Progressive Design through Staged Evolution

Postprint (published version

Examining participatory sense-making frames: how autonomous patterns of being together emerge in recurrent social interaction

This thesis investigates how recurrent face-to-face social interactions engender relatively invariant patterns of being together that cause those who instantiate them to act in ways that support their reproduction. Existing accounts within both cognitive science and sociology offer important insights into the consideration of patterns of being together. However, given their explanatory strategies, they struggle to integrate both ‘social’ and ‘individual’ levels of explanation. Herein a compatibilist account is developed, intended as a ‘third way’ that obviates the limitations of existing accounts. This compatibilist account — by integrating insights from across disciplines and theoretical frameworks — develops a philosophical vocabulary with which to maintain explanatory consistency when articulating patterns of being together and moving between individual and social levels of explanation. It relies heavily on an extension of the enactive notion of autonomous habits to the social domain, redescribing patterns of being together as habituated participatory sense-making frames. Participatory sense-making frames result from processes of coenhabiting, i.e. processes of ongoing social habit making implicit in the dynamics of recurrent social interactions. Such processes are one primary means by which we produce and reproduce the relatively stable forms that characterise our shared worlds. These habituated frames embed much of the normativity of social life, and can serve our felicitous coordinations therein, allowing us to feel well situated, particularly in contexts within which we have some history of interacting. However, when they are not well aligned, they lead to tensions that result in either the production of novel frames or breakdowns in social interaction. The account developed has implications for many domains of human action, from psychotherapy to epistemology, and from critical studies to the development of political and ecological praxes

On improving control and efficiency of a portable pneumatically powered ankle-foot orthosis

Ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) are widely used as assistive and/or rehabilitation devices to correct gait of people with lower leg neuromuscular dysfunction and muscle weakness. An AFO is an external device worn on the lower leg and foot that provides mechanical assistance at the ankle joint. Active AFOs are powered devices that provide assistive torque at the ankle joint. We have previously developed the Portable Powered Ankle-Foot Orthosis (PPAFO), which uses pneumatic power via compressed CO2 to provide untethered ankle torque assistance. My dissertation work focused on the development of control strategies for the PPAFO that are robust, applicable to different gait patterns, functional in different gait modes, and energy efficient. Three studies addressing these topics are presented in this dissertation: (1) estimation of the system state during the gait cycle for actuation control; (2) gait mode recognition and control (e.g., stair and ramp descent/ascent); and (3) system analysis and improvement of pneumatic energy efficiency. Study 1 presents the work on estimating the gait state for powered AFO control. The proposed scheme is a state estimator that reliably detects gait events while using only a limited array of sensor data (ankle angle and contact forces at the toe and heel). Our approach uses cross-correlation between a window of past measurements and a learned model to estimate the configuration of the human walker, and detects gait events based on this estimate. The proposed state estimator was experimentally validated on five healthy subjects and with one subject that had neuromuscular impairment. The results highlight that this new approach reduced the root-mean-square error by up to 40% for the impaired subject and up to 49% for the healthy subjects compared to a simplistic direct event controller. Moreover, this approach was robust to perturbations due to changes in walking speed and control actuation. Study 2 proposed a gait mode recognition and control solution to identify a change in walking environment such as stair and ramp ascent/descent. Since portability is a key to the success of the PPAFO as a gait assist device, it is critical to recognize and control for multiple gait modes (i.e., level walking, stair ascent/descent and ramp ascent/descent). While manual mode switching is implemented on most devices, we propose an automatic gait mode recognition scheme by tracking the 3D position of the PPAFO from an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Experimental results indicate that the controller was able to identify the position, orientation and gait mode in real time, and properly control the actuation. The overall recognition success rate was over 97%. Study 3 addressed improving operational runtime by analyzing the system efficiency and proposing an energy harvesting and recycling scheme to save fuel. Through a systematic analysis, the overall system efficiency was determined by deriving both the system operational efficiency and the system component efficiency. An improved pneumatic operation utilized an accumulator to harvest and then recycle the exhaust energy from a previous actuation to power the subsequent actuation. The overall system efficiency was improved from 20.5% to 29.7%, a fuel savings of 31%. Work losses across pneumatic components and solutions to improve them were quantified and discussed. Future work including reducing delay in recognition, exploring faulty recognition, additional options for harvesting human energy, and learning control were proposed

