Preliminary study of a serial-parallel redundant manipulator

The manipulator design discussed here results from the examination of some of the reasons why redundancy is necessary in general purpose manipulation systems. A spherical joint design actuated in-parallel, having the many advantages of parallel actuation, is described. In addition, the benefits of using redundant actuators are discussed and illustrated in the design by the elimination of loci of singularities from the usable workspace with the addition of only one actuator. Finally, what is known by the authors about space robotics requirements is summarized and the relevance of the proposed design matched against these requirements. The design problems outlined here are viewed as much from the mechanical engineering aspect as from concerns arising from the control and the programming of manipulators

THE BOUNDING EFFECT OF IS DESIGN TOOLS: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF CASE TECHNOLOGY

Methodologies for information systems development bound the vocabulary of design (what are the "things that matter?), as well as control the design discourse (how should we go about discussing them?). Computer Aided System Engineering tools - collectively referred to as "CASE technology" --further bound the analysis and design process both semantically (e.g., the range of available methodologies) and syntactically (e.g., implementation details). In this paper we explore the effects of bounding in CASE technology. We first delineate the concept of bounding in general terms, and then develop a more operational notion of it through the qualitative examination of an actual use of a CASE tool. This examination results in a preliminary list of concrete dimensions of the bounding phenomenon, which is in turn used to guide a critical survey of related features in current CASE technology, Implications for practice, education and research are discussed.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Do you want authenticity with that?: Online practical exams in an engineering course

This paper reports on part of the results of a three-year study conducted at the Centre for Schooling and Learning Technologies (CSaLT) at Edith Cowan University in collaboration with the Curriculum Council of Western Australia. This paper focuses on the use of a computer managed examination in Engineering Studies. A computer-managed examination was designed that consisted of a design task that was broken down into a number of timed activities. Students were paced through each activity, recording their input in the form of a portfolio. Input consisted of text, graphics through a camera, video and voice. The exam outputs were uploaded to an online repository; the students’ work was then marked by external assessors. The general aim was to provide students with assessment opportunities that were authentic, while being able to be reliably and manageably assessed by external examiners

The Use of Augmented Reality to Strengthen Competence in Data Analysis and Problem Solving in Engineering Students at the Universidad del Valle de México

The objective of this research was to analyze the improvement in the data analysis and problem-solving competence of students of industrial and systems engineering (IIS) and mechatronics engineering (IMEC) through the use of this technology and its impact on the results of the undergraduate general examination (EGEL). A training course was held for teachers and students for the design of learning objects (LO), and a questionnaire on the use of AR and the improvement in learning was administered. AR is a technology that has begun to be introduced in different contexts and at different educational levels. The results obtained through the Wilcoxon test and the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) showed that there were improvements in academic performance with the use of AR and an interest in this tool being used during the academic training process.Laureate EducationRevisión por pare

Direct Instruction vs. Computer Simulation and their Learning Outcome in Engineering Education

Answers to the questions of which instructional methods are suitable for school, what instructional methods should be applied in teaching individual subjects and how instructional methods support the act of learning represent challenges to general education and education in individual subjects. This study focuses on the empirical examination of learning outcome in engineering educationwith respect to two instructional methods: direct instruction and computer simulation. A CRF 2x2 design is used to control instructional method and class context. Learning outcome on bridge construction is assessed with reference to the optics of bridge and the material usage for the bridge. The empirical findings show that learning with direct instruction was superior to computer simulation.

Modelling of signal uncertainty and control objectives in robust controller design

This work develops a new paradigm for optimal robust controller synthesis in the frequency domain. A detailed examination is made of the engineering motivation and engineering efficacy underlying the various strands of robust control theory. The modelling of (a) signal uncertainty and (b) control system objectives in both Tioo and C\ control theories is considered in particular detail. Based on this examination, a theory which can fa irly be described as ‘a m odified 7ioo control theory’ or ‘a frequency domain C\ control theory’ is proposed. New signal sets for the modelling of uncertain signals are introduced. It is argued that these models more faithfully capture the way in which uncertain signals act on real physical systems. It is shown that by adopting these new models for uncertain signals, control theory can be used to non-conservatively minimise maximum tracking errors in the time domain, in the SISO case. In the MIMO case, the problem of optimally synthesising a controller to non-conservatively minimise tracking errors in the time domain leads to a modest variation on existing control theory, requiring the usual norm to be modified slightly. It is argued th a t the proposed paradigm in general achieves a better quality of control and more fa ith fu lly expresses the true objectives of feedback control systems. The proposed development is seen to also extend naturally to Ti.2 control theory, and indeed provides a new deterministic justification for the 7^2 control problem in the MIMO case. The question of design transparency in the synthesis of optimal robust controllers for multivariable systems is considered in detail. The implications of the proposed paradigm for transparency of design and weighting function selection are detailed. A decoupling design procedure for robust controller synthesis is proposed which, under certain restrictive conditions, allows the calculation of super-optimal robust controllers on a loop by loop basis. The usefulness of a classical decoupling approach to MIMO control system design in the context of multivariable robust control theory is demonstrated. A number of design examples are presented which show how the ideas and methods developed in this work can be applied to realistic control problems

