense camera range has been used for the measurement of health outcomes. This review supports the use of the technology to develop robust, objective movement and mobility-based endpoints to enable accurate tracking of the effects of treatment interventions in clinical trials.

Energy Analysis of Decoders for Rakeness-Based Compressed Sensing of ECG Signals.

PubMed

Pareschi, Fabio; Mangia, Mauro; Bortolotti, Daniele; Bartolini, Andrea; Benini, Luca; Rovatti, Riccardo; Setti, Gianluca

2017-12-01

In recent years, compressed sensing (CS) has proved to be effective in lowering the power consumption of sensing nodes in biomedical signal processing devices. This is due to the fact the CS is capable of reducing the amount of data to be transmitted to ensure correct reconstruction of the acquired waveforms. Rakeness-based CS has been introduced to further reduce the amount of transmitted data by exploiting the uneven distribution to the sensed signal energy. Yet, so far no thorough analysis exists on the impact of its adoption on CS decoder performance. The latter point is of great importance, since body-area sensor network architectures may include intermediate gateway nodes that receive and reconstruct signals to provide local services before relaying data to a remote server. In this paper, we fill this gap by showing that rakeness-based design also improves reconstruction performance. We quantify these findings in the case of ECG signals and when a variety of reconstruction algorithms are used either in a low-power microcontroller or a heterogeneous mobile computing platform.

Architecture of a Service-Enabled Sensing Platform for the Environment

PubMed Central

Kotsev, Alexander; Pantisano, Francesco; Schade, Sven; Jirka, Simon

2015-01-01

Recent technological advancements have led to the production of arrays of miniaturized sensors, often embedded in existing multitasking devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) and using a wide range of radio standards (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G cellular networks). Altogether, these technological evolutions coupled with the diffusion of ubiquitous Internet connectivity provide the base-line technology for the Internet of Things (IoT). The rapid increase of IoT devices is enabling the definition of new paradigms of data collection and introduces the concept of mobile crowd-sensing. In this respect, new sensing methodologies promise to extend the current understanding of the environment and social behaviors by leveraging citizen-contributed data for a wide range of applications. Environmental sensing can however only be successful if all the heterogeneous technologies and infrastructures work smoothly together. As a result, the interconnection and orchestration of devices is one of the central issues of the IoT paradigm. With this in mind, we propose an approach for improving the accessibility of observation data, based on interoperable standards and on-device web services. PMID:25688593

Architecture of a service-enabled sensing platform for the environment.

PubMed

Kotsev, Alexander; Pantisano, Francesco; Schade, Sven; Jirka, Simon

2015-02-13

Recent technological advancements have led to the production of arrays of miniaturized sensors, often embedded in existing multitasking devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) and using a wide range of radio standards (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G cellular networks). Altogether, these technological evolutions coupled with the diffusion of ubiquitous Internet connectivity provide the base-line technology for the Internet of Things (IoT). The rapid increase of IoT devices is enabling the definition of new paradigms of data collection and introduces the concept of mobile crowd-sensing. In this respect, new sensing methodologies promise to extend the current understanding of the environment and social behaviors by leveraging citizen-contributed data for a wide range of applications. Environmental sensing can however only be successful if all the heterogeneous technologies and infrastructures work smoothly together. As a result, the interconnection and orchestration of devices is one of the central issues of the IoT paradigm. With this in mind, we propose an approach for improving the accessibility of observation data, based on interoperable standards and on-device web services.

Ground-based remote sensing of volcanic CO2 and correlated SO2, HF, HCl, and BrO, in safe-distance from the crater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butz, Andre; Solvejg Dinger, Anna; Bobrowski, Nicole; Kostinek, Julian; Fieber, Lukas; Fischerkeller, Constanze; Giuffrida, Giovanni Bruno; Hase, Frank; Klappenbach, Friedrich; Kuhn, Jonas; Lübcke, Peter; Tirpitz, Lukas; Tu, Qiansi

2017-04-01

Remote sensing of CO2 enhancements in volcanic plumes can be a tool to estimate volcanic CO2 emissions and thereby, to gain insight into the geological carbon cycle and into volcano interior processes. However, remote sensing of the volcanic CO2 is challenged by the large atmospheric background concentrations masking the minute volcanic signal. Here, we report on a demonstrator study conducted in September 2015 at Mt. Etna on Sicily, where we deployed an EM27/SUN Fourier Transform Spectrometer together with a UV spectrometer on a mobile remote sensing platform. The spectrometers were operated in direct-sun viewing geometry collecting cross-sectional scans of solar absorption spectra through the volcanic plume by operating the platform in stop-and-go patterns in 5 to 10 kilometers distance from the crater region. We successfully detected correlated intra-plume enhancements of CO2 and volcanic SO2, HF, HCl, and BrO. The path-integrated volcanic CO2 enhancements amounted to about 0.5 ppm (on top of the ˜400 ppm background). Key to successful detection of volcanic CO2 was A) the simultaneous observation of the O2 total column which allowed for correcting changes in the CO2 column caused by changes in observer altitude and B) the simultaneous measurement of volcanic species co-emitted with CO2 which allowed for discriminating intra-plume and extra-plume observations. The latter were used for subtracting the atmospheric CO2 background. The field study suggests that our remote sensing observatory is a candidate technique for volcano monitoring in safe distance from the crater region.

Advanced wireless mobile collaborative sensing network for tactical and strategic missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hao

2017-05-01

In this paper, an advanced wireless mobile collaborative sensing network will be developed. Through properly combining wireless sensor network, emerging mobile robots and multi-antenna sensing/communication techniques, we could demonstrate superiority of developed sensing network. To be concrete, heterogeneous mobile robots including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) are equipped with multi-model sensors and wireless transceiver antennas. Through real-time collaborative formation control, multiple mobile robots can team the best formation that can provide most accurate sensing results. Also, formatting multiple mobile robots can also construct a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system that can provide a reliable and high performance communication network.

Micromagnetics on high-performance workstation and mobile computational platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, S.; Chang, R.; Couture, S.; Menarini, M.; Escobar, M. A.; Kuteifan, M.; Lubarda, M.; Gabay, D.; Lomakin, V.

2015-05-01

The feasibility of using high-performance desktop and embedded mobile computational platforms is presented, including multi-core Intel central processing unit, Nvidia desktop graphics processing units, and Nvidia Jetson TK1 Platform. FastMag finite element method-based micromagnetic simulator is used as a testbed, showing high efficiency on all the platforms. Optimization aspects of improving the performance of the mobile systems are discussed. The high performance, low cost, low power consumption, and rapid performance increase of the embedded mobile systems make them a promising candidate for micromagnetic simulations. Such architectures can be used as standalone systems or can be built as low-power computing clusters.

Development of a mobile application for amphibian species recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parveen, B.; H, Chew T.; Shamsir, M. S.; Ahmad, N.

2014-02-01

The smartphones mobility and its pervasiveness are beginning to transform practices in biodiversity conservation. The integrated functionalities of a smartphone have created for the public and biodiversity specialists means to identify, gather and record biodiversity data while simultaneously creating knowledge portability in the digital forms of mobile guides. Smartphones enable beginners to recreate the delight of species identification usually reserved for specialist with years of experience. Currently, the advent of Android platform has enabled stakeholders in biodiversity to harness the ubiquity of this platform and create various types of mobile application or "apps" for use in biodiversity research and conservation. However, there is an apparent lack of application devoted to the identification in herpetofauna or amphibian science. Amphibians are a large class of animals with many different species still unidentified under this category. Here we describe the development of an app called Amphibian Recognition Android Application (ARAA) to identify frog amphibian species as well as an accompanying field guide. The app has the amphibian taxonomic key which assists the users in easy and rapid species identification, thus facilitating the process of identification and recording of species occurrences in conservation work. We will also present an overview of the application work flow and how it is designed to meet the needs a conservationist. As this application is still in its beta phase, further research is required to improve the application to include tools such automatic geolocation and geotagging, participative sensing via crowdsourcing and automated identification via image capture. We believe that the introduction of this app will create an impetus to the awareness of nature via species identification.

Cellphone-based devices for bioanalytical sciences

PubMed Central

Vashist, Sandeep Kumar; Mudanyali, Onur; Schneider, E.Marion; Zengerle, Roland; Ozcan, Aydogan

2014-01-01

During the last decade, there has been a rapidly growing trend toward the use of cellphone-based devices (CBDs) in bioanalytical sciences. For example, they have been used for digital microscopy, cytometry, read-out of immunoassays and lateral flow tests, electrochemical and surface plasmon resonance based bio-sensing, colorimetric detection and healthcare monitoring, among others. Cellphone can be considered as one of the most prospective devices for the development of next-generation point-of-care (POC) diagnostics platforms, enabling mobile healthcare delivery and personalized medicine. With more than 6.5 billion cellphone subscribers worldwide and approximately 1.6 billion new devices being sold each year, cellphone technology is also creating new business and research opportunities. Many cellphone-based devices, such as those targeted for diabetic management, weight management, monitoring of blood pressure and pulse rate, have already become commercially-available in recent years. In addition to such monitoring platforms, several other CBDs are also being introduced, targeting e.g., microscopic imaging and sensing applications for medical diagnostics using novel computational algorithms and components already embedded on cellphones. This manuscript aims to review these recent developments in CBDs for bioanalytical sciences along with some of the challenges involved and the future opportunities. PMID:24287630

Characterization of carrier erythrocytes for biosensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bustamante López, Sandra C.; Meissner, Kenith E.

2017-09-01

Erythrocyte abundance, mobility, and carrying capacity make them attractive as a platform for blood analyte sensing as well as for drug delivery. Sensor-loaded erythrocytes, dubbed erythrosensors, could be reinfused into the bloodstream, excited noninvasively through the skin, and used to provide measurement of analyte levels in the bloodstream. Several techniques to load erythrocytes, thus creating carrier erythrocytes, exist. However, their cellular characteristics remain largely unstudied. Changes in cellular characteristics lead to removal from the bloodstream. We hypothesize that erythrosensors need to maintain native erythrocytes' (NEs) characteristics to serve as a long-term sensing platform. Here, we investigate two loading techniques and the properties of the resulting erythrosensors. For loading, hypotonic dilution requires a hypotonic solution while electroporation relies on electrical pulses to perforate the erythrocyte membrane. We analyze the resulting erythrosensor signal, size, morphology, and hemoglobin content. Although the resulting erythrosensors exhibit morphological changes, their size was comparable with NEs. The hypotonic dilution technique was found to load erythrosensors much more efficiently than electroporation, and the sensors were loaded throughout the volume of the erythrosensors. Finally, both techniques resulted in significant loss of hemoglobin. This study points to the need for continued development of loading techniques that better preserve NE characteristics.

A cognitive mobile BTS solution with software-defined radioelectric sensing.

PubMed

Muñoz, Jorge; Alonso, Javier Vales; García, Francisco Quiñoy; Costas, Sergio; Pillado, Marcos; Castaño, Francisco Javier González; Sánchez, Manuel García; Valcarce, Roberto López; Bravo, Cristina López

2013-02-05

Private communications inside large vehicles such as ships may be effectively provided using standard cellular systems. In this paper we propose a new solution based on software-defined radio with electromagnetic sensing support. Software-defined radio allows low-cost developments and, potentially, added-value services not available in commercial cellular networks. The platform of reference, OpenBTS, only supports single-channel cells. Our proposal, however, has the ability of changing BTS channel frequency without disrupting ongoing communications. This ability should be mandatory in vehicular environments, where neighbouring cell configurations may change rapidly, so a moving cell must be reconfigured in real-time to avoid interferences. Full details about frequency occupancy sensing and the channel reselection procedure are provided in this paper. Moreover, a procedure for fast terminal detection is proposed. This may be decisive in emergency situations, e.g., if someone falls overboard. Different tests confirm the feasibility of our proposal and its compatibility with commercial GSM terminals.

A Cognitive Mobile BTS Solution with Software-Defined Radioelectric Sensing

PubMed Central

Muñoz, Jorge; Alonso, Javier Vales; García, Francisco Quiñoy; Costas, Secundino; Pillado, Marcos; Castaño, Francisco Javier González; Sánchez, Manuel Garćia; Valcarce, Roberto López; Bravo, Cristina López

2013-01-01

Private communications inside large vehicles such as ships may be effectively provided using standard cellular systems. In this paper we propose a new solution based on software-defined radio with electromagnetic sensing support. Software-defined radio allows low-cost developments and, potentially, added-value services not available in commercial cellular networks. The platform of reference, OpenBTS, only supports single-channel cells. Our proposal, however, has the ability of changing BTS channel frequency without disrupting ongoing communications. This ability should be mandatory in vehicular environments, where neighbouring cell configurations may change rapidly, so a moving cell must be reconfigured in real-time to avoid interferences. Full details about frequency occupancy sensing and the channel reselection procedure are provided in this paper. Moreover, a procedure for fast terminal detection is proposed. This may be decisive in emergency situations, e.g., if someone falls overboard. Different tests confirm the feasibility of our proposal and its compatibility with commercial GSM terminals. PMID:23385417

Integrated Method for Purification and Single-Particle Characterization of Lentiviral Vector Systems by Size Exclusion Chromatography and Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing.

PubMed

Heider, Susanne; Muzard, Julien; Zaruba, Marianne; Metzner, Christoph

2017-07-01

Elements derived from lentiviral particles such as viral vectors or virus-like particles are commonly used for biotechnological and biomedical applications, for example in mammalian protein expression, gene delivery or therapy, and vaccine development. Preparations of high purity are necessary in most cases, especially for clinical applications. For purification, a wide range of methods are available, from density gradient centrifugation to affinity chromatography. In this study we have employed size exclusion columns specifically designed for the easy purification of extracellular vesicles including exosomes. In addition to viral marker protein and total protein analysis, a well-established single-particle characterization technology, termed tunable resistive pulse sensing, was employed to analyze fractions of highest particle load and purity and characterize the preparations by size and surface charge/electrophoretic mobility. With this study, we propose an integrated platform combining size exclusion chromatography and tunable resistive pulse sensing for monitoring production and purification of viral particles.

Crowdsensing in Smart Cities: Overview, Platforms, and Environment Sensing Issues.

PubMed

Alvear, Oscar; Calafate, Carlos T; Cano, Juan-Carlos; Manzoni, Pietro

2018-02-04

Evidence shows that Smart Cities are starting to materialise in our lives through the gradual introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. In this scope, crowdsensing emerges as a powerful solution to address environmental monitoring, allowing to control air pollution levels in crowded urban areas in a distributed, collaborative, inexpensive and accurate manner. However, even though technology is already available, such environmental sensing devices have not yet reached consumers. In this paper, we present an analysis of candidate technologies for crowdsensing architectures, along with the requirements for empowering users with air monitoring capabilities. Specifically, we start by providing an overview of the most relevant IoT architectures and protocols. Then, we present the general design of an off-the-shelf mobile environmental sensor able to cope with air quality monitoring requirements; we explore different hardware options to develop the desired sensing unit using readily available devices, discussing the main technical issues associated with each option, thereby opening new opportunities in terms of environmental monitoring programs.

Crowdsensing in Smart Cities: Overview, Platforms, and Environment Sensing Issues

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Evidence shows that Smart Cities are starting to materialise in our lives through the gradual introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. In this scope, crowdsensing emerges as a powerful solution to address environmental monitoring, allowing to control air pollution levels in crowded urban areas in a distributed, collaborative, inexpensive and accurate manner. However, even though technology is already available, such environmental sensing devices have not yet reached consumers. In this paper, we present an analysis of candidate technologies for crowdsensing architectures, along with the requirements for empowering users with air monitoring capabilities. Specifically, we start by providing an overview of the most relevant IoT architectures and protocols. Then, we present the general design of an off-the-shelf mobile environmental sensor able to cope with air quality monitoring requirements; we explore different hardware options to develop the desired sensing unit using readily available devices, discussing the main technical issues associated with each option, thereby opening new opportunities in terms of environmental monitoring programs. PMID:29401711

Mobile robots for localizing gas emission sources on landfill sites: is bio-inspiration the way to go?

PubMed

Hernandez Bennetts, Victor; Lilienthal, Achim J; Neumann, Patrick P; Trincavelli, Marco

2011-01-01

Roboticists often take inspiration from animals for designing sensors, actuators, or algorithms that control the behavior of robots. Bio-inspiration is motivated with the uncanny ability of animals to solve complex tasks like recognizing and manipulating objects, walking on uneven terrains, or navigating to the source of an odor plume. In particular the task of tracking an odor plume up to its source has nearly exclusively been addressed using biologically inspired algorithms and robots have been developed, for example, to mimic the behavior of moths, dung beetles, or lobsters. In this paper we argue that biomimetic approaches to gas source localization are of limited use, primarily because animals differ fundamentally in their sensing and actuation capabilities from state-of-the-art gas-sensitive mobile robots. To support our claim, we compare actuation and chemical sensing available to mobile robots to the corresponding capabilities of moths. We further characterize airflow and chemosensor measurements obtained with three different robot platforms (two wheeled robots and one flying micro-drone) in four prototypical environments and show that the assumption of a constant and unidirectional airflow, which is the basis of many gas source localization approaches, is usually far from being valid. This analysis should help to identify how underlying principles, which govern the gas source tracking behavior of animals, can be usefully "translated" into gas source localization approaches that fully take into account the capabilities of mobile robots. We also describe the requirements for a reference application, monitoring of gas emissions at landfill sites with mobile robots, and discuss an engineered gas source localization approach based on statistics as an alternative to biologically inspired algorithms.

Mobile Robots for Localizing Gas Emission Sources on Landfill Sites: Is Bio-Inspiration the Way to Go?

PubMed Central

Hernandez Bennetts, Victor; Lilienthal, Achim J.; Neumann, Patrick P.; Trincavelli, Marco

2011-01-01

Roboticists often take inspiration from animals for designing sensors, actuators, or algorithms that control the behavior of robots. Bio-inspiration is motivated with the uncanny ability of animals to solve complex tasks like recognizing and manipulating objects, walking on uneven terrains, or navigating to the source of an odor plume. In particular the task of tracking an odor plume up to its source has nearly exclusively been addressed using biologically inspired algorithms and robots have been developed, for example, to mimic the behavior of moths, dung beetles, or lobsters. In this paper we argue that biomimetic approaches to gas source localization are of limited use, primarily because animals differ fundamentally in their sensing and actuation capabilities from state-of-the-art gas-sensitive mobile robots. To support our claim, we compare actuation and chemical sensing available to mobile robots to the corresponding capabilities of moths. We further characterize airflow and chemosensor measurements obtained with three different robot platforms (two wheeled robots and one flying micro-drone) in four prototypical environments and show that the assumption of a constant and unidirectional airflow, which is the basis of many gas source localization approaches, is usually far from being valid. This analysis should help to identify how underlying principles, which govern the gas source tracking behavior of animals, can be usefully “translated” into gas source localization approaches that fully take into account the capabilities of mobile robots. We also describe the requirements for a reference application, monitoring of gas emissions at landfill sites with mobile robots, and discuss an engineered gas source localization approach based on statistics as an alternative to biologically inspired algorithms. PMID:22319493

Autonomous mobile platform for monitoring air emissions from industrial and municipal wastewater ponds.

PubMed

Fu, Long; Huda, Quamrul; Yang, Zheng; Zhang, Lucas; Hashisho, Zaher

2017-11-01

Significant amounts of volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases are generated from wastewater lagoons and tailings ponds in Alberta, Canada. Accurate measurements of these air pollutants and greenhouse gases are needed to support management and regulatory decisions. A mobile platform was developed to measure air emissions from tailings pond in the oil sands region of Alberta. The mobile platform was tested in 2015 in a municipal wastewater treatment lagoon. With a flux chamber and a CO 2 /CH 4 sensor on board, the mobile platform was able to measure CO 2 and CH 4 emissions over two days at two different locations in the pond. Flux emission rates of CO 2 and CH 4 that were measured over the study period suggest the presence of aerobic and anaerobic zones in the wastewater treatment lagoon. The study demonstrated the capabilities of the mobile platform in measuring fugitive air emissions and identified the potential for the applications in air and water quality monitoring programs. The Mobile Platform demonstrated in this study has the ability to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fugitive sources such as municipal wastewater lagoons. This technology can be used to measure emission fluxes from tailings ponds with better detection of spatial and temporal variations of fugitive emissions. Additional air and water sampling equipment could be added to the mobile platform for a broad range of air and water quality studies in the oil sands region of Alberta.

Blood glucose level prediction based on support vector regression using mobile platforms.

PubMed

Reymann, Maximilian P; Dorschky, Eva; Groh, Benjamin H; Martindale, Christine; Blank, Peter; Eskofier, Bjoern M

2016-08-01

The correct treatment of diabetes is vital to a patient's health: Staying within defined blood glucose levels prevents dangerous short- and long-term effects on the body. Mobile devices informing patients about their future blood glucose levels could enable them to take counter-measures to prevent hypo or hyper periods. Previous work addressed this challenge by predicting the blood glucose levels using regression models. However, these approaches required a physiological model, representing the human body's response to insulin and glucose intake, or are not directly applicable to mobile platforms (smart phones, tablets). In this paper, we propose an algorithm for mobile platforms to predict blood glucose levels without the need for a physiological model. Using an online software simulator program, we trained a Support Vector Regression (SVR) model and exported the parameter settings to our mobile platform. The prediction accuracy of our mobile platform was evaluated with pre-recorded data of a type 1 diabetes patient. The blood glucose level was predicted with an error of 19 % compared to the true value. Considering the permitted error of commercially used devices of 15 %, our algorithm is the basis for further development of mobile prediction algorithms.

The Performance Analysis of a Uav Based Mobile Mapping System Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, M. L.; Chiang, K. W.; Lo, C. F.; Ch, C. H.

2013-08-01

To facilitate applications such as environment detection or disaster monitoring, the development of rapid low cost systems for collecting near real-time spatial information is very critical. Rapid spatial information collection has become an emerging trend for remote sensing and mapping applications. This study develops a Direct Georeferencing (DG) based fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetric platform where an Inertial Navigation System (INS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) integrated Positioning and Orientation System (POS) system is implemented to provide the DG capability of the platform. The performance verification indicates that the proposed platform can capture aerial images successfully. A flight test is performed to verify the positioning accuracy in DG mode without using Ground Control Points (GCP). The preliminary results illustrate that horizontal DG positioning accuracies in the x and y axes are around 5 m with 300 m flight height. The positioning accuracy in the z axis is less than 10 m. Such accuracy is good for near real-time disaster relief. The DG ready function of proposed platform guarantees mapping and positioning capability even in GCP free environments, which is very important for rapid urgent response for disaster relief. Generally speaking, the data processing time for the DG module, including POS solution generalization, interpolation, Exterior Orientation Parameters (EOP) generation, and feature point measurements, is less than one hour.

VTT's Fabry-Perot interferometer technologies for hyperspectral imaging and mobile sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rissanen, Anna; Guo, Bin; Saari, Heikki; Näsilä, Antti; Mannila, Rami; Akujärvi, Altti; Ojanen, Harri

2017-02-01

VTT's Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPI) technology enables creation of small and cost-efficient microspectrometers and hyperspectral imagers - these robust and light-weight sensors are currently finding their way into a variety of novel applications, including emerging medical products, automotive sensors, space instruments and mobile sensing devices. This presentation gives an overview of our core FPI technologies with current advances in generation of novel sensing applications including recent mobile technology demonstrators of a hyperspectral iPhone and a mobile phone CO2 sensor, which aim to advance mobile spectroscopic sensing.

Sensor deployment on unmanned ground vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerhart, Grant R.; Witus, Gary

2007-10-01

TARDEC has been developing payloads for small robots as part of its unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) development programs. These platforms typically weigh less than 100 lbs and are used for various physical security and force protection applications. This paper will address a number of technical issues including platform mobility, payload positioning, sensor configuration and operational tradeoffs. TARDEC has developed a number of robots with different mobility mechanisms including track, wheel and hybrid track/wheel running gear configurations. An extensive discussion will focus upon omni-directional vehicle (ODV) platforms with enhanced intrinsic mobility for positioning sensor payloads. This paper also discusses tradeoffs between intrinsic platform mobility and articulated arm complexity for end point positioning of modular sensor packages.

All-soft, battery-free, and wireless chemical sensing platform based on liquid metal for liquid- and gas-phase VOC detection.

PubMed

Kim, Min-Gu; Alrowais, Hommood; Kim, Choongsoon; Yeon, Pyungwoo; Ghovanloo, Maysam; Brand, Oliver

2017-06-27

Lightweight, flexible, stretchable, and wireless sensing platforms have gained significant attention for personal healthcare and environmental monitoring applications. This paper introduces an all-soft (flexible and stretchable), battery-free, and wireless chemical microsystem using gallium-based liquid metal (eutectic gallium-indium alloy, EGaIn) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), fabricated using an advanced liquid metal thin-line patterning technique based on soft lithography. Considering its flexible, stretchable, and lightweight characteristics, the proposed sensing platform is well suited for wearable sensing applications either on the skin or on clothing. Using the microfluidic sensing platform, detection of liquid-phase and gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOC) is demonstrated using the same design, which gives an opportunity to have the sensor operate under different working conditions and environments. In the case of liquid-phase chemical sensing, the wireless sensing performance and microfluidic capacitance tunability for different dielectric liquids are evaluated using analytical, numerical, and experimental approaches. In the case of gas-phase chemical sensing, PDMS is used both as a substrate and a sensing material. The gas sensing performance is evaluated and compared to a silicon-based, solid-state gas sensor with a PDMS sensing film.

Development of fast wireless detection system for fixed offshore platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhigang; Yu, Yan; Jiao, Dong; Wang, Jie; Li, Zhirui; Ou, Jinping

2011-04-01

Offshore platforms' security is concerned since in 1950s and 1960s, and in the early 1980s some important specifications and standards are built, and all these provide technical basis of fixed platform design, construction, installation and evaluation. With the condition that more and more platforms are in serving over age, the research about the evaluation and detection technology of offshore platform has been a hotspot, especially underwater detection, and assessment method based on the finite element calculation. For fixed platform structure detection, conventional NDT methods, such as eddy current, magnetic powder, permeate, X-ray and ultrasonic, etc, are generally used. These techniques are more mature, intuitive, but underwater detection needs underwater robot, the necessary supporting tools of auxiliary equipment, and trained professional team, thus resources and cost used are considerable, installation time of test equipment is long. This project presents a new kind of fast wireless detection and damage diagnosis system for fixed offshore platform using wireless sensor networks, that is, wireless sensor nodes can be put quickly on the offshore platform, detect offshore platform structure global status by wireless communication, and then make diagnosis. This system is operated simply, suitable for offshore platform integrity states rapid assessment. The designed system consists in intelligence acquisition equipment and 8 wireless collection nodes, the whole system has 64 collection channels, namely every wireless collection node has eight 16-bit accuracy of A/D channels. Wireless collection node, integrated with vibration sensing unit, embedded low-power micro-processing unit, wireless transceiver unit, large-capacity power unit, and GPS time synchronization unit, can finish the functions such as vibration data collection, initial analysis, data storage, data wireless transmission. Intelligence acquisition equipment, integrated with high-performance computation unit, wireless transceiver unit, mobile power unit and embedded data analysis software, can totally control multi-wireless collection nodes, receive and analyze data, parameter identification. Data is transmitted at the 2.4GHz wireless communication channel, every sensing data channel in charge of data transmission is in a stable frequency band, control channel responsible for the control of power parameters is in a public frequency band. The test is initially conducted for the designed system, experimental results show that the system has good application prospects and practical value with fast arrangement, high sampling rate, high resolution, capacity of low frequency detection.

Spatial service delivery system for smart licensing & enforcement management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahap, N. A.; Ismail, N. M.; Nor, N. M.; Ahmad, N.; Omar, M. F.; Termizi, A. A. A.; Zainal, D.; Noordin, N. M.; Mansor, S.

2016-06-01

Spatial information has introduced a new sense of urgency for a better understanding of the public needs in term of what, when and where they need services and through which devices, platform or physical locations they need them. The objective of this project is to value- add existing license management process for business premises which comes under the responsibility of Local Authority (PBT). Manipulation of geospatial and tracing technology via mobile platform allows enforcement officers to work in real-time, use a standardized system, improve service delivery, and optimize operation management. This paper will augment the scope and capabilities of proposed concept namely, Smart Licensing/Enforcement Management (SLEm). It will review the current licensing and enforcement practice of selected PBT in comparison to the enhanced method. As a result, the new enhanced system is expected to offer a total solution for licensing/enforcement management whilst increasing efficiency and transparency for smart city management and governance.

Remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop cloud platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jie; Zhu, Lingling; Cao, Fubin

2018-01-01

To solve the problem that the remote sensing image segmentation speed is slow and the real-time performance is poor, this paper studies the method of remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop platform. On the basis of analyzing the structural characteristics of Hadoop cloud platform and its component MapReduce programming, this paper proposes a method of image segmentation based on the combination of OpenCV and Hadoop cloud platform. Firstly, the MapReduce image processing model of Hadoop cloud platform is designed, the input and output of image are customized and the segmentation method of the data file is rewritten. Then the Mean Shift image segmentation algorithm is implemented. Finally, this paper makes a segmentation experiment on remote sensing image, and uses MATLAB to realize the Mean Shift image segmentation algorithm to compare the same image segmentation experiment. The experimental results show that under the premise of ensuring good effect, the segmentation rate of remote sensing image segmentation based on Hadoop cloud Platform has been greatly improved compared with the single MATLAB image segmentation, and there is a great improvement in the effectiveness of image segmentation.

VisitSense: Sensing Place Visit Patterns from Ambient Radio on Smartphones for Targeted Mobile Ads in Shopping Malls.

PubMed

Kim, Byoungjip; Kang, Seungwoo; Ha, Jin-Young; Song, Junehwa

2015-07-16

In this paper, we introduce a novel smartphone framework called VisitSense that automatically detects and predicts a smartphone user's place visits from ambient radio to enable behavioral targeting for mobile ads in large shopping malls. VisitSense enables mobile app developers to adopt visit-pattern-aware mobile advertising for shopping mall visitors in their apps. It also benefits mobile users by allowing them to receive highly relevant mobile ads that are aware of their place visit patterns in shopping malls. To achieve the goal, VisitSense employs accurate visit detection and prediction methods. For accurate visit detection, we develop a change-based detection method to take into consideration the stability change of ambient radio and the mobility change of users. It performs well in large shopping malls where ambient radio is quite noisy and causes existing algorithms to easily fail. In addition, we proposed a causality-based visit prediction model to capture the causality in the sequential visit patterns for effective prediction. We have developed a VisitSense prototype system, and a visit-pattern-aware mobile advertising application that is based on it. Furthermore, we deploy the system in the COEX Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in Korea, and conduct diverse experiments to show the effectiveness of VisitSense.

Hardware Support for Malware Defense and End-to-End Trust

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-02-01

IoT) sensors and actuators, mobile devices and servers; cloud based, stand alone, and traditional mainframes. The prototype developed demonstrated...virtual machines. For mobile platforms we developed and prototyped an architecture supporting separation of personalities on the same platform...4 3.1. MOBILE

Realtime Gas Emission Monitoring at Hazardous Sites Using a Distributed Point-Source Sensing Infrastructure

PubMed Central

Manes, Gianfranco; Collodi, Giovanni; Gelpi, Leonardo; Fusco, Rosanna; Ricci, Giuseppe; Manes, Antonio; Passafiume, Marco

2016-01-01

This paper describes a distributed point-source monitoring platform for gas level and leakage detection in hazardous environments. The platform, based on a wireless sensor network (WSN) architecture, is organised into sub-networks to be positioned in the plant’s critical areas; each sub-net includes a gateway unit wirelessly connected to the WSN nodes, hence providing an easily deployable, stand-alone infrastructure featuring a high degree of scalability and reconfigurability. Furthermore, the system provides automated calibration routines which can be accomplished by non-specialized maintenance operators without system reliability reduction issues. Internet connectivity is provided via TCP/IP over GPRS (Internet standard protocols over mobile networks) gateways at a one-minute sampling rate. Environmental and process data are forwarded to a remote server and made available to authenticated users through a user interface that provides data rendering in various formats and multi-sensor data fusion. The platform is able to provide real-time plant management with an effective; accurate tool for immediate warning in case of critical events. PMID:26805832

Designing algorithm visualization on mobile platform: The proposed guidelines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supli, A. A.; Shiratuddin, N.

2017-09-01

This paper entails an ongoing study about the design guidelines of algorithm visualization (AV) on mobile platform, helping students learning data structures and algorithm (DSA) subject effectively. Our previous review indicated that design guidelines of AV on mobile platform are still few. Mostly, previous guidelines of AV are developed for AV on desktop and website platform. In fact, mobile learning has been proved to enhance engagement in learning circumstances, and thus effect student's performance. In addition, the researchers highly recommend including UI design and Interactivity in designing effective AV system. However, the discussions of these two aspects in previous AV design guidelines are not comprehensive. The UI design in this paper describes the arrangement of AV features in mobile environment, whereas interactivity is about the active learning strategy features based on learning experiences (how to engage learners). Thus, this study main objective is to propose design guidelines of AV on mobile platform (AVOMP) that entails comprehensively UI design and interactivity aspects. These guidelines are developed through content analysis and comparative analysis from various related studies. These guidelines are useful for AV designers to help them constructing AVOMP for various topics on DSA.

Structurally Integrated Photoluminescent Chemical and Biological Sensors: An Organic Light-Emitting Diode-Based Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinar, J.; Shinar, R.

The chapter describes the development, advantages, challenges, and potential of an emerging, compact photoluminescence-based sensing platform for chemical and biological analytes, including multiple analytes. In this platform, the excitation source is an array of organic light-emitting device (OLED) pixels that is structurally integrated with the sensing component. Steps towards advanced integration with additionally a thin-film-based photodetector are also described. The performance of the OLED-based sensing platform is examined for gas-phase and dissolved oxygen, glucose, lactate, ethanol, hydrazine, and anthrax lethal factor.

VIEW OF HB1 (VAB HIGH BAY) WITH MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM ...

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

VIEW OF HB-1 (VAB HIGH BAY) WITH MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM (VEHICLE ACCESS PLATFORMS ARE VISIBLE IN THE CENTER), FACING WEST - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Unmanned Aerial System Aids Dry-season Stream Temperature Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, M.; Detweiler, C.; Higgins, J.; Ore, J. P.; Dralle, D.; Thompson, S. E.

2016-12-01

In freshwater ecosystems, temperature affects biogeochemistry and ecology, and is thus a primary physical determinant of habitat quality. Measuring temperatures in spatially heterogeneous water bodies poses a serious challenge to researchers due to constraints associated with currently available methods: in situ loggers record temporally continuous temperature measurements but are limited to discrete spatial locations, while distributed temperature and remote sensing provide fine-resolution spatial measurements that are restricted to only two-dimensions (i.e. streambed and surface, respectively). Using a commercially available quadcopter equipped with a 6m cable and temperature-pressure sensor system, we measured stream temperatures at two confluences at the South Fork Eel River, where cold water inputs from the tributary to the mainstem create thermal refugia for juvenile salmonids during the dry season. As a mobile sensing platform, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can facilitate quick and repeated sampling with minimal disturbance to the ecosystem, and their datasets can be interpolated to create a three-dimensional thermal map of a water body. The UAS-derived data was compared to data from in situ data loggers to evaluate whether the UAS is better able to capture fine-scale temperature dynamics at each confluence. The UAS has inherent limitations defined by battery life and flight times, as well as operational constraints related to maneuverability under wind and streamflow conditions. However, the platform is able to serve as an additional field tool for researchers to capture complex thermal structures in water bodies.

3D shape measurement system developed on mobile platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhoujie; Chang, Meng; Shi, Bowen; Zhang, Qican

2017-02-01

Three-dimensional (3-D) shape measurement technology based on structured light has become one hot research field inspired by the increasing requirements. Many methods have been implemented and applied in the industry applications, but most of their equipments are large and complex, cannot be portable. Meanwhile, the popularity of the smart mobile terminals, such as smart phones, provides a platform for the miniaturization and portability of this technology. The measurement system based on phase-shift algorithm and Gray-code pattern under the Android platform on a mobile phone is mainly studied and developed, and it has been encapsulated into a mobile phone application in order to reconstruct 3-D shape data in the employed smart phone easily and quickly. The experimental results of two measured object are given in this paper and demonstrate the application we developed in the mobile platform is effective.

NASA NDE Applications for Mobile MEMS Devices and Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, William C.; Atkinson, Gary M.; Barclay, R. O.

2008-01-01

NASA would like new devices and sensors for performing nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of aerospace vehicles. These devices must be small in size/volume, mass, and power consumption. The devices must be autonomous and mobile so they can access the internal structures of aircraft and spacecraft and adequately monitor the structural health of these craft. The platforms must be mobile in order to transport NDE sensors for evaluating structural integrity and determining whether further investigations will be required. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology is crucial to the development of the mobile platforms and sensor systems. This paper presents NASA s needs for micro mobile platforms and MEMS sensors that will enable NDE to be performed on aerospace vehicles.

Handheld Microneedle-Based Electrolyte Sensing Platform.

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

Miller, Philip R.; Rivas, Rhiana; Johnson, David

2015-11-01

Sandia National Laboratories will provide technical assistance, within time and budget, to Requester on testing and analyzing a microneedle-based electrolyte sensing platform. Hollow microneedles will be fabricated at Sandia and integrated with a fluidic chip using plastic laminate prototyping technology available at Sandia. In connection with commercial ion selective electrodes the sensing platform will be tested for detection of electrolytes (sodium and/or potassium) within physiological relevant concent ration ranges.

Mobile Sensor Technologies Being Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greer, Lawrence C.; Oberle, Lawrence G.

2003-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center is developing small mobile platforms for sensor placement, as well as methods for communicating between roving platforms and a central command location. The first part of this project is to use commercially available equipment to miniaturize an existing sensor platform. We developed a five-circuit-board suite, with an average board size of 1.5 by 3 cm. Shown in the preceding photograph, this suite provides all motor control, direction finding, and communications capabilities for a 27- by 21- by 40-mm prototype mobile platform. The second part of the project is to provide communications between mobile platforms, and also between multiple platforms and a central command location. This is accomplished with a low-power network labeled "SPAN," Sensor Platform Area Network, a local area network made up of proximity elements. In practice, these proximity elements are composed of fixed- and mobile-sensor-laden science packages that communicate to each other via radiofrequency links. Data in the network will be shared by a central command location that will pass information into and out of the network through its access to a backbone element. The result will be a protocol portable to general purpose microcontrollers satisfying a host of sensor networking tasks. This network will enter the gap somewhere between television remotes and Bluetooth but, unlike 802.15.4, will not specify a physical layer, thus allowing for many data rates over optical, acoustical, radiofrequency, hardwire, or other media. Since the protocol will exist as portable C-code, developers may be able to embed it in a host of microcontrollers from commercial to space grade and, of course, to design it into ASICs. Unlike in 802.15.4, the nodes will relate to each other as peers. A demonstration of this protocol using the two test bed platforms was recently held. Two NASA modified, commercially available, mobile platforms communicated and shared data with each other and a central command location. Web-based control and interrogation of similar mobile sensor platforms have also been demonstrated. Expected applications of this technology include robotic planetary exploration, astronaut-to-equipment communication, and remote aerospace engine inspections.

Perfect-absorption graphene metamaterials for surface-enhanced molecular fingerprint spectroscopy.

PubMed

Guo, Xiangdong; Hu, Hai; Liao, Baoxin; Zhu, Xing; Yang, Xiaoxia; Dai, Qing

2018-05-04

Graphene plasmon with extremely strong light confinement and tunable resonance frequency represents a promising surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) sensing platform. However, plasmonic absorption is relatively weak (approximately 1%-9%) in monolayer graphene nanostructures, which would limit its sensitivity. Here, we theoretically propose a hybrid plasmon-metamaterial structure that can realize perfect absorption in graphene with a low carrier mobility of 1000 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . This structure combines a gold reflector and a gold grating to the graphene plasmon structures, which introduce interference effect and the lightning-rod effect, respectively, and largely enhance the coupling of light to graphene. The vibration signal of trace molecules can be enhanced up to 2000-fold at the hotspot of the perfect-absorption structure, enabling the SEIRA sensing to reach the molecular level. This hybrid metal-graphene structure provides a novel path to generate high sensitivity in nanoscale molecular recognition for numerous applications.

Perfect-absorption graphene metamaterials for surface-enhanced molecular fingerprint spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xiangdong; Hu, Hai; Liao, Baoxin; Zhu, Xing; Yang, Xiaoxia; Dai, Qing

2018-05-01

Graphene plasmon with extremely strong light confinement and tunable resonance frequency represents a promising surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) sensing platform. However, plasmonic absorption is relatively weak (approximately 1%-9%) in monolayer graphene nanostructures, which would limit its sensitivity. Here, we theoretically propose a hybrid plasmon-metamaterial structure that can realize perfect absorption in graphene with a low carrier mobility of 1000 cm2 V-1 s-1. This structure combines a gold reflector and a gold grating to the graphene plasmon structures, which introduce interference effect and the lightning-rod effect, respectively, and largely enhance the coupling of light to graphene. The vibration signal of trace molecules can be enhanced up to 2000-fold at the hotspot of the perfect-absorption structure, enabling the SEIRA sensing to reach the molecular level. This hybrid metal-graphene structure provides a novel path to generate high sensitivity in nanoscale molecular recognition for numerous applications.

Single DNA imaging and length quantification through a mobile phone microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qingshan; Luo, Wei; Chiang, Samuel; Kappel, Tara; Mejia, Crystal; Tseng, Derek; Chan, Raymond Yan L.; Yan, Eddie; Qi, Hangfei; Shabbir, Faizan; Ozkan, Haydar; Feng, Steve; Ozcan, Aydogan

2016-03-01

The development of sensitive optical microscopy methods for the detection of single DNA molecules has become an active research area which cultivates various promising applications including point-of-care (POC) genetic testing and diagnostics. Direct visualization of individual DNA molecules usually relies on sophisticated optical microscopes that are mostly available in well-equipped laboratories. For POC DNA testing/detection, there is an increasing need for the development of new single DNA imaging and sensing methods that are field-portable, cost-effective, and accessible for diagnostic applications in resource-limited or field-settings. For this aim, we developed a mobile-phone integrated fluorescence microscopy platform that allows imaging and sizing of single DNA molecules that are stretched on a chip. This handheld device contains an opto-mechanical attachment integrated onto a smartphone camera module, which creates a high signal-to-noise ratio dark-field imaging condition by using an oblique illumination/excitation configuration. Using this device, we demonstrated imaging of individual linearly stretched λ DNA molecules (48 kilobase-pair, kbp) over 2 mm2 field-of-view. We further developed a robust computational algorithm and a smartphone app that allowed the users to quickly quantify the length of each DNA fragment imaged using this mobile interface. The cellphone based device was tested by five different DNA samples (5, 10, 20, 40, and 48 kbp), and a sizing accuracy of <1 kbp was demonstrated for DNA strands longer than 10 kbp. This mobile DNA imaging and sizing platform can be very useful for various diagnostic applications including the detection of disease-specific genes and quantification of copy-number-variations at POC settings.

Improving Evidence Dissemination and Accessibility through a Mobile-based Resource Platform.

PubMed

Zhu, Zheng; Xing, Weijie; Hu, Yan; Zhou, Yingfeng; Gu, Ying

2018-05-28

Current mobile information technologies fundamentally influence evidence dissemination from the perspective of both evidence seekers and evidence providers. However, there is no related study which tried using a mobile-based platform to disseminate evidence in China. The main object of this study is to develop a mobile-based evidence resource platform and to evaluate its effects of improving nurses' access to evidence-based practice resources and meeting users' demands. The mobile-based evidence resource platform was developed in 2014. A cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 2 months between December 2015 and January 2016 to evaluate user experiences of and preferences regarding the platform. Descriptive analysis was adopted to analyze information and its communication effects from December 2014 to March 2017. A total of 472 participants met the inclusion criteria and responded to the survey. High scores were received for the overall rating (4.34 ± 0.67), evidence section (4.30 ± 0.63), learning materials section (4.26 ± 0.65), news section (4.27 ± 0.66), readability (4.38 ± 0.63), design and structure (4.38 ± 0.63), and interactivity (3.58 ± 0.84). As of March 31, 2017, the total number of followers was 28,954. The total number of readings was 584,834. The most current WCI value was 388.72. Our study demonstrated that the mobile-based platform for evidence transfer can promote the accessibility of evidence and meet users' demands. This mobile-based platform is currently available in the WeChat application environment. It will be a wise option for healthcare professionals for the purposes of learning about EBP and disseminating evidence in China.

Ethical implications of location and accelerometer measurement in health research studies with mobile sensing devices.

PubMed

Fuller, Daniel; Shareck, Martine; Stanley, Kevin

2017-10-01

Quantification of individual behaviours using mobile sensing devices, including physical activity and spatial location, is a rapidly growing field in both academic research and the corporate world. In this case study, we summarize the literature examining the ethical aspects of mobile sensing and argue that a robust discussion about the ethical implications of mobile sensing for research purposes has not occurred sufficiently in the literature. Based on our literature summary and guided by basic ethical principles set out in Canadian, US, and International Ethics documents we propose four areas where further discussion should occur: consent, privacy and confidentiality, mitigating risk, and consideration of vulnerable populations. We argue that ongoing consent is crucial for participants to be aware of the precision and volume of data that is collected with mobile sensing devices. Related to privacy we discuss that participants may not agree that anonymized data is sufficient for privacy and confidentiality when mobile sensing data are collected. There has been some discussion about mitigating risk in the literature. We highlight that the researchers' obligations toward mitigating risks that are not directly related to the study purpose are unclear and require considerable discussion. Finally, using mobile sensing devices to study vulnerable populations requires careful consideration, particularly with respect to balancing research needs with participant burden. Based on our discussion, we identify a broad set of unanswered questions about the ethics of mobile sensing that should be addressed by the research community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the performances of computer vision algorithms on mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battiato, S.; Farinella, G. M.; Messina, E.; Puglisi, G.; Ravì, D.; Capra, A.; Tomaselli, V.

