A. Jardon, A. Gimenez, R. Correal, R. Cabas, S. Martinez and C. Balaguer
Human care and service demands will need innovative robotic solutions to make the day‐to‐day life of elderly and disabled people in home and workplace environments easier. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Human care and service demands will need innovative robotic solutions to make the day‐to‐day life of elderly and disabled people in home and workplace environments easier. The main objective of this work is to develop a new concept of climbing robot for this type of service applications.
Design/methodology/approach
ASIBOT is a 5 DOF self‐containing manipulator that includes the entire control system on‐board. The main advantage of this robot is its light weight, about 11 kg with 1.3 m reach. The robot is totally autonomous and only needs a power supply to be operated.
Findings
The robot is an arm able to move between different points (Docking stations (DS)) of the rooms and, if necessary, “jump” to (or from) the environment to the wheelchair. In this way the ASIBOT robot could become a home companion and assistance for numerous people.
Originality/value
ASIBOT is a 5 DOF self‐containing light weight manipulator that includes the entire control system on‐board.
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Lars Lindner, Oleg Sergiyenko, Julio C. Rodríguez-Quiñonez, Moises Rivas-Lopez, Daniel Hernandez-Balbuena, Wendy Flores-Fuentes, Fabian Natanael Murrieta-Rico and Vera Tyrsa
The purpose of this paper is the presentation and research of a novel robot vision system, which uses laser dynamic triangulation, to determine three-dimensional (3D) coordinates…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is the presentation and research of a novel robot vision system, which uses laser dynamic triangulation, to determine three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of an observed object. The previously used physical operation principle of discontinuous scanning method is substituted by continuous method. Thereby applications become possible that were previously limited by this discretization.
Design/methodology/approach
The previously used prototype No. 2, which uses stepping motors to realize a discontinuous laser scan, was substituted by the new developed prototype No. 3, which contains servomotors, to achieve a continuous laser scan. The new prototype possesses only half the width and turns out to be significantly smaller and therefore lighter than the old one. Furthermore, no transmissions are used, which reduce the systematic error of laser positioning and increase the system reliability.
Findings
By using a continuous laser scan method instead of discontinuous laser scan method, dead zones in the laser scanner field can be eliminated. Thereby, also by changing the physical operation principle, the implementation of applications is allowed, which previously was limited by the fixed step size or by the object distance under observation. By using servomotors instead of stepping motors, also a significant reduced positioning time can be accomplished maintaining the relative positioning error less than 1 per cent.
Originality/value
The originality is based on the substitution of the physical operation principle of discontinuous by continuous laser scan. The previously used stepping motors discretized the laser scanner field and thereby produced dead zones, where 3D coordinates cannot be detected. These stepping motors were substituted by servomotors to revoke these disadvantages and provide a continuous laser scan, where dead zones in the field of view get eliminated and the step response of the laser scanner accelerated.
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– This paper aims to find methods to enhance position estimates for mobile terminals by cooperating with each other.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to find methods to enhance position estimates for mobile terminals by cooperating with each other.
Design/methodology/approach
The main methods used are, on the one hand, mathematical modelling of the system, drone mobility, communication and positioning errors, and on the other hand, detailed discrete event simulation, which the author uses to evaluate the positioning errors. In the simulation runs, important parameters like signal speed, terminal velocity, area size and error correlation were varied. The author details the influence of these parameters on the theoretically possible error enhancement with respect to the traditional non-cooperative method.
Findings
Simulation results show that using cooperation is useful and can indeed significantly enhance the accuracy of position estimates, even in difficult situations. However, there are limits and the accuracy cannot always be enhanced.
Research limitations/implications
Future research might use more sophisticated processing methods to further enhance position estimates. Limitations are given by the use of discrete time models in an inherently continuous system. Discretization errors are, however, kept low by using small time steps.
Practical implications
It has been shown that the positioning of drone swarms can be significantly enhanced once drones cooperate with each other. This might improve maneuverability of drones in all situations where drone swarms are used.
Originality/value
It has been proven by using simulation that cooperative positioning can yield positioning enhancements, even in difficult situations, when using wireless communication. In this light, future research can come up with practical implementations of such a cooperative approach.
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The immigration conundrum to craft policy that ensures border security and safeguards human rights is grave and complex. Individuals fleeing religious persecution made finding…
Abstract
The immigration conundrum to craft policy that ensures border security and safeguards human rights is grave and complex. Individuals fleeing religious persecution made finding refuge part of our heritage since colonial times. This American tradition has enshrined our values to the world. This essay is limited to summarizing the asylum process and recent events through the summer of 2018 which affect it. Policy changes are ongoing. The asylum process is complicated by illegal immigration. The surge in migrants arriving at and/or crossing the border has led to controversial policies over the years. Unlike those who illegally cross the border and remain unknown to law enforcement, everyone who makes an affirmative asylum claim to a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer, or a defensive asylum claim in immigration court, has been thoroughly vetted through identity, criminality, and terrorism background checks. Granting refuge to those fleeing persecution reaffirms the values of a country that is, as Lincoln richly stated, the last best hope of Earth. Comprehensive immigration reform is needed on many immigration issues, two of which are to ensure border security and safeguard the asylum-seeking process.
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It is widely recognized by scholars that superhero stories tend to glorify vigilante justice; after all, these stories often maintain that extralegal acts of violence are…
Abstract
It is widely recognized by scholars that superhero stories tend to glorify vigilante justice; after all, these stories often maintain that extralegal acts of violence are necessary for combatting existential threats to personal and public safety. This scholarly common sense fosters a widespread dismissal of superhero stories as uncomplicated apologia for an authoritarian politics of law and order that is animated by hatred of unpopular people and ideas. However, some prominent contemporary Batman stories, including those told in the graphic novels of Grant Morrison and in the blockbuster movies of Christopher Nolan, are ambivalent: in their portraits of Batman and Joker as dark twins and secret colleagues, these stories both legitimize and challenge the countersubversive politics of American law and order.
