The web of things and database management systems

The Web of Things (WoT) is slowly gaining grounds and through the properties of barcodes, QR codes, RFID, active sensors and IPv6, objects are fitted with some form of readability and traceability. People are becoming part of digital global network driven by personal interests. The feeling being part of a community and the constant drive of getting connected from real life finds it continuation in digital networks. This paper investigates the concepts of the internet of things from the aspect of the autonomous mobile robots with an overview of the performances of the currently available database management systems

Digital Systems Teaching and Research (DSTR) Robot: A Flexible Platform for Education and Applied Research

The DSTR (pronounced “Disaster”) robot has a strong history of being adaptable to different user’s needs, and there are many opportunities ahead that indicate that the sky, quite literally, is not the limit for this robust platform. This paper provides a historical perspective on the development of the DSTR robot as a collaborative design developed by the Mobile Integrated Solutions Laboratory (MISL) at Texas A&M University and ASEP 4X4 Inc. Texas Instruments has been a major partner in the integration of the control electronics, and Texas Space Technology Applications and Research (T STAR) LLC has played a significant role in the propagation of the DSTR robot as an adaptable applied research/education/STEM outreach platform. The paper will present examples of the strong industry-academic relationships that allow the DSTR robot to be utilized in a multitude of experiential learning environments. In addition to a number of STEM outreach activities, the DSTR robots are being used in the Introduction to Engineering course at Blinn College and in the Freshman Engineering curriculum at Texas A&M University. DSTRs have also been selected by NASA scientists as a low-cost lunar sample collector. The paper will also discuss the newly developed DSTR-E (DSTR Engineering) unit which requires students to perform several engineering tasks during the build process. The paper will also include the lessons learned from initial design through its transfer to the private sector for commercialization and future plans.Cockrell School of Engineerin

OPEB: Open Physical Environment Benchmark for Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence methods to solve continuous- control tasks have made significant progress in recent years. However, these algorithms have important limitations and still need significant improvement to be used in industry and real- world applications. This means that this area is still in an active research phase. To involve a large number of research groups, standard benchmarks are needed to evaluate and compare proposed algorithms. In this paper, we propose a physical environment benchmark framework to facilitate collaborative research in this area by enabling different research groups to integrate their designed benchmarks in a unified cloud-based repository and also share their actual implemented benchmarks via the cloud. We demonstrate the proposed framework using an actual implementation of the classical mountain-car example and present the results obtained using a Reinforcement Learning algorithm.Comment: Accepted in 3rd IEEE International Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry 201

Developing Responsible Research and Innovation for Robots

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.This paper develops a framework for responsible research and innovation (RRI) in robot design for roboticists from a study of the processes involved in the design and engineering of a range of robots including standard manufacturing robots, humanoid robots, environmental scanning robots and robot swarms. The importance of an iterative approach to design, the nature of transitions between design phases, and issues of uncertainty and complexity are examined for their ethical content. A cycle of RRI thinking based on reconnoitre, realisation, reflection, response and review is described which aligns with the general characterisation of robot engineering processes. Additionally the importance of supporting communities, knowledge bases and tools for assessment and analysis is noted

Printoo – from here to the Internet of Things

This thesis is a pedagogical case study on Strategy applied to Innovation, using Printoo – a product by Ynvisible – as a setting. Hence, the focus of this case is to describe and analyze the challenge of this company and its managers to define a fit strategy for its new, innovative product. Printoo’s concept is highly innovative and it is inserted in an area of technological development with great potential – Printed Electronics. Several tools and trends influence this area, such as the Makers culture, Crowdfunding, Open-Source and the increasing use of Technology in Education. Furthermore, there is a debate on implementing the concept of the Internet of Things – in which Printed Electronics may have a role. From the interviews and analysis performed, this paper has two key conclusions. The first one is that Ynvisible should focus on both Printoo – a series of kits of Printed Electronics technologies components – and on the company’s own proprietary Electrochromic displays – that are included in Printoo – in order to maximize the power it has over the potential profits that will derive from this innovation, because Printoo is highly imitable and the displays are not. Nevertheless, Printoo is an important marketing tool to promote Ynvisible’s displays and other components from suppliers. The second conclusion is that Education is an important market that Printoo should address, and that the approach should combine continuous improvement – of the technologies that the kits contain and of the experiences they allow to perform – and service improvement – as courses and workshops – which actually Ynvisible is starting to do. Other markets are also important, such as the Makers, Open Source market and the Prototyping market

A comparison of processing techniques for producing prototype injection moulding inserts.

This project involves the investigation of processing techniques for producing low-cost moulding inserts used in the particulate injection moulding (PIM) process. Prototype moulds were made from both additive and subtractive processes as well as a combination of the two. The general motivation for this was to reduce the entry cost of users when considering PIM. PIM cavity inserts were first made by conventional machining from a polymer block using the pocket NC desktop mill. PIM cavity inserts were also made by fused filament deposition modelling using the Tiertime UP plus 3D printer. The injection moulding trials manifested in surface finish and part removal defects. The feedstock was a titanium metal blend which is brittle in comparison to commodity polymers. That in combination with the mesoscale features, small cross-sections and complex geometries were considered the main problems. For both processing methods, fixes were identified and made to test the theory. These consisted of a blended approach that saw a combination of both the additive and subtractive processes being used. The parts produced from the three processing methods are investigated and their respective merits and issues are discussed