2012-01-01

Computer Vision enables mobile devices to extract the meaning of the observed scene from the information acquired with the onboard sensor cameras. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in Computer Vision algorithms able to work on mobile platform (e.g., phone camera, point-and-shot-camera, etc.). Indeed, bringing Computer Vision capabilities on mobile devices open new opportunities in different application contexts. The implementation of vision algorithms on mobile devices is still a challenging task since these devices have poor image sensors and optics as well as limited processing power. In this paper we have considered different algorithms covering classic Computer Vision tasks: keypoint extraction, face detection, image segmentation. Several tests have been done to compare the performances of the involved mobile platforms: Nokia N900, LG Optimus One, Samsung Galaxy SII.

Open-source mobile digital platform for clinical trial data collection in low-resource settings.

PubMed

van Dam, Joris; Omondi Onyango, Kevin; Midamba, Brian; Groosman, Nele; Hooper, Norman; Spector, Jonathan; Pillai, Goonaseelan Colin; Ogutu, Bernhards

2017-02-01

Governments, universities and pan-African research networks are building durable infrastructure and capabilities for biomedical research in Africa. This offers the opportunity to adopt from the outset innovative approaches and technologies that would be challenging to retrofit into fully established research infrastructures such as those regularly found in high-income countries. In this context we piloted the use of a novel mobile digital health platform, designed specifically for low-resource environments, to support high-quality data collection in a clinical research study. Our primary aim was to assess the feasibility of a using a mobile digital platform for clinical trial data collection in a low-resource setting. Secondarily, we sought to explore the potential benefits of such an approach. The investigative site was a research institute in Nairobi, Kenya. We integrated an open-source platform for mobile data collection commonly used in the developing world with an open-source, standard platform for electronic data capture in clinical trials. The integration was developed using common data standards (Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Operational Data Model), maximising the potential to extend the approach to other platforms. The system was deployed in a pharmacokinetic study involving healthy human volunteers. The electronic data collection platform successfully supported conduct of the study. Multidisciplinary users reported high levels of satisfaction with the mobile application and highlighted substantial advantages when compared with traditional paper record systems. The new system also demonstrated a potential for expediting data quality review. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of using a mobile digital platform for clinical research data collection in low-resource settings. Sustainable scientific capabilities and infrastructure are essential to attract and support clinical research studies. Since many research structures in Africa are being developed anew, stakeholders should consider implementing innovative technologies and approaches.

VisitSense: Sensing Place Visit Patterns from Ambient Radio on Smartphones for Targeted Mobile Ads in Shopping Malls

PubMed Central

Kim, Byoungjip; Kang, Seungwoo; Ha, Jin-Young; Song, Junehwa

2015-01-01

In this paper, we introduce a novel smartphone framework called VisitSense that automatically detects and predicts a smartphone user’s place visits from ambient radio to enable behavioral targeting for mobile ads in large shopping malls. VisitSense enables mobile app developers to adopt visit-pattern-aware mobile advertising for shopping mall visitors in their apps. It also benefits mobile users by allowing them to receive highly relevant mobile ads that are aware of their place visit patterns in shopping malls. To achieve the goal, VisitSense employs accurate visit detection and prediction methods. For accurate visit detection, we develop a change-based detection method to take into consideration the stability change of ambient radio and the mobility change of users. It performs well in large shopping malls where ambient radio is quite noisy and causes existing algorithms to easily fail. In addition, we proposed a causality-based visit prediction model to capture the causality in the sequential visit patterns for effective prediction. We have developed a VisitSense prototype system, and a visit-pattern-aware mobile advertising application that is based on it. Furthermore, we deploy the system in the COEX Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in Korea, and conduct diverse experiments to show the effectiveness of VisitSense. PMID:26193275

Bundle block adjustment of large-scale remote sensing data with Block-based Sparse Matrix Compression combined with Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Maoteng; Zhang, Yongjun; Zhou, Shunping; Zhu, Junfeng; Xiong, Xiaodong

2016-07-01

In recent years, new platforms and sensors in photogrammetry, remote sensing and computer vision areas have become available, such as Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV), oblique camera systems, common digital cameras and even mobile phone cameras. Images collected by all these kinds of sensors could be used as remote sensing data sources. These sensors can obtain large-scale remote sensing data which consist of a great number of images. Bundle block adjustment of large-scale data with conventional algorithm is very time and space (memory) consuming due to the super large normal matrix arising from large-scale data. In this paper, an efficient Block-based Sparse Matrix Compression (BSMC) method combined with the Preconditioned Conjugate Gradient (PCG) algorithm is chosen to develop a stable and efficient bundle block adjustment system in order to deal with the large-scale remote sensing data. The main contribution of this work is the BSMC-based PCG algorithm which is more efficient in time and memory than the traditional algorithm without compromising the accuracy. Totally 8 datasets of real data are used to test our proposed method. Preliminary results have shown that the BSMC method can efficiently decrease the time and memory requirement of large-scale data.

Development of Photoacoustic Sensing Platforms at the US Army Research Laboratory

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

RDX and TNT explosives with carbon dioxide laser. J Appl Spectrosc. 2006;73(1):123–129. 45. Petzold A, Niessner R. Photoacoustic soot sensor for in...Development of Photoacoustic Sensing Platforms at the US Army Research Laboratory by Ellen L Holthoff and Paul M Pellegrino Sensors and Electron Devices...NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Traditionally, chemical sensing platforms have been hampered by the opposing concerns of increasing sensor capability while

Future mobile access for open-data platforms and the BBC-DaaS system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edlich, Stefan; Singh, Sonam; Pfennigstorf, Ingo

2013-03-01

In this paper, we develop an open data platform on multimedia devices to act as marketplace of data for information seekers and data providers. We explore the important aspects of Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) service in the cloud with a mobile access point. The basis of the DaaS service is to act as a marketplace for information, utilizing new technologies and recent new scalable polyglot architectures based on NoSql databases. Whereas Open-Data platforms are beginning to be widely accepted, its mobile use is not. We compare similar products, their approach and a possible mobile usage. We discuss several approaches to address the mobile access as a native app, html5 and a mobile first approach together with the several frontend presentation techniques. Big data visualization itself is in the early days and we explore some possibilities to get big data / open data accessed by mobile users.

Control system and method for payload control in mobile platform cranes

DOEpatents

Robinett, III, Rush D.; Groom, Kenneth N.; Feddema, John T.; Parker, Gordon G.

2002-01-01

A crane control system and method provides a way to generate crane commands responsive to a desired payload motion to achieve substantially pendulation-free actual payload motion. The control system and method apply a motion compensator to maintain a payload in a defined payload configuration relative to an inertial coordinate frame. The control system and method can further comprise a pendulation damper controller to reduce an amount of pendulation between a sensed payload configuration and the defined payload configuration. The control system and method can further comprise a command shaping filter to filter out a residual payload pendulation frequency from the desired payload motion.

Hot air balloons fill gap in atmospheric and sensing platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, Steven M.; Price, Russ

Eric Edgerton was having a problem he could not solve: how to noninvasively collect in situ incinerator plume data. So he called in the Air Force and learned about its Atmospheric and Sensor Test Platform program; its platform is a manned hot air balloon. Many investigators are discovering the advantages of hot air balloons as stable, inexpensive platforms for performing in situ atmospheric measurements. Some are also using remote sensing capabilities on the balloon platforms.

Heightened sense for sensing: recent advances in pathogen immunoassay sensing platforms.

PubMed

Fischer, Nicholas O; Tarasow, Theodore M; Tok, Jeffrey B-H

2007-03-01

Rapid and efficient sensors are essential for effective defense against the emerging threat of bioterrorism and biological warfare. This review article describes several recent immunosensing advances that are relevant to biothreat detection. These highly diverse examples are intended to demonstrate the breadth of these immunochemical sensing systems and platforms while highlighting those technologies that are suitable for pathogen detection.

Limited rotation of the mobile-bearing in a rotating platform total knee prosthesis.

PubMed

Garling, E H; Kaptein, B L; Nelissen, R G H H; Valstar, E R

2007-01-01

The hypothesis of this study was that the polyethylene bearing in a rotating platform total knee prosthesis shows axial rotation during a step-up motion, thereby facilitating the theoretical advantages of mobile-bearing knee prostheses. We examined 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had a rotating platform total knee arthroplasty (NexGen LPS mobile, Zimmer Inc. Warsaw, USA). Fluoroscopic data was collected during a step-up motion six months postoperatively. A 3D-2D model fitting technique was used to reconstruct the in vivo 3D kinematics. The femoral component showed more axial rotation than the polyethylene mobile-bearing insert compared to the tibia during extension. In eight knees, the femoral component rotated internally with respect to the tibia during extension. In the other two knees the femoral component rotated externally with respect to the tibia. In all 10 patients, the femur showed more axial rotation than the mobile-bearing insert indicating the femoral component was sliding on the polyethylene of the rotating platform during the step-up motion. Possible explanations are a too limited conformity between femoral component and insert, the anterior located pivot location of the investigated rotating platform design, polyethylene on metal impingement and fibrous tissue formation between the mobile-bearing insert and the tibial plateau.

A reconfigurable computing platform for plume tracking with mobile sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Byung Hwa; D'Souza, Colin; Voyles, Richard M.; Hesch, Joel; Roumeliotis, Stergios I.

2006-05-01

Much work has been undertaken recently toward the development of low-power, high-performance sensor networks. There are many static remote sensing applications for which this is appropriate. The focus of this development effort is applications that require higher performance computation, but still involve severe constraints on power and other resources. Toward that end, we are developing a reconfigurable computing platform for miniature robotic and human-deployed sensor systems composed of several mobile nodes. The system provides static and dynamic reconfigurability for both software and hardware by the combination of CPU (central processing unit) and FPGA (field-programmable gate array) allowing on-the-fly reprogrammability. Static reconfigurability of the hardware manifests itself in the form of a "morphing bus" architecture that permits the modular connection of various sensors with no bus interface logic. Dynamic hardware reconfigurability provides for the reallocation of hardware resources at run-time as the mobile, resource-constrained nodes encounter unknown environmental conditions that render various sensors ineffective. This computing platform will be described in the context of work on chemical/biological/radiological plume tracking using a distributed team of mobile sensors. The objective for a dispersed team of ground and/or aerial autonomous vehicles (or hand-carried sensors) is to acquire measurements of the concentration of the chemical agent from optimal locations and estimate its source and spread. This requires appropriate distribution, coordination and communication within the team members across a potentially unknown environment. The key problem is to determine the parameters of the distribution of the harmful agent so as to use these values for determining its source and predicting its spread. The accuracy and convergence rate of this estimation process depend not only on the number and accuracy of the sensor measurements but also on their spatial distribution over time (the sampling strategy). For the safety of a human-deployed distribution of sensors, optimized trajectories to minimize human exposure are also of importance. The systems described in this paper are currently being developed. Parts of the system are already in existence and some results from these are described.

Assessing the Decision Process towards Bring Your Own Device

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koester, Richard F.

2017-01-01

Information technology continues to evolve to the point where mobile technologies--such as smart phones, tablets, and ultra-mobile computers have the embedded flexibility and power to be a ubiquitous platform to fulfill the entire user's computing needs. Mobile technology users view these platforms as adaptable enough to be the single solution for…

Symbiotic Sensing for Energy-Intensive Tasks in Large-Scale Mobile Sensing Applications.

PubMed

Le, Duc V; Nguyen, Thuong; Scholten, Hans; Havinga, Paul J M

2017-11-29

Energy consumption is a critical performance and user experience metric when developing mobile sensing applications, especially with the significantly growing number of sensing applications in recent years. As proposed a decade ago when mobile applications were still not popular and most mobile operating systems were single-tasking, conventional sensing paradigms such as opportunistic sensing and participatory sensing do not explore the relationship among concurrent applications for energy-intensive tasks. In this paper, inspired by social relationships among living creatures in nature, we propose a symbiotic sensing paradigm that can conserve energy, while maintaining equivalent performance to existing paradigms. The key idea is that sensing applications should cooperatively perform common tasks to avoid acquiring the same resources multiple times. By doing so, this sensing paradigm executes sensing tasks with very little extra resource consumption and, consequently, extends battery life. To evaluate and compare the symbiotic sensing paradigm with the existing ones, we develop mathematical models in terms of the completion probability and estimated energy consumption. The quantitative evaluation results using various parameters obtained from real datasets indicate that symbiotic sensing performs better than opportunistic sensing and participatory sensing in large-scale sensing applications, such as road condition monitoring, air pollution monitoring, and city noise monitoring.

Symbiotic Sensing for Energy-Intensive Tasks in Large-Scale Mobile Sensing Applications

PubMed Central

Scholten, Hans; Havinga, Paul J. M.

2017-01-01

Energy consumption is a critical performance and user experience metric when developing mobile sensing applications, especially with the significantly growing number of sensing applications in recent years. As proposed a decade ago when mobile applications were still not popular and most mobile operating systems were single-tasking, conventional sensing paradigms such as opportunistic sensing and participatory sensing do not explore the relationship among concurrent applications for energy-intensive tasks. In this paper, inspired by social relationships among living creatures in nature, we propose a symbiotic sensing paradigm that can conserve energy, while maintaining equivalent performance to existing paradigms. The key idea is that sensing applications should cooperatively perform common tasks to avoid acquiring the same resources multiple times. By doing so, this sensing paradigm executes sensing tasks with very little extra resource consumption and, consequently, extends battery life. To evaluate and compare the symbiotic sensing paradigm with the existing ones, we develop mathematical models in terms of the completion probability and estimated energy consumption. The quantitative evaluation results using various parameters obtained from real datasets indicate that symbiotic sensing performs better than opportunistic sensing and participatory sensing in large-scale sensing applications, such as road condition monitoring, air pollution monitoring, and city noise monitoring. PMID:29186037

Circuit design advances for ultra-low power sensing platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieckowski, Michael; Dreslinski, Ronald G.; Mudge, Trevor; Blaauw, David; Sylvester, Dennis

2010-04-01

This paper explores the recent advances in circuit structures and design methodologies that have enabled ultra-low power sensing platforms and opened up a host of new applications. Central to this theme is the development of Near Threshold Computing (NTC) as a viable design space for low power sensing platforms. In this paradigm, the system's supply voltage is approximately equal to the threshold voltage of its transistors. Operating in this "near-threshold" region provides much of the energy savings previously demonstrated for subthreshold operation while offering more favorable performance and variability characteristics. This makes NTC applicable to a broad range of power-constrained computing segments including energy constrained sensing platforms. This paper explores the barriers to the adoption of NTC and describes current work aimed at overcoming these obstacles in the circuit design space.

Smart Phones: Platform Enabling Modular, Chemical, Biological, and Explosives Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-07-01

Smart phones: Platform Enabling Modular, Chemical, Biological, and Explosives Sensing by Amethist S. Finch , Matthew Coppock, Justin R...Chemical, Biological, and Explosives Sensing Amethist S. Finch , Matthew Coppock, Justin R. Bickford, Marvin A. Conn, Thomas J. Proctor, and...Explosives Sensing 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) Amethist S. Finch , Matthew Coppock, Justin R

Nanopaper as an Optical Sensing Platform.

PubMed

Morales-Narváez, Eden; Golmohammadi, Hamed; Naghdi, Tina; Yousefi, Hossein; Kostiv, Uliana; Horák, Daniel; Pourreza, Nahid; Merkoçi, Arben

2015-07-28

Bacterial cellulose nanopaper (BC) is a multifunctional material known for numerous desirable properties: sustainability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, optical transparency, thermal properties, flexibility, high mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, high porosity, broad chemical-modification capabilities and high surface area. Herein, we report various nanopaper-based optical sensing platforms and describe how they can be tuned, using nanomaterials, to exhibit plasmonic or photoluminescent properties that can be exploited for sensing applications. We also describe several nanopaper configurations, including cuvettes, plates and spots that we printed or punched on BC. The platforms include a colorimetric-based sensor based on nanopaper containing embedded silver and gold nanoparticles; a photoluminescent-based sensor, comprising CdSe@ZnS quantum dots conjugated to nanopaper; and a potential up-conversion sensing platform constructed from nanopaper functionalized with NaYF4:Yb(3+)@Er(3+)&SiO2 nanoparticles. We have explored modulation of the plasmonic or photoluminescent properties of these platforms using various model biologically relevant analytes. Moreover, we prove that BC is and advantageous preconcentration platform that facilitates the analysis of small volumes of optically active materials (∼4 μL). We are confident that these platforms will pave the way to optical (bio)sensors or theranostic devices that are simple, transparent, flexible, disposable, lightweight, miniaturized and perhaps wearable.

A Fiber-Tip Label-Free Biological Sensing Platform: A Practical Approach toward In-Vivo Sensing

PubMed Central

François, Alexandre; Reynolds, Tess; Monro, Tanya M.

2015-01-01

The platform presented here was devised to address the unmet need for real time label-free in vivo sensing by bringing together a refractive index transduction mechanism based on Whispering Gallery Modes (WGM) in dye doped microspheres and Microstructured Optical Fibers. In addition to providing remote excitation and collection of the WGM signal, the fiber provides significant practical advantages such as an easy manipulation of the microresonator and the use of this sensor in a dip sensing architecture, alleviating the need for a complex microfluidic interface. Here, we present the first demonstration of the use of this approach for biological sensing and evaluate its limitation in a sensing configuration deprived of liquid flow which is most likely to occur in an in vivo setting. We also demonstrate the ability of this sensing platform to be operated above its lasing threshold, enabling enhanced device performance. PMID:25585104

Investigating structure-property relationships of biomineralized calcium phosphate compounds as fluorescent quenching-recovery platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Liuzheng; He, Xiang; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Yong; Banks, Craig E.; Zhang, Ying

2018-02-01

The structure-property relationship between biomineralized calcium phosphate compounds upon a fluorescent quenching-recovery platform and their distinct crystalline structure and surficial functional groups are investigated. A fluorescence-based sensing platform is shown to be viable for the sensing of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxy-guanosine in simulated systems.

Enhancing Mobility: Integrating New Services into Your Library's Mobile Platform to Increase Traffic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felts, John W., Jr.

2014-01-01

Kimbel Library launched its mobile environment and ran it in full production for several months yet usage patterns were quite low and flat. The library only saw a substantial increase in usage when new, value-added services were integrated into this platform. Upon implementing and integrating discovery services, chat and SMS capabilities, and…

Monitoring and evaluation of rowing performance using mobile mapping data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mpimis, A.; Gikas, V.

2011-12-01

Traditionally, the term mobile mapping refers to a means of collecting geospatial data using mapping sensors that are mounted on a mobile platform. Historically, this process was mainly driven by the need for highway infrastructure mapping and transportation corridor inventories. However, the recent advances in mapping sensor and telecommunication technologies create the opportunity that, completely new, emergent application areas of mobile mapping to evolve rapidly. This article examines the potential of mobile mapping technology (MMT) in sports science and in particular in competitive rowing. Notably, in this study the concept definition of mobile mapping somehow differs from the traditional one in a way that, the end result is not relevant to the geospatial information acquired as the moving platform travels in space. In contrast, the interest is placed on the moving platform (rowing boat) itself and on the various subsystems which are also in continuous motion.

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.

Initial experience with a handheld device digital imaging and communications in medicine viewer: OsiriX mobile on the iPhone.

PubMed

Choudhri, Asim F; Radvany, Martin G

2011-04-01

Medical imaging is commonly used to diagnose many emergent conditions, as well as plan treatment. Digital images can be reviewed on almost any computing platform. Modern mobile phones and handheld devices are portable computing platforms with robust software programming interfaces, powerful processors, and high-resolution displays. OsiriX mobile, a new Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine viewing program, is available for the iPhone/iPod touch platform. This raises the possibility of mobile review of diagnostic medical images to expedite diagnosis and treatment planning using a commercial off the shelf solution, facilitating communication among radiologists and referring clinicians.

Roadway Traffic Data Collection from Mobile Platforms, Technical Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-07-28

This project empirically investigates the traffic flow estimations from different types of data collected from two types of mobile platforms transit buses in service operations and a van driven to emulate bus coverage that repeatedly traverse...

Power Efficient Hardware Architecture of SHA-1 Algorithm for Trusted Mobile Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Mooseop; Ryou, Jaecheol

The Trusted Mobile Platform (TMP) is developed and promoted by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), which is an industry standard body to enhance the security of the mobile computing environment. The built-in SHA-1 engine in TMP is one of the most important circuit blocks and contributes the performance of the whole platform because it is used as key primitives supporting platform integrity and command authentication. Mobile platforms have very stringent limitations with respect to available power, physical circuit area, and cost. Therefore special architecture and design methods for low power SHA-1 circuit are required. In this paper, we present a novel and efficient hardware architecture of low power SHA-1 design for TMP. Our low power SHA-1 hardware can compute 512-bit data block using less than 7,000 gates and has a power consumption about 1.1 mA on a 0.25μm CMOS process.

Unique Offerings of the ISS as an Earth Observing Platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooley, Victor M.

2013-01-01

The International Space Station offers unique capabilities for earth remote sensing. An established Earth orbiting platform with abundant power, data and commanding infrastructure, the ISS has been in operation for twelve years as a crew occupied science laboratory and offers low cost and expedited concept-to-operation paths for new sensing technologies. Plug in modularity on external platforms equipped with structural, power and data interfaces standardizes and streamlines integration and minimizes risk and start up difficulties. Data dissemination is also standardized. Emerging sensor technologies and instruments tailored for sensing of regional dynamics may not be worthy of dedicated platforms and launch vehicles, but may well be worthy of ISS deployment, hitching a ride on one of a variety of government or commercial visiting vehicles. As global acceptance of the urgent need for understanding Climate Change continues to grow, the value of ISS, orbiting in Low Earth Orbit, in complementing airborne, sun synchronous polar, geosynchronous and other platform remote sensing will also grow.

No difference between fixed- and mobile-bearing total knee arthroplasty in activities of daily living and pain: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Amaro, Joicemar Tarouco; Arliani, Gustavo Gonçalves; Astur, Diego Costa; Debieux, Pedro; Kaleka, Camila Cohen; Cohen, Moises

2017-06-01

Until now, there are no definitive conclusions regarding functional differences related to middle- and long-term everyday activities and patient pain following implantation of mobile- and fixed-platform tibial prostheses. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are middle-term differences in knee function and pain in patients undergoing fixed- and mobile-bearing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Eligible patients were randomized into two groups: the first group received TKA implantation with a fixed tibial platform (group A); the second group received TKA with a mobile tibial platform (group B). Patients were followed up (2 years), and their symptoms and limitations in daily living activities were evaluated using the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADLS), in addition to pain evaluation assessed using the pain visual analogue scale (VAS). There were no significant differences in function and symptoms in the ADLS and VAS between the study groups. The type of platform used in TKA (fixed vs. mobile) does not change the symptoms, function or pain of patients 2 years post-surgery. Although mobile TKAs may have better short-term results, at medium- and long-term follow-up they do not present important clinical differences compared with fixed-platform TKAs. This information is important so that surgeons can choose the most suitable implant for each patient. Randomized clinical trial, Level I.

Emerging GaN-based HEMTs for mechanical sensing within harsh environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köck, Helmut; Chapin, Caitlin A.; Ostermaier, Clemens; Häberlen, Oliver; Senesky, Debbie G.

2014-06-01

Gallium nitride based high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) have been investigated extensively as an alternative to Si-based power transistors by academia and industry over the last decade. It is well known that GaN-based HEMTs outperform Si-based technologies in terms of power density, area specific on-state resistance and switching speed. Recently, wide band-gap material systems have stirred interest regarding their use in various sensing fields ranging from chemical, mechanical, biological to optical applications due to their superior material properties. For harsh environments, wide bandgap sensor systems are deemed to be superior when compared to conventional Si-based systems. A new monolithic sensor platform based on the GaN HEMT electronic structure will enable engineers to design highly efficient propulsion systems widely applicable to the automotive, aeronautics and astronautics industrial sectors. In this paper, the advancements of GaN-based HEMTs for mechanical sensing applications are discussed. Of particular interest are multilayered heterogeneous structures where spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization between the interface results in the formation of a 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). Experimental results presented focus on the signal transduction under strained operating conditions in harsh environments. It is shown that a conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMT has a strong dependence of drain current under strained conditions, thus representing a promising future sensor platform. Ultimately, this work explores the sensor performance of conventional GaN HEMTs and leverages existing technological advances available in power electronics device research. The results presented have the potential to boost GaN-based sensor development through the integration of HEMT device and sensor design research.

Development of a Modular Research Platform to Create Medical Observational Studies for Mobile Devices.

PubMed

Zens, Martin; Grotejohann, Birgit; Tassoni, Adrian; Duttenhoefer, Fabian; Südkamp, Norbert P; Niemeyer, Philipp

2017-05-23

Observational studies have proven to be a valuable resource in medical research, especially when performed on a large scale. Recently, mobile device-based observational studies have been discovered by an increasing number of researchers as a promising new source of information. However, the development and deployment of app-based studies is not trivial and requires profound programming skills. The aim of this project was to develop a modular online research platform that allows researchers to create medical studies for mobile devices without extensive programming skills. The platform approach for a modular research platform consists of three major components. A Web-based platform forms the researchers' main workplace. This platform communicates via a shared database with a platform independent mobile app. Furthermore, a separate Web-based login platform for physicians and other health care professionals is outlined and completes the concept. A prototype of the research platform has been developed and is currently in beta testing. Simple questionnaire studies can be created within minutes and published for testing purposes. Screenshots of an example study are provided, and the general working principle is displayed. In this project, we have created a basis for a novel research platform. The necessity and implications of a modular approach were displayed and an outline for future development given. International researchers are invited and encouraged to participate in this ongoing project. ©Martin Zens, Birgit Grotejohann, Adrian Tassoni, Fabian Duttenhoefer, Norbert P Südkamp, Philipp Niemeyer. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 23.05.2017.

Investigating structure–property relationships of biomineralized calcium phosphate compounds as fluorescent quenching–recovery platform

PubMed Central

Wang, Liuzheng; He, Xiang; Zhang, Wei; Liu, Yong; Zhang, Ying

2018-01-01

The structure–property relationship between biomineralized calcium phosphate compounds upon a fluorescent quenching–recovery platform and their distinct crystalline structure and surficial functional groups are investigated. A fluorescence-based sensing platform is shown to be viable for the sensing of 8-hydroxy-2-deoxy-guanosine in simulated systems. PMID:29515827

I-SCAD® standoff chemical agent detector overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popa, Mirela O.; Griffin, Matthew T.

2012-06-01

This paper presents a system-level description of the I-SCAD® Standoff Chemical Agent Detector, a passive Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) based remote sensing system, for detecting chemical vapor threats. The passive infrared detection system automatically searches the 7 to 14 micron region of the surrounding atmosphere for agent vapor clouds. It is capable of operating while on the move to accomplish reconnaissance, surveillance, and contamination avoidance missions. Additionally, the system is designed to meet the needs for application on air and sea as well as ground mobile and fixed site platforms. The lightweight, passive, and fully automatic detection system scans the surrounding atmosphere for chemical warfare agent vapors. It provides on-the-move, 360-deg coverage from a variety of tactical and reconnaissance platforms at distances up to 5 km. The core of the system is a rugged Michelson interferometer with a flexure spring bearing mechanism and bi-directional data acquisition capability. The modular system design facilitates interfacing to many platforms. A Reduced Field of View (RFOV) variant includes novel modifications to the scanner subcomponent assembly optical design that gives extended performance in detection range and detection probability without sacrificing existing radiometric sensitivity performance. This paper will deliver an overview of system.

Overview of the joint services lightweight standoff chemical agent detector (JSLSCAD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammond, Barney; Popa, Mirela

2005-05-01

This paper presents a system-level description of the Joint Services Lightweight Standoff Chemical Agent Detector (JSLSCAD). JSLSCAD is a passive Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) based remote sensing system for detecting chemical warfare agents. Unlike predecessor systems, JSLSCAD is capable of operating while on the move to accomplish reconnaissance, surveillance, and contamination avoidance missions. Additionally, the system is designed to meet the needs for application on air and sea as well as ground mobile and fixed site platforms. The core of the system is a rugged Michelson interferometer with a flexure spring bearing mechanism and bi-directional data acquisition capability. The sensor is interfaced to a small, high performance spatial scanner that provides high-speed, two-axis area coverage. Command, control, and processing electronics have been coupled with real time control software and robust detection/discrimination algorithms. Operator interfaces include local and remote options in addition to interfaces to external communications networks. The modular system design facilitates interfacing to the many platforms targeted for JSLSCAD.

Learning by Doing: How to Develop a Cross-Platform Web App

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huynh, Minh; Ghimire, Prashant

2015-01-01

As mobile devices become prevalent, there is always a need for apps. How hard is it to develop an app, especially a cross-platform app? The paper shares an experience in a project that involved the development of a student services web app that can be run on cross-platform mobile devices. The paper first describes the background of the project,…

Optical Energy Transfer and Conversion System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogan, Bartholomew P. (Inventor); Stone, William C. (Inventor)

2018-01-01

An optical energy transfer and conversion system comprising a fiber spooler and an electrical power extraction subsystem connected to the spooler with an optical waveguide. Optical energy is generated at and transferred from a base station through fiber wrapped around the spooler, and ultimately to the power extraction system at a remote mobility platform for conversion to another form of energy. The fiber spooler may reside on the remote mobility platform which may be a vehicle, or apparatus that is either self-propelled or is carried by a secondary mobility platform either on land, under the sea, in the air or in space.

View of VAB from Mobile Launcher

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-13

A view of the north side of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) from the top of the mobile launcher tower at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside the VAB, 10 levels of platforms, 20 platform halves altogether, have been installed in High Bay 3. The platforms will surround NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft and allow access during processing for missions, including the first uncrewed flight test of Orion atop the SLS rocket in 2018. Crawler-transporter 2 will carry the rocket and spacecraft atop the mobile launcher to Launch Pad 39B for Exploration Mission 1. The Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, with support from the center's Engineering Directorate, is overseeing upgrades and modifications to the VAB and the mobile launcher.

A Location-Based Interactive Model of Internet of Things and Cloud (IoT-Cloud) for Mobile Cloud Computing Applications.

PubMed

Dinh, Thanh; Kim, Younghan; Lee, Hyukjoon

2017-03-01

This paper presents a location-based interactive model of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud integration (IoT-cloud) for mobile cloud computing applications, in comparison with the periodic sensing model. In the latter, sensing collections are performed without awareness of sensing demands. Sensors are required to report their sensing data periodically regardless of whether or not there are demands for their sensing services. This leads to unnecessary energy loss due to redundant transmission. In the proposed model, IoT-cloud provides sensing services on demand based on interest and location of mobile users. By taking advantages of the cloud as a coordinator, sensing scheduling of sensors is controlled by the cloud, which knows when and where mobile users request for sensing services. Therefore, when there is no demand, sensors are put into an inactive mode to save energy. Through extensive analysis and experimental results, we show that the location-based model achieves a significant improvement in terms of network lifetime compared to the periodic model.

A Location-Based Interactive Model of Internet of Things and Cloud (IoT-Cloud) for Mobile Cloud Computing Applications †

PubMed Central

Dinh, Thanh; Kim, Younghan; Lee, Hyukjoon

2017-01-01

This paper presents a location-based interactive model of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud integration (IoT-cloud) for mobile cloud computing applications, in comparison with the periodic sensing model. In the latter, sensing collections are performed without awareness of sensing demands. Sensors are required to report their sensing data periodically regardless of whether or not there are demands for their sensing services. This leads to unnecessary energy loss due to redundant transmission. In the proposed model, IoT-cloud provides sensing services on demand based on interest and location of mobile users. By taking advantages of the cloud as a coordinator, sensing scheduling of sensors is controlled by the cloud, which knows when and where mobile users request for sensing services. Therefore, when there is no demand, sensors are put into an inactive mode to save energy. Through extensive analysis and experimental results, we show that the location-based model achieves a significant improvement in terms of network lifetime compared to the periodic model. PMID:28257067

Capturing Micro-topography of an Arctic Tundra Landscape through Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) Acquired from Various Remote Sensing Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vargas, S. A., Jr.; Tweedie, C. E.; Oberbauer, S. F.

2013-12-01

The need to improve the spatial and temporal scaling and extrapolation of plot level measurements of ecosystem structure and function to the landscape level has been identified as a persistent research challenge in the arctic terrestrial sciences. Although there has been a range of advances in remote sensing capabilities on satellite, fixed wing, helicopter and unmanned aerial vehicle platforms over the past decade, these present costly, logistically challenging (especially in the Arctic), technically demanding solutions for applications in an arctic environment. Here, we present a relatively low cost alternative to these platforms that uses kite aerial photography (KAP). Specifically, we demonstrate how digital elevation models (DEMs) were derived from this system for a coastal arctic landscape near Barrow, Alaska. DEMs of this area acquired from other remote sensing platforms such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), Airborne Laser Scanning, and satellite imagery were also used in this study to determine accuracy and validity of results. DEMs interpolated using the KAP system were comparable to DEMs derived from the other platforms. For remotely sensing acre to kilometer square areas of interest, KAP has proven to be a low cost solution from which derived products that interface ground and satellite platforms can be developed by users with access to low-tech solutions and a limited knowledge of remote sensing.

Long-term monitoring on environmental disasters using multi-source remote sensing technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Y. C.; Chen, C. F.

2017-12-01

Environmental disasters are extreme events within the earth's system that cause deaths and injuries to humans, as well as causing damages and losses of valuable assets, such as buildings, communication systems, farmlands, forest and etc. In disaster management, a large amount of multi-temporal spatial data is required. Multi-source remote sensing data with different spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions is widely applied on environmental disaster monitoring. With multi-source and multi-temporal high resolution images, we conduct rapid, systematic and seriate observations regarding to economic damages and environmental disasters on earth. It is based on three monitoring platforms: remote sensing, UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) and ground investigation. The advantages of using UAS technology include great mobility and availability in real-time rapid and more flexible weather conditions. The system can produce long-term spatial distribution information from environmental disasters, obtaining high-resolution remote sensing data and field verification data in key monitoring areas. It also supports the prevention and control on ocean pollutions, illegally disposed wastes and pine pests in different scales. Meanwhile, digital photogrammetry can be applied on the camera inside and outside the position parameters to produce Digital Surface Model (DSM) data. The latest terrain environment information is simulated by using DSM data, and can be used as references in disaster recovery in the future.

Performance Evaluation Modeling of Network Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clare, Loren P.; Jennings, Esther H.; Gao, Jay L.

2003-01-01

Substantial benefits are promised by operating many spatially separated sensors collectively. Such systems are envisioned to consist of sensor nodes that are connected by a communications network. A simulation tool is being developed to evaluate the performance of networked sensor systems, incorporating such metrics as target detection probabilities, false alarms rates, and classification confusion probabilities. The tool will be used to determine configuration impacts associated with such aspects as spatial laydown, and mixture of different types of sensors (acoustic, seismic, imaging, magnetic, RF, etc.), and fusion architecture. The QualNet discrete-event simulation environment serves as the underlying basis for model development and execution. This platform is recognized for its capabilities in efficiently simulating networking among mobile entities that communicate via wireless media. We are extending QualNet's communications modeling constructs to capture the sensing aspects of multi-target sensing (analogous to multiple access communications), unimodal multi-sensing (broadcast), and multi-modal sensing (multiple channels and correlated transmissions). Methods are also being developed for modeling the sensor signal sources (transmitters), signal propagation through the media, and sensors (receivers) that are consistent with the discrete event paradigm needed for performance determination of sensor network systems. This work is supported under the Microsensors Technical Area of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Advanced Sensors Collaborative Technology Alliance.

University Students Use of Computers and Mobile Devices for Learning and Their Reading Speed on Different Platforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mpofu, Bongeka

2016-01-01

This research was aimed at the investigation of mobile device and computer use at a higher learning institution. The goal was to determine the current use of computers and mobile devices for learning and the students' reading speed on different platforms. The research was contextualised in a sample of students at the University of South Africa.…

Engineering of Surface Chemistry for Enhanced Sensitivity in Nanoporous Interferometric Sensing Platforms.

PubMed

Law, Cheryl Suwen; Sylvia, Georgina M; Nemati, Madieh; Yu, Jingxian; Losic, Dusan; Abell, Andrew D; Santos, Abel

2017-03-15

We explore new approaches to engineering the surface chemistry of interferometric sensing platforms based on nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) and reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS). Two surface engineering strategies are presented, namely (i) selective chemical functionalization of the inner surface of NAA pores with amine-terminated thiol molecules and (ii) selective chemical functionalization of the top surface of NAA with dithiol molecules. The strong molecular interaction of Au 3+ ions with thiol-containing functional molecules of alkane chain or peptide character provides a model sensing system with which to assess the sensitivity of these NAA platforms by both molecular feature and surface engineering. Changes in the effective optical thickness of the functionalized NAA photonic films (i.e., sensing principle), in response to gold ions, are monitored in real-time by RIfS. 6-Amino-1-hexanethiol (inner surface) and 1,6-hexanedithiol (top surface), the most sensitive functional molecules from approaches i and ii, respectively, were combined into a third sensing strategy whereby the NAA platforms are functionalized on both the top and inner surfaces concurrently. Engineering of the surface according to this approach resulted in an additive enhancement in sensitivity of up to 5-fold compared to previously reported systems. This study advances the rational engineering of surface chemistry for interferometric sensing on nanoporous platforms with potential applications for real-time monitoring of multiple analytes in dynamic environments.

Biomimetic vibrissal sensing for robots

PubMed Central

Pearson, Martin J.; Mitchinson, Ben; Sullivan, J. Charles; Pipe, Anthony G.; Prescott, Tony J.

2011-01-01

Active vibrissal touch can be used to replace or to supplement sensory systems such as computer vision and, therefore, improve the sensory capacity of mobile robots. This paper describes how arrays of whisker-like touch sensors have been incorporated onto mobile robot platforms taking inspiration from biology for their morphology and control. There were two motivations for this work: first, to build a physical platform on which to model, and therefore test, recent neuroethological hypotheses about vibrissal touch; second, to exploit the control strategies and morphology observed in the biological analogue to maximize the quality and quantity of tactile sensory information derived from the artificial whisker array. We describe the design of a new whiskered robot, Shrewbot, endowed with a biomimetic array of individually controlled whiskers and a neuroethologically inspired whisking pattern generation mechanism. We then present results showing how the morphology of the whisker array shapes the sensory surface surrounding the robot's head, and demonstrate the impact of active touch control on the sensory information that can be acquired by the robot. We show that adopting bio-inspired, low latency motor control of the rhythmic motion of the whiskers in response to contact-induced stimuli usefully constrains the sensory range, while also maximizing the number of whisker contacts. The robot experiments also demonstrate that the sensory consequences of active touch control can be usefully investigated in biomimetic robots. PMID:21969690

Biomimetic vibrissal sensing for robots.

PubMed

Pearson, Martin J; Mitchinson, Ben; Sullivan, J Charles; Pipe, Anthony G; Prescott, Tony J

2011-11-12

Active vibrissal touch can be used to replace or to supplement sensory systems such as computer vision and, therefore, improve the sensory capacity of mobile robots. This paper describes how arrays of whisker-like touch sensors have been incorporated onto mobile robot platforms taking inspiration from biology for their morphology and control. There were two motivations for this work: first, to build a physical platform on which to model, and therefore test, recent neuroethological hypotheses about vibrissal touch; second, to exploit the control strategies and morphology observed in the biological analogue to maximize the quality and quantity of tactile sensory information derived from the artificial whisker array. We describe the design of a new whiskered robot, Shrewbot, endowed with a biomimetic array of individually controlled whiskers and a neuroethologically inspired whisking pattern generation mechanism. We then present results showing how the morphology of the whisker array shapes the sensory surface surrounding the robot's head, and demonstrate the impact of active touch control on the sensory information that can be acquired by the robot. We show that adopting bio-inspired, low latency motor control of the rhythmic motion of the whiskers in response to contact-induced stimuli usefully constrains the sensory range, while also maximizing the number of whisker contacts. The robot experiments also demonstrate that the sensory consequences of active touch control can be usefully investigated in biomimetic robots.

Rupturing Giant Plasma Membrane Vesicles to Form Micron-sized Supported Cell Plasma Membranes with Native Transmembrane Proteins.

PubMed

Chiang, Po-Chieh; Tanady, Kevin; Huang, Ling-Ting; Chao, Ling

2017-11-09

Being able to directly obtain micron-sized cell blebs, giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs), with native membrane proteins and deposit them on a planar support to form supported plasma membranes could allow the membrane proteins to be studied by various surface analytical tools in native-like bilayer environments. However, GPMVs do not easily rupture on conventional supports because of their high protein and cholesterol contents. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of using compression generated by the air-water interface to efficiently rupture GPMVs to form micron-sized supported membranes with native plasma membrane proteins. We demonstrated that not only lipid but also a native transmembrane protein in HeLa cells, Aquaporin 3 (AQP3), is mobile in the supported membrane platform. This convenient method for generating micron-sized supported membrane patches with mobile native transmembrane proteins could not only facilitate the study of membrane proteins by surface analytical tools, but could also enable us to use native membrane proteins for bio-sensing applications.

Creating widely accessible spatial interfaces: mobile VR for managing persistent pain.

PubMed

Schroeder, David; Korsakov, Fedor; Jolton, Joseph; Keefe, Francis J; Haley, Alex; Keefe, Daniel F

2013-01-01

Using widely accessible VR technologies, researchers have implemented a series of multimodal spatial interfaces and virtual environments. The results demonstrate the degree to which we can now use low-cost (for example, mobile-phone based) VR environments to create rich virtual experiences involving motion sensing, physiological inputs, stereoscopic imagery, sound, and haptic feedback. Adapting spatial interfaces to these new platforms can open up exciting application areas for VR. In this case, the application area was in-home VR therapy for patients suffering from persistent pain (for example, arthritis and cancer pain). For such therapy to be successful, a rich spatial interface and rich visual aesthetic are particularly important. So, an interdisciplinary team with expertise in technology, design, meditation, and the psychology of pain collaborated to iteratively develop and evaluate several prototype systems. The video at http://youtu.be/mMPE7itReds demonstrates how the sine wave fitting responds to walking motions, for a walking-in-place application.

Public Health Platforms: An Emerging Informatics Approach to Health Professional Learning and Development

PubMed Central

Gray, Kathleen

2016-01-01

Health informatics has a major role to play in optimising the management and use of data, information and knowledge in health systems. As health systems undergo digital transformation, it is important to consider informatics approaches not only to curriculum content but also to the design of learning environments and learning activities for health professional learning and development. An example of such an informatics approach is the use of large-scale, integrated public health platforms on the Internet as part of health professional learning and development. This article describes selected examples of such platforms, with a focus on how they may influence the direction of health professional learning and development. Significance for public health The landscape of healthcare systems, public health systems, health research systems and professional education systems is fragmented, with many gaps and silos. More sophistication in the management of health data, information, and knowledge, based on public health informatics expertise, is needed to tackle key issues of prevention, promotion and policy-making. Platform technologies represent an emerging large-scale, highly integrated informatics approach to public health, combining the technologies of Internet, the web, the cloud, social technologies, remote sensing and/or mobile apps into an online infrastructure that can allow more synergies in work within and across these systems. Health professional curricula need updating so that the health workforce has a deep and critical understanding of the way that platform technologies are becoming the foundation of the health sector. PMID:27190977

Mobile Platforms for Continuous Spatial Measurements of Urban Trace Gases and Criteria Pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fasoli, B.; Mitchell, L.; Bares, R.; Crosman, E.; Bush, S. E.; Horel, J.; Lin, J. C.; Bowling, D. R.; Ehleringer, J. R.

2015-12-01

Surface-based observations of atmospheric trace gases and criteria pollutants provide critical data on how emissions and pollutant concentrations vary over time. However, traditional stationary measurement sites only quantify concentrations at a single point in space, limiting our ability to understand spatial patterns. Using trace gas instrumentation capable of making continuous high-frequency (~1s) measurements, we have developed mobile platforms to complement stationary observation sites in order to better constrain the heterogeneity and complexities of urban emissions. These compact trace gas and criteria pollutant measurement systems are capable of precisely measuring CO2, CH4 PM2.5, O3, NOx, and several meteorological parameters on TRAX, Salt Lake City's light-rail system, and in a van-based mobile laboratory. Using case study observations, we discuss mobile measurement methodologies and the practical applications of mobile trace gas sampling platforms.

A generic sun-tracking algorithm for on-axis solar collector in mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, An-Chow; Chong, Kok-Keong; Lim, Boon-Han; Ho, Ming-Cheng; Yap, See-Hao; Heng, Chun-Kit; Lee, Jer-Vui; King, Yeong-Jin

2015-04-01

This paper proposes a novel dynamic sun-tracking algorithm which allows accurate tracking of the sun for both non-concentrated and concentrated photovoltaic systems located on mobile platforms to maximize solar energy extraction. The proposed algorithm takes not only the date, time, and geographical information, but also the dynamic changes of coordinates of the mobile platforms into account to calculate the sun position angle relative to ideal azimuth-elevation axes in real time using general sun-tracking formulas derived by Chong and Wong. The algorithm acquires data from open-loop sensors, i.e. global position system (GPS) and digital compass, which are readily available in many off-the-shelf portable gadgets, such as smart phone, to instantly capture the dynamic changes of coordinates of mobile platforms. Our experiments found that a highly accurate GPS is not necessary as the coordinate changes of practical mobile platforms are not fast enough to produce significant differences in the calculation of the incident angle. On the contrary, it is critical to accurately identify the quadrant and angle where the mobile platforms are moving toward in real time, which can be resolved by using digital compass. In our implementation, a noise filtering mechanism is found necessary to remove unexpected spikes in the readings of the digital compass to ensure stability in motor actuations and effectiveness in continuous tracking. Filtering mechanisms being studied include simple moving average and linear regression; the results showed that a compound function of simple moving average and linear regression produces a better outcome. Meanwhile, we found that a sampling interval is useful to avoid excessive motor actuations and power consumption while not sacrificing the accuracy of sun-tracking.