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Claudia Cappelli, Flávia Maria Santoro, Julio Cesar Sampaio do Prado Leite, Thais Batista, Ana Luisa Medeiros and Clarissa S.C. Romeiro
The aspect‐oriented (AO) paradigm is first proposed to deal with programing modularity issues, but different researchers have been exploring AO concepts in the designing and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aspect‐oriented (AO) paradigm is first proposed to deal with programing modularity issues, but different researchers have been exploring AO concepts in the designing and definition of software systems. The goal of this paper is to discuss and present a proposal that addresses the application of AO concepts to the design of business processes (BPs) in order to improve usability and understandability of process models.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper departs from previous work on analyzing the application of AO for software design. The observations were backed by a case study, which was used to illustrate the issues by means of examples.
Findings
The paper presents findings on important issues related to the integration of AO paradigm and BP modeling, such as crosscutting representation, crosscutting composition, quantification, and join point exposure.
Originality/value
The paper explores a new frontier: the application of AO concepts to the design of BPs. As of now, few works have explored this new view on process modularity. The paper claims that application of AO concepts to the design of BPs is important in the consideration of usability and understandability. Its contributions are also backed by a prototype process editor, CrossOryx, a web‐based editor for modeling process using AO concepts.
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IT is now just forty‐eight years since, on the first page of The Library World, James Duff Brown wrote: “for quite a number of years Librarians and Library Authorities have been…
Abstract
IT is now just forty‐eight years since, on the first page of The Library World, James Duff Brown wrote: “for quite a number of years Librarians and Library Authorities have been urging the establishment of a magazine which will reflect accurately and systematically the various phases of modern library work and progress. A demand has also arisen for a magazine of a more independent nature than anything hitherto issued, or, at least, one which is not hampered in any way by official connexion with a Society or other public body.” As then, we open the first page of the Forty‐Ninth Volume we are glad to assert that through the two generations of our existence the policy, enunciated in our first Editorial has been sustained. It cannot be greatly improved upon for our future, although library policy may and will change rapidly if all present prognostications have any substance in them. We intend, so far as we can, to promote progress, to endeavour to allow expression to younger writers, to support all the good efforts of the Library Association and any other body which energizes libraries, but never to be subservient to them or fear to ask questions.
Marlise Matos and Avelin Buniacá Kambiwá
This chapter critically examines dialogues between indigenous feminists and academic feminists about the role and significance of indigenous epistemologies in constructing social…
Abstract
This chapter critically examines dialogues between indigenous feminists and academic feminists about the role and significance of indigenous epistemologies in constructing social scientific knowledge, particularly feminist epistemologies. We argue that the term indigenous feminisms must be understood as broadly linking gender equality, decolonization, and sovereignty for indigenous peoples. In Latin America, this term typifies an activist and practical movement with cultural, economic, and politically specific dimensions. We posit that analytical and theoretical frameworks developed from indigenous women’s ways of knowledge production should be recognized and legitimated in feminist discourse because much is learned from their worldview about women’s emancipation, the importance of intersectionality in terms of race, ethnicity, and gender in indigenous contexts, in addition to political and cultural critiques. We show that indigenous feminist theoretical formulations are not homogenous but overlap in some areas of theoretical and practical formulations that involve new conceptualizations of the body, space, time, action/movement, and memory.
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Saurabh Dubey, Deepak Gupta and Mainak Mallik
The purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate a machine learning (ML) algorithm to accurately predict bamboo compressive strength (BCS). Using a dataset of 150 bamboo…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate a machine learning (ML) algorithm to accurately predict bamboo compressive strength (BCS). Using a dataset of 150 bamboo samples with features such as cross-sectional area, dry weight, density, outer diameter, culm thickness and load, various ML algorithms including artificial neural network (ANN), extreme learning machine (ELM) and support vector regression (SVR) were tested. The ELM algorithm outperformed others, showing superior accuracy based on metrics like R2, MSE, RMSE, MAE and MAPE. The study highlights the efficacy of ELM in enhancing the precision and reliability of BCS predictions, establishing it as a valuable tool for assessing bamboo strength.
Design/methodology/approach
This study experimentally created a dataset of 150 bamboo samples to predict BCS using ML algorithms. Key predictive features included cross-sectional area, dry weight, density, outer diameter, culm thickness and load. The performance of various ML algorithms, including ANN, ELM and SVR, was evaluated. ELM demonstrated superior performance based on metrics such as coefficient of determination (R2), mean square error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), establishing its robustness in predicting BCS accurately.
Findings
The study found that the ELM algorithm outperformed other ML algorithms, including ANN and SVR, in predicting BCS. ELM achieved the highest accuracy based on key metrics such as R2, MSE, RMSE, MAE and MAPE. These results indicate that ELM is a highly effective and reliable tool for predicting the compressive strength of bamboo, thereby enhancing the precision and dependability of BCS evaluations.
Originality/value
This study is original in its application of the ELM algorithm to predict BCS using experimentally derived data. By comparing ELM with other ML algorithms like ANN and SVR, the research establishes ELM’s superior performance and reliability. The findings demonstrate the significant potential of ELM in material strength prediction, offering a novel and robust approach to evaluating bamboo’s compressive properties. This contributes valuable insights into the field of material science and engineering, particularly in the context of sustainable construction materials.