Implementation of a robotic flexible assembly system

As part of the Intelligent Task Automation program, a team developed enabling technologies for programmable, sensory controlled manipulation in unstructured environments. These technologies include 2-D/3-D vision sensing and understanding, force sensing and high speed force control, 2.5-D vision alignment and control, and multiple processor architectures. The subsequent design of a flexible, programmable, sensor controlled robotic assembly system for small electromechanical devices is described using these technologies and ongoing implementation and integration efforts. Using vision, the system picks parts dumped randomly in a tray. Using vision and force control, it performs high speed part mating, in-process monitoring/verification of expected results and autonomous recovery from some errors. It is programmed off line with semiautomatic action planning

Causality and Intrinsic Information

This text will discuss the concept of information and its relevance in the study of the nature of the mind. It will analyze a hypothesis that deals with the equivalence between information and causality, which results in information having a double ontological character: “intrinsic” and “extrinsic.” A discussion will follow on Integrated Information Theory, which is developed from a variation of this thesis. It will be proposed that this theory does not reach the objective of being an “intrinsic” information theory, precisely because it is an adaptation of classical information theory. For this reason, it neither allows nor avoids the paradoxes of the subject–object distinction, nor shows how the causal evolution of an integrated system can be treated in informational terms; that is, it cannot unite causality and information

Internet of Things: an Applied Research on Automation for Lock Shield

This study presents results obtained in applied research, involving controller boards (Arduino), at the Nove de Julho higher education institution, in the courses of Computer Science in São Paulo. In 2018, focusing mainly on the positive and negative points presented by the statistical data of the public security office. The methodology used to obtain the data was experimental research based on results obtained in the newspaper Estadão of June 25, 2017. Every hour, a house is invaded in the State of São Paulo, according to data of the Public Security Secretariat, focusing mainly in the qualitative and quantitative results, seeking greater security for homes with tilting gates, avoiding fraud and cloning of locks. Creating new automation equipment, focused on security, its assembly is more complex and more structured than the simple control boards and controls for swing gates. Thus obtaining a safer drive with a high power against fraud, since the system is mounted on top of the controller boards (Arduino), this system achieved a higher degree of reliability than conventional systems

Multiplex paper-based designs for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics

Background: Accurate and timely diagnosis is usually the first step towards appropriate disease management. In resource-limited settings, healthcare workers lack proper facilities to perform vital tests, and the diagnosis of disease is often determined by non-specific, physiological symptoms alone. Simple and rapid tests are needed as prerequisite tools for patient care and must conform to the criteria set out by the World Health Organization. To address the challenge of specific diagnosis for diseases that present with similar symptoms, multiplex diagnostic platforms must be designed.Methods: Simple designs for multiplexed paper-based diagnostic platforms were developed. Laser cutting and wax printing were used to create specific patterns on paper to guide the flow of sample and reagents towards reaction zones. Multi-arm and single strip multiplex platforms were designed and tested using Human Immunoglobulin G, Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg), and Helicobacter pylori antigens.Results: All designs produced promising results with the lowest limit of detection for antigens being 30ng/ml for single strip designs.Conclusions: The use of glass fibre conjugate pad was found to be more sensitive compared wax-printed chromatography paper. Results from this study indicate great potential for further application in development of diagnostic low-cost paper-based diagnostic devices

From Genetics to Biotechnology: Synthetic Biology as a Flexible Course-embedded Research Experience

