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This paper analyzes the design of a force‐based impedance control for a haptic interface system characterized by a parallel kinematics. By exploiting the features of parallel mechanisms, which perform better than the serial ones in terms of dynamic performance, stiffness and position accuracy, and by implementing a closed‐loop force control, the transparency of a haptic master system and the fidelity of resultant force feedback can be consistently improved. Issues for design and control as well as aspects of performance evaluation of haptic interfaces are treated within the paper and some results of the experimental characterization of a haptic interface are presented.

This chapter explores the role of nodes in knowledge networks. The authors characterize knowledge nodes by the type of actors they represent, including individual human agents, collective human groups and teams, explicit non-human objects and resources, and non-human agents and machines. The authors define knowledge nodes by their role in the network, including producer, consumer, or broker of knowledge, and in terms of the stock of knowledge they represent and their capacity to absorb knowledge made available in the network.

This paper describes a series of kinematic and haptic analyses which lead to the design of a particularly simple, yet useful multi‐hand, multi‐finger haptic interface. The proposed device is desktop‐based and has been built with maximizing transparency in mind. By interacting with virtual environments, using two fingers per hand, users are able to grasp and manipulate virtual objects, something that current state‐of‐the‐art commercial desktop haptic devices do not allow. These additional capabilities lend themselves to more complex virtual reality and teleoperation applications such as surgical training, hand rehabilitation and nanomanipulation.

Industry 4.0 has been identified as a key cornerstone to modernise economies where man and machines complement each other seamlessly to achieve synergies in decision-making and productivity for contributing to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. The integration of Industry 4.0 remains a challenge for the developing world, depending on their current status in the industrial revolution journey from its predecessors 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. This chapter reviews reported findings in literature to highlight how robotics and automated systems can pave the way to implementing and applying the principles of Industry 4.0 for developing countries like Mauritius, where data collection, processing and analysis for decision-making and prediction are key components to be integrated or designed into industrial processes centred heavily on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques. Robotics has not yet found its way into the various industrial sectors in Mauritius, although it has been an important driver for Industry 4.0 across the world. The inherent barriers and transformations needed as well as the potential application scenarios are discussed.

Haptic interfaces enable person‐machine communication through touch, and most commonly, in response to user movements. We comment on a distinct property of haptic interfaces, that of providing for simultaneous information exchange between a user and a machine. We also comment on the fact that, like other kinds of displays, they can take advantage of both the strengths and the limitations of human perception. The paper then proceeds with a description of the components and the modus operandi of haptic interfaces, followed by a list of current and prospective applications and a discussion of a cross‐section of current device designs.

This paper aims to present an intuitive control system for robotic manipulators that pairs a Leap Motion, a low-cost optical tracking and gesture recognition device, with the ability to record and replay trajectories and operation to create an intuitive method of controlling and programming a robotic manipulator. This system was designed to be extensible and includes modules and methods for obstacle detection and dynamic trajectory modification for obstacle avoidance.

The presented control architecture, while portable to any robotic platform, was designed to actuate a six degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator of our own design. From the data collected by the Leap Motion, the manipulator was controlled by mapping the position and orientation of the human hand to values in the joint space of the robot. Additional recording and playback functionality was implemented to allow for the robot to repeat the desired tasks once the task had been demonstrated and recorded.

Experiments were conducted on our custom-built robotic manipulator by first using a simulation model to characterize and quantify the robot’s tracking of the Leap Motion generated trajectory. Tests were conducted in the Gazebo simulation software in conjunction with Robot Operating System, where results were collected by recording both the real-time input from the Leap Motion sensor, and the corresponding pose data. The results of these experiments show that the goal of accurate and real-time control of the robot was achieved and validated our methods of transcribing, recording and repeating six degree-of-freedom trajectories from the Leap Motion camera.

As robots evolve in complexity, the methods of programming them need to evolve to become more intuitive. Humans instinctively teach by demonstrating the task to a given subject, who then observes the various poses and tries to replicate the motions. This work aims to integrate the natural human teaching methods into robotics programming through an intuitive, demonstration-based programming method.

This study aims to analyze driver risks in the driving environment. A complete analysis of context aware assistive driving techniques. Context awareness in assistive driving by probabilistic modeling techniques. Advanced techniques using Spatio-temporal techniques, computer vision and deep learning techniques.

Autonomous vehicles have been aimed to increase driver safety by introducing vehicle control from the driver to Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The core objective of these systems is to cut down on road accidents by helping the user in various ways. Early anticipation of a particular action would give a prior benefit to the driver to successfully handle the dangers on the road. In this paper, the advancements that have taken place in the use of multi-modal machine learning for assistive driving systems are surveyed. The aim is to help elucidate the recent progress and techniques in the field while also identifying the scope for further research and improvement. The authors take an overview of context-aware driver assistance systems that alert drivers in case of maneuvers by taking advantage of multi-modal human processing to better safety and drivability.

There has been a huge improvement and investment in ADAS being a key concept for road safety. In such applications, data is processed and information is extracted from multiple data sources, thus requiring training of machine learning algorithms in a multi-modal style. The domain is fast gaining traction owing to its applications across multiple disciplines with crucial gains.