Proceedings of the 4th Symposium on Management of Future Motorway and Urban Traffic Systems 2022

The 4th Symposium on Management of Future Motorway and Urban Traffic Systems (MFTS) was held in Dresden, Germany, from November 30th to December 2nd, 2022. Organized by the Chair of Traffic Process Automation (VPA) at the “Friedrich List” Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences of the TU Dresden, the proceedings of this conference are published as volume 9 in the Chair’s publication series “Verkehrstelematik” and contain a large part of the presented conference extended abstracts. The focus of the MFTS conference 2022 was cooperative management of multimodal transport and reflected the vision of the professorship to be an internationally recognized group in ITS research and education with the goal of optimizing the operation of multimodal transport systems. In 14 MFTS sessions, current topics in demand and traffic management, traffic control in conventional, connected and automated transport, connected and autonomous vehicles, traffic flow modeling and simulation, new and shared mobility systems, digitization, and user behavior and safety were discussed. In addition, special sessions were organized, for example on “Human aspects in traffic modeling and simulation” and “Lesson learned from Covid19 pandemic”, whose descriptions and analyses are also included in these proceedings.:1 Connected and Automated Vehicles 1.1 Traffic-based Control of Truck Platoons on Freeways 1.2 A Lateral Positioning Strategy for Connected and Automated Vehicles in Lane-free Traffic 1.3 Simulation Methods for Mixed Legacy-Autonomous Mainline Train Operations 1.4 Can Dedicated Lanes for Automated Vehicles on Urban Roads Improve Traffic Efficiency? 1.5 GLOSA System with Uncertain Green and Red Signal Phases 2 New Mobility Systems 2.1 A New Model for Electric Vehicle Mobility and Energy Consumption in Urban Traffic Networks 2.2 Shared Autonomous Vehicles Implementation for a Disrupted Public Transport Network 3 Traffic Flow and Simulation 3.1 Multi-vehicle Stochastic Fundamental Diagram Consistent with Transportations Systems Theory 3.2 A RoundD-like Roundabout Scenario in CARLA Simulator 3.3 Multimodal Performance Evaluation of Urban Traffic Control: A Microscopic Simulation Study 3.4 A MILP Framework to Solve the Sustainable System Optimum with Link MFD Functions 3.5 On How Traffic Signals Impact the Fundamental Diagrams of Urban Roads 4 Traffic Control in Conventional Traffic 4.1 Data-driven Methods for Identifying Travel Conditions Based on Traffic and Weather Characteristics 4.2 AI-based Multi-class Traffic Model Oriented to Freeway Traffic Control 4.3 Exploiting Deep Learning and Traffic Models for Freeway Traffic Estimation 4.4 Automatic Design of Optimal Actuated Traffic Signal Control with Transit Signal Priority 4.5 A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Dynamic Traffic Light Control with Transit Signal Priority 4.6 Towards Efficient Incident Detection in Real-time Traffic Management 4.7 Dynamic Cycle Time in Traffic Signal of Cyclic Max-Pressure Control 5 Traffic Control with Autonomous Vehicles 5.1 Distributed Ordering and Optimization for Intersection Management with Connected and Automated Vehicles 5.2 Prioritization of an Automated Shuttle for V2X Public Transport at a Signalized Intersection – a Real-life Demonstration 6 User Behaviour and Safety 6.1 Local Traffic Safety Analyzer (LTSA) - Improved Road Safety and Optimized Signal Control for Future Urban Intersections 7 Demand and Traffic Management 7.1 A Stochastic Programming Method for OD Estimation Using LBSN Check-in Data 7.2 Delineation of Traffic Analysis Zone for Public Transportation OD Matrix Estimation Based on Socio-spatial Practices 8 Workshops 8.1 How to Integrate Human Aspects Into Engineering Science of Transport and Traffic? - a Workshop Report about Discussions on Social Contextualization of Mobility 8.2 Learning from Covid: How Can we Predict Mobility Behaviour in the Face of Disruptive Events? – How to Investigate the Mobility