MAZE ROBOT: APPLYING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE NAVIGATION ALGORITHM WITH EVENT-DRIVEN PROGRAMMING

Autonomous navigation is an eminent feature in robotics as it provides mobile robot with the ability to traverse from one point to another point while avoiding any obstacles that lie within its path. To navigate through a maze with unpredictable routes would be a great challenge as it requires the assistance of an intelligent algorithm. The main objective of this project is to build and program a mini mobile robot that is able to autonomously navigate through a physical maze. The physical maze will comprise of several different configurations to measure the efficiency of the robot. Hardware and software co-design method is used to construct the mobile robot. The basic navigation algorithm was developed using finite state machine (FSM). Event-driven programming method was applied in producing the maze navigation algorithm for the robot

Attacks Only Get Better:Password Recovery Attacks Against RC4 in TLS

Despite recent high-profile attacks on the RC4 algorithm in TLS, its usage is still running at about 30 % of all TLS traffic. This is attributable to the lack of practicality of the existing attacks, the desire to support legacy implementations, and resistance to change. We provide new attacks against RC4 in TLS that are focussed on recovering user passwords, still the pre-eminent means of user authentication on the Web today. Our attacks enhance the statistical techniques used in the existing attacks and exploit specific features of the password setting to produce attacks that are much closer to being practical. We report on extensive simulations that illustrate this. We also report on two “proof of concept ” implementations of the attacks for specific application layer protocols, namely BasicAuth and IMAP. Our work validates the truism that attacks only get better with time: we obtain good success rates in recovering user passwords with around 226 encryptions, whereas the previous generation of attacks required 234 encryptions to recover a

Settling the mystery of Zr=rZ_r=r in RC4

In this paper, using probability transition matrix, at first we revisit the work of Mantin on finding the probability distribution of RC4 permutation after the completion of KSA. After that, we extend the same idea to analyse the probabilities during any iteration of Pseudo Random Generation Algorithm. Next, we study the bias $Z_r=r$ (where $Z_r$ is the $r$-th output keystream bit), which is one of the significant biases observed in RC4 output keystream. This bias has played an important role in the plaintext recovery attack proposed by Isobe et al. in FSE 2013. However, the accurate theoretical explanation of the bias of $Z_r=r$ is still a mystery. Though several attempts have been made to prove this bias, none of those provides accurate justification. Here, using the results found with the help of probability transition matrix we justify this bias of $Z_r=r$ accurately and settle this issue. The bias obtained from our proof matches perfectly with the experimental observations

MAZE ROBOT: APPLYING AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE NAVIGATION ALGORITHM WITH EVENT-DRIVEN PROGRAMMING

Autonomous navigation is an eminent feature in robotics as it provides mobile robot with the ability to traverse from one point to another point while avoiding any obstacles that lie within its path. To navigate through a maze with unpredictable routes would be a great challenge as it requires the assistance of an intelligent algorithm. The main objective of this project is to build and program a mini mobile robot that is able to autonomously navigate through a physical maze. The physical maze will comprise of several different configurations to measure the efficiency of the robot. Hardware and software co-design method is used to construct the mobile robot. The basic navigation algorithm was developed using finite state machine (FSM). Event-driven programming method was applied in producing the maze navigation algorithm for the robot

Wireless Sensor Data Logging System Design

Wireless Sensor Data Logging System Design is a standalone electronic sensor device that captures and stores data through wireless communication. This system comprises two main integrated components; the Radio Frequency module and the Microcontroller based system. The main goal of this project is to design and construct a data logging system that effectively monitors the device's measurement values. In real life applications, most data monitoring system is a passive system. This type of system requires manned guarding on site to manage the devices. Therefore, a standalone data logging system offers a better enhancement system to replace the manned guarding method. The standalone data logger system can be applied by leaving the device alone in any place that requires the measurement of humidity and temperature. These data can be retrieved from EEPROM and transferred to a PC whenever needed by a user. A radio frequency module enables these data travels through wireless transmission medium, whereas the serial communication interface enables communication between the devices and PC. For diverse applications, an alarm system can be implemented if assets and security are the major concerns. The final report presents the development of a data logger system which is an integration of radio frequency module and the microcontroller-based system. The system monitors the device's measurement value via a Graphical User Interface. Basically, the system introduces a RF module to replace the hard wired scheme and produce a dynamic data transmission system. It is geared up with a PICI6F877A microcontroller to drive the outputs besides providing communication between devices and a PC. Overall, the project is the best platform to improve the traditional monitoring system and ignites another innovative invention in the future

WPI AIAA Research Rocket for the Investigation of Recovery and Staging

This project investigated two areas related to high powered model rocketry; aerodynamics and hybrid rocket motors. In the aerodynamics area, the team investigated the phenomenon of fin flutter. Models for fin flutter in the literature were reviewed and results measured using scaled fins in a low speed wind tunnel. A flight compatible data acquisition system was designed and built to measure and record flutter data during flight. In the hybrid propulsion area, motors were designed, built and tested which used either PVC or paraffin with nitrous oxide. Thrust data was collected using a thrust stand and data collection system built as part of the project. CFD modeling was used to investigate the flow of air over fins of different geometry and the flow oxidizer through different injectors