The need for changing how science is taught and the expansion of undergraduate research experiences is essential to foster critical thinking in the Natural Sciences. Most faculty research programs only involve a small number of upper-level undergraduate students each semester. The course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) model enables more students to take ownership over an independent project and experience authentic research. Further, by creating projects that fit into a curriculum\u27s learning goals and student-oriented outcomes, departments help strengthen critical thinking skills in the classroom. Here, we report on the incorporation of a synthetic biology CURE into a mid-level cellular biology course and two advanced level genetics/molecular biology courses. Synthetic biology involves systematic engineering of novel organisms, such as bacteria and plants, to work as functional devices to solve problems in medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing. The value of synthetic biology and its ultimate utility as a teaching tool relies on reusable, standard genetic parts that can be interchanged using common genetic engineering principles. This Synthetic biology CURE effectively achieves five essential goals: (1) a sense of project ownership; (2) self-efficacy: mastery of a manageable number of techniques; (3) increased tolerance for obstacles through challenging research; (4) increased communication skills; and (5) a sense of belonging in a larger scientific community. Based upon our student assessment data, we demonstrate that this course-based synthetic biology laboratory engages students directly in an authentic research experience and models important elements of collaboration, discovery, iteration, and critical thinking

A Low-Cost, Open Source Monitoring System for Collecting High Temporal Resolution Water Use Data on Magnetically Driven Residential Water Meters

We present a low-cost (≈$150) monitoring system for collecting high temporal resolution residential water use data without disrupting the operation of commonly available water meters. This system was designed for installation on top of analog, magnetically driven, positive displacement, residential water meters and can collect data at a variable time resolution interval. The system couples an Arduino Pro microcontroller board, a datalogging shield customized for this specific application, and a magnetometer sensor. The system was developed and calibrated at the Utah Water Research Laboratory and was deployed for testing on five single family residences in Logan and Providence, Utah, for a period of over 1 month. Battery life for the device was estimated to be over 5 weeks with continuous data collection at a 4 s time interval. Data collected using this system, under ideal installation conditions, was within 2% of the volume recorded by the register of the meter on which they were installed. Results from field deployments are presented to demonstrate the accuracy, functionality, and applicability of the system. Results indicate that the device is capable of collecting data at a temporal resolution sufficient for identifying individual water use events and analyzing water use at coarser temporal resolutions. This system is of special interest for water end use studies, future projections of residential water use, water infrastructure design, and for advancing our understanding of water use timing and behavior. The system’s hardware design and software are open source, are available for potential reuse, and can be customized for specific research needs

Make or Shake: An Empirical Study of the Value of Making in Learning about Computing Technology

Learning about computing technology has become an increasingly important part of the school curriculum but it remains unclear how best to teach it to children. Here, we report on an empirical study that investigated how the process of making affects how children of different ages learn about computing technology. In one condition, they had to first make an electronic cube before conducting other activities and in the other they were given a ready made one to use. The results of the study show that for younger children, the making significantly improved their performance in a post-lesson test, whereas the older children performed equally well in both conditions. We discuss possible reasons for this, in terms of differences in creative appropriation. We also saw much spontaneous collaboration between the children that suggests making can encourage a collaborative relationship between children of different ages

The Soundscape of Oral Tradition on the Printed Page

Cet article examine l’écriture de l’oralité dans le roman de l’auteur contemporain Américain Garrison Keillor, Radio Romance. Keillor retrace l’époque de l’âge d’or de la radio à Minneapolis, une époque marquée par des traditions orales anciennes et nouvelles, mais aussi par le statut symbolique dominant de l’écrit. Keillor décrit le processus dialogique à l’œuvre dans la création radiophonique, son ancrage et son influence dans la vie quotidienne des auditeurs. Les liens complexes entre oralité, écriture et fictionnalité s’élaborent à travers le rapport fusionnel des auditeurs aux voix invisibles de la radio. La question du pouvoir de la fiction nous mène finalement à une réflexion éthique sur le récit littéraire, et à son rapport organique à l’oralité et au langage ordinaire.This article examines the writing of orality in the novel Radio Romance, by American author and radio personality Garrison Keillor. Radio Romance tells the story of the golden age of radio in America, at a time when oral traditions compete with the superior status of the written word. Keillor depicts radio storytelling as a dialogic process grounded in the everyday life of the community. The strong, empathic attachment of listeners to radio stories and voices raises the question of the complex relationship between fiction, writing and the spoken word. Keillor’s reflection on the power of fiction finally leads him to an ethics of storytelling, and to the necessary communion between orality and the written word in the American literary imagination