Development and Implementation of Low-Cost Mobile Sensor Platforms Within a Wireless Sensor Network

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK by Michael Jay Tozzi September 2010 Thesis Advisor: Rachel Goshorn Second Reader: Duane Davis Approved for...Platforms Within a Wireless Sensor Network 6. AUTHOR(S) Tozzi, Michael Jay 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Naval...IMPLEMENTATION OF LOW-COST MOBILE SENSOR PLATFORMS WITHIN A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK Michael Jay Tozzi Lieutenant, United States Navy B.S., United

Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer inside an optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Mingjie; Leong, Wuiseng; Chen, Zilong; Lan, Shau-Yu

2017-04-01

Precision measurement with light-pulse grating atom interferometry in free space have been used in the study of fundamental physics and applications in inertial sensing. Recent development of photonic band-gap fibers allows light for traveling in hollow region while preserving its fundamental Gaussian mode. The fibers could provide a very promising platform to transfer cold atoms. Optically guided matter waves inside a hollow-core photonic band-gap fiber can mitigate diffraction limit problem and has the potential to bring research in the field of atomic sensing and precision measurement to the next level of compactness and accuracy. Here, we will show our experimental progress towards an atom interferometer in optical fibers. We designed an atom trapping scheme inside a hollow-core photonic band-gap fiber to create an optical guided matter waves system, and studied the coherence properties of Rubidium atoms in this optical guided system. We also demonstrate a Mach-Zehnder atom interferometer in the optical waveguide. This interferometer is promising for precision measurements and designs of mobile atomic sensors.

Study on application of dynamic monitoring of land use based on mobile GIS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Jingyi; Chu, Jian; Guo, Jianxing; Wang, Lixin

2006-10-01

The land use dynamic monitoring is an important mean to maintain the real-time update of the land use data. Mobile GIS technology integrates GIS, GPS and Internet. It can update the historic al data in real time with site-collected data and realize the data update in large scale with high precision. The Monitoring methods on the land use change data with the mobile GIS technology were discussed. Mobile terminal of mobile GIS has self-developed for this study with GPS-25 OEM and notebook computer. The RTD (real-time difference) operation mode is selected. Mobile GIS system of dynamic monitoring of land use have developed with Visual C++ as operation platform, MapObjects control as graphic platform and MSCmm control as communication platform, which realizes organic integration of GPS, GPRS and GIS. This system has such following basic functions as data processing, graphic display, graphic editing, attribute query and navigation. Qinhuangdao city was selected as the experiential area. Shown by the study result, the mobile GIS integration system of dynamic monitoring of land use developed by this study has practical application value.

Matrix Factorisation-based Calibration For Air Quality Crowd-sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorffer, Clement; Puigt, Matthieu; Delmaire, Gilles; Roussel, Gilles; Rouvoy, Romain; Sagnier, Isabelle

2017-04-01

Internet of Things (IoT) is extending internet to physical objects and places. The internet-enabled objects are thus able to communicate with each other and with their users. One main interest of IoT is the ease of production of huge masses of data (Big Data) using distributed networks of connected objects, thus making possible a fine-grained yet accurate analysis of physical phenomena. Mobile crowdsensing is a way to collect data using IoT. It basically consists of acquiring geolocalized data from the sensors (from or connected to the mobile devices, e.g., smartphones) of a crowd of volunteers. The sensed data are then collectively shared using wireless connection—such as GSM or WiFi—and stored on a dedicated server to be processed. One major application of mobile crowdsensing is environment monitoring. Indeed, with the proliferation of miniaturized yet sensitive sensors on one hand and, on the other hand, of low-cost microcontrollers/single-card PCs, it is easy to extend the sensing abilities of smartphones. Alongside the conventional, regulated, bulky and expensive instruments used in authoritative air quality stations, it is then possible to create a large-scale mobile sensor network providing insightful information about air quality. In particular, the finer spatial sampling rate due to such a dense network should allow air quality models to take into account local effects such as street canyons. However, one key issue with low-cost air quality sensors is the lack of trust in the sensed data. In most crowdsensing scenarios, the sensors (i) cannot be calibrated in a laboratory before or during their deployment and (ii) might be sparsely or continuously faulty (thus providing outliers in the data). Such issues should be automatically handled from the sensor readings. Indeed, due to the masses of generated data, solving the above issues cannot be performed by experts but requires specific data processing techniques. In this work, we assume that some mobile sensors share some information using the APISENSE® crowdsensing platform and we aim to calibrate the sensor responses from the data directly. For that purpose, we express the sensor readings as a low-rank matrix with missing entries and we revisit self-calibration as a Matrix Factorization (MF) problem. In our proposed framework, one factor matrix contains the calibration parameters while the other is structured by the calibration model and contains some values of the sensed phenomenon. The MF calibration approach also uses the precise measurements from ATMO—the French public institution—to drive the calibration of the mobile sensors. MF calibration can be improved using, e.g., the mean calibration parameters provided by the sensor manufacturers, or using sparse priors or a model of the physical phenomenon. All our approaches are shown to provide a better calibration accuracy than matrix-completion-based and robust-regression-based methods, even in difficult scenarios involving a lot of missing data and/or very few accurate references. When combined with a dictionary of air quality patterns, our experiments suggest that MF is not only able to perform sensor network calibration but also to provide detailed maps of air quality.

Technological choices for mobile clinical applications.

PubMed

Ehrler, Frederic; Issom, David; Lovis, Christian

2011-01-01

The rise of cheaper and more powerful mobile devices make them a new and attractive platform for clinical applications. The interaction paradigm and portability of the device facilitates bedside human-machine interactions. The better accessibility to information and decision-support anywhere in the hospital improves the efficiency and the safety of care processes. In this study, we attempt to find out what are the most appropriate Operating System (OS) and Software Development Kit (SDK) to support the development of clinical applications on mobile devices. The Android platform is a Linux-based, open source platform that has many advantages. Two main SDKs are available on this platform: the native Android and the Adobe Flex SDK. Both of them have interesting features, but the latter has been preferred due its portability at comparable performance and ease of development.

Applications for the MATILDA robotic platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munkeby, Steve H.; Jones, Don; Bugg, George; Smith, Kathryn

2002-07-01

Most robotic platforms have, up to this point, been designed with emphasis placed on improving mobility technologies. Minimal emphasis has been placed on payloads and mission execution. Using a top-down approach, Mesa Associates, Inc. identified specific UGV mission applications and structured its MATILDA platform using these applications for vehicle mobility and motion control requirements. Specific applications identified for the MATILDA platform include: Target surveillance, explosive device neutralization, material pickup and transport, weapon transport and firing, and law enforcement. Current performance results, lessons-learned, technical hurdles, and future applications are examined.

A METHOD OF ASSESSING AIR TOXICS CONCENTRATIONS IN URBAN AREAS USING MOBILE PLATFORM MEASUREMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate an approach to characterize the spatial variability in ambient air concentrations using mobile platform measurements. This approach may be useful for air toxic assessments in Environmental Justice applications, epidemiological studies...

Characterizing Information Processing With a Mobile Device: Measurement of Simple and Choice Reaction Time.

PubMed

Burke, Daniel; Linder, Susan; Hirsch, Joshua; Dey, Tanujit; Kana, Daniel; Ringenbach, Shannon; Schindler, David; Alberts, Jay

2017-10-01

Information processing is typically evaluated using simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT) paradigms in which a specific response is initiated following a given stimulus. The measurement of reaction time (RT) has evolved from monitoring the timing of mechanical switches to computerized paradigms. The proliferation of mobile devices with touch screens makes them a natural next technological approach to assess information processing. The aims of this study were to determine the validity and reliability of using of a mobile device (Apple iPad or iTouch) to accurately measure RT. Sixty healthy young adults completed SRT and CRT tasks using a traditional test platform and mobile platforms on two occasions. The SRT was similar across test modality: 300, 287, and 280 milliseconds (ms) for the traditional, iPad, and iTouch, respectively. The CRT was similar within mobile devices, though slightly faster on the traditional: 359, 408, and 384 ms for traditional, iPad, and iTouch, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.85 for SRT and from 0.75 to 0.83 for CRT. The similarity and reliability of SRT across platforms and consistency of SRT and CRT across test conditions indicate that mobile devices provide the next generation of assessment platforms for information processing.

Feature-Based Approach for the Registration of Pushbroom Imagery with Existing Orthophotos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Weifeng

Low-cost Unmanned Airborne Vehicles (UAVs) are rapidly becoming suitable platforms for acquiring remote sensing data for a wide range of applications. For example, a UAV-based mobile mapping system (MMS) is emerging as a novel phenotyping tool that delivers several advantages to alleviate the drawbacks of conventional manual plant trait measurements. Moreover, UAVs equipped with direct geo-referenced frame cameras and pushbroom scanners can acquire geospatial data for comprehensive high-throughput phenotyping. UAVs for mobile mapping platforms are low-cost and easy to use, can fly closer to the objects, and are filling an important gap between ground wheel-based and traditional manned-airborne platforms. However, consumer-grade UAVs are capable of carrying only equipment with a relatively light payload and their flying time is determined by a limited battery life. These restrictions of UAVs unfortunately force potential users to adopt lower-quality direct geo-referencing and imaging systems that may negatively impact the quality of the deliverables. Recent advances in sensor calibration and automated triangulation have made it feasible to obtain accurate mapping using low-cost camera systems equipped with consumer-grade GNSS/INS units. However, ortho-rectification of the data from a linear-array scanner is challenging for low-cost UAV systems, because the derived geo-location information from pushbroom sensors is quite sensitive to the performance of the implemented direct geo-referencing unit. This thesis presents a novel approach for improving the ortho-rectification of hyperspectral pushbroom scanner imagery with the aid of orthophotos generated from frame cameras through the identification of conjugate features while modeling the impact of residual artifacts in the direct geo-referencing information. The experimental results qualitatively and quantitatively proved the feasibility of the proposed methodology in improving the geo-referencing accuracy of real datasets collected over an agricultural field.

Smartphone spectroscopy: three unique modalities for point-of-care testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Kenneth D.; Yu, Hojeong; Cunningham, Brian T.

2015-06-01

Here we demonstrate three principle modalities for a smartphone-based spectrometer: absorption, fluorescence, and photonic crystal (PC)-based label-free detection. When combined with some simple optical components, the rear-facing CMOS camera in a mobile device can provide spectrometric data that rivals that of laboratory instruments, but at a fraction of the cost. The use of a smartphone-based platform poses significant advantages based upon the rise of smartphone apps, which allow for user-interface and data-processing algorithms to be packaged and distributed within environments that are externally maintained with potential for integration with services such as cloud storage, GIS-tagging, and remote expert analysis. We demonstrate the absorption modality of our device by performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on both a cancer biomarker and a peanut allergen, demonstrating clinically relevant limits of detection (LOD). Second, we demonstrate the success of a molecular beacon (MB)-based assay on the smartphone platform, achieving an LOD of 1.3 pM for a specific RNA sequence, less than that of a commercial benchtop instrument. Finally, we use a PC biosensor to perform label-free detection of a representative biological interaction: Protein A and human immunoglobulin G (IgG) in the nanomolar regime. Our work represents the first demonstration of smartphone-based spectroscopy for biological assays, and the first mobile-device-enabled detection instrument that serves to measure three distinct sensing modalities (label-free biosensing, absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy). The smartphone platform has the potential to expand the use of spectrometric analysis to environments assay from the laboratory, which may include rural or remote locations, low-resource settings, and consumer markets.

A Portable Wireless Communication Platform Based on a Multi-Material Fiber Sensor for Real-Time Breath Detection

PubMed Central

Bellemare-Rousseau, Simon; Khalil, Mazen; Messaddeq, Younes

2018-01-01

In this paper, we present a new mobile wireless communication platform for real-time monitoring of an individual’s breathing rate. The platform takes the form of a wearable stretching T-shirt featuring a sensor and a detection base station. The sensor is formed by a spiral-shaped antenna made from a multi-material fiber connected to a compact transmitter. Based on the resonance frequency of the antenna at approximately 2.4 GHz, the breathing sensor relies on its Bluetooth transmitter. The contactless and non-invasive sensor is designed without compromising the user’s comfort. The sensing mechanism of the system is based on the detection of the signal amplitude transmitted wirelessly by the sensor, which is found to be sensitive to strain. We demonstrate the capability of the platform to detect the breathing rates of four male volunteers who are not in movement. The breathing pattern is obtained through the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) which is filtered and analyzed with home-made algorithms in the portable system. Numerical simulations of human breath are performed to support the experimental detection, and both results are in a good agreement. Slow, fast, regular, irregular, and shallow breathing types are successfully recorded within a frequency interval of 0.16–1.2 Hz, leading to a breathing rate varying from 10 to 72 breaths per minute. PMID:29587396

A Portable Wireless Communication Platform Based on a Multi-Material Fiber Sensor for Real-Time Breath Detection.

PubMed

Roudjane, Mourad; Bellemare-Rousseau, Simon; Khalil, Mazen; Gorgutsa, Stepan; Miled, Amine; Messaddeq, Younes

2018-03-25

In this paper, we present a new mobile wireless communication platform for real-time monitoring of an individual's breathing rate. The platform takes the form of a wearable stretching T-shirt featuring a sensor and a detection base station. The sensor is formed by a spiral-shaped antenna made from a multi-material fiber connected to a compact transmitter. Based on the resonance frequency of the antenna at approximately 2.4 GHz, the breathing sensor relies on its Bluetooth transmitter. The contactless and non-invasive sensor is designed without compromising the user's comfort. The sensing mechanism of the system is based on the detection of the signal amplitude transmitted wirelessly by the sensor, which is found to be sensitive to strain. We demonstrate the capability of the platform to detect the breathing rates of four male volunteers who are not in movement. The breathing pattern is obtained through the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) which is filtered and analyzed with home-made algorithms in the portable system. Numerical simulations of human breath are performed to support the experimental detection, and both results are in a good agreement. Slow, fast, regular, irregular, and shallow breathing types are successfully recorded within a frequency interval of 0.16-1.2 Hz, leading to a breathing rate varying from 10 to 72 breaths per minute.

ScaMo: Realisation of an OO-functional DSL for cross platform mobile applications development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macos, Dragan; Solymosi, Andreas

2013-10-01

The software market is dynamically changing: the Internet is going mobile, the software applications are shifting from the desktop hardware onto the mobile devices. The largest markets are the mobile applications for iOS, Android and Windows Phone and for the purpose the typical programming languages include Objective-C, Java and C ♯. The realization of the native applications implies the integration of the developed software into the environments of mentioned mobile operating systems to enable the access to different hardware components of the devices: GPS module, display, GSM module, etc. This paper deals with the definition and possible implementation of an environment for the automatic application generation for multiple mobile platforms. It is based on a DSL for mobile application development, which includes the programming language Scala and a DSL defined in Scala. As part of a multi-stage cross-compiling algorithm, this language is translated into the language of the affected mobile platform. The advantage of our method lies in the expressiveness of the defined language and the transparent source code translation between different languages, which implies, for example, the advantages of debugging and development of the generated code.

iLid: Low-power Sensing of Fatigue and Drowsiness Measures on a Computational Eyeglass

PubMed Central

ROSTAMINIA, SOHA; MAYBERRY, ADDISON; GANESAN, DEEPAK; MARLIN, BENJAMIN; GUMMESON, JEREMY

2018-01-01

The ability to monitor eye closures and blink patterns has long been known to enable accurate assessment of fatigue and drowsiness in individuals. Many measures of the eye are known to be correlated with fatigue including coarse-grained measures like the rate of blinks as well as fine-grained measures like the duration of blinks and the extent of eye closures. Despite a plethora of research validating these measures, we lack wearable devices that can continually and reliably monitor them in the natural environment. In this work, we present a low-power system, iLid, that can continually sense fine-grained measures such as blink duration and Percentage of Eye Closures (PERCLOS) at high frame rates of 100fps. We present a complete solution including design of the sensing, signal processing, and machine learning pipeline; implementation on a prototype computational eyeglass platform; and extensive evaluation under many conditions including illumination changes, eyeglass shifts, and mobility. Our results are very encouraging, showing that we can detect blinks, blink duration, eyelid location, and fatigue-related metrics such as PERCLOS with less than a few percent error. PMID:29417956

Tools for Creating Mobile Applications for Extension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drill, Sabrina L.

2012-01-01

Considerations and tools for developing mobile applications for Extension include evaluating the topic, purpose, and audience. Different computing platforms may be used, and apps designed as modified Web pages or implicitly programmed for a particular platform. User privacy is another important consideration, especially for data collection apps.…

Tracking the Evolution of Smartphone Sensing for Monitoring Human Movement.

PubMed

del Rosario, Michael B; Redmond, Stephen J; Lovell, Nigel H

2015-07-31

Advances in mobile technology have led to the emergence of the "smartphone", a new class of device with more advanced connectivity features that have quickly made it a constant presence in our lives. Smartphones are equipped with comparatively advanced computing capabilities, a global positioning system (GPS) receivers, and sensing capabilities (i.e., an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and more recently magnetometer and barometer) which can be found in wearable ambulatory monitors (WAMs). As a result, algorithms initially developed for WAMs that "count" steps (i.e., pedometers); gauge physical activity levels; indirectly estimate energy expenditure and monitor human movement can be utilised on the smartphone. These algorithms may enable clinicians to "close the loop" by prescribing timely interventions to improve or maintain wellbeing in populations who are at risk of falling or suffer from a chronic disease whose progression is linked to a reduction in movement and mobility. The ubiquitous nature of smartphone technology makes it the ideal platform from which human movement can be remotely monitored without the expense of purchasing, and inconvenience of using, a dedicated WAM. In this paper, an overview of the sensors that can be found in the smartphone are presented, followed by a summary of the developments in this field with an emphasis on the evolution of algorithms used to classify human movement. The limitations identified in the literature will be discussed, as well as suggestions about future research directions.

Deep Learning for Real-Time Capable Object Detection and Localization on Mobile Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Particke, F.; Kolbenschlag, R.; Hiller, M.; Patiño-Studencki, L.; Thielecke, J.

2017-10-01

Industry 4.0 is one of the most formative terms in current times. Subject of research are particularly smart and autonomous mobile platforms, which enormously lighten the workload and optimize production processes. In order to interact with humans, the platforms need an in-depth knowledge of the environment. Hence, it is required to detect a variety of static and non-static objects. Goal of this paper is to propose an accurate and real-time capable object detection and localization approach for the use on mobile platforms. A method is introduced to use the powerful detection capabilities of a neural network for the localization of objects. Therefore, detection information of a neural network is combined with depth information from a RGB-D camera, which is mounted on a mobile platform. As detection network, YOLO Version 2 (YOLOv2) is used on a mobile robot. In order to find the detected object in the depth image, the bounding boxes, predicted by YOLOv2, are mapped to the corresponding regions in the depth image. This provides a powerful and extremely fast approach for establishing a real-time-capable Object Locator. In the evaluation part, the localization approach turns out to be very accurate. Nevertheless, it is dependent on the detected object itself and some additional parameters, which are analysed in this paper.

Examining Enjoyment of Casual Videogames.

PubMed

Shafer, Daniel M; Carbonara, Corey P

2015-12-01

This study investigated the processes leading to enjoyment of casual videogames on both mobile devices and console systems. Building upon a foundation in mental models theory and the psychology of play, the study focuses on how performance and experience-based variables impact enjoyment of casual videogames played on mobile devices and console devices. The grounding assumption of this research is that playing videogames produces enjoyment that contributes to mental health in the form of a brief distraction from the stress of daily life, social connections with family and friends through casual gameplay, and, in some cases, a compelling reason to engage in physical activity. A student sample of players (n=363) played a variety of casual games on mobile (iPad(®) or iPod(®) Touch(®) [Apple, Cupertino, CA]) or console (Wii™ [Nintendo, Japan], Xbox(®) 360 Kinect(®) [Microsoft, Redmond, WA], or PS3™ Move [Sony, Tokyo, Japan]) platforms. They then answered a questionnaire assessing their evaluations of the game's interactivity level, their sense of spatial presence in the game, their perception of the game's realism, and, most importantly, their enjoyment. Path analysis demonstrated the interrelationships among these variables. The results show that spatial presence is a powerful predictor of videogame enjoyment for both console- and mobile-based casual games. Patterns of prediction for games on each platform, as demonstrated using path analysis, were similar and aligned with predictions based on mental models and the psychology of play. The psychological theory of play and the mental models perspective offer firm theoretical grounds for understanding how enjoyment is wrought in the process of playing casual games. The relationships among interactivity, spatial presence, perceived reality, and enjoyment hold for games played on handheld or console devices. Furthermore, this study is one of the first to demonstrate these relationships and test them simultaneously, breaking new ground in research on game enjoyment.

Synthesis, characterization and nitrite ion sensing performance of reclaimable composite samples through a core-shell structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Xiao; Yuqing, Zhao; Cui, Jiantao; Zheng, Qian; Bo, Wang

2018-02-01

The following paper reported and discussed a nitrite ion optical sensing platform based on a core-shell structure, using superamagnetic nanoparticles as the core, a silica molecular sieve MCM-41 as the shell and two rhodamine derivatives as probe, respectively. This superamagnetic core made this sensing platform reclaimable after finishing nitrite ion sensing procedure. This sensing platform was carefully characterized by means of electron microscopy images, porous structure analysis, magnetic response, IR spectra and thermal stability analysis. Detailed analysis suggested that the emission of these composite samples was quenchable by nitrite ion, showing emission turn off effect. A static sensing mechanism based on an additive reaction between chemosensors and nitrite ion was proposed. These composite samples followed Demas quenching equation against different nitrite ion concentrations. Limit of detection value was obtained as low as 0.4 μM. It was found that, after being quenched by nitrite ion, these composite samples could be reclaimed and recovered by sulphamic acid, confirming their recyclability.

Nanoparticle functionalised small-core suspended-core fibre - a novel platform for efficient sensing.

PubMed

Doherty, Brenda; Csáki, Andrea; Thiele, Matthias; Zeisberger, Matthias; Schwuchow, Anka; Kobelke, Jens; Fritzsche, Wolfgang; Schmidt, Markus A

2017-02-01

Detecting small quantities of specific target molecules is of major importance within bioanalytics for efficient disease diagnostics. One promising sensing approach relies on combining plasmonically-active waveguides with microfluidics yielding an easy-to-use sensing platform. Here we introduce suspended-core fibres containing immobilised plasmonic nanoparticles surrounding the guiding core as a concept for an entirely integrated optofluidic platform for efficient refractive index sensing. Due to the extremely small optical core and the large adjacent microfluidic channels, over two orders of magnitude of nanoparticle coverage densities have been accessed with millimetre-long sample lengths showing refractive index sensitivities of 170 nm/RIU for aqueous analytes where the fibre interior is functionalised by gold nanospheres. Our concept represents a fully integrated optofluidic sensing system demanding small sample volumes and allowing for real-time analyte monitoring, both of which are highly relevant within invasive bioanalytics, particularly within molecular disease diagnostics and environmental science.

Spatial-Temporal Data Collection with Compressive Sensing in Mobile Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Li, Jiayin; Guo, Wenzhong; Chen, Zhonghui; Xiong, Neal

2017-01-01

Compressive sensing (CS) provides an energy-efficient paradigm for data gathering in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, the existing work on spatial-temporal data gathering using compressive sensing only considers either multi-hop relaying based or multiple random walks based approaches. In this paper, we exploit the mobility pattern for spatial-temporal data collection and propose a novel mobile data gathering scheme by employing the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm with delayed acceptance, an improved random walk algorithm for a mobile collector to collect data from a sensing field. The proposed scheme exploits Kronecker compressive sensing (KCS) for spatial-temporal correlation of sensory data by allowing the mobile collector to gather temporal compressive measurements from a small subset of randomly selected nodes along a random routing path. More importantly, from the theoretical perspective we prove that the equivalent sensing matrix constructed from the proposed scheme for spatial-temporal compressible signal can satisfy the property of KCS models. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can not only significantly reduce communication cost but also improve recovery accuracy for mobile data gathering compared to the other existing schemes. In particular, we also show that the proposed scheme is robust in unreliable wireless environment under various packet losses. All this indicates that the proposed scheme can be an efficient alternative for data gathering application in WSNs. PMID:29117152

Spatial-Temporal Data Collection with Compressive Sensing in Mobile Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Zheng, Haifeng; Li, Jiayin; Feng, Xinxin; Guo, Wenzhong; Chen, Zhonghui; Xiong, Neal

2017-11-08

Compressive sensing (CS) provides an energy-efficient paradigm for data gathering in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, the existing work on spatial-temporal data gathering using compressive sensing only considers either multi-hop relaying based or multiple random walks based approaches. In this paper, we exploit the mobility pattern for spatial-temporal data collection and propose a novel mobile data gathering scheme by employing the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm with delayed acceptance, an improved random walk algorithm for a mobile collector to collect data from a sensing field. The proposed scheme exploits Kronecker compressive sensing (KCS) for spatial-temporal correlation of sensory data by allowing the mobile collector to gather temporal compressive measurements from a small subset of randomly selected nodes along a random routing path. More importantly, from the theoretical perspective we prove that the equivalent sensing matrix constructed from the proposed scheme for spatial-temporal compressible signal can satisfy the property of KCS models. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can not only significantly reduce communication cost but also improve recovery accuracy for mobile data gathering compared to the other existing schemes. In particular, we also show that the proposed scheme is robust in unreliable wireless environment under various packet losses. All this indicates that the proposed scheme can be an efficient alternative for data gathering application in WSNs .

A Multi-Robot Sense-Act Approach to Lead to a Proper Acting in Environmental Incidents

PubMed Central

Conesa-Muñoz, Jesús; Valente, João; del Cerro, Jaime; Barrientos, Antonio; Ribeiro, Angela

2016-01-01

Many environmental incidents affect large areas, often in rough terrain constrained by natural obstacles, which makes intervention difficult. New technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, may help address this issue due to their suitability to reach and easily cover large areas. Thus, unmanned aerial vehicles may be used to inspect the terrain and make a first assessment of the affected areas; however, nowadays they do not have the capability to act. On the other hand, ground vehicles rely on enough power to perform the intervention but exhibit more mobility constraints. This paper proposes a multi-robot sense-act system, composed of aerial and ground vehicles. This combination allows performing autonomous tasks in large outdoor areas by integrating both types of platforms in a fully automated manner. Aerial units are used to easily obtain relevant data from the environment and ground units use this information to carry out interventions more efficiently. This paper describes the platforms and sensors required by this multi-robot sense-act system as well as proposes a software system to automatically handle the workflow for any generic environmental task. The proposed system has proved to be suitable to reduce the amount of herbicide applied in agricultural treatments. Although herbicides are very polluting, they are massively deployed on complete agricultural fields to remove weeds. Nevertheless, the amount of herbicide required for treatment is radically reduced when it is accurately applied on patches by the proposed multi-robot system. Thus, the aerial units were employed to scout the crop and build an accurate weed distribution map which was subsequently used to plan the task of the ground units. The whole workflow was executed in a fully autonomous way, without human intervention except when required by Spanish law due to safety reasons. PMID:27517934

Design and Implementation of a Mobile Exergaming Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prévost, Laurent; Liechti, Olivier; Lyons, Michael J.

This paper describes the design, implementation, and initial testing of a reusable platform for the creation of pervasive games with geo-localization services. We concentrate on role-playing games built by combining several types of simpler mini-games having three major components: Quests; Collectables; and Non-player characters (NPC). Quests encourage players to be active in their physical environment and take part in collaborative play; Collectables provide motivation; and NPCs enable player-friendly interaction with the platform. Each of these elements poses different technical requirements, which were met by implementing the gaming platform using the inTrack pervasive middle-ware being developed by our group. Several sample games were implemented and tested within the urban environment of Kyoto, Japan, using gaming clients running on mobile phones from NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile provider.

Small unmanned aircraft systems for remote sensing and Earth science research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenholtz, Chris H.; Moorman, Brian J.; Riddell, Kevin; Whitehead, Ken

2012-06-01

To understand and predict Earth-surface dynamics, scientists often rely on access to the latest remote sensing data. Over the past several decades, considerable progress has been made in the development of specialized Earth observation sensors for measuring a wide range of processes and features. Comparatively little progress has been made, however, in the development of new platforms upon which these sensors can be deployed. Conventional platforms are still almost exclusively restricted to piloted aircraft and satellites. For many Earth science research questions and applications these platforms do not yet have the resolution or operational flexibility to provide answers affordably. The most effective remote sensing data match the spatiotemporal scale of the process or feature of interest. An emerging technology comprising unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), is poised to offer a viable alternative to conventional platforms for acquiring high-resolution remote sensing data with increased operational flexibility, lower cost, and greater versatility (Figure 1).

Self-Referenced Smartphone-Based Nanoplasmonic Imaging Platform for Colorimetric Biochemical Sensing.

PubMed

Wang, Xinhao; Chang, Te-Wei; Lin, Guohong; Gartia, Manas Ranjan; Liu, Gang Logan

2017-01-03

Colorimetric sensors usually suffer due to errors from variation in light source intensity, the type of light source, the Bayer filter algorithm, and the sensitivity of the camera to incoming light. Here, we demonstrate a self-referenced portable smartphone-based plasmonic sensing platform integrated with an internal reference sample along with an image processing method to perform colorimetric sensing. Two sensing principles based on unique nanoplasmonics enabled phenomena from a nanostructured plasmonic sensor, named as nanoLCA (nano Lycurgus cup array), were demonstrated here for colorimetric biochemical sensing: liquid refractive index sensing and optical absorbance enhancement sensing. Refractive indices of colorless liquids were measured by simple smartphone imaging and color analysis. Optical absorbance enhancement in the colorimetric biochemical assay was achieved by matching the plasmon resonance wavelength with the chromophore's absorbance peak wavelength. Such a sensing mechanism improved the limit of detection (LoD) by 100 times in a microplate reader format. Compared with a traditional colorimetric assay such as urine testing strips, a smartphone plasmon enhanced colorimetric sensing system provided 30 times improvement in the LoD. The platform was applied for simulated urine testing to precisely identify the samples with higher protein concentration, which showed potential point-of-care and early detection of kidney disease with the smartphone plasmonic resonance sensing system.

A gimbal platform stabilization for topographic applications

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

Michele, Mangiameli, E-mail: michele.mangiameli@dica.unict.it; Giuseppe, Mussumeci

2015-03-10

The aim of this work is the stabilization of a Gimbal platform for optical sensors acquisitions in topographic applications using mobile vehicles. The stabilization of the line of sight (LOS) consists in tracking the command velocity in presence of nonlinear noise due to the external environment. The hardware architecture is characterized by an Ardupilot platform that allows the control of both the mobile device and the Gimbal. Here we developed a new approach to stabilize the Gimbal platform, which is based on neural network. For the control system, we considered a plant that represents the transfer function of the servomore » system control model for an inertial stabilized Gimbal platform. The transductor used in the feed-back line control is characterized by the Rate Gyro transfer function installed onboard of Ardupilot. For the simulation and investigation of the system performance, we used the Simulink tool of Matlab. Results show that the hardware/software approach is efficient, reliable and cheap for direct photogrammetry, as well as for general purpose applications using mobile vehicles.« less

Novel sensing technology in fall risk assessment in older adults: a systematic review.

PubMed

Sun, Ruopeng; Sosnoff, Jacob J

2018-01-16

Falls are a major health problem for older adults with significant physical and psychological consequences. A first step of successful fall prevention is to identify those at risk of falling. Recent advancement in sensing technology offers the possibility of objective, low-cost and easy-to-implement fall risk assessment. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the current state of sensing technology on providing objective fall risk assessment in older adults. A systematic review was conducted in accordance to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA). Twenty-two studies out of 855 articles were systematically identified and included in this review. Pertinent methodological features (sensing technique, assessment activities, outcome variables, and fall discrimination/prediction models) were extracted from each article. Four major sensing technologies (inertial sensors, video/depth camera, pressure sensing platform and laser sensing) were reported to provide accurate fall risk diagnostic in older adults. Steady state walking, static/dynamic balance, and functional mobility were used as the assessment activity. A diverse range of diagnostic accuracy across studies (47.9% - 100%) were reported, due to variation in measured kinematic/kinetic parameters and modelling techniques. A wide range of sensor technologies have been utilized in fall risk assessment in older adults. Overall, these devices have the potential to provide an accurate, inexpensive, and easy-to-implement fall risk assessment. However, the variation in measured parameters, assessment tools, sensor sites, movement tasks, and modelling techniques, precludes a firm conclusion on their ability to predict future falls. Future work is needed to determine a clinical meaningful and easy to interpret fall risk diagnosis utilizing sensing technology. Additionally, the gap between functional evaluation and user experience to technology should be addressed.

Single-indicator-based Multidimensional Sensing: Detection and Identification of Heavy Metal Ions and Understanding the Foundations from Experiment to Simulation

PubMed Central

Leng, Yumin; Qian, Sihua; Wang, Yuhui; Lu, Cheng; Ji, Xiaoxu; Lu, Zhiwen; Lin, Hengwei

2016-01-01

Multidimensional sensing offers advantages in accuracy, diversity and capability for the simultaneous detection and discrimination of multiple analytes, however, the previous reports usually require complicated synthesis/fabrication process and/or need a variety of techniques (or instruments) to acquire signals. Therefore, to take full advantages of this concept, simple designs are highly desirable. Herein, a novel concept is conceived to construct multidimensional sensing platforms based on a single indicator that has capability of showing diverse color/fluorescence responses with the addition of different analytes. Through extracting hidden information from these responses, such as red, green and blue (RGB) alterations, a triple-channel-based multidimensional sensing platform could consequently be fabricated, and the RGB alterations are further applicable to standard statistical methods. As a proof-of-concept study, a triple-channel sensing platform is fabricated solely using dithizone with assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) for hyperchromicity and sensitization, which demonstrates superior capabilities in detection and identification of ten common heavy metal ions at their standard concentrations of wastewater-discharge of China. Moreover, this sensing platform exhibits promising applications in semi-quantitative and even quantitative analysis individuals of these heavy metal ions with high sensitivity as well. Finally, density functional theory calculations are performed to reveal the foundations for this analysis. PMID:27146105

Heightened sense for sensing: recent advances in pathogen immunoassay sensing platforms

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

Fischer, N; Tarasow, T; Tok, J B

2007-01-09

As part of its own defense mechanism, most bacteria have developed an innate ability to enable toxic secretion to ward off potential predators or invaders. However, this naturally occurring process has been abused since over production of the bacteria's toxin molecules could render them as potential bioweapons. As these processes (also known as ''black biology'') can be clandestinely performed in a laboratory, the threat of inflicting enormous potential damage to a nation's security and economy is invariably clear and present. Thus, efficient detection of these biothreat agents in a timely and accurate manner is highly desirable. A wealth of publicationsmore » describing various pathogen immuno-sensing advances has appeared over the last few years, and it is not the intent of this review article to detail each reported approach. Instead, we aim to survey a few recent highlights in hopes of providing the reader an overall sense of the breath of these sensing systems and platforms. Antigen targets are diverse and complex as they encompass proteins, whole viruses, and bacterial spores. The signaling processes for these reported immunoassays are usually based on colorimetric, optical, or electrochemical changes. Of equal interest is the type of platform in which the immunoassay can be performed. A few platforms suitable for pathogen detection are described.« less

Measurement of baseline and orientation between distributed aerospace platforms.

PubMed

Wang, Wen-Qin

2013-01-01

Distributed platforms play an important role in aerospace remote sensing, radar navigation, and wireless communication applications. However, besides the requirement of high accurate time and frequency synchronization for coherent signal processing, the baseline between the transmitting platform and receiving platform and the orientation of platform towards each other during data recording must be measured in real time. In this paper, we propose an improved pulsed duplex microwave ranging approach, which allows determining the spatial baseline and orientation between distributed aerospace platforms by the proposed high-precision time-interval estimation method. This approach is novel in the sense that it cancels the effect of oscillator frequency synchronization errors due to separate oscillators that are used in the platforms. Several performance specifications are also discussed. The effectiveness of the approach is verified by simulation results.

Construction of a Nano Biosensor for Cyanide Anion Detection and Its Application in Environmental and Biological Systems.

PubMed

Dong, Zhen-Zhen; Yang, Chao; Vellaisamy, Kasipandi; Li, Guodong; Leung, Chung-Hang; Ma, Dik-Lung

2017-10-27

We have developed a Ag@Au core-shell nanoparticle (NP)/iridium(III) complex-based sensing platform for the sensitive luminescence "turn-on" sensing of cyanide ions, an acutely toxic pollutant. The assay is based on the quenching effect of Ag@Au NPs on the emission of complex 1, but luminescence is restored after the addition of cyanide anions due to their ability to dissolve the Au shell. Our sensing platform exhibited a high sensitivity toward cyanide anions with a detection limit of 0.036 μM, and also showed high selectivity for cyanide over 10-fold excess amounts of other anions. The sensing platform was also successfully applied to monitor cyanide anions in drinking water and in living cells.

Adding Value to the Network: Exploring the Software as a Service and Platform as a Service Models for Mobile Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, Vânia

The environments of software development and software provision are shifting to Web-based platforms supported by Platform/Software as a Service (PaaS/SaaS) models. This paper will make the case that there is equally an opportunity for mobile operators to identify additional sources of revenue by exposing network functionalities through Web-based service platforms. By elaborating on the concepts, benefits and risks of SaaS and PaaS, several factors that should be taken into consideration in applying these models to the telecom world are delineated.

Simulation of cooperating robot manipulators on a mobile platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Stephen H.; Wen, John Ting-Yung; Saridis, George N.

1991-01-01

The dynamic equations of motion are presented for two or more cooperating manipulators on a freely moving mobile platform. The system of cooperating robot manipulators forms a closed kinematic chain where the force of interaction must be included in the formulation of robot and platform dynamics. The formulation includes the full dynamic interactions from arms to platform and arm tip to arm tip, and the possible translation and rotation of the platform. The equations of motion are shown to be identical in structure to the fixed-platform cooperative manipulator dynamics. The number of DOFs of the system is sufficiently large to make recursive dynamic calculation methods potentially more efficient than closed-form solutions. A complete simulation with two 6-DOF manipulators of a free-floating platform is presented along a with a multiple-arm controller to position the common load.

Nanostructured sensors for biomedical applications--a current perspective.

PubMed

Krishnamoorthy, Sivashankar

2015-08-01

Nanostructured sensors have unique capabilities that can be tailored to advantage in advancing the diagnosis, monitoring and cure of several diseases and health conditions. This report aims at providing a current perspective on, (a) the emerging clinical needs that defines the challenges to be addressed by nanostructured sensors, with specific emphasis on early stage diagnosis, drug-diagnostic combinations, and predictive models to design therapy, (b) the emerging industry trends in in vitro diagnostics, mobile health care, high-throughput molecular and cell-based diagnostic platforms, and (c) recent instances of nanostructured biosensors, including promising sensing concepts that can be enhanced using nanostructures that carry high promise towards catering to the emerging clinical needs, as well as the market/industry trends. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atomdroid: a computational chemistry tool for mobile platforms.

PubMed

Feldt, Jonas; Mata, Ricardo A; Dieterich, Johannes M

2012-04-23

We present the implementation of a new molecular mechanics program designed for use in mobile platforms, the first specifically built for these devices. The software is designed to run on Android operating systems and is compatible with several modern tablet-PCs and smartphones available in the market. It includes molecular viewer/builder capabilities with integrated routines for geometry optimizations and Monte Carlo simulations. These functionalities allow it to work as a stand-alone tool. We discuss some particular development aspects, as well as the overall feasibility of using computational chemistry software packages in mobile platforms. Benchmark calculations show that through efficient implementation techniques even hand-held devices can be used to simulate midsized systems using force fields.

Remote sensing and eLearning 2.0 for school education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, Kerstin; Goetzke, Roland; Hodam, Henryk

2010-10-01

The "Remote Sensing in Schools" project aims at improving the integration of "Satellite remote sensing" into school teaching. Therefore, it is the project's overall objective to teach students in primary and secondary schools the basics and fields of application of remote sensing. Existing results show that many teachers are interested in remote sensing and at same time motivated to integrate it into their teaching. Despite the good intention, in the end, the implementation often fails due to the complexity and poor set-up of the information provided. Therefore, a comprehensive and well-structured learning platform on the topic of remote sensing is developed. The platform shall allow a structured introduction to the topic.

Thermotropic Liquid Crystal-Assisted Chemical and Biological Sensors

PubMed Central

Honaker, Lawrence W.; Usol’tseva, Nadezhda; Mann, Elizabeth K.

2017-01-01

In this review article, we analyze recent progress in the application of liquid crystal-assisted advanced functional materials for sensing biological and chemical analytes. Multiple research groups demonstrate substantial interest in liquid crystal (LC) sensing platforms, generating an increasing number of scientific articles. We review trends in implementing LC sensing techniques and identify common problems related to the stability and reliability of the sensing materials as well as to experimental set-ups. Finally, we suggest possible means of bridging scientific findings to viable and attractive LC sensor platforms. PMID:29295530

An Open Source Software and Web-GIS Based Platform for Airborne SAR Remote Sensing Data Management, Distribution and Sharing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Changyong, Dou; Huadong, Guo; Chunming, Han; Ming, Liu

2014-03-01

With more and more Earth observation data available to the community, how to manage and sharing these valuable remote sensing datasets is becoming an urgent issue to be solved. The web based Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology provides a convenient way for the users in different locations to share and make use of the same dataset. In order to efficiently use the airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing data acquired in the Airborne Remote Sensing Center of the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (RADI), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), a Web-GIS based platform for airborne SAR data management, distribution and sharing was designed and developed. The major features of the system include map based navigation search interface, full resolution imagery shown overlaid the map, and all the software adopted in the platform are Open Source Software (OSS). The functions of the platform include browsing the imagery on the map navigation based interface, ordering and downloading data online, image dataset and user management, etc. At present, the system is under testing in RADI and will come to regular operation soon.

On Designing a Pervasive Mobile Learning Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laine, Teemu H.; Vinni, Mikko; Sedano, Carolina Islas; Joy, Mike

2010-01-01

This article presents the features, design and architecture of the Myst pervasive game platform that has been applied in creating pervasive mobile learning games in various contexts such as science festivals and museums in Finland. Based on our experiences with the development, we draw a set of design principles for creating successfully a…

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A worker sandblasts the surface behind the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A . Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

Interactive Computer-Assisted Instruction in Acid-Base Physiology for Mobile Computer Platforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longmuir, Kenneth J.

2014-01-01

In this project, the traditional lecture hall presentation of acid-base physiology in the first-year medical school curriculum was replaced by interactive, computer-assisted instruction designed primarily for the iPad and other mobile computer platforms. Three learning modules were developed, each with ~20 screens of information, on the subjects…

Application of A Mobile Platform-based System for the Management of Fundus Diease in Outpatient Settings.

PubMed

Dend, Xun; Li, Hong-Yan; Yin, Hong; Liang, Jian-Hong; Chen, Yi; Li, Xiao-Xin; Zhao, Ming-Wei

2016-08-01

Objective To evaluate the application of a mobile platform-based system in the management of fundus disease in outpatient settings. Methods In the outpatient departments of fundus disease,premature babies requiring eye examination under general anesthesia and adults requiring intraocular surgery were enrolled as the subjects. According to the existing clinical practices,we developed a system that met the requirements of clinical practices and optimized the clinical management. Based on the FileMaker database,the tablet computers were used as the mobile platform and the system could also be run in iPad and PC terminals.Results Since 2013,the system recorded 7500 cases of special examinations. Since July 2015,4100 cases of intravitreal drug injection were also recored in the system. Multiple-point and real-time reservation pattern increased the efficiency and opimize the clinical management. All the clinical data were digitalized. Conclusion The mobile platform-based system can increase the efficacy of examination and other clinical processes and standardize data collection;thus,it is feasible for the clinical practices in outpatient departments of ophthalmology.

Evaluation of kinesthetic sense and hand function in women with breast cancer-related lymphedema.

PubMed

Karadibak, Didem; Yavuzsen, Tugba

2015-06-01

[Purpose] This study evaluated the functional ability and kinesthetic sense of the hands of women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-seven women experiencing lymphedema after breast surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy were included. The patients were divided into two groups: women with hand edema (HE+, n = 29) and without hand edema (HE-, n = 28) after breast cancer treatment. Arm edema severity, hand size, functional mobility and kinesthetic sense of the hand, and daily living skills were evaluated. [Results] The mean age of the patients was 55.8 years. In both groups, functional mobility, kinesthetic sense, and daily living skills decreased significantly with increasing edema severity. However, there was no significant difference between groups with respect to functional mobility or daily living skills. The kinesthetic sense of the hand was better in the HE- group than the HE+ group. There was a significant negative relationship between the severity of edema and hand function. [Conclusion] Breast cancer-related lymphedema can negatively impact women's functional mobility and kinesthetic sense of the hands as well as daily living skills.

