Performance of modified jatropha oil in combination with hexagonal boron nitride particles as a bio-based lubricant for green machining

This study evaluates the machining performance of newly developed modified jatropha oils (MJO1, MJO3 and MJO5), both with and without hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) particles (ranging between 0.05 and 0.5 wt%) during turning of AISI 1045 using minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). The experimental results indicated that, viscosity improved with the increase in MJOs molar ratio and hBN concentration. Excellent tribological behaviours is found to correlated with a better machining performance were achieved by MJO5a with 0.05 wt%. The MJO5a sample showed the lowest values of cutting force, cutting temperature and surface roughness, with a prolonged tool life and less tool wear, qualifying itself to be a potential alternative to the synthetic ester, with regard to the environmental concern

Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review

Research and Development projects in automation for the Space Station are discussed. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based automation technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics. AI technology will also be developed for the servicing of satellites at the Space Station, system monitoring and diagnosis, space manufacturing, and the assembly of large space structures

Tangible interaction as an aid for object navigation in 3D modeling

This study introduced an interaction technique that used tangible interaction for 3D modeling. A hybrid interaction technique using a Kinect camera and a smartphone with a gyroscope was developed for the navigating objects in a 3D modeling software. It was then tested on 20 participants categorized as amateurs who had basic 3D/ CAD modeling experience and 20 participants categorized as the experts who had extensive experience working with the modeling software. This research study presents the need for existence of such interaction technique, gaps from the related previous studies, statistical findings from the current study and possible reasons for the results. The results concluded that the even though the hybrid interaction technique was efficient for both the participant categories and though there existed a statistical significance in efficiency for the amateur category, it did not provide a better user experience for the expert category and user experience for the amateur category was inconclusive. The study suggests that future studies and fine tuning of the current study could have a positive effect on the beginners in 3D modeling without causing a major impact for the experts

Tangible Scalar Fields

Data Visualization is a field that explores how to most efficiently convey information to the user, most often via visual representations like plots, graphs or glyphs. While this field of research has had great growth within the last couple of years, most of the work has been focused on the visual part of the human visual and auditory system - much less visualization work has been done in regards to the visually impaired. In this thesis, we will look at some previous methods and techniques for visualizing scalar fields via the sense of touch, and additionally provide two novel approaches to visualize a two-dimensional scalar field. Our first approach creates passive physicalizations from a scalar field in a semi-automatic pipeline by encoding the scalar value and field coordinates as positions in 3D space, which we use to construct a triangular mesh built from hexagonal pillars that can be printed on a 3D printer. We further enhance our mesh by encoding a directional attribute on the pillars, creating a visual encoding of the model orientation and improving upon a readability issue by mirroring the mesh. Our second approach uses a haptic force-feedback device to simulate the feeling of moving across a surface based on the scalar field by replicating three physical forces: the normal force, the friction force and the gravity force. We also further extend our approach by introducing a local encoding of global information about the scalar field via a volume representation build from the scalar field.Masteroppgave i informatikkINF399MAMN-PROGMAMN-IN