of the FutureDas 4. Symposium zum Management zukünftiger Autobahn- und Stadtverkehrssysteme (MFTS) fand vom 30. November bis 2. Dezember 2022 in Dresden statt und wurde vom Lehrstuhl für Verkehrsprozessautomatisierung (VPA) an der Fakultät Verkehrswissenschaften„Friedrich List“ der TU Dresden organisiert. Der Tagungsband erscheint als Band 9 in der Schriftenreihe „Verkehrstelematik“ des Lehrstuhls und enthält einen Großteil der vorgestellten Extended-Abstracts des Symposiums. Der Schwerpunkt des MFTS-Symposiums 2022 lag auf dem kooperativen Management multimodalen Verkehrs und spiegelte die Vision der Professur wider, eine international anerkannte Gruppe in der ITS-Forschung und -Ausbildung mit dem Ziel der Optimierung des Betriebs multimodaler Transportsysteme zu sein. In 14 MFTS-Sitzungen wurden aktuelle Themen aus den Bereichen Nachfrage- und Verkehrsmanagement, Verkehrssteuerung im konventionellen, vernetzten und automatisierten Verkehr, vernetzte und autonome Fahrzeuge, Verkehrsflussmodellierung und -simulation, neue und geteilte Mobilitätssysteme, Digitalisierung sowie Nutzerverhalten und Sicherheit diskutiert. Darüber hinaus wurden Sondersitzungen organisiert, beispielsweise zu „Menschlichen Aspekten bei der Verkehrsmodellierung und -simulation“ und „Lektionen aus der Covid-19-Pandemie“, deren Beschreibungen und Analysen ebenfalls in diesen Tagungsband einfließen.:1 Connected and Automated Vehicles 1.1 Traffic-based Control of Truck Platoons on Freeways 1.2 A Lateral Positioning Strategy for Connected and Automated Vehicles in Lane-free Traffic 1.3 Simulation Methods for Mixed Legacy-Autonomous Mainline Train Operations 1.4 Can Dedicated Lanes for Automated Vehicles on Urban Roads Improve Traffic Efficiency? 1.5 GLOSA System with Uncertain Green and Red Signal Phases 2 New Mobility Systems 2.1 A New Model for Electric Vehicle Mobility and Energy Consumption in Urban Traffic Networks 2.2 Shared Autonomous Vehicles Implementation for a Disrupted Public Transport Network 3 Traffic Flow and Simulation 3.1 Multi-vehicle Stochastic Fundamental Diagram Consistent with Transportations Systems Theory 3.2 A RoundD-like Roundabout Scenario in CARLA Simulator 3.3 Multimodal Performance Evaluation of Urban Traffic Control: A Microscopic Simulation Study 3.4 A MILP Framework to Solve the Sustainable System Optimum with Link MFD Functions 3.5 On How Traffic Signals Impact the Fundamental Diagrams of Urban Roads 4 Traffic Control in Conventional Traffic 4.1 Data-driven Methods for Identifying Travel Conditions Based on Traffic and Weather Characteristics 4.2 AI-based Multi-class Traffic Model Oriented to Freeway Traffic Control 4.3 Exploiting Deep Learning and Traffic Models for Freeway Traffic Estimation 4.4 Automatic Design of Optimal Actuated Traffic Signal Control with Transit Signal Priority 4.5 A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach for Dynamic Traffic Light Control with Transit Signal Priority 4.6 Towards Efficient Incident Detection in Real-time Traffic Management 4.7 Dynamic Cycle Time in Traffic Signal of Cyclic Max-Pressure Control 5 Traffic Control with Autonomous Vehicles 5.1 Distributed Ordering and Optimization for Intersection Management with Connected and Automated Vehicles 5.2 Prioritization of an Automated Shuttle for V2X Public Transport at a Signalized Intersection – a Real-life Demonstration 6 User Behaviour and Safety 6.1 Local Traffic Safety Analyzer (LTSA) - Improved Road Safety and Optimized Signal Control for Future Urban Intersections 7 Demand and Traffic Management 7.1 A Stochastic Programming Method for OD Estimation Using LBSN Check-in Data 7.2 Delineation of Traffic Analysis Zone for Public Transportation OD Matrix Estimation Based on Socio-spatial Practices 8 Workshops 8.1 How to Integrate Human Aspects Into Engineering Science of Transport and Traffic? - a Workshop Report about Discussions on Social Contextualization of Mobility 8.2 Learning from Covid: How Can we Predict Mobility Behaviour in the Face of Disruptive Events? – How to Investigate the Mobility of the Futur