Evaluation of kinesthetic sense and hand function in women with breast cancer-related lymphedema

PubMed Central

Karadibak, Didem; Yavuzsen, Tugba

2015-01-01

[Purpose] This study evaluated the functional ability and kinesthetic sense of the hands of women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-seven women experiencing lymphedema after breast surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy were included. The patients were divided into two groups: women with hand edema (HE+, n = 29) and without hand edema (HE−, n = 28) after breast cancer treatment. Arm edema severity, hand size, functional mobility and kinesthetic sense of the hand, and daily living skills were evaluated. [Results] The mean age of the patients was 55.8 years. In both groups, functional mobility, kinesthetic sense, and daily living skills decreased significantly with increasing edema severity. However, there was no significant difference between groups with respect to functional mobility or daily living skills. The kinesthetic sense of the hand was better in the HE− group than the HE+ group. There was a significant negative relationship between the severity of edema and hand function. [Conclusion] Breast cancer-related lymphedema can negatively impact women’s functional mobility and kinesthetic sense of the hands as well as daily living skills. PMID:26180295

Curb Mounting, Vertical Mobility, and Inverted Mobility on Rough Surfaces Using Microspine-Enabled Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parness, Aaron

2012-01-01

Three robots that extend microspine technology to enable advanced mobility are presented. First, the Durable Reconnaissance and Observation Platform (DROP) and the ReconRobotics Scout platform use a new rotary configuration of microspines to provide improved soldier-portable reconnaissance by moving rapidly over curbs and obstacles, transitioning from horizontal to vertical surfaces, climbing rough walls and surviving impacts. Next, the four-legged LEMUR robot uses new configurations of opposed microspines to anchor to both manmade and natural rough surfaces. Using these anchors as feet enables mobility in unstructured environments, from urban disaster areas to deserts and caves.

Hard Fusion Based Spectrum Sensing over Mobile Fading Channels in Cognitive Vehicular Networks

PubMed Central

Hao, Li; Ni, Dadong; Tran, Quang Thanh

2018-01-01

An explosive growth in vehicular wireless applications gives rise to spectrum resource starvation. Cognitive radio has been used in vehicular networks to mitigate the impending spectrum starvation problem by allowing vehicles to fully exploit spectrum opportunities unoccupied by licensed users. Efficient and effective detection of licensed user is a critical issue to realize cognitive radio applications. However, spectrum sensing in vehicular environments is a very challenging task due to vehicle mobility. For instance, vehicle mobility has a large effect on the wireless channel, thereby impacting the detection performance of spectrum sensing. Thus, gargantuan efforts have been made in order to analyze the fading properties of mobile radio channel in vehicular environments. Indeed, numerous studies have demonstrated that the wireless channel in vehicular environments can be characterized by a temporally correlated Rayleigh fading. In this paper, we focus on energy detection for spectrum sensing and a counting rule for cooperative sensing based on Neyman-Pearson criteria. Further, we go into the effect of the sensing and reporting channel conditions on the sensing performance under the temporally correlated Rayleigh channel. For local and cooperative sensing, we derive some alternative expressions for the average probability of misdetection. The pertinent numerical and simulating results are provided to further validate our theoretical analyses under a variety of scenarios. PMID:29415452

Sea truth and environmental characterization studies of Mobile Bay, Alabama, utilizing ERTS-1, data collection platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schroeder, W. W.

1977-01-01

The paper reports on the scientific results obtained during a feasibility study that evaluated the potential of using ERTS data collection platforms (DCPs) in the coastal environment of Mobile Bay, Alabama. The utility of instrumented buoys operated in a coastal marine environment as ERTS DCPs is demonstrated. It is shown that these platforms are capable of providing both sea-truth data for ERTS imagery studies and time-series data for event monitoring and/or environmental characterization studies.

KSC-08pd1246

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Artist's rendering of the Constellation Program's Ares V rocket on the mobile launcher platform (left) and the Ares I rocket on the platform (right) with the space shuttle in between for comparison. The tower of the mobile launcher will have multiple platforms for personnel access and will be approximately 390 feet tall. The tower will be used in the assembly, testing and servicing of the Ares rockets at Kennedy and will also transport the Ares rockets to the launch pad and provide ground support for launches.

Integrated Microsensors for Autonomous Microrobots

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

ADKINS, DOUGLAS R.; BYRNE, RAYMOND H.; HELLER, EDWIN J.

2003-02-01

This report describes the development of a miniature mobile microrobot device and several microsystems needed to create a miniature microsensor delivery platform. This work was funded under LDRD No.10785, entitled, ''Integrated Microsensors for Autonomous Microrobots''. The approach adopted in this project was to develop a mobile platform, to which would be attached wireless RF remote control and data acquisition in addition to various microsensors. A modular approach was used to produce a versatile microrobot platform and reduce power consumption and physical size.

Field-Based Experiential Learning Using Mobile Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilley, G. E.

2015-12-01

Technologies such as GPS and cellular triangulation allow location-specific content to be delivered by mobile devices, but no mechanism currently exists to associate content shared between locations in a way that guarantees the delivery of coherent and non-redundant information at every location. Thus, experiential learning via mobile devices must currently take place along a predefined path, as in the case of a self-guided tour. I developed a mobile-device-based system that allows a person to move through a space along a path of their choosing, while receiving information in a way that guarantees delivery of appropriate background and location-specific information without producing redundancy of content between locations. This is accomplished by coupling content to knowledge-concept tags that are noted as fulfilled when users take prescribed actions. Similarly, the presentation of the content is related to the fulfillment of these knowledge-concept tags through logic statements that control the presentation. Content delivery is triggered by mobile-device geolocation including GPS/cellular navigation, and sensing of low-power Bluetooth proximity beacons. Together, these features implement a process that guarantees a coherent, non-redundant educational experience throughout a space, regardless of a learner's chosen path. The app that runs on the mobile device works in tandem with a server-side database and file-serving system that can be configured through a web-based GUI, and so content creators can easily populate and configure content with the system. Once the database has been updated, the new content is immediately available to the mobile devices when they arrive at the location at which content is required. Such a system serves as a platform for the development of field-based geoscience educational experiences, in which students can organically learn about core concepts at particular locations while individually exploring a space.

Development of a computer model to predict platform station keeping requirements in the Gulf of Mexico using remote sensing data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barber, Bryan; Kahn, Laura; Wong, David

1990-01-01

Offshore operations such as oil drilling and radar monitoring require semisubmersible platforms to remain stationary at specific locations in the Gulf of Mexico. Ocean currents, wind, and waves in the Gulf of Mexico tend to move platforms away from their desired locations. A computer model was created to predict the station keeping requirements of a platform. The computer simulation uses remote sensing data from satellites and buoys as input. A background of the project, alternate approaches to the project, and the details of the simulation are presented.

Total-Internal-Reflection Platforms for Chemical and Biological Sensing Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapsford, Kim E.

Sensing platforms based on the principle of total internal reflection (TIR) represent a fairly mature yet still expanding and exciting field of research. Sensor development has mainly been driven by the need for rapid, stand-alone, automated devices for application in the fields of clinical diagnosis and screening, food and water safety, environmental monitoring, and chemical and biological warfare agent detection. The technologies highlighted in this chapter are continually evolving, taking advantage of emerging advances in microfabrication, lab-on-a-chip, excitation, and detection techniques. This chapter describes many of the underlying principles of TIR-based sensing platforms and additionally focusses on planar TIR fluorescence (TIRF)-based chemical and biological sensors.

Determination of the Electrochemical Area of Screen-Printed Electrochemical Sensing Platforms.

PubMed

García-Miranda Ferrari, Alejandro; Foster, Christopher W; Kelly, Peter J; Brownson, Dale A C; Banks, Craig E

2018-06-08

Screen-printed electrochemical sensing platforms, due to their scales of economy and high reproducibility, can provide a useful approach to translate laboratory-based electrochemistry into the field. An important factor when utilising screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) is the determination of their real electrochemical surface area, which allows for the benchmarking of these SPEs and is an important parameter in quality control. In this paper, we consider the use of cyclic voltammetry and chronocoulometry to allow for the determination of the real electrochemical area of screen-printed electrochemical sensing platforms, highlighting to experimentalists the various parameters that need to be diligently considered and controlled in order to obtain useful measurements of the real electroactive area.

Autonomous biomorphic robots as platforms for sensors

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

Tilden, M.; Hasslacher, B.; Mainieri, R.

1996-10-01

The idea of building autonomous robots that can carry out complex and nonrepetitive tasks is an old one, so far unrealized in any meaningful hardware. Tilden has shown recently that there are simple, processor-free solutions to building autonomous mobile machines that continuously adapt to unknown and hostile environments, are designed primarily to survive, and are extremely resistant to damage. These devices use smart mechanics and simple (low component count) electronic neuron control structures having the functionality of biological organisms from simple invertebrates to sophisticated members of the insect and crab family. These devices are paradigms for the development of autonomousmore » machines that can carry out directed goals. The machine then becomes a robust survivalist platform that can carry sensors or instruments. These autonomous roving machines, now in an early stage of development (several proof-of-concept prototype walkers have been built), can be developed so that they are inexpensive, robust, and versatile carriers for a variety of instrument packages. Applications are immediate and many, in areas as diverse as prosthetics, medicine, space, construction, nanoscience, defense, remote sensing, environmental cleanup, and biotechnology.« less

Micro-fluidic (Lab-on the- Chip) PCR Array Cartridge for Biological Screening in a Hand Held Device: FInal Report for CRADA no 264. PNNL-T2-258-RU with CombiMatrix Corp

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

Rainina, Evguenia I.

2010-10-31

The worldwide emergence of both new and old diseases resulting from human expansion and also human and materials mobility has and will continue to place stress on both medical and clinical diagnostics. The classical approach to bioagents detection involves the use of differential metabolic assays to determine species type in the case of most bacteria, or the use of cell culture and electron microscopy to diagnose viruses and some bacteria that are intracellular parasites. The long-term goal in bioagent detection is to develop a hand-held instrument featuring disposable cartridges which contain all the necessary reagents, reaction chambers, waste chambers, andmore » micro-fluidics to extract, concentrate, amplify, and analyze nucleic acids. This GIPP project began development of a sensory platform using nucleic-acid based probes. Although research was not completed, initial findings indicated that an advanced sensing device could theoretically be built on a DNA/RNA-based technology platform.« less

Privacy-Preserving Location-Based Service Scheme for Mobile Sensing Data.

PubMed

Xie, Qingqing; Wang, Liangmin

2016-11-25

With the wide use of mobile sensing application, more and more location-embedded data are collected and stored in mobile clouds, such as iCloud, Samsung cloud, etc. Using these data, the cloud service provider (CSP) can provide location-based service (LBS) for users. However, the mobile cloud is untrustworthy. The privacy concerns force the sensitive locations to be stored on the mobile cloud in an encrypted form. However, this brings a great challenge to utilize these data to provide efficient LBS. To solve this problem, we propose a privacy-preserving LBS scheme for mobile sensing data, based on the RSA (for Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) algorithm and ciphertext policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) scheme. The mobile cloud can perform location distance computing and comparison efficiently for authorized users, without location privacy leakage. In the end, theoretical security analysis and experimental evaluation demonstrate that our scheme is secure against the chosen plaintext attack (CPA) and efficient enough for practical applications in terms of user side computation overhead.

Privacy-Preserving Location-Based Service Scheme for Mobile Sensing Data †

PubMed Central

Xie, Qingqing; Wang, Liangmin

2016-01-01

With the wide use of mobile sensing application, more and more location-embedded data are collected and stored in mobile clouds, such as iCloud, Samsung cloud, etc. Using these data, the cloud service provider (CSP) can provide location-based service (LBS) for users. However, the mobile cloud is untrustworthy. The privacy concerns force the sensitive locations to be stored on the mobile cloud in an encrypted form. However, this brings a great challenge to utilize these data to provide efficient LBS. To solve this problem, we propose a privacy-preserving LBS scheme for mobile sensing data, based on the RSA (for Rivest, Shamir and Adleman) algorithm and ciphertext policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) scheme. The mobile cloud can perform location distance computing and comparison efficiently for authorized users, without location privacy leakage. In the end, theoretical security analysis and experimental evaluation demonstrate that our scheme is secure against the chosen plaintext attack (CPA) and efficient enough for practical applications in terms of user side computation overhead. PMID:27897984

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sandblasting begins on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Sandblasting begins on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

[Digital learning and teaching in medical education : Already there or still at the beginning?

PubMed

Kuhn, Sebastian; Frankenhauser, Susanne; Tolks, Daniel

2018-02-01

The current choice of digital teaching and learning formats in medicine is very heterogeneous. In addition to the widely used classical static formats, social communication tools, audio/video-based media, interactive formats, and electronic testing systems enrich the learning environment.For medical students, the private use of digital media is not necessarily linked to their meaningful use in the study. Many gain their experience of digital learning in the sense of "assessment drives learning", especially by taking online exams in a passive, consuming role. About half of all medical students can be referred to as "e-examinees" whose handling of digital learning is primarily focused on online exam preparation. Essentially, they do not actively influence their digital environment. Only a quarter can be identified as a "digital all-rounder", who compiles their individual learning portfolio from the broad range of digital media.At present, the use of digital media is not yet an integral and comprehensive component of the teaching framework of medical studies in Germany, but is rather used in the sense of a punctual teaching enrichment. Current trends in digital teaching and learning offerings are mobile, interactive, and personalized platforms as well as increasing the relevance of learning platforms. Furthermore, didactical concepts targeting the changed learning habits of the students are more successful regarding the acceptance and learning outcomes. In addition, digitalization is currently gaining importance as a component in the medical school curricula.

A numerical study of sensory-guided multiple views for improved object identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blakeslee, B. A.; Zelnio, E. G.; Koditschek, D. E.

2014-06-01

We explore the potential on-line adjustment of sensory controls for improved object identification and discrimination in the context of a simulated high resolution camera system carried onboard a maneuverable robotic platform that can actively choose its observational position and pose. Our early numerical studies suggest the significant efficacy and enhanced performance achieved by even very simple feedback-driven iteration of the view in contrast to identification from a fixed pose, uninformed by any active adaptation. Specifically, we contrast the discriminative performance of the same conventional classification system when informed by: a random glance at a vehicle; two random glances at a vehicle; or a random glance followed by a guided second look. After each glance, edge detection algorithms isolate the most salient features of the image and template matching is performed through the use of the Hausdor↵ distance, comparing the simulated sensed images with reference images of the vehicles. We present initial simulation statistics that overwhelmingly favor the third scenario. We conclude with a sketch of our near-future steps in this study that will entail: the incorporation of more sophisticated image processing and template matching algorithms; more complex discrimination tasks such as distinguishing between two similar vehicles or vehicles in motion; more realistic models of the observers mobility including platform dynamics and eventually environmental constraints; and expanding the sensing task beyond the identification of a specified object selected from a pre-defined library of alternatives.

Micromotor-Based Biomimetic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration: Towards Mobile Microscrubbers.

PubMed

Uygun, Murat; Singh, Virendra V; Kaufmann, Kevin; Uygun, Deniz A; de Oliveira, Severina D S; Wang, Joseph

2015-10-26

We describe a mobile CO2 scrubbing platform that offers a greatly accelerated biomimetic sequestration based on a self-propelled carbonic anhydrase (CA) functionalized micromotor. The CO2 hydration capability of CA is coupled with the rapid movement of catalytic micromotors, and along with the corresponding fluid dynamics, results in a highly efficient mobile CO2 scrubbing microsystem. The continuous movement of CA and enhanced mass transport of the CO2 substrate lead to significant improvements in the sequestration efficiency and speed over stationary immobilized or free CA platforms. This system is a promising approach to rapid and enhanced CO2 sequestration platforms for addressing growing concerns over the buildup of greenhouse gas. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A new family of omnidirectional and holonomic wheeled platforms for mobile robots

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

Pin, F.G.; Killough, S.M.

1994-08-01

This paper presents the concepts for a new family of holonomic wheeled platforms that feature full omnidirectionality with simultaneous and independently controlled rotational and translational motion capabilities. The authors first present the orthogonal-wheels'' concept and the two major wheel assemblies on which these platforms are based. The authors then describe how a combination of these assemblies with appropriate control can be used to generate an omnidirectional capability for mobile robot platforms. Several alternative designs are considered, and their respective characteristics with respect to rotational and translational motion control are discussed. The design and control of a prototype platform developed tomore » test and demonstrate the proposed concepts is then described, and experimental results illustrating the full omnidirectionality of the platforms with decoupled rotational and translational degrees of freedom are presented.« less

Multipurpose floating platform for hyperspectral imaging, sampling and sensing of surface water sources used in irrigation and recreation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this work was to design, construct, and test the self-propelled aquatic platform for imaging, multi-tier water sampling, water quality sensing, and depth profiling to document microbial content and environmental covariates in the interior of irrigation ponds and reservoirs. The plat...

Functional photonic crystal fiber sensing devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villatoro, Joel; Finazzi, Vittoria; Pruneri, Valerio

2011-12-01

We report on a functional, highly reproducible and cost effective sensing platform based on photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). The platform consists of a centimeter-length segment of an index-guiding PCF fusion spliced to standard single mode fibers (SMFs). The voids of the PCF are intentionally sealed over an adequate length in the PCF-SMF interfaces. A microscopic collapsed region in the PCF induces a mode field mismatch which combined with the axial symmetry of the structure allow the efficient excitation and recombination or overlapping of azimuthal symmetric modes in the PCF. The transmission or reflection spectrum of the devices exhibits a high-visibility interference pattern or a single, profound and narrow notch. The interference pattern or the notch position shifts when the length of the PCF experiences microelongations or when liquids or coatings are present on the PCF surface. Thus, the platform here proposed can be useful for sensing diverse parameters such as strain, vibration, pressure, humidity, refractive index, gases, etc. Unlike other PCF-based sensing platforms the multiplexing of the devices here proposed is simple for which it is possible to implement PCF-based sensor arrays or networks.

A Wireless Multi-Sensor Dielectric Impedance Spectroscopy Platform

PubMed Central

Ghaffari, Seyed Alireza; Caron, William-O.; Loubier, Mathilde; Rioux, Maxime; Viens, Jeff; Gosselin, Benoit; Messaddeq, Younes

2015-01-01

This paper describes the development of a low-cost, miniaturized, multiplexed, and connected platform for dielectric impedance spectroscopy (DIS), designed for in situ measurements and adapted to wireless network architectures. The platform has been tested and used as a DIS sensor node on ZigBee mesh and was able to interface up to three DIS sensors at the same time and relay the information through the network for data analysis and storage. The system is built from low-cost commercial microelectronics components, performs dielectric spectroscopy ranging from 5 kHz to 100 kHz, and benefits from an on-the-fly calibration system that makes sensor calibration easy. The paper describes the microelectronics design, the Nyquist impedance response, the measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and the testing of the platform for in situ dielectric impedance spectroscopy applications pertaining to fertilizer sensing, water quality sensing, and touch sensing. PMID:26393587

A Self-Sustained Wireless Multi-Sensor Platform Integrated with Printable Organic Sensors for Indoor Environmental Monitoring

PubMed Central

Wu, Chun-Chang; Chuang, Wen-Yu; Wu, Ching-Da; Su, Yu-Cheng; Huang, Yung-Yang; Huang, Yang-Jing; Peng, Sheng-Yu; Yu, Shih-An; Lin, Chih-Ting; Lu, Shey-Shi

2017-01-01

A self-sustained multi-sensor platform for indoor environmental monitoring is proposed in this paper. To reduce the cost and power consumption of the sensing platform, in the developed platform, organic materials of PEDOT:PSS and PEDOT:PSS/EB-PANI are used as the sensing films for humidity and CO2 detection, respectively. Different from traditional gas sensors, these organic sensing films can operate at room temperature without heating processes or infrared transceivers so that the power consumption of the developed humidity and the CO2 sensors can be as low as 10 μW and 5 μW, respectively. To cooperate with these low-power sensors, a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) system-on-chip (SoC) is designed to amplify and to read out multiple sensor signals with low power consumption. The developed SoC includes an analog-front-end interface circuit (AFE), an analog-to-digital convertor (ADC), a digital controller and a power management unit (PMU). Scheduled by the digital controller, the sensing circuits are power gated with a small duty-cycle to reduce the average power consumption to 3.2 μW. The designed PMU converts the power scavenged from a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) module into required supply voltages for SoC circuits operation under typical indoor illuminance conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first multiple environmental parameters (Temperature/CO2/Humidity) sensing platform that demonstrates a true self-powering functionality for long-term operations. PMID:28353680

A Self-Sustained Wireless Multi-Sensor Platform Integrated with Printable Organic Sensors for Indoor Environmental Monitoring.

PubMed

Wu, Chun-Chang; Chuang, Wen-Yu; Wu, Ching-Da; Su, Yu-Cheng; Huang, Yung-Yang; Huang, Yang-Jing; Peng, Sheng-Yu; Yu, Shih-An; Lin, Chih-Ting; Lu, Shey-Shi

2017-03-29

A self-sustained multi-sensor platform for indoor environmental monitoring is proposed in this paper. To reduce the cost and power consumption of the sensing platform, in the developed platform, organic materials of PEDOT:PSS and PEDOT:PSS/EB-PANI are used as the sensing films for humidity and CO₂ detection, respectively. Different from traditional gas sensors, these organic sensing films can operate at room temperature without heating processes or infrared transceivers so that the power consumption of the developed humidity and the CO₂ sensors can be as low as 10 μW and 5 μW, respectively. To cooperate with these low-power sensors, a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) system-on-chip (SoC) is designed to amplify and to read out multiple sensor signals with low power consumption. The developed SoC includes an analog-front-end interface circuit (AFE), an analog-to-digital convertor (ADC), a digital controller and a power management unit (PMU). Scheduled by the digital controller, the sensing circuits are power gated with a small duty-cycle to reduce the average power consumption to 3.2 μW. The designed PMU converts the power scavenged from a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) module into required supply voltages for SoC circuits operation under typical indoor illuminance conditions. To our knowledge, this is the first multiple environmental parameters (Temperature/CO₂/Humidity) sensing platform that demonstrates a true self-powering functionality for long-term operations.

Are We There Yet? Exploring the Impact of Translating Cognitive Tests for Dementia Using Mobile Technology in an Aging Population.

PubMed

Ruggeri, Kai; Maguire, Áine; Andrews, Jack L; Martin, Eric; Menon, Shantanu

2016-01-01

This study examines implications of the expanded use of mobile platforms in testing cognitive function, and generates evidence on the impact utilizing mobile platforms for dementia screen. The Saint Louis University Mental State examination (SLUMS) was ported onto a computerized mobile application named the Cambridge University Pen to Digital Equivalence assessment (CUPDE). CUPDE was piloted and compared to the traditional pen and paper version, with a common comparator test for both groups. Sixty healthy participants (aged 50-79) completed both measurements. Differences were tested between overall outcomes, individual items, and relationship with the comparator. Significant differences in the overall scores between the two testing versions as well as within individual items were observed. Even when groups were matched by cognitive function and age, scores on SLUMS original version (M = 19.75, SD = 3) were significantly higher than those on CUPDE (M = 15.88, SD = 3.5), t (15) = 3.02, p < 0.01. Mobile platforms require the development of new normative standards, even when items can be directly translated. Furthermore, these must fit aging populations with significant variance in familiarity with mobile technology. Greater understanding of the interplay and related mechanisms between auditory and visual systems, which are not well understood yet in the context of mobile technologies, is mandatory.

A new performance index for the repetitive motion of mobile manipulators.

PubMed

Xiao, Lin; Zhang, Yunong

2014-02-01

A mobile manipulator is a robotic device composed of a mobile platform and a stationary manipulator fixed to the platform. To achieve the repetitive motion control of mobile manipulators, the mobile platform and the manipulator have to realize the repetitive motion simultaneously. To do so, a novel quadratic performance index is, for the first time, designed and presented in this paper, of which the effectiveness is analyzed by following a neural dynamics method. Then, a repetitive motion scheme is proposed by combining the criterion, physical constraints, and integrated kinematical equations of mobile manipulators, which is further reformulated as a quadratic programming (QP) subject to equality and bound constraints. In addition, two important Bridge theorems are established to prove that such a QP can be converted equivalently into a linear variational inequality, and then equivalently into a piecewise-linear projection equation (PLPE). A real-time numerical algorithm based on PLPE is thus developed and applied for the online solution of the resultant QP. Two tracking-path tasks demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the repetitive motion scheme. In addition, comparisons between the nonrepetitive and repetitive motion further validate the superiority and novelty of the proposed scheme.

Accelerating image recognition on mobile devices using GPGPU

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordallo López, Miguel; Nykänen, Henri; Hannuksela, Jari; Silvén, Olli; Vehviläinen, Markku

2011-01-01

The future multi-modal user interfaces of battery-powered mobile devices are expected to require computationally costly image analysis techniques. The use of Graphic Processing Units for computing is very well suited for parallel processing and the addition of programmable stages and high precision arithmetic provide for opportunities to implement energy-efficient complete algorithms. At the moment the first mobile graphics accelerators with programmable pipelines are available, enabling the GPGPU implementation of several image processing algorithms. In this context, we consider a face tracking approach that uses efficient gray-scale invariant texture features and boosting. The solution is based on the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) features and makes use of the GPU on the pre-processing and feature extraction phase. We have implemented a series of image processing techniques in the shader language of OpenGL ES 2.0, compiled them for a mobile graphics processing unit and performed tests on a mobile application processor platform (OMAP3530). In our contribution, we describe the challenges of designing on a mobile platform, present the performance achieved and provide measurement results for the actual power consumption in comparison to using the CPU (ARM) on the same platform.

Silicon-nanomembrane-based photonic crystal nanostructures for chip-integrated open sensor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakravarty, Swapnajit; Lai, Wei-Cheng; Zou, Yi; Lin, Cheyun; Wang, Xiaolong; Chen, Ray T.

2011-11-01

We experimentally demonstrate two devices on the photonic crystal platform for chip-integrated optical absorption spectroscopy and chip-integrated biomolecular microarray assays. Infrared optical absorption spectroscopy and biomolecular assays based on conjugate-specific binding principles represent two dominant sensing mechanisms for a wide spectrum of applications in environmental pollution sensing in air and water, chem-bio agents and explosives detection for national security, microbial contamination sensing in food and beverages to name a few. The easy scalability of photonic crystal devices to any wavelength ensures that the sensing principles hold across a wide electromagnetic spectrum. Silicon, the workhorse of the electronics industry, is an ideal platform for the above optical sensing applications.

Carbon dots rooted agarose hydrogel hybrid platform for optical detection and separation of heavy metal ions.

PubMed

Gogoi, Neelam; Barooah, Mayuri; Majumdar, Gitanjali; Chowdhury, Devasish

2015-02-11

A robust solid sensing platform for an on-site operational and accurate detection of heavy metal is still a challenge. We introduce chitosan based carbon dots rooted agarose hydrogel film as a hybrid solid sensing platform for detection of heavy metal ions. The fabrication of the solid sensing platform is centered on simple electrostatic interaction between the NH3+ group present in the carbon dots and the OH- groups present in agarose. Simply on dipping the hydrogel film strip into the heavy metal ion solution, in particular Cr6+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Mn2+, the strip displays a color change, viz., Cr6+→yellow, Cu2+→blue, Fe3+→brown, Pb2+→white, Mn2+→tan brown. The optical detection limit of the respective metal ion is found to be 1 pM for Cr6+, 0.5 μM for Cu2+, and 0.5 nM for Fe3+, Pb2+, and Mn2+ by studying the changes in UV-visible reflectance spectrum of the hydrogel film. Moreover, the hydrogel film finds applicability as an efficient filtration membrane for separation of these quintet heavy metal ions. The strategic fundamental feature of this sensing platform is the successful capability of chitosan to form colored chelates with transition metals. This proficient hybrid hydrogel solid sensing platform is thus the most suitable to employ as an on-site operational, portable, cheap colorimetric-optical detector of heavy metal ion with potential skill in their separation. Details of the possible mechanistic insight into the colorimetric detection and ion separation are also discussed.

Wearable motion sensors to continuously measure real-world physical activities.

PubMed

Dobkin, Bruce H

2013-12-01

Rehabilitation for sensorimotor impairments aims to improve daily activities, walking, exercise, and motor skills. Monitoring of practice and measuring outcomes, however, is usually restricted to laboratory-based procedures and self-reports. Mobile health devices may reverse these confounders of daily care and research trials. Wearable, wireless motion sensor data, analyzed by activity pattern-recognition algorithms, can describe the type, quantity, and quality of mobility-related activities in the community. Data transmission from the sensors to a cell phone and the Internet enable continuous monitoring. Remote access to laboratory quality data about walking speed, duration and distance, gait asymmetry and smoothness of movements, as well as cycling, exercise, and skills practice, opens new opportunities to engage patients in progressive, personalized therapies with feedback about the performance. Clinical trial designs will be able to include remote verification of the integrity of complex physical interventions and compliance with practice, as well as capture repeated, ecologically sound, ratio scale outcome measures. Given the progressively falling cost of miniaturized wearable gyroscopes, accelerometers, and other physiologic sensors, as well as inexpensive data transmission, sensing systems may become as ubiquitous as cell phones for healthcare. Neurorehabilitation can develop these mobile health platforms for daily care and clinical trials to improve exercise and fitness, skills learning, and physical functioning.

Apply an Augmented Reality in a Mobile Guidance to Increase Sense of Place for Heritage Places

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Yu-Lien; Hou, Huei-Tse; Pan, Chao-Yang; Sung, Yao-Ting; Chang, Kuo-En

2015-01-01

Based on the sense of place theory and the design principles of guidance and interpretation, this study developed an augmented reality mobile guidance system that used a historical geo-context-embedded visiting strategy. This tool for heritage guidance and educational activities enhanced visitor sense of place. This study consisted of 3 visitor…

Mobile Phone Based Participatory Sensing in Hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowry, C.; Fienen, M. N.; Böhlen, M.

2014-12-01

Although many observations in the hydrologic sciences are easy to obtain, requiring very little training or equipment, spatial and temporally-distributed data collection is hindered by associated personnel and telemetry costs. Lack of data increases the uncertainty and can limit applications of both field and modeling studies. However, modern society is much more digitally connected than the past, which presents new opportunities to collect real-time hydrologic data through the use of participatory sensing. Participatory sensing in this usage refers to citizens contributing distributed observations of physical phenomena. Real-time data streams are possible as a direct result of the growth of mobile phone networks and high adoption rates of mobile users. In this research, we describe an example of the development, methodology, barriers to entry, data uncertainty, and results of mobile phone based participatory sensing applied to groundwater and surface water characterization. Results are presented from three participatory sensing experiments that focused on stream stage, surface water temperature, and water quality. Results demonstrate variability in the consistency and reliability across the type of data collected and the challenges of collecting research grade data. These studies also point to needed improvements and future developments for widespread use of low cost techniques for participatory sensing.

Vision and Task Assistance using Modular Wireless In Vivo Surgical Robots

PubMed Central

Platt, Stephen R.; Hawks, Jeff A.; Rentschler, Mark E.

2009-01-01

Minimally invasive abdominal surgery (laparoscopy) results in superior patient outcomes compared to conventional open surgery. However, the difficulty of manipulating traditional laparoscopic tools from outside the body of the patient generally limits these benefits to patients undergoing relatively low complexity procedures. The use of tools that fit entirely inside the peritoneal cavity represents a novel approach to laparoscopic surgery. Our previous work demonstrated that miniature mobile and fixed-based in vivo robots using tethers for power and data transmission can successfully operate within the abdominal cavity. This paper describes the development of a modular wireless mobile platform for in vivo sensing and manipulation applications. Design details and results of ex vivo and in vivo tests of robots with biopsy grasper, staple/clamp, video, and physiological sensor payloads are presented. These types of self-contained surgical devices are significantly more transportable and lower in cost than current robotic surgical assistants. They could ultimately be carried and deployed by non-medical personnel at the site of an injury to allow a remotely located surgeon to provide critical first response medical intervention irrespective of the location of the patient. PMID:19237337

Ionospheric Profiles from Ultraviolet Remote Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

remote sensing of the ionosphere from orbiting space platforms. Remote sensing of the nighttime ionosphere is a relatively straightforward process due to the absence of the complications brought about by daytime solar radiation. Further, during the nighttime hours, the O(+)-H(+) transition level in both the mid- and low-latitude ionospheres lies around 750 km, which is within the range of accuracy of the path matrix inversion. The intensity of the O(+)-e(-) recombination radiation as observed from orbiting space platforms can now be used to

Distributed and Modular CAN-Based Architecture for Hardware Control and Sensor Data Integration

PubMed Central

Losada, Diego P.; Fernández, Joaquín L.; Paz, Enrique; Sanz, Rafael

2017-01-01

In this article, we present a CAN-based (Controller Area Network) distributed system to integrate sensors, actuators and hardware controllers in a mobile robot platform. With this work, we provide a robust, simple, flexible and open system to make hardware elements or subsystems communicate, that can be applied to different robots or mobile platforms. Hardware modules can be connected to or disconnected from the CAN bus while the system is working. It has been tested in our mobile robot Rato, based on a RWI (Real World Interface) mobile platform, to replace the old sensor and motor controllers. It has also been used in the design of two new robots: BellBot and WatchBot. Currently, our hardware integration architecture supports different sensors, actuators and control subsystems, such as motor controllers and inertial measurement units. The integration architecture was tested and compared with other solutions through a performance analysis of relevant parameters such as transmission efficiency and bandwidth usage. The results conclude that the proposed solution implements a lightweight communication protocol for mobile robot applications that avoids transmission delays and overhead. PMID:28467381

Aerosol and trace gas flux measurements from a mobile car platform on the highway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, M.; Miller, S. J.; Staebler, R. M.; Taylor, P.

2016-12-01

Mobile flux measurements of aerosols and trace gases at the surface can provide valuable information about the vertical transport of these compounds from near-surface sources. These measurements can be complimentary to stationary tower measurements or elevated mobile measurements from aircraft and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). In July, 2016 a mobile platform (Toyota Highlander), outfitted with a sonic anemometer (ATI), an open path CO2/H2O analyzer (Licor), and an ultrafine particle sizer (DMT), was driven on highways as part of a chasing study to investigate vehicle-induced turbulence and mixing. The open path analyzer and particle sizer inlet were co-located with the anemometer in order to investigate the feasibility of making flux measurements of heat, momentum, water vapour, CO2, and sub-micron aerosols on the highway. These highway flux measurements are compared to stationary platform measurements made upwind and downwind of the highway. Statistical and spectral analyses are used to demonstrate the validity of the mobile measurements. Uncertainties due to flow distortion around the vehicle, under-sampling, and heterogeneity of the vertical temperature and concentrations are investigated and discussed.

Distributed and Modular CAN-Based Architecture for Hardware Control and Sensor Data Integration.

PubMed

Losada, Diego P; Fernández, Joaquín L; Paz, Enrique; Sanz, Rafael

2017-05-03

In this article, we present a CAN-based (Controller Area Network) distributed system to integrate sensors, actuators and hardware controllers in a mobile robot platform. With this work, we provide a robust, simple, flexible and open system to make hardware elements or subsystems communicate, that can be applied to different robots or mobile platforms. Hardware modules can be connected to or disconnected from the CAN bus while the system is working. It has been tested in our mobile robot Rato, based on a RWI (Real World Interface) mobile platform, to replace the old sensor and motor controllers. It has also been used in the design of two new robots: BellBot and WatchBot. Currently, our hardware integration architecture supports different sensors, actuators and control subsystems, such as motor controllers and inertial measurement units. The integration architecture was tested and compared with other solutions through a performance analysis of relevant parameters such as transmission efficiency and bandwidth usage. The results conclude that the proposed solution implements a lightweight communication protocol for mobile robot applications that avoids transmission delays and overhead.

Analyzing Cyber-Physical Threats on Robotic Platforms.

PubMed

Ahmad Yousef, Khalil M; AlMajali, Anas; Ghalyon, Salah Abu; Dweik, Waleed; Mohd, Bassam J

2018-05-21

Robots are increasingly involved in our daily lives. Fundamental to robots are the communication link (or stream) and the applications that connect the robots to their clients or users. Such communication link and applications are usually supported through client/server network connection. This networking system is amenable of being attacked and vulnerable to the security threats. Ensuring security and privacy for robotic platforms is thus critical, as failures and attacks could have devastating consequences. In this paper, we examine several cyber-physical security threats that are unique to the robotic platforms; specifically the communication link and the applications. Threats target integrity, availability and confidential security requirements of the robotic platforms, which use MobileEyes/arnlServer client/server applications. A robot attack tool (RAT) was developed to perform specific security attacks. An impact-oriented approach was adopted to analyze the assessment results of the attacks. Tests and experiments of attacks were conducted in simulation environment and physically on the robot. The simulation environment was based on MobileSim; a software tool for simulating, debugging and experimenting on MobileRobots/ActivMedia platforms and their environments. The robot platform PeopleBot TM was used for physical experiments. The analysis and testing results show that certain attacks were successful at breaching the robot security. Integrity attacks modified commands and manipulated the robot behavior. Availability attacks were able to cause Denial-of-Service (DoS) and the robot was not responsive to MobileEyes commands. Integrity and availability attacks caused sensitive information on the robot to be hijacked. To mitigate security threats, we provide possible mitigation techniques and suggestions to raise awareness of threats on the robotic platforms, especially when the robots are involved in critical missions or applications.

Analyzing Cyber-Physical Threats on Robotic Platforms †

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Robots are increasingly involved in our daily lives. Fundamental to robots are the communication link (or stream) and the applications that connect the robots to their clients or users. Such communication link and applications are usually supported through client/server network connection. This networking system is amenable of being attacked and vulnerable to the security threats. Ensuring security and privacy for robotic platforms is thus critical, as failures and attacks could have devastating consequences. In this paper, we examine several cyber-physical security threats that are unique to the robotic platforms; specifically the communication link and the applications. Threats target integrity, availability and confidential security requirements of the robotic platforms, which use MobileEyes/arnlServer client/server applications. A robot attack tool (RAT) was developed to perform specific security attacks. An impact-oriented approach was adopted to analyze the assessment results of the attacks. Tests and experiments of attacks were conducted in simulation environment and physically on the robot. The simulation environment was based on MobileSim; a software tool for simulating, debugging and experimenting on MobileRobots/ActivMedia platforms and their environments. The robot platform PeopleBotTM was used for physical experiments. The analysis and testing results show that certain attacks were successful at breaching the robot security. Integrity attacks modified commands and manipulated the robot behavior. Availability attacks were able to cause Denial-of-Service (DoS) and the robot was not responsive to MobileEyes commands. Integrity and availability attacks caused sensitive information on the robot to be hijacked. To mitigate security threats, we provide possible mitigation techniques and suggestions to raise awareness of threats on the robotic platforms, especially when the robots are involved in critical missions or applications. PMID:29883403

Tracking the Evolution of Smartphone Sensing for Monitoring Human Movement

PubMed Central

del Rosario, Michael B.; Redmond, Stephen J.; Lovell, Nigel H.

2015-01-01

Advances in mobile technology have led to the emergence of the “smartphone”, a new class of device with more advanced connectivity features that have quickly made it a constant presence in our lives. Smartphones are equipped with comparatively advanced computing capabilities, a global positioning system (GPS) receivers, and sensing capabilities (i.e., an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and more recently magnetometer and barometer) which can be found in wearable ambulatory monitors (WAMs). As a result, algorithms initially developed for WAMs that “count” steps (i.e., pedometers); gauge physical activity levels; indirectly estimate energy expenditure and monitor human movement can be utilised on the smartphone. These algorithms may enable clinicians to “close the loop” by prescribing timely interventions to improve or maintain wellbeing in populations who are at risk of falling or suffer from a chronic disease whose progression is linked to a reduction in movement and mobility. The ubiquitous nature of smartphone technology makes it the ideal platform from which human movement can be remotely monitored without the expense of purchasing, and inconvenience of using, a dedicated WAM. In this paper, an overview of the sensors that can be found in the smartphone are presented, followed by a summary of the developments in this field with an emphasis on the evolution of algorithms used to classify human movement. The limitations identified in the literature will be discussed, as well as suggestions about future research directions. PMID:26263998

The Educational Affordances of Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM): Results of Whatsapp® Used in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Amarolinda Zanela; da Silva Freitas, José Carlos, Jr.; da Silva, Juliana Vitória Vieira Mattiello Mattiello; Barbosa, Jorge Luis Victória; Baldasso, Lucas

2018-01-01

The popularity of Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM) has prompted educators to integrate it in teaching and learning in higher education. WhatsApp® is a multi-platform instant messaging application widely used worldwide, however, there is still little applied research on its use as a platform for educational activities in management higher education.…

STS-30 Atlantis, OV-104, at KSC LC Pad 39B atop mobile launcher platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

STS-30 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, arrives at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) Pad 39B atop mobile launcher platform. The fixed service structure (FSS) towers above OV-104, its external tank (ET), and its solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The rotating service structure (RSS) is retracted. The launch tower catwalks are also retracted.

Participatory Sensing Marine Debris: Current Trends and Future Opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jambeck, J.; Johnsen, K.

2016-02-01

The monitoring of litter and debris is challenging at the global scale because of spatial and temporal variability, disconnected local organizations and the use of paper and pen for documentation. The Marine Debris Tracker mobile app and citizen science program allows for the collection of global standardized data at a scale, speed and efficiency that was not previously possible. The app itself also serves as an outreach and education tool, creating an engaged participatory sensing instrument. This instrument is characterized by several aspects including range and frequency, accuracy and precision, accessibility, measurement dimensions, participant performance, and statistical analysis. Also, important to Marine Debris Tracker is open data and transparency. A web portal provides data that users have logged allowing immediate feedback to users and additional education opportunities. The engagement of users through a top tracker competition and social media keeps participants interested in the Marine Debris Tracker community. Over half a million items have been tracked globally, and maps provide both global and local distribution of data. The Marine Debris Tracker community and dataset continues to grow daily. We will present current usage and engagement, participatory sensing data distributions, choropleth maps of areas of active tracking, and discuss future technologies and platforms to expand data collection and conduct statistical analysis.

1. AERIAL VIEW, SHOWING MOBILE LAUNCHER. BASE IS CALLED LAUNCH ...

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

1. AERIAL VIEW, SHOWING MOBILE LAUNCHER. BASE IS CALLED LAUNCH PLATFORM AND TOWER ON RIGHT IS CALLED LAUNCH UMBILICAL TOWER, (LUT). - Mobile Launcher One, Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, Brevard County, FL

Healthcare in the Pocket: Mapping the Space of Mobile-Phone Health Interventions

PubMed Central

Klasnja, Predrag; Pratt, Wanda

2011-01-01

Mobile phones are becoming an increasingly important platform for the delivery of health interventions. In recent years, researchers have used mobile phones as tools for encouraging physical activity and healthy diets, for symptom monitoring in asthma and heart disease, for sending patients reminders about upcoming appointments, for supporting smoking cessation, and for a range of other health problems. This paper provides an overview of this rapidly growing body of work. We describe the features of mobile phones that make them a particularly promising platform for health interventions, and we identify five basic intervention strategies that have been used in mobile-phone health applications across different health conditions. Finally, we outline the directions for future research that could increase our understanding of functional and design requirements for the development of highly effective mobile-phone health interventions. PMID:21925288

STORMVEX: The Storm Peak Lab Cloud Property Validation Experiment Science and Operations Plan

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

Mace, J; Matrosov, S; Shupe, M

2010-09-29

During the Storm Peak Lab Cloud Property Validation Experiment (STORMVEX), a substantial correlative data set of remote sensing observations and direct in situ measurements from fixed and airborne platforms will be created in a winter season, mountainous environment. This will be accomplished by combining mountaintop observations at Storm Peak Laboratory and the airborne National Science Foundation-supported Colorado Airborne Multi-Phase Cloud Study campaign with collocated measurements from the second ARM Mobile Facility (AMF2). We describe in this document the operational plans and motivating science for this experiment, which includes deployment of AMF2 to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The intensive STORMVEX field phasemore » will begin nominally on 1 November 2010 and extend to approximately early April 2011.« less

Change Detection of Mobile LIDAR Data Using Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Kun; Boehm, Jan; Alis, Christian

2016-06-01

Change detection has long been a challenging problem although a lot of research has been conducted in different fields such as remote sensing and photogrammetry, computer vision, and robotics. In this paper, we blend voxel grid and Apache Spark together to propose an efficient method to address the problem in the context of big data. Voxel grid is a regular geometry representation consisting of the voxels with the same size, which fairly suites parallel computation. Apache Spark is a popular distributed parallel computing platform which allows fault tolerance and memory cache. These features can significantly enhance the performance of Apache Spark and results in an efficient and robust implementation. In our experiments, both synthetic and real point cloud data are employed to demonstrate the quality of our method.

Towards Autonomous Inspection of Space Systems Using Mobile Robotic Sensor Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Edmond; Saad, Ashraf; Litt, Jonathan S.

2007-01-01

The space transportation systems required to support NASA's Exploration Initiative will demand a high degree of reliability to ensure mission success. This reliability can be realized through autonomous fault/damage detection and repair capabilities. It is crucial that such capabilities are incorporated into these systems since it will be impractical to rely upon Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA), visual inspection or tele-operation due to the costly, labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of these methods. One approach to achieving this capability is through the use of an autonomous inspection system comprised of miniature mobile sensor platforms that will cooperatively perform high confidence inspection of space vehicles and habitats. This paper will discuss the efforts to develop a small scale demonstration test-bed to investigate the feasibility of using autonomous mobile sensor platforms to perform inspection operations. Progress will be discussed in technology areas including: the hardware implementation and demonstration of robotic sensor platforms, the implementation of a hardware test-bed facility, and the investigation of collaborative control algorithms.