Archaeological investigations at a Mississippian platform mound site in Lowndes County, Mississippi

The Upper Tombigbee River Valley and the Black Prairie two adjacent physiographic regions located in northeast Mississippi are defined archaeologically by the existence of multiple single-mound sites with associated farmsteads or small habitation sites. This thesis is an analysis of mound-construction data and the ceramic assemblage excavated in 2017 from the Butler Mound Site (22LO500) a single-mound site located in Lowndes County Mississippi. The purpose of this thesis is to determine when construction of the Butler Mound occurred using mound-construction data ceramic analysis and radiocarbon dating. This thesis also seeks to understand how Butler and neighboring sites relate to one another spatially and temporally to further define Mississippian settlement patterning in northeast Mississippi and to contribute to the developing regional culture-chronology

Multi-channel transient analysis of SEALER

The aim of this thesis work is to study the behaviour of SEALER (SwEdish Advanced LEad Reactor) under the three main unprotected accidents that could hypothetically happen for this Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR): Unprotected Transient of Over Power (UTOP), Unprotected Loss Of Flow (ULOF) and Unprotected Loss Of Heat Sink (ULOHS). The work was carried out at the KTH department of Nuclear Reactor Physics, using the SAS4A/SASSYS-1 code. The first part of the activity consisted of a model development for the reactor core, from the 1-channel one to the 4-channel one, based on the core symmetry and on the different peak factors of fuel assemblies. The main step of this part was the calculation, using the Serpent code, of the channel dependent reactivity coefficients for each channel at the three analysed conditions over the reactor lifetime: Beginning Of Cycle (BOC), Middle Of Cycle (MOC) and End Of Cycle (EOC). The second part of the work consisted of the transient simulations of the reference accidents and of some sensitivity calculations regarding the dependence of the peak fuel and cladding temperatures on the reactivity coefficients. The obtained results show that, in the studied accident scenarios, the maximum Peak Cladding Temperature (PCT) is less than 1000 K and that the fuel temperature remains under the melting value. Moreover, for the transients UTOP, ULOF and ULOHS with the radiative heat loss through the vessel (ultimate heat sink), a new steady state condition is reached due to the reactivity feedback, while for the ULOHS accident without ultimate heat sink, the reactor is self shutdown

Social Resilience and Adaptation in Urban Areas of the United States Facing Financially Insecure Aging: Case Study of Phoenix Metropolitan Area

As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age in the coming decades, American metropolitan areas face the serious problem of an increased demand for supportive services. This situation is complicated by the fact that many of the elderly will have limited financial resources, leading to a growing number of seniors struggling with poverty and financial insecurity. At the same time, federal funding for social services is shrinking, and local organizations will play a key role in supporting the low-income elderly in American metropolitan areas. The concept of social resilience offers a useful starting point for understanding the mechanisms that hinder or enable local communities and individuals, in order to recognize and cope with the slow, continuous changes that these demographic changes present. A resilient metropolitan area is one in which markets, local political structures, communities, and individuals continually adapt to changing conditions. This research focuses on the adaptive resilience of the Phoenix metropolitan area through the ability of systems to support low-income seniors to age in place, independently, for as long as possible. Phoenix is an attractive retirement location, and the case study aims to understand if and how the metropolitan area is preparing for the impending demographic changes, viewed as a lasting disturbance. The research uses a descriptive quantitative approach based on triangulation of an online survey of local governments, expert interviews with representatives of local organizations working with the aging population, and document analysis. The major findings for the research period from 2012 to 2014 show that local level actors of public and nonprofit sectors demonstrated involvement in the network of support for the aging population, where nonprofit actors are mainly dependent on the decisions and funding of the public sector and rely increasingly on volunteer support. The current study found that only a few of the participating actors from the public sector expressed clear recognition of the extent of financial insecurity among seniors. Research also revealed an understanding of poverty as predominantly focusing on the personal faults of members of society, which does not require any proactive action from the government. The existing network of services is targeted to reactive support services, which promotes individual resilience and responsibilization. Community services, which can provide prolonged independent aging in place, are less developed or in the early stages of development; operation of these services anticipates significant involvement of volunteers as well. Funding shortages challenge the ability of the public and nonprofit sectors to maintain the existing level of support services for a growing population, and actors need to compensate through local partnerships and innovations. From a theoretical perspective, the research results show that adaptation to the growing number of aging people is emerging in the Phoenix metropolitan area, while financial insecurity is widely considered the personal responsibility of seniors. A reliance on public engagement also refers to individual resilience and can be seen as the next step of a responsibilization process in American society. Thus, the role of individual resilience is growing in American society compared to the role of social or community resilience. A balance should be found that recognizes the power of and limits to both individual and social resilience in creating a social realm that benefits all citizens