An analysis of three non-objective choreographic techniques

The purpose of this study was to prepare a written script suitable for use in choreography classes on the college level. The script identified, analyzed, and clarified the current non-objective choreographic approaches of three contemporary dance artists. The three selected non-objective choreographic approaches were multimedia by Alwin Nikolais, chance/indeterminacy by Merce Cunningham, and computer by Jeanne Beaman. The script was organized to provide a flexible supplement and guide for viewing the selected films pertaining to the non-objective choreographic approaches of these choreographers. The three available 16 millimeter films selected for analysis in the scripts were FUSION by Alwin Nikolais, RAINFOREST by Merce Cunningham, and STATIONARY DANCE by Jeanne Beaman

Strategies in the formation of piano technique in elementary-level piano students: An exploration of teaching elementary-level technical concepts according to authors and teachers from 1925 to the present.

In spite of the hundreds of books and articles written on the subject of piano technique throughout the 20th century, no consensus has been reached concerning the materials and procedures that should be used to teach basic concepts of piano technique.It is hoped that results of this study will provide all piano teachers with a clearer understanding of how to teach elementary level technique and that this may result in greater excellence in piano teaching and an increase in technical proficiency in young pianists in the United States.The purpose of this qualitative research study was two-fold: first, to analyze what influential writers of the past and present wrote regarding the teaching of elementary level technical concepts; second, to discover what strategies, methods, and materials excellent teachers of 5- to 11-year-old elementary level piano students use to develop a solid technical foundation that will prepare their young students to be capable of playing advanced works from the piano literature once they reach the high school and college levels.To accomplish this purpose, the technical systems of three source groups were analyzed to present three different perspectives on teaching elementary level piano technique to children. First, the writings of fifteen influential authors from 1925 to the present, designated Technique Authors, were studied. Second, writings by the authors of piano method series of the 20th century and current books and articles related to teaching piano technique to children were analyzed. This source group was designated Pedagogical Authors. Third, four Exemplary Teachers were interviewed and observed by the principal investigator to discover how teachers work with students in the private lesson to achieve excellent technical results. The technical systems of these three source groups were then compared to yield 107 Technical Principles that formed the basis for a grounded theory relating to teaching elementary level piano technique to children.Among the most interesting findings are the ideas of the seriousness of intent behind teaching every child, the importance of a knowledgeable teacher in the early years of piano lessons, and the importance of separating the instruction of technique from that of music reading by utilizing rote teaching. In terms of specific technical procedures, all the sources agreed in the importance of coordinating all parts of the playing apparatus from the beginning of study, which is done most effectively by teaching arm movements before finger movements

Ethics as Harmony and Improvisation in Responsive Equilibrium: the Core Psychophysical Process as a bio-logical foundation for ethical engagement