NASA GSFC Opportunities for STEM Professionals Using the Vantage Point of Space

NASA has a variety of learning opportunities for STEM professionals. Three opportunities at GSFC are examined in this chapter: 1) standard summer research and development internship for undergraduates, 2) senior internship for undergraduate and graduate students and 3) a workshop series for informal learning center professionals. We describe these programs, examine their evolution with respect to most effective education practices and their assessment and evaluation, and identify the similarities and differences between them. The internship programs highlight authentic project-based research and development experiences with the senior internship providing a richer, deeper, and more demanding experience that has greater professional value. The workshops for informal learning center professionals on-the-other hand, focus on building knowledge of GSFC s science and engineering strengths among these professionals, and on building enduring partnerships between individuals (participants and GSFC scientist, engineers and educators) and between organizations (GSFC and the informal learning center). Finally, we examine the characteristics of these programs from a design and management perspective. Through this examination we identify a general structure that provides insight into more effective design and management of similar education programs

A General Model of Opinion Dynamics with Tunable Sensitivity

We introduce a general model of continuous-time opinion dynamics for an arbitrary number of agents that communicate over a network and form real-valued opinions about an arbitrary number of options. Drawing inspiration from models in biology, physics, and social psychology, we apply a sigmoidal saturating function to inter-agent and intra-agent exchanges of opinions. The saturating function is the only nonlinearity in the model, yet we prove how it yields rapid and reliable formation of consensus, dissensus, and opinion cascades as a function of just a few parameters. We further show how the network opinion dynamics exhibit both robustness to disturbance and ultrasensitivity to inputs. We design feedback dynamics for system parameters that enable active tuning of implicit thresholds in opinion formation for sensitivity to inputs, robustness to changes in input, opinion cascades, and flexible transitions between consensus and dissensus. The general model can be used for systematic control design in a range of engineering problems including network systems, multi-robot coordination, task allocation, and decision making for spatial navigation. It can also be used for systematic examination of questions in biology and social science ranging from cognitive control and networks in the brain, to resilience in collective animal behavior to changing environmental conditions, to information spreading and political polarization in social networks

Advancing cognitive engineering methods to support user interface design for electronic health records

Background Despite many decades of research on the effective development of clinical systems in medicine, the adoption of health information technology to improve patient care continues to be slow, especially in ambulatory settings. This applies to dentistry as well, a primary care discipline with approximately 137,000 practitioners in the United States. A critical reason for slow adoption is the poor usability of clinical systems, which makes it difficult for providers to navigate through the information and obtain an integrated view of patient data. Objective In this study, we documented the cognitive processes and information management strategies used by dentists during a typical patient examination. The results will inform the design of a novel electronic dental record interface. Methods We conducted a cognitive task analysis (CTA) study to observe ten general dentists (five general dentists and five general dental faculty members, each with more than two years of clinical experience) examining three simulated patient cases using a think-aloud protocol. Results Dentists first reviewed the patient’s demographics, chief complaint, medical history and dental history to determine the general status of the patient. Subsequently, they proceeded to examine the patient’s intraoral status using radiographs, intraoral images, hard tissue and periodontal tissue information. The results also identified dentists’ patterns of navigation through patient’s information and additional information needs during a typical clinician-patient encounter. Conclusion This study reinforced the significance of applying cognitive engineering methods to inform the design of a clinical system. Second, applying CTA to a scenario closely simulating an actual patient encounter helped with capturing participants’ knowledge states and decision-making when diagnosing and treating a patient. The resultant knowledge of dentists’ patterns of information retrieval and review will significantly contribute to designing flexible and task-appropriate information presentation in electronic dental records

THE BOUNDING EFFECT OF IS DESIGN TOOLS: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF CASE TECHNOLOGY

Methodologies for information systems development bound the vocabulary of design (what are the "things that matter?), as well as control the design discourse (how should we go about discussing them?). Computer Aided System Engineering tools - collectively referred to as "CASE technology" --further bound the analysis and design process both semantically (e.g., the range of available methodologies) and syntactically (e.g., implementation details). In this paper we explore the effects of bounding in CASE technology. We first delineate the concept of bounding in general terms, and then develop a more operational notion of it through the qualitative examination of an actual use of a CASE tool. This examination results in a preliminary list of concrete dimensions of the bounding phenomenon, which is in turn used to guide a critical survey of related features in current CASE technology, Implications for practice, education and research are discussed.Information Systems Working Papers Serie