Design of a Microlecture Mobile Learning System Based on Smartphone and Web Platforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wen, Chuanxue; Zhang, Junfei

2015-01-01

This paper first analyzes the concept and features of microlecture, mobile learning, and ubiquitous learning, then presents the combination of microlecture and mobile learning, to propose a novel way of micro-learning through mobile terminals. Details are presented of a microlecture mobile learning system (MMLS) that can support multiplatforms,…

Weight loss efficacy of a novel mobile Diabetes Prevention Program delivery platform with human coaching

PubMed Central

Michaelides, Andreas; Raby, Christine; Wood, Meghan; Farr, Kit

2016-01-01

Objective To evaluate the weight loss efficacy of a novel mobile platform delivering the Diabetes Prevention Program. Research Design and Methods 43 overweight or obese adult participants with a diagnosis of prediabetes signed-up to receive a 24-week virtual Diabetes Prevention Program with human coaching, through a mobile platform. Weight loss and engagement were the main outcomes, evaluated by repeated measures analysis of variance, backward regression, and mediation regression. Results Weight loss at 16 and 24 weeks was significant, with 56% of starters and 64% of completers losing over 5% body weight. Mean weight loss at 24 weeks was 6.58% in starters and 7.5% in completers. Participants were highly engaged, with 84% of the sample completing 9 lessons or more. In-app actions related to self-monitoring significantly predicted weight loss. Conclusions Our findings support the effectiveness of a uniquely mobile prediabetes intervention, producing weight loss comparable to studies with high engagement, with potential for scalable population health management. PMID:27651911

Mobile Videoconferencing Apps for Telemedicine

PubMed Central

Liu, Wei-Li; Locatis, Craig; Ackerman, Michael

2016-01-01

Abstract Introduction: The quality and performance of several videoconferencing applications (apps) tested on iOS (Apple, Cupertino, CA) and Android™ (Google, Mountain View, CA) mobile platforms using Wi-Fi (802.11), third-generation (3G), and fourth-generation (4G) cellular networks are described. Materials and Methods: The tests were done to determine how well apps perform compared with videoconferencing software installed on computers or with more traditional videoconferencing using dedicated hardware. The rationale for app assessment and the testing methodology are described. Results: Findings are discussed in relation to operating system platform (iOS or Android) for which the apps were designed and the type of network (Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G) used. The platform, network, and apps interact, and it is impossible to discuss videoconferencing experienced on mobile devices in relation to one of these factors without referencing the others. Conclusions: Apps for mobile devices can vary significantly from other videoconferencing software or hardware. App performance increased over the testing period due to improvements in network infrastructure and how apps manage bandwidth. PMID:26204322

Mobile Videoconferencing Apps for Telemedicine.

PubMed

Zhang, Kai; Liu, Wei-Li; Locatis, Craig; Ackerman, Michael

2016-01-01

The quality and performance of several videoconferencing applications (apps) tested on iOS (Apple, Cupertino, CA) and Android (Google, Mountain View, CA) mobile platforms using Wi-Fi (802.11), third-generation (3G), and fourth-generation (4G) cellular networks are described. The tests were done to determine how well apps perform compared with videoconferencing software installed on computers or with more traditional videoconferencing using dedicated hardware. The rationale for app assessment and the testing methodology are described. Findings are discussed in relation to operating system platform (iOS or Android) for which the apps were designed and the type of network (Wi-Fi, 3G, or 4G) used. The platform, network, and apps interact, and it is impossible to discuss videoconferencing experienced on mobile devices in relation to one of these factors without referencing the others. Apps for mobile devices can vary significantly from other videoconferencing software or hardware. App performance increased over the testing period due to improvements in network infrastructure and how apps manage bandwidth.

Investigating the Perceptions of Care Coordinators on Using Behavior Theory-Based Mobile Health Technology With Medicaid Populations: A Grounded Theory Study

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Medicaid populations are less engaged in their health care than the rest of the population, translating to worse health outcomes and increased health care costs. Since theory-based mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been shown to increase patient engagement, mobile phones may be an optimal strategy to reach this population. With increased development of theory-based mHealth technology, these interventions must now be evaluated with these medically underserved populations in a real-world setting. Objective The aim of our study was to investigate care coordinators’ perceived value of using a health behavior theory-based mHealth platform with Medicaid clients. In particular, attention was paid to the perceived impact on patient engagement. This research was conducted using the patient-provider text messaging (short message service, SMS) platform, Sense Health (now Wellpass), which integrates the transtheoretical model (TTM), also called the stages of change model; social cognitive theory (SCT); supportive accountability; and motivational interviewing (MI). Methods Interviews based in grounded theory methodology were conducted with 10 care managers to understand perceptions of the relationship between mHealth and patient engagement. Results The interviews with care managers yielded a foundation for a grounded theory model, presenting themes that suggested 4 intertwined correlative relationships revolving around patient engagement: (1) A text messaging (short message service, SMS) platform supplements the client-care manager dynamic, which is grounded in high quality, reciprocal-communication to increase patient engagement; (2) Texting enhances the relationship between literacy and access to care for Medicaid patients, increasing low-literacy patients’ agency to access services; (3) Texting enhances communication, providing care managers with a new means to support their clients; and (4) Reminders augment client accountability, leading to both increased motivation and readiness to change behaviors, as well as an improved client-care manager relationship. Conclusions Messaging platform features tied to health behavior theory appear to be effective in improving patient engagement. Two-way communication (supportive accountability), trusted relationships (supportive accountability, SCT), personalized messages (TTM), and patient input (TTM, SCT, MI) appeared as the most relevant components in achieving desired outcomes. Additionally, reminder messages were noted as especially useful in making Medicaid patients accountable and in turn engaging them in their health and health care. These findings convey suggested elements for inclusion in other mHealth interventions aiming to improve patient engagement in Medicaid populations. PMID:28325711

Investigating the Perceptions of Care Coordinators on Using Behavior Theory-Based Mobile Health Technology With Medicaid Populations: A Grounded Theory Study.

PubMed

Sigler, Brittany Erika

2017-03-21

Medicaid populations are less engaged in their health care than the rest of the population, translating to worse health outcomes and increased health care costs. Since theory-based mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been shown to increase patient engagement, mobile phones may be an optimal strategy to reach this population. With increased development of theory-based mHealth technology, these interventions must now be evaluated with these medically underserved populations in a real-world setting. The aim of our study was to investigate care coordinators' perceived value of using a health behavior theory-based mHealth platform with Medicaid clients. In particular, attention was paid to the perceived impact on patient engagement. This research was conducted using the patient-provider text messaging (short message service, SMS) platform, Sense Health (now Wellpass), which integrates the transtheoretical model (TTM), also called the stages of change model; social cognitive theory (SCT); supportive accountability; and motivational interviewing (MI). Interviews based in grounded theory methodology were conducted with 10 care managers to understand perceptions of the relationship between mHealth and patient engagement. The interviews with care managers yielded a foundation for a grounded theory model, presenting themes that suggested 4 intertwined correlative relationships revolving around patient engagement: (1) A text messaging (short message service, SMS) platform supplements the client-care manager dynamic, which is grounded in high quality, reciprocal-communication to increase patient engagement; (2) Texting enhances the relationship between literacy and access to care for Medicaid patients, increasing low-literacy patients' agency to access services; (3) Texting enhances communication, providing care managers with a new means to support their clients; and (4) Reminders augment client accountability, leading to both increased motivation and readiness to change behaviors, as well as an improved client-care manager relationship. Messaging platform features tied to health behavior theory appear to be effective in improving patient engagement. Two-way communication (supportive accountability), trusted relationships (supportive accountability, SCT), personalized messages (TTM), and patient input (TTM, SCT, MI) appeared as the most relevant components in achieving desired outcomes. Additionally, reminder messages were noted as especially useful in making Medicaid patients accountable and in turn engaging them in their health and health care. These findings convey suggested elements for inclusion in other mHealth interventions aiming to improve patient engagement in Medicaid populations. ©Brittany Erika Sigler. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 21.03.2017.

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, SECTIONS I. Sheet A17 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, SECTIONS II. Sheet A18 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. ISOMETRIC: EXISTING ML NO. 3 LAUNCHER. Sheet A1 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

STS-30 Atlantis, OV-104, on the mobile launcher platform heads to KSC LC pad

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

STS-30 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, riding atop the mobile launcher platform and the crawler transporter approaches Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch Complex (LC) pad 39B. This backlit view highlights OV-104's profile, the external tank (ET), and one of the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) as it moves up LC pad 39B incline.

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, SECTIONS IV. Sheet A20 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. ISOMETRIC VIEW: MLP NO. 1. Sheet A10 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Mobile Student Information System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asif, Muhammad; Krogstie, John

2011-01-01

Purpose: A mobile student information system (MSIS) based on mobile computing and context-aware application concepts can provide more user-centric information services to students. The purpose of this paper is to describe a system for providing relevant information to students on a mobile platform. Design/methodology/approach: The research…

The International Space Station: A Unique Platform For Terrestrial Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stefanov, William L.; Evans, Cynthia A.

2012-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) became operational in November of 2000, and until recently remote sensing activities and operations have focused on handheld astronaut photography of the Earth. This effort builds from earlier NASA and Russian space programs (e.g. Evans et al. 2000; Glazovskiy and Dessinov 2000). To date, astronauts have taken more than 600,000 images of the Earth s land surface, oceans, and atmospheric phenomena from orbit using film and digital cameras as part two payloads: NASA s Crew Earth Observations experiment (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/) and Russia s Uragan experiment (Stefanov et al. 2012). Many of these images have unique attributes - varying look angles, ground resolutions, and illumination - that are not available from other remote sensing platforms. Despite this large volume of imagery and clear capability for Earth remote sensing, the ISS historically has not been perceived as an Earth observations platform by many remote sensing scientists. With the recent installation of new facilities and sophisticated sensor systems, and additional systems manifested and in development, that perception is changing to take advantage of the unique capabilities and viewing opportunities offered by the ISS.

A highly selective fluorescence sensing platform for nanomolar Hg(II) detection based on cytosine derived quantum dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Liang; Song, Ting; Wang, Haoqiang; Yuan, Qunhui; Zhou, Shenghai

2018-03-01

Inspired by low toxicity and good biocompatibility of biomass derived quantum dot (QD), we herein developed a cytosine derived quantum dot, namely cyt-dot, via a one-step hydrothermal synthesis. The as-prepared cyt-dot emits blue fluorescence (FL) containing abundant oxygen (20.6 at.%) and nitrogen (24.1 at.%) contents. The cyt-dot based sensing platform shows exclusive selectivity for Hg(II) while being insensitive towards Fe(III) and Ag(I), which are important interference that usually cannot be ruled out. The detection limit for Hg(II) is of 11 nM, which is very close to the guideline value of 10 nM allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in drinking water. In real water sample analyses, the present sensing platform can fulfil satisfied recoveries ranging from 100% to 108%. Besides, the acidity of solution has almost no effect on the sensing performance of the cyt-dot in a pH range of 5-8, suggesting its potential applications in sensing and bio-imaging.

A study to identify research issues in the area of electromagnetic measurements and signal handling of remotely sensed data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Research issues in the area of electromagnetic measurements and signal handling of remotely sensed data are identified. The following seven issues are discussed; platform/sensor system position and velocity, platform/sensor attitudes and attitude rates, optics and antennas, detectors and associated electronics, sensor calibration, signal handling, and system design.

Mission planning for large microwave radiometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schartel, W. A.

1984-01-01

Earth orbiting, remote sensing platforms that use microwave radiometers as sensors are susceptible to data interpretation difficulties. The capability of the large microwave radiometer (LMR) was augmented with the inclusion of auxillary sensors that expand and enhance the LMR capability. The final system configuration demonstrates a holistic approach in the design of future orbiting remote sensing platforms that use a LMR as the core instrument.

[Design and Implementation of Intelligent Mobile ECG].

PubMed

Cao, Shaoping; Liu, Jian

2016-05-01

This paper introduces the development of intelligent mobile ECG, and internet big data sharing resources to further improve the remote diagnosis of medical service platform , to enhance the level of mobile medical standard and control medical risks.

Real-time visual tracking of less textured three-dimensional objects on mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Byung-Kuk; Park, Jungsik; Park, Hanhoon; Park, Jong-Il

2012-12-01

Natural feature-based approaches are still challenging for mobile applications (e.g., mobile augmented reality), because they are feasible only in limited environments such as highly textured and planar scenes/objects, and they need powerful mobile hardware for fast and reliable tracking. In many cases where conventional approaches are not effective, three-dimensional (3-D) knowledge of target scenes would be beneficial. We present a well-established framework for real-time visual tracking of less textured 3-D objects on mobile platforms. Our framework is based on model-based tracking that efficiently exploits partially known 3-D scene knowledge such as object models and a background's distinctive geometric or photometric knowledge. Moreover, we elaborate on implementation in order to make it suitable for real-time vision processing on mobile hardware. The performance of the framework is tested and evaluated on recent commercially available smartphones, and its feasibility is shown by real-time demonstrations.

Recommendations from Friends Anytime and Anywhere: Toward a Model of Contextual Offer and Consumption Values

PubMed Central

Shen, Xiao-Liang; Wang, Nan

2013-01-01

Abstract The ubiquity and portability of mobile devices provide additional opportunities for information retrieval. People can easily access mobile applications anytime and anywhere when they need to acquire specific context-aware recommendations (contextual offer) from their friends. This study, thus, represents an initial attempt to understand users' acceptance of a mobile-based social reviews platform, where recommendations from friends can be obtained with mobile devices. Based on the consumption value theory, a theoretical model is proposed and empirically examined using survey data from 218 mobile users. The findings demonstrate that contextual offers based on users' profiles, access time, and geographic positions significantly predict their value perceptions (utilitarian, hedonic, and social), which, in turn, affect their intention to use a mobile social reviews platform. This study is also believed to provide some useful insights to both research and practice. PMID:23530548

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Staphylococcus aureus DNA Detection by Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Tag on Au Film Over Nanosphere Substrate.

PubMed

Chen, Jian; Wang, Jun-Feng; Wu, Xue-Zhong; Rong, Zhen; Dong, Pei-Tao; Xiao, Rui

2018-06-01

We developed a high-performance surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing platform that can be used for specific and sensitive DNA detection. The SERS platform combines the advantages of Au film over nanosphere (AuFON) substrate and Ag@PATP@SiO2 SERS tag. SERS tag-on-AuFON is a sensing system that operates by the self-assembly of SERS tag onto an AuFON substrate in the presence of target DNAs. The SERS signals can be dramatically enhanced by the formation of "hot spots" in the interstices between the assembled nanostructures, as confirmed by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. As a new sensing platform, SERS tag-on-AuFON was utilized to detect Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) DNA with a limit of detection at 1 nM. A linear relationship was also observed between the SERS intensity at Raman peak 1439 cm-1 and the logarithm of target DNA concentrations ranging from 1 μM to 1 nM. Besides, the sensing platform showed good homogeneity, with a relative standard deviation of about 1%. The sensitive SERS platform created in this study is a promising tool for detecting trace biochemical molecules because of its relatively simple and effective fabrication procedure, high sensitivity, and high reproducibility of the SERS effect.

Mobile hybrid LiDAR & infrared sensing for natural gas pipeline monitoring compendium.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

This item consists of several documents that were created throughout the Mobile Hybrid LiDAR & Infrared Sensing for Natural Gas Pipeline Monitoring project, No. RITARS-14-H-RUT, which was conducted from January 15, 2014 to June 30, 2016. Documents in...

Developing an eBook-Integrated High-Fidelity Mobile App Prototype for Promoting Child Motor Skills and Taxonomically Assessing Children's Emotional Responses Using Face and Sound Topology.

PubMed

Brown, William; Liu, Connie; John, Rita Marie; Ford, Phoebe

2014-01-01

Developing gross and fine motor skills and expressing complex emotion is critical for child development. We introduce "StorySense", an eBook-integrated mobile app prototype that can sense face and sound topologies and identify movement and expression to promote children's motor skills and emotional developmental. Currently, most interactive eBooks on mobile devices only leverage "low-motor" interaction (i.e. tapping or swiping). Our app senses a greater breath of motion (e.g. clapping, snapping, and face tracking), and dynamically alters the storyline according to physical responses in ways that encourage the performance of predetermined motor skills ideal for a child's gross and fine motor development. In addition, our app can capture changes in facial topology, which can later be mapped using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) for later interpretation of emotion. StorySense expands the human computer interaction vocabulary for mobile devices. Potential clinical applications include child development, physical therapy, and autism.

Using Technological Advances to Improve Surgery Curriculum: Experience With a Mobile Application.

PubMed

Green, Courtney A; Kim, Edward H; O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Chern, Hueylan

2018-01-31

Our previous home-video basic surgical skills curriculum required substantial faculty time and resources, and was limited by delayed feedback and technical difficulties. Consequently, we integrated that curriculum with a mobile application platform. Our purpose is to describe this application and learner satisfaction. The mobile platform incorporates a patented pedagogical design based on Ericsson's deliberate practice and Bandura's social learning theory. Instructors built step-wise skills modules. During the challenge phase, learners watched a video of surgical tasks completed by experts and uploaded a video of themselves performing the same task. In the Peer Review phase, they used a grading rubric to provide feedback. In the Recap stage, learners received individual feedback and could review their own videos. Two groups of learners, graduating medical students and matriculating surgical residents, participated in this independent learning platform, along with 2 to 4 laboratory sessions, and completed a survey about their experience. Survey responses were summarized descriptively and comments analyzed using content analysis. Fifty learners submitted videos of assigned tasks and completed peer reviews. Learners reported positive experiences specifically for the Peer Review Stage, structured home practice, ease of mobile access to submit and review videos, and ongoing immediate feedback. Over half of the learners reported spending at least 10 to 30 minute practicing skills before recording their videos and over 80% rerecorded at least 2 times before submission. Content analysis revealed learners engaged with the educational concepts designed into the platform. Learners easily used and were satisfied with a mobile-technology teaching platform that maintained the fundamental content, educational theories, and organizational structure of our previously effective surgical skills curriculum. Prior challenges were directly addressed through the mobile application's ease of use, support of deliberate practice, and improved timeliness of feedback. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimizing the Usability of Mobile Phones for Individuals Who Are Deaf

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chien-Hsiou; Chiu, Hsiao-Ping; Hsieh, Ching-Lin; Li, Rong-Kwer

2010-01-01

Mobile phones are employed as an assistive platform to improve the living quality of individuals who are deaf. However, deaf individuals experience difficulties using existing functions on mobile phones. This study identifies the functions that are inadequate and insufficient for deaf individuals using existing mobile phones. Analytical results…

Mobile Phone Mood Charting for Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Mark; Doherty, Gavin; Sharry, John; Fitzpatrick, Carol

2008-01-01

Mobile phones may provide a useful and engaging platform for supporting therapeutic services working with adolescents. This paper examines the potential benefits of the mobile phone for self-charting moods in comparison to existing methods in current practice. The paper describes a mobile phone application designed by the authors which allows…

Utah's Mobile Earth Science Outreach Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoessow, F. S.; Christian, L.

2016-12-01

Students at Utah State University's College of Natural Resources have engineered the first mobile Earth Science outreach platform capable of delivering high-tech and interactive solar-powered educational resources to the traditionally-underserved, remote communities of rural Utah. By retrofitting and modifying an industrial box-truck, this project effectively created a highly mobile and energy independent "school in a box" which seeks to help change the way that Earth science is communicated, eliminate traditional barriers, and increase science accessibility - both physically and conceptually. The project's education platform is focused on developing a more effective, sustainable, and engaging platform for presenting Earth science outreach curricula to community members of all ages in an engaging fashion. Furthermore, this project affords university students the opportunity to demonstrate innovative science communication techniques, translating vital university research into educational outreach operations aimed at doing real, measurable good for local communities.

Characterization of Vegetation using the UC Davis Remote Sensing Testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falk, M.; Hart, Q. J.; Bowen, K. S.; Ustin, S. L.

2006-12-01

Remote sensing provides information about the dynamics of the terrestrial biosphere with continuous spatial and temporal coverage on many different scales. We present the design and construction of a suite of instrument modules and network infrastructure with size, weight and power constraints suitable for small scale vehicles, anticipating vigorous growth in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and other mobile platforms. Our approach provides the rapid deployment and low cost acquisition of high aerial imagery for applications requiring high spatial resolution and revisits. The testbed supports a wide range of applications, encourages remote sensing solutions in new disciplines and demonstrates the complete range of engineering knowledge required for the successful deployment of remote sensing instruments. The initial testbed is deployed on a Sig Kadet Senior remote controlled plane. It includes an onboard computer with wireless radio, GPS, inertia measurement unit, 3-axis electronic compass and digital cameras. The onboard camera is either a RGB digital camera or a modified digital camera with red and NIR channels. Cameras were calibrated using selective light sources, an integrating spheres and a spectrometer, allowing for the computation of vegetation indices such as the NDVI. Field tests to date have investigated technical challenges in wireless communication bandwidth limits, automated image geolocation, and user interfaces; as well as image applications such as environmental landscape mapping focusing on Sudden Oak Death and invasive species detection, studies on the impact of bird colonies on tree canopies, and precision agriculture.

From Geocaching to Virtual Reality: Technology tools that can transform courses into interactive learning expeditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moysey, S. M.; Lazar, K.; Boyer, D. M.; Mobley, C.; Sellers, V.

2016-12-01

Transforming classrooms into active learning environments is a key challenge in introductory-level courses. The technology explosion over the last decade, from the advent of mobile devices to virtual reality, is creating innumerable opportunities to engage students within and outside of traditional classroom settings. In particular, technology can be an effective tool for providing students with field experiences that would otherwise be logistically difficult in large, introductory earth science courses. For example, we have created an integrated platform for mobile devices using readily accessible "off the shelf" components (e.g., Google Apps, Geocaching.com, and Facebook) that allow individual students to navigate to geologically relevant sites, perform and report on activities at these locations, and share their findings through social media by posting "geoselfies". Students compete with their friends on a leaderboard, while earning incentives for completing extracurricular activities in courses. Thus in addition to exposing students to a wider range of meaningful and accessible geologic field experiences, they also build a greater sense of community and identity within the context of earth science classrooms. Rather than sending students to the field, we can also increasingly bring the field to students in classrooms using virtual reality. Ample mobile platforms are emerging that easily allow for the creation, curation, and viewing of photospheres (i.e., 360o images) with mobile phones and low-cost headsets; Google Street View, Earth, and Expeditions are leading the way in terms of ease of content creation and implementation in the classroom. While these tools are an excellent entry point to show students real-world sites, they currently lack the capacity for students to interact with the environment. We have therefore also developed an immersive virtual reality game that allows students to study the geology of the Grand Canyon using their smartphone and Google Cardboard viewer. Students navigate the terrain, collect rock samples, and investigate outcrops using a variety of tests and comparative analyses built into the game narrative. To enhance the realism of the game, real-world samples and outcrops from the Grand Canyon were scanned and embedded within the VR environment.

Amine-functionalized diatom frustules: a platform for specific and sensitive detection of nitroaromatic explosive derivative.

PubMed

Selvaraj, Viji; Thomas, Neethi; Anthuvan, Allen Joseph; Nagamony, Ponpandian; Chinnuswamy, Viswanathan

2017-12-14

In the present study, an attempt was made to develop a proof of concept for the detection of nitroaromatic explosive derivatives through the photoluminescence (PL) quenching process using functionalized diatom frustules as a sensing platform. The diatom frustules are composed of nanostructured, highly porous biogenic silica material and emit strong, visible blue PL upon UV excitation. PL-active biosilica was isolated from the marine diatom Nitzschia sp. and was amine-functionalized to develop a sensing platform. Functionalized diatom frustules were further characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope and a series of spectroscopic methods. When nitroaromatic compounds were bound to the functionalized diatom frustules biosilica, the PL intensity from the functionalized biosilica was partially quenched due to the electrophilic nature of the nitro (-NO) groups. The quenching process confirmed the Meisenheimer complex formation and was investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence studies. The developed platform was further evaluated for its sensitivity and specificity, and the limit of detection (LOD) of the assay was determined as 1 μM for a series of nitroaromatic explosive compounds. In conclusion, the developed sensing platform will have great utility in the development of on-site detection platforms for sensitive detection of warfare explosive nitroaromatic compounds from the environment.

Robotic vehicle with multiple tracked mobility platforms

DOEpatents

Salton, Jonathan R [Albuquerque, NM; Buttz, James H [Albuquerque, NM; Garretson, Justin [Albuquerque, NM; Hayward, David R [Wetmore, CO; Hobart, Clinton G [Albuquerque, NM; Deuel, Jr., Jamieson K.

2012-07-24

A robotic vehicle having two or more tracked mobility platforms that are mechanically linked together with a two-dimensional coupling, thereby forming a composite vehicle of increased mobility. The robotic vehicle is operative in hazardous environments and can be capable of semi-submersible operation. The robotic vehicle is capable of remote controlled operation via radio frequency and/or fiber optic communication link to a remote operator control unit. The tracks have a plurality of track-edge scallop cut-outs that allow the tracks to easily grab onto and roll across railroad tracks, especially when crossing the railroad tracks at an oblique angle.

Biomedical sensor technologies on the platform of mobile phones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Lin; Liu, Jing

2011-06-01

Biomedical sensors have been widely used in various areas of biomedical practices, which play an important role in disease detection, diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, health management, and so on. However, most of them and their related platforms are generally not easily accessible or just too expensive or complicated to be kept at home. As an alternative, new technologies enabled from the mobile phones are gradually changing such situations. As can be freely available to almost everyone, mobile phone offers a unique way to improve the conventional medical care through combining with various biomedical sensors. Moreover, the established systems will be both convenient and low cost. In this paper, we present an overview on the state-of-art biomedical sensors, giving a brief introduction of the fundamental principles and showing several new examples or concepts in the area. The focus was particularly put on interpreting the technical strategies to innovate the biomedical sensor technologies based on the platform of mobile phones. Some challenging issues, including feasibility, usability, security, and effectiveness, were discussed. With the help of electrical and mechanical technologies, it is expected that a full combination between the biomedical sensors and mobile phones will bring a bright future for the coming pervasive medical care.

Fully distributed monitoring architecture supporting multiple trackees and trackers in indoor mobile asset management application.

PubMed

Jeong, Seol Young; Jo, Hyeong Gon; Kang, Soon Ju

2014-03-21

A tracking service like asset management is essential in a dynamic hospital environment consisting of numerous mobile assets (e.g., wheelchairs or infusion pumps) that are continuously relocated throughout a hospital. The tracking service is accomplished based on the key technologies of an indoor location-based service (LBS), such as locating and monitoring multiple mobile targets inside a building in real time. An indoor LBS such as a tracking service entails numerous resource lookups being requested concurrently and frequently from several locations, as well as a network infrastructure requiring support for high scalability in indoor environments. A traditional centralized architecture needs to maintain a geographic map of the entire building or complex in its central server, which can cause low scalability and traffic congestion. This paper presents a self-organizing and fully distributed indoor mobile asset management (MAM) platform, and proposes an architecture for multiple trackees (such as mobile assets) and trackers based on the proposed distributed platform in real time. In order to verify the suggested platform, scalability performance according to increases in the number of concurrent lookups was evaluated in a real test bed. Tracking latency and traffic load ratio in the proposed tracking architecture was also evaluated.

Remote Sensing as a Demonstration of Applied Physics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colwell, Robert N.

1980-01-01

Provides information about the field of remote sensing, including discussions of geo-synchronous and sun-synchronous remote-sensing platforms, the actual physical processes and equipment involved in sensing, the analysis of images by humans and machines, and inexpensive, small scale methods, including aerial photography. (CS)

Brief Mindfulness Meditation Training in Smokers

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-11

the Use of Mobile Technology EMA involves assessing phenomena at the moment they occur in a person’s natural environment. Assessments may be done at...of mobile technology , especially smartphones and tablet computers, provides a soon-to-be ubiquitous platform that can be leveraged to introduce...acute effects of Brief-MM together with an EMA platform is the first step in developing the knowledge base and technology necessary for using a similar

KSC-08pd1244

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Artist's rendering of the empty Constellation Program's mobile launcher platform planned for the Ares I rocket. The tower of the mobile launcher will have multiple platforms for personnel access and will be approximately 390 feet tall. The tower will be used in the assembly, testing and servicing of the Ares rockets at Kennedy and will also transport the Ares rockets to the launch pad and provide ground support for launches.

KSC-08pd1245

NASA Image and Video Library

2008-05-02

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Artist's rendering of the Constellation Program's mobile launcher platform with an Ares I rocket attached. The tower of the mobile launcher will have multiple platforms for personnel access and will be approximately 390 feet tall. The tower will be used in the assembly, testing and servicing of the Ares rockets at Kennedy and will also transport the Ares rockets to the launch pad and provide ground support for launches.

Helicopters: The Platform of Choice for Defense and Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-25

FID effort by facilitating the IDAD tasks of balanced development, security, neutralization, and mobilization. In order to prevent instability...security, neutralization, and mobilization. In order to prevent instability inside a Host Nation (HN), it is important to build cohesive IDAD and...derived from the H -53 (arguably the oldest, biggest, and most cost-prohibitive platform of this type) compared to STOL-capable 4-9 passenger fixed wing

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, ELEVATION – SIDE 1 & 2. Sheet A15 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, PLAN – DECK A. Sheet A13 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, ELEVATION – SIDE 3 & 4. Sheet A16 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, PLAN – DECK B. Sheet A14 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO ...

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

Photocopy of drawing. MODIFICATIONS TO CONVERT ML NO. 3 TO MOBILE LAUNCHER PLATFORM NO. 1. NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Drawing 79K04401, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, March, 1975. GENERAL ARRANGEMENT, MLP NO. 1, PLAN – DECK 0. Sheet A12 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Mobile Launcher Platforms, Launcher Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Design and engineering analysis of material procurement mobile operation platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, H.; Li, J.

2014-03-01

The material procurement mobile operation platform (MPMOP) consists of six modules, including network operation, truck transportation, remote communication, satellite positioning, power supply and environment regulation. The MPMOP is designed to have six major functions, including online procurement, command control, remote communication, satellite positioning, information management and auxiliary decision. The paper implements an engineering analysis on the MPMOP from three aspects, including transportation transfinite, centroid, and power dissipation.

Innovative Decentralized Decision-Making Enabling Capability on Mobile Edge Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

feasibility of adapting mobile device infrastructure into a future tactical cloud ecosystem. F. SCOPE The scope of this research is focused on the...critical to mobility : wireless infrastructure , the mobile device itself, and mobile applications” (Office of the Department of Defense Chief Information... Infrastructure to a Cost Effective and Platform Agnostic Environment; 3) Collaborate with DOD and Industry Partners to Develop a Classified Mobile Device

Evaluation of Game Engines for Cross-Platform Development of Mobile Serious Games for Health.

PubMed

Kleinschmidt, Carina; Haag, Martin

2016-01-01

Studies have shown that serious games for health can improve patient compliance and help to increase the quality of medical education. Due to a growing availability of mobile devices, especially the development of cross-platform mobile apps is helpful for improving healthcare. As the development can be highly time-consuming and expensive, an alternative development process is needed. Game engines are expected to simplify this process. Therefore, this article examines the question whether using game engines for cross-platform serious games for health can simplify the development compared to the development of a plain HTML5 app. At first, a systematic review of the literature was conducted in different databases (MEDLINE, ACM and IEEE). Afterwards three different game engines were chosen, evaluated in different categories and compared to the development of a HTML5 app. This was realized by implementing a prototypical application in the different engines and conducting a utility analysis. The evaluation shows that the Marmalade engine is the best choice for development in this scenario. Furthermore, it is obvious that the game engines have great benefits against plain HTML5 development as they provide components for graphics, physics, sounds, etc. The authors recommend to use the Marmalade Engine for a cross-platform mobile Serious Game for Health.

Engineering of Data Acquiring Mobile Software and Sustainable End-User Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Benton T.

2013-01-01

The criteria for which data acquiring software and its supporting infrastructure should be designed should take the following two points into account: the reusability and organization of stored online and remote data and content, and an assessment on whether abandoning a platform optimized design in favor for a multi-platform solution significantly reduces the performance of an end-user application. Furthermore, in-house applications that control or process instrument acquired data for end-users should be designed with a communication and control interface such that the application's modules can be reused as plug-in modular components in greater software systems. The application of the above mentioned is applied using two loosely related projects: a mobile application, and a website containing live and simulated data. For the intelligent devices mobile application AIDM, the end-user interface have a platform and data type optimized design, while the database and back-end applications store this information in an organized manner and manage access to that data to only to authorized user end application(s). Finally, the content for the website was derived from a database such that the content can be included and uniform to all applications accessing the content. With these projects being ongoing, I have concluded from my research that the applicable methods presented are feasible for both projects, and that a multi-platform design for the mobile application only marginally drop the performance of the mobile application.

Robust adaptive tracking control for nonholonomic mobile manipulator with uncertainties.

PubMed

Peng, Jinzhu; Yu, Jie; Wang, Jie

2014-07-01

In this paper, mobile manipulator is divided into two subsystems, that is, nonholonomic mobile platform subsystem and holonomic manipulator subsystem. First, the kinematic controller of the mobile platform is derived to obtain a desired velocity. Second, regarding the coupling between the two subsystems as disturbances, Lyapunov functions of the two subsystems are designed respectively. Third, a robust adaptive tracking controller is proposed to deal with the unknown upper bounds of parameter uncertainties and disturbances. According to the Lyapunov stability theory, the derived robust adaptive controller guarantees global stability of the closed-loop system, and the tracking errors and adaptive coefficient errors are all bounded. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed robust adaptive tracking controller for nonholonomic mobile manipulator is effective and has good tracking capacity. Copyright © 2014 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Resolution Characterization of Engineered Nanomaterial Dispersions in Complex Media Using Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing Technology

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

In vitro toxicity assessment of engineered nanomaterials (ENM), the most common testing platform for ENM, requires prior ENM dispersion, stabilization, and characterization in cell culture media. Dispersion inefficiencies and active aggregation of particles often result in polydisperse and multimodal particle size distributions. Accurate characterization of important properties of such polydisperse distributions (size distribution, effective density, charge, mobility, aggregation kinetics, etc.) is critical for understanding differences in the effective dose delivered to cells as a function of time and dispersion conditions, as well as for nano–bio interactions. Here we have investigated the utility of tunable nanopore resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) technology for characterization of four industry relevant ENMs (oxidized single-walled carbon nanohorns, carbon black, cerium oxide and nickel nanoparticles) in cell culture media containing serum. Harvard dispersion and dosimetry platform was used for preparing ENM dispersions and estimating delivered dose to cells based on dispersion characterization input from dynamic light scattering (DLS) and TRPS. The slopes of cell death vs administered and delivered ENM dose were then derived and compared. We investigated the impact of serum protein content, ENM concentration, and cell medium on the size distributions. The TRPS technology offers higher resolution and sensitivity compared to DLS and unique insights into ENM size distribution and concentration, as well as particle behavior and morphology in complex media. The in vitro dose–response slopes changed significantly for certain nanomaterials when delivered dose to cells was taken into consideration, highlighting the importance of accurate dispersion and dosimetry in in vitro nanotoxicology. PMID:25093451

KSC-2009-2301

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA's Kennedy Space Center management host a ceremony near Launch Pad 39B to mark the handover of Mobile Launcher Platform-1 (behind them) from NASA's Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program for the Ares I-X flight test targeted for this summer. Seated are (left) Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach and (right) Pepper E. Phillips, director of the Constellation Project Office, and Brett Raulerson, manager of MLP Operations with United Space Alliance. At the podium is Rita Willcoxon, director of Launch Vehicle Processing at Kennedy. Constructed in 1964, the mobile launchers used in Apollo/Saturn operations were modified for use in shuttle operations. With cranes, umbilical towers and swing arms removed, the mobile launchers were renamed Mobile Launcher Platforms, or MLPs. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

49 CFR 571.404 - Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in motor vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in... VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards § 571.404 Standard No. 404; Platform lift... platform lifts used to assist persons with limited mobility in entering or leaving a vehicle. S2. Purpose...

49 CFR 571.404 - Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in motor vehicles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Standard No. 404; Platform lift installations in... VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards § 571.404 Standard No. 404; Platform lift... platform lifts used to assist persons with limited mobility in entering or leaving a vehicle. S2. Purpose...

Towards multi-platform software architecture for Collaborative Teleoperation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domingues, Christophe; Otmane, Samir; Davesne, Frederic; Mallem, Malik

2009-03-01

Augmented Reality (AR) can provide to a Human Operator (HO) a real help in achieving complex tasks, such as remote control of robots and cooperative teleassistance. Using appropriate augmentations, the HO can interact faster, safer and easier with the remote real world. In this paper, we present an extension of an existing distributed software and network architecture for collaborative teleoperation based on networked human-scaled mixed reality and mobile platform. The first teleoperation system was composed by a VR application and a Web application. However the 2 systems cannot be used together and it is impossible to control a distant robot simultaneously. Our goal is to update the teleoperation system to permit a heterogeneous collaborative teleoperation between the 2 platforms. An important feature of this interface is based on the use of different Virtual Reality platforms and different Mobile platforms to control one or many robots.

Towards multi-platform software architecture for Collaborative Teleoperation

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

Domingues, Christophe; Otmane, Samir; Davesne, Frederic

2009-03-05

Augmented Reality (AR) can provide to a Human Operator (HO) a real help in achieving complex tasks, such as remote control of robots and cooperative teleassistance. Using appropriate augmentations, the HO can interact faster, safer and easier with the remote real world. In this paper, we present an extension of an existing distributed software and network architecture for collaborative teleoperation based on networked human-scaled mixed reality and mobile platform. The first teleoperation system was composed by a VR application and a Web application. However the 2 systems cannot be used together and it is impossible to control a distant robotmore » simultaneously. Our goal is to update the teleoperation system to permit a heterogeneous collaborative teleoperation between the 2 platforms. An important feature of this interface is based on the use of different Virtual Reality platforms and different Mobile platforms to control one or many robots.« less

Mounted Smartphones as Measurement and Control Platforms for Motor-Based Laboratory Test-Beds †

PubMed Central

Frank, Jared A.; Brill, Anthony; Kapila, Vikram

2016-01-01

Laboratory education in science and engineering often entails the use of test-beds equipped with costly peripherals for sensing, acquisition, storage, processing, and control of physical behavior. However, costly peripherals are no longer necessary to obtain precise measurements and achieve stable feedback control of test-beds. With smartphones performing diverse sensing and processing tasks, this study examines the feasibility of mounting smartphones directly to test-beds to exploit their embedded hardware and software in the measurement and control of the test-beds. This approach is a first step towards replacing laboratory-grade peripherals with more compact and affordable smartphone-based platforms, whose interactive user interfaces can engender wider participation and engagement from learners. Demonstrative cases are presented in which the sensing, computation, control, and user interaction with three motor-based test-beds are handled by a mounted smartphone. Results of experiments and simulations are used to validate the feasibility of mounted smartphones as measurement and feedback control platforms for motor-based laboratory test-beds, report the measurement precision and closed-loop performance achieved with such platforms, and address challenges in the development of platforms to maintain system stability. PMID:27556464

Mounted Smartphones as Measurement and Control Platforms for Motor-Based Laboratory Test-Beds.

PubMed

Frank, Jared A; Brill, Anthony; Kapila, Vikram

2016-08-20

Laboratory education in science and engineering often entails the use of test-beds equipped with costly peripherals for sensing, acquisition, storage, processing, and control of physical behavior. However, costly peripherals are no longer necessary to obtain precise measurements and achieve stable feedback control of test-beds. With smartphones performing diverse sensing and processing tasks, this study examines the feasibility of mounting smartphones directly to test-beds to exploit their embedded hardware and software in the measurement and control of the test-beds. This approach is a first step towards replacing laboratory-grade peripherals with more compact and affordable smartphone-based platforms, whose interactive user interfaces can engender wider participation and engagement from learners. Demonstrative cases are presented in which the sensing, computation, control, and user interaction with three motor-based test-beds are handled by a mounted smartphone. Results of experiments and simulations are used to validate the feasibility of mounted smartphones as measurement and feedback control platforms for motor-based laboratory test-beds, report the measurement precision and closed-loop performance achieved with such platforms, and address challenges in the development of platforms to maintain system stability.

Wireless steganography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agaian, Sos S.; Akopian, David; D'Souza, Sunil

2006-02-01

Modern mobile devices are some of the most technologically advanced devices that people use on a daily basis and the current trends in mobile phone technology indicate that tasks achievable by mobile devices will soon exceed our imagination. This paper undertakes a case study of the development and implementation of one of the first known steganography (data hiding) applications on a mobile device. Steganography is traditionally accomplished using the high processing speeds of desktop or notebook computers. With the introduction of mobile platform operating systems, there arises an opportunity for the users to develop and embed their own applications. We take advantage of this opportunity with the introduction of wireless steganographic algorithms. Thus we demonstrates that custom applications, popular with security establishments, can be developed also on mobile systems independent of both the mobile device manufacturer and mobile service provider. For example, this might be a very important feature if the communication is to be controlled exclusively by authorized personnel. The paper begins by reviewing the technological capabilities of modern mobile devices. Then we address a suitable development platform which is based on Symbian TM/Series60 TM architecture. Finally, two data hiding applications developed for Symbian TM/Series60 TM mobile phones are presented.

Adaptive MCS selection and resource planning for energy-efficient communication in LTE-M based IoT sensing platform.

PubMed

Dao, Nhu-Ngoc; Park, Minho; Kim, Joongheon; Cho, Sungrae

2017-01-01

As an important part of IoTization trends, wireless sensing technologies have been involved in many fields of human life. In cellular network evolution, the long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) networks including machine-type communication (MTC) features (named LTE-M) provide a promising infrastructure for a proliferation of Internet of things (IoT) sensing platform. However, LTE-M may not be optimally exploited for directly supporting such low-data-rate devices in terms of energy efficiency since it depends on core technologies of LTE that are originally designed for high-data-rate services. Focusing on this circumstance, we propose a novel adaptive modulation and coding selection (AMCS) algorithm to address the energy consumption problem in the LTE-M based IoT-sensing platform. The proposed algorithm determines the optimal pair of MCS and the number of primary resource blocks (#PRBs), at which the transport block size is sufficient to packetize the sensing data within the minimum transmit power. In addition, a quantity-oriented resource planning (QORP) technique that utilizes these optimal MCS levels as main criteria for spectrum allocation has been proposed for better adapting to the sensing node requirements. The simulation results reveal that the proposed approach significantly reduces the energy consumption of IoT sensing nodes and #PRBs up to 23.09% and 25.98%, respectively.

Adaptive MCS selection and resource planning for energy-efficient communication in LTE-M based IoT sensing platform

PubMed Central

Dao, Nhu-Ngoc; Park, Minho; Kim, Joongheon

2017-01-01

As an important part of IoTization trends, wireless sensing technologies have been involved in many fields of human life. In cellular network evolution, the long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) networks including machine-type communication (MTC) features (named LTE-M) provide a promising infrastructure for a proliferation of Internet of things (IoT) sensing platform. However, LTE-M may not be optimally exploited for directly supporting such low-data-rate devices in terms of energy efficiency since it depends on core technologies of LTE that are originally designed for high-data-rate services. Focusing on this circumstance, we propose a novel adaptive modulation and coding selection (AMCS) algorithm to address the energy consumption problem in the LTE-M based IoT-sensing platform. The proposed algorithm determines the optimal pair of MCS and the number of primary resource blocks (#PRBs), at which the transport block size is sufficient to packetize the sensing data within the minimum transmit power. In addition, a quantity-oriented resource planning (QORP) technique that utilizes these optimal MCS levels as main criteria for spectrum allocation has been proposed for better adapting to the sensing node requirements. The simulation results reveal that the proposed approach significantly reduces the energy consumption of IoT sensing nodes and #PRBs up to 23.09% and 25.98%, respectively. PMID:28796804

A Critical Review of 13 Years of Mobile Game-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giannakas, Filippos; Kambourakis, Georgios; Papasalouros, Andreas; Gritzalis, Stefanos

2018-01-01

With the increasing popularity of smartphones and tablets, game-based learning (GBL) is undergoing a rapid shift to mobile platforms. This transformation is driven by mobility, wireless interfaces, and built-in sensors that these smart devices offer in order to enable blended and context-sensitive mobile learning (m-Learning) activities. Thus,…

Investigating Learner Preparedness for and Usage Patterns of Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stockwell, Glenn

2008-01-01

While the use of mobile devices for language learning has sparked the interest of an increasing number of researchers in recent years (e.g., Aizawa & Kiernan, 2003; Thornton & Houser, 2005), our knowledge of learners' preferences for the mobile platform and their usage patterns remains limited. Are learners prepared to use mobile phones…

Developing a novel UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) helicopter platform for very high resolution environmental monitoring of catchment processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freer, J. E.; Richardson, T.; Yang, Z.

2012-12-01

Recent advances in remote sensing and geographic information has led the way for the development of hyperspectral sensors and cloud scanning LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). Both these technologies can be used to sense environmental processes and capture detailed spatial information, they are often deployed in ground, aircraft and satellite based systems. Hyperspectral remote sensing, also known as imaging spectroscopy, is a relatively new technology that is currently being investigated by researchers and scientists with regard to the detection and identification of landscapes, terrestrial vegetation, and manmade materials and backgrounds. There are many applications that could take advantages of hyperspectral remote sensing coupled to detailed surface feature mapping using LIDAR. This embryonic project involves developing the engineering solutions and post processing techniques needed to realise an ultra high resolution helicopter based environmental sensing platform which can fly at lower altitudes than aircraft systems and can be deployed more frequently. We aim to present this new technology platform in this special session (the only one of it's kind in the UK). Initial applications are planned on a range of environmental sensing problems that would benefit from such complex and detailed data.We look forward to being able to display and discuss this initiative with colleagues and any potential interest in future collaborative projects.

Developing a novel UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) helicopter platform for very high resolution environmental monitoring of catchment processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freer, J.; Richardson, T. S.

2012-04-01

Recent advances in remote sensing and geographic information has led the way for the development of hyperspectral sensors and cloud scanning LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). Both these technologies can be used to sense environmental processes and capture detailed spatial information, they are often deployed in ground, aircraft and satellite based systems. Hyperspectral remote sensing, also known as imaging spectroscopy, is a relatively new technology that is currently being investigated by researchers and scientists with regard to the detection and identification of landscapes, terrestrial vegetation, and manmade materials and backgrounds. There are many applications that could take advantages of hyperspectral remote sensing coupled to detailed surface feature mapping using LIDAR. This embryonic project involves developing the engineering solutions and post processing techniques needed to realise an ultra high resolution helicopter based environmental sensing platform which can fly at lower altitudes than aircraft systems and can be deployed more frequently. We aim to display this new technology platform in this special session (the only one of it's kind in the UK). Initial applications are planned on a range of environmental sensing problems that would benefit from such complex and detailed data. We look forward to being able to display and discuss this initiative with colleagues and any potential interest in future collaborative projects.

