Advanced information processing system: The Army fault tolerant architecture conceptual study. Volume 2: Army fault tolerant architecture design and analysis

Described here is the Army Fault Tolerant Architecture (AFTA) hardware architecture and components and the operating system. The architectural and operational theory of the AFTA Fault Tolerant Data Bus is discussed. The test and maintenance strategy developed for use in fielded AFTA installations is presented. An approach to be used in reducing the probability of AFTA failure due to common mode faults is described. Analytical models for AFTA performance, reliability, availability, life cycle cost, weight, power, and volume are developed. An approach is presented for using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) to describe and design AFTA's developmental hardware. A plan is described for verifying and validating key AFTA concepts during the Dem/Val phase. Analytical models and partial mission requirements are used to generate AFTA configurations for the TF/TA/NOE and Ground Vehicle missions

Advanced information processing system: Inter-computer communication services

The purpose is to document the functional requirements and detailed specifications for the Inter-Computer Communications Services (ICCS) of the Advanced Information Processing System (AIPS). An introductory section is provided to outline the overall architecture and functional requirements of the AIPS and to present an overview of the ICCS. An overview of the AIPS architecture as well as a brief description of the AIPS software is given. The guarantees of the ICCS are provided, and the ICCS is described as a seven-layered International Standards Organization (ISO) Model. The ICCS functional requirements, functional design, and detailed specifications as well as each layer of the ICCS are also described. A summary of results and suggestions for future work are presented

Parallel Architectures for Planetary Exploration Requirements (PAPER)

The Parallel Architectures for Planetary Exploration Requirements (PAPER) project is essentially research oriented towards technology insertion issues for NASA's unmanned planetary probes. It was initiated to complement and augment the long-term efforts for space exploration with particular reference to NASA/LaRC's (NASA Langley Research Center) research needs for planetary exploration missions of the mid and late 1990s. The requirements for space missions as given in the somewhat dated Advanced Information Processing Systems (AIPS) requirements document are contrasted with the new requirements from JPL/Caltech involving sensor data capture and scene analysis. It is shown that more stringent requirements have arisen as a result of technological advancements. Two possible architectures, the AIPS Proof of Concept (POC) configuration and the MAX Fault-tolerant dataflow multiprocessor, were evaluated. The main observation was that the AIPS design is biased towards fault tolerance and may not be an ideal architecture for planetary and deep space probes due to high cost and complexity. The MAX concepts appears to be a promising candidate, except that more detailed information is required. The feasibility for adding neural computation capability to this architecture needs to be studied. Key impact issues for architectural design of computing systems meant for planetary missions were also identified

Procedural Surface Weathering of Cultural Stone Through Physically Based Mesh Deformations

Weathering in computer graphics is crucial to creating believable objects. Common methods to add wear to an object include the application of 2D texture maps or direct model deformations through sculpting. These methods require an artist’s time and expertise, often at a cost to quality or iteration time for the asset. This creates a need for a method that is quick to iterate upon and easy to manipulate. This thesis outlines a new procedural method that combines principles of 2D texture maps and 3D sculpting to achieve large-scale mesh deformations in stone surfaces. The method involves the use of procedural 3D noise to define a stone’s composition combined with particle systems to simulate rainfall on an object, deforming it over time. A custom user interface with preset stone options is implemented to reduce the level of expertise needed to use the system

Proceedings, MSVSCC 2014

Proceedings of the 8th Annual Modeling, Simulation & Visualization Student Capstone Conference held on April 17, 2014 at VMASC in Suffolk, Virginia

Deep Model for Improved Operator Function State Assessment

A deep learning framework is presented for engagement assessment using EEG signals. Deep learning is a recently developed machine learning technique and has been applied to many applications. In this paper, we proposed a deep learning strategy for operator function state (OFS) assessment. Fifteen pilots participated in a flight simulation from Seattle to Chicago. During the four-hour simulation, EEG signals were recorded for each pilot. We labeled 20- minute data as engaged and disengaged to fine-tune the deep network and utilized the remaining vast amount of unlabeled data to initialize the network. The trained deep network was then used to assess if a pilot was engaged during the four-hour simulation

Architectures for wireless sensor networks

The vision of ubiquitous computing requires the development of devices and technologies that can be pervasive without being intrusive. The basic component of such a smart environment will be a small node with sensing and wireless communications capabilities, able to organize itself flexibly into a network for data collection and delivery. Building such a sensor network presents many significant challenges, especially at the architectural, protocol, and operating system level. Although sensor nodes might be equipped with a power supply or energy scavenging means and an embedded processor that makes them autonomous and self-aware, their functionality and capabilities will be very limited. Therefore, collaboration between nodes is essential to deliver smart services in a ubiquitous setting. New algorithms for networking and distributed collaboration need to be developed. These algorithms will be the key for building self-organizing and collaborative sensor networks that show emergent behavior and can operate in a challenging environment where nodes move, fail, and energy is a scarce resource. The question that rises is how to organize the internal software and hardware components in a manner thatwill allowthem towork properly and be able to adapt dynamically to new environments, requirements, and applications. At the same time the solution should be general enough to be suited for as many applications as possible. Architecture definition also includes, at the higher level, a global view of the whole network. The topology, placement of base stations, beacons, etc. is also of interest. In this chapter, we will present and analyze some of the characteristics of the architectures for wireless sensor networks. Then, we will propose a new dataflow-based architecture that allows, as a new feature, the dynamic reconfiguration of the sensor nodes software at runtime