In this thesis I address the ethics of corporeal being at a foundational level. Rather than starting the discussion of ethics at an abstract level founded in propositions and logical arguments about principles, I offer an holistic view of human engagement that recognises sensori-motor processes and our embodied engagements with the world as foundational to and integral with cognition and higher functions and social skills. I propose that the capacity of human beings to act in an ethically responsible way is built into our biological, psychosocial natures, and that ethical interaction is informed and enhanced by intentionally cultivating a particular psychophysical process. The Core Psychophysical Process (the CPP) that I have identified naturally underlies our interactions in the world as vertebrate creatures, grounds our primary and ongoing developmental and learning processes, and is integral with the process of developing our ethical ‘second nature.’ The CPP is expressed at a fundamental level in a reflexive neuro-musculo-skeletal expansive and contractive process that is integral with an experiential sequence of perception, reaction, and reflection leading to choice of action. There is a constant ebb and flow of contraction and expansion throughout the body which resonates with, in and through all of our experiences. It is integrated into processes of reasoning, interpretation, intentionality, emotion, valuing and habit, all of which, along with the abilities to inhibit, deliberate, and choose, are foundational to ethical action. Elements of the CPP are active at every level of corporeal being, from the fluent maintenance of equilibrium at neuronal level through to the dynamics of ethical deliberations and negotiations between people in society. In this thesis the Alexander Technique and processes in the Arts provide exemplars wherein the foundational intrinsic aspects and expressions of the CPP can be understood. In order to fully explore the impact of the CPP in human experience, I examine both theoretical and practical experimental experience with the CPP in relation to: historical and contemporary readings from different cultures in bioethics, ethics, philosophy, feminist philosophy, and the philosophy of mind; empirical investigations in cognitive science, physiology, and neuroscience; and Susan Hurley’s Shared Circuits Model. This is a phenomenological study, from a feminist and arts-based perspective. Arts Phenomenology starts with the question: ‘What is the experience of being with, acting with, with the intention to?’ That perspective leaves behind subject/object, mind/body dualities to understand human experience as extended and grounded in the embodied interactions of social being. I offer alternate conceptions of embodiment, and explore Bodily ‘I’dentity that reflects multi-sensory meaning-making grounded in experience

Emergence of collective behaviour. How Individual Regulation Matters in Elaborating Team Patterns in Football

This project analysed processes leading to the emergence of collective behaviour patterns. Collective behaviour, considered as self-organized, emerges from individual activities that interplay as the activity unfolds. One aim of this project was to explore how individuals regulate their activity to participate to the elaboration of collective behaviour. Sport science literature did not consider the individual regulation as a main focus to understand team behaviour. The regulation has been assumed rather than investigated. To this end, we described the variety of informational resources used by team members during a football game. We adopted an epistemological approach that was respectful of how humans regulate their agent-environment coupling, which was the enactive approach. From this approach, sense-making is assumed to be central in delineating the dynamics of the agent-environment coupling, and the phenomenological experience of the agent was seriously considered in the study designs. The results identified various informational resources, which we ranked along a continuum from local resources to global resources. The subsequent goal was to understand the relationship between individual regulation and its consequences in the collective behaviour. Grounded in the use of a computer simulation tool, the project simulated the spatiotemporal collective behaviour of a multi-agent system built to capture the essentials of football team behaviours and to evaluate how the dynamical outcomes (i.e., the collective behaviour patterns) depend on individual adjustment modalities. These adjustment modalities were implemented in the simulation. More specifically, the simulation study generated a large amount of spatiotemporal data that are hard to capture in ecological situation with natural setting, in order to test to what extent the collective behaviour dynamical outcomes were changed when a single players changed their adjustments. The collective behaviour was characterised through metrics accounting for team spatiotemporal properties such as surface area and team stretching. The results showed a condensed behaviour associated with the local adjustment modality and a deployed behaviour associated with global adjustment modalities. A complementary study investigated the possibilities of controlling human regulation through interaction rules. The results showed that various interaction rules involved different informational resources and adjustment modality. Moreover, the results demonstrated that a local informational resource did not necessarily involve a local adjustment which describe the complexity of the regulation processes