Real-time dangling objects sensing: A preliminary design of mobile headset ancillary device for visual impaired.

PubMed

Lin, C H; Cheng, P H; Shen, S T

2014-01-01

Blinds and severe visual impairments can utilize tactile sticks to assist their walking. However, they cannot fully understand the dangling objects in front of their walking routes. This research proposed a mobile real-time dangling objects sensing (RDOS) prototype, which is located on the cap to sense any front barrier. This device utilized cheap ultrasonic sensor to act as another complement eye for blinds to understand the front dangling objects. Meanwhile, the RDOS device can dynamically adjust the sensor's front angle that is depended on the user's body height and promote the sensing accuracy. Meanwhile, two major required algorithms, height-angle measurement and ultrasonic sensor alignment, are proposed with this prototype. The research team also integrated the RDOS device prototype with mobile Android devices by communicating with Bluetooth to record the walking route.

Exception handling for sensor fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavez, G. T.; Murphy, Robin R.

1993-08-01

This paper presents a control scheme for handling sensing failures (sensor malfunctions, significant degradations in performance due to changes in the environment, and errant expectations) in sensor fusion for autonomous mobile robots. The advantages of the exception handling mechanism are that it emphasizes a fast response to sensing failures, is able to use only a partial causal model of sensing failure, and leads to a graceful degradation of sensing if the sensing failure cannot be compensated for. The exception handling mechanism consists of two modules: error classification and error recovery. The error classification module in the exception handler attempts to classify the type and source(s) of the error using a modified generate-and-test procedure. If the source of the error is isolated, the error recovery module examines its cache of recovery schemes, which either repair or replace the current sensing configuration. If the failure is due to an error in expectation or cannot be identified, the planner is alerted. Experiments using actual sensor data collected by the CSM Mobile Robotics/Machine Perception Laboratory's Denning mobile robot demonstrate the operation of the exception handling mechanism.

Paper-based electrochemical sensing platform with integral battery and electrochromic read-out.

PubMed

Liu, Hong; Crooks, Richard M

2012-03-06

We report a battery-powered, microelectrochemical sensing platform that reports its output using an electrochromic display. The platform is fabricated based on paper fluidics and uses a Prussian blue spot electrodeposited on an indium-doped tin oxide thin film as the electrochromic indicator. The integrated metal/air battery powers both the electrochemical sensor and the electrochromic read-out, which are in electrical contact via a paper reservoir. The sample activates the battery and the presence of analyte in the sample initiates the color change of the Prussian blue spot. The entire system is assembled on the lab bench, without the need for cleanroom facilities. The applicability of the device to point-of-care sensing is demonstrated by qualitative detection of 0.1 mM glucose and H(2)O(2) in artificial urine samples.

Smartphone Analytics: Mobilizing the Lab into the Cloud for Omic-Scale Analyses.

PubMed

Montenegro-Burke, J Rafael; Phommavongsay, Thiery; Aisporna, Aries E; Huan, Tao; Rinehart, Duane; Forsberg, Erica; Poole, Farris L; Thorgersen, Michael P; Adams, Michael W W; Krantz, Gregory; Fields, Matthew W; Northen, Trent R; Robbins, Paul D; Niedernhofer, Laura J; Lairson, Luke; Benton, H Paul; Siuzdak, Gary

2016-10-04

Active data screening is an integral part of many scientific activities, and mobile technologies have greatly facilitated this process by minimizing the reliance on large hardware instrumentation. In order to meet with the increasingly growing field of metabolomics and heavy workload of data processing, we designed the first remote metabolomic data screening platform for mobile devices. Two mobile applications (apps), XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile, facilitate access to XCMS and METLIN, which are the most important components in the computer-based XCMS Online platforms. These mobile apps allow for the visualization and analysis of metabolic data throughout the entire analytical process. Specifically, XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile provide the capabilities for remote monitoring of data processing, real time notifications for the data processing, visualization and interactive analysis of processed data (e.g., cloud plots, principle component analysis, box-plots, extracted ion chromatograms, and hierarchical cluster analysis), and database searching for metabolite identification. These apps, available on Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems, allow for the migration of metabolomic research onto mobile devices for better accessibility beyond direct instrument operation. The utility of XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile functionalities was developed and is demonstrated here through the metabolomic LC-MS analyses of stem cells, colon cancer, aging, and bacterial metabolism.

Smartphone Analytics: Mobilizing the Lab into the Cloud for Omic-Scale Analyses

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Active data screening is an integral part of many scientific activities, and mobile technologies have greatly facilitated this process by minimizing the reliance on large hardware instrumentation. In order to meet with the increasingly growing field of metabolomics and heavy workload of data processing, we designed the first remote metabolomic data screening platform for mobile devices. Two mobile applications (apps), XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile, facilitate access to XCMS and METLIN, which are the most important components in the computer-based XCMS Online platforms. These mobile apps allow for the visualization and analysis of metabolic data throughout the entire analytical process. Specifically, XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile provide the capabilities for remote monitoring of data processing, real time notifications for the data processing, visualization and interactive analysis of processed data (e.g., cloud plots, principle component analysis, box-plots, extracted ion chromatograms, and hierarchical cluster analysis), and database searching for metabolite identification. These apps, available on Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems, allow for the migration of metabolomic research onto mobile devices for better accessibility beyond direct instrument operation. The utility of XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile functionalities was developed and is demonstrated here through the metabolomic LC-MS analyses of stem cells, colon cancer, aging, and bacterial metabolism. PMID:27560777

Smartphone Analytics: Mobilizing the Lab into the Cloud for Omic-Scale Analyses

DOE PAGES

Montenegro-Burke, J. Rafael; Phommavongsay, Thiery; Aisporna, Aries E.; ...

2016-08-25

Active data screening is an integral part of many scientific activities, and mobile technologies have greatly facilitated this process by minimizing the reliance on large hardware instrumentation. In order to meet with the increasingly growing field of metabolomics and heavy workload of data processing, we designed the first remote metabolomic data screening platform for mobile devices. Two mobile applications (apps), XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile, facilitate access to XCMS and METLIN, which are the most important components in the computer-based XCMS Online platforms. These mobile apps allow for the visualization and analysis of metabolic data throughout the entire analytical process.more » Specifically, XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile provide the capabilities for remote monitoring of data processing, real time notifications for the data processing, visualization and interactive analysis of processed data (e.g., cloud plots, principle component analysis, box-plots, extracted ion chromatograms, and hierarchical cluster analysis), and database searching for metabolite identification. These apps, available on Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems, allow for the migration of metabolomic research onto mobile devices for better accessibility beyond direct instrument operation. The utility of XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile functionalities was developed and is demonstrated here through the metabolomic LC-MS analyses of stem cells, colon cancer, aging, and bacterial metabolism.« less

Smartphone Analytics: Mobilizing the Lab into the Cloud for Omic-Scale Analyses

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

Montenegro-Burke, J. Rafael; Phommavongsay, Thiery; Aisporna, Aries E.

Active data screening is an integral part of many scientific activities, and mobile technologies have greatly facilitated this process by minimizing the reliance on large hardware instrumentation. In order to meet with the increasingly growing field of metabolomics and heavy workload of data processing, we designed the first remote metabolomic data screening platform for mobile devices. Two mobile applications (apps), XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile, facilitate access to XCMS and METLIN, which are the most important components in the computer-based XCMS Online platforms. These mobile apps allow for the visualization and analysis of metabolic data throughout the entire analytical process.more » Specifically, XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile provide the capabilities for remote monitoring of data processing, real time notifications for the data processing, visualization and interactive analysis of processed data (e.g., cloud plots, principle component analysis, box-plots, extracted ion chromatograms, and hierarchical cluster analysis), and database searching for metabolite identification. These apps, available on Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems, allow for the migration of metabolomic research onto mobile devices for better accessibility beyond direct instrument operation. The utility of XCMS Mobile and METLIN Mobile functionalities was developed and is demonstrated here through the metabolomic LC-MS analyses of stem cells, colon cancer, aging, and bacterial metabolism.« less

Fast-responder: Rapid mobile-phone access to recent remote sensing imagery for first responders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Talbot, L. M.; Talbot, B. G.

We introduce Fast-Responder, a novel prototype data-dissemination application and architecture concept to rapidly deliver remote sensing imagery to smartphones to enable situational awareness. The architecture implements a Fast-Earth image caching system on the phone and interacts with a Fast-Earth server. Prototype evaluation successfully demonstrated that National Guard users could select a location, download multiple remote sensing images, and flicker between images, all in less than a minute on a 3G mobile commercial link. The Fast-Responder architecture is a significant advance that is designed to meet the needs of mobile users, such as National Guard response units, to rapidly access information during a crisis, such as a natural or man-made disaster. This paper focuses on the architecture design and advanced user interface concepts for small-screens for highly active mobile users. Novel Fast-Responder concepts can also enable rapid dissemination and evaluation of imagery on the desktop, opening new technology horizons for both desktop and mobile users.

Visual guidance of mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blissett, Rodney J.

1993-12-01

Two systems are described and results presented demonstrating aspects of real-time visual guidance of autonomous mobile platforms. The first approach incorporates prior knowledge in the form of rigid geometrical models linking visual references within the environment. The second approach is based on a continuous synthesis of information extracted from image tokens to generate a coarse-grained world model, from which potential obstacles are inferred. The use of these techniques in workplace applications is discussed.

[Artificial intelligence in medicine: project of a mobile platform in an intelligent environment for the care of disabled and elderly people].

PubMed

Cortés, Ulises; Annicchiarico, Roberta; Campana, Fabio; Vázquez-Salceda, Javier; Urdiales, Cristina; Canãmero, Lola; López, Maite; Sánchez-Marrè, Miquel; Di Vincenzo, Sarah; Caltagirone, Carlo

2004-04-01

A project based on the integration of new technologies and artificial intelligence to develop a device--e-tool--for disabled patients and elderly people is presented. A mobile platform in intelligent environments (skilled-care facilities and home-care), controlled and managed by a multi-level architecture, is proposed to support patients and caregivers to increase self-dependency in activities of daily living.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers, covered in protective clothing and breathing apparatus, continue sandblasting on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers, covered in protective clothing and breathing apparatus, continue sandblasting on the Mobile Launcher Platform on Launch Pad 39A to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39A, clouds of dust float away from the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is undergoing sandblasting to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-09-12

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - On Launch Pad 39A, clouds of dust float away from the Mobile Launcher Platform, which is undergoing sandblasting to remove corrosion before repainting. Routine maintenance includes sandblasting and repainting as preventive means to minimize corrosion.

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.

MACBenAbim: A Multi-platform Mobile Application for searching keyterms in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics.

PubMed

Oluwagbemi, Olugbenga O; Adewumi, Adewole; Esuruoso, Abimbola

2012-01-01

Computational biology and bioinformatics are gradually gaining grounds in Africa and other developing nations of the world. However, in these countries, some of the challenges of computational biology and bioinformatics education are inadequate infrastructures, and lack of readily-available complementary and motivational tools to support learning as well as research. This has lowered the morale of many promising undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers from aspiring to undertake future study in these fields. In this paper, we developed and described MACBenAbim (Multi-platform Mobile Application for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics), a flexible user-friendly tool to search for, define and describe the meanings of keyterms in computational biology and bioinformatics, thus expanding the frontiers of knowledge of the users. This tool also has the capability of achieving visualization of results on a mobile multi-platform context. MACBenAbim is available from the authors for non-commercial purposes.

The development of a lightweight modular compliant surface bio-inspired robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, David L.; Cranney, John

2004-09-01

The DARPA Sponsored Compliant Surface Robotics (CSR) program pursues development of a high mobility, lightweight, modular, morphable robot for military forces in the field and for other industrial uses. The USTLAB effort builds on proof of concept feasibility studies and demonstration of a 4, 6, or 8 wheeled modular vehicle with articulated leg-wheel assemblies. In Phase I, basic open plant stability was proven for climbing over obstacles of ~18 inches high and traversing ~75 degree inclines (up, down, or sideways) in a platform of approximately 15 kilograms. At the completion of Phase II, we have completed mechanical and electronics engineering design and achieved changes which currently enable future work in active articulation, enabling autonomous reconfiguration for a wide variety of terrains, including upside down operations (in case of flip over), and we have reduced platform weight by one third. Currently the vehicle weighs 10 kilograms and will grow marginally as additional actuation, MEMS based organic sensing, payload, and autonomous processing is added. The CSR vehicle"s modular spider-like configuration facilitates adaptation to many uses and compliance over rugged terrain. The developmental process and the vehicle characteristics will be discussed.

Real-time skeleton tracking for embedded systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleca, Foti; Klement, Sascha; Martinetz, Thomas; Barth, Erhardt

2013-03-01

Touch-free gesture technology is beginning to become more popular with consumers and may have a significant future impact on interfaces for digital photography. However, almost every commercial software framework for gesture and pose detection is aimed at either desktop PCs or high-powered GPUs, making mobile implementations for gesture recognition an attractive area for research and development. In this paper we present an algorithm for hand skeleton tracking and gesture recognition that runs on an ARM-based platform (Pandaboard ES, OMAP 4460 architecture). The algorithm uses self-organizing maps to fit a given topology (skeleton) into a 3D point cloud. This is a novel way of approaching the problem of pose recognition as it does not employ complex optimization techniques or data-based learning. After an initial background segmentation step, the algorithm is ran in parallel with heuristics, which detect and correct artifacts arising from insufficient or erroneous input data. We then optimize the algorithm for the ARM platform using fixed-point computation and the NEON SIMD architecture the OMAP4460 provides. We tested the algorithm with two different depth-sensing devices (Microsoft Kinect, PMD Camboard). For both input devices we were able to accurately track the skeleton at the native framerate of the cameras.

Data threats analysis and prevention on iOS platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Bo; Wang, Yi; Chen, Zhou; Tang, Jiqiang

2015-12-01

Background: The rapid growth of mobile internet has driven the rapid popularity of smart mobiles. iOS device is chosen by more and more people for its humanity, stability and excellent industrial design, and the data security problem that followed it has gradually attracted the researchers' attention. Method & Result: This thesis focuses on the analysis of current situation of data security on iOS platform, from both security mechanism and data risk, and proposes countermeasures. Conclusion: From practical work, many problems of data security mechanism on iOS platform still exist. At present, the problem of malicious software towards iOS system has not been severe, but how to ensure the security of data on iOS platform will inevitably become one of the directions for our further study.

Simulation of cooperating robot manipulators on a mobile platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Steve H.; Wen, John T.; Saridis, George N.

1990-01-01

The dynamic equations of motion for two manipulators holding a common object on a freely moving mobile platform are developed. The full dynamic interactions from arms to platform and arm-tip to arm-tip are included in the formulation. The development of the closed chain dynamics allows for the use of any solution for the open topological tree of base and manipulator links. In particular, because the system has 18 degrees of freedom, recursive solutions for the dynamic simulation become more promising for efficient calculations of the motion. Simulation of the system is accomplished through a MATLAB program, and the response is visualized graphically using the SILMA Cimstation.

Mobile work platform for initial lunar base construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brazell, James W.; Maclaren, Brice K.; Mcmurray, Gary V.; Williams, Wendell M.

1992-01-01

Described is a system of equipment intended for site preparation and construction of a lunar base. The proximate era of lunar exploration and the initial phase of outpost habitation are addressed. Drilling, leveling, trenching, and cargo handling are within the scope of the system's capabilities. The centerpiece is a three-legged mobile work platform, named SKITTER. Using standard interfaces, the system is modular in nature and analogous to the farmer's tractor and implement set. Conceptually somewhat different from their Earthbound counterparts, the implements are designed to take advantage of the lunar environment as well as the capabilities of the work platform. The proposed system is mechanically simple and weight efficient.

Visible to Short Wavelength Infrared Spectroscopy on Rovers: Why We Need it on Mars and What We Need to do on Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaney, D. L.

2002-01-01

The next stage of Mars exploration will include the use of rovers to seek out specific mineralogies. Understanding the mineralogical diversity of the locale will be used to determining which targets should be investigated with the full suite of in situ capability on the rover. Visible to Short Wavelength Infrared (VSWIR) spectroscopy is critical in evaluating the mineralogical diversity and to validate the global remote sensing data sets to be collected by Mars Express and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. However, spectroscopy on mobile platforms present challenges in both the design of instruments and in the efficient operation of the instrument and mission. Field-testing and validation on Earth can be used to develop instrument requirements analysis tools needed for used on Mars.

The integrated design and archive of space-borne signal processing and compression coding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Qiang-min; Su, Hao-hang; Wu, Wen-bo

2017-10-01

With the increasing demand of users for the extraction of remote sensing image information, it is very urgent to significantly enhance the whole system's imaging quality and imaging ability by using the integrated design to achieve its compact structure, light quality and higher attitude maneuver ability. At this present stage, the remote sensing camera's video signal processing unit and image compression and coding unit are distributed in different devices. The volume, weight and consumption of these two units is relatively large, which unable to meet the requirements of the high mobility remote sensing camera. This paper according to the high mobility remote sensing camera's technical requirements, designs a kind of space-borne integrated signal processing and compression circuit by researching a variety of technologies, such as the high speed and high density analog-digital mixed PCB design, the embedded DSP technology and the image compression technology based on the special-purpose chips. This circuit lays a solid foundation for the research of the high mobility remote sensing camera.

Introduction of the Mobile Platform for the Meteorological Observations in Seoul Metropolitan City of Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baek, K. T.; Lee, S.; Kang, M.; Lee, G.

2016-12-01

Traffic accidents due to adverse weather such as fog, heavy rainfall, flooding and road surface freezing have been increasing in Korea. To reduce damages caused by the severe weather on the road, a forecast service of combined real-time road-wise weather and the traffic situation is required. Conventional stationary meteorological observations in sparse location system are limited to observe the detailed road environment. For this reason, a mobile meteorological observation platform has been coupled in Weather Information Service Engine (WISE) which is the prototype of urban-scale high resolution weather prediction system in Seoul metropolitan area of Korea in early August 2016. The instruments onboard are designed to measure 15 meteorological parameters; pressure, temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, up/down net radiation, up/down longwave radiation, up/down shortwave radiation, road surface condition, friction coefficient, water depth, wind direction and speed. The observations from mobile platform show a distinctive advantage of data collection in need for road conditions and inputs for the numerical forecast model. In this study, we introduce and examine the feasibility of mobile observations in urban weather prediction and applications.

Testbed for remote telepresence research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adnan, Sarmad; Cheatham, John B., Jr.

1992-11-01

Teleoperated robots offer solutions to problems associated with operations in remote and unknown environments, such as space. Teleoperated robots can perform tasks related to inspection, maintenance, and retrieval. A video camera can be used to provide some assistance in teleoperations, but for fine manipulation and control, a telepresence system that gives the operator a sense of actually being at the remote location is more desirable. A telepresence system comprised of a head-tracking stereo camera system, a kinematically redundant arm, and an omnidirectional mobile robot has been developed at the mechanical engineering department at Rice University. This paper describes the design and implementation of this system, its control hardware, and software. The mobile omnidirectional robot has three independent degrees of freedom that permit independent control of translation and rotation, thereby simulating a free flying robot in a plane. The kinematically redundant robot arm has eight degrees of freedom that assist in obstacle and singularity avoidance. The on-board control computers permit control of the robot from the dual hand controllers via a radio modem system. A head-mounted display system provides the user with a stereo view from a pair of cameras attached to the mobile robotics system. The head tracking camera system moves stereo cameras mounted on a three degree of freedom platform to coordinate with the operator's head movements. This telepresence system provides a framework for research in remote telepresence, and teleoperations for space.

OLED-based biosensing platform with ZnO nanoparticles for enzyme immobilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yuankun; Shinar, Ruth; Shinar, Joseph

2009-08-01

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED)-based sensing platforms are attractive for photoluminescence (PL)-based monitoring of a variety of analytes. Among the promising OLED attributes for sensing applications is the thin and flexible size and design of the OLED pixel array that is used for PL excitation. To generate a compact, fielddeployable sensor, other major sensor components, such as the sensing probe and the photodetector, in addition to the thin excitation source, should be compact. To this end, the OLED-based sensing platform was tested with composite thin biosensing films, where oxidase enzymes were immobilized on ZnO nanoparticles, rather than dissolved in solution, to generate a more compact device. The analytes tested, glucose, cholesterol, and lactate, were monitored by following their oxidation reactions in the presence of oxygen and their respective oxidase enzymes. During such reactions, oxygen is consumed and its residual concentration, which is determined by the initial concentration of the above-mentioned analytes, is monitored. The sensors utilized the oxygen-sensitive dye Pt octaethylporphyrin, embedded in polystyrene. The enzymes were sandwiched between two thin ZnO layers, an approach that was found to improve the stability of the sensing probes.

Enhanced Quality Factor Label-free Biosensing with Micro-Cantilevers Integrated into Microfluidic Systems.

PubMed

Kartanas, Tadas; Ostanin, Victor; Challa, Pavan Kumar; Daly, Ronan; Charmet, Jerome; Knowles, Tuomas P J

2017-11-21

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have enabled the development of a new generation of sensor platforms. Acoustic sensor operation in liquid, the native environment of biomolecules, causes, however, significant degradation of sensing performance due to viscous drag and relies on the availability of capture molecules to bind analytes of interest to the sensor surface. Here, we describe a strategy to interface MEMS sensors with microfluidic platforms through an aerosol spray. Our sensing platform comprises a microfluidic spray nozzle and a microcantilever array operated in dynamic mode within a closed loop oscillator. A solution containing the analyte is sprayed uniformly through picoliter droplets onto the microcantilever surface; the micrometer-scale drops evaporate rapidly and leave the solutes behind, adding to the mass of the cantilever. This sensing scheme results in a 50-fold increase in the quality factor compared to operation in liquid, yet allows the analytes to be introduced into the sensing system from a solution phase. It achieves a 370 femtogram limit of detection, and we demonstrate quantitative label-free analysis of inorganic salts and model proteins. These results demonstrate that the standard resolution limits of cantilever sensing in dynamic mode can be overcome with the integration of spray microfluidics with MEMS.

Porous NiCo2O4 nanoarray-integrated binder-free 3D open electrode offers a highly efficient sensing platform for enzyme-free glucose detection.

PubMed

Luo, X; Huang, M; He, D; Wang, M; Zhang, Y; Jiang, P

2018-05-29

High electrical conductivity and the exposure to more active sites are crucial to boost the performance of a glucose sensor. A porous binary metal oxide nanoarray integrated on a binder-free 3D electrode is expected to offer a highly sensitive sensing platform. As a model, porous NiCo2O4 nanowire arrays supported on carbon cloth (NiCo2O4 NWA/CC) have been prepared and used for enzyme-free glucose sensing. NiCo2O4 NWA/CC shows larger effective surface area, superior electronic conductivity, and higher catalytic activity towards enzyme-free glucose sensing, with a linear range from 1 μM to 0.63 mM, a sensitivity of 4.12 mA mM-1 cm-2, and low detection limit of 0.5 μM. Moreover, NiCo2O4 NWA/CC also displays good selectivity and stability and thus, it can be reliable for glucose detection in human serum samples. These findings inspire the fabrication of a high-performance electrochemical sensing platform by preparing porous binary metal oxide nanoarrays supported on a 3D conductive substrate.

An Effective Collaborative Mobile Weighted Clustering Schemes for Energy Balancing in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Tang, Chengpei; Shokla, Sanesy Kumcr; Modhawar, George; Wang, Qiang

2016-02-19

Collaborative strategies for mobile sensor nodes ensure the efficiency and the robustness of data processing, while limiting the required communication bandwidth. In order to solve the problem of pipeline inspection and oil leakage monitoring, a collaborative weighted mobile sensing scheme is proposed. By adopting a weighted mobile sensing scheme, the adaptive collaborative clustering protocol can realize an even distribution of energy load among the mobile sensor nodes in each round, and make the best use of battery energy. A detailed theoretical analysis and experimental results revealed that the proposed protocol is an energy efficient collaborative strategy such that the sensor nodes can communicate with a fusion center and produce high power gain.

Use of Mobile Device Accelerometry to Enhance Evaluation of Postural Instability in Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Ozinga, Sarah J; Linder, Susan M; Alberts, Jay L

2017-04-01

To determine the accuracy of inertial measurement unit data from a mobile device using the mobile device relative to posturography to quantify postural stability in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). Criterion standard. Motor control laboratory at a clinic. A sample (N=28) of individuals with mild to moderate PD (n=14) and age-matched community-dwelling individuals without PD (n=14) completed the study. Not applicable. Center of mass (COM) acceleration measures were compared between the mobile device and the NeuroCom force platform to determine the accuracy of mobile device measurements during performance of the Sensory Organization Test (SOT). Analyses examined test-retest reliability of both systems and sensitivity of (1) the equilibrium score from the SOT and (2) COM acceleration measures from the force platform and mobile device to quantify postural stability across populations. Metrics of COM acceleration from inertial measurement unit data and the NeuroCom force platform were significantly correlated across balance conditions and groups (Pearson r range, .35 to .97). The SOT equilibrium scores failed to discriminate individuals with and without PD. However, the multiplanar measures of COM acceleration from the mobile device exhibited good to excellent reliability across SOT conditions and were able to discriminate individuals with and without PD in conditions with the greatest balance demands. Metrics employing medial-lateral movement produce a more sensitive outcome than the equilibrium score in identifying postural instability associated with PD. Overall, the output from the mobile device provides an accurate and reliable method of rapidly quantifying balance in individuals with PD. The portable and affordable nature of a mobile device with the application makes it ideally suited to use biomechanical data to aid in clinical decision making. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Development of GIS Educational Resources Sharing among Central Taiwan Universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, T.-Y.; Yeh, M.-L.; Lai, Y.-C.

2011-09-01

Using GIS in the classroom enhance students' computer skills and explore the range of knowledge. The paper highlights GIS integration on e-learning platform and introduces a variety of abundant educational resources. This research project will demonstrate tools for e-learning environment and delivers some case studies for learning interaction from Central Taiwan Universities. Feng Chia University (FCU) obtained a remarkable academic project subsidized by Ministry of Education and developed e-learning platform for excellence in teaching/learning programs among Central Taiwan's universities. The aim of the project is to integrate the educational resources of 13 universities in central Taiwan. FCU is serving as the hub of Center University. To overcome the problem of distance, e-platforms have been established to create experiences with collaboration enhanced learning. The e-platforms provide coordination of web service access among the educational community and deliver GIS educational resources. Most of GIS related courses cover the development of GIS, principles of cartography, spatial data analysis and overlaying, terrain analysis, buffer analysis, 3D GIS application, Remote Sensing, GPS technology, and WebGIS, MobileGIS, ArcGIS manipulation. In each GIS case study, students have been taught to know geographic meaning, collect spatial data and then use ArcGIS software to analyze spatial data. On one of e-Learning platforms provide lesson plans and presentation slides. Students can learn Arc GIS online. As they analyze spatial data, they can connect to GIS hub to get data they need including satellite images, aerial photos, and vector data. Moreover, e-learning platforms provide solutions and resources. Different levels of image scales have been integrated into the systems. Multi-scale spatial development and analyses in Central Taiwan integrate academic research resources among CTTLRC partners. Thus, establish decision-making support mechanism in teaching and learning. Accelerate communication, cooperation and sharing among academic units

The Association Between Video Game Play and Cognitive Function: Does Gaming Platform Matter?

PubMed

Huang, Vivian; Young, Michaelia; Fiocco, Alexandra J

2017-11-01

Despite consumer growth, few studies have evaluated the cognitive effects of gaming using mobile devices. This study examined the association between video game play platform and cognitive performance. Furthermore, the differential effect of video game genre (action versus nonaction) was explored. Sixty undergraduate students completed a video game experience questionnaire, and we divided them into three groups: mobile video game players (MVGPs), console/computer video game players (CVGPs), and nonvideo game players (NVGPs). Participants completed a cognitive battery to assess executive function, and learning and memory. Controlling for sex and ethnicity, analyses showed that frequent video game play is associated with enhanced executive function, but not learning and memory. MVGPs were significantly more accurate on working memory performances than NVGPs. Both MVGPs and CVGPs were similarly associated with enhanced cognitive function, suggesting that platform does not significantly determine the benefits of frequent video game play. Video game platform was found to differentially associate with preference for action video game genre and motivation for gaming. Exploratory analyses show that sex significantly effects frequent video game play, platform and genre preference, and cognitive function. This study represents a novel exploration of the relationship between mobile video game play and cognition and adds support to the cognitive benefits of frequent video game play.

Mobile health platform for pressure ulcer monitoring with electronic health record integration.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Joel J P C; Pedro, Luís M C C; Vardasca, Tomé; de la Torre-Díez, Isabel; Martins, Henrique M G

2013-12-01

Pressure ulcers frequently occur in patients with limited mobility, for example, people with advanced age and patients wearing casts or prostheses. Mobile information communication technologies can help implement ulcer care protocols and the monitoring of patients with high risk, thus preventing or improving these conditions. This article presents a mobile pressure ulcer monitoring platform (mULCER), which helps control a patient's ulcer status during all stages of treatment. Beside its stand-alone version, it can be integrated with electronic health record systems as mULCER synchronizes ulcer data with any electronic health record system using HL7 standards. It serves as a tool to integrate nursing care among hospital departments and institutions. mULCER was experimented with in different mobile devices such as LG Optimus One P500, Samsung Galaxy Tab, HTC Magic, Samsung Galaxy S, and Samsung Galaxy i5700, taking into account the user's experience of different screen sizes and processing characteristics.

In-line optofluidic refractive index sensing in a side-channel photonic crystal fiber.

PubMed

Zhang, Nan; Humbert, Georges; Wu, Zhifang; Li, Kaiwei; Shum, Perry Ping; Zhang, Nancy Meng Ying; Cui, Ying; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Dinh, Xuan Quyen; Wei, Lei

2016-11-28

An in-line optofluidic refractive index (RI) sensing platform is constructed by splicing a side-channel photonic crystal fiber (SC-PCF) with side-polished single mode fibers. A long-period grating (LPG) combined with an intermodal interference between LP₀₁ and LP₁₁ core modes is used for sensing the RI of the liquid in the side channel. The resonant dip shows a nonlinear wavelength shift with increasing RI over the measured range from 1.3330 to 1.3961. The RI response of this sensing platform for a low RI range of 1.3330-1.3780 is approximately linear, and exhibits a sensitivity of 1145 nm/RIU. Besides, the detection limit of our sensing scheme is improved by around one order of magnitude by introducing the intermodal interference.

Create a Sense of Place for the Mobile Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemmig, William; Johnstone, Brian T.; Montet, Margaret

2012-01-01

"Sense of place" no longer applies only to the physical library. All students are distance learners to one extent or another, and all distance services must be considered as a single virtual learning commons. Librarians at Bucks County (PA) Community College implement and integrate current teaching, learning, virtual reference, and mobile access…

CoAP-Based Mobility Management for the Internet of Things

PubMed Central

Chun, Seung-Man; Kim, Hyun-Su; Park, Jong-Tae

2015-01-01

Most of the current mobility management protocols such as Mobile IP and its variants standardized by the IETF may not be suitable to support mobility management for Web-based applications in an Internet of Things (IoT) environment. This is because the sensor nodes have limited power capacity, usually operating in sleep/wakeup mode in a constrained wireless network. In addition, sometimes the sensor nodes may act as the server using the CoAP protocol in an IoT environment. This makes it difficult for Web clients to properly retrieve the sensing data from the mobile sensor nodes in an IoT environment. In this article, we propose a mobility management protocol, named CoMP, which can effectively retrieve the sensing data of sensor nodes while they are moving. The salient feature of CoMP is that it makes use of the IETF CoAP protocol for mobility management, instead of using Mobile IP. Thus CoMP can eliminates the additional signaling overhead of Mobile IP, provides reliable mobility management, and prevents the packet loss. CoMP employs a separate location management server to keep track of the location of the mobile sensor nodes. In order to prevent the loss of important sensing data during movement, a holding mode of operation has been introduced. All the signaling procedures including discovery, registration, binding and holding have been designed by extending the IETF CoAP protocol. The numerical analysis and simulation have been done for performance evaluation in terms of the handover latency and packet loss. The results show that the proposed CoMP is superior to previous mobility management protocols, i.e., Mobile IPv4/v6 (MIPv4/v6), Hierarchical Mobile IPv4/v6 (HMIPv4/v6), in terms of the handover latency and packet loss. PMID:26151214

Discrimination of common Mediterranean plant species using field spectroradiometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manevski, Kiril; Manakos, Ioannis; Petropoulos, George P.; Kalaitzidis, Chariton

2011-12-01

Field spectroradiometry of land surface objects supports remote sensing analysis, facilitates the discrimination of vegetation species, and enhances the mapping efficiency. Especially in the Mediterranean, spectral discrimination of common vegetation types, such as phrygana and maquis species, remains a challenge. Both phrygana and maquis may be used as a direct indicator for grazing management, fire history and severity, and the state of the wider ecosystem equilibrium. This study aims to investigate the capability of field spectroradiometry supporting remote sensing analysis of the land cover of a characteristic Mediterranean area. Five common Mediterranean maquis and phrygana species were examined. Spectra acquisition was performed during an intensive field campaign deployed in spring 2010, supported by a novel platform MUFSPEM@MED (Mobile Unit for Field SPEctral Measurements at the MEDiterranean) for high canopy measurements. Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests have been applied to the continuum-removed reflectance of the species in the visible to shortwave infrared spectral range. Interpretation of the results indicated distinct discrimination between the studied species at specific spectral regions. Statistically significant wavelengths were principally found in both the visible and the near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectral bands in the shortwave infrared demonstrated significant discrimination features for the examined species adapted to Mediterranean drought. All in all, results confirmed the prospect for a more accurate mapping of the species spatial distribution using remote sensing imagery coupled with in situ spectral information.

CompatPM: enabling energy efficient multimedia workloads for distributed mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nathuji, Ripal; O'Hara, Keith J.; Schwan, Karsten; Balch, Tucker

2007-01-01

The computation and communication abilities of modern platforms are enabling increasingly capable cooperative distributed mobile systems. An example is distributed multimedia processing of sensor data in robots deployed for search and rescue, where a system manager can exploit the application's cooperative nature to optimize the distribution of roles and tasks in order to successfully accomplish the mission. Because of limited battery capacities, a critical task a manager must perform is online energy management. While support for power management has become common for the components that populate mobile platforms, what is lacking is integration and explicit coordination across the different management actions performed in a variety of system layers. This papers develops an integration approach for distributed multimedia applications, where a global manager specifies both a power operating point and a workload for a node to execute. Surprisingly, when jointly considering power and QoS, experimental evaluations show that using a simple deadline-driven approach to assigning frequencies can be non-optimal. These trends are further affected by certain characteristics of underlying power management mechanisms, which in our research, are identified as groupings that classify component power management as "compatible" (VFC) or "incompatible" (VFI) with voltage and frequency scaling. We build on these findings to develop CompatPM, a vertically integrated control strategy for power management in distributed mobile systems. Experimental evaluations of CompatPM indicate average energy improvements of 8% when platform resources are managed jointly rather than independently, demonstrating that previous attempts to maximize battery life by simply minimizing frequency are inappropriate from a platform-level perspective.

Open source OCR framework using mobile devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Steven Zhiying; Gilani, Syed Omer; Winkler, Stefan

2008-02-01

Mobile phones have evolved from passive one-to-one communication device to powerful handheld computing device. Today most new mobile phones are capable of capturing images, recording video, and browsing internet and do much more. Exciting new social applications are emerging on mobile landscape, like, business card readers, sing detectors and translators. These applications help people quickly gather the information in digital format and interpret them without the need of carrying laptops or tablet PCs. However with all these advancements we find very few open source software available for mobile phones. For instance currently there are many open source OCR engines for desktop platform but, to our knowledge, none are available on mobile platform. Keeping this in perspective we propose a complete text detection and recognition system with speech synthesis ability, using existing desktop technology. In this work we developed a complete OCR framework with subsystems from open source desktop community. This includes a popular open source OCR engine named Tesseract for text detection & recognition and Flite speech synthesis module, for adding text-to-speech ability.

The asthma mobile health study, smartphone data collected using ResearchKit.

PubMed

Chan, Yu-Feng Yvonne; Bot, Brian M; Zweig, Micol; Tignor, Nicole; Ma, Weiping; Suver, Christine; Cedeno, Rafhael; Scott, Erick R; Gregory Hershman, Steven; Schadt, Eric E; Wang, Pei

2018-05-22

Widespread adoption of smart mobile platforms coupled with a growing ecosystem of sensors including passive location tracking and the ability to leverage external data sources create an opportunity to generate an unprecedented depth of data on individuals. Mobile health technologies could be utilized for chronic disease management as well as research to advance our understanding of common diseases, such as asthma. We conducted a prospective observational asthma study to assess the feasibility of this type of approach, clinical characteristics of cohorts recruited via a mobile platform, the validity of data collected, user retention patterns, and user data sharing preferences. We describe data and descriptive statistics from the Asthma Mobile Health Study, whereby participants engaged with an iPhone application built using Apple's ResearchKit framework. Data from 6346 U.S. participants, who agreed to share their data broadly, have been made available for further research. These resources have the potential to enable the research community to work collaboratively towards improving our understanding of asthma as well as mobile health research best practices.

Investigating Students' Behavioural Intention to Adopt and Use Mobile Learning in Higher Education in East Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mtebe, Joel S.; Raisamo, Roope

2014-01-01

Recent penetration of mobile technologies and its services in East Africa has provided a new platform for institutions to widen access to education through mobile learning. Mobile technologies provide learners with flexibility and ubiquity to learn anytime and anywhere via wireless Internet. However, far too little research has been conducted to…

Biomedical sensing analyzer (BSA) for mobile-health (mHealth)-LTE.

PubMed

Adibi, Sasan

2014-01-01

The rapid expansion of mobile-based systems, the capabilities of smartphone devices, as well as the radio access and cellular network technologies are the wind beneath the wing of mobile health (mHealth). In this paper, the concept of biomedical sensing analyzer (BSA) is presented, which is a novel framework, devised for sensor-based mHealth applications. The BSA is capable of formulating the Quality of Service (QoS) measurements in an end-to-end sense, covering the entire communication path (wearable sensors, link-technology, smartphone, cell-towers, mobile-cloud, and the end-users). The characterization and formulation of BSA depend on a number of factors, including the deployment of application-specific biomedical sensors, generic link-technologies, collection, aggregation, and prioritization of mHealth data, cellular network based on the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) access technology, and extensive multidimensional delay analyses. The results are studied and analyzed in a LabView 8.5 programming environment.

KSC-2009-2539

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-04-06

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Water cascades over the side of the mobile launcher platform on Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The sound suppression system is being tested on the platform. Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X flight test that is targeted for summer 2009. The mobile launcher platform was handed over to the Constellation Program and modified for the Ares I-X flight test. It is being tested before being moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building for assembly of the Ares I-X rocket. A sound suppression water system is in¬stalled on the pads to protect against damage by acoustical energy and rocket exhaust reflected from the flame trench and mobile launcher plat¬form during a launch. The sound suppression system includes an elevated 290-foot-high water tank with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The water releases just prior to the ignition of the rocket and flows through 7-foot-diameter pipes for about 20 seconds. A torrent of water will flow onto the mobile launcher platform from six large quench nozzles, or “rainbirds,” mounted on its surface. The rainbirds are 12 feet high. The two in the center are 42 inches in diameter; the other four have a 30-inch diameter. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

An enhanced sensing platform for ultrasensitive impedimetric detection of target genes based on ordered FePt nanoparticles decorated carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Zong, Peisong; Zheng, Xiuwen; Wang, Libin

2013-04-15

We demonstrate a novel high-performance DNA hybridization biosensor with a carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-based nanocomposite membrane as the enhanced sensing platform. The platform was constructed by homogenously distributing ordered FePt nanoparticles (NPs) onto the CNTs matrix. The surface structure and electrochemical performance of the FePt/CNTs nanocomposite membrane were systematically investigated. Such a nanostructured composite membrane platform could combine with the advantages of FePt NPs and CNTs, greatly facilitate the electron-transfer process and the sensing behavior for DNA detection, leading to excellent sensitivity and selectivity. The complementary target genes from acute promyelocytic leukemia could be quantified in a wide range of 1.0×10⁻¹² mol/L to 1.0×10⁻⁶ mol/L using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and the detection limit was 2.1×10⁻¹³ mol/L under the optimal conditions. In addition, the DNA electrochemical biosensor was highly selective to discriminate single-base or double-base mismatched sequences. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fully Distributed Monitoring Architecture Supporting Multiple Trackees and Trackers in Indoor Mobile Asset Management Application

PubMed Central

Jeong, Seol Young; Jo, Hyeong Gon; Kang, Soon Ju

2014-01-01

A tracking service like asset management is essential in a dynamic hospital environment consisting of numerous mobile assets (e.g., wheelchairs or infusion pumps) that are continuously relocated throughout a hospital. The tracking service is accomplished based on the key technologies of an indoor location-based service (LBS), such as locating and monitoring multiple mobile targets inside a building in real time. An indoor LBS such as a tracking service entails numerous resource lookups being requested concurrently and frequently from several locations, as well as a network infrastructure requiring support for high scalability in indoor environments. A traditional centralized architecture needs to maintain a geographic map of the entire building or complex in its central server, which can cause low scalability and traffic congestion. This paper presents a self-organizing and fully distributed indoor mobile asset management (MAM) platform, and proposes an architecture for multiple trackees (such as mobile assets) and trackers based on the proposed distributed platform in real time. In order to verify the suggested platform, scalability performance according to increases in the number of concurrent lookups was evaluated in a real test bed. Tracking latency and traffic load ratio in the proposed tracking architecture was also evaluated. PMID:24662407

Lunar orbiting prospector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

One of the prime reasons for establishing a manned lunar presence is the possibility of using the potential lunar resources. The Lunar Orbital Prospector (LOP) is a lunar orbiting platform whose mission is to prospect and explore the Moon from orbit in support of early lunar colonization and exploitation efforts. The LOP mission is divided into three primary phases: transport from Earth to low lunar orbit (LLO), operation in lunar orbit, and platform servicing in lunar orbit. The platform alters its orbit to obtain the desired surface viewing, and the orbit can be changed periodically as needed. After completion of the inital remote sensing mission, more ambitious and/or complicated prospecting and exploration missions can be contemplated. A refueled propulsion module, updated instruments, or additional remote sensing packages can be flown up from the lunar base to the platform.

I3Mote: An Open Development Platform for the Intelligent Industrial Internet

PubMed Central

Martinez, Borja; Vilajosana, Xavier; Kim, Il Han; Zhou, Jianwei; Tuset-Peiró, Pere; Xhafa, Ariton; Poissonnier, Dominique; Lu, Xiaolin

2017-01-01

In this article we present the Intelligent Industrial Internet (I3) Mote, an open hardware platform targeting industrial connectivity and sensing deployments. The I3Mote features the most advanced low-power components to tackle sensing, on-board computing and wireless/wired connectivity for demanding industrial applications. The platform has been designed to fill the gap in the industrial prototyping and early deployment market with a compact form factor, low-cost and robust industrial design. I3Mote is an advanced and compact prototyping system integrating the required components to be deployed as a product, leveraging the need for adopting industries to build their own tailored solution. This article describes the platform design, firmware and software ecosystem and characterizes its performance in terms of energy consumption. PMID:28452945

The Short Wave Aerostat-Mounted Imager (SWAMI): A novel platform for acquiring remotely sensed data from a tethered balloon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vierling, L.A.; Fersdahl, M.; Chen, X.; Li, Z.; Zimmerman, P.

2006-01-01

We describe a new remote sensing system called the Short Wave Aerostat-Mounted Imager (SWAMI). The SWAMI is designed to acquire co-located video imagery and hyperspectral data to study basic remote sensing questions and to link landscape level trace gas fluxes with spatially and temporally appropriate spectral observations. The SWAMI can fly at altitudes up to 2 km above ground level to bridge the spatial gap between radiometric measurements collected near the surface and those acquired by other aircraft or satellites. The SWAMI platform consists of a dual channel hyperspectral spectroradiometer, video camera, GPS, thermal infrared sensor, and several meteorological and control sensors. All SWAMI functions (e.g. data acquisition and sensor pointing) can be controlled from the ground via wireless transmission. Sample data from the sampling platform are presented, along with several potential scientific applications of SWAMI data.

Mobile e-Learning for Next Generation Communication Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Tin-Yu; Chao, Han-Chieh

2008-01-01

This article develops an environment for mobile e-learning that includes an interactive course, virtual online labs, an interactive online test, and lab-exercise training platform on the fourth generation mobile communication system. The Next Generation Learning Environment (NeGL) promotes the term "knowledge economy." Inter-networking…

α,ω-dihexyl-sexithiophene thin films for solution-gated organic field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schamoni, Hannah; Noever, Simon; Nickel, Bert; Stutzmann, Martin; Garrido, Jose A.

2016-02-01

While organic semiconductors are being widely investigated for chemical and biochemical sensing applications, major drawbacks such as the poor device stability and low charge carrier mobility in aqueous electrolytes have not yet been solved to complete satisfaction. In this work, solution-gated organic field-effect transistors (SGOFETs) based on the molecule α,ω-dihexyl-sexithiophene (DH6T) are presented as promising platforms for in-electrolyte sensing. Thin films of DH6T were investigated with regard to the influence of the substrate temperature during deposition on the grain size and structural order. The performance of SGOFETs can be improved by choosing suitable growth parameters that lead to a two-dimensional film morphology and a high degree of structural order. Furthermore, the capability of the SGOFETs to detect changes in the pH or ionic strength of the gate electrolyte is demonstrated and simulated. Finally, excellent transistor stability is confirmed by continuously operating the device over a period of several days, which is a consequence of the low threshold voltage of DH6T-based SGOFETs. Altogether, our results demonstrate the feasibility of high performance and highly stable organic semiconductor devices for chemical or biochemical applications.