The research is focused on deep learning and computer vision-based techniques to generate a context for assistive driving and it would definitely adopt by the ADAS manufacturers.

As context-aware assistive driving would work in real-time and it would save the lives of many drivers, pedestrians.

This paper provides an understanding of context-aware deep learning frameworks for assistive driving. The research is mainly focused on deep learning and computer vision-based techniques to generate a context for assistive driving. It incorporates the latest state-of-the-art techniques using suitable driving context and the driver is alerted. Many automobile manufacturing companies and researchers would refer to this study for their enhancements.

The purpose of the study is to address concerns regarding the subjectivity and imprecision of decision-making in table tennis refereeing by developing and enhancing a sensor node system. This system is designed to accurately detect the points on the table tennis table where balls collide. The study introduces the twined-reinforcement chimp optimization (TRCO) framework, which combines two novel approaches to optimize the distribution of sensor nodes. The main goal is to reduce the number of sensor units required while maintaining high accuracy in determining the locations of ball collisions, with error margins significantly below the critical 3.5 mm cutoff. Through complex optimization procedures, the study aims to improve the efficiency and reliability of decision-making in table tennis refereeing by leveraging sensor technology.

The study employs a design methodology focused on developing a sensor array system to enhance decision-making in table tennis refereeing. It introduces the twined-reinforcement chimp optimization (TRCO) framework, combining dual adaptive weighting strategies and a stochastic approach for optimization. By meticulously engineering the sensor array and utilizing complex optimization procedures, the study aims to improve the accuracy of detecting ball collisions on the table tennis table. The methodology aims to reduce the number of sensor units required while maintaining high precision, ultimately enhancing the reliability of decision-making in the sport.

The optimization research study yielded promising outcomes, showcasing a substantial reduction in the number of sensor units required from the initial count of 60 to a more practical 49. The sensor array system demonstrated excellent accuracy in identifying the locations of ball collisions, with error margins significantly below the critical 3.5 mm cutoff. Through the implementation of the twined-reinforcement chimp optimization (TRCO) framework, which integrates dual adaptive weighting strategies and a stochastic approach, the study achieved its goal of enhancing the efficiency and reliability of decision-making in table tennis refereeing.

This study introduces novel contributions to the field of table tennis refereeing by pioneering the development and optimization of a sensor array system. The innovative twined-reinforcement chimp optimization (TRCO) framework, integrating dual adaptive weighting strategies and a stochastic approach, sets a new standard for sensor node distribution in sports technology. By substantially reducing the number of sensor units required while maintaining high accuracy in detecting ball collisions, this research offers practical solutions to address the inherent subjectivity and imprecision in decision-making processes. The study’s originality lies in its meticulous design methodology and complex optimization procedures, offering significant value to the field of sports technology and officiating.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new design for a finger and wrist rehabilitation robot. Furthermore, a fuzzy sliding mode controller has been designed to control the system.

Following an introduction regarding the hand rehabilitation, this paper discusses the conceptual and detailed design of a novel wrist and finger rehabilitation robot. The robot provides the possibility of rehabilitating each phalanx individually which is very important in the finger rehabilitation process. Moreover, due to the model uncertainties, disturbances and chattering in the system, a fuzzy sliding mode controller design method is proposed for the robot.

With the novel design for moving the DOFs of the system, the rehabilitation for the wrist and all phalanges of fingers is done with only two actuators which are combined in one device. These features make the system a good choice for home rehabilitation. To control the robot, a fuzzy sliding mode controller has been designed for the system. The fuzzy controller does not affect the coefficient of the sliding mode controller and uses the overall error of the system to make a control signal. Thus, the dependence of the controller to the model decreases and the system is more robust. The stability of the system is proved by the Lyapunov theorem.

The paper provides a novel design of a hand rehabilitation robot and a controller which is used to compensate the effects of the uncertain parameters and chattering phenomenon.

The purpose of this paper is to expand current knowledge about the recent trend of wearable technology to assess both its potential in the work environment and the challenges concerning the utilisation of wearables in the workplace.

After establishing exclusion and inclusion criteria, an independent systematic search of the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect and Web of Science databases for relevant studies was performed. Out of a total of 359 articles, 34 met the selection criteria.

This review identifies 23 categories of wearable devices. Further categorisation of the devices based on their utilisation shows they can be used in the work environment for activities including monitoring, augmenting, assisting, delivering and tracking. The review reveals that wearable technology has the potential to increase work efficiency among employees, improve workers’ physical well-being and reduce work-related injuries. However, the review also reveals that technological, social, policy and economic challenges related to the use of wearable devices remain.

Many studies have investigated the benefits of wearable devices for personal use, but information about the use of wearables in the work environment is limited. Further research is required in the fields of technology, social challenges, organisation strategies, policies and economics to enhance the adoption rate of wearable devices in work environments.

Previous studies indicate that occupational stress and injuries are detrimental to employees’ health; this paper analyses the use of wearable devices as an intervention method to monitor or prevent these problems. Introducing a categorisation framework during implementation may help identify which types of device categories are suitable and could be beneficial for specific utilisation purposes, facilitating the adoption of wearable devices in the workplace.