Commercial Smartphone-Based Devices and Smart Applications for Personalized Healthcare Monitoring and Management

PubMed Central

Vashist, Sandeep Kumar; Schneider, E. Marion; Luong, John H.T.

2014-01-01

Smartphone-based devices and applications (SBDAs) with cost effectiveness and remote sensing are the most promising and effective means of delivering mobile healthcare (mHealthcare). Several SBDAs have been commercialized for the personalized monitoring and/or management of basic physiological parameters, such as blood pressure, weight, body analysis, pulse rate, electrocardiograph, blood glucose, blood glucose saturation, sleeping and physical activity. With advances in Bluetooth technology, software, cloud computing and remote sensing, SBDAs provide real-time on-site analysis and telemedicine opportunities in remote areas. This scenario is of utmost importance for developing countries, where the number of smartphone users is about 70% of 6.8 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide with limited access to basic healthcare service. The technology platform facilitates patient-doctor communication and the patients to effectively manage and keep track of their medical conditions. Besides tremendous healthcare cost savings, SBDAs are very critical for the monitoring and effective management of emerging epidemics and food contamination outbreaks. The next decade will witness pioneering advances and increasing applications of SBDAs in this exponentially growing field of mHealthcare. This article provides a critical review of commercial SBDAs that are being widely used for personalized healthcare monitoring and management. PMID:26852680

Commercial Smartphone-Based Devices and Smart Applications for Personalized Healthcare Monitoring and Management.

PubMed

Vashist, Sandeep Kumar; Schneider, E Marion; Luong, John H T

2014-08-18

Smartphone-based devices and applications (SBDAs) with cost effectiveness and remote sensing are the most promising and effective means of delivering mobile healthcare (mHealthcare). Several SBDAs have been commercialized for the personalized monitoring and/or management of basic physiological parameters, such as blood pressure, weight, body analysis, pulse rate, electrocardiograph, blood glucose, blood glucose saturation, sleeping and physical activity. With advances in Bluetooth technology, software, cloud computing and remote sensing, SBDAs provide real-time on-site analysis and telemedicine opportunities in remote areas. This scenario is of utmost importance for developing countries, where the number of smartphone users is about 70% of 6.8 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide with limited access to basic healthcare service. The technology platform facilitates patient-doctor communication and the patients to effectively manage and keep track of their medical conditions. Besides tremendous healthcare cost savings, SBDAs are very critical for the monitoring and effective management of emerging epidemics and food contamination outbreaks. The next decade will witness pioneering advances and increasing applications of SBDAs in this exponentially growing field of mHealthcare. This article provides a critical review of commercial SBDAs that are being widely used for personalized healthcare monitoring and management.

Learning Activity Predictors from Sensor Data: Algorithms, Evaluation, and Applications.

PubMed

Minor, Bryan; Doppa, Janardhan Rao; Cook, Diane J

2017-12-01

Recent progress in Internet of Things (IoT) platforms has allowed us to collect large amounts of sensing data. However, there are significant challenges in converting this large-scale sensing data into decisions for real-world applications. Motivated by applications like health monitoring and intervention and home automation we consider a novel problem called Activity Prediction , where the goal is to predict future activity occurrence times from sensor data. In this paper, we make three main contributions. First, we formulate and solve the activity prediction problem in the framework of imitation learning and reduce it to a simple regression learning problem. This approach allows us to leverage powerful regression learners that can reason about the relational structure of the problem with negligible computational overhead. Second, we present several metrics to evaluate activity predictors in the context of real-world applications. Third, we evaluate our approach using real sensor data collected from 24 smart home testbeds. We also embed the learned predictor into a mobile-device-based activity prompter and evaluate the app for 9 participants living in smart homes. Our results indicate that our activity predictor performs better than the baseline methods, and offers a simple approach for predicting activities from sensor data.

High resolution remote sensing missions of a tethered satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vetrella, S.; Moccia, A.

1986-01-01

The application of the Tethered Satellite (TS) as an operational remote sensing platform is studied. It represents a new platform capable of covering the altitudes between airplanes and free flying satellites, offering an adequate lifetime, high geometric and radiometric resolution and improved cartographic accuracy. Two operational remote sensing missions are proposed: one using two linear array systems for along track stereoscopic observation and one using a synthetic aperture radar combined with an interferometric technique. These missions are able to improve significantly the accuracy of future real time cartographic systems from space, also allowing, in the case of active microwave systems, the Earth's observation both in adverse weather and at any time, day or night. Furthermore, a simulation program is described in which, in order to examine carefully the potentiality of the TS as a new remote sensing platform, the orbital and attitude dynamics description of the TSS is integrated with the sensor viewing geometry, the Earth's ellipsoid, the atmospheric effects, the Sun illumination and the digital elevation model. A preliminary experiment has been proposed which consist of a metric camera to be deployed downwards during the second Shuttle demonstration flight.

[Dental education for college students based on WeChat public platform].

PubMed

Chen, Chuan-Jun; Sun, Tan

2016-06-01

The authors proposed a model for dental education based on WeChat public platform. In this model, teachers send various kinds of digital teaching information such as PPT，word and video to the WeChat public platform and students share the information for preview before class and differentiate the key-point knowledge from those information for in-depth learning in class. Teachers also send reference materials for expansive learning after class. Questionaire through the WeChat public platform is used to evaluate teaching effect of teachers and improvement may be taken based on the feedback questionnaire. A discussion and interaction based on WeCchat between students and teacher can be aroused on a specific topic to reach a proper solution. With technique development of mobile terminal, mobile class will come true in near future.

Ionospheric Profiles from Ultraviolet Remote Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-09-30

The long-term goal of this project is to obtain ionospheric profiles from ultraviolet remote sensing of the ionosphere from orbiting space platforms... Remote sensing of the nighttime ionosphere is a more straightforward process because of the absence of the complications brought about by daytime

University Students' Sense of Belonging to the Home Town: The Role of Residential Mobility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cicognani, Elvira; Menezes, Isabel; Nata, Gil

2011-01-01

In the study of young people's relationships with residential contexts, it is important to consider the role of developmental tasks (e.g. identity construction, academic and professional choices, etc.) in influencing Place Identity and Sense of Community. Residential mobility may represent an adaptive strategy for modifying some aspects of one's…

An Effective Collaborative Mobile Weighted Clustering Schemes for Energy Balancing in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Tang, Chengpei; Shokla, Sanesy Kumcr; Modhawar, George; Wang, Qiang

2016-01-01

Collaborative strategies for mobile sensor nodes ensure the efficiency and the robustness of data processing, while limiting the required communication bandwidth. In order to solve the problem of pipeline inspection and oil leakage monitoring, a collaborative weighted mobile sensing scheme is proposed. By adopting a weighted mobile sensing scheme, the adaptive collaborative clustering protocol can realize an even distribution of energy load among the mobile sensor nodes in each round, and make the best use of battery energy. A detailed theoretical analysis and experimental results revealed that the proposed protocol is an energy efficient collaborative strategy such that the sensor nodes can communicate with a fusion center and produce high power gain. PMID:26907285

Recent Progress of Self-Powered Sensing Systems for Wearable Electronics.

PubMed

Lou, Zheng; Li, La; Wang, Lili; Shen, Guozhen

2017-12-01

Wearable/flexible electronic sensing systems are considered to be one of the key technologies in the next generation of smart personal electronics. To realize personal portable devices with mobile electronics application, i.e., wearable electronic sensors that can work sustainably and continuously without an external power supply are highly desired. The recent progress and advantages of wearable self-powered electronic sensing systems for mobile or personal attachable health monitoring applications are presented. An overview of various types of wearable electronic sensors, including flexible tactile sensors, wearable image sensor array, biological and chemical sensor, temperature sensors, and multifunctional integrated sensing systems is provided. Self-powered sensing systems with integrated energy units are then discussed, separated as energy harvesting self-powered sensing systems, energy storage integrated sensing systems, and all-in-on integrated sensing systems. Finally, the future perspectives of self-powered sensing systems for wearable electronics are discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multi-service terminal adapter based on IP technology applications in rural area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Li; Li, Xiaobo; Yan, Juntao; Ren, Xupeng

Take advantage of ample modern existing telecom network resources to rural areas may achieve it's information society gradually. This includes the establishment of integrated rural information service platform, modern remote education center and electronic administration management platform for rural areas. The geographical and economic constraints must be overcome for structuring the rural service support system, in order to provide technical support, information products and information services to modern rural information service system. It is important that development an access platform based IP technology, which supports multi-service access in order to implement a variety of types of mobile terminal equipment adapter access and to reduce restrictions on mobile terminal equipment.

Open Source Based Sensor Platform for Mobile Environmental Monitoring and Data Acquisition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schima, Robert; Goblirsch, Tobias; Misterek, René; Salbach, Christoph; Schlink, Uwe; Francyk, Bogdan; Dietrich, Peter; Bumberger, Jan

2016-04-01

The impact of global change, urbanization and complex interactions between humans and the environment show different effects on different scales. However, the desire to obtain a better understanding of ecosystems and process dynamics in nature accentuates the need for observing these processes in higher temporal and spatial resolutions. Especially with regard to the process dynamics and heterogeneity of urban areas, a comprehensive monitoring of these effects remains to be a challenging issue. Open source based electronics and cost-effective sensors are offering a promising approach to explore new possibilities of mobile data acquisition and innovative strategies and thereby support a comprehensive ad-hoc monitoring and the capturing of environmental processes close to real time. Accordingly, our project aims the development of new strategies for mobile data acquisition and real-time processing of user-specific environmental data, based on a holistic and integrated process. To this end, the concept of our monitoring system covers the data collection, data processing and data integration as well as the data provision within one infrastructure. This ensures a consistent data stream and a rapid data processing. However, the overarching goal is the provision of an integrated service instead of lengthy and arduous data acquisition by hand. Therefore, the system also serves as a data acquisition assistant and gives guidance during the measurements. In technical terms, our monitoring system consists of mobile sensor devices, which can be controlled and managed by a smart phone app (Android). At the moment, the system is able to acquire temperature and humidity in space (GPS) and time (real-time clock) as a built in function. In addition, larger system functionality can be accomplished by adding further sensors for the detection of e.g. fine dust, methane or dissolved organic compounds. From the IT point of view, the system includes a smart phone app and a web service for data processing, data provision and data visualization. The smart phone app allows the configuration of the mobile sensor devices and provides some built-in functions such as simple data visualization or data transmission via e-mail whereas the web service provides the visualization of the data and tools for data processing. In an initial field experiment, a methane monitoring based on our sensor integration platform was performed in the city area of Leipzig (Germany) in late June 2015. The study has shown that an urban monitoring can be conducted based on open source components. Moreover, the system enabled the detection of hot spots and methane emission sources. In September 2015, a larger scaled city monitoring based on the mobile monitoring platform was performed by five independently driving cyclists through the city center of Leipzig (Germany). As a result we were able to instantly show a heat and humidity map of the inner city center as well as an exposure map for each cyclist. This emphasizes the feasibility and high potential of open source based monitoring approaches for future research in the field of urban area monitoring in general, citizen science or the validation of remote sensing data.

Technological Readiness of UiTM Students in Using Mobile Phones in the English Language Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murugan, Agelyia; Sai, George Teoh Boon; Lin, Agnes Liau Wei

2017-01-01

Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) by using devices such as mobile phones is an ideal learning platform for learners to acquire language and share knowledge beyond the confines of a fixed location. By utilizing the mobile applications available via smartphone, learners can engage in collaborative networks and find information in a variety of…

Deployment of Mobile Learning Course Materials to Android Powered Mobile Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Lee

2012-01-01

The objective of this article is to facilitate mobile teaching and learning by providing an alternative course material deployment method. This article suggests a course material deployment platform for small universities or individual instructors. Different from traditional course material deployment methods, the method discussed deploys course…

A Virtual Laboratory for Digital Signal Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dow, Chyi-Ren; Li, Yi-Hsung; Bai, Jin-Yu

2006-01-01

This work designs and implements a virtual digital signal processing laboratory, VDSPL. VDSPL consists of four parts: mobile agent execution environments, mobile agents, DSP development software, and DSP experimental platforms. The network capability of VDSPL is created by using mobile agent and wrapper techniques without modifying the source code…

Why Mobile Is a Must

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaffrey, Mary

2011-01-01

There is a need for a new educational model that makes learning personal and motivating, and helps secure students' future in the knowledge economy. Mobile technology opens the door to it. Mobile devices provide the platform and, as importantly, the incentive for students to take personal ownership of the learning experience. The lessons absorbed…

Rational Design of a Green-Light-Mediated Unimolecular Platform for Fast Switchable Acidic Sensing.

PubMed

Zhou, Yunyun; Zou, Qi; Qiu, Jing; Wang, Linjun; Zhu, Liangliang

2018-02-01

A controllable sensing ability strongly connects to complex and precise events in diagnosis and treatment. However, imposing visible light into the molecular-scale mediation of sensing processes is restricted by the lack of structural relevance. To address this critical challenge, we present the rational design, synthesis, and in vitro studies of a novel cyanostyryl-modified azulene system for green-light-mediated fast switchable acidic sensing. The advantageous features of the design include a highly efficient green-light-driven Z/E-isomerization (a quantum yield up to 61.3%) for fast erasing chromatic and luminescent expressions and a superior compatibility with control of ratiometric protonation. Significantly, these merits of the design enable the development of a microfluidic system to perform a green-light-mediated reusable sensing function toward a gastric acid analyte in a miniaturized platform. The results may provide new insights for building future integrated green materials.

Overall design of imaging spectrometer on-board light aircraft

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

Zhongqi, H.; Zhengkui, C.; Changhua, C.

1996-11-01

Aerial remote sensing is the earliest remote sensing technical system and has gotten rapid development in recent years. The development of aerial remote sensing was dominated by high to medium altitude platform in the past, and now it is characterized by the diversity platform including planes of high-medium-low flying altitude, helicopter, airship, remotely controlled airplane, glider, and balloon. The widely used and rapidly developed platform recently is light aircraft. Early in the close of 1970s, Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology began aerial photography and geophysical survey using light aircraft, and put forward the overall design scheme of light aircraftmore » imaging spectral application system (LAISAS) in 19905. LAISAS is comprised of four subsystem. They are called measuring platform, data acquiring subsystem, ground testing and data processing subsystem respectively. The principal instruments of LAISAS include measuring platform controlled by inertia gyroscope, aerial spectrometer with high spectral resolution, imaging spectrometer, 3-channel scanner, 128-channel imaging spectrometer, GPS, illuminance-meter, and devices for atmospheric parameters measuring, ground testing, data correction and processing. LAISAS has the features of integrity from data acquisition to data processing and to application; of stability which guarantees the image quality and is comprised of measuring, ground testing device, and in-door data correction system; of exemplariness of integrated the technology of GIS, GPS, and Image Processing System; of practicality which embodied LAISAS with flexibility and high ratio of performance to cost. So, it can be used in the fields of fundamental research of Remote Sensing and large-scale mapping for resource exploration, environmental monitoring, calamity prediction, and military purpose.« less

Fusion of real-time simulation, sensing, and geo-informatics in assessing tsunami impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koshimura, S.; Inoue, T.; Hino, R.; Ohta, Y.; Kobayashi, H.; Musa, A.; Murashima, Y.; Gokon, H.

2015-12-01

Bringing together state-of-the-art high-performance computing, remote sensing and spatial information sciences, we establish a method of real-time tsunami inundation forecasting, damage estimation and mapping to enhance disaster response. Right after a major (near field) earthquake is triggered, we perform a real-time tsunami inundation forecasting with use of high-performance computing platform (Koshimura et al., 2014). Using Tohoku University's vector supercomputer, we accomplished "10-10-10 challenge", to complete tsunami source determination in 10 minutes, tsunami inundation modeling in 10 minutes with 10 m grid resolution. Given the maximum flow depth distribution, we perform quantitative estimation of exposed population using census data and mobile phone data, and the numbers of potential death and damaged structures by applying tsunami fragility curve. After the potential tsunami-affected areas are estimated, the analysis gets focused and moves on to the "detection" phase using remote sensing. Recent advances of remote sensing technologies expand capabilities of detecting spatial extent of tsunami affected area and structural damage. Especially, a semi-automated method to estimate building damage in tsunami affected areas is developed using pre- and post-event high-resolution SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data. The method is verified through the case studies in the 2011 Tohoku and other potential tsunami scenarios, and the prototype system development is now underway in Kochi prefecture, one of at-risk coastal city against Nankai trough earthquake. In the trial operation, we verify the capability of the method as a new tsunami early warning and response system for stakeholders and responders.

Health care applications based on mobile phone centric smart sensor network.

PubMed

Quero, J M; Tarrida, C L; Santana, J J; Ermolov, V; Jantunen, I; Laine, H; Eichholz, J

2007-01-01

This paper presents the MIMOSA architecture and development platform to create Ambient Intelligence applications. MIMOSA achieves this objective by developing a personal mobile-device centric architecture and open technology platform where microsystem technology is the key enabling technology for their realization due to its low-cost, low power consumption, and small size. This paper focuses the demonstration activities carried out in the field of health care. MIMOSA project is a European level initiative involving 15 enterprises and research institutions and universities.

Autonomous robotic platforms for locating radio sources buried under rubble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tasu, A. S.; Anchidin, L.; Tamas, R.; Paun, M.; Danisor, A.; Petrescu, T.

2016-12-01

This paper deals with the use of autonomous robotic platforms able to locate radio signal sources such as mobile phones, buried under collapsed buildings as a result of earthquakes, natural disasters, terrorism, war, etc. This technique relies on averaging position data resulting from a propagation model implemented on the platform and the data acquired by robotic platforms at the disaster site. That allows us to calculate the approximate position of radio sources buried under the rubble. Based on measurements, a radio map of the disaster site is made, very useful for locating victims and for guiding specific rubble lifting machinery, by assuming that there is a victim next to a mobile device detected by the robotic platform; by knowing the approximate position, the lifting machinery does not risk to further hurt the victims. Moreover, by knowing the positions of the victims, the reaction time is decreased, and the chances of survival for the victims buried under the rubble, are obviously increased.

Remote sensing with unmanned aircraft systems for precision agriculture applications

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Federal Aviation Administration is revising regulations for using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace. An important potential application of UAS may be as a remote-sensing platform for precision agriculture, but simply down-scaling remote sensing methodologies developed usi...

a Hadoop-Based Distributed Framework for Efficient Managing and Processing Big Remote Sensing Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, C.; Hu, F.; Hu, X.; Zhao, S.; Wen, W.; Yang, C.

2015-07-01

Various sensors from airborne and satellite platforms are producing large volumes of remote sensing images for mapping, environmental monitoring, disaster management, military intelligence, and others. However, it is challenging to efficiently storage, query and process such big data due to the data- and computing- intensive issues. In this paper, a Hadoop-based framework is proposed to manage and process the big remote sensing data in a distributed and parallel manner. Especially, remote sensing data can be directly fetched from other data platforms into the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). The Orfeo toolbox, a ready-to-use tool for large image processing, is integrated into MapReduce to provide affluent image processing operations. With the integration of HDFS, Orfeo toolbox and MapReduce, these remote sensing images can be directly processed in parallel in a scalable computing environment. The experiment results show that the proposed framework can efficiently manage and process such big remote sensing data.

Kinematic evaluation of mobile robotic platforms for overground gait neurorehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alias, N. Akmal; Huq, M. Saiful; Ibrahim, B. S. K. K.; Omar, Rosli

2017-09-01

Gait assistive devices offer a great solution to the walking re-education which reduce patients theoretical limit by aiding the anatomical joints to be in line with the rehabilitation session. Overground gait training, which is differs significantly from body-weight supported treadmill training in many aspects, essentially consists of a mobile robotic base to support the subject securely (usually with overhead harness) while its motion and orientation is controlled seamlessly to facilitate subjects free movement. In this study, efforts have been made for evaluation of both holonomic and nonholonomic drives, the outcome of which may constitute the primarily results to the effective approach in designing a robotic platform for the mobile rehabilitation robot. The sets of kinematic equations are derived using typical geometries of two different drives. The results indicate that omnidirectional mecanum wheel platform is capable for more sophisticated discipline. Although the differential drive platform happens to be more simple and easy to construct, but it is less desirable as it has limited number of motions applicable to the system. The omnidirectional robot consisting of mecanum wheels, which is classified as holonomic is potentially the best solution in terms of its capability to move in arbitrary direction without concerning the changing of wheel's direction.

Marine Point Forecasts

Science.gov Websites

with smartphones and other mobile platforms new Marine Point Forecasts are a forecast for a specific maps providing zone/point marine forecasts Mobile, AL Eureka, CA San Francisco, CA Los Angeles, CA San

Feasibility Study of Implementing a Mobile Collaborative Information Platform for International Safeguards Inspections

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

Gastelum, Zoe N.; Gitau, Ernest T. N.; Doehle, Joel R.

2014-09-01

In response to the growing pervasiveness of mobile technologies such as tablets and smartphones, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories have been exploring the potential use of these platforms for international safeguards activities. Specifically of interest are information systems (software, and accompanying servers and architecture) deployed on mobile devices to increase the situational awareness and productivity of an IAEA safeguards inspector in the field, while simultaneously reducing paperwork and pack weight of safeguards equipment. Exploratory development in this area has been met with skepticism regarding the ability to overcome technology deployment challenges formore » IAEA safeguards equipment. This report documents research conducted to identify potential challenges for the deployment of a mobile collaborative information system to the IAEA, and proposes strategies to mitigate those challenges.« less

Micromotors for "Chemistry-on-the-Fly".

PubMed

Karshalev, Emil; Esteban-Fernández de Ávila, Berta; Wang, Joseph

2018-03-21

This perspective reviews mobile micro/nanomotor scaffolds for performing "chemistry-on-the-fly". Synthetic nano/micromotors offer great versatility and distinct advantages in diverse chemical applications owing to their efficient propulsion and facile surface functionalization that allow these mobile platforms to move and disperse reactive materials across the solution. Such dynamic microreactors have led to accelerated chemical processes, including organic pollutant degradation, metal chelation, biorecognition, redox chemistry, chemical "writing", and a variety of other chemical transformations. Representative examples of such micromotor-enhanced chemical reactions are discussed, focusing on the specific chemical role of these mobile microreactors. The advantages, gaps and limitations of using micromotors as mobile chemical platforms are discussed, concluding with the future prospects of this emerging field. We envision that artificial nano/micromotors will become attractive dynamic tools for speeding up and enhancing "on-the-fly" chemical reactions.

The Lunar Orbital Prospector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Redd, Frank J.; Cantrell, James N.; Mccurdy, Greg

1992-01-01

The establishment of lunar bases will not end the need for remote sensing of the lunar surface by orbiting platforms. Human and robotic surface exploration will necessarily be limited to some proximate distance from the support base. Near real-time, high-resolution, global characterization of the lunar surface by orbiting sensing systems will continue to be essential to the understanding of the Moon's geophysical structure and the location of exploitable minerals and deposits of raw materials. The Lunar Orbital Prospector (LOP) is an orbiting sensing platform capable of supporting a variety of modular sensing packages. Serviced by a lunar-based shuttle, the LOP will permit the exchange of instrument packages to meet evolving mission needs. The ability to recover, modify, and rotate sensing packages allows their reuse in varying combinations. Combining this flexibility with robust orbit modification capabilities and near real-time telemetry links provides considerable system responsiveness. Maintenance and modification of the LOP orbit are accomplished through use of an onboard propulsion system that burns lunar-supplied oxygen and aluminum. The relatively low performance of such a system is more than compensated for by the elimination of the need for Earth-supplied propellants. The LOP concept envisions a continuous expansion of capability through the incorporation of new instrument technologies and the addition of platforms.

Gamification and Multimedia for Medical Education: A Landscape Review.

PubMed

McCoy, Lise; Lewis, Joy H; Dalton, David

2016-01-01

Medical education is rapidly evolving. Students enter medical school with a high level of technological literacy and an expectation for instructional variety in the curriculum. In response, many medical schools now incorporate technology-enhanced active learning and multimedia education applications. Education games, medical mobile applications, and virtual patient simulations are together termed gamified training platforms. To review available literature for the benefits of using gamified training platforms for medical education (both preclinical and clinical) and training. Also, to identify platforms suitable for these purposes with links to multimedia content. Peer-reviewed literature, commercially published media, and grey literature were searched to compile an archive of recently published scientific evaluations of gamified training platforms for medical education. Specific educational games, mobile applications, and virtual simulations useful for preclinical and clinical training were identified and categorized. Available evidence was summarized as it related to potential educational advantages of the identified platforms for medical education. Overall, improved learning outcomes have been demonstrated with virtual patient simulations. Games have the potential to promote learning, increase engagement, allow for real-word application, and enhance collaboration. They can also provide opportunities for risk-free clinical decision making, distance training, learning analytics, and swift feedback. A total of 5 electronic games and 4 mobile applications were identified for preclinical training, and 5 electronic games, 10 mobile applications, and 12 virtual patient simulation tools were identified for clinical training. Nine additional gamified, virtual environment training tools not commercially available were also identified. Many published studies suggest possible benefits from using gamified media in medical curriculum. This is a rapidly growing field. More research is required to rigorously evaluate the specific educational benefits of these interventions. This archive of hyperlinked tools can be used as a resource for all levels of medical trainees, providers, and educators.

PD_Manager: an mHealth platform for Parkinson's disease patient management.

PubMed

Tsiouris, Kostas M; Gatsios, Dimitrios; Rigas, George; Miljkovic, Dragana; Koroušić Seljak, Barbara; Bohanec, Marko; Arredondo, Maria T; Antonini, Angelo; Konitsiotis, Spyros; Koutsouris, Dimitrios D; Fotiadis, Dimitrios I

2017-06-01

PD_Manager is a mobile health platform designed to cover most of the aspects regarding the management of Parkinson's disease (PD) in a holistic approach. Patients are unobtrusively monitored using commercial wrist and insole sensors paired with a smartphone, to automatically estimate the severity of most of the PD motor symptoms. Besides motor symptoms monitoring, the patient's mobile application also provides various non-motor self-evaluation tests for assessing cognition, mood and nutrition to motivate them in becoming more active in managing their disease. All data from the mobile application and the sensors is transferred to a cloud infrastructure to allow easy access for clinicians and further processing. Clinicians can access this information using a separate mobile application that is specifically designed for their respective needs to provide faster and more accurate assessment of PD symptoms that facilitate patient evaluation. Machine learning techniques are used to estimate symptoms and disease progression trends to further enhance the provided information. The platform is also complemented with a decision support system (DSS) that notifies clinicians for the detection of new symptoms or the worsening of existing ones. As patient's symptoms are progressing, the DSS can also provide specific suggestions regarding appropriate medication changes.

PD_Manager: an mHealth platform for Parkinson's disease patient management

PubMed Central

Gatsios, Dimitrios; Rigas, George; Miljkovic, Dragana; Koroušić Seljak, Barbara; Bohanec, Marko; Arredondo, Maria T.; Antonini, Angelo; Konitsiotis, Spyros; Koutsouris, Dimitrios D.

2017-01-01

PD_Manager is a mobile health platform designed to cover most of the aspects regarding the management of Parkinson's disease (PD) in a holistic approach. Patients are unobtrusively monitored using commercial wrist and insole sensors paired with a smartphone, to automatically estimate the severity of most of the PD motor symptoms. Besides motor symptoms monitoring, the patient's mobile application also provides various non-motor self-evaluation tests for assessing cognition, mood and nutrition to motivate them in becoming more active in managing their disease. All data from the mobile application and the sensors is transferred to a cloud infrastructure to allow easy access for clinicians and further processing. Clinicians can access this information using a separate mobile application that is specifically designed for their respective needs to provide faster and more accurate assessment of PD symptoms that facilitate patient evaluation. Machine learning techniques are used to estimate symptoms and disease progression trends to further enhance the provided information. The platform is also complemented with a decision support system (DSS) that notifies clinicians for the detection of new symptoms or the worsening of existing ones. As patient's symptoms are progressing, the DSS can also provide specific suggestions regarding appropriate medication changes. PMID:28706727

Portable air quality sensor unit for participatory monitoring: an end-to-end VESNA-AQ based prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vucnik, Matevz; Robinson, Johanna; Smolnikar, Miha; Kocman, David; Horvat, Milena; Mohorcic, Mihael

2015-04-01

Key words: portable air quality sensor, CITI-SENSE, participatory monitoring, VESNA-AQ The emergence of low-cost easy to use portable air quality sensors units is opening new possibilities for individuals to assess their exposure to air pollutants at specific place and time, and share this information through the Internet connection. Such portable sensors units are being used in an ongoing citizen science project called CITI-SENSE, which enables citizens to measure and share the data. The project aims through creating citizens observatories' to empower citizens to contribute to and participate in environmental governance, enabling them to support and influence community and societal priorities as well as associated decision making. An air quality measurement system based on VESNA sensor platform was primarily designed within the project for the use as portable sensor unit in selected pilot cities (Belgrade, Ljubljana and Vienna) for monitoring outdoor exposure to pollutants. However, functionally the same unit with different set of sensors could be used for example as an indoor platform. The version designed for the pilot studies was equipped with the following sensors: NO2, O3, CO, temperature, relative humidity, pressure and accelerometer. The personal sensor unit is battery powered and housed in a plastic box. The VESNA-based air quality (AQ) monitoring system comprises the VESNA-AQ portable sensor unit, a smartphone app and the remote server. Personal sensor unit supports wireless connection to an Android smartphone via built-in Wi-Fi. The smartphone in turn serves also as the communication gateway towards the remote server using any of available data connections. Besides the gateway functionality the role of smartphone is to enrich data coming from the personal sensor unit with the GPS location, timestamps and user defined context. This, together with an accelerometer, enables the user to better estimate ones exposure in relation to physical activities, time and location. The end user can monitor the measured parameters through a smartphone application. The smartphone app implements a custom developed LCSP (Lightweight Client Server Protocol) protocol which is used to send requests to the VESNA-AQ unit and to exchange information. When the data is obtained from the VESNA-AQ unit, the mobile application visualizes the data. It also has an option to forward the data to the remote server in a custom JSON structure over a HTTP POST request. The server stores the data in the database and in parallel translates the data to WFS and forwards it to the main CITI-SENSE platform over WFS-T in a common XML format over HTTP POST request. From there data can be accessed through the Internet and visualised in different forms and web applications developed by the CITI-SENSE project. In the course of the project, the collected data will be made publicly available enabling the citizens to participate in environmental governance. Acknowledgements: CITI-SENSE is a Collaborative Project partly funded by the EU FP7-ENV-2012 under grant agreement no 308524 (www.citi-sense.eu).

Mobile Phone Training Platform for the Nursing Staff in the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Liu, Xueqing; Cheng, Jing; Huang, Sufang

2018-05-09

Continuous education is required for nursing staff, but continuous education can be complicated for nurses working shifts, such as those in the emergency department (ED). To explore the effectiveness of the ED Training Platform of Tongji Hospital for conventional continuing education of emergency nurses. The training completion rate and training outcomes were validated. This was a retrospective study of all in-service emergency nurses working at the Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology between August 2016 and August 2017. The training results of the previous year of the same group were used as controls. The platform used was an online system called JikeXuetang ( www.jkxuetang.com/ ), using the WeChat application as a carrier. The training completion rate and pass rate were compared with the control data. Among 124 nurses, the training completion rate increased from <60% to 100%, and the passing rate was 100%. Among 121 nurses, 92.5% considered that the mobile phone platform was more convenient than conventional training course; 89.7% believed it as an effective tool of learning, and intended to join public courses after completion; and 63.4% nurses expressed the wish to receive push services once or twice weekly for training course. The outcome of emergency nurse training was improved using the mobile training platform. This approach was more feasible and easier for training.

Development of mobile platform integrated with existing electronic medical records.

PubMed

Kim, YoungAh; Kim, Sung Soo; Kang, Simon; Kim, Kyungduk; Kim, Jun

2014-07-01

This paper describes a mobile Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platform designed to manage and utilize the existing EMR and mobile application with optimized resources. We structured the mEMR to reuse services of retrieval and storage in mobile app environments that have already proven to have no problem working with EMRs. A new mobile architecture-based mobile solution was developed in four steps: the construction of a server and its architecture; screen layout and storyboard making; screen user interface design and development; and a pilot test and step-by-step deployment. This mobile architecture consists of two parts, the server-side area and the client-side area. In the server-side area, it performs the roles of service management for EMR and documents and for information exchange. Furthermore, it performs menu allocation depending on user permission and automatic clinical document architecture document conversion. Currently, Severance Hospital operates an iOS-compatible mobile solution based on this mobile architecture and provides stable service without additional resources, dealing with dynamic changes of EMR templates. The proposed mobile solution should go hand in hand with the existing EMR system, and it can be a cost-effective solution if a quality EMR system is operated steadily with this solution. Thus, we expect this example to be shared with hospitals that currently plan to deploy mobile solutions.

Development of Mobile Platform Integrated with Existing Electronic Medical Records

PubMed Central

Kim, YoungAh; Kang, Simon; Kim, Kyungduk; Kim, Jun

2014-01-01

Objectives This paper describes a mobile Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platform designed to manage and utilize the existing EMR and mobile application with optimized resources. Methods We structured the mEMR to reuse services of retrieval and storage in mobile app environments that have already proven to have no problem working with EMRs. A new mobile architecture-based mobile solution was developed in four steps: the construction of a server and its architecture; screen layout and storyboard making; screen user interface design and development; and a pilot test and step-by-step deployment. This mobile architecture consists of two parts, the server-side area and the client-side area. In the server-side area, it performs the roles of service management for EMR and documents and for information exchange. Furthermore, it performs menu allocation depending on user permission and automatic clinical document architecture document conversion. Results Currently, Severance Hospital operates an iOS-compatible mobile solution based on this mobile architecture and provides stable service without additional resources, dealing with dynamic changes of EMR templates. Conclusions The proposed mobile solution should go hand in hand with the existing EMR system, and it can be a cost-effective solution if a quality EMR system is operated steadily with this solution. Thus, we expect this example to be shared with hospitals that currently plan to deploy mobile solutions. PMID:25152837

SPR based hybrid electro-optic biosensor for β-lactam antibiotics determination in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galatus, Ramona; Feier, Bogdan; Cristea, Cecilia; Cennamo, Nunzio; Zeni, Luigi

2017-09-01

The present work aims to provide a hybrid platform capable of complementary and sensitive detection of β-lactam antibiotics, ampicillin in particular. The use of an aptamer specific to ampicillin assures good selectivity and sensitivity for the detection of ampicillin from different matrice. This new approach is dedicated for a portable, remote sensing platform based on low-cost, small size and low-power consumption solution. The simple experimental hybrid platform integrates the results from the D-shape surface plasmon resonance plastic optical fiber (SPR-POF) and from the electrochemical (bio)sensor, for the analysis of ampicillin, delivering sensitive and reliable results. The SPR-POF already used in many previous applications is embedded in a new experimental setup with fluorescent fibers emitters, for broadband wavelength analysis, low-power consumption and low-heating capabilities of the sensing platform.

An object-based storage model for distributed remote sensing images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhanwu; Li, Zhongmin; Zheng, Sheng

2006-10-01

It is very difficult to design an integrated storage solution for distributed remote sensing images to offer high performance network storage services and secure data sharing across platforms using current network storage models such as direct attached storage, network attached storage and storage area network. Object-based storage, as new generation network storage technology emerged recently, separates the data path, the control path and the management path, which solves the bottleneck problem of metadata existed in traditional storage models, and has the characteristics of parallel data access, data sharing across platforms, intelligence of storage devices and security of data access. We use the object-based storage in the storage management of remote sensing images to construct an object-based storage model for distributed remote sensing images. In the storage model, remote sensing images are organized as remote sensing objects stored in the object-based storage devices. According to the storage model, we present the architecture of a distributed remote sensing images application system based on object-based storage, and give some test results about the write performance comparison of traditional network storage model and object-based storage model.

Water-soluble porphyrins as a dual-function molecular imaging platform for MRI and fluorescence zinc sensing

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xiao-an; Lovejoy, Katherine S.; Jasanoff, Alan; Lippard, Stephen J.

2007-01-01

We report a molecular platform for dual-function fluorescence/MRI sensing of mobile zinc. Zinc-selective binding units were strategically attached to a water-soluble porphyrin template. The synthetic strategy for achieving the designed target ligand is flexible and convenient, and the key intermediates can be applied as general building blocks for the construction of other metal sensors based on a similar mechanism. The metal-free form, (DPA-C2)2-TPPS3 (1), where DPA is dipicolylamine and TPPS3 is 5-phenyl-10,15,20-tris(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine, is an excellent fluorescent sensor for zinc. It has certain superior physical properties compared with earlier-generation zinc sensors including emission in the red and near-IR regions [λem = 645 nm (s) and 715 nm (m)], with a large Stokes shift of >230 nm. The fluorescence intensity of 1 increases by >10-fold upon zinc binding. The fluorescence “turn-on” is highly selective for zinc versus other divalent metal ions and is relatively pH-insensitive within the biologically relevant pH window. The manganese derivative, [(DPA-C2)2-TPPS3Mn(III)] (2), switches the function of the molecule to generate an MRI contrast agent. In the presence of zinc, the relaxivity of 2 in aqueous solution is significantly altered, which makes it a promising zinc MRI sensor. Both metal-free and Mn(III)-inserted forms are efficiently taken up by live cells, and the intracellular zinc can be imaged by either fluorescence or MR, respectively. We anticipate that in vivo applications of the probes will facilitate a deeper understanding of the physiological roles of zinc and allow detection of abnormal zinc homeostasis for pathological diagnoses. PMID:17578918

Mapping sub-surface geostrophic currents from altimetry and a fleet of gliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, A.; Chiggiato, J.; Schroeder, K.

2013-04-01

Integrating the observations gathered by different platforms into a unique physical picture of the environment is a fundamental aspect of networked ocean observing systems. These are constituted by a spatially distributed set of sensors and platforms that simultaneously monitor a given ocean region. Remote sensing from satellites is an integral part of present ocean observing systems. Due to their autonomy, mobility and controllability, underwater gliders are envisioned to play a significant role in the development of networked ocean observatories. Exploiting synergism between remote sensing and underwater gliders is expected to result on a better characterization of the marine environment than using these observational sources individually. This study investigates a methodology to estimate the three dimensional distribution of geostrophic currents resulting from merging satellite altimetry and in situ samples gathered by a fleet of Slocum gliders. Specifically, the approach computes the volumetric or three dimensional distribution of absolute dynamic height (ADH) that minimizes the total energy of the system while being close to in situ observations and matching the absolute dynamic topography (ADT) observed from satellite at the sea surface. A three dimensional finite element technique is employed to solve the minimization problem. The methodology is validated making use of the dataset collected during the field experiment called Rapid Environmental Picture-2010 (REP-10) carried out by the NATO Undersea Research Center-NURC during August 2010. A marine region off-shore La Spezia (northwest coast of Italy) was sampled by a fleet of three coastal Slocum gliders. Results indicate that the geostrophic current field estimated from gliders and altimetry significantly improves the estimates obtained using only the data gathered by the glider fleet.

Comparison of supervised machine learning algorithms for waterborne pathogen detection using mobile phone fluorescence microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceylan Koydemir, Hatice; Feng, Steve; Liang, Kyle; Nadkarni, Rohan; Benien, Parul; Ozcan, Aydogan

2017-06-01

Giardia lamblia is a waterborne parasite that affects millions of people every year worldwide, causing a diarrheal illness known as giardiasis. Timely detection of the presence of the cysts of this parasite in drinking water is important to prevent the spread of the disease, especially in resource-limited settings. Here we provide extended experimental testing and evaluation of the performance and repeatability of a field-portable and cost-effective microscopy platform for automated detection and counting of Giardia cysts in water samples, including tap water, non-potable water, and pond water. This compact platform is based on our previous work, and is composed of a smartphone-based fluorescence microscope, a disposable sample processing cassette, and a custom-developed smartphone application. Our mobile phone microscope has a large field of view of 0.8 cm2 and weighs only 180 g, excluding the phone. A custom-developed smartphone application provides a user-friendly graphical interface, guiding the users to capture a fluorescence image of the sample filter membrane and analyze it automatically at our servers using an image processing algorithm and training data, consisting of >30,000 images of cysts and >100,000 images of other fluorescent particles that are captured, including, e.g. dust. The total time that it takes from sample preparation to automated cyst counting is less than an hour for each 10 ml of water sample that is tested. We compared the sensitivity and the specificity of our platform using multiple supervised classification models, including support vector machines and nearest neighbors, and demonstrated that a bootstrap aggregating (i.e. bagging) approach using raw image file format provides the best performance for automated detection of Giardia cysts. We evaluated the performance of this machine learning enabled pathogen detection device with water samples taken from different sources (e.g. tap water, non-potable water, pond water) and achieved a limit of detection of 12 cysts per 10 ml, an average cyst capture efficiency of 79%, and an accuracy of 95%. Providing rapid detection and quantification of waterborne pathogens without the need for a microbiology expert, this field-portable imaging and sensing platform running on a smartphone could be very useful for water quality monitoring in resource-limited settings.

Impact of VLSI/VHSIC on satellite on-board signal processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aanstoos, J. V.; Ruedger, W. H.; Snyder, W. E.; Kelly, W. L.

Forecasted improvements in IC fabrication techniques, such as the use of X-ray lithography, are expected to yield submicron circuit feature sizes within the decade of the 1980s. As dimensions decrease, reliability, cost, speed, power consumption and density improvements will be realized which have a significant impact on the capabilities of onboard spacecraft signal processing functions. This will in turn result in increases of the intelligence that may be deployed on spaceborne remote sensing platforms. Among programs oriented toward such goals are the silicon-based Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) researches sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, and efforts toward the development of GaAs devices which will compete with silicon VLSI technology for future applications. GaAs has an electron mobility which is five to six times that of silicon, and promises commensurate computation speed increases under low field conditions.

Remotely controlled sensor apparatus for use in dig-face characterization system

DOEpatents

Josten, N.E.; Svoboda, J.M.

1999-05-25

A remotely controlled sensor platform apparatus useful in a dig-face characterization system is deployed from a mobile delivery device such as standard heavy construction equipment. The sensor apparatus is designed to stabilize sensors against extraneous motions induced by heavy equipment manipulations or other outside influences, and includes a terrain sensing and sensor elevation control system to maintain the sensors in close ground proximity. The deployed sensor apparatus is particularly useful in collecting data in work environments where human access is difficult due to the presence of hazardous conditions, rough terrain, or other circumstances that prevent efficient data collection by conventional methods. Such work environments include hazardous waste sites, unexploded ordnance sites, or construction sites. Data collection in these environments by utilizing the deployed sensor apparatus is desirable in order to protect human health and safety, or to assist in planning daily operations to increase efficiency. 13 figs.

Remotely controlled sensor apparatus for use in dig-face characterization system

DOEpatents

Josten, Nicholas E.; Svoboda, John M.

1999-01-01

A remotely controlled sensor platform apparatus useful in a dig-face characterization system is deployed from a mobile delivery device such as standard heavy construction equipment. The sensor apparatus is designed to stabilize sensors against extraneous motions induced by heavy equipment manipulations or other outside influences, and includes a terrain sensing and sensor elevation control system to maintain the sensors in close ground proximity. The deployed sensor apparatus is particularly useful in collecting data in work environments where human access is difficult due to the presence of hazardous conditions, rough terrain, or other circumstances that prevent efficient data collection by conventional methods. Such work environments include hazardous waste sites, unexploded ordnance sites, or construction sites. Data collection in these environments by utilizing the deployed sensor apparatus is desirable in order to protect human health and safety, or to assist in planning daily operations to increase efficiency.

Overview of the Benzene and Other Toxics Exposure (BEE-TEX) Field Study.

PubMed

Olaguer, Eduardo P

2015-01-01

The Benzene and other Toxics Exposure (BEE-TEX) field study was an experimental campaign designed to demonstrate novel methods for measuring ambient concentrations of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in real time and to attribute these concentrations to quantified releases from specific emission points in industrial facilities while operating outside facility fence lines. BEE-TEX was conducted in February 2015 at three neighboring communities in the Houston Ship Channel of Texas, where a large number of petrochemical facilities are concentrated. The novel technologies deployed during BEE-TEX included: (1) tomographic remote sensing based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy; (2) real-time broadcasting of ambient air monitoring data over the World Wide Web; (3) real-time source attribution and quantification of HAP emissions based on either tomographic or mobile measurement platforms; and (4) the use of cultured human lung cells in vitro as portable indicators of HAP exposure.

Overview of the Benzene and Other Toxics Exposure (BEE-TEX) Field Study

PubMed Central

Olaguer, Eduardo P.

2015-01-01

The Benzene and other Toxics Exposure (BEE-TEX) field study was an experimental campaign designed to demonstrate novel methods for measuring ambient concentrations of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in real time and to attribute these concentrations to quantified releases from specific emission points in industrial facilities while operating outside facility fence lines. BEE-TEX was conducted in February 2015 at three neighboring communities in the Houston Ship Channel of Texas, where a large number of petrochemical facilities are concentrated. The novel technologies deployed during BEE-TEX included: (1) tomographic remote sensing based on differential optical absorption spectroscopy; (2) real-time broadcasting of ambient air monitoring data over the World Wide Web; (3) real-time source attribution and quantification of HAP emissions based on either tomographic or mobile measurement platforms; and (4) the use of cultured human lung cells in vitro as portable indicators of HAP exposure. PMID:26549972

Trends in communicative access solutions for children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Myrden, Andrew; Schudlo, Larissa; Weyand, Sabine; Zeyl, Timothy; Chau, Tom

2014-08-01

Access solutions may facilitate communication in children with limited functional speech and motor control. This study reviews current trends in access solution development for children with cerebral palsy, with particular emphasis on the access technology that harnesses a control signal from the user (eg, movement or physiological change) and the output device (eg, augmentative and alternative communication system) whose behavior is modulated by the user's control signal. Access technologies have advanced from simple mechanical switches to machine vision (eg, eye-gaze trackers), inertial sensing, and emerging physiological interfaces that require minimal physical effort. Similarly, output devices have evolved from bulky, dedicated hardware with limited configurability, to platform-agnostic, highly personalized mobile applications. Emerging case studies encourage the consideration of access technology for all nonverbal children with cerebral palsy with at least nascent contingency awareness. However, establishing robust evidence of the effectiveness of the aforementioned advances will require more expansive studies. © The Author(s) 2014.

WISDOM: wheelchair inertial sensors for displacement and orientation monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pansiot, J.; Zhang, Z.; Lo, B.; Yang, G. Z.

2011-10-01

Improved wheelchair design in recent years has significantly increased the mobility of people with disabilities, which has also enhanced the competitive advantage of wheelchair sports. For the latter, detailed assessment of biomechanical factors influencing individual performance and team tactics requires real-time wireless sensing and data modelling. In this paper, we propose the use of a miniaturized wireless wheel-mounted inertial sensor for wheelchair motion monitoring and tracking in an indoor sport environment. Based on a combined use of 3D microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes and 2D MEMS accelerometers, the proposed system provides real-time velocity, heading, ground distance covered and motion trajectory of the wheelchair across the sports court. The proposed system offers a number of advantages compared to existing platforms in terms of size, weight and ease of installation. Beyond sport applications, it also has important applications for training and rehabilitation for people with disabilities.

Bottom-up assembly of metallic germanium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scappucci, Giordano; Klesse, Wolfgang M.; Yeoh, Lareine A.; Carter, Damien J.; Warschkow, Oliver; Marks, Nigel A.; Jaeger, David L.; Capellini, Giovanni; Simmons, Michelle Y.; Hamilton, Alexander R.

2015-08-01

Extending chip performance beyond current limits of miniaturisation requires new materials and functionalities that integrate well with the silicon platform. Germanium fits these requirements and has been proposed as a high-mobility channel material, a light emitting medium in silicon-integrated lasers, and a plasmonic conductor for bio-sensing. Common to these diverse applications is the need for homogeneous, high electron densities in three-dimensions (3D). Here we use a bottom-up approach to demonstrate the 3D assembly of atomically sharp doping profiles in germanium by a repeated stacking of two-dimensional (2D) high-density phosphorus layers. This produces high-density (1019 to 1020 cm-3) low-resistivity (10-4Ω · cm) metallic germanium of precisely defined thickness, beyond the capabilities of diffusion-based doping technologies. We demonstrate that free electrons from distinct 2D dopant layers coalesce into a homogeneous 3D conductor using anisotropic quantum interference measurements, atom probe tomography, and density functional theory.

Optofluidic platforms based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

PubMed

Lim, Chaesung; Hong, Jongin; Chung, Bong Geun; deMello, Andrew J; Choo, Jaebum

2010-05-01

We report recent progress in the development of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based optofluidic platforms for the fast and sensitive detection of chemical and biological analytes. In the current context, a SERS-based optofluidic platform is defined as an integrated analytical device composed of a microfluidic element and a sensitive Raman spectrometer. Optofluidic devices for SERS detection normally involve nanocolloid-based microfluidic systems or metal nanostructure-embedded microfluidic systems. In the current review, recent advances in both approaches are surveyed and assessed. Additionally, integrated real-time sensing systems that combine portable Raman spectrometers with microfluidic devices are also reviewed. Such real-time sensing systems have significant utility in environmental monitoring, forensic science and homeland defense applications.

Comparison of aerial imagery from manned and unmanned aircraft platforms for monitoring cotton growth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have emerged as a low-cost and versatile remote sensing platform in recent years, but little work has been done on comparing imagery from manned and unmanned platforms for crop assessment. The objective of this study was to compare imagery taken from multiple cameras ...

HIgh-Q Optical Micro-cavity Resonators as High Sensitive Bio-chemical and Ultrasonic Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Tao

Optical micro-cavity resonators have quickly emerged in the past few years as a new sensing platform in a wide range of applications, such as bio-chemical molecular detection, environmental monitoring, acoustic and electromagnetic waves detection. In this thesis, we will mainly focus on developing high sensitivity silica micro-tube resonator bio-chemical sensors and high sensitivity polymer micro-ring resonator acoustic sensors. In high sensitivity silica micro-tube resonator bio-chemical sensors part: We first demonstrated a prism coupled silica micro-tube bio-chemical sensing platform to overcome the reliability problem in a fiber coupled thin wall silica micro-tube sensing platform. In refractive index sensing experiment, a unique resonance mode with sensitivity around 600nm/refractive index unit (RIU) has been observed. Surface sensing experiments also have been performed in this platform to detect lipid monolayer, lipid bilayer, electrostatic self assemble layer-by-layer as well as the interaction between the lipid bilayer and proteins. Then a theoretical study on various sensing properties on the silica micro-tube based sensing platform has been realized. Furthermore, we have proposed a coupled cavity system to further enhance the device's sensitivity above 1000nm/RIU. In high sensitivity polymer micro-ring resonator acoustic sensors part: We first presented a simplified fabrication process and realized a polymer microring with a Q factor around 6000. The fabricated device has been used to detect acoustic wave with noise equivalent pressure (NEP) around 230Pa over 1-75MHz frequency rang, which is comparable to state-of-art piezoelectric transducer and the device's frequency response also have been characterized to be up to 90MHz. A new fabrication process combined with resist reflow and thermal oxidation process has been used to improve the Q factor up to 10 5 and the device's NEP has been tested to be around 88Pa over 1-75MHz range. Further improving the device's Q factor has been realized by shifting the device's working wavelength to near-visible wavelength and further reducing the device's sidewall roughness. A record new high Q-˜x105 has been measured and the device's NEP as low as 21Pa has been measured. Furthermore, a smaller size polymer microring device has been developed and fabricated to realize larger angle beam forming applications.

Promoting Learner Autonomy through Schoology M-Learning Platform in an EAP Class at an Indonesian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardi, Priyatno

2017-01-01

The advent of mobile learning platforms and Web 2.0 technologies is believed to provide an autonomous learning space that minimizes the power structure between the teacher and students in Indonesian EFL classes, accommodating the students to display their capacity to navigate their own learning. "Schoology" m-learning platform, a social…

Rethinking the Impact of Activity Design on a Mobile Learning Trail: The Missing Dimension of the Physical Affordances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Esther; So, Hyo-Jeong

2015-01-01

This paper investigates the relationship between activity design and discourse on a mobile learning trail, considering the physical affordances of the real world platform in designing contextual learning experiences. We adopted a "context-oriented" and "process-oriented" pedagogical approach in designing the mobile learning…

A Framework for Designing Collaborative Learning Environments Using Mobile AR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochrane, Thomas; Narayan, Vickel; Antonczak, Laurent

2016-01-01

Smartphones provide a powerful platform for augmented reality (AR). Using a smartphone's camera together with the built in GPS, compass, gyroscope, and touch screen enables the real world environment to be overlaid with contextual digital information. The creation of mobile AR environments is relatively simple, with the development of mobile AR…

An Integrated Learning Management System for Location-Based Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sailer, Christian; Kiefer, Peter; Raubal, Martin

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the relevance and challenges of a location-based learning platform that supports mobile learning in education. We present the design of an integrated management system for location-based mobile learning. Independent of the taught subject, the objective of the system is an easy-to-understand user interface for both - teachers…

Adding navigation, artificial audition and vital sign monitoring capabilities to a telepresence mobile robot for remote home care applications.

PubMed

Laniel, Sebastien; Letourneau, Dominic; Labbe, Mathieu; Grondin, Francois; Polgar, Janice; Michaud, Francois

2017-07-01

A telepresence mobile robot is a remote-controlled, wheeled device with wireless internet connectivity for bidirectional audio, video and data transmission. In health care, a telepresence robot could be used to have a clinician or a caregiver assist seniors in their homes without having to travel to these locations. Many mobile telepresence robotic platforms have recently been introduced on the market, bringing mobility to telecommunication and vital sign monitoring at reasonable costs. What is missing for making them effective remote telepresence systems for home care assistance are capabilities specifically needed to assist the remote operator in controlling the robot and perceiving the environment through the robot's sensors or, in other words, minimizing cognitive load and maximizing situation awareness. This paper describes our approach adding navigation, artificial audition and vital sign monitoring capabilities to a commercially available telepresence mobile robot. This requires the use of a robot control architecture to integrate the autonomous and teleoperation capabilities of the platform.

Framework for emotional mobile computation for creating entertainment experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lugmayr, Artur R.

2007-02-01

Ambient media are media, which are manifesting in the natural environment of the consumer. The perceivable borders between the media and the context, where the media is used are getting more and more blurred. The consumer is moving through a digital space of services throughout his daily life. As we are developing towards an experience society, the central point in the development of services is the creation of a consumer experience. This paper reviews possibilities and potentials of the creation of entertainment experiences with mobile phone platforms. It reviews sensor network capable of acquiring consumer behavior data, interactivity strategies, psychological models for emotional computation on mobile phones, and lays the foundations of a nomadic experience society. The paper rounds up with a presentation of several different possible service scenarios in the field of entertainment and leisure computation on mobiles. The goal of this paper is to present a framework and evaluation of possibilities of applying sensor technology on mobile platforms to create an increasing consumer entertainment experience.

Investigation of Doppler Effects on high mobility OFDM-MIMO systems with the support of High Altitude Platforms (HAPs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammed, H. A.; Sibley, M. J. N.; Mather, P. J.

2012-05-01

The merging of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a promising mobile air interface solution for next generation wireless local area networks (WLANs) and 4G mobile cellular wireless systems. This paper details the design of a highly robust and efficient OFDM-MIMO system to support permanent accessibility and higher data rates to users moving at high speeds, such as users travelling on trains. It has high relevance for next generation wireless local area networks (WLANs) and 4G mobile cellular wireless systems. The paper begins with a comprehensive literature review focused on both technologies. This is followed by the modelling of the OFDM-MIMO physical layer based on Simulink/Matlab that takes into consideration high vehicular mobility. Then the entire system is simulated and analysed under different encoding and channel estimation algorithms. The use of High Altitude Platform system (HAPs) technology is considered and analysed.

Rapid, Affordable, and Point-of-Care Water Monitoring Via a Microfluidic DNA Sensor and a Mobile Interface for Global Health

PubMed Central

Ghanbari, Sarah; Ravikumar, Anusha; Seubert, John; Figueira, Silvia

2013-01-01

Contaminated water is a serious concern in many developing countries with severe health consequences particularly for children. Current methods for monitoring waterborne pathogens are often time consuming, expensive, and labor intensive, making them not suitable for these regions. Electrochemical detection in a microfluidic platform offers many advantages such as portability, minimal use of instrumentation, and easy integration with electronics. In many parts of the world, however, the required equipment for pathogen detection through electrochemical sensors is either not available or insufficiently portable, and operators may not be trained to use these sensors and interpret results, ultimately preventing its wide adoption. Counterintuitively, these same regions often have an extensive mobile phone infrastructure, suggesting the possibility of integrating electrochemical detection of bacterial pathogens with a mobile platform. Toward a solution to water quality interventions, we demonstrate a microfluidic electrochemical sensor combined with a mobile interface that detects the sequences from bacterial pathogens, suitable for rapid, affordable, and point-of-care water monitoring. We employ the transduction of DNA hybridization into a readily detectable electric signal by means of a conformational change of DNA stem-loop structure. Using this platform, we successfully demonstrate the detection of as low as 100 nM E. coli sequences and the automatic interpretation and mapping of the detection results via a mobile application. PMID:27170858

Planning perception and action for cognitive mobile manipulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaschler, Andre; Nogina, Svetlana; Petrick, Ronald P. A.; Knoll, Alois

2013-12-01

We present a general approach to perception and manipulation planning for cognitive mobile manipulators. Rather than hard-coding single purpose robot applications, a robot should be able to reason about its basic skills in order to solve complex problems autonomously. Humans intuitively solve tasks in real-world scenarios by breaking down abstract problems into smaller sub-tasks and use heuristics based on their previous experience. We apply a similar idea for planning perception and manipulation to cognitive mobile robots. Our approach is based on contingent planning and run-time sensing, integrated in our knowledge of volumes" planning framework, called KVP. Using the general-purpose PKS planner, we model information-gathering actions at plan time that have multiple possible outcomes at run time. As a result, perception and sensing arise as necessary preconditions for manipulation, rather than being hard-coded as tasks themselves. We demonstrate the e ectiveness of our approach on two scenarios covering visual and force sensing on a real mobile manipulator.

Multispectral remote sensing from unmanned aircraft: image processing workflows and applications for rangeland environments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) as remote sensing platforms offers the unique ability for repeated deployment for acquisition of high temporal resolution data at very high spatial resolution. Most image acquisitions from UAS have been in the visible bands, while multispectral remote sensing ap...

Frontiers of Remote Sensing of the Oceans and Troposphere from Air and Space Platforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

Several areas of remote sensing are addressed including: future satellite systems; air-sea interaction/wind; ocean waves and spectra/S.A.R.; atmospheric measurements (particulates and water vapor); synoptic and weather forecasting; topography; bathymetry; sea ice; and impact of remote sensing on synoptic analysis/forecasting.

Evapotranspiration estimates derived using multi-platform remote sensing in a semiarid region

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key component of the water balance, especially in arid and semiarid regions. The current study takes advantage of spatially-distributed, near real-time information provided by satellite remote sensing to develop a regional scale ET product derived from remotely-sensed ob...

Evaluation of a Mobile Platform for Proof-of-Concept Autonomous Site Selection and Preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gammell, Jonathan

A mobile robotic platform for Autonomous Site Selection and Preparation (ASSP) was developed for an analogue deployment to Mauna Kea, Hawai`i. A team of rovers performed an autonomous Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey and constructed a level landing pad. They used interchangeable payloads that allowed the GPR and blade to be easily exchanged. Autonomy was accomplished by integrating the individual hardware devices with software based on the ArgoSoft framework previously developed at UTIAS. The rovers were controlled by an on-board netbook. The successes and failures of the devices and software modules are evaluated within. Recommendations are presented to address problems discovered during the deployment and to guide future research on the platform.

Communication missions for geostationary platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iida, Takashi; Shimada, Masaaki; Yoshimoto, Shigetoshi; Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Hashimoto, Kazuhiko

1986-12-01

It is estimated that several thousand transponders will be needed in the 36 MHz slot by the year 2000 by the U.S. and Japan, while the GEO position above the U.S. will be congested and the slot above Japan is shared by the Soviets. Additional demands may arise from the development of mobile communications services in Japan and the U.S. A large GEO platform could benefit from the economies of scale by making servicing an economical prospect. The platform could carry 50/40 GHz antennas for personal radio communications, multibeam DBS antennas, a mobile telephone system functioning at 900/800 MHz, a relay station for earth-moon communications, and global data relay system. The limitations and necessary operational parameters of each system are examined.

Energy efficiency analysis and optimization for mobile platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metri, Grace Camille

The introduction of mobile devices changed the landscape of computing. Gradually, these devices are replacing traditional personal computer (PCs) to become the devices of choice for entertainment, connectivity, and productivity. There are currently at least 45.5 million people in the United States who own a mobile device, and that number is expected to increase to 1.5 billion by 2015. Users of mobile devices expect and mandate that their mobile devices have maximized performance while consuming minimal possible power. However, due to the battery size constraints, the amount of energy stored in these devices is limited and is only growing by 5% annually. As a result, we focused in this dissertation on energy efficiency analysis and optimization for mobile platforms. We specifically developed SoftPowerMon, a tool that can power profile Android platforms in order to expose the power consumption behavior of the CPU. We also performed an extensive set of case studies in order to determine energy inefficiencies of mobile applications. Through our case studies, we were able to propose optimization techniques in order to increase the energy efficiency of mobile devices and proposed guidelines for energy-efficient application development. In addition, we developed BatteryExtender, an adaptive user-guided tool for power management of mobile devices. The tool enables users to extend battery life on demand for a specific duration until a particular task is completed. Moreover, we examined the power consumption of System-on-Chips (SoCs) and observed the impact on the energy efficiency in the event of offloading tasks from the CPU to the specialized custom engines. Based on our case studies, we were able to demonstrate that current software-based power profiling techniques for SoCs can have an error rate close to 12%, which needs to be addressed in order to be able to optimize the energy consumption of the SoC. Finally, we summarize our contributions and outline possible direction for future research in this field.

Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Platforms: Engineered Surface Chemistry and Structure for Optical Sensing Applications

PubMed Central

Kumeria, Tushar; Santos, Abel; Losic, Dusan

2014-01-01

Electrochemical anodization of pure aluminum enables the growth of highly ordered nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) structures. This has made NAA one of the most popular nanomaterials with applications including molecular separation, catalysis, photonics, optoelectronics, sensing, drug delivery, and template synthesis. Over the past decades, the ability to engineer the structure and surface chemistry of NAA and its optical properties has led to the establishment of distinctive photonic structures that can be explored for developing low-cost, portable, rapid-response and highly sensitive sensing devices in combination with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and reflective interference spectroscopy (RIfS) techniques. This review article highlights the recent advances on fabrication, surface modification and structural engineering of NAA and its application and performance as a platform for SPR- and RIfS-based sensing and biosensing devices. PMID:25004150

Does this interface make my sensor look bad? Basic principles for designing usable, useful interfaces for sensor technology operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNamara, Laura A.; Berg, Leif; Butler, Karin; Klein, Laura

2017-05-01

Even as remote sensing technology has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past decade, the remote sensing community lacks interfaces and interaction models that facilitate effective human operation of our sensor platforms. Interfaces that make great sense to electrical engineers and flight test crews can be anxiety-inducing to operational users who lack professional experience in the design and testing of sophisticated remote sensing platforms. In this paper, we reflect on an 18-month collaboration which our Sandia National Laboratory research team partnered with an industry software team to identify and fix critical issues in a widely-used sensor interface. Drawing on basic principles from cognitive and perceptual psychology and interaction design, we provide simple, easily learned guidance for minimizing common barriers to system learnability, memorability, and user engagement.

Microstructured Optical Fiber-based Biosensors: Reversible and Nanoliter-Scale Measurement of Zinc Ions.

PubMed

Heng, Sabrina; McDevitt, Christopher A; Kostecki, Roman; Morey, Jacqueline R; Eijkelkamp, Bart A; Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Heike; Monro, Tanya M; Abell, Andrew D

2016-05-25

Sensing platforms that allow rapid and efficient detection of metal ions would have applications in disease diagnosis and study, as well as environmental sensing. Here, we report the first microstructured optical fiber-based biosensor for the reversible and nanoliter-scale measurement of metal ions. Specifically, a photoswitchable spiropyran Zn(2+) sensor is incorporated within the microenvironment of a liposome attached to microstructured optical fibers (exposed-core and suspended-core microstructured optical fibers). Both fiber-based platforms retains high selectivity of ion binding associated with a small molecule sensor, while also allowing nanoliter volume sampling and on/off switching. We have demonstrated that multiple measurements can be made on a single sample without the need to change the sensor. The ability of the new sensing platform to sense Zn(2+) in pleural lavage and nasopharynx of mice was compared to that of established ion sensing methodologies such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a commercially available fluorophore (Fluozin-3), where the optical-fiber-based sensor provides a significant advantage in that it allows the use of nanoliter (nL) sampling when compared to ICP-MS (mL) and FluoZin-3 (μL). This work paves the way to a generic approach for developing surface-based ion sensors using a range of sensor molecules, which can be attached to a surface without the need for its chemical modification and presents an opportunity for the development of new and highly specific ion sensors for real time sensing applications.

Correlating Resolving Power, Resolution, and Collision Cross Section: Unifying Cross-Platform Assessment of Separation Efficiency in Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

PubMed

Dodds, James N; May, Jody C; McLean, John A

2017-11-21

Here we examine the relationship among resolving power (R p ), resolution (R pp ), and collision cross section (CCS) for compounds analyzed in previous ion mobility (IM) experiments representing a wide variety of instrument platforms and IM techniques. Our previous work indicated these three variables effectively describe and predict separation efficiency for drift tube ion mobility spectrometry experiments. In this work, we seek to determine if our previous findings are a general reflection of IM behavior that can be applied to various instrument platforms and mobility techniques. Results suggest IM distributions are well characterized by a Gaussian model and separation efficiency can be predicted on the basis of the empirical difference in the gas-phase CCS and a CCS-based resolving power definition (CCS/ΔCCS). Notably traveling wave (TWIMS) was found to operate at resolutions substantially higher than a single-peak resolving power suggested. When a CCS-based R p definition was utilized, TWIMS was found to operate at a resolving power between 40 and 50, confirming the previous observations by Giles and co-workers. After the separation axis (and corresponding resolving power) is converted to cross section space, it is possible to effectively predict separation behavior for all mobility techniques evaluated (i.e., uniform field, trapped ion mobility, traveling wave, cyclic, and overtone instruments) using the equations described in this work. Finally, we are able to establish for the first time that the current state-of-the-art ion mobility separations benchmark at a CCS-based resolving power of >300 that is sufficient to differentiate analyte ions with CCS differences as small as 0.5%.

iShadow: Design of a Wearable, Real-Time Mobile Gaze Tracker.

PubMed

Mayberry, Addison; Hu, Pan; Marlin, Benjamin; Salthouse, Christopher; Ganesan, Deepak

2014-06-01

Continuous, real-time tracking of eye gaze is valuable in a variety of scenarios including hands-free interaction with the physical world, detection of unsafe behaviors, leveraging visual context for advertising, life logging, and others. While eye tracking is commonly used in clinical trials and user studies, it has not bridged the gap to everyday consumer use. The challenge is that a real-time eye tracker is a power-hungry and computation-intensive device which requires continuous sensing of the eye using an imager running at many tens of frames per second, and continuous processing of the image stream using sophisticated gaze estimation algorithms. Our key contribution is the design of an eye tracker that dramatically reduces the sensing and computation needs for eye tracking, thereby achieving orders of magnitude reductions in power consumption and form-factor. The key idea is that eye images are extremely redundant, therefore we can estimate gaze by using a small subset of carefully chosen pixels per frame. We instantiate this idea in a prototype hardware platform equipped with a low-power image sensor that provides random access to pixel values, a low-power ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller, and a bluetooth radio to communicate with a mobile phone. The sparse pixel-based gaze estimation algorithm is a multi-layer neural network learned using a state-of-the-art sparsity-inducing regularization function that minimizes the gaze prediction error while simultaneously minimizing the number of pixels used. Our results show that we can operate at roughly 70mW of power, while continuously estimating eye gaze at the rate of 30 Hz with errors of roughly 3 degrees.

Adaptive Remote-Sensing Techniques Implementing Swarms of Mobile Agents

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

Asher, R.B.; Cameron, S.M.; Loubriel, G.M.

1998-11-25

In many situations, stand-off remote-sensing and hazard-interdiction techniques over realistic operational areas are often impractical "and difficult to characterize. An alternative approach is to implement an adap- tively deployable array of sensitive agent-specific devices. Our group has been studying the collective be- havior of an autonomous, multi-agent system applied to chedbio detection and related emerging threat applications, The current physics-based models we are using coordinate a sensor array for mukivanate sig- nal optimization and coverage as re,alized by a swarm of robots or mobile vehicles. These intelligent control systems integrate'glob"ally operating decision-making systems and locally cooperative learning neural net- worksmore » to enhance re+-timp operational responses to dynarnical environments examples of which include obstacle avoidance, res~onding to prevailing wind patterns, and overcoming other natural obscurants or in- terferences. Collectively',tkensor nefirons with simple properties, interacting according to basic community rules, can accomplish complex interconnecting functions such as generalization, error correction, pattern recognition, sensor fusion, and localization. Neural nets provide a greater degree of robusmess and fault tolerance than conventional systems in that minor variations or imperfections do not impair performance. The robotic platforms would be equipped with sensor devices that perform opticaI detection of biologicais in combination with multivariate chemical analysis tools based on genetic and neural network algorithms, laser-diode LIDAR analysis, ultra-wideband short-pulsed transmitting and receiving antennas, thermal im- a:ing sensors, and optical Communication technology providing robust data throughput pathways. Mission scenarios under consideration include ground penetrating radar (GPR) for detection of underground struc- tures, airborne systems, and plume migration and mitigation. We will describe our research in these areas anti give a status report on our progress.« less

iShadow: Design of a Wearable, Real-Time Mobile Gaze Tracker

PubMed Central

Mayberry, Addison; Hu, Pan; Marlin, Benjamin; Salthouse, Christopher; Ganesan, Deepak

2015-01-01

Continuous, real-time tracking of eye gaze is valuable in a variety of scenarios including hands-free interaction with the physical world, detection of unsafe behaviors, leveraging visual context for advertising, life logging, and others. While eye tracking is commonly used in clinical trials and user studies, it has not bridged the gap to everyday consumer use. The challenge is that a real-time eye tracker is a power-hungry and computation-intensive device which requires continuous sensing of the eye using an imager running at many tens of frames per second, and continuous processing of the image stream using sophisticated gaze estimation algorithms. Our key contribution is the design of an eye tracker that dramatically reduces the sensing and computation needs for eye tracking, thereby achieving orders of magnitude reductions in power consumption and form-factor. The key idea is that eye images are extremely redundant, therefore we can estimate gaze by using a small subset of carefully chosen pixels per frame. We instantiate this idea in a prototype hardware platform equipped with a low-power image sensor that provides random access to pixel values, a low-power ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller, and a bluetooth radio to communicate with a mobile phone. The sparse pixel-based gaze estimation algorithm is a multi-layer neural network learned using a state-of-the-art sparsity-inducing regularization function that minimizes the gaze prediction error while simultaneously minimizing the number of pixels used. Our results show that we can operate at roughly 70mW of power, while continuously estimating eye gaze at the rate of 30 Hz with errors of roughly 3 degrees. PMID:26539565

Current Fear of Crime, Sense of Community, and Loneliness in Italian Adolescents: The Role of Autonomous Mobility and Play during Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prezza, Miretta; Pacilli, Maria Giuseppina

2007-01-01

A structural equation model was used to examine the role of autonomous mobility and play in public and semipublic places in childhood to predict adolescents' sense of community, fear of crime, and, through the mediation of these two last psychosocial factors, feelings of loneliness. Participants included 789 Italian students (469 females and 320…

A Multi-Case Study of Research Using Mobile Imaging, Sensing and Tracking Technologies to Objectively Measure Behavior: Ethical Issues and Insights to Guide Responsible Research Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nebeker, Camille; Linares-Orozco, Rubi; Crist, Katie

2015-01-01

Introduction: The increased availability of mobile sensing technologies is creating a paradigm shift for health research by creating new opportunities for measuring and monitoring behavior. For example, researchers can now collect objective information about a participant's daily activity using wearable devices that have: 1- Global Positioning…

The Asthma Mobile Health Study, a large-scale clinical observational study using ResearchKit.

PubMed

Chan, Yu-Feng Yvonne; Wang, Pei; Rogers, Linda; Tignor, Nicole; Zweig, Micol; Hershman, Steven G; Genes, Nicholas; Scott, Erick R; Krock, Eric; Badgeley, Marcus; Edgar, Ron; Violante, Samantha; Wright, Rosalind; Powell, Charles A; Dudley, Joel T; Schadt, Eric E

2017-04-01

The feasibility of using mobile health applications to conduct observational clinical studies requires rigorous validation. Here, we report initial findings from the Asthma Mobile Health Study, a research study, including recruitment, consent, and enrollment, conducted entirely remotely by smartphone. We achieved secure bidirectional data flow between investigators and 7,593 participants from across the United States, including many with severe asthma. Our platform enabled prospective collection of longitudinal, multidimensional data (e.g., surveys, devices, geolocation, and air quality) in a subset of users over the 6-month study period. Consistent trending and correlation of interrelated variables support the quality of data obtained via this method. We detected increased reporting of asthma symptoms in regions affected by heat, pollen, and wildfires. Potential challenges with this technology include selection bias, low retention rates, reporting bias, and data security. These issues require attention to realize the full potential of mobile platforms in research and patient care.

Assessing the Quality, Feasibility, and Efficacy of Electronic Patient Platforms Designed to Support Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer: A Systematic Review Protocol

PubMed Central

McCann, Lisa

2017-01-01

Background A range of innovative websites, mobile technologies, eHealth and mHealth platforms have emerged to support adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. Previous reviews have identified these various applications and solutions, but no review has summarized the quality, feasibility, and efficacy of existing patient platforms (inclusive of websites, mobile technologies, mHealth and eHealth platforms) developed specifically for young people with cancer. Objective This paper describes the design of a protocol to conduct a review of published studies or reports which describe or report on an existing platform designed specifically for AYAs who have had a cancer diagnosis. Methods A search string was developed using a variety of key words and Medical Subject Heading and applied to bibliographic databases. General data (sample characteristics, patient platform development, design and, if applicable, pilot testing outcomes) will be extracted from reports and studies. Drawing on a previously developed coding schematic, the identified patient platforms will be coded for mode of delivery into (1) automated functions, (2) communicative functions, and (3) use of supplementary modes. An adapted version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) will be used to assess the of quality of each identified patient platform. The methodological quality of included studies will be assessed using the Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields (QualSyst). Both authors will independently screen eligible studies for final inclusion and will both be responsible for data extraction and appraisal. Data will be synthesized narratively to provide an overview of identified patient platforms. Results The review began in October 2016 and is currently in progress. The review paper will be submitted for peer-review and publication in the summer of 2017. Conclusions This review will be unique in its focus on assessing, where possible, the quality and efficacy of patient platforms for adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer. Results generated from this review will provide an invaluable insight into the utility of modern technology in supporting young people with cancer. PMID:28096067

Metal-Organic Framework Thin Film Coated Optical Fiber Sensors: A Novel Waveguide-Based Chemical Sensing Platform.

PubMed

Kim, Ki-Joong; Lu, Ping; Culp, Jeffrey T; Ohodnicki, Paul R

2018-02-23

Integration of optical fiber with sensitive thin films offers great potential for the realization of novel chemical sensing platforms. In this study, we present a simple design strategy and high performance of nanoporous metal-organic framework (MOF) based optical gas sensors, which enables detection of a wide range of concentrations of small molecules based upon extremely small differences in refractive indices as a function of analyte adsorption within the MOF framework. Thin and compact MOF films can be uniformly formed and tightly bound on the surface of etched optical fiber through a simple solution method which is critical for manufacturability of MOF-based sensor devices. The resulting sensors show high sensitivity/selectivity to CO 2 gas relative to other small gases (H 2 , N 2 , O 2 , and CO) with rapid (

Low-cost multispectral imaging for remote sensing of lettuce health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, David D. W.; Tripathi, Siddhant; Li, Larry K. B.

2017-01-01

In agricultural remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms offer many advantages over conventional satellite and full-scale airborne platforms. One of the most important advantages is their ability to capture high spatial resolution images (1-10 cm) on-demand and at different viewing angles. However, UAV platforms typically rely on the use of multiple cameras, which can be costly and difficult to operate. We present the development of a simple low-cost imaging system for remote sensing of crop health and demonstrate it on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) grown in Hong Kong. To identify the optimal vegetation index, we recorded images of both healthy and unhealthy lettuce, and used them as input in an expectation maximization cluster analysis with a Gaussian mixture model. Results from unsupervised and supervised clustering show that, among four widely used vegetation indices, the blue wide-dynamic range vegetation index is the most accurate. This study shows that it is readily possible to design and build a remote sensing system capable of determining the health status of lettuce at a reasonably low cost (

Mobile terawatt laser propagation facility (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Lawrence; Roumayah, Patrick; Bodnar, Nathan; Bradford, Joshua D.; Maukonen, Douglas; Richardson, Martin C.

2017-03-01

This presentation will describe the design and construction status of a new mobile high-energy femtosecond laser systems producing 500 mJ, 100 fs pulses at 10 Hz. This facility is built into a shipping container and includes a cleanroom housing the laser system, a separate section for the beam director optics with a retractable roof, and the environmental control equipment necessary to maintain stable operation. The laser system includes several innovations to improve the utility of the system for "in field" experiments. For example, this system utilizes a fiber laser oscillator and a monolithic chirped Bragg grating stretcher to improve system robustness/size and employs software to enable remote monitoring and system control. Uniquely, this facility incorporates a precision motion-controlled gimbal altitude-azimuth mount with a coudé path to enable aiming of the beam over a wide field of view. In addition to providing the ability to precisely aim at multiple targets, it is also possible to coordinate the beam with separate tracking/diagnostic sensing equipment as well as other laser systems. This mobile platform will be deployed at the Townes Institute Science and Technology Experimental Facility (TISTEF) located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to utilize the 1-km secured laser propagation range and the wide array of meteorological instrumentation for atmospheric and turbulence characterization. This will provide significant new data on the propagation of high peak power ultrashort laser pulses and detailed information on the atmospheric conditions in a coastal semi-tropical environment.

Microsystems, Space Qualified Electronics and Mobile Sensor Platforms for Harsh Environment Applications and Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W.; Okojie, Robert S.; Krasowski, Michael J.; Beheim, Glenn M.; Fralick, Gustave C.; Wrbanek, John D.; Greenberg, Paul S.; Xu, Jennifer

2007-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center is presently developing and applying a range of sensor and electronic technologies that can enable future planetary missions. These include space qualified instruments and electronics, high temperature sensors for Venus missions, mobile sensor platforms, and Microsystems for detection of a range of chemical species and particulates. A discussion of each technology area and its level of maturity is given. It is concluded that there is a strong need for low power devices which can be mobile and provide substantial characterization of the planetary environment where and when needed. While a given mission will require tailoring of the technology for the application, basic tools which can enable new planetary missions are being developed.

Rapid prototyping of an adaptive light-source for mobile manipulators with EasyKit and EasyLab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojtczyk, Martin; Barner, Simon; Geisinger, Michael; Knoll, Alois

2008-08-01

While still not common in day-to-day business, mobile robot platforms form a growing market in robotics. Mobile platforms equipped with a manipulator for increased flexibility have been used successfully in biotech laboratories for sample management as shown on the well-known ESACT meetings. Navigation and object recognition is carried out by the utilization of a mounted machine vision camera. To cope with the different illumination conditions in a large laboratory, development of an adaptive light source was indispensable. We present our approach of rapid developing a computer controlled, adaptive LED light within one single business day, by utilizing the hardware toolbox EasyKit and our appropriate software counterpart EasyLab.

New Abstractions for Mobile Connectivity and Resource Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-01

networked systems, con- sisting of replicated backend services and mobile , multi-homed clients. We derive a state machine for ECCP supporting migration...makes ECCP useful not only for mobility of client devices, but also for backend services which are increasingly run in VMs or containers on platforms...layers of the network stack, instead of the traditional IP/port, improve mobility for clients and backend services and reduce unnecessary coupling of

A Luminescent Cocaine Detection Platform Using a Split G-Quadruplex-Selective Iridium(III) Complex and a Three-Way DNA Junction Architecture.

PubMed

Ma, Dik-Lung; Wang, Modi; He, Bingyong; Yang, Chao; Wang, Wanhe; Leung, Chung-Hang

2015-09-02

In this study, a series of 10 in-house cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes bearing different auxiliary ligands were tested for their selectivity toward split G-quadruplex in order to construct a label-free switch-on cocaine detection platform employing a three-way junction architecture and a G-quadruplex motif as a signal output unit. Through two rounds of screening, we discovered that the iridium(III) complex 7 exhibited excellent selectivity toward the intermolecular G-quadruplex motif. A detection limit as low as 30 nM for cocaine can be achieved by this sensing approach with a linear relationship between luminescence intensity and cocaine concentration established from 30 to 300 nM. Furthermore, this sensing approach could detect cocaine in diluted oral fluid. We hope that our simple, signal-on, label-free oligonucleotide-based sensing method for cocaine using a three-way DNA junction architecture could act as a useful platform in bioanalytical research.

Integrated nanopore sensing platform with sub-microsecond temporal resolution

PubMed Central

Rosenstein, Jacob K; Wanunu, Meni; Merchant, Christopher A; Drndic, Marija; Shepard, Kenneth L

2012-01-01

Nanopore sensors have attracted considerable interest for high-throughput sensing of individual nucleic acids and proteins without the need for chemical labels or complex optics. A prevailing problem in nanopore applications is that the transport kinetics of single biomolecules are often faster than the measurement time resolution. Methods to slow down biomolecular transport can be troublesome and are at odds with the natural goal of high-throughput sensing. Here we introduce a low-noise measurement platform that integrates a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) preamplifier with solid-state nanopores in thin silicon nitride membranes. With this platform we achieved a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding five at a bandwidth of 1 MHz, which to our knowledge is the highest bandwidth nanopore recording to date. We demonstrate transient signals as brief as 1 μs from short DNA molecules as well as current signatures during molecular passage events that shed light on submolecular DNA configurations in small nanopores. PMID:22426489

KSC-02pd0398

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39B, an inspection team gathers at the foot of Mobile Launcher Platform where Space Shuttle Atlantis sits. Earlier today a leak in a ground support liquid hydrogen vent line on the south side of the Mobile Launcher Platform caused a scrub of the launch of Atlantis on mission STS-110. An engineering team is assessing the situation to determine the best method to repair the hydrogen line. The turnaround plan includes time to perfor weld repairs and return the vehicle to a timeline to resume the countdown

KSC-02pd0396

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-04

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At Launch Pad 39B, workers on a crane inspect pipes on the Mobile Launcher Platform where Space Shuttle Atlantis sits. Earlier today a leak in a ground support liquid hydrogen vent line on the south side of the Mobile Launcher Platform caused a scrub of the launch of Atlantis on mission STS-110. An engineering team is assessing the situation to determine the best method to repair the hydrogen line. The turnaround plan includes time to perfor weld repairs and return the vehicle to a timeline to resume the countdown

Follow Me, Like Me, Tweet Me! Implementing Social Media Into Occupational Health.

PubMed

Olszewski, Kimberly; Wolf, Debra M

2015-06-01

Occupational health nurses can advance their professional practices through virtual platforms (e.g., social media and mobile applications). Virtual platforms allow occupational health nurses to disseminate occupational safety and health information efficiently to employees, families, and other stakeholders. Occupational health nurses exchange information with employees, enhancing communication and disseminating appropriate and accurate safety and health information to workers and their families. This article assists occupational health nurses in understanding how to use social media and other mobile applications to enhance their practices. © 2015 The Author(s).

Two views of the 'Challenger' being rolled out to pad 39A in the fog STS-6

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Two views of the 'Challenger' being rolled out to pad 39A in the fog in preparation for STS-6. In one view the Challenger, atop a mobile launch platform, slowly moves down the road through Florida fog to launch pad 39A (41140); In this view, the Challenger and its mobile launch platform are in the left corner of the photo, moving up the road in dense fog. Towards the top of the view, launch pad 39A can be seen (41141).

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A camera is installed on the aft skirt of a solid rocket booster in preparation for a vibration test of the Mobile Launcher Platform with SRBs and external tank mounted. The MLP will roll from one bay to another in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-11-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A camera is installed on the aft skirt of a solid rocket booster in preparation for a vibration test of the Mobile Launcher Platform with SRBs and external tank mounted. The MLP will roll from one bay to another in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

Development of a surface plasmon resonance and nanomechanical biosensing hybrid platform for multiparametric reading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, Mar; Fariña, David; Escuela, Alfonso M.; Sendra, Jose Ramón; Lechuga, Laura M.

2013-01-01

We have developed a hybrid platform that combines two well-known biosensing technologies based on quite different transducer principles: surface plasmon resonance and nanomechanical sensing. The new system allows the simultaneous and real-time detection of two independent parameters, refractive index change (Δn), and surface stress change (Δσ) when a biomolecular interaction takes place. Both parameters have a direct relation with the mass coverage of the sensor surface. The core of the platform is a common fluid cell, where the solution arrives to both sensor areas at the same time and under the same conditions (temperature, velocity, diffusion, etc.).The main objective of this integration is to achieve a better understanding of the physical behaviour of the transducers during sensing, increasing the information obtained in real time in one single experiment. The potential of the hybrid platform is demonstrated by the detection of DNA hybridization.

Development of a surface plasmon resonance and nanomechanical biosensing hybrid platform for multiparametric reading.

PubMed

Alvarez, Mar; Fariña, David; Escuela, Alfonso M; Sendra, Jose Ramón; Lechuga, Laura M

2013-01-01

We have developed a hybrid platform that combines two well-known biosensing technologies based on quite different transducer principles: surface plasmon resonance and nanomechanical sensing. The new system allows the simultaneous and real-time detection of two independent parameters, refractive index change (Δn), and surface stress change (Δσ) when a biomolecular interaction takes place. Both parameters have a direct relation with the mass coverage of the sensor surface. The core of the platform is a common fluid cell, where the solution arrives to both sensor areas at the same time and under the same conditions (temperature, velocity, diffusion, etc.).The main objective of this integration is to achieve a better understanding of the physical behaviour of the transducers during sensing, increasing the information obtained in real time in one single experiment. The potential of the hybrid platform is demonstrated by the detection of DNA hybridization.

Recent developments in OLED-based chemical and biological sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinar, Joseph; Zhou, Zhaoqun; Cai, Yuankun; Shinar, Ruth

2007-09-01

Recent developments in the structurally integrated OLED-based platform of luminescent chemical and biological sensors are reviewed. In this platform, an array of OLED pixels, which is structurally integrated with the sensing elements, is used as the photoluminescence (PL) excitation source. The structural integration is achieved by fabricating the OLED array and the sensing element on opposite sides of a common glass substrate or on two glass substrates that are attached back-to-back. As it does not require optical fibers, lens, or mirrors, it results in a uniquely simple, low-cost, and potentially rugged geometry. The recent developments on this platform include the following: (1) Enhancing the performance of gas-phase and dissolved oxygen sensors. This is achieved by (a) incorporating high-dielectric TiO II nanoparticles in the oxygen-sensitive Pt and Pd octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP and PdOEP, respectively)- doped polystyrene (PS) sensor films, and (b) embedding the oxygen-sensitive dyes in a matrix of polymer blends such as PS:polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). (2) Developing sensor arrays for simultaneous detection of multiple serum analytes, including oxygen, glucose, lactate, and alcohol. The sensing element for each analyte consists of a PtOEP-doped PS oxygen sensor, and a solution containing the oxidase enzyme specific to the analyte. Each sensing element is coupled to two individually addressable OLED pixels and a Si photodiode photodetector (PD). (3) Enhancing the integration of the platform, whereby a PD array is also structurally integrated with the OLED array and sensing elements. This enhanced integration is achieved by fabricating an array of amorphous or nanocrystalline Si-based PDs, followed by fabrication of the OLED pixels in the gaps between these Si PDs.

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of the Impact of Adoption of a Mobile Application for the Assessment of Professionalism in Medical Trainees.

PubMed

Cendán, Juan C; Castiglioni, Analia; Johnson, Teresa R; Eakins, Mike; Verduin, Marcia L; Asmar, Abdo; Metcalf, David; Hernandez, Caridad

2017-11-01

Capturing either lapses or excellence in behaviors related to medical professionalism is difficult. The authors report a mixed-methods analysis of a novel mobile platform for assessing medical professionalism in a training environment. A mobile Web-based platform to facilitate professionalism assessment in a situated clinical setting (Professional Mobile Monitoring of Behaviors [PROMOBES]) was developed. A professionalism framework consisting of six domains (reliability, adaptability, peer relationships, upholding principles, team relationships, and scholarship) encompassing 25 subelements underpins the reporting structure. This pilot study involved 26 faculty supervising 93 medical trainees at two sites from January 12 to August 8, 2016. Notable professionalism behaviors were linked to the framework domains and elements; narrative details about incidences were captured on mobile devices. Surveys gauged the technological functionality and impact of PROMOBES on faculty assessment of professionalism. Qualitative focus groups were employed to elucidate user experience. Although users anticipated PROMOBES's utility would be for reporting lapses in professionalism, 94.7% of reports were for commendation. Comfort assessing professionalism (P = .04) and recognition of the reporting procedures for professionalism-related concerns (P = .01) improved. PROMOBES attained high acceptance ratings. Focus group analysis revealed that the explicit connection to the professionalism framework was powerful; similarly, the near real-time reporting capability, multiple observer inputs, and positive feedback facilitation were strengths. Making the professionalism framework visible and accessible via a mobile platform significantly strengthens faculty knowledge and behaviors regarding assessment. The strong desire to capture positive behaviors was an unexpected finding.

Accurate 3D Positioning for a Mobile Platform in Non-Line-of-Sight Scenarios Based on IMU/Magnetometer Sensor Fusion.

PubMed

Hellmers, Hendrik; Kasmi, Zakaria; Norrdine, Abdelmoumen; Eichhorn, Andreas

2018-01-04

In recent years, a variety of real-time applications benefit from services provided by localization systems due to the advent of sensing and communication technologies. Since the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) enables localization only outside buildings, applications for indoor positioning and navigation use alternative technologies. Ultra Wide Band Signals (UWB), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), ultrasonic or infrared are common examples. However, these technologies suffer from fading and multipath effects caused by objects and materials in the building. In contrast, magnetic fields are able to pass through obstacles without significant propagation errors, i.e. in Non-Line of Sight Scenarios (NLoS). The aim of this work is to propose a novel indoor positioning system based on artificially generated magnetic fields in combination with Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). In order to reach a better coverage, multiple coils are used as reference points. A basic algorithm for three-dimensional applications is demonstrated as well as evaluated in this article. The established system is then realized by a sensor fusion principle as well as a kinematic motion model on the basis of a Kalman filter. Furthermore, a pressure sensor is used in combination with an adaptive filtering method to reliably estimate the platform's altitude.